Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 5:1-20

“The sermon on the mount is a statement of the life we will live when the Holy Spirit is having His way with us.” ~ Oswald Chambers

“Jesus came to enable us to become what He teaches us to be.” ~ Oswald Chambers

The beatitudes are found in Matthew 5:3-11. There are two approaches to these statements

• The obvious sides of the Beatitudes
  • Blessed are those:
    • Are poor in spirit – the emphasis is not on material possessions
    • Who mourn – there is comfort in the time of bereavement/grief
    • Are meek – those who are humble
    • Hunger and thirst after righteousness
    • Are merciful – those who show compassion
    • Are pure in heart – the upright who have pure/good motives
    • Are peacemakers – those who strive for peace
    • Are persecuted – those who endure
• The neglected side of the Beatitudes
  • If we view these Beatitudes from the standpoint of our relationship with the Lord, many of these go counter to what we have been taught
    • Are poor in spirit
      • We are blessed when we come to recognize we are spiritual paupers until we come to Christ
    • Who mourn
      • We are blessed when we come to mourn our impoverished condition (need for Christ)
    • Are meek
      • We are humbled before a Holy God when we remember who He is and what we are without Him
    • Hunger and thirst after righteousness
      • We are not perfect, but we seek to be more like our Lord
    • Are merciful
      • We remember how God treats us and will seek to exemplify that behavior in our relationship with others
    • Are pure in heart
      • We seek to know God in His fullness and follow in His ways
    • Are peacemakers
      • Jesus took away the barrier that kept us from the Father, we seek to remove barriers also
    • Are persecuted
      • We remember all Jesus endured for us and are willing to endure for His sake
• Our responsibility (Matthew 5:13-20)
  • Understand what we are
    • Salt – to influence
    • Light – to illumine
  • Understand what we are to do
    • Hold to the truth (Matthew 13:18-19)
    • Excel in righteous living (Matthew 13:20)