Lesson 1: Introduction | Sermon on the Mount

this is a production of world video Bible School to God be the glory thank you for watching this video today my name is Eddie Parrish and this is the first in a series of lessons on a Sermon on the Mount from Matthew chapters 5 through 7 it might be helpful for you to know that as we go through this series I'll be using the New King James Version of the Bible people who travel extensively to other countries will tell you that each country has its own personality for example people who live in China are different from the people who live in Israel who are different from the people who live in Nigeria and so when Americans for example travel to other countries they often stand out as do other people from countries who then travel to America it's just the way it is because the personalities are different Christians are citizens of a very special Kingdom Christians are members of citizens of the kingdom of God we read in Colossians chapter 1 verse number 13 these words from the Apostle Paul he has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the son of his love that's the kingdom that Christians are a part of and in what some people have called the greatest sermon ever preached Jesus describes the personality of the person who is to be or who is a member of his kingdom just like earthly kingdoms earthly nations have personality so do those who make up the kingdom of Jesus Christ this sermon is called the Sermon on the Mount because Jesus presented it from a mountainous region or a hilly region there is a some speculation regarding the exact location of where this happened but it was on the somewhere on the the northern part of the area around the Sea of Galilee not far from the city of Capernaum but though we don't know exactly the specific location of it there are some general ideas of where it may well have been but that's why it's called the Sermon on the Mount because it was in kind of a mountainous or hilly region of that part of the world and it's going to be our focus in this series of lessons to Center our thoughts and our attention on this great sermon that Jesus preached today's lesson is specifically on matters of introduction we're going to look at the theme of the sermon and we'll we'll look at the challenge of the sermon and kind of give somewhat of a summary of some of the things that are taught there in just to kind of lay a foundation to help us get ready for kind of breaking down the text and looking at it in a little more detail and so let's begin with this particular session by looking at the theme of the sermon a key theme in the book of Matthew as a whole is the kingdom of God or the kingdom of heaven as a matter of fact that terminology references to the kingdom that word kingdom is used some fifty five times in the 28 chapters of the book of Matthew and so it is a principle primary thought or theme in the sermon many of the parables in the book of Matthew begin with the phrase the kingdom of heaven is like and then you'll see certain references to things that that the kingdom of heaven is similar to you find it in passages like Matthew 13 verse 24 verse 31 verse 33 all of those using that - that reference the kingdom of heaven is like so the kingdom is a major part of Matthew's Gospel account it's one of the major themes and it's also the key theme in the Sermon on the Mount because Jesus will use the terminology often in the sermon but also in this particular section of Matthew in these early chapters it's also a key theme if you'll notice if you have your your Bible there and you're looking at it in Matthew chapter 3 leading up to the sermon we have references to the kingdom here in in the gospel account Matthew three verse two that John the Baptist came preaching and saying repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand you see it again in chapter four of Matthew verse number 17 from that time the text says Jesus began to preach and to say repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand and then in verse 23 of chapter 4 Jesus went about all Galilee teaching in their synagogues preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people so right there just in those two chapters chapter 3 and chapter 4 leading into the Sermon on the Mount you have these references to the kingdom that was the topic that Matthew wanted his readers to be exposed to early on because it's going to be a major part of his gospel account one of the major emphases and that's what we're going to see in the sermon now if we will just look at the Sermon on the Mount itself beginning in chapter 5 we'll see several references to the kingdom look at verse number 3 theirs is the kingdom of heaven you see it again in verse number 10 blessed are those that are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven you look down in verses 19 and 20 you have a reference to those who are who would be the least in the kingdom of heaven versus those called gray in the kingdom of heaven if you look further chapter six verse number ten in the model prayer Jesus included a statement there your kingdom come which he instructed his disciples then to pray later in chapter 6 verse 33 seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and then into chapter 7 verse 21 not everyone who says to me Lord Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven but he that does the will of my father who is in heaven so there are several places there within the sermon itself where Jesus references the Kingdom of Heaven and so it has to be a major theme of the sermon because it's mentioned