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Studies Covered in Matthew 5:1-10

Introduction Mt 5:1-3 Mt 5:3   Mt 5:4 Mt 5:5 Mt 5:6 Mt 5:7

Mt 5:8 Mt 5:9   Mt 5:10 RECAP No.1 Mt 5:1-10

Ongoing Studies in Matthew 5-7

Mt 5:11-20 Mt 5:21-48    Mt 6:1-18   Mt 6:19 - 7:12    Mt 7:13-29

Matthew, Chapters 5-7 - SERMON ON THE MOUNT

INTRODUCTION

NB. For further detailed consideration of the passages covered by these studies, you may also, after you have done the study, go to the 'Meditations' section of this site and see the meditations written for these verses by CLICKING HERE

The PLACE of the Sermon:



       In Matthew's Gospel we find the writer tending to group things together, and thus in the first part of the Gospel we find Chapters 1-4 are the Introduction to Jesus, Chapters 5-7 are Basic Teaching of the Kingdom and Chapters 8-9 Activity of the Kingdom.



      Chapter 1 reveals Jesus' background, chapter 2 tells of birth and early days of Jesus, chapter 3 tells of the coming of Jesus onto the stage, and chapter 4 tells of Jesus' testing and first steps in ministry. When we come to this Sermon, which follows on, we come to the first major block of teaching in Matthew, and as such it is the most significant in the four Gospels.



The Aim of the Sermon:



       The aim or subject matter of the Sermon can be summarised as "Realities in the kingdom of God ".



The Structure of the Sermon:



  We may divide the Sermon as follows:

1.   5:1-20         Basic Principles of Life in the Kingdom

    1-2       Introduction

    3-10     Beatitudes

    11-12 Reaction to Opposition

    13-16 Our role in the world

    17-20 Jesus, the Law, and righteousness

2.   5:21-48       Heart Life in the Kingdom

3.   6:1-18         Real Piety

4.   6:19-7:12    Trusting God

5.   7:13-29       Letting Jesus be Lord



PART 1 : "The Beatitudes"



      Jesus came preaching the gospel of the kingdom or rule of God (4:23) and he starts out with these beatitudes (beatitude = blessedness), showing what real happiness is. The way for real happiness is very different from what the world may advocate. We will now consider these eight "If you are this.... then this will cause you to be blessed" sayings. These are Christian fundamentals which apply to everyone.

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Matthew, Chapters 5-7 - SERMON ON THE MOUNT

Matthew 5:1-3

A. Find Out:



1. Who did Jesus see before him? v.1a

when he saw the crowds

2. Where did he go? v.1b

he went up on a mountainside

3. Who came to him? v.1c

His disciples came to him

4. What did he start doing? v.2

he began to teach them

5. What was he mainly saying at first? v.3 etc.

Blessed are .....



B. Think:



1. How was any one able to hear this sermon?

2. Who is it clearly for therefore?

3. How do we qualify?



C. Comment:



     First see what it was that prompted Jesus to start teaching: a large crowd had come, and Jesus wanted to meet their need, they needed to be taught! Now he didn't start to teach immediately but moved away and went up a mountain, and there are at least two possible reasons why he did this. The most obvious reason is that he wanted to get to a place where he was above the crowds where he could speak to them easily, from a position where they could all hear.



    There is another possibility here that is consistent with Jesus' methods, and it is that he wanted people to make an effort to come to hear what was he going to be teaching, that could only be received by disciples, those whose hearts were open to follow him and learn from him. Here is a blueprint for the disciples of Jesus to follow.



    The teaching of Jesus starts with how to be blessed. So often we want to be blessed, we want God to do good for us, and as a loving heavenly Father He longs to do that, but the ways for being blessed are quite the opposite to the ways the world would suggest. Jacob said to God, "I will not let you go unless you bless me" (Genesis 32:26) and the Lord commended him for that (32:28). It is good to want God's blessing. Well, here we will see how to receive God's blessing!



D. Application:



1. These teachings are for disciples, for those who have set their hearts to follow Jesus. Is that me?

2. Lord bless me - your way!

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Matthew, Chapters 5-7 - SERMON ON THE MOUNT

Matthew 5:3

A. Find Out:



1. Who are blessed? v.3a

Blessed are the poor in spirit,

2. What is theirs? v.3b

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven

3. Luke 6:17,20 Who are blessed there?

Blessed are you who are poor,

4. Isaiah 57:15 With whom does God dwell?

I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit,



B. Think:



1. What seems to be the difference between the Matthew and Luke

     sermons?

2. What do you think "poor in Spirit" means?

3. What does the kingdom of heaven conjure up in your mind?



C. Comment:



     Who, first of all, are "the poor in Spirit"? Note first it is a spiritual thing Jesus is speaking about here, not just the literal poor he spoke about on the plain in Luke's account. It is poverty of spirit .



