Intro to the Sermon on the Mount

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What are we to do with the Sermon on the Mount?

INTRO

Matthew 5:1-2a (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, 1

So begins one of the best known sermons in history and arguably of the earliest of sermons in Christianity. It is wise and full. It is harsh, pulling no punches. It is full of instruction. Honestly, most of it is a little hard to take. When I read theses three chapters in Matthew it hurts. My self esteem plummets. I feel lost. I start to lose ground at the beatitudes and by the time I am hiding my light under a basket I have to stop and breathe. How can I do this? Can I just ignore this? There's some good stuff ahead in chapter eight. Maybe I'll skip ahead.



BODY

You may have heard or read a list of things that are essential to salvation. I have heard many things that are common among Christians:

  • You only have to believe
  • You must believe and be baptized
  • You must believe, be baptized, and do works to ensure salvation

There are, as with anything, extremes:

  • Everyone is automatically saved, because, as we all know, God is love
  • You must follow all the teachings in the New Testament for salvation
  • You must follow the entire Bible to the letter for salvation

I had a talk with a friend and he said that he hears about essential things and almost finds it laughable. He said that, even if you don't have to do much to get saved, you have a lot of work ahead to stay saved.


I disagree. I don't think that I can do anything to earn salvation or to keep it. As I read in Ephesians:

Ephesians 2:8-9 (NASB95)
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 2

I can do nothing to be saved, or to stay saved.

Titus 3:4-7 (NASB95)
4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, 5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 3

Jesus died in our place. His blood covers us. When God looks at us he sees Christ's blood.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (NASB95)
21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 4

1 Peter 2:24 (NASB95)
24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. 5

Hebrews 10:15-22 (NASB95)
15 And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying, 16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them After those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws upon their heart, And on their mind I will write them,” He then says, 17 “And their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” 18 Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin. 19 Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 6

Romans 5:1-10 (NASB95)
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. 6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 7


Works have a place, but not in the work of salvation. That is God's work alone (again, Titus 3:4-7). This is what works are:

  • They show an understanding of how great a gift salvation really is (Matthew 13:44-46)
  • They show a transformation of a life from sin to God (Romans 6)
  • They are a sign to others that you have a saving faith (James 2 :17,18)


The only thing I can do is say, “Yes, Jesus, I believe that you, God's son, came and died in my place for my sins. Thank you.” Not a magic phrase, but if these words, or any words that say the same thing, reflect a true belief in my heart, Jesus himself said that I would be saved:

John 3:16-17 (NASB95)
16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 8


Thus arises one of the great conundrums of the faith. It is one that Paul addresses in his letter to the Romans, and is this: if we can do nothing to be saved, why do anything? You could phrase it another way: if what we do doesn't matter, then why not just do what we want? Paul said it this way:

Romans 6:1 (NASB95)
1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? 9

It's the old attitude that you can see in small children and we never seem to grow out of. How much can I get away with? What is the most I can do without getting hurt? How far can I push this issue before people start to get angry? How much can I sin and still get into heaven? Paul tells us in chapter five of Romans that out of his grace, God sent Jesus to die for us, and that this grace was a free gift, a huge gift. It was big enough to cover all the sins of the world. And Paul saw us coming. He knew that children, given the news that all their mistakes have been forgiven will respond with the question of how much they can get away with. Can we just keep on sinning? He had the answer:

Romans 6:2 (NASB95)
2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? 10

The conundrum, the issue at hand is answered in this short verse. We are new creatures. The old passes away and the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17). We are dead to sin, alive in Christ (Romans 6). We are permitted all things, but not all things are helpful (1 Corinthians 6:12).


I think the whole of the issue swings on one word from Jesus as he tells Nicodemus how to be saved. Believe. You can do this two ways, I think. Our language allows it. You can believe, as in, “I believe that 0 degrees Celsius is equal to 32 degrees Fahrenheit, and at that point, water will freeze. It's a fact. I can prove it, my mother told me, and it is true. I don't have to do anything about it, I don't care. It's just true.” Or you can Believe that the Colts will win the Super Bowl. You tell anyone who might listen You defend their case. You know their stats, their strong points and their weaknesses. You have faith that they will, when the time comes, pull through and win. You see, our language is limited. You can believe in Christ, as in, “Yeah, Jesus came and was here and you can read about him in the Bible.” Or you can Believe that because of his sacrifice you have eternal life, you have communion with God that would have been otherwise impossible (for Gentiles and Jews outside of the Law). You want to tell everyone. You want to give thanks and respond appropriately. You want to know God, grow closer to Him. You want to please him, to love him back. Think of it, if you Believe that someone loves you and does so greatly, you automatically love them in return. If you Believe that a tornado is coming you call you friends and loved ones and gather them in the cellar. If you Believe that you have found the cure for cancer you tell everyone and get the ball rolling to save lives. If you Believe that someone just saved your life, you thank them and give to them. You want to please them out of the thanks you feel inside, you want to be able to give your life in return.


Salvation is a free gift from God, but it begs action. God gives it to us and them expects our action. It's not like we can earn it, but this Belief in Jesus demands the works of a new life. I must read the sermon given in the fifth, sixth, and seventh chapters of Matthew. I must struggle with the issues at hand and pattern my life after these things Jesus taught. The thing is, I can't. I cannot just chop off my right hand. I can't love my enemies. I can't stop wanting new stuff. I can't be happy about fasting. I have more questions. Why does God ask the impossible of me? Why would he desire a bunch of depth perceptionless, one armed people running around Heaven? As soon as I ask these things, Paul jumps to my mind again. I'm telling you, if you read enough of his work, you begin to have a little friend that has answers to many of your questions. (Just like if you watch too many episodes of The Simpson's you begin to admire Homer. That's what makes Philippians 4:8 such a strong verse, but that's a different sermon).

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (NASB95)
7 Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! 8 Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. 9 And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong. 11

and

Philippians 4:13 (NASB95)
13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. 12

I am asked to do the impossible to keep me in my place. Like the Law given to Moses, It shows me that I am not God, no matter how fat and happy I get, that I need God. Then I remember that it's not impossible. I cannot do it, but God can. Through Him I won't need to cut off my hand. Through Him I can love people, even those it is easier to hate. I can be content. I can be happy to give a meal to growing closer to God. I need the Sermon on the Mount.


CLOSING

We are going to begin a study of the Sermon on the Mount, learning what it has to teach us and asking God to bring us closer to what He wants us to be. We Believe that these things are his will, or else Christ would not have taken the time to say them, nor Matthew the time to write them out for us. We Believe that we can be like this man:

Psalm 1:1-3 (NASB95)
1 How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. 3 He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers. 13

We Believe that Christ died in our place, and we want to give our life to him.

1 New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

2 New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

3 New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

4 New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

5 New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

6 New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

7 New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

8 New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

9 New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

10 New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

11 New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

12 New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

13 New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

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