The Sermon on the Mount

Let's go to Matthew 7. Matthew 7 will go to the end of the Sermon on the Mount.

Rather than begin with the beginning, I'd like to begin with the end. Matthew 7, verse 24.

Therefore, whoever hears these sayings of mine, of course this is Jesus Christ, who gave these words written down here for us by Matthew.

Whoever hears these sayings of mine and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house. And it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of mine, and of course, like I said, I skipped over all the sayings. We'll go back to those. But I wanted you to see how important it is that you pay close attention to Christ's words because he likens it to someone who is a foolish person if they don't listen to his words. Notice what he says here. But everyone who hears these sayings of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain descended, the floods came, the winds blew, and beat on that house. And it fell, and great was its fall. And so it was when Jesus had ended these sayings that the people were astonished at his teachings. Why do you think they were so astonished?

Well, they hadn't heard anything quite like it. It was different. It was unique. It was powerful. It was revolutionary, you might say. And verse 29, it says, For he taught them as one having authority. And of course, he had the authority of God the Father.

He did not teach as the scribes. So the religious leaders of the day, the scribes, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, they did not have this sort of teaching that Jesus brought to the people. So it's very, very important that we all pay close attention to what Christ says in the Sermon on the Mount. It's the most popular sermon ever.

Do you want your spiritual house to be built firmly on the rock, on the firm foundation of Jesus Christ? Do you want to be sure that your spiritual house will not seriously waver and certainly won't fall no matter how difficult times become?

Well, then it only makes good sense to study the teachings of the rock, to study what Christ said on the Sermon on the Mount. I think I gave some sermons on this topic maybe 14 years ago. It's been quite a while since I've covered the Sermon on the Mount. And I'm not sure I even covered all the way through the Sermon on the Mount because it seems like I got interrupted. I was doing Tulsa in Oklahoma City at the time, and I'm not sure if I even finished it here in Lawton, so I decided it's time to go back. I'm also covering this in Dallas-Fort Worth. These are very, very important teachings of Jesus Christ, the head of the church, the chief cornerstone. So not only does it make good sense to study and read these words, but also to strive to live by every word that we'll be reading. We're going to go through every single word in the Sermon on the Mount. Now, we're not going to make it through today, but we're going to set the background. We're going to discuss the background for these words. We'll get into a little bit of the Beatitudes, but just at the very little, just maybe a verse or two. But it's important that we set the tone for the Sermon on the Mount. As Christians, we need to take to heart Christ's words.

And again, these words should be the foundation upon which we build our spiritual house, our spiritual temple. Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, so we must be very careful to build properly. So we're going to talk about a little background. Let's talk first of all about the author of this book, the book of Matthew. Matthew is clearly the author of the book. It bears his name. In Matthew chapter 9, let's go there for a moment. We'll read about his calling.

So he actually goes into the Sermon on the Mount before he even talks about his calling.

It's very likely that he was there listening, even though he had not yet become a follower of Jesus Christ. As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And he said to him, follow me. So he arose and followed him. Now, what happened is Jesus sat at the table in the house that, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to the disciples, why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners? The Jews didn't think a whole lot about tax collectors. The tax collectors had sold out to the Roman authorities. They were doing their bidding, basically. They were extracting taxes from the Israelites, the Jews. So it was a hated profession. They were tied in with the sinners, the tax collectors. So they asked, why would Christ deal with such people?

Why does he take time to eat with these people? And when Jesus heard that, he said to them, those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. So he did basically say that the tax collectors, the sinners, they are indeed sick and they need a Savior. They need someone to save them. He says, but go and learn what this means for I desire mercy and not sacrifice, for I did not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. Now, we all know that everyone is a sinner. So, including the Pharisees and the scribes, in fact, Christ said, if your righteousness does not exceed the righteousness of the scribes or the Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of God. So Matthew is again the author of this book that bears his name. He was a Jewish publican or a tax collector. If we go to Luke chapter 2, Matthew, Mark, and Luke are the synoptic gospels. They're very similar.

