Answers Bible Curriculum Year 3 Quarter 2 Lesson 7
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we’re good okay let’s let’s begin then good morning calvary welcome to sunday school all right we’ve been talking about the authority of jesus and we’ve been talking specifically about his teaching uh we started last week talking about how jesus dealt with the twisting of god’s word but now we’re talking about jesus teaching in general in the second half of this quarter what exactly did jesus teach certainly there’s a great deal of confusion and misinformation about jesus teaching in the world today jesus is characterized as a mild-mannered rabbi who never condemned anybody a generous genie who will give you whatever worldly things you want and the leader of a bloodthirsty legalistic crusade against everyone who was different from him some of the greatest misunderstandings concerning jesus teaching come from jesus sermon on the mount which is written down in matthew chapter 5 to matthew chapter 7.
often the words of this sermon are turned on their heads to excuse sin or to justify legalistic self-righteousness but what was jesus really teaching in this sermon and so we’re gonna actually look at that question today we do something quite ambitious we’re going to read and investigate the whole sermon on the mount which will be even more ambitious because we started a little bit late but that’s okay to do this we’re going to not investigate all the details that we could in the different sections but we will note the details that help us to see how this sermon fits together as a whole and what its main message is i’m going to be asking some questions to move us through and as i ask those questions please don’t hesitate to answer you can just call out the answer because we want to be moving quickly so answer clearly answer loudly answer quickly that will be helpful to me all right and we do want to pay attention to what this sermon has to say because what it concerns really is who has a place in god’s kingdom and as the sermon will tell us unfortunately there are a whole lot of people who think they’re getting into god’s kingdom when they aren’t all right let’s pray before we continue god i pray to you help me to explain this word and you would apply it to our hearts in jesus name amen take your bibles please open to matthew chapter five and we’re going to look at the beginning of the sermon on the mount i’ve broken it down into different sections we’re going to read a section make some observations and then move on to the next section our main task is to understand the main idea of each section so we can piece together those main ideas into one overall message or thesis so let’s just start with the two opening verses and then we’ll talk about the context matthew chapter five verses one and two when jesus saw the crowds he went up on the mountain and after he sat down his disciples came to him he opened his mouth and began to teach them saying okay before we actually look at this teaching we want to know the context we’re very early in jesus three and a half year ministry if you glance back in matthew 4 jesus has just started teaching or doing his preaching and doing the sign miracles and jesus preaching all centers around one main idea which you can see in matthew 4 verse 17 where it says from that time on jesus began to preach and say repent for the kingdom of kevin is the kingdom of heaven the kingdom of heaven is at hand yes different kingdom by matthew so that’s his message repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand by matthew 5 chapter 1 jesus teaching and miracles have attracted quite a large crowd and people from all over israel and the jordan pretty much every area that could come to him in the surrounding area has come to him and so in matthew chapter 1 earth matthew 5 verse 1 it says that jesus goes on this mountain to teach the people and that’s why we call it the sermon on the mount he’s on the mountain as he preaches side note note that luke chapter 6 reports a sermon that while abbreviated is very similar in timing and content to this sermon here in matthew 5 to 7. so most likely these two accounts the one here and then the one in luke 6 are talking about the same sermon and this is indeed one sermon from matthew 5 to matthew chapter 7 and not a mere collection of things that jesus said some people do offer that explanation sometimes but that doesn’t make any sense because if we go to matthew chapter 8 verse 1 this is right after jesus words end and it says his teaching concludes matthew 8 verse 1 says when jesus came down from the mountain large crowds followed him so he goes up to the mountain to teach and when he’s done he comes down from the mountain so this is something he said all on one occasion now let’s actually hear what jesus said and we’ll look at the first section matthew 5 verses 3 to 12.
verse 3 jesus says 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 gentle 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 pure in heart for they shall see god blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of god blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness for theirs is the kingdom of heaven blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you and and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me rejoice and be glad for your reward in heaven is great in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you is our first section note the various obvious and constant repetition here most notably there’s the term blessed meaning happy lucky or fortunate this describes those who are favored by god in such a way that it produces joy or prosperity for a person and the whole world is concerned about happiness right this this section has something to say about it now note