SERMON ON THE MOUNT: SETTING THE STAGE FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

INTRODUCTION

Good Morning LC!

Today we start our summer series:

The Sermon on the Mount: LIVING IN THE FREEDOM OF THE KING.

Over the summer will cover Matt 5-7; or what we call

THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT.

TODAY, MY FOCUS IS TO GIVE US AN INTRODUCTION AND AN INTERPRETIVE GRID TO HELP US UNDERSTAND WHAT MATT 5-7 IS ABOUT AND HOW WE ARE TO LIVE IT.

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WHEN WE TAKE THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT OUT OF ITS CONTEXT WE LOOSE THE GOOD NEWS.

The message becomes one of Human Moralism- telling us to try harder.

We turn the Beatitudes - (Matt 5:1-11) into how we can enter the Reign of God rather than, the Good News that the Reign of God has come to the poor, hurting, mourning, those who make peace, and etc.

We read it through our Western sensibilities rather than hearing Jesus speak to 1st century Jews under severe persecution and poverty.

Often, the Sermon on the Mount is less good news about God’s Kingdom and more about the bad news that we will never be good enough.

MY GOAL TODAY IS TO SET THE HISTORICAL AND THEOLOGICAL CONTEXT OF THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT SO, WE CAN EXPERIENCE IT AS IT WAS INTENDED - GOOD NEWS, GOD’S REIGN HAS COME IN THE PERSON OF JESUS.

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LET’S TALK HISTORICAL AND THEOLOGICAL CONTEXT

What we call the Sermon on the Mount is found in Matthew five- seven.

Therefore, we need to understand what Matthew is trying to accomplish with His Gospel.

THE GOSEPL OF MATTHEW

Written by Matthew, also known as Levi the Tax collector. Disciple of Jesus.

Likely written in Aramaic and not Greek (The other Gospels were written in Greek).

Written to the Jewish people around AD 45-50

Matthew quotes and points to more OT passages than the other Gospels.

The purpose of this Gospel is to show the Jewish people; Jesus is the long awaited Messiah. He is of the Tribe of David, a son of Abraham, and important to us, the Prophet Moses promised would come.

Deuteronomy 18:15–19 NET

The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you—from your fellow Israelites; you must listen to him. This accords with what happened at Horeb in the day of the assembly. You asked the Lord your God: “Please do not make us hear the voice of the Lord our God any more or see this great fire any more lest we die.” The Lord then said to me, “What they have said is good. I will raise up a prophet like you for them from among their fellow Israelites. I will put my words in his mouth and he will speak to them whatever I command. I will personally hold responsible anyone who then pays no attention to the words that prophet speaks in my name.

In other words, Jesus is like a better Moses and His reign has come to set the people free and liberate them from tyranny, and creating a new community with laws that lead to peace, justice and righteousness to all.

LAWS THAT LEAD TO PEACE, JUSTICE, AND RIGHTEOUSNESS

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TWO IMPORTANT THEMES YOU MUST PICKUP ON TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT IS.

JESUS AS A GREATER MOSES

THE REIGN OF GOD HAS COME IN JESUS AND THIS IS GOOD NEWS TO ALL WHO WILL HEAR AND RESPOND.

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LET’S LOOK AT HOW MATTHEW USES BOTH OF THESE THEMES PRIOR TO OUR TEXT IN MATTHEW FIVE- SEVEN.

JESUS AS A GREATER MOSES

Moses is born and then rescued from the murderous attempt of Pharos in Egypt.

Jesus is born and then rescued from the murderous attempts of Herod by escaping to Egypt.

Moses and the Hebrews were sojourners in Egypt and then returned to the Promised Land / Jesus and his family were sojourners in Egypt and then returned to Israel.

Moses and the Hebrews crossed the Red sea before spending 40 years in the wilderness.

Jesus was baptized in the Jordan before spending 40 days fasting in the wilderness.

The Hebrew people entered the promise land with 12 tribes.

Jesus leaves the wilderness and starts His ministry by gathering 12 disciples.

Moses went to the top of the mount to meet God and to receive the 10 commandments from God.

Jesus went to the mount as the Son of God to deliver to the people the Sermon on the mount.

