(This sermon have been adapted from the Bible study of Mark A. Copeland and can be found at ExecutableOutlines.com, where permission is given to use and share this as long as it is free.)
INTRODUCTION
Jesus, in Matthew 5-7, was recorded to have given the most famous sermon that has ever been preached...
This is commonly referred to as "The Sermon On The Mount"
Now this morning I am starting with a brand new series entitled, “The Sermon on the Mount.”
For the next couple of weeks we will be looking at this great sermon and we will dissect it to find out what Jesus was telling us.
We will be going in close to ensure that we do not miss out on anything and to ensure that we understand exactly what Jesus tells us today.
So this morning I start with the first part of this series where we will be looking at the sermon in its totality to determine the theme and content of this sermon.
We will aim to find what Jesus was talking about in this sermon.
By finding the theme and content of the sermon can we better understand and place the rest of the sermon in context.
So this morning will be more of a teaching than a preaching.
This morning we will therefore answer 2 questions:
• What is the THEME of the sermon?
• What is the CONTENT of this sermon?
This morning is therefore basically a summary of the sermon and therefore I will not be going in very deep into the subject matter today.
But don’t be disappointed.
We will cover every detail of the sermon in detail as the weeks progress.
I must confess that I am excited about this sermon series.
So to begin, let's try to determine the THEME of the sermon...
SERMON
THE THEME
The Situation prior to the Sermon on the Mount
Before we can determine the theme of the sermon we first have to go and look at the preceding situation.
In other words, what happened before the sermon was given?
To answer that we need to go and look at the following piece of scripture:
Matthew 3:1-3 GW
Later, John the Baptizer appeared in the desert of Judea. His message was,
"Turn to God and change the way you think and act, because the kingdom of heaven is near."
Isaiah the prophet spoke about this man when he said, "A voice cries out in the desert: 'Prepare the way for the Lord! Make his paths straight!'"
In this piece of scripture we find John the Baptist preaching.
Now who was John the Baptist?
What was his purpose?
John the Baptist was sent out to prepare the way for Jesus.
We read about this in:
Mark 1:2-4 GW
(2) The prophet Isaiah wrote, "I am sending my messenger ahead of you to prepare the way for you."
"A voice cries out in the desert: 'Prepare the way for the Lord! Make his paths straight!'"
John the Baptizer was in the desert telling people about a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
He also had a theme concerning his preaching:
The theme of his preaching was related to "the kingdom of heaven"
Matthew 3:2: "Turn to God and change the way you think and act, because the kingdom of heaven is near."
Then in Matthew 4, we read of the commencement of Jesus' ministry
Jesus gets tempted in the desert and then, following that, begins preaching a message related to that of John the Baptist.
Matthew 4:17 GW
(17) From then on, Jesus began to tell people, "Turn to God and change the way you think and act, because the kingdom of heaven is near!"
Then Jesus went to Galilee and he starts preaching there.
And guess what the theme of His preaching is.
Let’s read it in:
Matthew 4:23 GW
(23) Jesus went all over Galilee. He taught in the synagogues and spread the Good News of the kingdom…
It is obvious that this was indeed the theme John the Baptist adopted and the same theme Jesus adopted.
But how does this relate to the Sermon on the Mount.
Let’s look at some phrases that can be found in the sermon.
What phrase is most pertinent in the sermon?
Matthew 5:3 GW
(3) … The kingdom of heaven belongs to them.
Matthew 5:10 GW
(10) …The kingdom of heaven belongs to them.
Matthew 5:19 GW
(19) … will be unimportant in the kingdom of heaven… will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:20 GW
(20) … will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 6:10 GW
(10) Let your kingdom come…
Matthew 6:33 GW
(33) But first, be concerned about his kingdom…
Matthew 7:21 GW
(21) "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord!' will enter the kingdom of heaven…
It is obvious, therefore that, from the situation prior to the Sermon on the Mount and from the most pertinent phrases, that we can conclude that the theme for the Sermon on the Mount is this:
The Gospel of the Kingdom of heaven
Would you agree?