They cover many of the same events. Actually, in Luke chapter 5 verse 28, Luke chapter 5 verse 28, well, let's read verse 27. After these things, he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax office. And he said to him, follow me. So he left all, rose up and followed him. Then Levi gave him a great feast in his own house, and there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them. And their scribes and the Pharisees complained and said, why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners? And basically, Christ says the same thing that we read before. So this Levi is evidently a family name. He was known by the name of Matthew, but also by Levi. And then in Mark chapter 2, it adds something else. Mark chapter 2 verse 14.

Well, let's read verse 13. And as he went out again by the sea, and all the multitudes came to him, and he taught them, this time by the seashore, and as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office. So here it says he's the son of Alphaeus. James was also the son of Alphaeus. So could it be that Levi was actually a brother or Matthew was a brother to James the less? It's likely, follow me. So he arose and followed him. And he went to Levi's house, and it goes through that again. So Matthew was hospitable. Levi was hospitable. Of course, he had people over to his home. He had Jesus Christ over to his home. But this was not likely the first meeting. Very likely, Matthew had been at some of the meetings that Christ had before, some of the preaching and teaching that Christ had given.

Also, Matthew was not a fisherman like many of the other disciples. He was more versed at the written word, probably more educated. And it's not surprising that he authored the book of Matthew.

So the Sermon on the Mount begins in the fifth chapter of Matthew. But what has happened in the first four chapters? We all realize that it's important to get the context, to discuss the background, what has happened before and also oftentimes after something is given in the Scriptures. So we're going to talk a little bit about the first four chapters. What is Matthew trying to do in the first four chapters?

What is the main purpose leading up to the Sermon on the Mount? Well, it seems pretty clear that Matthew is establishing the credibility of Jesus Christ before he brings his teachings to light. So before he starts talking about the actual teachings, he's going to show that Jesus Christ is indeed the Son of God and that he should be listened to. So in chapter one, and you can follow along with me. I probably won't necessarily point to any particular verses, but we know that we can do more than just listen. So if you want to kind of go to the chapter and cheat a little bit, read a little bit while I discuss it, that's quite all right with me. In chapter one of the book of Matthew, we see Christ's genealogy, and in it he is shown to be the Son of David and also the Son of Abraham. So of course, David and Abraham are two of the most important figures in the Old Testament. David was the great king. David was a man after God's own heart. So Matthew establishes Christ's credibility as one who is descended from David. He's the Son of David.

Also, he's the son of Abraham. Abraham is the father of the faithful. There's Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And remember that Abraham was selected because he obeyed my voice, he kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws. So Abraham is considered also one of the greatest figures in the Old Testament, one of the greatest men. And then in chapter one, it goes into the miraculous birth from a virgin. That is quite miraculous, isn't it? I know of none other, but the one and only. Jesus Christ was born of a virgin. He was born of flesh. He was born of a woman. He was flesh and blood, just like we are. We are flesh and blood. Jesus Christ was flesh and blood. But of course, he was also different in that he was conceived of the power of the Holy Spirit. God is his Father, and he was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit.

That's hard for us to comprehend how that exactly happened. We can't really understand or comprehend how that took place, but we know it did. The Scripture says that it did, and we can have faith that it did. So we had a human mother, but God was his Father, and he was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. This baby that's born will be known as Jesus. What does the name Jesus mean? Well, it means Savior. Jesus was to be the Savior of mankind. He was to save his people from their sins. I might go just read that part a little bit here. She will bring forth a son in verse 21, and you shall call his name Jesus, which means Savior, for he shall save his people from their sins. And then notice in verse 23, behold, the Virgin shall be with child and will bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which is translated God with us. So God came and dwelt with them in the person of Jesus the Christ, the anointed one. And that's a prophecy as well from Isaiah 7, verse 14, I believe. So again, he's establishing the credibility of Jesus Christ. He shows that he is the Messiah, the Son of God, the Savior. Then in chapter 2, we read about the wise men who come at the time of his birth or near his birth. It was a bit older, no doubt, by the time they arrived. But they brought gifts showing that he was to be a great king, that this little baby was to become a great king. But beyond giving him gifts, what else did the wise men do? Showing something even greater than a king, a human king. They worshiped him. Says they worshiped Jesus. They bowed before him and worshiped him, understanding that he was indeed the Son of God.

