Click Below To Listen:
There is so much more to the sermon on the mount than the topics of anger, lust, divorce, vows, retaliation, giving to the needy, and prayer. Of course, those can address how we lead our lives, but here, we are speaking about motivation, the fundamentals of the entire sermon—the Why of the message.
If we ask for God’s help, He will give us the help we need; search, we will find him; knock, He will be eager to open the way for us. Matthew 7:7
Considering motive or the WHY of Jesus’ perspective gives an interesting and enlightening way to view Matt 5, 6, & 7, the entire sermon. The WHY takes the legalism out and focuses on God’s heart found throughout the Old and New Testaments.
His Love to and for all. He shows us how to be free, Love, and live well.
The WHY of The Sermon on the Mount: it breaks the status quo.
When we start sliding, even stepping on Satan’s path, even a light dabble, it’s easy to step a little closer and closer, soon forgetting the safety, fullness, and richness of God’s path. When Jesus delivered the “Sermon on the Mount,” generations of people were on Satan’s destructive path for thousands of years or not to exaggerate, at least 1000 years, too comfortable to move back toward God. Even the religious leaders – Pharisees and Sadducees were so content in the power and control that they lost the true essence of God’s Love and heart for His people.
Jesus had to cause a revolution in the way people were thinking.
Jesus had to speak in such dramatic terms to create the crack in the wall of Satan’s dam that held the people in bondage. That was the purpose of Jesus’ life: to free the people from Satan’s grip so they could remember and choose God’s Love for them and the safety and fullness of living in the right relationship with Him today and for eternity!
Oh, how we need that dramatic shift today. Even in the churches that claim to be “Jesus followers,” the “judgers,” the “religiously focused” people still do Satan’s bidding. Known by our words but also our actions, Jesus wants us to remember words can destroy or bring life. He came to bring life and life abundantly. Abundantly doesn’t mean financial as much as it means rich with texture, love, peace, joy, grace, and mercy; lives full of meaning and purpose.
Jesus wants us to know the status quo hadn’t worked long before he came or since. We have made great strides, but often we forget or don’t realize His WHY. Jesus’ WHY is the Love God has for those He created in His image and likeness. That is all of us, the nice and the not so nice; the good and those far from good. He wants to shout about His Love from the highest mountain through the lowest valley. He wants all to be free from sin, death, and the grave; all of us, not just those we deem worthy. In this place of Love and grace, we can be a part of pushing back evil, bringing healing and the rich texture and fullness of life to those around us.
We start with identifying where we will find Jesus in our daily lives.
Blessed are the poor in spirit.
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope.
With less of you, there is more of God and his rule.
~
Blessed are those who mourn.
For they will be comforted
You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you.
Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.
~
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness
For they will be shown mercy
You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are – no more, no less.
At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for.
~
Blessed are the pure in heart.
For they will see God
You’re blessed when you get your inside world-your mind and heart-put right.
You can see God in the outside world.
~
Blessed are the peacemakers.
For they will be called sons of God
You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate
instead of competing or fighting.
That’s when you discover who you are,And your place in God’s family
~
Blessed are those who are the persecuted because of righteousness
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution.
The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.
~
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.
Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted
the prophets who were before you.
Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me.
It means that the truth is too close for comfort, and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens — give a cheer, even! — for though they don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.
Matthew 5:3-12 New International Version (NIV) The Message MSG
But the key is not just in finding Jesus but in understanding the WHY of this sermon. What was the reason Jesus used such dramatic and provocative words? Ultimately what does He want us to know?
Jesus shows us Satan’s traps to steal, kill, and destroy us. When we look at pride, envy, hatred, judging, resentment, bitterness, those are the things; when we fully embrace the sermon on the mount’s WHY, we learn they are not the master of our lives but, in fact, the enemy of our souls designed to steal, kill, and destroy every human spirit.
Look at the Lord’s prayer (The Lord’s Prayer Unpacked). Jesus wants us to acknowledge who the Father of all creation is and how to reflect Him. He wants us to be free of the things that easily get us sidetracked and in servitude.
The verse that says, “Where your treasure is so will your heart be…Matthew 7:7” is the bottom line in the way for us. Suppose we desire to have it all at any price; that is where our heart will be, and when our passion is to have all that God has planned at any price, our heart will land there.
The essence of the entire “Sermon on the Mount”? It’s about the first and second commandments. First, love God with all your heart, soul, and strength, and second, love one another as HE has loved us. It has always been His message to us, from Adam and Eve to today.
What would love require? It is simple, just not always easy!
When we consider what Love would require, we find ourselves looking to bring life to others rather than envy others. We will find ways to lift others, even when inconvenient. For example, when no one else sees our giving, we reach out, bringing hope or relief to another, even for that moment or day. There is an exhilaration and joy that makes our lives richer, deeper, fuller. It’s hard to explain sometimes, but it is a sensation that is hard to forget.
“In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow up. You are kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.” Matthew 5:48 The Message (MSG)
We can’t pretend this is always easy. It is not.
In the sermon on the mount, Jesus tells us to be focused, disciplined in what we look at, what and how we live our daily lives, sometimes hourly lives. We need to remove the things in our lives that easily knock us off track.
Would we be known as a Jesus follower by others watching our life, even when we think no one is watching?