that we have a series of descriptions of certain people in the first half of these verses they’re described in a certain way then we have this word for that links the first half to the second half remember four indicates a reason for what was said why are these people blessed and then we have another set of descriptions that are similar to one another in the second half these verses so let’s look at the first half look at all those different descriptions first half of each of these verses what do many of these descriptions have in common with one another what’s similar about these descriptions in the first half of these verses okay yeah many of the descriptors describe someone who’s humble and we can see that from things like poor in spirit or gentle or merciful what else notice that oh go ahead okay we’ll talk about the second half in just a second but yes you’re right we’ll come back to that notice also in the first half they’re all described in the present tense they are these people are a certain way there’s one in the present perfect meaning they started in the past and they still are um also note that these are not really actions but qualities and qualities that actually go to the inside of a person it’s not things that you do necessarily but this who you are and it goes within we’re talking about poor in spirit we’re talking about um those who mourn those who are merciful those who hunger and thirst for righteousness isn’t not necessarily things you see on the outside and they’re related to spirituality so these first terms are describing a person or people in a way that is spiritual it goes to the the heart inside a person these are in their present tense and as rob was saying they have something to do with humility but now getting to the second half look at the descriptions in the second half how are those common craig pointed out they are promises and you can see that there’s a future tense to almost all of those things there something will happen for these people or to these people what else do we notice in common with those second second half descriptions what’s going to happen in the future all right go ahead okay these are definitely positive things um in the front that’s an interesting um interesting uh comment let me just look at that again they shall be they shall receive yeah it doesn’t really talk about them achieving anything necessarily um not exactly uh super specific as to how these things will happen but i think you’re right there’s a sense that they’re not doing this for themselves it’s rather somebody else or something else that’s doing it for them certainly these are positive things you may note that there’s a repetition of the idea of kingdom they’re going to receive a kingdom or they’re going to enter the kingdom and they’re going to have a dominion so just to sum it up a little bit these second half descriptions are describing a coming positive outcome a reward there’s multiple mentions of a kingdom and it’s all future note also between verses 10 and 11 what shift takes place it does talk about persecution in both of those verses but between the verses what’s the difference you notice exactly it moves from third person to second person we have says blessed are you and he brings up himself he says blessed are you when they persecute you because of me but they’re told the same thing they’re both going to receive a blessing and they both have a right to rejoice now these verses i think it’s fair for us to say they describe the truly blessed or happy person and we can sum up the details in the first half of it who is the truly happy or blessed person well he’s a righteous person and where is he righteous in his heart he has a certain kind of heart which is righteous characterized by certain things and though this person is righteous in heart he’s not perfect we can see in descriptions like verse 3 he says he’s poor in spirit verse 4 says he mourns verse 7 says that he will receive mercy a person who’s totally righteous and it never has a flaw doesn’t need any mercy but these people will receive mercy so though they’re describing a righteous person this person is not perfect so we have this strange reality that jesus says the truly righteous person is someone who recognizes his spiritual poverty and his need for god’s mercy but he also has these other qualities and also no according to verse 11 the righteous person does something specific with jesus if they’re willing to be persecuted for jesus sake what fundamentally do they do with jesus if they’re being persecuted that means that they must be following jesus they must believe jesus they must do what he says they trust him so we can sum up the details of the second half of the verses two what’s going to happen in the future for these truly righteous people they will be rewarded by god in the coming kingdom and then we can combine these two halves to summarize this whole section i’ve written a sentence here and i’ll put on this slide the righteous in heart i guess i’ll add some extra information verses 3 to 11 tells us the righteous in heart those who follow jesus are the truly blessed ones because they will inherit god’s kingdom the truly righteous in heart and those the ones who follow jesus they are blessed because they will inherit god’s kingdom but how do you tell if someone is truly righteous in heart heart is hidden after all is there any sign well let’s look at the next section let’s look now at verses 3 13-19 verse 13 you are the salt of the earth if the salt has become tasteless how can it be made salty again it is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men you are the light of the world the city set on a hill cannot be hidden nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket but on the lampstand and it gives light to all who are in