Wed. Oct. 2

The Setting

Matthew 4:23–25 CSB

23 Now Jesus began to go all over Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24 Then the news about him spread throughout Syria. So they brought to him all those who were afflicted, those suffering from various diseases and intense pains, the demon-possessed, the epileptics, and the paralytics. And he healed them. 25 Large crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.

matt 4 23-

Jesus teaches, heals, becomes famous, multitudes follow Him--want to be near Him

Matthew 4:18–22 CSB

18 As he was walking along the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter), and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. 19 “Follow me,” he told them, “and I will make you fish for people.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat with Zebedee their father, preparing their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

matt 4 18-22

Jesus chooses disciples

mark 3 13-19:

Vs 14, He appointed twelve to be with Him

He would send them to preach

He would give them power to heal and cast out demons.

The Sermon (intro)

His message is “Repent, the kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”

The sign of the virgin birth has been given...the time has come.

Repent means to change their thinking. Primarily, He wants them to change their thinking about God...so He focuses on the way they understand God’s word.

We cannot separate our interpretation of Scripture from our knowledge of God.

The sermon is a commentary on what it will mean for the Jews to repent.

His disciples have come to Him, and He wants them to understand reality as God sees it. He is training them to preach the right message.

A multitude of people are also present to hear this.

Understand Blessing Correctly

Matthew 5:3 CSB

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

Poor in spirit. Agree with God about sin, brokenness in their lives.

matt 5

Matthew 5:4 CSB

4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Poor in spirit. Agree with God about sin, brokenness in their lives.

Mourn. Those who are broken over what God is broken over

Matthew 5:5 CSB

5 Blessed are the humble, for they will inherit the earth.

Humble. Those who are not pursuing their own kingdom, their own power, their own kingship.

Matthew 5:6 CSB

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Hunger and thirst for righteousness. The primary focus of their life is a longing to be in right-standing with God.

Matthew 5:7 CSB

7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Merciful. We never look more like Christ than when we forgive those who have wrong us. We have been forgiven of much. We have no right (if we know God rightly) to judge others, when God has withheld judgement from us.

Matthew 5:8 CSB

8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Pure in heart. God knows the integrity of our faith. We cannot play games with God.

Matthew 5:9 CSB

9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

Peacemakers. Those who seek peace are contrasted to those who create rivalries.

Matthew 5:10–12 CSB

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. 11 “You are blessed when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of me. 12 Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

matt 5 10-

Persecuted for righteousness sake. All people who submit to God oppose the sin of the world. The nature of sin is that those who reject God, justify themselves by fighting against obey God rather than repent.

Jesus Gives the disciples an identity

Matthew 5:13–15 CSB

13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house.

They will not be a closed group acting behind closed doors. They will live and speak for God in view of all people. Their obedience to God will produce worship among those who do not currently glory in God.

In contrast to the Jews who have distorted God’s character and His word, they are to be salt that does not lose its flavor. They are lights, that should not be covered.

Righteousness cannot be separated from obedience to the law

Matthew 5:17–20 CSB

17 “Don’t think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass away from the law until all things are accomplished. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.

matt

Whoever does and teaches the law will be called the greatest

But the correct interpretation of the law is necessary for righteousness.

Jesus sets everyone straight...He is not here to do away with the Law...He is here to fulfill it. Understanding this will require interpreting the law in the same way God interprets it.

Examples of the correct interpretation of the law

5 21-26. Murder. If you hate your brother, you have committed murder already. Man doesn’t consider sin until something has been done. God considers wrong thinking a sin.

5 27-30. Adultery. Again, wrong thinking about the boundary God has placed around marriage is considered sin.

Divorce.

Matthew 5:31–32 CSB

31 “It was also said, Whoever divorces his wife must give her a written notice of divorce. 32 But I tell you, everyone who divorces his wife, except in a case of sexual immorality, causes her to commit adultery. And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

matt 5 3

The law doesn’t give freedom to put away a spouse for any reason...only for the reason of unfaithfulness. This makes remarriage to an adulterer a condoning of adultery...qualifying for adultery itself.

5 33-37. Oaths. The heart of the law was not to make one commitment stronger or more binding than another. A simple yes and no is an oath before the Lord. All commitments are equal. God holds us accountable for our words and commitments to Him and to others.

Matthew 5:38–42 CSB

38 “You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. 39 But I tell you, don’t resist an evildoer. On the contrary, if anyone slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40 As for the one who wants to sue you and take away your shirt, let him have your coat as well. 41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and don’t turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

matt 5

Eye for an eye and tooth for tooth. The heart of the law was not to give freedom for people to execute judgment as they see fit. This was instruction that reflected the justice of God and the order of the process of the community maintaining justice for the oppressed. This was not a free pass for people to settle any score that they determine.