so often and indeed it is and as we go through the sermon in subsequent lessons we'll be able to see and emphasize even more what Jesus says about the kingdom about its nature and about the citizens who are a part of it and what their character is like so that's the major theme of the sermon the kingdom of God or the kingdom of heaven but before we move on to the challenge of the sermon let's think for just a moment about the nature of this kingdom when we talk about the kingdom of heaven the kingdom of God the kingdom of Jesus Christ of what are we speaking what is the kingdom what is its nature what is it like let me offer you these thoughts for your consideration and your further study first of all the kingdom of God the kingdom of heaven the kingdom of Jesus Christ is not a political entity when we think about kingdoms that's what we normally think about we think about earthly nations or empires you know physical kingdoms and and many people when they think about the kingdom of God the kingdom of Jesus Christ they think of it in those same kind of terms they think about it as a political entity or a physical Kingdom but the kingdom of Christ is not a political entity it's not physical in nature and in nature its spiritual in nature Jesus will make that point at the time of his arrest when he is before Pilate and Pilate is questioning him about who he is because he's been he's been accused of being the King of the Jews and and people are wanting him dealt with in the severus of fashion's and and and pilots trying to figure out all this and he's questioning Jesus and so in the context of that conversation Jesus says with reference to his kingdom my kingdom is not of this world John 18 verse 36 my kingdom is not of this world he continues by saying if it were My servants would fight for it but my kingdom he said is not from here now like I said a moment ago a lot of people when they think about the kingdom they think of it in those terms that it is of this world or at least that it will be people have the idea about the kingdom that it doesn't exist now it's sometime it's going to be established sometime in the future and it will be physical in nature in nature material political but the Bible doesn't teach that Jesus said my kingdom is not from here it is not of this world it's spiritual in nature not political or material so when we talk about the kingdom of Christ we're talking about God's rule or God's authority being exercised in the lives of individuals and that's one way in which I have heard the kingdom described and I think it's it's well stated that way that the kingdom of God is the spiritual rule or the spiritual reign of Jesus Christ in the hearts of individuals I think about Luke chapter 17 verses 20 and 21 in that respect where Jesus addressed the kingdom and the nature of it Luke 17 verses 20 and 21 the Bible says now when he was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come he answered them and said the kingdom of God does not come with observation nor will they say see here or see there for indeed the kingdom of God is within you isn't that interesting people wanted to know when the kingdom would come and Jesus said well first of all let me remind you of this that the kingdom of God is not going to come with observation and people are not going to be able to say see hear or see there his point there was not that people wouldn't in any way be able to identify the kingdom but he was trying to counteract the idea that those people had that the kingdom was going to be material and physical in nature and so he was trying to discredit that false concept so he said the kingdom is not going to come with observation like that he said the kingdom of God is within you how can the kingdom of God be within you if it's a physical material political earthbound thing the kingdom of God is spiritual in nature John chapter 18 verse 36 now the materials excuse me the the manifestation of the kingdom of God on earth is seen in those individuals who make up the church that that that is the kingdom of God we pointed out earlier from Colossians 1 verse 13 that the kingdom existed even in the first century when Paul said you've been taken out of the kingdom of this world and been placed into the kingdom of his dear son so the kingdom existed then and when Jesus promised to establish his church in Matthew 16 verses 18 and 19 he used the terminology of church and in an interchangeable fashion in in that passage he said upon this rock I will build my church verse 18 of Matthew 16 and then in verse 19 he said to Peter and the other apostles I'll give to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven Jesus was not switching subjects from verse 18 to verse 19 when he said I'll build my church and I'll give you the keys to the kingdom he's using church and Kingdom in an interchangeable fashion there so the church existed in the first century and the church being the kingdom tells us the kingdom existed then as well so the visible manifestation of the kingdom on earth is the church that jesus promised to build and did build and so the nature of the church is it's spiritual not political it involves the rule of Christ in the hearts of individuals it's visible manifestation as the church and the church the kingdom rather is destined for heaven ultimately when all is said and done in this life and God wraps up the affairs of this existence Paul wrote in first Corinthians 15 verse 24 that at that time the Lord will deliver his kingdom up to the Father for his eternal care and safekeeping 1st Corinthians 15 verse 24 so in addressing the