AN INTRODUCTION TO THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT

Introduction

-{Matthew 5}

-Since the founding of the church after Christ’ ascension and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, there has been thousands of years of anointed preachers proclaiming the wonderful truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ in sermons that have been read, studied, and preached even to this day after so many years. While over time untold millions of sermons have been delivered, there have been some that so touched the hearts of the original hearers that their transcripts have been poured over by Christians over the millennia. Some of these sermons led to Great Awakenings among the lost, while others led to wonderful revivals in Christ’s church.

-I think of Biblical examples of such sermons, like the one that Peter preached on Pentecost after the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, that God used to bring 3000 souls into the fold. Other sermons that might come to mind are “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” by Jonathan Edwards that drove people to grip the pew in front of them for fear of falling into the pits of hell.

-Other sermons that come to mind are “The Almost Christian” by John Wesley or maybe we think of “Walking with God” by George Whitfield. In the 20th Century we had sermons like “Old Time Religion” by Billy Sunday that emphasized the Bible’s inerrancy and the imminent return of Christ. Or you may have heard of “Payday Someday” by R. G. Lee reminding sinners that they cannot escape the wrath of God, and can only find escape through Jesus Christ.

-However, as famous and impactful as those sermons have been, there is one sermon that exceeds them all. It is the most famous sermon ever taught by the greatest preacher ever--and I am obviously talking about the Sermon on the Mount given by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. No sermon has impacted humanity in such a way, being both challenging and frustrating in the demands to which it calls people.

-While there may be sermons that step on your toes, this Sermon steps all over every bit of you as it challenges our natural human tendencies of self-righteousness and self-interest. It calls us to something different because we ARE something different.

-If a church is to fulfill its mission, it needs to follow the holy calling that it has been given--and we find that calling in this Sermon. This is no mere 35-minute, three-point and a poem type of sermon. It comes from Christ Himself and penetrates our mind and heart.

-Today is going to be different as I attempt to lay the groundwork for how we are to understand all that Jesus says in this great sermon so that we are able to learn from the sermon and apply it to our lives rightly. So, today we read the introductory verses:

Matthew 5:1–2 LSB

1 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. 2 And He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,

-And then it goes into the sermon proper. I want to introduce us to the Sermon on the Mount as over many months we will tackle this amazing teaching of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So, today’s sermon is not going to be one of those 3 points and a poem type of sermons either.

-First, let me give you some context to what is going on here. Matthew is writing to Jews to demonstrate that Jesus is the Messiah. He traced Jesus’ lineage and spoke about His miraculous birth, and the worship of Gentile magi who recognized Him as the coming King. Many years later, John the Baptist laid the groundwork, preparing the hearts of the people to receive their Messiah. Jesus was commissioned for His great Messianic work as He was baptized by John, the Holy Spirit came upon Him in a visible form, and Jesus was declared by the Father to be His beloved Son in whom He is well pleased.

-Jesus was led to the wilderness by the Holy Spirit for a time of fasting of 40 days, within which He endured many temptations from the devil, being tested over what kind of Messiah He was. Jesus did not succumb to sin, proving that He is God’s Holy One. Then Jesus began His ministry proper in Galilee, calling some to follow Him and become fisher’s of men. Matthew summarizes this Galilean ministry by saying that Jesus went to their synagogues preaching the gospel of the kingdom, as well as doing healings and casting out demons. Because of this ministry, Matthew says that large crowds began to follow Him.

-Because of these large crowds, in our current passage, it says Jesus went up on a mountain--not to escape the crowd, but to find a more fitting venue for teaching. Jesus sat down which was the normal posture of a Rabbi. Then it says that His disciples came to Him and He began to teach them. So, we notice that what Jesus is about to teach is meant for His disciples. However, in Matthew 7:28 it says that the crowds were astonished. So, while the teaching that He was about to give was meant for the disciples, He wanted the crowds to listen in so that they would consider the implications for what it was that He was about to say.

-As Jesus went into the teaching, the disciples and the crowd may have listened to Jesus with certain assumptions of what it was they were going to hear or preconceived notions of what it was that they wanted to hear. And we are in a danger of doing the same thing. There are a lot of different ways that people come to the Sermon on the Mount because they want to be able to use it to prove what it is that they already believe. So, they try to twist the Sermon on the Mount to fit their agenda, instead of allowing the context to determine what it is that Jesus is saying. I want to first consider the wrong ways to approach the Sermon, and if any of these match our own notions, that is a warning that we need to let go of those thoughts and come to the Sermon with fresh eyes, allowing context to be key, following the biblical approach to the sermon. So, first, let’s consider some wrong ways to approach the Sermon on the Mount.

THE MEDIEVAL APPROACH—In the medieval times where the Roman church was both a religious and political powerhouse, they believed that the Sermon taught that there were two levels of ethics. The high set of standards given in the Sermon on the Mount were for professional clergy and members of monastic societies. Whereas the other ethics upon which Scripture touches is for us everyday folks. The problem is, that just is not biblical. Jesus spoke to His disciples which were at all different levels of commitment as well as to the crowds in general. Nowhere does it say this Sermon is just for the professionals. There is not one set of ethics for laypeople and a whole other set for pastors.