the house let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your father who is in heaven do not think that i came to abolish the law of the prophets i did not come to abolish but to fulfill right for truly i say to you until heaven and earth pass away not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the law until all is accomplished whoever then annulles one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven but whoever keeps and teaches them he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven now you’re probably noticing as we’re moving through these sections we can’t talk about everything but listen to a few things in this next set of verses note two of the images presented in verses 13 to 14. we have salt without taste and light covered up what’s the point of having salt without saltiness or a concealed light there is no point they’re totally useless that’s important notice also verse 16 letting one’s light shine is tantamount to allowing people to observe what in a person when you let your light shine what do people see yeah what the passage says good works let them see your good works and glorify god glorify god it was in heaven now notice verses 17 and 19 jesus says he is not abolishing any of the old testament scriptures nor any of their commands he’s going to fulfill he says he’s about fulfilling them in fact jesus claims you can know who’s the greatest or the least in the kingdom of heaven based on what what do they keep or teach the commandments of god or keep and teach the commandments of god that’s the difference between the greatest and the least so there’s a connection here which from the first section verses 3 to 13 jesus declares that only the righteous and heart those who follow him will inherit the kingdom of heaven but here what clarification does he offer about the truly righteous in heart that’s right those who are truly righteous will keep god’s word pretty simple concept the righteous will keep god’s word and they will keep god’s commands they will manifest good works now at this the crowd that’s listening to jesus might have breathed a sigh of relief oh the truly righteous are the ones that keep god’s commands great because that means i’m truly righteous that means i’m going to get into the kingdom i mean yeah i’m not perfect but i’m a good person i’ve never killed anyone i haven’t stolen anything really valuable never cheated on my spouse i keep god’s word i’m in and isn’t that what many would say today they think they more or less keep what god told them to do or at least most of it but jesus adds another word stunningly in verse 20.
this really is the completion of the section verse 20 jesus says for i say to you then unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and pharisees you will not enter the kingdom of heaven now that statement would have been astonishing for several reasons what’s one yeah why is that surprising exactly so number one this is this is very astonishing because the pharisees were considered the most righteous people their good works were well known how could anyone be more righteous than them i have to be more righteous than them to get into the kingdom this would be like telling church people if you want to get into the kingdom you’ve got to be more righteous than seminary professors deacons elders and pastors or telling catholics you want to get into god’s kingdom you got to be more righteous than mother teresa and the pope that’s that’s astonishing but there are some other things here too secondly this is astonishing because in saying this jesus implies that the pharisees and scribes are not getting into the kingdom of god right because of the standard is above where those people are currently they ain’t getting in and notice thirdly jesus starts the sentence with the word for indicating this statement is a support of what he just said and what does jesus just say it’s those who actually keep the commandments of god that will be great in god’s kingdom why’d you say that jesus and then he says you better be more righteous than the scribes and pharisees so what is what’s the connection between those two statements that’s exactly it jesus is saying they don’t keep god’s commandments and then it makes sense if they don’t keep god’s commandments then certainly you have to be more righteous than them but how could that be this sounded preposterous to the people jesus you’re saying the pharisees don’t keep god’s word they pride themselves on keeping the law you say they’re not doing it and we the people we look up to the pharisees we follow their teaching and their example if they’re not doing it then neither are we but jesus that’s crazy prove it jesus we think we do keep god’s word and the pharisees do too prove otherwise challenge accepted let’s kind of go to the next section it’s gonna be a little bit larger verses 21-48 read with me verse 21 you’ve heard that the ancients were told you shall not commit murder and whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court but i say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court and whoever says to his brother you good for nothing shall be guilty before the supreme court and whoever says you fool will be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar and then remember that your brother has something against you leave your offering there before the altar uh yeah and go first be reconciled to your brother and then come and present your offering make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you’re with him on the way so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge and the judge to the officer and you be thrown into prison truly i say to you you will not come out of there until you paid up the last cent you have heard that it was said you shall not commit adultery but i