Sermon on the Mount Lesson 14b

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Slide 4	•WE CAN’T FORGET THAT THE BEATITUDES HAVE TO BE OUR ATTITUDES AND IF THEY ARE, WE ARE LIVING WHAT JESUS IS TEACHING •The first four Beatitudes reveal spiritual progress – each step leads to the next and presupposes the one that has gone before.•To be poor in spirit we acknowledge our complete and utter spiritual bankruptcy before God•Next we mourn over the cause of it – our sins, the corruption of man and his fallen nature and the control sin and death has over this world•We are to be meek, humble, and gentle toward others allowing our spiritual poverty to condition our behavior to them as well as to God•We are to hunger and thirst for righteousness – what good does it to confess if we don’t hunger – we replace our sin with a desire for righteousness•Next we turn from our attitude toward God to our attitude toward others•Merciful – Pure in heart – peacemakers•Because of these characteristics we will be reviled and persecuted and we are to rejoice and be exceeding glad!•These are character traits - we don’t act like Christians – we are Christians and our actions are an outcome of that.•We are not meant to control our Christianity – our Christianity is meant to control us.•The He launched into a series of teachings that clarify the law and show the error of the Pharisees:• Being angry with a brother, fool and Raca; clean conscience when worshipping God – leave your gift…; don’t take your issues to court –agree with your adversary; lust and adultry; error on their views about divorce; taking oaths and the value of a man’s reputation and word; loving your enemies – no retaliation and revenge, turn the other cheek, go the extra mile all with a right heart attitude•Now in 43-48 He continues to expand this teaching – loving your neighbor, loving those who do not love you
Slide 5	Matthew 5:43-4843 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
Slide 6	47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? 48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
Slide 7	44 But I say unto you, love your enemies …•*Love – Agape (agapaō) denotes moral love, as distinguished from (phileō), which expresses personal affection.* •Vines: Agape and Agapao – the characteristic word to describe Christian love. A moral love, an act of the will.•Love can only be known from the action it prompts.•Agape “… expresses the deep and constant love and interest of a perfect Being towards entirely unworthy objects, •producing and fostering a reverential love in them towards the Giver, •and a practical love towards those who are partakers of the same, •and a desire to help others to seek the Giver.” Read Mark 2Mar 2:1 And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house. Mar 2:2 And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them. Mar 2:3 And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. Mar 2:4 And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. Mar 2:5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. Read story from IT page 132
Slide 8	•44 But I say unto you, love your enemies •This statement denotes a compassionate outgoing of desire for another’s good – •Because we “love” them we can: •bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you. •Our love is expressed by our giving – remember “Love can only be known from the action it prompts.”•Bonhoeffer wrote, “This is the supreme command, through the medium of prayer we go to our enemy, stand by his side, and plead for him to God.”•While prayer is a requirement note that in the verse we are also instructed to Bless them and do good to them before we are instructed to pray for them•Remember in verses 11,12•11 Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven•Luke 23:24 “Father forgive them for they know not what they do …”•The tense of these words, the sentence structure indicates that while the tormentors we nailing him to the cross that Jesus kept repeating this prayer•“If the cruel torture of crucifixion could not silence our Lord’s prayer for His enemies, what pain, pride, prejudice or sloth could justify the silencing of ours?” (Stott)
Slide 9	•Then in verse 45 Jesus says:•5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. •Why love, why bless them that curse you, why pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you, why do good? •So that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven •“Children of your Father” equals “Be like your Father…”• To be a “son of” was to be like someone or something. That you may be sons of your Father in heaven means “that you may be like the Heavenly Father who displays His love without discrimination.” – this is not talking about the relationship of a son to his father but the likeness a son has to his father•Just as God indiscriminately sends rain and sunshine upon the just and unjust alike, so Jesus’ disciples must be indiscriminate in their extension of love to friend and enemy.
Slide 10	•What is a child of the Father?•What is a Christian? •1Co 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.•2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.•A Christian can never be explained in “natural” terms – he is not a “natural” man – he is different•A unique and special kind of person – a Christian is unlike others•5:46 If ye love them that love you…do not even the publicans the same?•The Christian is a person who can do and is expected to do things which a non-Christian can do – he goes above and beyond the natural man at his very best.•5:20 For I say unto you, that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven
Slide 11	•Describe a “natural” man
Slide 12	•Questions to ask:•Is there anything about me which cannot be explained in “natural” terms?•What is there about me that cannot be found in a “natural man,” non-Christian? •I believe in God, morally good, just, and upright – live a good life – many non-believers believe in God but deny or do not accept Christ•So what is there about my life that cannot be explained in ordinary terms and can only be explained in terms of my relationship with Christ?•Let’s look at several dimensions•The Law of God•The natural man generally tries to obey the moral law – he may be concerned with the letter of the law – But why should he even care about the law of God – he is his own man•The Christian goes beyond the law, understands and supports the spirit of the la w, allows the principles of God’s law •Morality•Natural man looks at the law of God and identifies things he can’t do – can’t be dishonest, unjust or immoral – may be basis for charge of legalism•The Christian looks at things he can do – he hungers and thirst after righteousness - the focus is to be like God •Sin•The natural man looks at sin as things done or not done•The Christian looks at the heart and thoughts, at the motives•Self•The natural man sees himself not as perfect but generally good- he is never “poor in spirit”, never mourns because of his sin, never sees himself as a hell deserving sinner – never says “except for the grace of God there go I”•Attitude toward others•The natural man sees others with tolerance; he may be sorry for them, and say we must not be too hard on them•The Christian goes beyond and sees them as sinners, as dupes of Satan , as victims of sin, as captives lost and on their way to hell •God•The natural man see God as unknown, tolerant, disinterested or perhaps non-existent, or an impersonal force or some dictator demanding to be obeyed, harsh and unfair•The Christian knows God as a God of love and mercy, seeks to be like Him and obey Him out of love not fear, desires to love Him with all his heart, mind and soul
Slide 13	•46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?•The publicans, as collectors of taxes due to the Roman government, were obnoxious to the Jews, who sat uneasy under a foreign yoke and disliked whatever brought this unpleasantly before them. But the extortion practiced by this class made them hateful to the community, who in their current speech ranked them with “harlots.” •The meaning, then, is “In loving those who love you, there is no evidence of superior principle: the worst of men will do this: even a publican will go to that length.” •Love can only be known from the action it prompts. •47 And if ye salute •To greet; to hail; to address with expressions of kind wishes.•your brethren only – those of the same group, nation, or religion as yourselves. what do ye more [than others]?—what do ye uncommon or extraordinary (i.e., wherein do ye excel?)? •do not even the publicans the same?—The meaning here appears to be “Do not even the heathen the same?”•The Christian is not only “unlike others” - he is like God and Christ – a new creature, living a Christ like life – different than others
Slide 14	Romans 8:1-181 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Slide 15	5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
Slide 16	10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. 12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. 13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Slide 17	15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. 18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Slide 18	5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. •48 Be ye therefore•“you will be”—the verb in Greek is future active, not present imperative. Therefore, this is not a demand but a promise. •This is very significant because Christ is not demanding perfection from us—which would be impossible for us to fulfill; rather, Christ is promising us perfection—which is maturation and completion – something the Holy Spirit does in us.
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