Kingdom Mindset | Matthew 5:1-16
Notes
Transcript
Sermon on the mount
Give context: this sermon is really important (biggest sermon, three chapters, it is proclaiming a new law)
1. Jesus is a better Moses.
1. Jesus is a better Moses.
1 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.
He said:
Prior to this in Matthew Jesus has been set up as a better Moses
What ways have we already seen Jesus as a better Moses in Matthew so far? (we see three examples)
Jesus was in Egypt when He was young
Matthew 2:14–15 (NIV)
14 So [Joseph] got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
Echoing Moses calling the Israelites out of Egypt
Tempted in the wilderness for 40 days (Matthew 4:1-11)
Echoes the Israelites being led by Moses in the desert (they complained, didn’t trust God), they fell short but Jesus was faithful
Giving the new law on a mountain (Matthew 5:1); echoes Moses receiving the old law on Mount Sinai
Jesus hasn’t even said anything and has already been set up as a new lawgiver (better Moses)
Who is Jesus teaching? the disciples
Jesus is teaching people who would have recognized these things and saw Him as a better Moses (they may have not realized it then, but they would eventually realize it)
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Does this remind y’all of an Old Testament book?
mirrors the opening of the book of Psalms with Psalm 1.
flip with me to Psalm 1 (Keep that spot saved cause we’re gonna come back to Psalms in a moment)
1 Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
Jesus is relating to His audience (who would’ve known the Psalms)
2. Jesus is leading an upside-down kingdom (Matthew 5:3-12).
2. Jesus is leading an upside-down kingdom (Matthew 5:3-12).
the purpose of the sermon on the mount (our standards of success are wrong)
before Jesus gets into the meat of the sermon, He wants to reframe what the kingdom of God looks like
The structure of the Beatitudes:
9 beatitudes
First line; blessed (greek word makarios; how fortunate)
second line; Jesus’ response to this person
Jesus is basically saying these people are living the good life (which seems so opposite to what we would think)
I want us to tackle each of these (let’s define them)
As we define them, I also want us to ask ourselves what’s the opposite of what Jesus is saying (ex. the opposite of someone who is poor in spirit)
What does it mean to be poor in spirit? (Doesn’t say physical riches) those who are afflicted or oppressed; those who trust in God despite their difficult circumstances
What’s the opposite of someone who is poor in spirit? Someone who thinks they have it all together; maybe even someone who does the oppressing
right off the bat, Jesus is making it clear that He is flipping the way we view being blessed upside-down
Jesus then goes on to say that those who mourn are blessed or fortunate. Why do y’all think Jesus is saying this? To express that life on Earth is not about material blessings, fulfilling your desires, or living an easy life. He is making it clear that the fortunate ones are those who are living today to advance the kingdom of God
What would be the opposite of someone who mourns? someone who has a lot; someone who is never lacking anything
Jesus is saying people in His kingdom will experience hardship here on Earth
What does it mean to be meek? Humble, gentle
What is the opposite of someone who is meek? Prideful, aggressive
those who are humble enough to realize their spiritual state and trust in Jesus will be gentle to others and inherit the Earth on the day of judgment
just finished up the first three beatitudes (structure)
What’s the common theme in these first three beatitudes? Being poor in spirit, living a life in difficulty and oppression
next three beatitudes
What does is mean to hunger and thirst for righteousness? desire it so much that it’s a need in our lives
as the Holy Spirit moves in our hearts, we hunger and thirst for righteousness more
What’s the opposite of this? desiring sin; rejecting righteousness
What does it mean to be merciful? forgive those who have wronged you
What’s the opposite of showing mercy? being harsh; lashing out to others
the great reversal we see in the Psalms
8 Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness
because of my enemies—
make your way straight before me.
9 Not a word from their mouth can be trusted;
their heart is filled with malice.
Their throat is an open grave;
with their tongues they tell lies.
10 Declare them guilty, O God!
Let their intrigues be their downfall.
Banish them for their many sins,
for they have rebelled against you.
the wicked’s malice was turned against them
all the beatitudes display the great reversal, this one is just the most obvious
show how this verse displays the great reversal
What does it mean to be pure in heart? a heart without sin
Christ is the only way we can be pure in heart (the Great Exchange)
What is the opposite of being pure in heart? constantly running to sin
we’re not called to be sinless, we’re called to sin less because the Holy Spirit continually works in our hearts to make us more like Jesus
What’s the common theme in the three beatitudes we just walked through? walking in righteousness, displaying the character of God
What does it mean to be a peacemaker? resolve division; live in a way that doesn’t cause division
the opposite would be someone who causes division
What does it mean to be persecuted because of righteousness? It means receiving hate from others for doing what is right (ex. not getting drunk or having sex outside of marriage despite peer pressure)
What’s the opposite of this? celebrating sin
college culture
what we’re called to
verses 11 and 12 are a beatitude
verses 11 and 12 take verse 10 up a notch (the first half and the second half)
“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
“Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
- why Jesus repeats this (and takes it up a notch; the heart of being a Christian on earth)
what’s the common theme in the last three beatitudes? not falling into sin and division but being willing to be persecuted for the name of Jesus
almost a combination of the first two themes
first theme: blessed are those who are oppressed and persecuted
second theme: blessed are those who walk in righteousness
third theme: blessed are those who walk in righteousness despite persecution
Jesus is building up to what it means to be part of the kingdom of God, culminating to verses 11 and 12 (11 and 12 being the heart of someone in the kingdom of God)
Jesus has built a foundation for the sermon on the mount by displaying His kingdom (He flips our worldly standards for a thriving kingdom upside-down)
making it clear; life on Earth is not about material blessings, wealth, glory to our name, but glory to Christ’s name
We endure persecution, we live righteous lives with the goal of bringing glory to Christ
You might be wondering, how does our suffering bring glory to Christ?
it brings glory to Christ because it displays His ultimate persecution He would face to forgive the sins of the world
this leads us to our final section of scripture
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
3. Jesus is commissioning us (Matthew 5:13-16).
3. Jesus is commissioning us (Matthew 5:13-16).
What is salt used for? taste and preservation
What does it mean that we are the salt of the Earth? we make the Earth a more pure and rich place; not through worldly riches, but through the riches in Christ
How can we lose our saltiness? the greek word used for “lose saltiness” also means “become foolish”
How do we prevent ourselves from becoming foolish? being in the Word, prayer, being in biblical community
Light analogy (He says we are the light of the world)
Jesus actually also declared Himself the Light of the Word in John 8:12.
12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
how can it be both?
Jesus lives in us (through the power of the Spirit)
the world is a dark place, we are the light
Through us, God exposes the darkness in people’s hearts and shows them the way to Him
the blessings of God are contagious
Where is light most effective? dark places (phone flashlight demonstration)
As the light of the world, we’re called to share the gospel; especially in dark places
those who experience the joy of being saved by Jesus can’t keep it to themselves (they literally can’t)
“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
our good deeds glorify God (rays of light; the evidence)
our good deeds bring others to glorify God (blessings of God are contagious)
What changes do you need to make in your life to bring glory to God despite the persecution of the world?
