Welcome to our new site!

Sermon
The Gospel of Matthew

The Sermon on the Mount

Listen on

November 24, 2024
Matthew 5-7
Steven Lee
Pastor for Preaching & Vision

The Gospel

Sanctification & Growth

Transcript

0:21I invite you to turn in your Bibles to Matthew chapter five. This morning we're gonna be looking at the Sermon on the Mount, so that would be Matthews five, six, and seven. And we're gonna do a bit of an overview. This is the first of five discourses long sections of teaching in Matthew's gospel. And it's going to be the first of 20 sermons studying these three chapters. If you think that takes, if that's too many sermons, Martin Lloyd Jones did it in 60. So we're being very efficient here. Um, we'll look at the beatitude starting next week as part of Advent. So let me encourage you to keep your Bibles open to Matthew five to seven.

1:08We're gonna be flipping around and looking at various verses there, and what I want to do this morning is to help us see sort of the forest of the sermon on LA Mount, a bit of an overview to orient ourselves to the sermon as a whole before we dive into the trees over the next 19 weeks. So would you join me now as we pray and ask God for help? Father in heaven, it's good to be together as your people to sing of your praises, of your goodness, of your glory. That is for our good. And now we want to turn to your word, which reveals your glory for our good. So do this. Give us eyes to see. We pray in Jesus' name.

1:50Amen. The Sermon on the Mount has been called Jesus Magnum opus literary masterpiece. It's one of the most well-known sections of the Bible. It contains some of Jesus' most pithy, memorable, and arresting sayings. Consider a sampling of some of those famous sayings. Blessed are the peer in heart, for they shall see God. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden, but I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Or in the Lord's prayer. Matthew six, nine, our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name for where your treasure is. There your heart will be also, even if you've never been to church before, you've probably heard some of these sayings.

2:53Our world's favorite saying is, judge, not that you not be judged. non-Christians will throw that out, left and right. Matthew seven, seven, ask, and it will be given to you. Seek and you shall find. Knock and it will be opened to you. Enter by the narrow gate, for the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction. And those who enter by it are many. Augustine called Jesus sermon in Matthew five seven, A perfect standard of the Christian life. Another pastor called it simply the greatest sermon ever preached. It's been the subject of endless amounts of literature and interpretations.

3:40Its sayings you could say, have been carved into the very foundation of Western civilization and other pastors written. They are words that are sewn into the very fabric of the civilized and uncivilized world as Christianity has spread. And yet, despite this sermon's popularity and its well-known sayings, John Stot says, the Sermon on the Mount is the least understood and certainly it is the least obeyed. So we're forced to wrestle with the question, why is the Sermon on the Mount so misunderstood? There's several reasons, but let me just give one many think of the Sermon on the Mount as unattainable, unrealistic, and frankly just impossible.

4:32The 10 Commandments were hard enough, do not murder very black and white, but Jesus then says, no, no, no. You'll be judged for your unrighteous anger, your harsh words, and even your insults to a fellow brother. He says, whoever says you fool will be liable to the hell of fire. That is astounding. Jesus teaches, not only don't commit adultery, but even a lustful look is sin. It's considered adulterous. You heard it said, an eye for an eye, a tooth for tooth. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. So the the question before us is how do we understand the Sermon on the Mount?

5:23What is it all about? What are some of its unifying themes as we look over the next 19 weeks or so as we study these three chapters? So let me just share upfront kinda what I think and then what we're going to do this sermon, the main thrust of the Sermon on the Mount is this, it reveals what it looks like to live as Jesus people in his kingdom. Very simply, it reveals what it looks like to live as Jesus people in his kingdom. Sermon of the Mount reveals what it looks like to come under Jesus rule and reign as citizens of His kingdom of heaven. And what it does is it shows us how we relate to God and eternal life.

