There are tasks that we try to do in life that are difficult and then there’s preaching the Sermon on the Mount in one sermon when you are obviously not the Son of God. Yet this is my task tonight as we continue our study through the gospel of Matthew. But before we dive into it, I want to point out a few things.
First of all, this sermon is probably more than a few minutes long, though that is how long it would take someone to read it. Therefore, maybe this was preached by Jesus over a series of days and each change of topic was done only after much time had separated the sections of teaching. Second, though 5:1 records that he withdrew from the multitudes and began teaching his disciples, this does not necessarily mean that they were all Christians. After all, the word “disciple” doesn’t always mean believer, and, even if that weren’t the case, 7:28 assures us that there were multitudes listening to his teaching. Therefore, it is difficult to understand the Sermon on the Mount as being only addressed to true disciples, for there are many warnings. Thus, much of it is no doubt addressed as a warning to those who are followers of Jesus (disciples) but not true believers in him. Nonetheless, it teaches us much that is important if we are to live our lives in a manner pleasing to God.
The Sermon on the Mount teaches us the character of those in the Kingdom (5:1-16)
A number of different things have been done with the Beatitudes, the first twelve verses of the Sermon on the Mount. However, I think their beginning and end probably assist us in ascertaining their meaning. For both verse 3 (about the poor in Spirit) and verse 10 (about those persecuted for righteousness) end saying, “Theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Thus, I think they teach us what is the character of those who will inherit the kingdom.
And because I am trying to preach through this entire sermon in one sitting, I want mainly reflect on the character mentioned in these two instances. Therefore, first, those who inherit the kingdom are poor in spirit. That is to say those who are approved by God are not the most powerful, the most flashy, the most in the spotlight, the most obviously moral, or the one who is most gifted, but rather he is the one who knows he is nothing. Apart from God, he knows in his heart that he is but dust and ashes. As he prays, his prayer is full of the knowledge of God’s grace – not because he knows it is the right thing to say, but because that truth has been lodged in the depths of his heart. This is often different from those we think are great.
The last of the Beatitudes is just as odd. Those who inherit the kingdom are not those who accomplish the most or are able to speak to the most people or affect the most lives, but to those who are persecuted because of righteousness. This individual lives righteously in the whole of his life and he is therefore persecuted. And then Jesus shows us a little more by telling us that they are persecuted because of him. He who is blessed in inheriting the kingdom of heaven is he who lives so righteously that he reminds individuals of Jesus Christ when they hate Jesus Christ, and so they revolt. This is much the same that happened with the prophets who were mouthpieces of God to people who hated God. Thus, we live knowing we’re nothing and striving for righteousness (in fact hungering and thirsting for it – 5:6) so that the world sees Christ.
In fact, we must live this way and for this purpose, for if we do not, we are forgetting the very reason for which we are created, becoming useless for our purpose. Much like a light that is hidden or salt that is not salty, so the professing believer is who does not hunger for righteousness that the world might see the glory of Christ (5:13-16).
What does the Law, Jesus, and his teaching mean for us?
The next question that Jesus addresses is what he will then do with the Law. For if the Law’s purpose was to lay out a plan for how we were supposed to live, then why does Jesus need to come along and teach and give instruction? Well, the answer is in understanding that one of the major roles of the Law was prophetic. That is to say the Law was to prophesy of the one who would come and be a greater embodiment of the nature of God than the Law itself was. This is indeed what Jesus is saying in Matthew 5:17.
In 5:17 Jesus says, “Do not think that I cam to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill.” At first glance, this might seem to be saying that Jesus came to uphold or help support the Law, for that seems to be the antithesis of abolish. But the word he uses (“fulfill”) is linked to prophetic fulfillment in Matthew. Therefore, Jesus is saying, “I did not come to abolish the Law, but to be the fulfillment of which it prophesied.” This is also confirmed in his remarks later in 11:13 as he says, “For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John.”
Thus, a major role of the Law was to prophesy of the coming revelation of God who is indeed Jesus Christ. And Christ fulfilled it. Thus, in Christ, the Law has fulfilled its purpose. But then are we to obey the Law? Yes, inasmuch as we obey Christ who is its fulfillment. In that, we are no longer under the Law, but we are under the authority of Christ and his commands, for he speaks as the one who is the fulfillment of the Law.