theme of the sermon the kingdom of God the kingdom of Christ a kingdom of heaven it is the spiritual rule of Christ in the hearts of individuals visibly seen in the church which is made up of those individuals in whose heart the Lord reigns and the church is that kingdom that's destined for glory and so in this sermon the Sermon on the Mount Jesus is defining for us the ideal spiritual character of the individual in whose heart Jesus reigns as king and so to follow Jesus is to respect and develop the characteristics that he describes this sermon and that should be the goal of each of us so that's the theme of the sermon now let's turn our attention to the challenge of the sermon and to do that we're going to look at a number of passages within those chapters Matthew chapters 5 through 7 and look at some of the things that he talks about that relate to our character so this will be kind of a foundational portion that will hopefully set the stage for a more in-depth study as we work ourselves through this series but if Jesus rules your heart and your life then you're going to think and act differently from folks who have someone or something else ruling their hearts and their lives and this is a point that comes out often in the Sermon on the mountain I really want you to think about that and and let it let it really sink into your mind because this is where the challenge of this sermon comes in one of the things that Jesus is going to do throughout this sermon is call attention to things that they had heard things that they had seen in the lives of a lot of their religious leaders and then he's going to contrast that with how an individual who's a member of his kingdom is supposed to act or is intended to act so he's going to show a comparison a contrast between what they knew versus what they needed to know what they had been taught to be versus what they really needed to be and so that's one of the keys in in the the sermon the emphasis of it is this difference and that's where the challenge comes in and I suspect as we study through this that challenge is going to come is going to come to bear on us pretty heavily as we recognize probably some areas in which we need to change in contrast to perhaps what we have been previously taught or what we had previously understood and that's where the challenge is going to come in but let's look at some of these examples in the sermon where Jesus calls on this contrast and one of the keys is in chapter 5 verse 20 which I believe is is a key if not the key element or passage in grasping really the the thrust of the Sermon on the Mount Matthew chapter 5 verse 20 Jesus said for I say to you that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven Jesus is starting right there this this heavy thrust on contrasting what they had been taught versus what they really needed to be so he says unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees you won't even enter the kingdom and it's right after that that he begins the major section in chapter 5 where he says all right you've heard that it was said this I'm telling you this and so he's contrasting what they had been taught by their religious leaders versus what they really needed to know what they had been taught versus what they had missed what those religious leaders had not emphasized like they should and so again the contrast is they're being different from what you had been taught to be how about I mentioned these passages where Jesus says you've heard that it was said but I say unto you there are several of those verse 21 is one of those chapter 5 you've heard that it was said to those of old you shall not murder and then he's going to follow that up by saying but I say unto you don't even be angry without cause with your brother and so forth he'll still say it again in verse 27 you heard that it was said don't commit adultery but I tell you don't even allow lust to get a foothold in your heart so here's what you've been taught here's what was emphasized here's what wasn't here's what you missed here's the part that you really need to focus on about verse 31 here's here's what has been said you know whoever divorces his wife for example let him give her a certificate but I say unto you again the contrast in verse 32 verse 33 again you heard that it was said to those of old don't swear falsely but I say unto you verse 34 verse 38 you've heard that it was said an eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth but I say unto you and then again in verse 43 you heard that it was said love your neighbor hate your enemy but I say unto you love your enemies so throughout especially chapter 5 but again you'll see it in in other portions of the sermon Jesus makes the contrast and challenges his listeners then and the readers of this today that there are differences between what some people's idea of being right and faithful to God what their ideas are versus what the truth is and that's where we'll be challenged as we study through this sermon here's another contrast in chapter 5 verse 46 he'll make a contrast with the tax collectors if you if you love those who love you he says verse 46 what reward have you do not even the tax collectors do the same so here's what they do here's what I want you to do you see it again with the Gentiles verse 47 of chapter 5 if you greet your brethren only what do you more than others do not even the tax collectors the same so these these contrasts are calling attention to things that they needed to challenge themselves to change and so as we look at those passages later in some detail we'll see further