Sermon on the Mount #1 (Matthew 5)

Sermon

Key Passage

Matthew 5 NIV

Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them. He said: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “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. “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. “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 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. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. “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. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell. “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Introduction

VISION/MISSION/PROCESS

We exist to reach the world for Jesus, one person at a time

We do this by creating Biblical disciples in relational environments

We are the church. We are the Kingdom of God. We are the body of Christ in our hurting world.

We obviously have a significant passage to cover.

If you’ve been with us for very long, you are probably thinking, “This will take forever!”

Hopefully not.

We are going to do a 30,000 foot view of this passage.

There is so much detail in these teachings and this detail is important.

This is why we preached this in great detail over the last summer.

On our website and Youtube pages are the sermon breakdowns of all of the following topics.

If you have questions or if you want further teaching, please go to those resources.

Our purpose of going through these passages in this way is to see the role of how this sermon revealed Jesus as the King of Kings, Lord of Lords and Messiah.

Also what this would mean for the people who heard His teaching.

The Sermon on the Mount is a significant portion of teaching and I want to highlight its significance

Jesus had been baptized and the world heard God’s validation that Jesus is God’s Son.

Jesus had been tempted in the wilderness

This wasn’t for the world to see, rather, this was a time Jesus endured to prepare Him for the ministry God had prepared for Him.

Jesus began preaching a message of repentance for the Kingdom of Heaven was approaching.

Then He called His disciples to follow Him.

The call to discipleship was for their maturity, but it was also the tool that God used to relationally, in love, reveal Himself and His nature to humanity.

Discipleship is the tool God gave us to reveal Himself.

Now, Jesus begins His Messianic ministry

The King has arrived on scene and the framework of the Kingdom of Heaven is about to be announced.

To the Jewish people they understood the framework of the Kingdom of Israel

Temple

This was where the presence of God resided

This is where the people would bring their sacrifices for sin

This was the lifeline of the Spiritual life of the nation.

Law

The law was God’s instructions for rightous living

They embraced the law and lived by it

The Scriptures were central to how and why the nation did as they did.

Citizenship

You were a part of the Kingdom of Israel by your lineage

If you were born Jewish, you would know who you are in your nation.

It would determine where you lived, what role you had in society

Circumcision after 8 days was a sign that you were a part of the nation of Israel and a part of the promise of God through Abraham.

Jesus showed up on scene and in this first sermon, broke all of their expectations of the Kingdom

This was not a Kingdom of Israel. This was a new Kingdom. The Kingdom of Heaven

The King of this promised Kingdom had arrived and Jesus was that King.

Jesus began to introduce this Kingdom in this sermon of massive importance.

This is how we are going to introduce the Sermon on the Mount. It is through the lens of the arriving Kingdom

This is a Kingdom that we are a part of today. To these people, it was a massive national change from their expectations

To us today, we are not part of the Jewish nation like they are. But this is not a national kingdom.

This is a Kingdom for all. Let’s introduce the topic.

Preaching

Here is our context. We left off last week with the news that Jesus was teaching in the synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel about the Kingdom and healing people.

As a result:

Matthew 4:25 NIV

Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.

Matthew 5:1–2 NIV

Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them. He said:

Jesus began showing His authority

Authority over the Scriptures. People were listening to Him teach.

Authority over nature. He was healing people of all sorts of sickness

Spiritual Authority. He was casting out demons and proclaiming the Gospel.

This was profound to these people. Good news didn’t exist. They had their practices and things of value, but as Matthew 4:16 says: “The people living in darkness have seen a great light: on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.”

Light had dawned. God had become flesh. There is now hope, fulfillment and purpose beyond what had ever been spoken before.

I don’t want to start at the top and work through. There is a principle that Jesus reveals part-way through this passage. I want to highlight this truth and use it as our interpretive key for everything else in our chapter

Jesus is the Fulfillment

Matthew 5:17–20 NIV

“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. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

This would have been a really important piece of Jesus’ arrival for these people to know.

