THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT: some collected notes
I. Why study the Sermon on the Mount? Because we preach at the very heart and the call of Christ. Christians are to preach everywhere they go. Most congregations want sermonettes. The church will not grow without powerful preaching.
II. It helps us become mature.
A. We should want people to scrutinize us.
B. Teach congregations how to evaluate a sermon. (A good speaker often does not translate into a good preacher.) The congregation needs to evaluate what is said more so than how it is said.
C. One half of the assembly is spent on preaching time.
D. One third of all church contributions go to paying the preacher.
E. A preachers value is determined by how he preachers.
III. It leads us to a deeper knowledge of God.
The message must first be grounded in its original circumstances.
Since we only have about 7% of the original message, must mine for lessons to respond to needs.
We still have the content (the Bible) but some of the original meaning is lost due to language changes and environmental changes. The Original speakers are silent which means we must work.
Sermons in the Book of Matthew
1. The New People. Matt. 5:6-7, The essential character and ethics of the new people.
2. The Kingdom Proclaimers and their purpose. (?)
3. The Kingdom of God, Matthew 13: 3-42.
4. Life in the Kingdom, Matt. 18:1ff, knowledge of the future
5. The Kingdom of Heaven and the end of times – Matthew 25.
The Sermon of the Mount
1. The essential character of the followers of Christ.
2. The function of the Christian (Matthew 5: 13-16).
3. The ethical conduct of a Christian (Matthew 5: 17-18).
4. The Christians relationship with God (Matthew 6: 1-34.
5. The Christian lifestyle Alternatives (Matt. 7: 1-27).
Messages in the Sermon
1. Be concerned about keeping God's laws.
2. Live realizing you are in the presence of God.
3. Walk in the fear of God.
4. All people are to be like this but,
5. Most importantly all Kingdom people are to be like this.
6. This life style does not come natural, requires work.
7. There is a great difference between the kingdom people and the rest of the world.
------Why we should try to live!
------Christ taught it and died to validate it!
------Must magnify the need of a new birth!
-----The Best means of evangelism.
How to Be Happy
The Beatitudes Formula
Source of Happiness Condition Required
1. Kingdom of Heaven Poor in spirit
2. Comforted mourn
3. Inherit the earth meek
4. fulfilled/satisfied hunger/thirst
5. find mercy give mercy
6. See God Pure in Heart
7. Called Sons of God Peace Makers
8. Kingdom of Heaven Persecuted for righteousness
HAPPINESS FULFILLED!
THE CHARACTER OF THE KINGDOM PEOPLE!
THE MEEK (πράέίζ)
B
alanced
between two extremes
Being meek means that we have a balance between two extremes. Having everything under control. Always being gentle committed and uncomplaining. Can never go to any extremes as this does not fulfill the meekness in spirit. You only get back what you put in. Do not be an extremist otherwise others will become alienated. An extremist never accomplishes any good works.
Examples of the Meek
Moses (Numbers 12:3) and Jesus (Matt. 11:29). Gentle and uncomplaining verses a zealot with an agenda or right or wrong, complaints and demands. Mission is to correct all wrongs.
Qualities of the Meek
1. One who is balanced. No extreme one way or the other.
2. One who has every instinct,impulse and passion under control.
3. One who is gentle, committed, firm and even fierce, to him it is given the best earth has to offer.
Those Who Hunger and Thirst
Pleasure Mania: Hungering and thirsting after happiness vs. righteousness. The Roman behavior of the time is a good example. Their thirst for watch sports in the arena amounted to lions eating Christians, Gladiators fighting and things of that nature. We need to be careful that we do not lose sight of our motives in pleasure mania. Always seek to glorify God and that alone will make us happy.
--------Hunger and thirst of the ancient world.
--------Robert Louis Stevenson's “The Malady of not wanting.”
--------Achieving vs. deeply longing.
---------H.G. Wells, a man may be a bad musician and yet be passionately in love with music. Yearning is not the same as being.
--------Goodness “The Implacable Hunter” (David----1st Kings 8:18)
--------intense desire for the whole of righteousness. Grammar, Genitive/Accusative.
------- desire goes in front of partaking. -----filling gives purpose. Be filled with the righteousness of God. Reach out and embrace the world of God's righteousness. Need to preach the desire which will accomplish the partaking.
THE MERCIFUL (eleemones)
Definition
A deliberate effort of mind and will to see, understand and feel what is within another. Blessed are those who help others as God has helped us.
------helping the helpless and the hurting.
-----submitting as a servant.
------ forgiving an offender.
------an ethical obedience that makes one tender and able to understand.
------able to see beyond the action to the real human need.
------only the poor, troubled, meek, and repentant can have heart for the needs of others.
------where mercy is not passed on there is judgment.
------Life will give back what we put in it.
There has never been a need for a greater attitude other than mercy. Social pressures of this world work against the idea of mercy. In order to qualify for mercy, we need to qualify for the previous beatitudes. It is not true that God helps only those who help themselves. We need to extend mercy to those who offend us.
THE PURE IN HEART
DEFINITION: Integrity, unmixed motives. A clear person at life's center.
1. Single minded - Free of the tyranny of a divided self.
2. Integrity of commitment.
3. Kierkegaard: purity of heart is a will of one (Rom. 7, Psalms 86: 11).
4. Those not pure in heart were as the early Jews who blessed concrete things as doing good works.
5. Luther said to not be pure in heart was “watching and pondering what God says and then replacing ones own ideas for the Word of God.
6. Mans actions derive from the heart more than his environment.
7. The heart – is mind, will, emotion, that drives conduct.
8. The struggle for purity is an investment in God.
9. Must be pure in heart to prepare for the temple chambers of God.
10.Beatitude Sequence-------Results Beatitudes = outcome Beatitudes.
PEACE MAKERS (eirene/shalom)
------freedom from all trouble/ enjoyment of all good.
------need to decide if we are peacemakers are war makers.
------peace lovers are peace makers.
------to be a peace maker in not to evade but to conquer problem issues.
------not passive acceptance but active confrontation
------peace comes through struggle.
Nothing comes cheap. Struggles often hurt people. Need to open about our feelings.
The Peacemaker
1. works for the highest good.
2. accepts victory in the inner man.
3. establishes the right relationships: think/talk/look
4. They are called on and identified by God with His purpose. Mat. 7: 1-6.
BLESSED ARE THE PERSECUTED
-----they are willing to pay the price for what they believe.
-----This is the great divide and the ultimate test.
-----one may be persecuted at work-home-in play- in life in general- Are you willing to pay the price. Remember to set you price higher than Satan's price.
Why Persecution?
The early Christians were persecuted. Accusations/ (cannibalism/orgies etc.) / tried for being disloyal/ they were persecuted for righteousness sake and not for fanaticism.
One must learn to be glad about persecution. Shows loyalty to Christ and allows one to join a long list of others / prophets / martyrs / a historic movement.
THE BEATITUDES THE SUPREME BLESSEDNESS.
1. It is the bliss of being destitute.
2. Broken hearted!
3. God controlled life!
4. Starving Spirit!
5. Perfect Sympathy
6. A clean heart
7. To bring men together.
8. To suffer for Christ.
9. THE BLOOD STAINED WAY! Hopefully, I will find the rest of this later that will explain much of this.
By Lane Rogers