     Now that doesn't mean a weak, shaky, nervous Christian because most of the men of God in Scripture were nothing like that. It doesn't mean spiritually poor which usually means spiritually dry or spiritually dead and not knowing it, and it's not just humility, for you can be humble and godless. It is instead an awareness of one's own imperfection and weakness before God that has to rely on God for His mercy. Without this awareness it is not possible to become a Christian or continue as a Christian. It is a key essential to the Christian life!



     What do the poor in spirit receive? The kingdom of heaven. Heaven is the dwelling place of God, the place of our eternity, the place of the righteous in Christ, the place from where Christ reigns.



     Those who become aware of their own spiritual need come, through Christ, to receive and experience something of the presence of God and His reign, here and now as well as in eternity.



D. Application:



1. Being spiritually poor doesn't mean constantly bemoaning my own state

    but it means relying totally on Him who alone can justify and sanctify

    me.

2. Here today, I can receive a glimmer of heaven on earth, for that is His

     promise.

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Matthew, Chapters 5-7 - SERMON ON THE MOUNT

Matthew 5:4

A. Find Out:



1. Who are next blessed? v.4a

Blessed are those who mourn,

2. What will happen to them? v.4b

for they will be comforted.

3. Read 2 Corinthians 1:3,4. How is God described?

God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,

4. When and why does he comfort us?

who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God

5. Read Isaiah 61:2,3. What will be given?

and provide for those who grieve in Zion-- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning,



B. Think:



1. Why does someone usually mourn?

2. In the light of verse 3, how might this be a continuation?

3. How may God comfort us?



C. Comment:



       This mourning isn't the sorrow of being found out, or of not getting our own way, or the selfish sorrow of despair or even a mere emotion. This mourning is seeing yourself and the world about you through God's eyes and being so moved by the horror of what you see that you cry out to God for mercy. It is this sorrow that brings the death of self, that sees the old self for what it was, and grieves over it.



     The comfort then comes from Jesus who comes alongside us and reconciles us to his Father by saying, your sin has been dealt with, I forgive you and give you my Spirit and send you. Suddenly the hopelessness of our self-centred lives is changed into the wonder of those same lives endued with grace from on high and given purpose.



       It is possible not to be comforted. This happens when we wallow in “Poor old me, I'm a nobody, I'm a nothing” and we rely on tears and emotions instead of the truth of what God has done for us in Christ, and refuse to receive the power of His Spirit leading and empowering us. Yes, comfort comes to those who have seen their true state, confessed it before God and relied on Him to bring the necessary change. This is essential for there to be any true progress in the Christian life, that we receive from Him.



D. Application:



1. The bad news is we are lost. Mourn over it. The good news is we are

     found. Be comforted by it.

2. ONLY God can truly bring comfort here.



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Matthew, Chapters 5-7 - SERMON ON THE MOUNT

Matthew 5:5

A. Find Out:



1. Who are now blessed? v.5a

Blessed are the meek,

2. What will they inherit? v.5b

for they will inherit the earth

3. Psalm 37:11 What will they inherit?

But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace.

4. Numbers 12:3 What was Moses?

Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.



B. Think:



1. What do you think meekness means?

2. How was meekness seen in Moses?

3. What happens when you inherit something?



C. Comment:



      A dictionary says meekness is humbly submissive. Numbers 12:3 in the NIV speaks of Moses as humble, using a Hebrew word that elsewhere is translated meek. Meekness isn't weakness, because neither Moses nor Jesus were weak! It isn't a natural quality and it isn't something that comes by trying.



      Consider the order of what Jesus has said : when you realise you are poor in spirit, when you do mourn for your state, and when you realise that you are just a recipient of the grace and goodness of God, meekness comes as a transformation which enables you to simply rest in the love and provision of God. Moses, under pressure, just took everything back to God and let the Lord sort it all out. For him there was no defensive stress; it was just resting in the reign of God over him. THAT is meekness.



     When you inherit something it becomes yours on the death of another (Jesus here), for you to enjoy without effort. The "earth" here is not the "world" which usually refers to godless activity, but God's creation, or provision for our enjoyment, here today. It is the place of peace and blessing under the provision of God. Yes, those who cease striving for self, who recognise their own poverty, and come to rest in the love of God, will receive the provision of all God's goodness.



D. Application:



1. The meek person does not get upset by other people but takes the opposition or hurt to God.

2. The meek person rests in the love & provision of God.



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Matthew, Chapters 5-7 - SERMON ON THE MOUNT

Matthew 5:6

A. Find Out:



1. What do these people yearn for? v.6a

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness

2. What will happen to them? v.6b

for they will be filled.

