Series: The Sermon on the Mount
Title: Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount
Text: Matthew 5:1-2
This series has been a long time coming. I have actually been quite fearful to do this message because of my fear that I could not do this portion of Scripture justice. To preach a sermon on the greatest sermon ever preached is a daunting task. So it is with fear and trepidation that I am finally wading into this series, and I ask for your prayers as I do so.
Why do I believe this message is important?
I believe that in the American church today there has been allowed a new type of “lord-less Christianity.”
Churches and denominations are constantly churning out people who say they love Jesus, but have no affection for His commands.
And He said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”
His sermon on the mount is His expression of the highest form of personal and ethical righteousness.
It is an unapologetically high bar.
It makes no excuse or concession for its high demands, and as such it goes highly ignored by the modernists who see its commands as way too lofty to ever be considered practical.
NOTE: Some believe it is not even meant for us, but that it was intended to describe a future utopia which will only be known in a coming millennial kingdom.
But beloved, I believe these words do have great value for us today.
Jesus is not in them teaching us how to be saved, but rather what a righteous life looks like.
And those who have been saved by grace through faith should have an internal longing for the righteousness Christ describes.
This morning we are going to spend time examining just the first two verses which lead up to the Sermon on the Mount, to set the stage for all that we will learn in the coming months.
READ: Matthews 5:1-2
It seems as if I have cut off right before we got to the lesson, but the reality is that we have a lot in these first two verses which we can study to set the stage for this series.
I want us to look at the significance of three things we see in these first few verses...
1/ The Location Jesus goes to for the sermon
2/ The Position Jesus assumes for the sermon
3/ The Introduction Jesus gives for the sermon
THE LOCATION
Matthew 5:1a “Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain,...”
Sometimes things which may seem somewhat insignificant in our reading can really be pregnant with symbolism and meaning.
It is obvious that this is the case with Jesus choosing to go up on a mountain to provide the first and most public of His five discourses in the Gospel of Matthew.
It is not just that He is elevating Himself so as to be seen more easily by the crown.
Instead, He is elevating Himself to draw attention to the height of importance of His discourse, and to bring to the minds of his hearers another great discourse which also was given from atop a mountain.
Where else in the Bible do we find such a powerful discourse being given from a mountain?
When God, from the top of Mount Sinai, delivered the decalogue (Ten Commandments) to Moses.
There God delivered His Word of Law to the people.
And it was then brought to them by His servant Moses.
NOTE: It is obvious that the Bible makes a clear connection between Jesus and Moses.
John 1:17 ESV “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
Moses stood before the people of God, from the side of Mt. Sinai, and with a powerful voice gave the people God’s Law.
Jesus would, some 1500 years later, stand upon a similar mountain, before the descendants of those same people of God, and proclaim to them the proper interpretation of that Law.
Where Moses gave the LETTER of the Law...
Jesus gave us the SPIRIT of the Law.
What Moses said from the mountain was true and godly.
But it had been misused, misunderstood, and misrepresented.
So here is Jesus, from a mountain, proclaiming to the people the whole truth of the Law which Moses had given them.
Remember, Jesus’ purpose was not to change the Law.
But His purpose was to fulfill the Law.
And the first step in that fulfillment was to bring a proper interpretation of it.
SIDE NOTE: Controversy between the Discourse in Matthew and the Discourse in Luke.
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus gives a discourse which is often compared to the Sermon on the Mount.
In fact, some people believe it to be the same message, just recorded by a different Gospel writer with different focuses.
However, Matthew makes the point that this discourse came when Jesus was on a mountain.
Luke’s Gospel seems to indicate that his discourse was given in the plain (Luke 6:17), so they are likely differing accounts.
Question: If they are recordings of different sermons, why are there so many similarities between the two?
It is not uncommon that a preacher will say the same things to different crowds of people.
Even when preaching to the same crowd, preachers are apt to repeat themes and examples to ensure that their hearers do not miss their significance.
I imagine many of you ave heard me say things more than once, especially those who have been here for years.
In fact, when I hear you repeat things I have said, it is usually the things I have repeated often.
Important truths are worth repeating.
So it would make perfect sense that the Sermon on the Mount would have many truths which Jesus would reiterate during His preaching ministry.
And the similarities between Matthew and Luke do not demand that they are recounting the same sermon, but that they are recounting sermons in which Jesus preached about similar truths.
Because of this, throughout our time studying this sermon, we may at times reference the sermon in Luke to get a second perspective on the word of Jesus.
So, in Matthew’s recording of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus - like Moses - has elevated Himself upon a mountain to proclaim an important truth to the multitude.
A.W. Pink, the great reformed scholar, makes reference to this location which Jesus chose and its significance.
QUOTE: A.W. Pink “We believe there is yet a deeper significance in the fact that Christ delivered this Sermon from a mountain. Very often the noting of the place where a particular utterance was made supplies a key to its interpretation. For example, in Matthew 13:36, Christ is seen entering " into the house," where He made known unto His own the inner secrets of His kingdom. In Luke’s Gospel Christ is seen as man (the perfect Man) among men, and there He delivers a sermon "in the plain" (6:17)—descending as it were to a common level. But in Matthew His royal authority is in view, and consequently He is seen again in an elevated place. In the seventeenth chapter we behold Him transfigured on the mount. In 24:3, He delivers His great prophetic discourse from a mount. Then in 28:6, we see the Conqueror of death commissioning His disciples from the mount. So here in verse 1, He ascends the mount when about to give forth the manifesto of His kingdom.”