6:06It reveals the counter-cultural way of the kingdom. It reveals the ethical standards of the kingdom. It reveals the values and the ethos of Christ Kingdom. It points to the necessity of the new birth and of repentance and of faith in Christ. It's a literary portrait of what it looks like when Christians are distinct or different or set apart from the world in which they live. So very simply, it is what God's transformed people are to look like. It's what it looks like when we come under Jesus and His rule and his reign. So what I wanna do in this sermon where I'm not looking at any specific passage, is just to wet our appetite for the study of the Sermon on the Mount.

6:49So this is an overview introduction for the next 19 weeks. Hebrews says, long ago, and at many times, and in many ways God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days, he has spoken to us by who? By His son Jesus. And we have his words right before us and we get to study it for the next 19 weeks. So this sermon serves as this opening appetizer before the 19 course tasting menu that we'll have in the next several weeks without all the pretentiousness and tiny portions. So what I wanna do this morning is to highlight four themes in the Sermon on the Mount, four themes in the Sermon on the Mount.

7:36But before we look at them, let me just note a few more things about the sermon. First, the original sermon that would've been preached by Jesus probably lasted several hours. Jesus would teach and people would be hungry, they'd been traveling with Jesus. Matthew five to seven, is this in concentrated form? It's a distillation if you will, because to just read these three chapters takes about 10 minutes. So this is Jesus teaching in concentrated form. The second thing we should notice is that Jesus was an itinerant preacher. He, he would teach many of the same themes, many of the same parables he would tell.

8:11So you would've probably noticed some of these teachings in other places in the Gospels that wouldn't be uh, surprising. But there's also a similar sermon in Luke chapter six, verse 20 to 49. And that sermon is called the Sermon on the Plane or Plateau. And I think what the gospel writers are doing is that that's actually recording the exact same sermon but with different emphasis. Both sermons start with the beatitudes. Both sermons conclude with the same teaching that you're to build your house upon the rock of Jesus. And both are followed by Jesus entering Capernaum. So different accounts of the same sermon, but over these next 19 weeks, we'll look mainly at Matthew's account.

8:54So now we come to our first theme. The first theme that we see in the Sermon on the Mount is our need for Jesus. It's our need for Jesus. So Matthew five, if you look in your Bible, you can see that chapter verse three, all the way to 12 begins with the beatitudes. These are eight blessed statements. The ninth in verse 11 is probably an elaboration of verse 10. And the word blessed or fortunate does not refer to how people feel, but rather what God thinks of them. Now, if we don't understand the beatitudes, it's gonna be difficult for us to understand the rest of Jesus'. Sermon, the Beatitudes describe the characteristics of Jesus disciples.

9:40This is what kingdom citizens are to look like. These qualities are to characterize all of Jesus followers. It's descriptive, but these qualities are also prescriptive. It's setting forth this vision of what believers are to aspire towards. And it invites Christians to become more like Jesus cultivating these types of attitudes. And they're already, they're also in already not yet reality such that it's describing believers, if you're in Christ, these things should be true of you to some measure and degree. And they ought to be growing as we become more and more like Jesus. So these beatitudes are an invitation to live in alignment with Jesus in His kingdom, by his spirit.

10:31But the unique thing about these beatitudes is that it's not just a list of commands that you can kind of check off the list like like a grocery store list, like get carrots and cilantro like, okay, I'm gonna be in spirit today, tomorrow I'll mourn. It's not like that. Rather the beatitudes reveal our need for Jesus. We cannot make ourselves poor in spirit, meek to hunger and thirst for righteousness. These qualities are only possible when one has been born again by Jesus. When we've been justified by his grace, we've been transformed by his power. We've been in dwelt with his spirit, and now these things are true of us because we have come to know and love and believe in Christ, and he transforms our hearts from the inside out.