3. Read Isaiah 55:1. Who is to come?

Come, all you who are thirsty,

4. Read John 6:35. How is hunger & thirst satisfied?

Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.



B. Think:



1. When do people hunger and thirst?

2. When, therefore, do people have spiritual hunger?

3. Why does a dead person not hunger?



C. Comment:



       A person hungers when they have no food, and thirsts when they have no drink. Following what Jesus has said before, we can see now that the poor in spirit (those who mourn for their state and who realise their only hope is God's grace) yearn to have their situation remedied, yearn to be made righteous by God. Now this isn't something that just happens once but is something that continues.



      The seeker may yearn after a life that he hasn't got, but the mature Christian also yearns as well. Young Christians rejoice in what they have, but as they mature they realise how much more there is to come and a holy dissatisfaction follows. There comes a deeper yearning not just to rejoice in the imputed righteousness that was declared at conversion, but a longing for a deeper righteousness that means a deeper walk with the Lord and a more holy walk in the world.



      In John 6:53 Jesus indicated that we need to take His very being into our very being and, of course, we do that at conversion, but for the mature Christian there is an ongoing yearning to know Him more and more and more (see Paul on this in Philippians 3:9,10). Knowing him does bring satisfaction, and does give us a sense of being filled, yet that wonder leaves us with a sense that nothing less than that will suffice again, and the cry comes, "More. Lord, more please!"



D. Application:



1. Spiritual hunger is healthy.

2. Spiritual hunger will be satisfied - and go on!

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Matthew, Chapters 5-7 - SERMON ON THE MOUNT

Matthew 5:7

A. Find Out:



1. Who are the next blessed? v.7a

Blessed are the merciful,

2. For what will they receive? v.7b

for they will be shown mercy.

3. Matt 9:27 What did the men ask for?

two blind men followed him, calling out, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!"

4. James 2:13b What does mercy do?

Mercy triumphs over judgment!



B. Think:



1. How do the blind men in Matthew 9 show that they expected mercy to

     have a practical outworking?

2. How does mercy triumph over judgement?

3. What is the link between giving mercy and receiving it?



C. Comment:



      This beatitude now moves to the way we view other people. First let's observe the BASIS FOR MERCY. The call to be merciful springs out of all that has gone before. The person who recognises their own poverty of spirit, who mourns for it, who hungers for righteousness, will come to view others with new understanding, realising we are all the same, frail and in need of acceptance.



      Second, let's look at the EXPRESSION OF MERCY: it is that viewing of all others through the same eyes that saw your own helplessness. It is seeing others as those who deserve to be judged but, remembering your own state and what happened to you and how you received grace instead of judgement, you give the same thing.



      Third, let's consider the FRUIT OF MERCY: it is to receive more and more the mercy of God. The person who has not understood their own state will not be merciful, and that person will not have received the salvation of the Lord. The person who has mourned for their own state will have cried out for righteousness and received it through Christ and will be a receiver of God's mercy. From then on there will be an increased sharing of mercy to all others, and also a receiving of the same goodness being given, but this now from God.



D. Application:



1. We who didn't deserve it, received mercy.

2. We who received grace in abundance, out of mercy, would do well to

    give likewise.



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Matthew, Chapters 5-7 - SERMON ON THE MOUNT

Matthew 5:8

A. Find Out:



1. Who are the next blessed? v.8a

Blessed are the pure in heart

2. What will happen to them? v.8b

for they will see God.

3. Read Psalm 24:3,4. What may the pure in heart do?

Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart,

4. Read Hebrews 12:14. What is essential?

without holiness no one will see the Lord.



B. Think:



1. What sort of purity is described here?

2. What two great possibilities are inferred and declared in this verse?

3. Why is purity an essential do you think?

C. Comment:



        Can anyone be totally pure of heart? Is this a possibility, or is it a goal never to be achieved until we reach heaven? All the previous beatitudes were possible so this one must be also. Let's examine it.



       First it is HEART purity and the heart is that inner centre of will and emotions. Heart condition was always the all-important thing to Jesus, and here he requires the heart to be pure.



      Second then it is heart PURITY, which means absence of things that taint, mar, spoil. A person is pure of heart if they:

- are all out for God, unswerving in desire and commitment,

- allow nothing else to come in to defile their love for God,

- have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus,

- have received the HOLY Spirit to dwell within,

                         so that holiness is an inner living reality. They may feel weak, may indeed fail from time to time, but their desire for God is pure. This is the purity of heart.



      Third then, REVELATION OF GOD is promised. Sin spoils and blinds, but when it is dealt with by the blood of Jesus, and when the heart refuses sin further access, then the Lord offers revelation of Himself. What a wonder! What a promise! Is there any more wonderful offer made in the universe?



D. Application:

1. God cleanses the heart when we come to Him; the responsibility is then

     ours to make sure that rubbish is not then allowed in.

