Sermon on the Mount — Introduction

INTRODUCTION

Here’s our series title for the next couple of weeks/months — The Sermon on the Mount: being discipled by Jesus.

Raise your hand if you’ve ever heard someone say — The Sermon on the Mount.

For many of us, I’m sure that we’ve at least heard The Sermon on the Mount before. You just may not be aware of what it actually is or means.

The Sermon on the Mount is one of my favorite portions of Scripture. When someone references the Sermon on the Mount, they are referencing Jesus’ teachings from Matthew 5-7.

Tonight’s lesson is going to be an introduction to the sermon. We’ll look at the context, audience, and purpose of the sermon.

CONTEXT

Can someone raise their hand and tell me what you think context means?

Context — the circumstances surrounding a particular passage of Scripture, encompassing historical, cultural, literary, and personal factors that help to understand the intended meaning and application of the text.

Have you ever heard someone say, “that verse was taken out of context?” Can anyone give an example? (Jeremiah 29:11, Philippians 4:13, Matthew 7:1 to name a few)

Understanding the surrounding context will help us understand the purpose and meaning of the sermon.

So lets take a quick look at the surrounding context:

John the Baptist’s Ministry (Matthew 3:1-12)

Can someone read Matthew 3:2 for us?

Matthew 3:2 “2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” — this is the message of John

John’s Baptism of Jesus (Matthew 3:13-17)

The Temptation of Jesus (Matthew 4:1-11)

Jesus’ Ministry Begins (Matthew 4:12-17)

Can someone read Matthew 4:17 for us?

Matthew 4:17 “17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” — where have we heard this before? (same message as John)

Why is this message important? It’s the message of the Gospel.

First Disciples (Matthew 4:18-22)

Matthew 4:19 “19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

This is an important part of our context, so we’ll stop for a second and discuss this idea of disciple.

What do you think the word disciple means?

μαθητής — a follower, a student, a learner

We’ll come back to this in a little bit.

Preaching and Healing of Jesus (Matthew 4:23-25)

Look at vs. 23 — Matthew 4:23 “23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.”

What does all of this context show us? Two main things. 1) Who Jesus is speaking to. 2) The purpose of the sermon on the mount. Let’s look first at the audience of the sermon.

AUDIENCE — disciples

In my teaching, I want to model for you what it looks like to do Bible exposition or hermeneutics. Basically, how to understand the Bible.

Here’s one of my main goals for the teen group — We all (leaders alike) would read, understand, and apply the Bible.

Just reading the Bible is not enough. Reading and understanding the Bible is not enough. We must read, understand, and apply the Bible to our lives.

Whenever I teach, my job is to demonstrate for you what this looks like.

Look with me at Matthew 5:1-2.

Matthew 5:1–2 KJV 1900

1 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: 2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,

Who is the audience of this sermon? His disciples.

What does disciple mean again? Learner or follower.

So let’s take a step back for a second. We’ve read. We’ve understood. Now we need to apply. How do these two verses relate to us today?

This sermon is for those who are followers of Jesus. Those who have repented of their sins and believed the Gospel.

Jesus is not originally teaching this sermon for us. But it does apply to us today.

DISCIPLESHIP

Before we see the purpose of the sermon, I want to give a brief aside on the tagline of our series — being discipled by Jesus.

We’ve already learned what it means to be a disciple. But what does it mean to be discipled? Any thoughts?

Discipling is helping someone else follow Christ. — Mark Dever

How does our church seek to disciple individuals? (services, small groups, JR Church, camps)

So being discipled is being helped by someone else to follow Christ better. You are currently being discipled by me through the preached Word of God. I am trying to help you follow Christ. This is my whole aim in leading the youth group. That when you graduate, you will be a better follower of Christ because of the youth group. This is why Maria and Jesse, and Jason and Michaela serve you all. Our desire is to help you follow Christ better.

But who better to learn from about how to be a follower of Christ, than Christ himself?

PURPOSE — to teach

Learn from Jesus what it means to live like Jesus.

Here’s where the context comes in. Individuals had responded to the message of repentance. But now what? The Sermon on the Mount serves as a guide to how God’s people should live.

Here are several quotes that I thought helped reveal the purpose of the sermon.

The Sermon is a perfect picture of the life of the Kingdom of God. — Martin Lloyd-Jones

“Because you are a Christian live like this.” This is how Christians ought to live; this is how Christians are meant to live. — Martin Lloyd-Jones

These were taught by the Lord and were meant for us, his people. This is how the Christian is meant to live. — Martin Lloyd-Jones

God’s people should be DIFFERENT. — John Stott

So as we walk through Matthew 5-7, Jesus is going to illustrate for us what the life of someone who has been changed by the Gospel should look like. We will all be discipled by Jesus.

HOMEWORK

Read through Matthew 5-7 this week. Note any questions that you have about the sermon (feel free to text Jeremiah those questions).

PRAYER PROMPTS

Pray for the unsaved in our youth group—that they would recognize their need for a Savior, repent of their sins, and receive the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.

Pray that our youth group would be known for their commitment to Christ—that following Him would define who we are and how we live.

Pray for hearts that are soft to Jesus' words in the Sermon on the Mount—that we would not only listen, but be transformed by His teaching.

SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS

What stood out to you about the context and audience of this sermon?

In what ways do you personally want to grow as a follower of Jesus during this series?