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On The Mountain
Matthew 5-7 | Shaun LePage | April 23, 2006
I.
Introduction
A. Let me start by asking a couple questions: What is right?
and What is important?
1.
What is right?
How do we determine what is right?
a) I read a story this week about Steve Gallagher.
Steve used to think pornography was no big deal.
Today, he leads Pure Life Ministries and has devoted his life to helping other men overcome their sexual sins.
b) What changed for Steve?
His perspective!
Over time, pornography proved itself to be a */very big deal/* in his life.
His pornography addiction led to other sexual sins and that led to jail time.
He tells people that his “life disintegrated around him.”
He has a right perspective—now—of the destructive nature of pornography.
That perspective changed everything.
2. What is important?
How do we determine what is important?
Most Christians will say, “God, family, the Bible…” But the way they use their time and money and abilities doesn’t match up with that answer.
a) H.B.
London tells the story of a young boy who wanted to build a tree house with his father.
The boy repeatedly asked his father if they could work on the tree house but the man always had an excuse for not getting involved in the project.
The boy desperately wanted his father’s attention, but the man was generally focused on other things.
The father’s perspective changed after his son was involved in a serious accident and lay dying in the hospital.
This man, who had not taken the time to give his son ample attention before the accident, was now struggling with how to relate to his dying boy.
His heart was broken when this little guy turned to him and spoke the final words his father would ever hear from him: “I’m sorry dad, it looks like we won’t get around to building that tree house after all.”
(/Pastor to Pastor/, Vol.
28)
b) What changed for that dad?
His perspective!
It took the death of his son to teach him what was really important.
3. Wouldn’t it be great if we could figure out what is right without ruining our lives doing what is wrong?
Wouldn’t it be better if we could figure out what is important without wasting precious years on what is insignificant in light of eternity.
4. Of course, we can.
Some people refuse God’s wisdom and perspective.
They choose rather to walk straight down into the lowest and darkest corners of this world.
They choose to pay a high cost for wisdom—ruined marriages, broken families, bankrupt integrity and wasted time.
Much of what we find within the pages of the Bible is foresight.
It is wisdom freely offered to those who will simply take a walk up a mountain with God to get His perspective.
If we’re willing to open it up and listen to God, we can gain an understanding of what is truly right and truly important.
B. The Sermon on the Mount is a perfect example.
1. Matthew 5:1—the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount—says Jesus “*went up on the mountain*” and then He “*opened His mouth and began teaching*” His disciples.
Jesus’ sanctuary that day—His pulpit—was one of the beautiful green mountains that rose up from the Sea of Galilee *[ppt]*.
And I think this is a metaphor to communicate the importance of the sermon.
2. Mountains and hills had special religious significance in the Old Testament.
God chose to appear to His servants on mountains.
a) Abraham—for example—was instructed by God to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, on one of the mountains in the land of Moriah.
That text—Genesis 22—does not tell us exactly what mountain Abraham was led to, but we’re told in 2 Chronicles 3 that God later appeared to David on “Mt.
Moriah” and Solomon later built the temple on that same spot.
The ancient Jewish historian, Josephus, tells us the Jews clearly believed that the temple was built on the same mountain where Abraham had been led to sacrifice Isaac.
This same mountain, of course, is some of the most priceless real estate in the world today—Jerusalem.
The site of the Jewish Wailing Wall and the Muslim Dome on the Rock—both religions consider Abraham to be their founder.
b) Mt.
Sinai—later called Mt. Horeb—is probably the most significant example, however as we think of the Sermon on the Mount.
In the Book of Exodus, God called Moses up to Mt. Sinai to receive the Law.
The Israelites camped at the foot of Mt.
Sinai for an entire year while Moses repeatedly went up the mountain to meet with YHWH—God.
c) One could almost say that for the Jews, any significant encounter with God took place on a mountain.
Remember that Matthew is the gospel that was written by a Jew for Jews about the King of the Jews.
So he took special note of the fact that Jesus went up on a mountain to deliver this amazing sermon—the Sermon on the Mount.
Jesus is pictured as the new Moses—not receiving new laws from God, but giving a correct understanding of the Law already given.
Giving a higher perspective of the Law than the shallow view of the Pharisees.
C. This sermon is another part of Matthew’s presentation of the person of Jesus Christ.
He’s answering the question, “Who is this Jesus?”
There were a lot of opinions out there, but as one of the Apostles, one of His original witnesses, Matthew wrote to set the record straight.
1.
In chapters 1-4, Matthew tells us Jesus is the son of Abraham, the son of David, the Christ—the Jewish Messiah.
He fulfilled the Scriptures concerning the coming Messiah.
And that He was even more.
He was “*Immanuel*” God with us.
Jesus then demonstrated His authority—in other words, He backed up these claims Matthew made about Him—by healing the sick, raising up the paralyzed and casting out demons.
2. In chapters 5-7, Jesus taught with great authority.
In the Sermon on the Mount—the first of five great speeches or discourses in the gospel of Matthew—Jesus preached not like one of the interpreters of the Law, but as the One who gave it in the first place.
3.
He takes us up and gives us a higher perspective on righteousness.
He gives us a Kingdom perspective on how we are to live our lives.
He teaches us what is right and what is important.
D. CPS: In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus calls us to seek Kingdom righteousness and store up Kingdom rewards.
II.
Body—Matthew 5-7.
Today, I want to give a big picture of the Sermon on the Mount.
In the weeks to come, we’ll look at the details.
A. Key Verse: Matthew 6:33.
This verse—better than any other in the sermon—summarizes the message.
It includes the command to seek “His Kingdom and His righteousness” and the promise of God’s provision—His reward—as a result.
On the basis of this verse and the emphasis throughout this sermon on “Kingdom…Righteousness…and Reward” I want to suggest two Key Commands to try to capture the message of this sermon for us.
B. Key Commands:
1. Seek Kingdom Righteousness—Kingdom righteousness is what is truly right!
a) What is the Kingdom?
(i) The Kingdom of Heaven is future.
(a) Jesus preached this sermon as the Kingdom of Messiah was being offered to Israel.
At this point in the gospel of Matthew, the Jews had not yet rejected Jesus as their Messiah.
The offer was on the table and we’ll never know what might have happened had the Jews accepted Jesus as King.
(b) But, the kingdom was rejected so it is yet future.
The Kingdom is now being offered to Jews and Gentiles in this present Church Age.
When this Church Age is completed, then the Kingdom will be established by Christ on earth for a period of 1,000 years according to Revelation 20.
(ii) But, the Kingdom of heaven is also right now.
(a) Why else would Jesus talk about rejoicing in the midst of persecution if this sermon was only for the future kingdom in which there will be no persecution?
Why else would Jesus tell us, “*Do not be like*” the Pharisees?
Why else would Jesus tell us to pray—in 6:10—“*Your kingdom come*”?
(b) Colossians 1:13—God “*transferred us to the Kingdom of His beloved Son*...” Past tense!
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