11:25So Jesus is not saying do these things to be saved. He's saying, this is what my saved people look like. And if you don't look like that, then it's pointing you to go to Jesus for that transformation. Without Jesus, no one can enter the king kingdom of heaven. So be to be blessed by God is to be right with God. And true blessing is not based primarily on prosperity and success. I don't know if you often notice this, but there's a shift that takes place from the Old Testament to the New Testament. If you think about it like this in the Old Testament, how was God's blessing primarily seen? Well, uh, very often we, we preach through Genesis, it was, I'm gonna bless you with land and descendants and prosperity and, and so the surrounding nations are to come and see how blessed Israel is and to give praise to God.

12:27And we see this with the queen of Sheba. She comes, she sees Solomon's kingdom and she's like, your servants are happy, your people are happy, everyone's happy here. And she gives praise to God. But in the New Testament, Jesus doesn't necessarily say you're gonna get land and houses and giant families and then the the outside world's gonna look and see that. But rather he says to his disciples, you're, you're gonna be steadfast under trial and you're gonna pick up your cross and you're gonna suffer persecution. Because the blessings we've received are not primarily material things, though God does indeed give those, but they're spiritual blessings in Christ.

13:09And that's why Ephesians one, three says, God has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing so that when we walk through trials and suffering just like all the other people in the world, we have a hope that holds us up. We have Jesus and the world is to see Jesus at work in us. So there's this shift that takes place. Sermon on the Mount begins with the beatitudes in order to reveal our need for Jesus. Second theme, the counter-cultural way of the kingdom. Second theme we're to see is the counter-cultural way of the kingdom. So throughout the sermon, Jesus has been teaching about the gospel of the kingdom of heaven.

13:51You can see that in chapter four, verse 23, he was proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom. And the kingdom of heaven is this unifying theme throughout Matthew. You can see it bookends the beatitudes. Verse three, blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. And if you go down to verse 10, blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. He's not just saying those two qualities receive the kingdom, but it's all of those. If you look at the heart of the Lord's prayer, if you scan over to chapter six, verse 10, what is right at the heart of Jesus' prayer, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

14:34We want more of heaven's kingdom to come down here. Or if you look at chapter seven, look at chapter seven verse 21. Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven. So he's talking about who gets in and who doesn't get into his kingdom. So this kingdom is counter-cultural. It's unlike any other kingdom. And throughout this sermon, Jesus is contrasting the way of the world with the way of the kingdom. It's like oil and water. The two shall not meet. John Stot says, the key text in the sermon is Matthew six eight. Matthew six, eight says, do not be like them. That's what it says in that first phrase, do not be like them.

15:24The kingdom of God and the people of God are under God's rule and reign. And its most distinctive feature is that they're different from the world. They're distinct. Jesus disciples are to be distinct lights in the midst of darkness. In chapter five verse 16, it says, let your light shine before others so it may see your good works. So we're to be lights in the midst of darkness. Jesus disciples are to be different from the religious leaders. If you look at chapter five, verse 20, I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

16:01Or again and again, Jesus will say, you heard it said, but now I say to you, Jesus reveals the heart of the teaching of the law. Jesus' disciples are not only to obey the the letter of the law, but the spirit, the intention and the purpose of the law, not just the extra rules and regulations that the Pharisees had come up with. Jesus teaches that God's people are not only to not be like the scribes and Pharisees, but also not to be like the Gentiles. If you look at chapter five, verse 47, if you greet your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same. So don't be like the Gentiles, but be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.

16:47If chapter six verse two, don't be like the hypocrites, but rather be like God's people. Be different. Chapter six, verse five, when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. Verse 16, when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites again and again, what Jesus is trying to do is to show that God's people look different from the world, distinct, not just from the religious, but also from the irreligious. Don't be like them. Don't be like those who say, Lord, Lord, didn't we do all these things? And he says, you did not know me and I did not know you. So Jesus disciples are to be counter-cultural.