say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart if your right eye makes you stumble tear it out and throw it from you for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body and for your whole body to be thrown into hell if your right hand makes you stumble cut it off and throw it from you before it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to go into hell it was said whoever sends his wife away let him give her a certificate of divorce but i say to you that everyone who marries i say that everyone who divorces his wife except for the reason of unchastity makes her commit adultery and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery again you’ve heard that the ancients were told you shall not make false vows but shall fulfill your vows to the lord but i say to you make no oath at all either by heaven for it is the throne of god or by the earth for it is the footstool of his feet or by jerusalem for it is the city of the great king nor shall you make an oath by your head you cannot make one hair white or black but let your statement be yes yes or no no anything beyond these is of evil you’ve heard that it was said an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth but i say to you do not resist an evil person but whoever slaps you on your right cheek turn to him the other also if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt let him have your coat also whoever forces you to go one mile go with him too give to him who asks of you and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you you have heard that it was said you shall love your neighbors and hate your enemy but i say to you love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you so that you may be sons of your father who is in heaven for he causes the sun his son to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous for if you love those who love you what reward do you have do not even the tax collectors do the same if you greet only your brothers what more are you doing than others do not even the gentiles do the same therefore you are to be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect okay bigger section note the phrases beginning the different paragraphs here jesus says you have heard or it was said and then but i say to you where would the people have heard yes somewhat the scriptures but they don’t most of them probably don’t have access to the word themselves so where would they have heard these things dwayne that’s right the scribes and the pharisees they’re their religious teachers and so what jesus is commenting on is the teaching and practice of the scribes and pharisees which is imitated by the people and note the topics that jesus addresses these are scriptural topics murder adultery lying in false vows vengeance love for others but jesus totally contradicts the jewish understanding of these scriptural topics rather than simply refraining from murder jesus says what does the true truly obedient person to god do doesn’t merely refrain from murder what does he do that’s right it says uh the truly righteous person the truly obedient person refrains from anger and he doesn’t even worship until he restores relationships broken by anger or next topic rather than simply refraining from adultery what does the truly obedient person do it’s similar to the first one he doesn’t even lust in his heart he refrains from lusting after another person in his heart he also gets rid of all stumbling blocks and he will not divorce except for infidelity that’s what the true torah keeper does we can look at we can see this for each one of these rather than simply keeping holy vows the truly obedient person speaks truth all of the time without needing to resort to an oath or swearing or rather when seeking vengeance rather than simply confining payback to the level of the original hurts oh he hurt me this much so i’ll hurt him that much eye for i is that what the righteous person does no the righteous person seeks no personal vengeance the true torah keeper seeks no vengeance and instead seeks to do good to those who have hurt him or try to take advantage of him and rather than simply loving those who love him back the person truly obedient to god loves his enemies and he loves the unlovable now jesus being unfair here were these things actually in the old testament or is jesus upping the ante changing the rules and then condemning people for not meeting the new rules were these things in the old testament they were jesus is not saying anything new here consider leviticus 19 verses 17-18 leviticus 19 17-18 you shall not hate your fellow countrymen in your heart you may surely reprove your neighbor but you shall not incur sin because of him you shall not take vengeance nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people but you shall love your neighbor as yourself i am yahweh or leviticus 1911 leviticus 19 11 you shall not steal nor deal falsely nor lie to one another you shall not swear falsely by my name so as to profane the name of your god i am yahweh and one more exodus 20 verse 17 you shall not covet your neighbor’s house you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his aunks or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor you see all these things that jesus was saying they are in the torah they’re in the first five books true obedience to god has always included the heart and true obedience has always gone beyond merely refraining from major sins jesus isn’t giving a new standard he’s just bringing back the old one that they had not been paying attention to this is true obedience and you can see that true obedience to god essentially consists of being like whom it’s like being like god that’s why it says here in verse 48 you want to be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect