Discussion Sermon on the Mount...

[timmyb]

Figured it would be a good topic to discuss and study out together... in this atmosphere of debate and discussion of doctrine, This to me would be a good refresher as to the reason I am here and how I am to relate to God and my fellow brother...

What comes to your mind when you read the Sermon on the Mount?

me, I look at this as the Constitution of the Kingdom, everything I need to live out wholeheartedness is found in the Sermon on the Mount... this is the culture of the kingdom as Stott says...

[crawfish]

I've always viewed the SOTM as a "shock" attempt. Jesus, in his role as rabbi s'mikhah (rabbi who can interpret scripture), is expanding the traditional teaching to be more strict. He shows the legal meaning (You have heard...) and re-interprets it to contain a personal meaning (but I say...). In other words, the purely legal has become a matter of the heart. It's not good enough to simply do the right things; you must be the right person.

And, of course, this makes it utterly impossible to be pure. Who among us does not break one of the commandments in the SOTM nearly daily? We are all wretched and sinful; we have all fallen short of the glory of God.

The sermon is literally a segue from the law-centered focus of Judaism to the grace-centered focus of Christianity.

[timmyb]

I like to think that the Sermon on the Mount is a restoration of what the Law was intended to be... What do you think?

The grace centered focus of Christ is also made by the law. Notice how the moral laws stand? But he doesn't deal or touch the ceremonial law. Now it's not the demand of lambs and bullocks, now the call of God to man is Holiness unto the Lord, like it always should have been... he was there for the sake of becoming our sin offering eternally.

i like this... bouncing one point off another... this is true biblical discussion

[ARCHER42]

I look at this as the Constitution of the Kingdom, everything I need to live out wholeheartedness is found in the Sermon on the Mount... this is the culture of the kingdom as Stott says...


I would agree with this statement too.. I would take it almost another step further and call it the 'character' of the Kingdom of Heaven. To me its a 'portrait' of 'pure' Righteousness... a picture of Jesus Christ Himself.... He went thru everyting He taught about.. He went thru all of it and endured all of it .. perfectly .. without any mistakes.. He taught it to remind and encourage His children that when they go thru that same thing .. they are considered 'blessed' in God's eyes. The world and its system may frown on it or not understand it but in God's eyes your blessed.

From a personal standpoint when persecution or tribulation comes in my life.. I find the SOTM teachings very comforting. Its like a safety net I can crawl into or even His arms.... I can read it and be re-assured. I feel like He's right beside me comforting me and consoling me due to the circumstances I'm going thru. I find the SOTM teachings to be very comforting yet filled with Power and Blessings.

[timmyb]

so true Archer and don't forget that's the reason he gave the sermon on the mount...

Mat 7:24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
Mat 7:25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
Mat 7:26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
Mat 7:27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

notice how he gave this for the sake of when the rains come and when the floods rise the foundation of the house would be steady and sure...

Good thoughts Archer..

John Stott's commentary on the SOTM is fantastic by the way

[Brother Mark]

The SOTM is a kingdom message. He starts and ends it with kingdom. When one builds the kingdom, he stands. When his life is spent building for himself, he falls.

[crawfish]

I like to think that the Sermon on the Mount is a restoration of what the Law was intended to be... What do you think?

The grace centered focus of Christ is also made by the law. Notice how the moral laws stand? But he doesn't deal or touch the ceremonial law. Now it's not the demand of lambs and bullocks, now the call of God to man is Holiness unto the Lord, like it always should have been... he was there for the sake of becoming our sin offering eternally.

i like this... bouncing one point off another... this is true biblical discussion

I like it, too.

I think it is a reinterpretation of law, although it was God's original intent that man should be true in his heart. What was the purpose behind much of the old law? IMO, it was to establish God's chosen people into a strong community, set apart from the nations around them. Much like a farmer preparing a field for the crop, God was preparing Israel to produce the perfect crop - Christ and His church, which was to spread His will to all people. God used ritual and tradition to tie them more strongly together as a people, to resist outside influences. God passed knowledge through scripture and prophecy so that the Messiah would be expected.

The new law - or grace - was intended for an entirely different community. With Christ, the believer was no longer limited by the law of a single culture - Christianity was available and open to all communities and cultures. It was designed less to protect its own but to grow into the rest of the world.

Righteousness has always been more a matter of the heart than of the actions. Otherwise, how could David have been a man after God's own heart?

As such, the SOTM is more about the insufficiency of the law to save us, rather than the ideal by which we must live (although the latter is true). As far from ideal beings, we are fortunate for God's grace. I know I am.

[crawfish]

The SOTM is a kingdom message. He starts and ends it with kingdom. When one builds the kingdom, he stands. When his life is spent building for himself, he falls.