17:34He's contrasting the way of Christians and the way of those who are not in Christ. So Jesus followers are motivated not by the praise of man, but they're motivated by their faith and their hope that is in Jesus. Jesus disciples are to live differently, think differently and look different. So that's the second theme we've seen our need for Jesus. And then the counter-cultural way of the kingdom. The third theme that we see is the fulfillment of the Old Testament. If you look at chapter five, verse 17, look there with me. Jesus says, do not think that I've come to abolish the law or the prophets.

18:23I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. So Jesus fulfills the Old Testament. It's a pattern that we've seen throughout Matthew's gospel, right? Jesus virgin birth and his name fulfill. Isaiah seven 14, Jesus birth in Bethlehem fulfills Micah. Five, two, Jesus flight to Egypt fulfills Hosea 11, one. Jesus is the new Israel that God calls out of Egypt. Jesus temptation overcomes 40 days of temptation in the wilderness where Israel failed 40 years in the wilderness, Matthew shows us again and again that Jesus is the one who fulfills all of the Old Testament. And now Jesus gets up on this mountain.

19:08Look at chapter five verse one, seeing the crowds. He went up on the mountain and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. So in the same way that Moses received the mosaic law on a mountain, Jesus preaches the sermon on the mount on a mountain and mountains are these places of significance. In Matthew's gospel, Jesus resists Satan's temptation on a mountain. Chapter four, verse eight, he goes to pray on a mountain. Verse 14, chapter 1423, he heals and feeds thousands on a mountain 15. Chapter 15, the transfiguration takes place on a mountain. Chapter 17, the olive. That discourse is given on a mountain. Chapter 24.

19:51And then the great commission is given from a mountain. Chapter 28. See these mountains signify this divine revelation that is coming down and it's signifying Jesus' authority to fulfill the law and now to endow it with even a fuller meaning. They signifies the link between heaven and earth and Jesus functioning as its mediator. The mountain signify this glory and majesty and strength. And Jesus is fulfilling that image to say, I am God's truth. His glory and his majesty and his beauty come down so that you might hear my words. Jesus' ministry fulfills all of this Old Testament, old Testament imagery.

20:40Even verse two, if you look at chapter five, verse two, there's a throwaway phrase here that we think he opened his mouth and taught them well. He didn't have to say he opened his mouth. Of course he opened his mouth, he taught them. But to say that he opened his mouth is calling to mind Old Testament scripture, that same phrase is used in Matthew 1335. I will open my mouth in parables, which is a quote from Psalm 78 verse two. And this is pointing to the fact that Jesus' words are this divine teaching in Psalm 78, 2 and Psalm 78, 4 says the glorious deeds of the Lord, this one who opens his mouth is going to proclaim the glorious deeds of the Lord and his might and the wonders that he has done.

21:25So even that phrase in verse two is pointing to this reality that Jesus is fulfilling everything else that has come before in the Old Testament. He is God's anointed Messiah, Christ and messenger and everything is crying out. Listen to him because this is God himself who has come down to speak to us. He's fulfilling all of the imagery of the Old Testament in the person and work of Jesus. So Jesus is not doing away with the Old Testament, but rather he's filling it out. We might have expected Jesus' first teaching to be a reminder of the 10 Commandments since the Pharisees had added to it and gotten away from it.

22:14But what Jesus does is he reveals the meaning and the purpose and the spirit of the law while showing that approaching God's commands like a checklist is futile. It's about the heart posture of God's people. That's why the beatitudes are written the way they're written. You can't just check it off a list. Have I been mourning today and my peer peering heart today, but it's a heart posture. Are you coming to God with humility and faith because he alone is God? And then Jesus indeed fulfills the law, obeys the law, and then teaches his disciples how to understand the law in light of his death and resurrection.

23:00So this is why we care about the Old Testament. So we've seen our need for Jesus. That was the first theme, the counter-cultural way of the kingdom. Second theme, the fulfillment of the Old Testament. And now fourth and finally, the authority of King Jesus. That's our fourth theme, the authority of king Jesus. Last week we saw Jesus authority as he was traveling around and everyone brought their sick to Jesus. What did he do? He healed them. And there was not a disease that Jesus could not heal. And it was pointing to the fact that Jesus had authority over disease and illness and sickness. Whatever was brought to him, he healed.

