Matthew 5-7, "Life in the Kingdom"
Notes
Transcript
Last week we saw Jesus preaching good news. God’s kingdom is open and available to all. Reach out your hand and take ahold of by repenting of your self-oriented, sinful life, and believing that Jesus is the way to eternal life. Good news. But Jesus also says some hard things.
What’s the hardest thing Jesus said that you can think of?
“The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried.” - G.K. Chesterton, “What’s Wrong with the World”
In Matthew 5-7, Jesus preaches a message many people call the Sermon on the Mount. In it, He explains how to live in the kingdom of God. These are the laws that will govern the kingdom of God. But He says some really hard things.
Jesus says,
Matthew 5:11–12 (ESV)
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
How do we do that?
He tells us,
Matthew 5:20 (ESV)
For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
He says, “Don’t harbor anger in your heart or speak a bad word about anyone,”
Matthew 5:22 (ESV)
But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.
He says, “Don’t indulge lust in your heart.”
Matthew 5:28 (ESV)
But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
He says I have to be generous with forbearance, forgiveness, and with my stuff.
Matthew 5:38–42 (ESV)
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil.
But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.
And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.
He’s telling us to let people take advantage of us? Are we supposed to take Him seriously? So any of us take Him seriously?
He digs deeper.
Matthew 5:44 (ESV)
But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
and
Matthew 5:48 (ESV)
You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Now He’s just being silly.
But He goes on…
Matthew 6:14–15 (ESV)
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Matthew 6:19–20 (ESV)
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
Does this mean I can’t save for retirement?
He says,
Matthew 6:25 (ESV)
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
Okay, maybe you don’t struggle with anxiety. Maybe you struggle to be patient with stupid people. He has something for you, too.
Matthew 7:1 (ESV)
“Judge not, that you be not judged.
And when you think about it, the golden rule is a pretty tall order.
Matthew 7:12 (ESV)
“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
I can think of a lot of things I wish others would do to me that I have never done to someone else.
Now, Jesus recognizes how hard this all is.
Matthew 7:13–14 (ESV)
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
If you wanted it easy, following Him is not the path for you. But He brings up the fruitful life imagery we’ve seen before.
Matthew 7:17–19 (ESV)
So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Do you want a healthy, fruitful life? The kingdom of God is the only path to fruitfulness.
So, how do we do it?
We would have to start the way Jesus told us to start in Mark 1. Repent and believe. We could start with a confession. And this is where Jesus begins his message about life in the kingdom. We call His opening passage “the beatitudes”, which maybe sounds better than “the blessednesses” or “the happys”.
Matthew 5:3–6 (ESV)
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
For we who hear Jesus’ message, the first four beatitudes can begin with a confession. We confess that we are poor in spirit, mourning our sin and the sin of others, humble, hungry and thirsty for righteousness (because we’re not full of it). I confess I don’t have what it takes to run the show, in my own life, let alone for anyone else. I have wasted my life seeking meaning, purpose, hope, and happiness in anything other than God, and I must repent.
And along with repentance, we believe. Believe that God is our Father who is in heaven. What kind of a Father is He? He is the kind of Father who loves His enemies.
Matthew 5:44–45 (ESV)
But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
He is the Father who sees the good works you do in secret and rewards you.
Matthew 6:3–4 (ESV)
But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
He knows what we need before we ask Him, so we don’t need special formulas to pray to Him. Simply ask.
Matthew 6:7–8 (ESV)
“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
He knows you need things like food and clothing, and wants to provide them so that we can live a righteous life.
Matthew 6:32–33 (ESV)
For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Jesus is very clear. Most people waste their lives rushing around trying to run the show. If we truly believe that our Father in heaven overflows with love and will provide everything we need, we will not waste our lives. We will be less hurried, more loving, more at peace, more forgiving, less anxious. We will demonstrate in our lifestyle that God is running the show, and ours is not to worry, ours is to trust in God and love like God.
But this is hard. We spend all week having to, if not run the show, then get stuff done at work, in school, for our family. It’s hard to turn off that feeling that really I need to be productive to have a fruitful life. And I bring that into my relationship with God and others.
But living a fruitful life in the kingdom of God doesn’t come from achievement. It begins by confessing my poverty of spirit, repenting of my sin of idolatry, and believing that God is a loving heavenly Father who takes care of me. But the next confession we make goes back to the other beatitudes.
Matthew 5:7–10 (ESV)
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Added to poor in spirit, mourning, meek, hungering and thirsting for righteousness, Jesus also includes blessing for those who are merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers, happy to be persecuted for His’ sake. Can I confess truly that I am those things?
When you add on the other hard things Jesus tells us to do, can I say that I am truly loving my enemies, forgiving those who owe me, generous like God, harboring no unclean thought, and more righteous than the most religious people who ever lived? If I am honest, I am none of those things in myself. All of those qualities comes through Jesus. So, I confess I need Jesus.
Jesus lived the most fruitful life in the kingdom of God anyone has ever lived. He was devoted to God’s law.
Matthew 5:17 (ESV)
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
How did Jesus fulfill God’s law? He practiced everything He preached. He lived a perfectly righteous life. He went beyond the Ten Commandments, do not murder, do not steal, do not lie. He did not harbor anger or lust or half truths in His heart. In fact, He loved His enemies and prayed for those who were crucifying Him.
The Scribes and the Pharisees followed the 613 laws of Torah, and the thousands more they had derived from those in their rabbinic law. Even they did not have enough righteousness to enter the kingdom of heaven. Because it’s not just about behavior.
I need a pure heart. If I am going to be able to forgive those who owe me without keeping a record…if I am to rejoice when someone insults me for my faith in Jesus…if I am to truly love my enemy and give them my stuff when they need it, I need a new heart. I need the heart of Jesus. This is how I become pure in heart. I am not the light of the world unless the light of Christ is in me. I need to be united with Jesus, abiding in Him. I need consider myself dead and join my life to His life. When I am united with Him, His righteousness can become mine. His life in me will produce good works that glorify my Father in heaven.
Jesus says,
Matthew 7:21 (ESV)
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
What is the will of the Father in heaven?
Matthew 7:22 (ESV)
On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’
Matthew 7:23 (ESV)
And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
At the end of all things, we won’t be judged by our achievements, or because we know the right words to say. Many people have been part of the church for a long time, and they know how to talk about “the Lord” Jesus Christ. They know all the right doctrines and even know their Bibles. But in the end, the only thing that matters is whether or not I united to Jesus by faith. When we see each other face to face, will He say, “I know this one. Her life is in me. You can tell by his fruit that He is rooted in me”?
Jesus said many hard things. But He is clear because He loves us and wants us to experience our most fruitful life in the kingdom of God. The will of God the Father is that you would know and be known by Jesus, His Son. Our union with Christ is our entry to the kingdom of God. Our union with Christ empowers our obedience on the narrow path of good works of love and forgiveness that leads to our most fruitful life.
Communion
Questions for Discussion
What are some blessings you have experienced this week?
What are some truths that are hard to swallow, but helpful for life?
When you read the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5-7, what are the most challenging parts? What are the most encouraging parts?
What do we learn about God from the sermon on the mount?
What do we learn about ourselves from Matthew 5-7?
How does Jesus define the fruitful life in this sermon?
Where are the places we fall short of the fullness of that life? What does Jesus say to that?
How will you respond to His message this week?
Who is someone you can share this passage with this week?