Sermon on the Mount pt. 1
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
-Something I have been thinking about a lot lately and praying about is the premise of success.
-I think this is a really general term but I have been thinking about the concept as a way to share the gospel with people.
-I think everyone wants to be successful and the desire to be great is actually God designed
-I big breakdown comes when we talk about what those words actually mean:
What is success?
-There is probably a consistent theme in all our answers that runs through contentment or happiness.
-A lot of answers also deal with making an impact on others for the better
-Even people who talk about making boatloads of cash still recognize this under the idea of being content and being happy.
Success in the Bible
Success in the Bible
-The way we have been using success in the bible isn’t super common. Mostly what we’ll see is people winning battles and stuff like that.
So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live, and you will be honored along with him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ.
-This verse is getting after our idea but it is framing it around the glory of God
-This isn’t about just chasing your dream for your life but actually looking to God to lead you in the dream He gave you.
And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth. I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.
-I quote this one a lot concerning the purpose of life and the meaning of it all
“He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn’t live in man-made temples, and human hands can’t serve his needs—for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need. From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries.
“His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us. For in him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ And since this is true, we shouldn’t think of God as an idol designed by craftsmen from gold or silver or stone.
-This passage is so cool. It’s again emphasizing the theme that everything is actually made by God and for His glory. Paul explains by dissecting and using devices from greek philosophy
-Most bible scholars think he is quotes Aratus of Soli who is quoting Cleanthes in his hymn to Zeus.
-Paul is so intense asserting that their philosophers are saying an object made of stone or precious metals cannot produce offsprings but the truth is that God created everything and deserves exclusive worship.
-Following this train of though we can see the case that God is the one who ought to inform our definitions of success.
Success and Being Blessed
Success and Being Blessed
-A way I want to work this out in the New Testament is the concept of blessing.
-This is a word that is still very common even today but:
What does blessing mean?
-It’s not a huge surprise, all of our basic ideas are more or less accurate to what is going on in the text.
One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around him, and he began to teach them.
“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
God blesses those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
God blesses those who are humble,
for they will inherit the whole earth.
God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice,
for they will be satisfied.
God blesses those who are merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
God blesses those whose hearts are pure,
for they will see God.
God blesses those who work for peace,
for they will be called the children of God.
God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right,
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
“God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.
-This is going to be the basic stuff we’re going to cover in this small group.
-I want to look at how to define these things in our culture today and how to actually live them out.
So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.
-This how I clarify the statement I made earlier that God designed the desire for greatness in us.
This is obviously not to say that God wants us to be arrogant or dictators
Sermon on the Mount
Sermon on the Mount
-So this first portion is traditionally called the beatitudes which basically means “blessings”
-We get this picture all throughout Matthew’s biography of Jesus that Jesus is like a new Moses. I think that is likely why the detail is included that He went up on the side of a mountain
-On the theme of the exodus and teaching it’s valuable to point out that Jesus isn’t actually introducing anything new here. He is simply giving what God actually means in the things He is saying
No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.
-Jesus aims to reveal God for people and this is a great way for us to see Him
Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe. The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven. This shows that the Son is far greater than the angels, just as the name God gave him is greater than their names.
-With all that intro stuff out of the way let’s look at one example in verse 3
“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
-This translation does a lot to help people understand what the heck is being said. The “literal” translation refers to blessing for those who are poor in spirit.
-God is saying that those who understand who they actually are will be made glad by God
-This can sound kind of depressing but it relates back to what we looked at earlier about God being the creator and sustainer of everything.
-We were not meant to be without Him. Our true fulfillment is actually in needing Him.
-He is kind and faithful but He’s not forcing us into anything. To be deeply connected to Him we submit to Him.
-This can be illustrated a lot of ways because this is the stuff of life if you aren’t a prodigy
Even the concept of prodigy has it’s holes so don’t hold on to that
-We have to learn and lean all throughout life and God is inviting us into His royal family to do the ultimate act of relationship