Now, here it inquires of the birthplace of Jesus Christ in chapter 2. He is told that it is Bethlehem where this Messiah was to be born. And, of course, Jesus was born in Bethlehem, which fulfilled the prophecy that is given in the book of Micah.

So this takes place again in chapter 2. Now we begin to see some amazing parallels, proving that Jesus Christ was the prophet that Moses spoke about in Deuteronomy. So let's go to Deuteronomy chapter 18. Deuteronomy chapter 18.

Deuteronomy chapter 18 and verse 15.

The Eternal your God will raise up for you a prophet like me. So this is Moses. He's saying that God is going to raise up a prophet. Notice that prophet is capitalized. This is not to be any ordinary prophet. Indeed, this is to be the Son of God.

And there will be similarities to Moses, is what Moses is saying. The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. So who else was a very great figure in the Old Testament? Abraham, David, Moses, of course. Moses was considered in many circles the greatest of all. So Moses was indeed a very important figure and Moses says that there will come a prophet. Verse 16. According to all you desire to the Lord your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the Eternal, my God, nor let me see this great fire any more lest I die. The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me, he says, from your midst, from your brethren. So he would be born among the brethren, a human being. Him you shall hear. He says in verse 18, I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brethren and will put my words in his mouth. And he shall speak to them all that I command him. Again, notice that he is capitalized that his mouth is talking about Jesus Christ. Verse 19. And it shall be that whoever will not hear my words, which he speaks in my name, I will require it of him. So again, it shows the importance of listening to what this prophet, Jesus Christ, would have to say. And the Sermon on the Mount is the most pithy of his teaching along with the book of John. You know, the book of John is also amazing what Jesus Christ shares with us. We read much of it during the Passover service, going to John chapter 14, 15, 16, and 17. But beyond what is written in the book of John, in the synoptic Gospels, the Sermon on the Mount is a compilation of Christ's teaching. It's unlikely that this was just one sermon given in 10 minutes. That's all it would take to read chapter 5, 6, and 7, maybe 10 minutes, if we just read right through it. Obviously, there was much more to the Sermon on the Mount than that. This is a condensation of what Christ said, and this is likely many messages, many sermons were heard by Matthew, and it was summarized in the Sermon on the Mount. That's what most scholars believe likely happened.

It seems logical to me that that's what happened. It wasn't just one sitting. It's not to say that the Sermon on the Mount certainly did take place, but there were many other messages and sermons that were given on probably different parts of the mountain and by the seashore and other places.

It's likely that this is just the central part of Christ's teaching that's given here. It's referred to as the Sermon on the Mount, and no doubt He covered these things in the Sermon on the Mount. We were in Israel, and we were supposedly by the mountain where He gave this, which no one really knows for sure, the Mount of the Beatitudes. Whether or not it was actually the hillside or the mountain side remains to be seen.