23:46And we see Jesus' authority symbolized as he's teaching on this mountain. Now there's authority, this imagery of authority. Do we see his authority anywhere else? Well look at Matthew five 18. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota and not a dot will pass from the law until all is accomplished. How does anyone talk like that? Unless they're God and no one can say that until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot will pass from the law until all is accomplished unless they're in charge and ordaining all things that happen in heaven and on earth Unless he's God.

24:40Or if you look at Matthew 5 21 to 22, he says, you have heard that it was said to those of old you shall not murder and whoever murders will be liable to judgment. But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment. That whole interchange is repeated again and again six different times in 27 and 28, 30 and 32, 31, 32, 33 and 34, 38 and 39, 43 and 44. You've heard it said, but I say to you, no one talks that way unless they're in charge and they understand and they can interpret God's word.

25:25Look at what Jesus does in chapter seven, verse 21, chapter seven, verse 21. Jesus poses the scenario where some come to him at final judgment and they say, Lord, Lord, and Jesus doesn't balk at receiving the title Lord. But in verse 23, what does he say to those who, who come and say to him, Lord, Lord, he says, I never knew you depart from me, you workers of lawlessness. What is Jesus doing in that moment? He's telling them in no uncertain terms, I am the one who determines who gets in and who does not get in to the kingdom of heaven. I am the door, I am the way and the truth and the life. This is audacious for Jesus to say He has the authority to determine who gets in and who doesn't.

26:21Who does he think he is? And that's precisely what we're supposed to ask. He's the Lord of heaven and earth. Or if you look at 24 to 27 of chapter seven, he says, everyone who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And then verse 26, and everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. What is Jesus doing in this moment? He's elevating his words in this sermon higher than everything else. It would be like if I said to you as your pastor, I will determine who gets into heaven.

27:07You'd be like, whoa, we are part of a cult like Stephen is off as his rocker. And that would be true if anyone says that you better run my words are only have as much authority as they're faithful to God's word. And yet Jesus doesn't speak like that. He raises his words to the highest level to say, this is what you need to pay attention to. You heard it said, but this is what I say because my words and your obedience to my words says, Jesus will determine your eternal destiny. That is astounding. And how do the people respond? Look at verse 28. And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching for he taught them as one who had authority and not as their scribes.

28:08There's something different about this man. He teaches with authority. He's not just regurgitating what everyone else has said. He, he's introducing his authority to determine what is true and right and good and beautiful. So the four themes that we've seen in the sermon is our desperate need for Jesus. The beatitudes are not just this checklist, okay, gotta work on that one. Well, yes we might, but it's pointing to this greater reality that we need Jesus to transform us from the inside out to make us those types of people our need for Jesus, the countercultural way of the kingdom. Don't be like the religious leaders, don't be like the irreligious, don't be like the world, be the way of Jesus.

28:54The fulfillment of the Old Testament. Jesus is not doing away with the Old Testament, but he's fulfilling it, clarifying it, helping us live in light of it. And this sermon reveals the authority of Jesus. And the question before us then is will we bow the knee? Will we listen to one who speaks with authority? So the main point of the sermon on the Mount is that it reveals what it looks like to live as God's people in God's kingdom, as his citizens. And what does it look like? It means coming to Jesus to receive new birth and repentance and faith. It's not about external conformity to rules and regulations, but this heart posture of dependence on Jesus.

29:46It means being citizens of Christ's kingdom means that we look different from the world around us. Countercultural and Jesus teaching defines how we are to live or to honor the law, even as Jesus fulfills and ultimately transforms it. So we gladly come under the law of Christ one Corinthians 9 21 and and our culture, when it looks at something like the Sermon on the Mount says, ah, you and your Christians and your high ideals, no one can live that way. Everyone's given a lustful. Look, everyone's thought to about someone else. You fool. How could anyone possibly live up to these things? It's useless to try.

