February 10, 2013
Evening Service

In the last few weeks we have been studying the Sermon on the Mount.  This was a very personal discourse between Jesus and His disciples.  Jesus basically laid out His whole ministry here in three short chapters.

This morning we saw Jesus close His message with the parable of building upon the Rock and upon the sand.  It is the wise man who “hears these sayings of Mine and does them.”  Tonight as we review His teachings, we will look at it from the perspective of “this is what He says to do; now we have to do it.”

He began speaking by saying blessed are they who are poor in spirit, meek, mourn, hunger, merciful, pure, peacemakers and rejoice in the face of persecution.  These are attitudes He desires us to model in our life.  They go totally against our “natural” man, therefore causing us to be transformed into the “spiritual man” we are created to be.  Each of these attitudes is rewarded with a “spiritual” blessing.  We are offered the kingdom of heaven, comfort, the earth, satisfaction, mercy, ability to see God, and to be called the sons of God.

Jesus revealed to us that He did not come to destroy the Law, but to fulfill every point.  He called us to a deeper level by proclaiming:

Mat 5:20 For I say to you that unless your righteousness shall exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no case enter into the kingdom of Heaven.

·         He then proceeded to explain what He wanted from us.  He taught us His perfect will on murder, adultery, divorce, oaths, retaliation, and love.

·         He in reality magnified the law from the actual act of sin to the desire of our heart.  His goal for us is to try to imitate our Heavenly Father.

Mat 5:48 Therefore be perfect, even as your Father in Heaven is perfect.

 

Jesus also gave us examples of how not to do things.  We are NOT to make a big show of our giving as the hypocrites do, but keep it between you and God.

           

Mat 6:3-4  But when you do merciful deeds, do not let your left hand know what your right hand does,  (4)  so that your merciful deeds may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret Himself shall reward you openly.

 

He gave us the same examples for our prayer lives and when we choose to fast.  These are areas in our lives we are to embrace as intimate communication between us and our Savior.  He even gave us an example to follow in the “Lord’s Prayer.”

 

Mat 6:9-13 Therefore pray in this way: Our Father, who is in Heaven, Hallowed be Your name.  (10)  Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.  (11)  Give us this day our daily bread;  (12)  and forgive us our debts as we also forgive our debtors.  (13)  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil. For Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

 

He encouraged us not to seek for treasures here on earth, but to seek the ones in heaven.

 

Mat 6:19-21 Do not lay up treasures on earth for yourselves, where moth and rust corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal.  (20)  But lay up treasures in Heaven for yourselves, where neither moth nor rust corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.  (21)  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

 

He taught not to worry, but to trust Him to fill our needs as He does for the birds and flowers.  He then gave us perhaps the greatest advice on how to avoid worry all together.

 

Mat 6:33-34 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.  (34)  Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow; for tomorrow shall be anxious for its own things. Sufficient to the day is the evil of it.

 

He taught how we are forbidden to judge anyone, it is our responsibility to work on our own walk with God first and then He will use us to help others.  We are to be active in our prayer life; asking, seeking, and knocking.  He promised that we would receive, find, and it would be opened to us.  In seeking His will we must trust God to do what is best for us, no matter what the circumstances are. We place Romans 8:28 into action.

 

Jesus explained to us that the “Golden Rule” fulfill all the Law tried to teach.

 

Mat 7:12 Therefore all things, whatever you desire that men should do to you, do even so to them; for this is the Law and the Prophets.

 

We were challenged to walk the narrow path and warned to recognize false teachers by discerning them by their fruits.

 

This morning we learned that is not a list of good works that will get us into heaven, it is our relationship with God that counts.  He will judge men unworthy to enter into His kingdom because “I never knew you.”  It is only by the surrendering of our heart to Him that we will be found pleasing to Him.

 

He closed His sermon by stressing the need for obedience.

 

Mat 7:24 Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on a rock.

·         It is not enough to be a hearer only, but we must strive to apply all these things into our lives.

 

Each of our goals should be to make heaven our eternal home.  In this sermon, Jesus shows us the way to make that goal come to fruition.  We must put Him first in everything and trust Him to take care of the rest.