It was really cool being there, though, and thinking about it and thinking about Christ being up there on the mountain and teaching. So now we're going to see some amazing parallels proving that Christ was the prophet that Moses spoke about in Deuteronomy 18, which we just read. So, number one, let's consider the first parallel. Like Moses, attempts were made to kill Jesus Christ as a baby. Remember Moses was put out in the river by the bull rushes so that he could be protected. The Pharaoh's daughter was the one who found him and basically protected him from the Pharaoh. Because it was the Pharaoh who basically wanted all of them killed. It was his decree. They were multiplying. The Israelites were multiplying. They were becoming a threat to the Egyptians. So they wanted the babies killed, but Moses was protected from being killed as a baby, just like Jesus Christ was protected as well. Herod tried to eliminate him, just as Pharaoh attempted to eliminate Moses and all the male babies of that time. So, along with David and Abraham, Moses again was considered to be one of the very greatest in the land of Israel. So, Matthew is going to tie Jesus Christ inextricably to Moses in a number of ways in these first four chapters of Matthew. Before he brings his teachings to light, again establishing the credibility of Jesus Christ to bring these words of life that we read about in Matthew 5, 6, and 7. So, the first parallel again is that both were attempted to kill both Jesus Christ and Moses as babies. Also, number two, like Moses, Jesus was called out of Egypt, where his parents had taken him to save him from Herod. Jesus was called out of Egypt. From Egypt, I will call my son. I remember they were told in a dream to go into Egypt because Herod was intent on killing the one who was to become the king. Herod was threatened by that. His dynasty was threatened by this messiah that was to arise, the Savior. So, he tried to kill him as a baby. Jesus was called out of Egypt.

Also, Moses had to flee Egypt. Remember, he was in Egypt, grew up basically in the Pharaoh's home. But what happened? As he grew older, he realized who he was. That he was an Israelite. He saw an Israelite being beaten and being mistreated. He intervened and killed that Egyptian, so he had to flee Egypt.

So, he fled Egypt. Jesus Christ was called out of Egypt. So, there's a parallel there.

If you've been listening to Scott Ashley's Harmony of the Gospels, I think he's like episode 34 now. He's given a lot of sermons and Bible studies over the last few years.

It's really quite a good series if you haven't listened to any or all of Scott Ashley's sermons on this topic. But he talks about a Hebrew word called ramaz, which is a looking back or a hint of something to come. So, he refers to these parallels between Moses and Jesus as something to the... I can't remember exactly. It was either the granddaddy of all ramaz's or the mother of... I don't remember how he put it. But anyway, this would have brought the people to mind. It would have brought to mind Moses and this prophet that he talked about. So, that was all a part of Matthew's intent in the way that it was written in the background that was given here. So, another parallel in regard to Moses and Christ, as in the time of Moses, many babies were killed and the mothers mourned and wept for them. It mentions that a prophecy of Jeremiah was fulfilled about all the mourning that would take place. This happened back in Egypt, where the babies were killed and the mothers wept and mourned. And the same thing is true when all the babies were killed at Jesus' time. A prophecy of Jeremiah. So, he speaks of that in chapter 2. And then in chapter 3, it talks about John the Baptist and how John the Baptist fulfills a prophecy of one who would come crying in the wilderness, preparing the way of the Lord. He says that Jesus is mightier than he. That's what John the Baptist said. John the Baptist was his cousin, but no doubt he had been taught about his cousin, the one who is to become the Savior of mankind.

He says that Jesus is mightier than he and that he ought to be the one who is baptizing Jesus. This is all in chapter 3. So, the people would have also respected John the Baptist highly.

What he would say, at least some of them would. Not everyone. Harrod had him killed eventually, but that was another story. Here we see that Jesus shows his humility and is baptized by John.

John didn't think it should happen that way. It should be the other way around. John baptized Jesus. And then what did the Father say in regard? It could have been the voice of an angel here, but God the Father endorses Jesus Christ at his baptism. He says, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. So, you can't get much better credibility than that, can you? This is my beloved Son. This is what was said at Christ's baptism. It was remarkable. The Holy Spirit came upon Jesus Christ at that time. Not that the Holy Spirit wasn't always present, because it was with Christ, but it was evidently an outward manifestation of the Holy Spirit at that particular time. This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Now, in chapter 4, Jesus is led up into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit coaxes him into the wilderness. He says he's led up into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be tempted by Satan the devil. And of course, we know that Christ shows his power over Satan by resisting and not yielding to the temptation. So, in a fourth parallel, like Moses, Jesus goes into the wilderness where he fasts for 40 days and 40 nights. Moses did that. Remember when he went up Mount Sinai? He fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. In fact, he fasted twice, according to what the Scripture says. I don't know how much time lapsed between the two times he fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. There must not have been much there, but he fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. Jesus did the same thing in the wilderness as he was preparing for this temptation by Satan the devil. That is a fourth parallel.

