Allow Me to Introduce You to Christ

Matthew 5- Sermon on the Mount

READY TO MEET JESUS? HERE HE IS, THE MESSIAH! Oh....

Jesus’ Expectations

READ: Matthew 5:13-17, 20 - foundational for us

INTRO: Set the tone

Jesus was just tempted, 40 days in wilderness - relied on God’s Word (Matt 4)

Last heard from God through Malachi, prior to JTB and Jesus

Malachi 2:8 NASB95

“But as for you, you have turned aside from the way; you have caused many to stumble by the instruction; you have corrupted the covenant of Levi,” says the Lord of hosts.

Issues the same today as then, same then as now

Sermon on the Mount - mountainside, Capernaum - (He sat to teach)

12 minutes - reading Matthew 5-7 - it “looks longer”

NFL “action” - 11 minutes on average, 75 minutes of huddles

First Date - 12 minutes to decide on second date

Jesus preaches, and people will decide what they think - you, too

THIS SERIES - What would your expectations be, being introduced to Christ? If God’s Word teaches something you disagree with, will you accept His Word?

Jesus’s teaching was, and is, polarizing, going against what people “think”and “feel”

Can we commit to sitting under His authoritative Word?

QUESTION: What Does Jesus Expect?

We are used to stating what WE want, what WE expect, here is what Jesus can do for ME, I want THIS for ME from church.....

Realize what He HAS already done for you. Get past you, and see Him!

Have you ever really considered what JESUS wants? It takes humility to do that, and you need to set yourself and your own interests aside

Unless you’ve been letting God shape your desires, and your interest is surrender to Jesus...

Let’s assume we all have room yet to grow.

Believers are citizens of Heaven, Phil 3:20

Philippians 3:20 NASB95

For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;

When Jesus teaches, He talks to those who He is talking TO, and those HE is talking ABOUT (illustrate)

1) Jesus Expects Heavenly Qualities in Believers

Beatitudes - got their attention (go through them)

Not “Hey, here is Who I Am”

Rather - “Hey, think you know “blessed?” Let me tell you!

Blessing is measured by what God owns, what He feels is important about all He possesses (REM - faithfulness, stewardship…?)

We must stop measuring “blessed” by culture’s standards, by a world under Satan’s dark influence.

The qualities of a believer, follower of Jesus, are marked by different definitions and standards

(Beatitudes are for those faithful, frustrated by seeing and dealing with the world)

2) Jesus Expects Heavenly-principled decisions

Making decisions to point to Christ - puts you at odds with culture, don’t be shocked at that

Process: NOT - counter-cultural and THEN follow Jesus (Pharisees’ were pious, but not close to God)

BUT - choose to follow Jesus- and you will faithfully follow and realize suddenly that you ARE counter-cultural. Look back and see how you have changed. Have you???

12 minutes to decide - some will choose Jesus, some will not

Every decision is filtered by your view of Heaven, your understanding of just Who Jesus is.

Salvation

Daily decisions, life habits, routines (e.g. Laws are not for the Spirit-led, good Heaven citizens are good earth citizens, but God always comes first if there is a conflict)

Thoughts, attitudes

3) Jesus Expects Recognizable Christians

On HIS terms, not the world’s (football uniform, baseball, company, etc.)

Jesus keeps circling back in this sermon, reminding them of heart issues, and He touches THREE TYPES OF PEOPLE in this crowd

a) Those following God-leaning on Him and His Word, wherever that leads (blessed are....)

Salt and light, be used as intended, otherwise you are useless, meaning God cannot use you - if your focus is on YOU and not HIM

MATURE…Faith is not the same as feeling

b) Those who think they are following God.

c) Those watching from the outside

There are some obvious, external areas

Some “follow” God for show, people can be good at obeying rules (Pharisees) while their hearts are cold, not surrendered.

Literal - “thou shalt not murder, adultery, etc.” and Jesus reaches for the heart, not just the head, appeals for justice, mercy, love

It’s EASY to not murder, to not have an affair...

Emphasis on the SPIRIT of the Law, how you really feel about God and others.

Crowd was full of people so proud of themselves since they had never committed these horrible acts, not realize their hearts were not good, not realizing that they were living for them, not Him

…along with others who KNOW they need Jesus

Jesus saw that since Malachi’s time, 400 years, nothing had changed, apparently. What about the past 2000?

CLOSE

Jesus will get more personal as this sermon progresses

The more you intend to follow Him, the more you intend to get to know Him, the more personal He will get with you.

Then, the more personal He gets with you, the more He will ask of you by way of devotion

Heavenly qualities, principled, recognizable

The more personal He gets with you, the more He’ll ask of you by way of devotion. Are you ready to go there?

MIRROR - Who do YOU see? Who do OTHERS see?

Who does the LORD see??

INVITATION

Believers

Are there people around you who do not know you are a Christian, a believer? Don’t assume they just know.

Can they see God when they see you?

Un-believers, those unsure

We are trying to put God’s Word, the lamp to your path, in a prominent place, easy to see

Ask me about Jesus today!

Church, our job to be that efficient light

Believers

Are you possessing “kingdom” qualities, priorities? Is your life about YOU or HIM?

Is God “blessing” your Christian life?

God’s Kingdom awaits! You ARE blessed! On God’s terms

(confuses the world, that’s OK) - Go home and read the beatitudes, is this YOU?

Will you commit to living for Jesus, on His terms, and trust that He’ll take care of you? He is the one who will do that.

Jesus arrived - people had their expectations, what He was going to do for them

Then, what He said and did....confused them

But those who were willing to follow Him, then, and now, were not confused. Are you?

Believers are “blessed”, knowing that we are eternally taken care of!

Blessed already in part, and it’s only gonna get better, forever!