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Over the years, God has used many preachers to teach me His Word. Some were at a distance, like John Piper, Warren Wiersbe, Chuck Swindoll, John MacArthur, and Tim Keller. Some have been close and personal, like Henry Blackaby, Keith Thomas, Mark Becton and David Platt. Some have spoken through the ages, like Charles Spurgeon, Jonathan Edwards, D. L. Moody and A. W. Tozer. Others date back to the New Testament, like Paul, John, Peter and James, as well as the Old Testament prophets like Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Zechariah. But as greatly as the Father has used each and every one of these men – and so many more – to be heralds and teachers of His Word, all of them pale in comparison with Jesus.
One day He gathered the multitude that had come out into the countryside to hear Him, and He began to teach… the greatest sermon that ever was – the sermon of all sermons. Jesus taught:
God blesses those
… who are poor and realize their need for Him,
… who mourn and are in need of comfort,
… who are humble,
… who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
… who are merciful,
… whose hearts are pure,
… who work for peace,
… who are persecuted for doing right,
… who are mocked or maligned for following Him,
… who are the salt of the gospel,
… whose good deeds shine for the glory of the Father,
… who are righteous according to the Father’s purpose,
… who are not angry and do not vilify others,
… who seek forgiveness and reconciliation,
… who settle their differences with others quickly,
… who do not lust,
… who honor their spouse, as Christ honors His bride,
… whose “yes” means yes, and their “no” means no, and do not make vows,
… who do not seek revenge,
… who love their enemy,
… who give to those in need,
… who seek the Father in prayer,
… who seek the Father through fasting,
… who store their treasures in heaven,
… who do not covet,
… who do not worry,
… who are not judgmental,
… who are neither critical nor hypocritical,
… who allow the Holy Spirit to guide them,
… who pray without ceasing and seek the Father in all things,
… who extend grace in the measure they desire it be extended to themselves,
… who seek the way of the Father,
… who do the will of the Father, and
… who hear and heed the teaching of Jesus.(1)
Gratefully, Jesus was not delivering a message of new commandments that we are to keep. The reality is that there is only One Man who could ever measure up to these standards. Jesus is the only One who has ever had a heart that is pure.
He was not laying out a path through which we can enter into salvation. If it was, the cause would be lost for each and every one of us. Rather, His message is about the character that will be reflected in the lives of those who truly follow Christ. Later, John recorded that Jesus said, “… Those who remain in Me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.”(2) If you will permit me to paraphrase, Jesus is saying, “If you remain in Me, I will produce the character that I taught about that day in the Sermon on the Mount. And know, that apart from Me, you can never even hope to reflect that character.”
Jesus was describing His character and the character that should be reflected through each of His true followers. The character He described was very different from that reflected by the religious leaders of the day – and different from that reflected through the lives of many who proclaim to be followers of Christ today.
But He was also describing the character and the characteristics of His Kingdom. Remember that many within the sound of His voice, including the apostles, had already come to see Him as the Messiah. But what view did they have of the Messiah? Most of them saw the Messiah as one who would come and establish a material kingdom that would throw off the yoke of bondage to Rome and restore the nation to the prominence it had under King David. They believed that the Messiah’s kingdom would be a political and military kingdom like that of their early kings. So imagine their confusion when He speaks of humility, mercy, peace, and “loving your enemy”.
Perhaps the most disconcerting idea – both then and now – was that of “storing up treasures in heaven”. The vast majority of those listening to His voice then – and listening today – were highly motivated to build their own earthly treasures. For many, it was (and is) their primary life purpose. So though it was the greatest sermon ever preached, very few would actually take the sermon to heart.
But it was never Jesus’ purpose of the sermon to rally the multitudes and to sway them into believing in Him. His purpose was to clearly define His Kingdom – and to clearly show the difference between His Kingdom and the religious practice of the day – the day then – and in many instances, the day now.
As you and i continue our walk with the Master:
He will teach us more about His Kingdom.
He will continue to mold and shape our lives, and remove every part that doesn’t reflect His Kingdom and His character.
He will expose self-righteousness and make a clear distinction between it and His true righteousness.
He will expose our selfish pride and reveal it as filthy rags in clear contrast to a selfless, sacrificial humility that does not call attention to itself.
He will expose our soulish kingdom ambition and lead us to seek His Kingdom and His righteousness first.
And as He does, He will transform our lives into a sermon of sermons that bring glory to Him.
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You can read Jesus’ sermon of sermons in the Bible in the Gospel of Matthew, chapters 5 through 7.
This post is taken from my book, Walking With The Master. For more information about the book, click here.
(1) Summarized and paraphrased from Matthew 5:1 – 7:29
(2) John 15:5 (NLT)
Copyright © 2023 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.
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