So now that we have determined the Theme of the sermon, our next step is to now determine the content of the sermon.
THE CONTENT
What is the content of the sermon?
In other words, what is this sermon all about if we had to summarize it?
What parts does it consist of?
THE INHABITANTS OF THE KINGDOM
Their Character & Blessedness
We start off with Matthew 5:3-16
The first part of the content of this sermon tells us a little bit more about the inhabitants of the Kingdom.
We read about these inhabitants in the following piece of scripture:
Matthew 5:3-12 KJV
(3) Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
(4) Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
This is also called the Beatitudes and next week we will be discussing this a little more.
The word Beatitude comes from the Latin word “beatus” with which each saying starts with in Latin.
So we see here that Jesus tells us who the inhabitants of the Kingdom are and He tells us their blessedness.
The Relationship between the inhabitants of the Kingdom and the World
We move on to Matthew 5:13-16.
In these verses Jesus tells us what the relationship is between the inhabitants of the Kingdom and the world:
Matthew 5:13-16 KJV
Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Jesus tells us that, as inhabitants of the Kingdom, we need to be the Salt of the Earth.
We need to be the light of the world.
We need to shine our light in such a way that people can glorify God.
So now we know a little bit more about the inhabitants of the Kingdom as defined by Jesus and their relationship to the world.
THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE KINGDOM
The second part of the content of the sermon is where the righteousness of the Kingdom is discussed.
This part covers Mathew 5:17-7:27
Dissimilarity between the Kingdom & the Law
This is recorded in Matthew 5:17-48
Firstly we clearly see that there is dissimilarity between the Kingdom of Heaven and the customary understanding and application of the Law (Matthew 5:17-48).
It starts off in chapter 5 verse 17 and reads as follows:
Matthew 5:17 KJV
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
Then also in verse 20 we read:
Matthew 5:20 KJV
For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Then Jesus goes on to tell them how the Law has failed and how it should be interpreted.
For example:
Matthew 5:21-22 KJV
Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
So Jesus is showing us that, in relation to the Kingdom, the Law was inadequate.
The Law did not ensure a right standing before God, because it falls short.
The Kingdom is righteous and it conflicts the Law in everything because of its righteousness.
Man’s relation to God
How man relates to God is the next section Jesus explained.
We find this in Matthew 6:1-33
It starts off as follows:
Matthew 6:1, 5 GW
"Be careful not to do your good works in public in order to attract attention. If you do, your Father in heaven will not reward you.
(5) "When you pray, don't be like hypocrites. They like to stand in synagogues and on street corners to pray so that everyone can see them. I can guarantee this truth: That will be their only reward.
This is followed by the Lord’s Prayer, giving us a blueprint for prayer.
So Chapter 6 is all about how our relationship relates to God with respect to the righteousness of the Kingdom of God.
This brings us to chapter 7 of Matthew.
Man’s relation to man
Chapter 7:1-12 gives us Jesus interpretation of man’s relation to man.
How should one relate to others?
It starts off with:
Matthew 7:1, 12 GW
"Stop judging so that you will not be judged.
(12) "Always do for other people everything you want them to do for you. That is the meaning of Moses' Teachings and the Prophets.
Jesus answers the question: How should man relate to man.
So to summarize this second part of the sermon, Jesus explains the righteousness of the Kingdom with respect to the Law, how man should relate to God and how man should relate to each other.
This brings us to the third part of the sermon.
THE CALL TO ENTER THE KINGDOM
This part of the sermon can be broken down into 5 parts.
It begins by telling us:
The Beginning of the way
There is two verses associated with this:
Matthew 7:13-14 GW
(13) "Enter through the narrow gate because the gate and road that lead to destruction are wide. Many enter through the wide gate.
(14) But the narrow gate and the road that lead to life are full of trouble. Only a few people find the narrow gate.
So Jesus begins by explaining to us how we can enter the Kingdom.