THE HUMANISTIC APPROACH—This is where unbelieving naturalists try to sever the Sermon from any sort of supernatural source and power, and instead view the Sermon as a naturalistic ethic for 1st century Judaism, which they then claim is irrelevant to contemporary culture. But there is nothing in the context of the passage itself or in Scripture in general that would ever suggest such a thing. The Sermon is part of God’s Word, the Bible, which is the Book for all the ages; therefore the Sermon is for every age of history.

There are also several LIBERAL approaches to the Sermon. For some, the Sermon gives out the moral imperatives upon whose fulfillment salvation depends. But since no one lives them out perfectly in this life, if salvation is dependent on fully living out its principles, then no one will ever be saved. Other liberals see this as a paradigm for a social gospel. And while there are definitely social aspects to the Sermon, it does not lay out any way of forming a secular social entity.

THE EXTREME DISPENSATIONALIST APPROACH—They believe the ethics given is limited in scope to the future millennial kingdom and applies only to the Jews, not to the church. However, there is nothing within context that would indicate that Jesus was giving something for the future. Why would Jesus tell those people back then how to live at some future state? Why not just wait until that future state begins? No, the Sermon is for then as much as it is for now as much as it is for the future.

THE EXISTENTIAL APPROACH—They believe that the sermon is not absolute, and it does not give concrete ethical instruction. It is not to be taken as authoritative, but is merely a challenge to make a personal decision of mind and will to do good. Yet, whenever we see Jesus speak, He always speaks with authority. And He authoritatively calls people to this particular way of living.

THE ANABAPTIST/MENNONITE APPROACH—They say that the Sermon stipulates a morality of pure pacifism which permeates every area of life. Again, nothing in context would indicate this.

THE WISDOM-TEACHING APPROACH—They say that Jesus, as a teacher, was merely expressing His convictions about how His people were to live peacefully in the world, without it having any other, broader reach. Meaning, Jesus was just giving some wisdom for people to live by. Yet, what we have here, is Jesus speaking authoritatively and with regards to all people within all ages.

-So, if all of that is how NOT to approach the Sermon on the Mount, then how do we approach it. Again, consider the context, and consider the groundwork for the theme that Matthew has been laying out for us. Consider the first teaching/sermon that Matthew records of Jesus: REPENT, FOR THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AT HAND. Then consider Matthew’s summary of the teaching that Jesus taught in the Galilean synagogues, he says that Jesus was PREACHING THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM.

-The Kingdom of heaven (or, as it is called in other parts of the Bible, the Kingdom of God) is the sovereign rule of God through Jesus Christ in the lives of His people. And we know that His people comprise those who would believe in Jesus Christ. So, within its context, we see the Sermon on the Mount as Jesus telling people what it is to live as a member of the Kingdom of Heaven. How do you live as one of God’s people in Jesus Christ since you are now part of the Kingdom of God?

-In looking at our brief passage today, Jesus is telling His disciples how they are to live as members of His Kingdom since they have believed and followed Jesus (Judas, being the obvious exception). But, we know that the crowds were listening in as well, so Jesus wants them to hear what it means to live as a member of the Kingdom, and as He teaches elsewhere, to count the cost of what it means to be a disciple. If you are a disciple, you believe in Jesus and follow Jesus, this is how you live--these are the values that mark your life.

-Now, there are some scholars that compare Jesus’ teaching on the mountain to Moses ascending the mountain and receiving the law from God. So, they say that it is as if Jesus was giving a new law. I don’t know if I would go that far, because the thing about the Kingdom is that it is not entered by following law nor is it maintained by following law--it is all of grace. However, I might say that just as Moses received the values that entail that covenant that God was establishing (the Mosaic covenant, the old covenant), now Jesus is expounding the values of the New Covenant that He would establish for all of eternity. If you are in covenant with God, you are part of the Kingdom, and here is what it means to be part of that Kingdom. So, with that in mind, I want to mention several considerations for us to keep in mind as we study the Sermon on the Mount:

-First, only those who are part of the Kingdom of Heaven can live for the Kingdom of Heaven. Only when you have believed in Jesus Christ, having been born again, and are indwelt by the Holy Spirit are you a part of God’s Kingdom, and only then are you empowered to live out the principles that Jesus lays out for us here in the Sermon on the Mount. What Jesus teaches are reflections of Kingdom values, and only when you are a part of the Kingdom can you actually live out those values.

-If you are merely a good person trying to do good things, or if your Christianity is cultural rather than actual, if your version of religion is based on rules or laws rather than grace and truth, you are not a part of the Kingdom and you will not be able to live according to Jesus’ precepts that He teaches. Jesus taught this Sermon to the disciples who were part of the Kingdom. He taught the crowds with the intention of them making a decision to become His disciples and become part of the Kingdom. Only then will this Sermon make any sense.