5 43-48. Love your enemy. The militant nature of the nation God had raised up was to execute God’s judgement on the nations who had rejected God. The heart of the law was not to give God’s people the free power to execute His judgment on every person who wrongs them. There were specific people they were authorized to destroy, but they were not given a license to carry out judgement on anyone else. Instead, they were to love those who mistreated them...by this time, those who mistreated them were sent by God to produce repentance in their hearts.

6 1-4. Charitable deeds. The law instructed them to defend those who could not defend themselves. (Leaving the edges of their fields, orphans and widows, etc) This was not an identifier of who was more holy. This activity was not meant for the glory of man, but the glory of God. The heart of the law was that the people remember that they were slaves in Egypt until God redeemed them. They were to reflect the character of God, but God will share His glory with no other.

6 5-15. Prayer. The purpose of prayer was not to demonstrate who was more spiritual. The purpose of prayer is to remember our state of brokenness. If we are not careful, our prayers can become a stumbling block.

Many in our church are intimidated and will not pray out loud. Is this because when we pray publicly, those of us who are orators speak in beautiful forms that others cannot attain?

Instead, our public prayers ought to always reflect our brokenness before the Lord. Save your beautiful words for the closet, where no one is impressed!

6 16-18. Fasting. Again, fasting is not for others to be impressed with your holiness. No one should even know when you are seeking the Lord intensely. Your mourning is genuine before the Lord, so why does anyone else need to know about it, unless you want them to honor you for your spirituality.

6 19-34. Wealth. The heart of the law was that God would bless the people if they obeyed Him. Jesus says seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness first...all of the temporary needs of life will be provided by God.

7 1-6. Don’t judge. (Condemn or punish) This is not an admonition not to assess or evaluate. This is an admonition not to punish someone. Leave this to God. Even the idea of cursing others depends on God to do the cursing. We are all going to stand before Christ, who will punish or reward according to His terms. He is the only one who is worthy to open the scrolls of judgment (punishment). He is without sin. Therefore, He is not being judged by God. Everyone else is either being punished or they are being rewarded through the substitutionary punishment God accepts through Jesus’ death.

Don’t judge. (Condemn or punish) This is not an admonition not to assess or evaluate. This is an admonition not to punish someone. Leave this to God. Even the idea of cursing others depends on God to do the cursing. We are all going to stand before Christ, who will punish or reward according to His terms. He is the only one who is worthy to open the scrolls of judgment (punishment). He is without sin. Therefore, He is not being judged by God. Everyone else is either being punished or they are being rewarded through the substitutionary punishment God accepts through Jesus’ death.

7 7-11. Ask for what God has promised. (Compare ) God has promised to pour out the Holy Spirit in a special way. God called His people into covenant through the law. He is still calling people into covenant...a new covenant by which all who ask will receive the Holy Spirit.

7 12. The Law made simple. Do to others what you would have them do to you. This is the summary of all the law and all that the prophets said. (Do you want forgiveness, help, justice, mercy, etc.)

7 15-20. False prophets. There will be many who misinterpret and distort the law. You will know who they are, because their actions will not be consistent with their teaching.

Matthew 7:21–23 CSB

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, drive out demons in your name, and do many miracles in your name?’ 23 Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you lawbreakers!’

matt 7 21-

The difference between religion and faith. There is a difference between those who practice the religion of the law and those who obey the law. Faith makes Jesus Lord. Their obedience glorifies Him. Religion makes much of man. Their practice brings glory to man.

Matthew 7:24–27 CSB

24 “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. Yet it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and doesn’t act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 The rain fell, the rivers rose, the winds blew and pounded that house, and it collapsed. It collapsed with a great crash.”

The difference between religion and faith. There is a difference between those who practice the religion of the law and those who obey the law. Faith makes Jesus Lord. Their obedience glorifies Him. Religion makes much of man. Their practice brings glory to man.

matt 7 24-

Wisdom and foolishness. The one who hears this teaching and obeys, is wise...the one who hears this teaching and ignores it, is foolish.

The response to the sermon

Matthew 7:28–29 CSB

28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 because he was teaching them like one who had authority, and not like their scribes.

The people were astonished.

There was a clear difference between the way Jesus spoke and they way the scribes spoke.

Jesus taught with authority. The scribes taught with intelligence.

The disciples would need to teach in the same way.