The other day we spent time in The Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5- 7, as well as the much shorter passage in Luke 6. The fact that it was probably a sermon on a plain given the number of people involved is another story for another day (see Luke 6:17). There is so much in that teaching you could probably dedicate a whole semester just to that. We moved more quickly than I would have liked, and my head felt like it would burst open and my brain would spill out like a rotten tomato. Or maybe I would have found out my brain is a rotten tomato. It surely feels that way at times when I try to fully grasp what the Word is telling me.
Here is a brief summary of The Sermon based on my lecture notes:
- The beatitudes of Matthew 5 are characteristics of the truly righteous; the woes of Luke 6 compare godly righteous to the ungodly practices of men.
- Being salt of the earth should create a thirst for righteousness.
- That which generates thoughts of violating God's Law is a violation in and of itself.
- The holiness of God is the true test of righteousness.
- Right things done out of the wrong motives is not righteousness.
- Righteousness can only be obtained through the narrow gate of Christ.
- Stand on the rock of Jesus you are in His Kingdom; stand on the sand of man you are out.
These are just some brief nuggets, but they brought some clarity to me in walking through The Sermon on the Mount. There is so much more, why don't you get into it yourself and have a go?
I just wanted to share a littler bit of what I am hearing and learning.