Also, Matthew points out that Jesus left Nazareth and dwelt in Capernaum by the sea in the land of Zebulund and Naphtali, and that he was that great light spoken of by the prophet Isaiah. Let's go to Matthew 4. See that. Matthew 4.

Verse 15, The land of Zebulund and the land of Naphtali, this is from Isaiah the prophet.

He says these things would be fulfilled. The land of Zebulund and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death, light has dawned.

So this was again a fulfillment of prophecy showing that Jesus Christ was to be that great light, that was to come into the world, that we are all called out of darkness into the marvelous light.

Christ is that light.

Okay, now in Matthew chapter 4, verse 23, let's go to 23, verse 23 and 25. Here Jesus shows his signs of being the true Messiah. No one else could do this. Jesus went about all of Galilee teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, the gospel of the kingdom of God, the good news of the kingdom of God, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. See, no one else was able to heal like Christ. No one has ever healed in the way that Jesus Christ did. He healed everyone and everything.

Everybody who came to him, whatever their affliction was, he was able to heal all diseases, all kinds of diseases. It says in verse 24, then his fame went throughout all of Syria. Jesus Christ's fame went throughout all of Syria, and they brought to him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics and paralytics, perhaps even quadriplegics, and it says he healed them. So all who were brought to him were healed, and as a result of that, great multitudes followed him. Just imagine if someone showed up here in Lawton, and word got out that anyone who came was healed. Of whatever affliction they had, it didn't matter what it was. People that were crippled, people that were mentally ill, people who were blind. Do you think people would start flocking to Lawton, Oklahoma?

And to that person, whoever it was, that was able to do that? I guarantee you that Lawton would get on the map in a big way if there was such a great healer living here and healing everyone around, maybe going up into the Wichita Mountains and healing everyone who came to him, preaching and teaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and casting out demons.

There'd be a whole lot more people up in the mountains, in the Wichita Mountains, if that were the case. People would fly in from China, they would fly in from India, they would fly in from Korea, they would fly in from everywhere. From all corners of the earth, if there was such a being, such a person, alive on the earth today. Jesus Christ was indeed unique. He was one of a kind. And Matthew is setting the tone for his teaching, which is going to follow. So the first four chapters, again, they do a great job of setting up his credibility to teach.

He says, great multitudes followed him. They followed Christ from Galilee, from Decapolis, the ten Greek cities, from Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan. So essentially, wherever the word was going, people would start coming, especially if they could get people there who were sick and afflicted people that they loved. No doubt there were people coming from great distances to see Jesus the Christ. So now we come to chapter 5.

So Jesus began to teach, it says, let's read verse 1 of chapter 5. And seeing the multitudes, he went up on a mountain.

Now, was he going up there to get away from everyone? No, it doesn't say he was going up there to get away. I mean, they could have followed him up in the mountains around the Sea of Galilee. They weren't that huge. It wasn't like they couldn't get up there to follow him. And when he was seated, his disciples came to him. Now, undoubtedly, the 12 disciples or the apostles were there, probably close to him.

But it's very likely that there was a multitude of people that were gathering around Christ. And he was up there where people could hear him better. You know, if you get up on the side of a mountain and you can speak and the water is there, the Sea of Tiberius, the Sea of Galilee was near. It's likely that his voice was projected and people could hear him better.

So it says when he was seated, his disciples came to him. So there's something in that phrase, because whenever a Jewish rabbi taught officially, he would sit down. He wouldn't stand, but he would sit down and people would gather around him. And he would teach them. So his sitting down intimates that what he is about to say is his official word. It's important and it's his central teaching. So he sat down. So oftentimes we read over some of these phrases and we don't really see the significance of what it means.

