The Teachings of Jesus Christ. Pt. 6 The Sermon on the Mount
I hope you are having a great morning today. Trees around us are finally beginning to blaze with vivid fall colors. Such sights and patterns are a great blessing from our God and Creator for us to enjoy.
The Sermon on the Mount is the very first extended teaching given by Jesus Christ. Multitudes of people surrounded Him and he found a spacious place to accommodate the crowds.
When things were in order and He was properly set, He opened His mouth to give them teaching from God. The photo below shows the probable location where this sermon was preached.
The first section of Jesus' teaching is commonly called the Beatitudes because Christ is showing us how to live as a faith response to our God and the right posture to have in our hearts.
The Pharisees are concerned with externals whereas the attitudes expressed in the texts below are internal issues of the heart. The Pharisees loved to draw attention to themselves when they were fasting or when they gave an offering. They loved wearing fancy robes that let everyone know that they were a "religious person."
The world focuses on outward appearances they call it "optics." Buying the right things like homes, cars, clothes, furniture, etc to make a good impression to others. Wear the right brand of clothing, live in the right neighborhood, aim for the right job, buy the car that tells everyone you are a success.
Our Loving Lord is always focusing on changing our hearts and renewing our minds. When Jesus Christ engaged people, his motivation was to see their hearts changed and brought into a right relationship with God.
The apostolic letters tells us more about the attitude of Christ and this same attitude of heart and mind is what the Spirit of God wants to work into each born again believer.
Poor in spirit but rich in the Kingdom
Matthew 5:1-3 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus uses the word "Blessed" many times in this passage. The word means well off, happy and blessed. Websters 1828 dictionary says the word means enjoying spiritual happiness and favor with God. This sits well with the teaching Christ is giving the people.
The poor in spirit are blessed. How can this be so? These people have a real poverty in the spirit which means they know they are lacking something inside and that they can only find satisfaction by turning to God.
The poor in spirit exercise humility, contentment, submission and gratitude. They consciously depend upon God and not themselves. They seek heavenly things rather than worldly things and they long for a revival among the people of God.
Those who are not poor in spirit would be the self righteous religious people that Christ comes into conflict with. They are self satisfied and see no need of a Savior.
The blessing for the poor in spirit is that they will be participants in the kingdom of the Messiah.
Mourning over sin but comforted by Christ
Matthew 5:4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Those who mourn will be comforted. These are people who recognize their needs, and are overwhelmed by their circumstances but they turn to God in faith because only He can truly comfort their souls.
These people mourn because they know they have offended Holy God. They mourn because of sin, they mourn because of experiencing a lack of spiritual joys.
Their mourning is sincere and deep seated. It is God centered grieving and faith driven. Mourning appears to be closely related to a repentant heart turning to God for mercy.
One having this kind of heart will be comforted by God.
A gentle meekness leads to a wonderful inheritance
Matthew 5:5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
A meek person has a mild disposition and gentleness of spirit. Meekness of spirit is not naturally part of our make up. It is something the Spirit of God works into our hearts as we read His word and seek His guidance.
Meekness is a softness of temper and forbearance when being antagonized. It is humility and submission to the will of God instead of being filled with pride and arrogance like the Pharisees.
There is an earthly inheritance for those who are meek of heart. This is the idea similar to Israel inheriting the land God promised to give Abraham. The spirit of meekness in a person's life consistently shows up whether they are at home, church, working in the world.
Hungering for the righteousness of God in us and in the world leads to being filled
Matthew 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
The next blessing is reserved for those who have an intense craving for righteousness. It is like a man wandering in the hot desert who is desperate for a drink of water. We have all experienced moments of intense hunger or thirst and this is what the verse describes to us.
The righteousness that is desired so intensely by these people is the righteousness that comes from God through faith. It is the holy, judicial righteousness of God.
The world is in a terrible mess and needs to see people of God living lives that are marked by holiness. When the kingdom of heaven is established on this earth, Divine Righteousness will then be the governing standard that settles all disputes and defines all moral issues.
Those who long for this will be filled. The word "filled" is like providing ample fodder for hard working farm animals. It means eating until your are fully satisfied. Hungering and thirsting for the righteousness of God will result in being filled up by God.
I pray that each one of us really longs for God to bring His righteousness prominently into our lives through salvation and through His ongoing sanctifying work.
Points to Ponder......
Bob
The Sermon on the Mount is the very first extended teaching given by Jesus Christ. Multitudes of people surrounded Him and he found a spacious place to accommodate the crowds.