and you want to love others because that’s what god does he sends the sun and the rain on the righteous and the good or the evil alike and even in the old testament commands that i just quoted you can hear that why should you do these things i am yahweh he says that and the phrase in verse 48 sounds a lot like leviticus 19 2 leviticus 19 2b which says you shall be holy for i yahweh your god am holy so jesus is saying do you think you obey the scriptures that you are a good person before god then you should you should be looking like god you should do the things that he does you should follow what he actually commanded the standard that is based off of his own character because what is god he’s holy he’s perfect there’s no goodness that lacks in him and there’s no evil in him at all so don’t tell jesus that you’re holier than most people or that you’ve followed the example of your religious leaders and teachers that’s not the standard god and his word are the standard how is it that the people got away from the biblical standard how could that have happened yeah focus on the outward and who is causing them to do that teachers the teachers were not accurately handling god’s word they brought their traditions onto it and so they didn’t actually give god’s standard to the people they the people were improperly taught they didn’t give enough attention to the word and they were following unbiblical traditions from the scribes and pharisees and what about us today i ask you are you as holy and as good as god is do you actually keep what was written in his word or do you simply follow traditions and what other profession christians do like what we said last week right we could summarize this section as really a clarification of what jesus just said the righteous keep god’s word what does it mean to keep god’s word to know what he actually said to do it and to ultimately be like god keeping god’s words means actually knowing it doing it and being like god so at this point we can imagine the people in the crowd faltering a little bit oh i guess i don’t keep all the commands of god i didn’t realize that’s what the commands actually were but i do good things too don’t those count for something let’s now look at the next section all of chapter 6 matthew 6 verses 1 to 34.
i know it feels like we’re moving fast but bear with me verse one chapter six beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them otherwise you have no reward with your father who is in heaven so when you give to the poor do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets so that they may be honored by men truly i say to you they have their reward in full but when you give to the poor do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing so that your giving will be in secret and your father who sees what is done in secret will reward you when you pray you are not to be like the hypocrites they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners that they may be seen by men truly i say to you they have their reward in full but you when you pray go into your inner room close your door and pray to your father who is in secret and your father who sees what is done in secret will reward you and when you are praying do not use meaningless repetition as the gentiles do for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words so do not be like them if your father knows what you need before you ask him pray then in this way our father who is in heaven hallowed be your name your kingdom come your will be done on earth as it is in heaven give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we have also forgiven our debtors and do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from evil for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever amen for if you forgive others for their transgressions your heavenly father will also forgive you but if you do not forgive others then your father will not forgive your transgressions whenever you fast do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do so they neglect their appearance that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting truly i say to you they have their reward in full but you when you fast anoint your head and wash your face so that your fasting will not be noticed by men but by your father who is in secret and your father who sees what is done in secret will reward you do not store for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal but store for yourselves treasures in heaven we’re neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in or steal for where your treasure is there your heart will be also the eye is the lamp of the body so then if your eyes clear your whole body will be full of light but if your eye is bad your whole body will be full of darkness but then the light that is in you is darkness how great is the darkness no one can serve two masters for either you will hate the one and love the other or he’ll be devoted to one and despise the other you cannot serve god and wealth for this reason i say to you do not be worried about your life as to what you will eat or what you will drink or for your body as to what you will put on it’s not life more than food and the body more than clothing look at the birds of the air that they do not sow nor reap or gather into barns and yet your heavenly father feeds them are you not worth much more than they and who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life and why are you worried about clothing observe how the lilies of the field grow they do not toil nor do they spin yet i saved you then not even solomon and all his glory clothed himself like one of these but if god so closed the grass of field which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace will he not much more clothe you you have a little