He then goes on to tell us about:
The Progress along the way
This is recorded in Matthew 7:15-20
It starts off with:
Matthew 7:15 GW
(15) "Beware of false prophets. They come to you disguised as sheep, but in their hearts they are vicious wolves.
And then He tells us that we will know the false prophets by the fruit the bear.
Jesus then tells us about:
The end of the way
You can read about this in Matthew 7:21-27
Starting off with
Matthew 7:21 GW
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord!' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the person who does what my Father in heaven wants.
And then this well-known piece of scripture:
Matthew 7:22 GW
Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, didn't we prophesy in your name? Didn't we force out demons and do many miracles by the power and authority of your name?'
The fourth and fifth sub-section of this part of the sermon can then also be incorporated into the third part to stand on their own, namely
Sayers vs. Doers
Found in Matthew 7:21-23
Hearers vs. Doers
Found in Matthew 7:24-27
I believe that we have adequately identified the different parts of the content of the sermon.
But before we study the sermon in more detail, it may be good to define the phrase "KINGDOM OF HEAVEN", as used by Matthew.
DEFINING THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN
It might be confusing to some why Matthew uses the phrase “Kingdom of Heaven”, whiles Mark and Luke uses the phrase “Kingdom of God”.
So to understand this better let’s compare the phrase with the phrase Kingdom of Heaven.
Is it something different?
Or is it the same?
COMPARING IT WITH "THE KINGDOM OF GOD"...
Some people tried to make a distinction between the two phrases, as though it means two different things.
But a quick evaluation of the gospels point to that the terms denoting to the same thing:
Let’s quickly compare it:
Matthew 4:17 GW
(17) From then on, Jesus began to tell people, "Turn to God and change the way you think and act, because the kingdom of heaven is near!"
Mark 1:14-15 GW
(14) After John had been put in prison, Jesus went to Galilee and told people the Good News of God.
(15) He said, "The time has come, and the kingdom of God is near. Change the way you think and act, and believe the Good News."
Matthew 5:3 GW
"Blessed are those who recognize they are spiritually helpless. The kingdom of heaven belongs to them.
Luke 6:20 GW
(20) Jesus looked at his disciples and said, "Blessed are those who are poor. The kingdom of God is theirs.
Matthew 13:31 GW
(31) Jesus used another illustration. He said, "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone planted in a field.
Mark 4:30-31 GW
(30) Jesus asked, "How can we show what the kingdom of God is like? To what can we compare it?
(31) It's like a mustard seed planted in the ground. The mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds on earth.
We find that it was only Matthew who used the expression "kingdom of heaven"
The other gospel writers used the phrase "kingdom of God"
The question is why?
Why does he use the phrase Kingdom of Heaven instead of Kingdom of God?
The answer might be found if we understand to whom he was writing to.
You see, Matthew wrote to the Jews
Therefore he chose to use the phrase "kingdom of heaven"...
There are two main reasons for this:
The Jews, out of respect, were unwilling to use the name of God
There was also a mistaken belief among the Jews regarding the coming kingdom
They believed that it would be a physical kingdom
By using the expression "heaven" (literally, "heavens") it lay emphasis on a spiritual kingdom instead of a physical one.
We can therefore conclude that Kingdom of Heaven and Kingdom of God is one and the same thing.
THE MEANING OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN
Another aspect we need to address before we can continue with analyzing the sermon is to determine what the Kingdom of heaven really entails.
What does it mean?
Well, there are at least 4 interrelated meanings for the Kingdom of Heaven.
Let’s look at them.
God's Kingship, Rule or Acknowledged Dominion
When the Jews used the word “Kingdom” it often pointed to an intangible impression of rule or dominion, not some geographical area.
For example:
Luke 17:21 GW
(21) They can't say, 'Here it is!' or 'There it is!' You see, the kingdom of God is within you."
Jesus also used it in this sense in:
Matthew 6:10 GW
(10) Let your kingdom come. Let your will be done on earth as it is done in heaven.
