The Sermon on the Mount: Hearing His Words

The Scripture lesson was Matthew 5:1-12 The Beatitudes; the rest of Matthew chapter 5 though chapter 7 are included within the sermon.  Other than a few words before and after, this a reading of Jesus' sermon; a time to listen to the words of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The sermon was preached on July 29, 2018 at Lake City Presbyterian Church.

 

 

Matthew 5:1-12

5 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him.

 ² Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁴ “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

⁵ “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

⁶ “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

⁷ “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

⁸ “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

⁹ “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

¹⁰ “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹ “Blessed are you when people 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 in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

 

The Sermon on the Mount: Hearing His Words

The scripture this morning was from the Beatitudes,

beautiful words spoken by Jesus as the first part of

the Sermon on the Mount.

There is so much as part of the Sermon on the Mount. 

It covers 3 chapters of Matthew.

Each subject touched on could be a sermon unto itself;

a sermon series could be done over a several months,

          interpreting not only what Jesus meant for the people

of his day but how it connects to today and you and me.

Today, I want to do something a little different for the sermon;

          you and I will hear the words of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount
         
          -all 3 chapters;

Scripture is meant to be approached prayerfully, actively, and attentively;

          hearing scripture requires expectation,  concentration, and imagination.

Together we will take time to consider the words we hear,

          considering how the words speak to us as individuals,

          as this family of faith.

How will you and I be inspired by these familiar words?

Let us hear the words of Jesus Christ

as we continue where the beatitudes left off…

These are the words of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
 

Salt and Light

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste,

 how can its saltiness be restored?

It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and

 trampled under foot.

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world.

A city built on a hill cannot be hid.

¹⁵ No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket,

but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.

¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others,

so that they may see your good works and give glory

 to your Father in heaven.

 

The Law and the Prophets

¹⁷ “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law

or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.

¹⁸ For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away,

not one letter, not one stroke of a letter,

will pass from the law until all is accomplished.

¹⁹ Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these

commandments, and teaches others to do the same,

will be called least in the kingdom of heaven;

but whoever does them and teaches them will

be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

²⁰ For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that

of the scribes and Pharisees,

you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

 

Concerning Anger

²¹ “You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times,

‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders

shall be liable to judgment.’

 ²² But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister,

you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother

or sister, you will be liable to the council;

and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable

to the hell of fire.

²³ So when you are offering your gift at the altar,

 if you remember that your brother or sister

has something against you,

²⁴ leave your gift there before the altar and go;

first be reconciled to your brother or sister,

and then come and offer your gift.

²⁵ Come to terms quickly with your accuser

while you are on the way to court with him,

or your accuser may hand you over to the judge,

and the judge to the guard, and you will be

thrown into prison.

²⁶ Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have

 paid the last penny.

 

Concerning Adultery

²⁷ “You have heard that it was said,

‘You shall not commit adultery.’

²⁸ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust

has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

²⁹ If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out

and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one

of your members than for your whole body

to be thrown into hell.

³⁰ And if your right hand causes you to sin,

cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you

to lose one of your members than for your

whole body to go into hell.

 

Concerning Divorce

³¹ “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife,

 let him give her a certificate of divorce.’

³² But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife,

except on the ground of unchastity,

causes her to commit adultery;

and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

 

Concerning Oaths

³³ “Again, you have heard that it was said to those

of ancient times, ‘You shall not swear falsely,

but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’

³⁴ But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven,

for it is the throne of God,

³⁵ or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem,

for it is the city of the great King.

³⁶ And do not swear by your head,

for you cannot make one hair white or black.

³⁷ Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’;

anything more than this comes from the evil one.

 

Concerning Retaliation

³⁸ “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye

and a tooth for a tooth.’

³⁹ But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer.

But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek,

turn the other also;

⁴⁰ and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat,

give your cloak as well;

⁴¹ and if anyone forces you to go one mile,

 go also the second mile.

⁴² Give to everyone who begs from you,

and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.

 

Love for Enemies

⁴³ “You have heard that it was said,

‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’

⁴⁴ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those

who persecute you,

⁴⁵ so that you may be children of your Father in heaven;

for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good,

and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.

⁴⁶ For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?

 Do not even the tax collectors do the same?

⁴⁷ And if you greet only your brothers and sisters,

what more are you doing than others?

Do not even the Gentiles do the same?

⁴⁸ Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

 

Concerning Almsgiving

6 “Beware of practicing your piety before others in order

 to be seen by them; for then you have

no reward from your Father in heaven.

² “So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet

 before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues

and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others.

Truly I tell you, they have received their reward.

³ But when you give alms, do not let your left hand

know what your right hand is doing,

⁴ so that your alms may be done in secret;

and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

 

 Concerning Prayer

⁵ “And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites;

for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues

and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others.