-A second consideration is that the Sermon on the Mount is as much a matter of building character and being a certain way as it is a list of things that you do. It speaks much more about the type of person that you are on the inside, because then what you are on the inside comes out into what you do on the outside. The Sermon on the Mount isn’t a moral code or a code of ethics, it is an embodiment of being a member of God’s Kingdom through Christ, and letting that shine through. Just as who Jesus really was shined through His body on the Mount of Transfiguration, so too the Sermon on the Mount builds our Christian character that then shines through into how we live our lives and interact with others. Don’t approach the Sermon on the Mount as a laundry list of do’s and don’ts, but a manifesto of who you are as a person.

-A third consideration is that living as member of the Kingdom as given in the Sermon on the Mount is actually being cross-cultural. If you live according to its precepts, you will be completely different from those who are nominally religious, and you will definitely be different from those who live for self and the world.

-I find it so ironic that those who live for self and pleasure think that they are the ones being cross-cultural, when in reality they are the embodiment of the culture. I think of the whole rock ‘n roll mindset. It was all about individual autonomy, anti-authoritarianism, non-conformity to Christian ethos, and the like. The ironic part is that those are the exact values all of the world shares. Those are the values of Satan himself. Those are the values of rebellion which is exactly where this world is.

-All the while, these people are claiming to be cross-cultural, when in reality they have embraced the culture of a fallen world. They join the vast majority of the world in shaking their fist at God. The real cross-cultural people are the ones that go against the grain of the world. Instead of rebellion, they seek obedience. Instead of self-autonomy, they place themselves under the authority of Christ.

-And, sadly enough, a good portion of Christians reflect and embrace worldly values more than Kingdom values. If you want to make the average Christian in the pew uncomfortable (maybe even mad), then live according to the Kingdom principles of the Sermon on the Mount. They will call you radical and whole bunch of other names. But while you become a burr in the side of Average Joe Christian, you will be a shining star to Christ and His Kingdom.

-Related to this is a fourth consideration, and that is the Sermon on the Mount constantly reminds us that we are not of this world, but we have been recreated from something different--something better. The Bible tells us that when we believe in Jesus and become a member of His Kingdom, the old passes away and we have been made new.

-As Peter reminds us in his epistles, when we are made new this world is no longer our home--we look forward to a better home, a better earth, a better heaven. We are pilgrims passing through this world, and so we don’t cling to what this world has to offer, knowing that it is temporary and empty with no eternal value. Instead, as laid out for us in the Sermon on the Mount, we live differently, think differently, have different attitudes, have different values. We consider the eternal rather than just the temporal. We look beyond the here and now, and look forward to the incorruptible, ageless glory given to us as members of Christ’s Kingdom.

-A fifth consideration is that the Sermon on the Mount shows us how to please our heavenly Father rather than pleasing ourselves. We have a natural programming to live for self, please self, do everything for self. The Sermon on the Mount gets us outside of ourselves if we would but listen to its call. When we wake up in the morning, which do we reflect on more: what am I going to do for myself today, or what am I going to do to please my Savior today? Throughout the day, do we think more about what we want, or what God desires? Do we consider more what is going to make us look good, or what is going to make God look good? Do we think more about what is going to make me happy, or what is going to put a smile on my God’s face? The Sermon on the Mount gets us outside ourselves to look up.

-A sixth consideration is that the Sermon on the Mount gives us the key to human flourishing. Every religion and philosophy and worldview claims that it will give you the secret sauce on what it means to be happy and truly live your best life and be all that you can be and all that. Every single one of them falls short. Only the values of the Kingdom as given in the Sermon on the Mount will tell you what it truly means to have a happy, blessed, fulfilled life. I mean, that is how the Sermon starts--blessed is the man who.… If you want to live to your full potential, you don’t look to the world, you look to the Kingdom and you find out what it truly means to be human--returning to what we were always meant to be.

-A seventh consideration is that the Sermon on the Mount is something that every Christian must consider as an obligation of our being and doing. The Sermon on the Mount is not a buffet that we pick and choose what we like, nor are they merely suggestions. This is what it means to be a member of the Kingdom. If you are a member of the Kingdom, then you are bound to the Sermon. If you are part of the Kingdom, you have the Holy Spirit and are empowered to so live if you walk in the Spirit. We have to stop being so soft about our obligations as Christians and stop being so soft on the excuses that we come up with as to why we don’t live the way Christ calls us to.

-But then there is the eighth consideration, and that is the Sermon points us to Jesus as it reminds us how far we fall short. Even within the Christian who is a part of the Kingdom, the sin principle still resides within us. When we live in our own power we fall to that sin principle and we fall short of these standards and the glory of God. And that is when we remind ourselves of the gospel. Because we miss the mark, because we break God’s laws, because we cannot live up to these standards, we need forgiveness, and that forgiveness is found in Jesus Christ. We will never live the Sermon out perfectly. That doesn’t mean we don’t try, but we remember when we fall, we have a Savior, and we look forward to a consummated Kingdom where we all will live out these values in eternity.

Conclusion

-I hope you’re looking forward to diving into the Sermon on the Mount. Christian, come to the altar and wrestle with God where you fall short, find His forgiveness, and find His power to live as a member of the Kingdom.

-But if you don’t have Christ, you aren’t a part of His Kingdom, and you will be separated from God forever. Believe in Jesus, and become a part of His Kingdom of Light...