Sermon On The Mount - The Theme & Content Series

(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…