THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT
Matt. 5:1-12
Morning Meditation 10/2/16
Verse 1- 12 says, “And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”
There is a mount that proceeds up from the Sea of Galilee where it is believed that this message took place. There has been a church or chapel built on a sight on the mount as a place of worship by the Catholic Church. We were told that Mussolini built this church. I was a little shocked to learn that. I heard when I was a boy that many thought he was the antichrist. Well, my wife and I went in and browsed through kind of like a puff of wind that came in and was trying to find a way out. But it is possible that this was at least near the sight where Jesus delivered what we call the Sermon on the Mount.
The mount is beautifully situated by the Sea of Galilee, and standing on its slopes, this fresh water sea is beautiful to see with all its surroundings.
Imagine yourself sitting on the slopes below Jesus as He begins to teach with authority something you have never heard before. “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Then He immediately proceeds to the next. You want to raise your hand and say, “Jesus, would you wait a minute. What did you just say? I’m going to have to let that one soak in.” But He doesn’t give you a chance. He just continues with His message and His commentary on the true meaning of the law. I can just hear some of His disciples talking among themselves as they discuss what He had to say. Someone asked Peter, “Did you understand what Jesus had to say today?” Peter answers, “Oh yes, didn’t you? He was very clear.” You see Peter always understood everything from the start! Someone else said, “I’ve been going to the synagogue all my life, and I am certain of one thing, He didn’t find what He talked about today in the Torah.” I believe there are a lot of things that the Scriptures do not tell us (John 20:30-31). I believe that Jesus overheard many conversations like this and would sit down with His disciples and become the Living Commentary to clear up their questions and settle their debates. Every pastor knows the best time to learn is when you are struggling with something and you have an opportunity to teach. When I surrendered to preach the gospel, I had a pastor who would take the time to answer questions that concerned me. I think I learned more under him than I ever did in school.
I can only take a couple of thoughts from this great sermon because of time and space. Look again at what Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for their’s is the kingdom of heaven.” The “is” is a present indicative verb. Jesus is saying the kingdom is not a goal to be accomplished for the “poor in spirit,” the kingdom is already their’s. Jesus did not teach the beatitudes as a means of salvation. He taught them as an evidence of salvation.
You cannot keep the beatitudes any more than you can keep the ten commandments. You will come up short every time (Rom. 3:23). Why did Jesus teach the beatitudes if He didn’t expect His disciples to keep them? For the same reason that He gave the law: “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Rom. 3:19-20). Actually, Jesus lifted every commandment He touched in the Sermon on the Mount to a higher plane. If a person has problems with the law, he will have greater problems with what Jesus says in this sermon.
Jesus makes a key statement in verse 17: “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.” I want to ask you a question. Which of the statements that Jesus makes in this sermon are not fulfilled in Him? You apply everything that Jesus said to them to Him and you will have the Person identified in whom everything is fulfilled to the letter. His righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees. He says in verse 20: “For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
The Scriptures teach two kinds of righteousness. First, there is self righteousness. We are not left to doubt about this. “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith” (Phil. 3:9). The words “mine own righteousness” is clearly self-righteousness. How it is obtained is identified by the words “which is of the law.” Now, that is about as plain as you ever want to get. We are not left to doubt about self-righteousness.
Second, there is imputed righteousness. Romans 4:5-6 say, “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works.” The word “imputeth” translates “logizomai” and means “to reckon, to count, to calculate.” It is a book keepers term and means facts are put into the record. What is put into the record (our record)? His righteousness. This righteousness is not just abstract. It is a fact that Jesus was “poor in spirit.” It is a fact that He was “meek.” It is a fact that when we come to the end of Jesus life as He dies on the cross, there is still nothing that can be charged to His account but perfect righteousness. God puts this perfect righteousness of His on our account. Our righteousness NOW EXCEEDS THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES! How does this happen? “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his FAITH (Caps mine) is counted for righteousness.” Paul says again, “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth” (Rom. 10:4). Notice, Paul says Christ is the END. He is not the means to an end. He does not give you righteousness and then put you on your own. The one who accepts Jesus as the END looks no further. He has found the end of all righteousness in the Person of Christ. Does the Bible sustain this idea? Colossians 2:10 says, “And ye are complete in him . . .” The word “complete” translates “pleroo” and is a perfect passive participle. The perfect tense is completed action in the past that has present results. It means that those to whom Paul spoke in this epistle had been completed in the past and they remained completed at the time he wrote these words. The passive voice means that this happened to them. They were the receivers of the action and God is the Actor. God COMPLETES us in Christ.
This happens by faith. God imputes faith for righteousness. God reckons faith as righteousness because he is pleased to do so not because it has intrinsic worth. Faith is a non meritorious act on our part. Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
We stood on the side of the mountain where Jesus gave this great sermon. Our minds wandered back almost two thousand years and tried to picture Jesus sitting and teaching His disciples along with the multitude that was gathered. I am thrilled that what Jesus said then is still available to us through the preserved Word of God. And we have the Holy Spirit to help us understand.
May God bless these words to our hearts.
In Christ
Bro. White