faith do not worry then saying what will we eat or what will we drink or what will we wear for clothing for the gentiles eagerly seek all these things your heavenly father knows that you need all these things but seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you so do not worry about tomorrow but tomorrow will care for itself each day has enough trouble of its own all right this is another big section i’m going to argue there’s really one main idea here jesus first addresses three kinds of external good works giving to the poor praying and fasting what’s the main problem with these so-called good works as modeled by the pharisees exactly these are done for the praise and approval of men the reward of men but instead jesus points out what reward are they to be seeking the reward that comes from god there’s an additional problem with jewish prayer that’s really more characteristic of gentile prayers what’s the problem according to verse 7.
exactly meaningless repetition and many words note how does jesus model prayer contrast the meaningless repetition we all know this prayer right exactly it is very purposeful and it is very concise there’s no meaningless repetition here this is a rather short prayer but this is in contrast to the prayers of the gentiles the meaningless ineffective prayers the gentiles jesus broadens their critique in verse 20. it’s not simply that both the pharisees and the gentiles love the approval of men but where are they storing up their treasure on earth in the world jesus tells the crowd you need to store up your treasure in heaven why well because treasure in heaven lasts because the heart follows what it treasures you either love god or you love stuff in the world and because god will take care of you in the world if you seek him first this exhortation from verse 33 is key seek as top priority god’s kingdom and god’s righteousness and god will take care of your earthly needs this section has a lot to say about treasure and reward and we can summarize the main idea in this way going back to the concept of true righteousness the truly righteous person he seeks god’s reward and not the earth’s reward truly righteous one seeks god’s reward and not the earth’s reward now up to this point jesus has laid out a pretty disarming argument only the truly righteous will inherit god’s kingdom you jews are all looking for the kingdom only the truly righteous will inherit it who’s truly righteous well they’re the ones who keep god’s word what does keeping god’s word mean it means upholding the standard of god’s own being the one he laid out in his word and the truly righteous they’re the ones looking for a heavenly satisfaction not earthly but how is a person meant to react to all of this let’s see how this sermon concludes we’ll now read matthew 7 verses 1 to 27 our last section here chapter 7 verse 1 do not judge so that you will not be judged from the way you judge you will be judged and by your standard of measure it will be measured to you why do you look the spec that is in your brother’s eye do not notice the log that is in your own eye how can you say to your brother let me take the speck out of your eye and behold the log is in your own eye you hypocrite first take the log out of your own eye and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye do not give what is holy to dogs do not throw your pearls before swine or they will trample them under their feet and turn and tear you to pieces ask and it will be given to you seek and you will find knock and it will be open to you for everyone who asks receives and he who seeks fines and to him who knocks it will be opened or what man is there among you when his son asks for a loaf well give him a stone or if he asks for a fish he will not give him a snake will he if you then being evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask him and everything therefore treat people the same way you want them to treat you for this is the law and the prophets enter through the narrow gate the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction and there are many who enter through it for the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life and there are few who find it beware of the false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves you will know them by their fruits grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles are they so every good tree bears good fruit and the bad tree bears bad fruit a good tree cannot produce bad fruit nor can a bad tree produce good fruit every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire so then you will know them by their fruits not everyone who says to me lord lord will enter the kingdom of heaven but he who does the will of my father who is in heaven will enter many will say to me on that day lord lord did we not prophesy and in your in your name and in your name cast out demons and in your name perform any miracles and then i will declare to them i never knew you depart from me you who practice lawlessness therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them may be compared to a wise man who built his house on a rock the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and slammed against that house and yet it did not fall for it had been founded on the rock everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand the rain fell and the floods came the winds blew and slammed against that house and it fell and great was its fall okay verse one of chapter seven is a bit jarring we were just talking about wealth and treasure and reward and now we’re talking about judging why does sudden change well notice jesus immediately begins talking about what standard we use to judge others and hasn’t jesus been defining and clarifying god’s standard for most of this sermon you know