The Location
THE POSITION
Matthew 5:1-2 “Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him...”
I have often found this section to be quite interesting.
When a modern preacher proclaims the Word of God, He stands before people behind the elaborate lectern which we call the pulpit or “sacred desk”
And it is the procedure of many cultures that the one who is giving the discourse to the people will stand before them, as they sit waiting to receive the message.
But in this instance, we find that it is Jesus who is sitting down.
This is not the picture that many people have in their minds when they consider the Sermon on the Mount.
In fact, many films have been made of the life of Christ, and in them Jesus is often portrayed as standing and shouting like a modern preacher.
Yet here, the text says that He is seated.
Why is this significant?
This was the “posture of teaching” which was common for Rabbis of Jesus’ day.
When they would give their lessons, they would assume a seated position.
It was the position of authority in the day.
Even today, there are some traditions which hearken back to the positional authority of the seated position.
We understand that when the King sits upon His throne, He is in his position of authority.
In the field of higher learning, attention is sometimes given to the “professor’s chair” as a seat of authority.
In meetings, the person who is the leader of the group is said to be the “chairman” as in that he speaks with authority by being in the head “chair”.
Even the Pope - the proclaimed head of the catholic church - when he speaks a proclamation which is to be considered authoritative, he speaks it “ex cathedra” or “from the seat”.
Often a Rabbi gave instruction when he was standing or strolling about; but his really official teaching was done when he had taken his seat.
Note that only after Christ took His seat did His disciples come and assemble themselves around Him.
Jesus sat to teach, thus demonstrating the authority of His discourse.
So, I believe his position gives added weight to the discourse which He is about to provide.
The Location - Upon a Mountain to Demonstrate a Connection with Moses
The Position - Seated to Demonstrate Authority
THE INTRODUCTION
Matthew 5:1-2 “Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: BLESSED....”
The sermon on the mount begins with a beautiful section, which we call the Beatitudes.
Illustration: “Attitudes We are Supposed to Be In” When I was a child, I heard the word beatitudes used in church, and I didn’t know the meaning of the word. But I knew that they were the words of Jesus which began with the word “blessed”. Blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are the merciful, etc.
So I came up with my own interpretation. I thought, well the word beatitudes includes (at least I thought), the word “attitudes” and I said to myself, “These must be the ‘attitudes’ we are supposed to ‘be’ in as Christians.
And while I still think I had a somewhat creative interpretation of the word, and there is some truth to why I conjectured, I was INCORRECT in regard to the meaning of the word beatitudes.
The word beatitude means “Supreme Blessedness”
Most commonly, in theological language, we talk about the “BEATIFIC VISION”.
If you are unfamiliar with the Beatific Vision, it is best described by the apostle John.
1 John 3:2 ESV “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.”
Again, “Beatific” means supreme blessedness.
The supreme blessedness for the believer is to be in the presence of God.
And who are those who will experience this extreme blessedness?
Jesus tells us of their character in the beginning of His Sermon on the Mount.
He says that the truly blessed will have qualities like these...
Matthew 5:3–12 ESV
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
NOTE: Some modern translations have replaced the word blessed with the word “Happy”
The word happy has too much inherent baggage in our modern language.
Happy is a trite word which we use for all types of things (i.e. happiness is a warm bed, happiness is a good meal, etc.)
The reality is that the word “Blessed” does imply within it a type of happiness, but it is not a trite happiness, but a genuine spiritual bliss.
The bliss which comes only from knowing and fellowshipping with the Almighty.
CONCLUSION: Jesus goes up to the top of a mountain, He sits before His people and a vast multitude, and He opens His mouth to them and His first words were a proclamation of a blessing...
This is an interesting shift from what we might consider the normal order of a discourse.
Most of us are used to something we call a “benediction”
This actually comes from the Old Testament.
The man of God stood before the people of God an offered up for them a word of blessing on their behalf.
Most famous benediction:
Numbers 6:24–26 ESV “The LORD bless you and keep you; 25 the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; 26 the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”
But yet, here Jesus gives the blessings first.
When describing why this is, D. Martin Lloyd Jones, said that he believes the reason why Jesus begins with the blessings is that they describe the character of those who are to possess the Kingdom.
He said, “We are to be interested primarily in character before we consider conduct.”
Consider this: A man of bad character may at times demonstrate proper conduct if it suits his purpose to do so, but it will not change the fact that he is of bad character, and his character will eventually win out and reflect in his conduct.
So first and foremost, we must consider our character.
The sermon on the mount will address conduct as Jesus goes on, but it begins with character - the character which should accompany His followers - the character which should accompany believers...
The beatitudes express the character we should possess, from which the conduct expressed in the Sermon on the Mount will flow naturally.
In the weeks to come, we will study the beatitudes and look at these character traits in detail, and I pray we will be convicted to draw closer to them.
As we prepare for this study, and the weeks to come, let’s once again read them as we close...
Matthew 5:3–12 ESV
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
12 “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
