Sermon on the Mount

This week in class we began a journey through the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5-7. Over the next few months, we'll be taking an in-depth look at what is the closest thing to a manifesto that Jesus laid out for his disciples.

A few key points as you study the Sermon on the Mount over the next few week:

• Read and study through the eyes of the disciples to whom Jesus preached this Sermon.  They were living in a time and culture where the Pharisee's defined and enforced their own brand of righteousness.  This sermon from Jesus was radical to them.  To us it is so familiar that we forget just how radical Jesus' teachings were.
  
• Read and study through the lens of Matthew 4:17: "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near!" Matthew Henry states that this passage is the text of the Sermon on the Mount. If that's the case, then this sermon is all about what living a life of repentance looks like.  How does your life stack up to these Scriptures? Read and mediate, evaluating how well these words fit yourself.
  
• Realize that the Sermon on the Mount is preached in the context of meeting the peoples physical needs. Doing so not only gave Jesus credibility, but by meeting their physical needs, the people were able to become more aware of their spiritual needs as well. Do we miss this opportunity to open doors today to the Gospel?
  
• Reflect on what "righteousness" is to you as your read the Sermon.  The Pharisee's had developed a special set of rules to define righteousness, but their rules had become a heavy weight around the necks of the people. Are we guilty of the same mistake today, with our own special rules?
  

Our "book" for this study is the Scripture itself.  Take some time this week to linger in the Sermon on the Mount.  

One writer I read recently states that our familiarity with this sermon inoculates us from its power.  We can breeze through it, without being changed at all because we know it like the back of our hands.  Discipline yourself.  Prayerfully meditate on these passages and be prepared to share in class new insights the Spirit is revealing in your life.