Also, this is important for us to know.

Jesus didn’t say the law was evil. He didn’t say the law was wrong.

The law came from God and from the heart of God. It is holiness and purity.

However, we cannot hold to the law because we have a sinful nature that causes us to live in rebellion to God’s holiness.

Jesus didn’t undo the law. He came to fulfill the law

If you want to hold to the fullness of the law in the eyes of God

If you want purity and holiness in the eyes of God, it can only be found in Jesus.

You can either try to follow the law and fall short

Or you can follow Jesus, who in Himself is the fulfillment of the holy law of God.

So the law is fulfilled in Jesus. But we also see that if you want to be in the Kingdom, you need righteousness.

Your righteousness has to be greater than the most righteous people in their society. That would include literally no one.

This is the only way to be a part of the Kingdom.

There is no citizenship in the Kingdom of God without righteousness

And Jesus already declared Himself to be that righteousness.

So Jesus is saying that citizenship in the Kingdom of God can only be found through the law being perfectly fulfilled.

Jesus is that fulfillment, so how are we to become citizens of this Kingdom? Jesus

Jesus is the fulfillment and the gateway to the Kingdom of Heaven.

This is what we need to see in this passage.

The entire focus of the Kingdom of Heaven is Jesus. It is the revelation and work of the King.

With this, Jesus as the center-point, we will use to interpret the rest of our passage.

With this understanding, we will begin with the Happiness passages.

The Pursuit of Happiness (The Beatitudes)

The next 10 verses are called the Beatitudes

We mistakenly say, “This is because these are the attitudes we are supposed to have”

In a way, that is correct, but that is not what the word actually means.

Beatitudes come from the Latin word “beatus” which means, “blessed” or “happy”

The word all of these poetic lines starts with is “blessed”

This does not mean “blessings” from God. That looks like the same word as well.

The word that we are translating as “Blessed” literally means “Happy.

Jesus introduces Himself and His ministry by sharing where joy would come from

In our lives, we pursue happiness through all sorts of things

Possessions, experiences, power, love, etc.

We would even say, “Happy is the person who’s bills are paid”

In this kingdom, “Happy is the person with a lake house”

In the Jewish culture, it would have been similar.

Happiness would be completely attached to the physical things in their lives

Jesus introduces a different happiness in the Kingdom

Matthew 5:3–12 NIV

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “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.

The first thing I want us to understand from this is that it is upside down from what we would expect.

Happiness is not found in this life

If life was about this flesh, these kingdoms, and my human circumstances, then none of these passages would mean anything.

But I want you to remember that this is not a new set of commands. This is not adding onto the law.

Every one of these statements of happiness are a reflection of the nature of Jesus.

Was Jesus humble and poor in spirit?

Was Jesus meek?

Did Jesus hunger and thirst for righteousness?

Was Jesus merciful?

Was Jesus persecuted for righteousness sake?

The answer is “yes” to every one of these.

Jesus is the fulfillment of the Beatitudes. We are not to look at these as individual commands. They are descriptors of the highest values of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Values that reflect the nature, not just the actions of Jesus.

Here is the point. How do we do these things?

Do I set out and choose to be humble?

Do I decide to be merciful?

These are changes that are made in our hearts.

These are identity changers, not activity changers.

How does this heart change take place?

I’m happy you asked!

You are the Light of the World

Matthew 5:13–16 NIV

“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. “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 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. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

It says that you are the salt of the earth

You are the light of the world.

The point of this is highlighting that living this life of joy that Jesus calls us to is not about following and doing things.

You ARE the light of the world.

Being a part of the Kingdom of Heaven is transformational

Jesus is the law

Jesus is our citizenship in the Kingdom

Jesus is our identity

We are no longer who we were

We are no longer in the darkness, but we have had the light dawn on us as well and we are the light of the world.

Our transformation by Jesus in the Kingdom is intended to be seen by the world.

If this world needs to see God and the heart of God, Jesus tells us that this is what we are to be in the world.

