The Upside Down Kingdom

Sermon on the Mount

recap chapter 4

Matt 4:17 “From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.””

Matt 4:18-22 “While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.”

Matt 4:23-25 “And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them. And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.”

Matt 5:1 “Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.”

we’re gonna see this distinction a lot in Matthews gospel, - this one group, the crowd and this other group

Whats the difference between a person in the crowd and a disciple? the discples follow Jesus, and the disciples want to hear what they have to say

We are called to be different

Matt 5:1-10 “Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Disect some of them

If you try to mimic the world on the outside, you’ll end up feeling like the world on the inside – chaotic and crazy

“Those who follow the crowd usually get lost in it.”

“It’s better to walk alone than with a crowd going in the wrong direction.” Gandhi

We are called to be Salty

Matt 5:13 ““You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.”

We are called to be a spotlight