applications how about chapter 6 verse 2 another another contrast also in verse 16 where he contrasts the hypocrites don't do as the hypocrites do in the streets as they in the synagogues and in the streets verse 2 that they may have glory from men they do their good deeds to be seen by others he says alright that's what you've seen in others I'm telling you don't do that don't be like them I'm calling on you to live a life that's different from that about verses 7 and 8 of chapter 6 where he says when you pray don't use vain repetitions as the heathen do the Gentiles do and he talks about that piece all right this is what they do I'm telling you don't do that don't follow their their bad example chapter 7 verse 15 he talks about the false prophets beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly they are ravenous wolves so that's what they are you need to be aware of that and you need to avoid them and then one more of these contrasts in Chapter 7 verse 21 not everyone who says to me Lord Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven but he that does the will of my father who is in heaven here's a warning about those who claim allegiance to him but their their claim isn't followed up with appropriate action with obedience he says again don't be like that if you want to enter the kingdom of heaven you're going to have to do more than just then just mouth your allegiance it's going to take actual obedience to God in order to do that so so all of those things are challenges they were challenges to his readers to his listeners then and to us who read these things today to accept the fact that one cannot follow him and also at the same time blend in with the world that's around us and therein is the major challenge of the sermon because in a lot of instances that tends to be what we do as human beings we don't want to stick out a lot of times from the crowd we just want to kind of blend in if it means go along to get along then many folks will do that but in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus is saying that's not the proper way to go and if you're going to be a citizen of my kingdom and as a citizen of his kingdom with him being king then that means we are subject to him subject to his authority in other words we have to do what he says he's our king we are his subjects and so to be a citizen of his kingdom means you can't just blend in with the crowd and live just like everybody else does so we'll see in the sermon that Jesus will emphasize the fact that you're your moral and ethical standards are different you see their moral and ethical standards evidently was just based on what they were taught by the scribes and Pharisees jesus said you're going to do better than that except your righteousness exceed theirs you won't enter the kingdom so your ethical standards and the standard by which you judge conduct is going to have to be different than what you're used to as far as as your judgment is concerned your priorities are going to be different you want to be a citizen of my kingdom then you have to seek the kingdom first matthew 6:33 other things have to take a backseat to that so your priorities will be different your attitude toward money is going to be different your approach to the Word of God is going to be different some people think I'm afraid that they can be a follower of Jesus without actually being a follower of Jesus and what I mean by that is some people just want to be able to say and claimed I'm a Christian I'm a Christian which to a lot of people means that they believe that Jesus was a real person that he was even the Son of God he did a lot of good things and and I like that and I like him and so that makes me a Christian not according to Jesus all of these things will have to be different from everybody else all of these ethical standards priorities your view of marriage and divorce will be different you'll treat your enemies differently all of those things are a part of the process of being a citizen of his kingdom a few things I'm afraid of hurt the influence of Christianity in the world as much as hypocrisy where people's words and actions don't match well this sermon challenges everyone who wants to follow Jesus to actually follow him to not just claim to follow him but to actually do it and with that kind of a challenging message it's no wonder that the response was what it was if you'll look at the end of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter 7 verses 28 and 29 the Bible says and so it was when Jesus had ended these sayings that the people were astonished at his teaching for he taught them as one having Authority and not as the scribes when the people heard Jesus when he finished they knew they were dealing with a different person than what they were used to and his teaching astonished them hopefully by the end of this series of lessons we'll be astonished - not at my words but it is in this great Sermon on the Mount the bar has been set high but it's certainly not unattainable and so as we embark on this study of this great sermon may we all commit ourselves to letting Jesus reign in our hearts unopposed you this is a production of world video Bible School you

Channel: World Video Bible School (WVBS)

Views: 90,644

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Keywords: WVBS, World Video Bible School, Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Mount, Jesus Preach, Mount of Olives, Mount of Olives Jesus, Jesus Hypocrisy, Jesus Old Law, Jesus Pharisee, Eddie Parrish

Id: oJGroIJVhic

Length: 29min 34sec (1774 seconds)

Published: Mon Mar 20 2017