Sermon Tone Analysis

Notes

New Series.

New Book.

Opener

“Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves.

Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, communion without confession.

Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.

Costly grace...is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble, it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him.”

- Dietrich Bonhoeffer in The Cost of Discipleship

Today we are starting a new series.

A series called “Disciple” that is on the “Sermon on the Mount”.

And todays message is called “Disciple of The King”.

We will see there is much to being a disciple, because there is much to being in Christ.

It takes powerful, working, unmerited, grace of God to become a disciple and it takes that same powerful grace to be a disciple.

Main Text

Matthew 5:1–12 (NASB95)

1 When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. 2 He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying, 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

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

5 “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.

6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

7“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 10 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12 “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Point 1 We Need Discipleship

Disciple

Notice the words “His disciples came to Him.”

Discipleship and THE SERMON

The Sermon on the Mount is about discipleship!

1.

First time the word is used in the NT

2. Major theme in Matthew.

The longest teaching section of Jesus in the entire Bible begins with it and the book ends with Jesus charing them to make disciples by teaching them all He had commanded.

What could be a more practicail carrying out of that command then teaching them the Sermon on the Mount.

3. The early church recognized it as a discipleship manual if you will.

No doubt because of its large teachings sections.

Up to this point Jesus had called men to follow him but here is the first time in Matthew and thus in our New Testament that the term “disciple” is used.

Defintion

Bakers Encyclopedia defines a disciple this way: “Someone who follows another person or another way of life and who submits himself to the discipline (teaching) of that leader or way.”

Human Beings are Natural Disciplers

It is important to know that there were disciples of other Rabbis, Philosophers, Religions, and mystics in Jesus’ day.

The goal of a disciple is to become like their teacher.

It is to learn from them.

Discipleship is something that seems to come natural to human beings.

We want to pass on what we know to others.

One brother told me of gentlemen in the workplace who was getting trained by someone at a job.

Here is the thing.

The guy getting trained already knew how to do all the stuff he was being trained on from previous work experience but the guy training him was so excited to train him he just let him go on.

My wife loves Boiled Peanuts.

It is this very southern thing.

Along the side of the highway you would see boiled peanut stands.

It was easier to stop and by boiled peanuts then get gas some times.

My wife learned how to make them because they are not readily available up here.

But to my wife’s great joy she has a little boiled peanuts disciple in our home, Felicity.

We humans like to pass on things about ourselves.

We like to make others like us.

The danger is throughout human history mankind has done a great job at making disciples of sin, of the devil.

Paul could sum it all up nicely:

Romans 5:12 (NASB95)

12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned—

We are going to be discipled by someone.

We are going to be like someone.

So the solution is SIMPLE we must cling to Jesus.

As the old Bob Dillion song goes, “you have got to serve somebody.

I may be the devil or it may be the Lord but you are going to serve somebody.”

We must do what the discples did in earlier chapters:

a. Respond to the call of Christ to come and follow Him.

Become His disciple.

b.

Sit at His feet and learn.

No Mere Rabi

Jesus is not just another competing voice in the sea of teachers in his day.

The Gospel of Matthew argues convincingly that He is the KING.

And He is no mere earthly King.

He is the KING of The KINGDOM OF THE HEAVENS.

That by the end of this sermon you will see he has the authority to say, “those who hear and act on His words are those who build upon the rock!” and the crowds would respond:

Matthew 7:28–29 (NASB95)

28 When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; 29for He was teaching them as onehaving authority, and not as their scribes.

Jesus is not like other teachers.

He is one who has “All Authority in Heaven and on earth” as He would declare in Matthew after His resurrection from the dead.

Friends will you learn from the King of Heaven?

Will you humble yourself under God’s mighty hand?

If you will you will be blessed!

But if you will not you will miss out on the Kingdom of Heaven!

Point 2 The Blessings Are In Christ (The King!)

Kingdom

Notice in the beatitudes it starts with , “blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.”

And the 8th one ends with “blessed are the persecuted… for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

This kingdom of Heaven not only frames the beautitudes it is the major theme of the Gospel of Matthew.

Kingdom is used 55 times in Matthew and the phrase “kingdom of heaven” makes up 32 of those and most of the other remaing 23 occurrence illude to this same kingdom.

John the Baptist and Jesus star their ministry saying, “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”

Why is the Kingdom of Heaven at hand?

Because the King had come down from heaven and is now here.

Why are the Magi so important in the Gospel of Matthew?

Because these oft called “three kings” and heaven watchers wanted to Worship THE KING of heaven:

Matthew 2:2 (NASB95)

2 “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?

For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”

By the end of the book Jesus triumphally declares, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

He is LORD of all.

NOT How to become a Christian

It is important to point out these teachings in the sermon on the Mount are not “How to become a Christian”.