Truly I tell you, they have received their reward.

⁶ But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door

 and pray to your Father who is in secret;

and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

⁷ “When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases

 as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will

be heard because of their many words.

 ⁸ Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need

 before you ask him.

⁹ “Pray then in this way:

Our Father in heaven,     hallowed be your name.

¹⁰     Your kingdom come.     Your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

¹¹     Give us this day our daily bread.

¹²     And forgive us our debts,  

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

¹³     And do not bring us to the time of trial,

but rescue us from the evil one.

¹⁴ For if you forgive others their trespasses,

your heavenly Father will also forgive you;

¹⁵ but if you do not forgive others,

neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

 

Concerning Fasting

¹⁶ “And whenever you fast, do not look dismal,

like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces

so as to show others that they are fasting.

Truly I tell you, they have received their reward.

¹⁷ But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face,

¹⁸ so that your fasting may be seen not by others

but by your Father who is in secret;

and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

 

Concerning Treasures

¹⁹ “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,

where moth and rust consume and

where thieves break in and steal;

²⁰ but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven,

where neither moth nor rust consumes and

where thieves do not break in and steal.

²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

 

The Sound Eye

²² “The eye is the lamp of the body.

So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body

will be full of light;

²³ but if your eye is unhealthy, your whole body will be

full of darkness.

If then the light in you is darkness,

how great is the darkness!

 

Serving Two Masters

²⁴ “No one can serve two masters;

for a slave will either hate the one and love the other,

or be devoted to the one and despise the other.

You cannot serve God and wealth.

Do Not Worry

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life,

what you will eat or what you will drink,

or about your body, what you will wear.

Is not life more than food, and the body

more than clothing?

²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap

nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father

feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

²⁷ And can any of you by worrying add a single hour

 to your span of life?

²⁸ And why do you worry about clothing?

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow;

they neither toil nor spin,

²⁹ yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory

was not clothed like one of these.

³⁰ But if God so clothes the grass of the field,

which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven,

will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?

³¹ Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’

or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’

³² For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things;

and indeed your heavenly Father knows

that you need all these things.

³³ But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness,

and all these things will be given to you as well.

³⁴ “So do not worry about tomorrow,

for tomorrow will bring worries of its own.

Today’s trouble is enough for today.

 

Judging Others

7 “Do not judge, so that you may not be judged.

² For with the judgment you make you will be judged,

and the measure you give will be the measure you get.

³ Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye,

but do not notice the log in your own eye?

⁴ Or how can you say to your neighbor,

‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’

while the log is in your own eye?

⁵ You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye,

and then you will see clearly to take the speck

out of your neighbor’s eye.

 

Profaning the Holy

⁶ “Do not give what is holy to dogs; and do not throw

your pearls before swine, or they will trample them

under foot and turn and maul you.

 

Ask, Search, Knock

⁷ “Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find;

knock, and the door will be opened for you.

⁸ For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches

finds, and for everyone who knocks,

the door will be opened.

⁹ Is there anyone among you who,

if your child asks for bread, will give a stone?

¹⁰ Or if the child asks for a fish, will give a snake?

¹¹ If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts

to your children, how much more will your Father

in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

 

The Golden Rule

¹² “In everything do to others as you would have

them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.

 

The Narrow Gate

¹³ “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide

and the road is easy that leads to destruction,

 and there are many who take it.

¹⁴ For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life,

and there are few who find it.

 

A Tree and Its Fruit

¹⁵ “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s

 clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.

¹⁶ You will know them by their fruits.

Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles?

¹⁷ In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit,

but the bad tree bears bad fruit.

¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree

bear good fruit.

¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down

and thrown into the fire.

²⁰ Thus you will know them by their fruits.

 

Concerning Self-Deception

²¹ “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’

will enter the kingdom of heaven,

but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.

²² On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord,

did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons

in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?’

²³ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you;

go away from me, you evildoers.’

 

Hearers and Doers

²⁴ “Everyone then who hears these words of mine

 and acts on them will be like a wise man

who built his house on rock.

²⁵ The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew

and beat on that house, but it did not fall,

because it had been founded on rock.

²⁶ And everyone who hears these words of mine

and does not act on them will be like a foolish man

who built his house on sand.

²⁷ The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew

and beat against that house, and it fell

—and great was its fall!”

²⁸ Now when Jesus had finished saying these things,

the crowds were astounded at his teaching,

²⁹ for he taught them as one having authority,

and not as their scribes.

 

These were the words of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Some of these words were hard to hear,

          we may struggle to obey,

others are words of comfort, assurance

or instruction on prayer.

In all we do, you and I strive to follow in Jesus’ footsteps.

Hopefully, these words today will aid us on our faith journeys.

                                                                   Amen.