But what does this mean for us? In short, it means that we are to obey Christ. That is why in 5:21-48 he corrects the misunderstanding of what had been said before and explains it as one with authority to command men as to what to do. And what does he then say in these verses? In short (as are most sections of a sermon that tries to squeeze in the entirety of Matthew 5-7), Jesus demands a radical and passionate zeal for holiness, purity, and integrity. We must harshly avoid unrighteousness, dealing radically with each sin that we might not fall into it. Eventually Jesus shows us that to live holy before the Father is to live in moral perfection (5:48) which draws us back to Jesus just as the Law pointed us forward to him. It is in him and through his strength that we strive to live pleasing before the Father.
The fact that we are to pursue holiness with a zeal does not entail is that we are to pursue the praise of men. In fact, it demands that we do not act with an eye toward the praise of man. Jesus addresses this in our giving (6:2-4), our praying (5-15), and our fasting (16-18). We need to be the kind of people who are looking for the approval of one – our God. We let his commendation serve as our reward when no man knows of our striving for holiness. We need not judge our holiness by our reputation for holiness, for if we do, we will fall into the trap of needing man’s praise instead of the approval of our Father.
But this is hard, isn’t it? This is probably the thing that we struggle with most as we try to live in a holy and pleasing manner before God. For if we are not striving to live holy, then we don’t have to worry about our holiness being praised by men, but if we are striving for holiness, this is always the temptation. Because he understands the struggle (Hebrews 2:17-18), Jesus gives us things to focus on so that we are able to overcome this difficult temptation.
1. Set your affections on eternal things (6:19-24)
If you can remind yourself daily that your three score and ten here are nothing in comparison to eternity and set your mind on life before the very face of God, then it will become a whole lot easier not to desire men’s praise here in this lifetime. Let yourself be reminded that God has promised to reward us himself and that that is a treasure greater than anyone’s approval here.
2. Trust God’s sovereignty in seeking righteousness (6:25-33)
This is a lesson that I am really learning right now. Once we are striving to seek righteousness, the very second that it results in something different than we expect, we are tempted to quit trusting God and start running wild here and there to make sure every person thinks we’re vindicated. This is seeking men’s approval. We are tempted to run here and there to make sure that things are taken care of and that we’ll have all we need.
But God tells us not to worry about these things. God takes care of the birds and the flowers, how much more will he take care of you? Therefore, seek God and obey him and you need not worry, for God is in control of the rest and he can be trusted.
But there are two warnings in this as well (7:1-6). First, don’t begin to think that no one is as great as you as you are seeking God’s righteousness and not worrying about man’s approval. If you do so, you will begin to look at yourself as better than others and God will point out your greater sin. On the other hand, however, nor do we need to throw judgment out the window and forget that men are malicious, deceitful, wicked, and greedy. For if you do this, you will set yourself up for great downfall as men will “tear you to pieces” as you blindly think everyone desires the same thing your heart desires. Therefore, we need to live with discernment, not as mere “goody” people naïve to the sin around us, but we need to be discerning and helping, always with a constant awareness of our own ability for great wickedness.
3. Pray (7:7-11)
Though I set this point up as a way in which you can help find strength from your Father that will help you not to need the praise of men, it is also a help for every other thing commanded in this sermon. If you’re striving to trust the sovereignty of God, or to be radical in your fight against sin, or to be discerning, or not legalistic or hypocritical – pray. After all, we want good for one another, and in comparison to God, we’re evil.
Therefore, if we are to sum up the Law through the revelation of Jesus, it is that we treat individuals as we wish to be treated (7:12). And this should lead us ultimately to want them to enjoy God, be who he wants them to be, and do what he wants them to do. For the greatest way we can love anyone is to encourage them to delight themselves utmost in God.
Therefore, we have two roads from which to choose (7:13-27)
Seeing that we are called to either follow Christ and know life or not follow him, follow ourselves, and know destruction is clear in these remaining verses. We are either following the narrow road or the broad road that leads to destruction (7:13-14). We are either good trees that bear good fruit or bad trees that bear bad fruit (7:15-20). We are either those who follow Christ as our Lord or those who call him Lord but don’t know him and show it by their lack of obedience (7:21-23). We are either he who obeys the Lord and builds his house on a solid foundation or he who refuses the Lord and builds his life on everything else but stability (7:24-27).
Therefore, tonight let us realize that Jesus is indeed the Christ. He is the one to whom the Law was pointing as we see the nature of God revealed in the Law, revealed most clearly in Christ. We are to believe on him and then ask for his strength to live in obedience before the Father. He will indeed give us this strength as he is our Father and gives us good gifts. Let us know tonight that the one who spoke with authority (7:28-29) could indeed do so, for he is the hope to which the Law pointed – our hope. So may we strive for radical obedience, living as those who inherit the kingdom of God.
All of this, by his grace. Amen.