2. Dare I pray, Lord let me see your glory?



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Matthew, Chapters 5-7 - SERMON ON THE MOUNT

Matthew 5:9

A. Find Out:



1. Who are the next blessed? v.9a

Blessed are the peacemakers,

2. What will they be called? v.9b

for they will be called sons of God.

3. James 3:18 What do they produce?

Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.

4. Romans 5:1 How do we have peace?

since we have been justified through faith, weA have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ



B. Think:



1. What must be the state of a person before they can make peace?

2. How is righteousness a harvest of making peace?

3. Why do you think a peacemaker is called a son of God?



C. Comment:



      This person who has mourned for their own failings, who has yearned for God's righteousness, who sees others as he sees himself, who by his purity of heart has the revelation of God, this person is bound to yearn for others to come to the same wonderful place where the grace and peace and revelation of God has become his, this person is bound to want to bring peace to others as well.



      True peace only comes when a person has been put right with God and so the peacemaker is first a person who has been put right with God and received peace, and secondly a person who longs for and works for others to come to the same place. No wonder this person will be called a son of God, for they will be utterly unlike the usual godless person of the world and they will be doing the work of God.



     True peace only comes from first facing the truth about oneself, then seeking God for help, and then letting Him bring His rule and His grace into your life. This is true for people and it is true for any situation you can find in the world. If God is not brought into it, then peace will be absent. There may be a temporary lull in hostilities, but that is a far thing from peace.



D. Application:



1. Peace can only come when a person or situation is brought under the

     rule and blessing of God.

2. A peacemaker needs divine wisdom (see James 3:17 ,18) to bring

     righteousness that is peace.



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Matthew, Chapters 5-7 - SERMON ON THE MOUNT

Matthew 5:10

A. Find Out:



1. Who are the next blessed? v.10a

Blessed are those who are persecuted

2. Why does this happen? v.10b

because of righteousness

3. What do they receive? v.10c

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4. Read 2 Timothy 3:12. Who will be persecuted?

everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted

5. Read Matthew 10:17-19. What did Jesus promise them?

they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues. On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say



B. Think:



1. What is persecution?

2. Why will Christians be persecuted?

3. Why do you think we know so little of it?



C. Comment:



     With this eighth and last beatitude Jesus touches on a further essential of the faith which most of us living in western nations know little about today - but it may be coming.



     First of all we must note the CERTAINTY of persecution. In all the previous beatitudes we have said that these were essentials to the faith and this last one is no exception. As Paul tells us when he was writing to Timothy this is to be expected, not to be surprised about.



     Second, note the CAUSE of persecution: it is our righteousness, our godliness or our allegiance to Jesus Christ. These things will stir up antagonism in the unrighteous, the ungodly and the anti-Christ. That antagonism will develop into positive hostility which will then have specific out-workings (which we will consider tomorrow when we move to the next verses).



    Third, note the CULMINATION of persecution: we will experience something of the kingdom of heaven, here today. When we experience persecution, the Lord will stand with us and even if it means death, grace will be there to enable us to face it well (read Daniel 3:24,25 and 2 Timothy 4:17 and Acts 7:55,56). Sometimes God will deliver us FROM it, sometimes IN it. May our attitude be that of Daniel 3:17,18.



D. Application:



Luke 21:14 - God's grace is always sufficient for what comes. Receive it WHEN it is needed.

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Daily Bible Readings

Matthew, Chapters 5-7 - SERMON ON THE MOUNT

RECAP 1 - The Beatitudes

SUMMARY :



In these 9 studies we have seen that true happiness comes to those who are:

  - aware of their own spiritual state and grieve over it

  - totally reliant on the Lord

  - yearning for true righteousness

  - able to see others through eyes of compassion

  - not allowing anything to taint their hearts

  - seeking to bring others into the same peace

  - opposed for their goodness

  - this person will receive from God all good things



COMMENT :



     The means to happiness, Jesus shows us, comes first from facing the truth of who we are and what our need is. If we stopped there we would remain depressed, but he goes on to show that it is also those who trust in God and yearn for His goodness in their lives.



      If it stopped there we would be isolated religious people, but this is God's world and he loves it, and therefore happiness also comes from living in it with a God-centred heart that yearns for others to know the same mercy and peace, while at the same time recognising that many will reject it strongly.



LESSONS?



1. The first step to happiness is facing myself

2. The second step is relying on God for my help

3. The third step is seeking to bless others

4. The fourth step is accepting rejection



PRAY :

     Ask the Lord to help these realities of the Christian life be real to you.



PART 2 : " Our Role & Response"



     In the next short Part, verses 11-20, Jesus reinforces the warning of the last beatitude about persecution and then shows us our role: to stand out in the world. He clarifies that these are fixed principles to be followed.

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