The Kingdom of Heaven in this world represents the King.

If they look at the Kingdom, they should see the King.

This leads us to the full second half of this passage:

“You have heard it said...but I say”

As we dive into this next section, we all have a tendency to look at these as “What is Jesus saying about what I am supposed to do?”

I want to begin by saying, “These are not new rules. This is not the ‘new law’”

Jesus is our righteousness.

These are all examples from life about what our new heart looks like.

Again, I want to highlight that the details from this can be caught up in our Summer Sermon Series that is found on our website and Youtube page.

However, today we are looking at this from a much broader perspective.

All of these “You have heard it said...” statements, are Jesus showing His authority over the teaching of their day.

These are all things that they had been taught.

They had been taught to obey the rules. And then for generations, the rules had been defined for them.

But here is the thing, have you ever told you kids to say, “I’m sorry”? Then tell the other one to say, “I forgive you.”

They do the right thing and say the words, then the go right back to smacking each other on the head when you leave the room.

Their actions were right. Their hearts were not.

Jesus is making the very broad point that the heart is what matters.

A heart that is light and salt.

A heart that seeks happiness in the Kingdom, not happiness in this world

A heart that aligns with the heart of Jesus

A heart that seeks to please Jesus, not the law.

A Kingdom Heart

Matthew 5:21–47 NIV

“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell. “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?

I have a diagram that I would like to show you:

Diagrams:

Murder Sin 1

Murder Sin 2

Lust/Adultery Sin 1

Lust/Adultery Sin 2

Here is the point

These passages aren’t about us learning a new way to follow the law

It is about addressing our hearts. Jesus Christ gives us a new heart. He is the fulfillment of the Kingdom of Heaven.

I want to show you what a picture of this surrender looks like:

Rights

Mercy

Either we have the rights to all of these things in our lives, or we give those rights to Jesus.

Walk out revenge/justification

I used this as my example in our sermon prep time

Let’s say that Bill Carrier kicked my dog Daisy.

My rights are to kick his dog Brutus

So lets walk that out. If Bill kicks Daisy and I exercise my right to kick Brutus, are we now relationally good?

Of course not.

Does that solve anything? No.

In fact, I have acted as judge and jury. I have determined that Bill is in the wrong. I am the determiner. I have deemed the punishment for his crime is that his dog is also kicked.

Jesus is saying, “Let me be the judge. Let me issue justice. You forgive, be a peacemaker, and show mercy.”

Those are the ways to find joy in my Kingdom.

We would have two angry people and two hurting dogs

Conclusion

Here is the conclusion to this opening chapter of the Sermon on the Mount

The King is here.

The Kingdom is not just a new way of looking at the world.

The Kingdom is consumed with one thing: The King

You are not born into this Kingdom by genetics

You do not earn your way into the Kingdom

The King has to let you into the Kingdom. The only way into the Kingdom of God is through the King.

Jesus said in John 10:9-10

John 10:9–10 NIV

I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

How do we get the King to let us into the Kingdom?

It is very simple. Jesus says:

Follow Me— He is the only way, we must follow Him

I will change you— He gives us a new heart. We live a new life. We don’t seek revenge. We live for things that are not of this world. We are willing to give up our rights, our privilege, and our comforts here for the sake of following the King.

Fishers of Men— As you follow the King and are changed by the King, you are the light of the world.

You draw others to the King.

In this world, we have a choice: Set our eyes on the Kingdom, or set our eyes on our kingdom

“There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, in the end, ‘Thy will be done.’ — C.S. Lewis

I love how Matthew calls the Kingdom, “The Kingdom of Heaven”

This is a Kingdom that is eternal by nature. A Kingdom that leads not only to the heart of God, but the presence of God.

We were created to be in the presence of a Holy God.

Jesus and the Kingdom of Heaven is the restoration of God’s purpose for Humanity.

This is not a story of religion. This is a story about a God who became flesh.

Gospel Presentation