30:26It's not good for your mental health or others. We'll say, well, maybe if you work hard enough, maybe if we just put a few reminders on our calendar, a couple of notifications on our phone and, and we can just through sheer willpower, effort, and strength attain to these realities and both miss it entirely. Both fail to grasp that the sermon on the Mount calls for a righteousness that is only attainable through being a disciple of Jesus. That's what we need more than anything else this morning is not try harder, do more, work better, be more efficient. But we need to come as God's people with nothing in our hands to say, oh, I need more of Jesus.

31:14I need to see him more clearly. I need to love him more deeply. I wanna experience his power at work in me. I wanna love his word more deeply. I wanna love his people more profoundly. I wanna look more and more like Jesus so that he can transform me so that these things would be more true of me because I am his child. Thus, the Sermon on the Mount is an invitation to all those who are not trusting in Jesus this morning to come into the blessed life by submitting to Jesus repenting of your sins, receiving his forgiveness, being indwell with His spirit. So that what is written in this sermon is not only attainable, but is your destiny.

32:00It's what you will become as you come under the rule and reign of king Jesus. If you live in Christ's kingdom, you will increasingly look like Christ. We will behold his glory with unveiled faces and then we will shine forth with his light. And the application then for believers this morning is very short and simple. I wanna wet your appetite for the sermons to come. So let's be eager to receive Jesus words. Let's be ready to obey his authoritative and counter-cultural teaching on this kingdom of heaven. Let's long to be citizens of this kingdom. So often we just look at our world and we think, okay, how can I be a better citizen here of earth?

32:56And yet Jesus wants to remind us, you are members. If you are in Christ, you are members of a greater kingdom. Your citizenship is not primarily here on earth, it's in heaven. And that's where we're destined. And when we think of our citizenship in heaven, it will make us better citizens here as well. And so let me encourage us in the next 19 weeks, meditate on this, on these three chapters. Read it. Pick a portion to memorize. Let's be eager to be hearers and doers of God's word. Allow it to transform us from the inside out. So this morning we have Jesus words before us so that we might be astonished like the crowds.

33:49We get to hear from God himself, talk about His kingdom people and what they're to look like. And we're to long to be more like that, to be doers and not just hearers. And let me end with reading Psalm 19, seven to 11. Just listen as I read it, may this be more true of us as we read and encounter God's word. Psalm 19, seven to 11, as we sit under the Sermon on the Mount and hear the words of Jesus, may the law of the Lord grow increasingly perfect, reviving the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple, the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes, the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever.

34:45The rules of the Lord are true and righteous. All together more to be desired are God's words than they are than gold. Even much fine gold sweeter than honey. And the drippings of the honeycomb, moreover by them, by your words, your servant is warned. And in keeping them there is great reward. And so may we be a people who come under the authority of Jesus, live in countercultural ways and receive the great reward that is Christ. Let's pray. Father cause Your Word to have its intended effect upon our lives. Prepare our hearts to know your word and love your word and obey your word. And help us to delight in Christ.

35:36We wanna see Jesus more clearly. We wanna love him more deeply. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Jump to live

Jump to live

Sermon Text

Matthew 5-7

Previous
NEXT
Phone
(612) 455-0800
Email
info@thenorthchurch.com
Address
5151 Program Ave,
Mounds View, MN 55112
AboutI'm NewBeliefsLeadershipSundaysWednesdays
ConnectMinistriesEventsNorth UpdateGroup Finder
ResourcesBusiness DirectoryLibrarySeminars & ConferencesWeddings & FuneralsJob Opportunities
AccountHouseholdGroupsGivingLog Out
Copyright © 2026 The North Church. All rights reserved.
Staff LoginPrivacy PolicyTerms & ConditionsSite by Volente

Connect

Submit

Thank you!
Your submission has been received.
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.