But that's what all the rabbis would do when they would teach and people would sit around them to hear what they had to say. Now, according to William Barclay in his book, this is the Gospel of Matthew. This is from the daily study Bible series, William Barclay. It's really a good series on the New Testament. It's on each book of the Bible. He says on page 86 of the Gospel of Matthew, volume 1, there's two books on Matthew about this size.

He says the phrase in verse 2, then he opened his mouth. This also has greater significance than one might think. The phrase, then he opened his mouth, has a double significance in the Greek language. Now, Christ would have most likely given this in Aramaic, which was the modern Hebrew of the time, but it was translated into Greek. And in Greek, it has a double significance.

Number one, it is used of a solemn, grave, and dignified utterance. So when the phrase is used, then he opened his mouth. It is used of a solemn, grave, and dignified utterance. It is the natural preface for a most weighty saying. Something important will follow. Also, number two, it is used of a person's utterance when he is really opening his heart and fully pouring out his mind. So this was to be a close, intimate sharing of Christ's mind.

Remember what it says in Philippians 2, verse 5, let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. So when he opened his mouth, he's sharing with us his deepest thoughts. He's wanting us to relate to him, to draw nearer to him, to know him better by what he teaches. And that's true. Whenever someone comes up here and gives a sermon ad or gives a sermon, we get to know them a little bit better.

Maybe we should sit and teach. I don't know. But our custom is to stand. There's nothing really wrong either way, but that was their custom was to sit. And sometimes we do that at Bible studies, but normally we stand up so we can hopefully keep your attention and help keep you awake. So Christ is pouring out his heart and mind to us on the Sermon on the Mount.

Again, it's Barclay's contention that the Sermon on the Mount is a compilation by Matthew of many of Jesus' sayings and teachings. Maybe not just one particular sitting, but a number of them.

And then he condensed it and compiled it together. He would have been with Jesus for the three and a half years of his ministry and would have heard him speak many times. So again, a condensed version of the most important sayings of Christ.

Now, William Barclay on page 87 of the Gospel of Matthew, again, volume one, explains the use of the Greek aorist tense. We're going to get a little technical here, but it's good for you. I'm going to read this, but pay attention. It's not really that complicated, but it gives us a better understanding of what's happening here.

He says on page 87, the authorized version has it that when Jesus had sat down, he opened his mouth and taught them saying, in Greek, there are two past tenses of the verb. There is the aorist tense, and the aorist tense expresses one particular action done and completed in past time. So in the sentence, he shut the gate. Shut would be an aorist in Greek because it describes one completed action. He shut the door. You know, once you shut the door, you don't have to shut the door again.

It's already shut. So that's the aorist tense, but there's also the imperfect tense, and the imperfect tense describes repeated, continuous, or habitual action in past time. So in the sentence, it was his custom to go to church every Barclay says Sunday. I will add Sabbath. I will change this. It was his custom to go to church every Sabbath. It's interesting. Barclay is a pretty smart guy. You know, he's pretty intelligent.

And many times he upholds keeping of the law because the Scripture has a lot to say about keeping the law. So it's like you get whiplash with him because he speaks strongly about the importance of keeping the law. And then he says it's done away.

And then he'll go back in and preach hard again on the law, and then it's done away. So, you know, really, that's one thing that is amazing. A person's mind has to be closed in order to write in that manner. I mean, their mind has to be closed to certain things, you know, because he's smart enough to know better. Anyway, I find that interesting. I've read quite a bit of Barclay stuff, and, you know, he's great. He'll really speak out strongly for the law, but then he'll buy into the Protestant teaching of the law being done away. All right, so anyway, it was his custom to go to church every Sabbath.

In Greek, it was his custom to go would be expressed by a single verb in the imperfect tense. Because it describes continuous and often repeated action, it's a custom. We keep the Sabbath every Sabbath. It's not something that's passed and done away with. Now, the point is that in the Greek of this sentence, which we are studying, that we just read here about Christ opened his mouth to speak, it says the verb taught, he taught them, is not an aorist, but it is an imperfect tense here.