We can therefore deduce that the "kingdom of heaven" is wherever God is allowed to RULE.
It Is Spiritual In Nature
John 18:36 GW
(36) Jesus answered, "My kingdom doesn't belong to this world. If my kingdom belonged to this world, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. My kingdom doesn't have its origin on earth."
So we see that in this instance the meaning of Kingdom is not physical in nature.
Paul also accentuates this in:
Romans 14:17 GW
(17) God's kingdom does not consist of what a person eats or drinks. Rather, God's kingdom consists of God's approval and peace, as well as the joy that the Holy Spirit gives.
It is the Church of God
The Kingdom of Heaven can also mean the visible manifestation of the Church.
Who is the church?
It is all the people in whose hearts God is recognized as ruler.
Let’s look at some examples in the Bible:
Matthew 16:18-19 GW
(18) You are Peter, and I can guarantee that on this rock I will build my church. And the gates of hell will not overpower it.
(19) I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you imprison, God will imprison. And whatever you set free, God will set free."
Do you see how the two terms are used interchangeably?
Paul used it in that sense in:
Colossians 1:13 GW
(13) God has rescued us from the power of darkness and has brought us into the kingdom of his Son, whom he loves.
And
1 Thessalonians 2:12 GW
(12) you should live in a way that proves you belong to the God who calls you into his kingdom and glory.
John then uses it in that manner in:
Revelation 1:4, 6, 9 KJV
John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;
(6) And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
(9) I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
It is the New Heavens And New Earth
Not only has the Kingdom of God have a past and present aspect, it also has a future aspect.
Jesus spoke about it:
Matthew 25:34 GW
(34) "Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, my Father has blessed you! Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.
Paul spoke about it:
1 Corinthians 15:50 GW
(50) Brothers and sisters, this is what I mean: Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. What decays cannot inherit what doesn't decay.
2 Timothy 4:18 GW
(18) The Lord will rescue me from all harm and will take me safely to his heavenly kingdom. Glory belongs to him forever! Amen.
And even Peter spoke about it:
2 Peter 1:10-11 GW
(10) Therefore, brothers and sisters, use more effort to make God's calling and choosing of you secure. If you keep doing this, you will never fall away.
(11) Then you will also be given the wealth of entering into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
He describes the coming of the future state as follows in:
2 Peter 3:10-13 GW
(10) The day of the Lord will come like a thief. On that day heaven will pass away with a roaring sound. Everything that makes up the universe will burn and be destroyed. The earth and everything that people have done on it will be exposed.
(11) All these things will be destroyed in this way. So think of the kind of holy and godly lives you must live
(12) as you look forward to the day of God and eagerly wait for it to come. When that day comes, heaven will be on fire and will be destroyed. Everything that makes up the universe will burn and melt.
(13) But we look forward to what God has promised-a new heaven and a new earth-a place where everything that has God's approval lives.
So we can now conclude that we can think of the Kingdom of Heaven in a present and future sense.
CONCLUSION
Why is it important to understand what the Kingdom of Heaven is all about?
Because, with this understanding of the "kingdom of heaven," we will be more likely to:
Appreciate the CHARACTER and BLESSEDNESS of the inhabitants of the kingdom (Mt 5:3-16)
Understand the need for the RIGHTEOUSNESS expected of its inhabitants (Mt 5:17-7:12)
Respond to the CALL TO ENTER the kingdom if we have not done so (Mt 7:13-27)
Next week we will be looking at THE BEATITUDES, which are covered in Matthew 5:3-12
We will examine the character and blessedness of those who are inhabitants of the kingdom of heaven.
Have you responded to the call to enter the kingdom?
Remember the words of Jesus to Nicodemus in:
John 3:3-5 GW
Jesus replied to Nicodemus, "I can guarantee this truth: No one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above."
Nicodemus asked him, "How can anyone be born when he's an old man? He can't go back inside his mother a second time to be born, can he?"
Jesus answered Nicodemus, "I can guarantee this truth: No one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.