SPEAKING OF THE LAW LETS LOOK HOW THE 10 C0MMANDMENTS AND THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT LEAD TO FREEDOM AND ARE NOT JUST DAD SAYING NO, FUN GO TO YOUR ROOM.

Exodus 20:1–5 NET

God spoke all these words: “I, the Lord, am your God, who brought you from the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above or that is on the earth beneath or that is in the water below.You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I, the Lord, your God, am a jealous God, responding to the transgression of fathers by dealing with children to the third and fourth generations of those who reject me,

The law starts with a reminder - God rescued the people from slavery.

Therefore what He was about to give Moses was not bondage but a way to live free from slavery.

Exodus 20:8–10 NET

“Remember the Sabbath day to set it apart as holy.For six days you may labor and do all your work,but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; on it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, or your male servant, or your female servant, or your cattle, or the resident foreigner who is in your gates.

Imagine generation after generation working 7 days a week as a slave.

Sabbath sounds pretty great now, right?

Exodus 20:12–17 NET

“Honor your father and your mother, that you may live a long time in the land the Lord your God is giving to you. “You shall not murder. “You shall not commit adultery. “You shall not steal. “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

THE 10 COMMANDMENTS WERE ABOUT PROTECTING THE WEAK AND VULNERABLE AND TEACHING AN IMPOVERISHED SLAVE PEOPLE HOW TO LIVE FREE IN PEACE, JUSTICE, AND RIGHTEOUSNESS.

GOD’S INTENT IS TO SAVE AND HEAL THE PEOPLE FULLY BOTH INSIDE AND OUT.

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SECOND THEME

THE REIGN OF GOD HAS COME IN JESUS AND THIS IS GOOD NEWS TO THOSE WHO WILL HEAR AND RESPOND.

Matthew 4:23–25 NET

Jesus went throughout all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of disease and sickness among the people. So a report about him spread throughout Syria. People brought to him all who suffered with various illnesses and afflictions, those who had seizures, paralytics, and those possessed by demons, and he healed them. And large crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan River.

Teaching the Kingdom / showing the Kingdom

So what was the Kingdom of Heaven / God all about?

Luke 4:16–21 NET

Now Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read,and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and the regaining of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to tell them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled even as you heard it being read.”

JESUS FAVORITE PROPHET WAS ISAIAH AND HE QUOTES OR ALLUDES TO HIM ALOT.

SEVEN CHARACTERISTICS OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD ACCORDING TO THE PROPHET ISAIAH.

God’s presence as Spirit and or Light

God’s reign as Deliverance and Salvation of the whole Man.

Peace between man and God, between man and man, community and community, and inner peace.

Healing - mental, emotional, physical, relational.

Joy

Return from exile / return to God

Righteousness and Justice.

Let’s look at one Prophecy of Isaiah and we can see all 7 of these characteristics.

Isaiah 9:2–7 NET

The people walking in darkness see a bright light; light shines on those who live in a land of deep darkness. You have enlarged the nation; you give them great joy. They rejoice in your presence as harvesters rejoice; as warriors celebrate when they divide up the plunder. For their oppressive yoke and the club that strikes their shoulders, the cudgel the oppressor uses on them, you have shattered, as in the day of Midian’s defeat. Indeed every boot that marches and shakes the earth and every garment dragged through blood is used as fuel for the fire. For a child has been born to us, a son has been given to us. He shoulders responsibility and is called: Extraordinary Strategist, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His dominion will be vast and he will bring immeasurable prosperity. He will rule on David’s throne and over David’s kingdom, establishing it and strengthening it by promoting justice and fairness, from this time forward and forevermore. The Lord’s intense devotion to his people will accomplish this.

Did you see all 7 themes?

As we go through the Sermon on the Mount these 7 themes will show up over and over again.

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Jesus is the greater Moses we were to expect.

The Reign of God has come in the person of Jesus and it is really good news.

NEXT WEEK WE WILL BEGIN THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT AS WE DIVE INTO THE BEATITUDES.

WE WILL LOOK AT WHO THE KINGDOM OF GOD OR THE REIGN OF GOD HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO.

AND HOW IT IS GOOD NEWS NO MATTER WHERE YOUR LIFE IS RIGHT NOW.