Interesting. I'd like to hear more about this idea.

[Brother Mark]

Interesting. I'd like to hear more about this idea.

Jesus life was consumed with the kingdom. From the first of his ministry till the last, he was all about the kingdom. It consumed him! And how does one get into the kingdom?

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

From that point on, he expounded on the kingdom of heaven. IMO, the kingdom is what pulls all the doctrines of scripture together.

[crawfish]

Jesus life was consumed with the kingdom. From the first of his ministry till the last, he was all about the kingdom. It consumed him! And how does one get into the kingdom?

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

From that point on, he expounded on the kingdom of heaven. IMO, the kingdom is what pulls all the doctrines of scripture together.

I see, and certainly I agree. Jesus constantly spoke of the kingdom of God. The gospel of grace is the foundation of that kingdom; Jesus' death for our sins.

Good post!

[Brother Mark]

I see, and certainly I agree. Jesus constantly spoke of the kingdom of God. The gospel of grace is the foundation of that kingdom; Jesus' death for our sins.

Good post!

You got it. We get in through grace. So Jesus then goes on to preach on obedience from the heart and how important that is. So how is one supposed to obey from the heart? Through grace that changes the heart of stone into a new heart.

He writes the laws into our heart so we can do "But I say unto you" part. But one must "be" before one can "do". Hence, he starts with the BEattitudes before moving into the DO attitudes.

There is a ton of awesome stuff on the kingdom in the word. Here's something you might find interesting because of how you like to view Genesis. (I love symbology.) The first place Kingdom is mentioned... as the tower of Babel where man tried to build a tower to heaven. Interesting enough, I propose that man is still building that tower and trying to get there his own way. For this reason Jesus said "The kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force". They are trying to force their way into heaven through their own means refusing the door that Jesus said was necessary... humble faith in Christ.

[timmyb]

be attitudes... do attitudes... haha...

[VerticalReality]

I've always viewed the SOTM as a "shock" attempt. Jesus, in his role as rabbi s'mikhah (rabbi who can interpret scripture), is expanding the traditional teaching to be more strict.

I don't really view Jesus as giving a "more strict" teaching. The term "strict" makes it sound as if Jesus is giving an expanded version of the law that is even more difficult to fulfill than the one before it. However, I don't believe this is really the demonstration that our Lord is trying to portray. Jesus is demonstrating what it is to live a life led by the Spirit of God in the sermon on the mount. It's not about being able to follow a more strict law, but instead about having one's heart transformed into a state where it's not burdensome to walk in the righteous requirement of the law. In fact, it is something that you now desire to do with every fiber of your being because you have been born again by His Spirit.

Think of it like our own judicial laws. Those laws are there to try and deter folks from breaking them. For example, most people you talk to don't really care if they break the speed limit law or not. They only obey them because they don't want a speeding ticket. They do not obey them because it's the right thing to do. However, what about the perspective of the one who grows up to be a cop or a judge? They will have a different view of those requirements. The law is in place to correct those who break it. If nobody broke the law there would be no need for it. However, the cop or the judge would have a desire to follow those laws because they see the goodness in them.

Jesus' sermon on the mount was showing His view of the law compared to that of a carnal person. A carnal person views the law as burdensome while one who is born of the Spirit will delight in it. Therefore, it's not something that is "more strict", but rather something that requires a change of perspective, for a lack of a better term.

Jesus Christ did not view righteousness or holiness as "strict". He delighted in those things. The same will be true of those who are born of His Spirit.

[Teke]

Figured it would be a good topic to discuss and study out together... in this atmosphere of debate and discussion of doctrine, This to me would be a good refresher as to the reason I am here and how I am to relate to God and my fellow brother...

What comes to your mind when you read the Sermon on the Mount?

me, I look at this as the Constitution of the Kingdom, everything I need to live out wholeheartedness is found in the Sermon on the Mount... this is the culture of the kingdom as Stott says...

Guidance is given in the affirmative in the sermon on the mount, to uproot evil intention rather than wait to destroy it's fruit.
The sermon is followed by illustration of salt, and light, which are illustrations of Christian character. Jewish people used salt to sprinkle on oil to brighten the lamps. And salt is a preservative. ie. brightness of life and preservation from decay

Hmmm...this little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine....

[timmyb]

Guidance is given in the affirmative in the sermon on the mount, to uproot evil intention rather than wait to destroy it's fruit.
The sermon is followed by illustration of salt, and light, which are illustrations of Christian character. Jewish people used salt to sprinkle on oil to brighten the lamps. And salt is a preservative. ie. brightness of life and preservation from decay

Hmmm...this little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine....

i never knew that... I just knew that oil was needed to keep the lamp burning... oil of intimacy and prayer...

the things you learn on here...