When things were in order and He was properly set, He opened His mouth to give them teaching from God. The photo below shows the probable location where this sermon was preached.
The first section of Jesus' teaching is commonly called the Beatitudes because Christ is showing us how to live as a faith response to our God and the right posture to have in our hearts.
The Pharisees are concerned with externals whereas the attitudes expressed in the texts below are internal issues of the heart. The Pharisees loved to draw attention to themselves when they were fasting or when they gave an offering. They loved wearing fancy robes that let everyone know that they were a "religious person."
The world focuses on outward appearances they call it "optics." Buying the right things like homes, cars, clothes, furniture, etc to make a good impression to others. Wear the right brand of clothing, live in the right neighborhood, aim for the right job, buy the car that tells everyone you are a success.
Our Loving Lord is always focusing on changing our hearts and renewing our minds. When Jesus Christ engaged people, his motivation was to see their hearts changed and brought into a right relationship with God.
The apostolic letters tells us more about the attitude of Christ and this same attitude of heart and mind is what the Spirit of God wants to work into each born again believer.
Poor in spirit but rich in the Kingdom
Matthew 5:1-3 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus uses the word "Blessed" many times in this passage. The word means well off, happy and blessed. Websters 1828 dictionary says the word means enjoying spiritual happiness and favor with God. This sits well with the teaching Christ is giving the people.
The poor in spirit are blessed. How can this be so? These people have a real poverty in the spirit which means they know they are lacking something inside and that they can only find satisfaction by turning to God.
The poor in spirit exercise humility, contentment, submission and gratitude. They consciously depend upon God and not themselves. They seek heavenly things rather than worldly things and they long for a revival among the people of God.
Those who are not poor in spirit would be the self righteous religious people that Christ comes into conflict with. They are self satisfied and see no need of a Savior.
The blessing for the poor in spirit is that they will be participants in the kingdom of the Messiah.
Mourning over sin but comforted by Christ
Matthew 5:4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Those who mourn will be comforted. These are people who recognize their needs, and are overwhelmed by their circumstances but they turn to God in faith because only He can truly comfort their souls.
These people mourn because they know they have offended Holy God. They mourn because of sin, they mourn because of experiencing a lack of spiritual joys.
Their mourning is sincere and deep seated. It is God centered grieving and faith driven. Mourning appears to be closely related to a repentant heart turning to God for mercy.
One having this kind of heart will be comforted by God.
A gentle meekness leads to a wonderful inheritance
Matthew 5:5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
A meek person has a mild disposition and gentleness of spirit. Meekness of spirit is not naturally part of our make up. It is something the Spirit of God works into our hearts as we read His word and seek His guidance.
Meekness is a softness of temper and forbearance when being antagonized. It is humility and submission to the will of God instead of being filled with pride and arrogance like the Pharisees.
There is an earthly inheritance for those who are meek of heart. This is the idea similar to Israel inheriting the land God promised to give Abraham. The spirit of meekness in a person's life consistently shows up whether they are at home, church, working in the world.
Hungering for the righteousness of God in us and in the world leads to being filled
Matthew 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
The next blessing is reserved for those who have an intense craving for righteousness. It is like a man wandering in the hot desert who is desperate for a drink of water. We have all experienced moments of intense hunger or thirst and this is what the verse describes to us.
The righteousness that is desired so intensely by these people is the righteousness that comes from God through faith. It is the holy, judicial righteousness of God.
The world is in a terrible mess and needs to see people of God living lives that are marked by holiness. When the kingdom of heaven is established on this earth, Divine Righteousness will then be the governing standard that settles all disputes and defines all moral issues.
Those who long for this will be filled. The word "filled" is like providing ample fodder for hard working farm animals. It means eating until your are fully satisfied. Hungering and thirsting for the righteousness of God will result in being filled up by God.
I pray that each one of us really longs for God to bring His righteousness prominently into our lives through salvation and through His ongoing sanctifying work.
Points to Ponder......
- The Lord Jesus Christ preaches an extended sermon as God in the flesh speaking with all of Heaven's Authority.
- The Sermon on the Mount aims at our mind, our soul, and our heart.
- The Sermon on the Mount highlights the contrast between what the world is saying and what God is saying to us.
- Being poor, engaged in mourning, having meekness and hunger for God's righteousness is our goal.
- The world want us to be rich, to be happy, to have independent arrogance and to be self satisfied.
We will look at more of the Beatitudes in our next post as the Lord Jesus Christ continues leading us through how all our hearts need to be transformed into a Christlike posture. We truly need to be changed because the world is pressing in on us so heavily and only by renewing our minds can we live a Godly life.
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