whenever a person hears a sermon about god’s standard in a particular area and he agrees with that standard is the fleshly impulse what is often the fleshly impulse to do with that standard you hear the word you hear what god says to do and you’re like oh you know what that is so right that is so good what is the fleshly thing to then do with that standard dwayne exactly this is what we often do right we can apply god’s standard and his word to others but not ourselves we can say oh you know so and so would really benefit from this sermon he should listen to it so he can get his life in order that might be true but you know who needs to apply that standard to himself first you do therefore i see verse 1 as really beginning the application section of jesus’s sermon there have been applications through this sermon already but this section here is more directly about exhortation and warning which also explains why some of these excitations seem to be more random they seem to not relate to each other as much you hear a lot of therefores in this passage it’s because jesus is applying or giving some direct hesitation based on what he said earlier and first of all how should you respond to jesus’s explanation of true righteousness first apply it to yourself don’t just say oh i know who really needs to hear this apply it to yourself what other applications of jesus’s words are given in verses 7 to 23 what else should people do well verses 7 to 11 one application is go to god in faith go to god for your needs believe in his mercy and his generosity another application verse 12 practice the golden rule verses 13 to 14 beware being like everyone else and taking the popular and easy way of life because where are most people even most religious people going they’re on their way to destruction they’re on their way to hell most religious people are on their way to hell verses 15 to 20 jesus exhorts beware religious teachers who do not keep god’s word who do not keep god’s word themselves and verses 21-23 beware following jesus with words and not deeds notice in verses 21 to 23 jesus mentions on that day and he himself tells and on that day he says he himself will tell his false followers to depart from him what role then will jesus have in the future yeah he will be the judge he will be the one that condemns and yes ultimately throws people into hell and it’s people who say lord lord by the way which people say lord lord to jesus today what’s that group called what group of people identifies jesus as lord christians christians didn’t exist at this time but that’s who they are today and what does jesus say many christians people who identify as christians will be condemned in the judgment and then there’s verses 24-27 and these are famous but i don’t think always well understood notice what is compared to building one’s house on a rock the one who does this is like a man who builds his house on a rock the one who exactly hears the words and acts on them and not acting on jesus words hearing and not acting is compared to building one’s house on sand and we’re familiar with this parable building on a rock is a house a strong foundation building on sand gives the house a weak foundation when a big storm or a flood arises houses with weak foundations collapse and jesus says there’s a storm that’s going to arise what storm is going to arise in the future that will fundamentally test each man’s foundation before god judgment god’s judgment we often want to say that these storms and winds they’re the trials of life but that can’t be there are plenty of people who do not act appropriately based on jesus words and they get through life’s trials it’s difficult but they get through but can anyone manage through god’s judgment while ignoring jesus words certainly not god’s holy wrath is the storm that will test each man’s foundation and the foundation is not solid person the person’s house will be destroyed we can sum up this last section in this way it’s really sermon application seek god obey jesus and beware the judgment of false followers seek god obey jesus beware the judgment of false followers now we’ve gone through the whole sermon let’s bring this all together now and trace the main points jesus begins his sermon by showing that true righteousness is what brings one into god’s kingdom and that righteousness is based on the heart jesus then shows that the truly righteous heart will keep the commands of god it clarifies that keeping god’s commands means paying attention to what god actually said in his word and upholding the standard that is based off of god’s own perfect character jesus then demonstrates that the truly righteous seek god’s reward and not earthly reward and he concludes with an exhortation to believe god obey jesus word and beware judgment of false followers so what is the whole point what does jesus want the crowd to realize i want them to understand you are unholy in heart you don’t keep the commands of god and you won’t inherit the kingdom of god but there is a way that you can become holy what is that way that’s what jesus said in the beginning be poor in spirit humble yourself before god hence what he says at the end come knocking on god’s door ask him for mercy ask him to change your heart believe the word of the one he sent forsake your own way forsake everything you hold to in this world so that you may obtain a place in god’s kingdom and when your heart is changed before god what will be the practical result in your life what will it produce it will produce good works or produce a life of holiness wait a second this sounds familiar what really is this sermon a presentation of this is a presentation of the gospel this is the word of salvation isn’t this what jesus says throughout his ministry isn’t this the message of the rest of the new