In other words, he didn't just teach them one time. It was his custom to teach. It was, and therefore, it describes repeated and habitual action, and the translation should be, this is what he used, this is what he used to teach them. You know, this is what he often taught them. Matthew has said as plainly as Greek will say it, that the Sermon on the Mount is not one Sermon of Jesus given at one particular time and on one particular occasion. It is the essence of all that Jesus continuously and habitually taught his disciples.

The Sermon on the Mount is greater even than we think. Matthew, in his introduction, wishes us to see that it is the official teaching of Jesus, that it is the opening of Jesus' whole mind to his disciples, that it is the summary of the teaching which Jesus habitually gave to his inner circle, but not just his inner circle. He taught the multitudes these words as well.

The Sermon on the Mount is nothing less than the concentrated memory of many hours of heart-to-heart communion between the disciples, and again, not just the twelve disciples, but all of his disciples and their master.

So it's good to have that background. It gives us a little bit better understanding that this is something that Christ repeatedly taught, not just one time, but this is what he taught wherever he went. You know how Mr. Armstrong usually taught the same thing? Jesus Christ probably taught much of the same over and over again. Not that Mr. Armstrong is Jesus Christ by any means, but he was known to focus on certain important things that he thought were most important, and no doubt Jesus Christ did the same thing.

Now, let's see, what time is it? It's almost time to conclude, isn't it? We're supposed to have an hour and a half service, right?

Yeah, I think actually now might be a very good time to stop. We could go just a little further.

Let me go just a little further, some background to the Beatitudes. Okay, we're going to start the Beatitudes now in verse 3. Blessed are? Well, every one of the Beatitudes has the same general form.

Blessed are? And notice that are is in italics. It's not actually a word that was there, but it's added for us in English to get a little bit better understanding or reading of it.

So every one of the Beatitudes has the same general form. Jesus spoke the Beatitudes not in Greek, but Aramaic, the modern Hebrew of the day. Aramaic and Hebrew have a very common kind of expression, which in fact is an exclamation, which means, oh, the blessedness of, that's what Berkeley says, oh, the blessedness of, would actually be a little bit better than blessed are. Oh, the blessedness of, it's an exclamation. This is the expression used in the Beatitudes that shortened in English to blessed are. So the Beatitudes are not simple statements, but they are exclamations. Berkeley says, that is important, for it means that the Beatitudes are not pious hopes of what shall be. They are not glowing, but nebulous prophecies of some future bliss. They are congratulations on what is. So he's saying there is a blessing upon all of us right now. It isn't something we have to wait for, because of course there are blessings that we will, that we do need to wait for, but there are also blessings that are present. The blessedness which belongs to the Christian is not a blessedness which is postponed to some future world of glory. It is a blessedness which exists here and now. It is not something into which the Christian will enter, it is something into which he has already entered. So we are blessed already by studying the words of Jesus Christ and by applying them in our lives. We don't have to wait necessarily. We do have to wait again for some things, but there is a tremendous blessedness right now because of the things that we know and understand and the things that we're doing in our life.

It is not something into which the Christian will enter. Again, it is something in which he has already entered. A Christian may rejoice now in spite of his sufferings in this age as he has God on his side and he realizes that Christ will never leave us nor forsake us, that God is always there with us. So we're going to go through and next time we'll read the beatitudes. We'll go through each one of them. We'll discuss in greater depth what each one of them means to us and how rich they truly are. They're exclamations of what God is doing in our lives.

Blessed are those who are poor in spirit. What does that mean? Blessed are those who mourn. What does that mean? Blessed are the meek. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. We'll go into greater detail next time in part two. So two weeks from now we'll continue with this particular sermon. So to conclude, I would just say this. If you want to build your spiritual house on the rock, if you want to make sure your house doesn't waver and never falls, then you'll want to pay close attention to this series of sermons on the Sermon on the Mount. So in the weeks ahead we'll study in greater detail Christ's instruction that leads to peace and peace and contentment not only for eternity but also right now. These are words that we can apply right now that will help us get through life, that will make life more enjoyable and more joyful.