Interpreting the Sermon on the Mount
There is nothing else like the Sermon on the Mount in any literature, anywhere, ever. It is found in the Gospel of Matthew 5-7. One day Jesus went up on a mountain, his disciples sat around him, and he began to teach. Jesus' words that day established an impossibly high ethical standard. This is the gospel of his kingdom. It is the declaration of a New Covenant. "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill (Mt. 5:17)." Jesus promised that if we seek his kingdom, everything else in life will fall into place (Mt. 6:33). What does Jesus mean? What does he expect us to do? What is this vision of the kingdom he is calling us to pursue? Bible teacher Michael Brent takes us through the sermon's structure and flow of thought, beginning with a two-part overview of Matthew's introduction of Jesus in chapters 1-4 and then focusing in on the text of the sermon in Matthew 5-7.
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Matthew 7:13-29 Kingdom Decision
In Matthew 7:13-29 Jesus concludes the Sermon on the Mount with a call to decision. It is an invitation, a challenge and a warning. Every human being has a choice to make. And that choice is about Je…
Matthew 7:1-12 Kingdom Wisdom
In Matthew 7:1-12 Jesus gives us wisdom on how to love our neighbor in a sinful, messy world. Love is hard and risky. We need self-awareness, others-awareness and God-awareness to live out the ethic …
Matthew 6:19-34 Kingdom Priority
In Matthew 6:19-34 What do you really want out of life? Jesus uses a serious of deceptively simple metaphors to call us to reorient our lives around treasure in heaven. Jesus tells us to seek first t…
Matthew 6:7-15 Kingdom Piety 2
In Matthew 6:7-15 Jesus develops his exhortation on genuine prayer. Known as “the Lord’s prayer” and as “the Our Father”, this is not a prayer given us to pray word for word. This is a model of praye…
Matthew 6:1-6 and 16-18 Kingdom Piety 1
In Matthew 6:1-6 and 16-18, Jesus shifts from loving our neighbor to loving our God. This is a shift from public spiritual life that ought to be seen, to private spiritual life that ought not be seen…
Matthew 5:33-48 Kingdom Commandments 2
In Matthew 5:33-48, we continue with the second half of Jesus’ kingdom commandments. He calls us deeper in and further out, establishing an incredibly high moral standard for entrance into the kingdo…
Matthew 5:17-32 Kingdom Commandments 1
In Matthew 5:17-32, we address the first half of kingdom commandments indicated by Jesus formula, “You have heard it said…but I say to you…” What does it look like to be salt and light for the kingdo…
Matthew 5:1-16 Kingdom Values
In Matthew 5:1-16, Jesus begins the sermon on the mount with a two part introduction. First, he communicates a series of virtues God affirms by rewarding. And second, he exhorts his disciples to be s…
Matthew 3-4 Gospel of the Kingdom
In Matthew 3-4, we continue to follow Matthew as he sets up the context for the sermon on the mount. Who is this Jesus? What has he come to do? What is his connection to the Old Covenant? What does h…
Matthew 1-2 Origin of the King
We begin our Sermon on the Mount series with a two-part overview of Matthew 1-4 to set up our context. Who is this Jesus? What has he come to do? What is his connection to the Old Covenant? That’s wh…