testament only the truly righteous those who are righteous on the inside will inherit god’s kingdom men obviously are not righteous in heart and you can see the sign of that because they don’t keep god’s commands but those who confess their sinfulness to god that believe in jesus follow him repent they are given new hearts and they become new creations and their lives become marked by conformity to god’s commands and god’s character you know there’s considerable debate there’s considerable debate among theologians about the purpose of the sermon on the mount the two main camps there on the one hand the sermon was preached to show people that they failed to reach god’s holy standard and they need god’s mercy and on the other hand the other camp is this sermon was given to show the holy behavior that believers are to display in the world which one is the answer i think it’s both this sermon is for believers and unbelievers the sermon on the now the sermon on the mount shows both the need for salvation and it clarifies what salvation produces and should produce in the transformed person no this sermon is not meant to teach that works bring about salvation no one can be perfect as god is and therefore not need god’s mercy earn way into into god’s kingdom as we saw in the beginning it’s the poor in spirit it’s those who mourn mourning over sin and those who need god’s mercy who will be comforted and be glorified not the self-righteous those are the pharisees it’s those who do as jesus preached in matthew 4 and elsewhere repent for the kingdom of god is at hand by the way how different was jesus teaching compared to the teachers of the day look back in matthew 7 verses 28 to 29 it says when jesus had finished these words the crowds were amazed at his teaching for his teaching them as one having authority and not as their scribes you’ve heard this before the practice of teachers at that time was to constantly quote other teachers and to cite tradition in their messages what does jesus do he goes back to the word he presents that word truly and accurately and he drives god’s truth home so that people realize their sinfulness and need for a new heart their need for god’s mercy we’ve also said this before but jesus is someone who perfectly understands interprets teaches and applies the word of god he shows himself to be the authority on god’s truth which is appropriate because he is the messiah now i don’t want you to come away from the lesson today merely intrigued with seeing how a larger section of scripture fits together my brothers and sisters i urge you to do as jesus says apply this word to yourself act on it appropriately because if you don’t you know what jesus says you risk being a fool who built his house on slippery sand i hope you will later go back and read through the various sections of the sermon on the mount more closely consider the details and specific commands but as we end today let me just pose some questions to you for you to start thinking through application of this sermon in your life the sermon on the mount number one oh and i don’t have a slide for this but just listen to my words it corresponds to the points that we saw on the text number one do you fit the description of a truly righteous person given by jesus in matthew 5 3-12 does that describe you number two does your righteous christ-believing heart manifest itself in a life of good works god’s light shining before men or are you are you like tasteless salt useless number three do you actually keep god’s word or do you just keep a religious tradition are you merely more righteous than your peers are you merely just like other christians or do your thoughts words and actions reflect the very character of the father and the son number four why do you do good works is it out of happy gratefulness to god and in anticipation of his reward or is it merely part of a larger drive to heap up for yourself the approval of men and the pleasures of the world and number five have you applied jesus words to yourself before you’ve applied them to others have you gone to god in desperate but expectant faith like a child who is good-hearted dad and committing yourself to live only for christ or do you stand on the broad road of doom like so many other so-called christians who hear and do not act and who say but do not do if you are truly righteous because you’ve been mercifully saved by god then rejoice that’s what jesus said in the beginning right because you will inherit god’s kingdom when the kingdom comes you’re going to be there you’re going to reign forever with him in it persevere by faith for the sake of the kingdom but if you’ve only been playing at being a christian then let the fear of the coming storm of god’s judgment drive you to repentance because otherwise jesus will tell you and i pray this is not the case for any of you otherwise jesus will tell you when you meet him i don’t know you get away from me you lawless rebel and go into the fire this is the center of jesus teaching this is the gospel this is the aroma of death to those who are perishing at the aroma of life to those who are being saved according to god’s sovereign mercy and grace wow can’t believe we actually made it through the whole thing though we are out of time so i’m sure you have questions or comments so please email me if you have those that’s it for this week let’s close in prayer god our lord this is a great word but it’s one that you urge the people to act upon to apply to themselves so god i pray for me and for the people here that thou be true that we’d be applying this word god it’s not to be taken lightly your gospel your word your teaching oh jesus is not to be taken lightly so i pray that by your spirit there would be the right application in jesus name amen thank you all see you next week