Monday, October 17, 2011

Sermon on the Mount

Question: "What is the Sermon on the Mount?"

Answer:
The Sermon on the Mount is the sermon that Jesus gave in Matthew chapters 5-7. Matthew 5:1-2 is the reason it is known as the Sermon on the Mount: "Now when He saw the crowds, He went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to Him, and He began to teach them..." The Sermon on the Mount is the most famous sermon Jesus ever gave, perhaps the most famous sermon ever given by anyone.

The Sermon on the Mount covers several different topics. It is not the purpose of this article to comment on every section, but rather to give a brief summary of what it contains. If we were to summarize the Sermon on the Mount in a single sentence, it would be something like this: How to live a life that is dedicated to and pleasing to God, free from hypocrisy, full of love and grace, full of wisdom and discernment.

5:3-12 - The Beatitudes
5:13-16 - Salt and Light
5:17-20 - Jesus fulfilled the Law
5:21-26 - Anger and Murder
5:27-30 - Lust and Adultery
5:31-32 - Divorce and Remarriage
5:33-37 - Oaths
5:38-42 - Eye for an Eye
5:43-48 - Love your enemies
6:1-4 - Give to the Needy
6:5-15 - How to Pray
6:16-18 - How to Fast
6:19-24 - Treasures in Heaven
6:25-34 - Do not worry
7:1-6 - Do not judge hypocritically
7:7-12 - Ask, Seek, Knock
7:13-14 - The Narrow Gate
7:15-23 - False Prophets
7:24-27 - The Wise Builder

Matthew 7:28-29 concludes the Sermon on the Mount with the following statement: "When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at His teaching, because He taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law." May we all continue to be amazed at His teaching and follow the principles that He taught in the Sermon on the Mount!


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