THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT THE DECREES OF THE KING The decrees of the King are Profitable 2 Timothy 3:16-17 The decrees of the King need to be Preached 2 Timothy 2:2 Acts 20:7 2 Timothy 4:1-3 The decrees of the King are Precious: The original Scofield Reference Bible (1909) stated that the Sermon on the Mount clearly has a beautiful moral application to the Christian. The Sermon on the Mount is clearly intended to be a definitive statement of Christ s teaching and should not be pushed aside lightly by unnecessary stricture which would relegate it to unimportant truth. (John Walvoord, Matthew Thy Kingdom Come, p. 45) The decrees of the King contain Principles for all times: Christians of all times: Should recognize our own spiritual bankruptcy Should rejoice in spite of adverse circumstances Should abound in good works Should spend time alone in prayer Should praise the Holy Name of God Should lay up treasures in Heaven Should struggle to defeat sin Should put the Kingdom of God first Should build their lives on God s Word Jesus Himself practiced that which He taught. The moral principles of Christianity are unique in that they have been personally exemplified in the life of Him who taught them. (Leslie G. Thomas) Southern Ridge Church of Christ December, 2004 1
THE BEATITUDES (Matthew 5:1-12) The True Meaning of Happiness The Biblical view of happiness The Beatitudes A Prescription For Faith The Beginning of Faith Beatitudes 1-3 The Progress of Faith Beatitude 4 The Perfection of Faith Beatitudes 5-7 The Trial of Faith Beatitude 8 Southern Ridge Church of Christ December, 2004 2
OUR RELATIONSHIP TO THE WORLD (Matthew 5:13-16) Salt & Light With these illustrations, Jesus points out our spiritual separation from the world: John 17 Romans 12:1-2 1 John 2:15 James 4:4 Implications from this distinctiveness: Abstain from worldly practices John 18:36 No walking in the ways of the world Mark 7:21-23 Colossians 3:1-2 No intimate fellowship with the world 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1 Psalm 1:1 The Salt of the Earth Purification Seasoning Our responsibility today A Christian with no salt A loss of distinction A loss of relationship A loss of interest in our work Southern Ridge Church of Christ December, 2004 3
The Light of the World Why Should Christians Let Our Lights Shine? Because light must shine! Only light can overcome darkness John 1:5; 8:12 The need for light in a dark world The power of light How Should Christians Let Our Lights Shine? Our light must shine brightly Psalm 51:9-13 Our light must shine unmistakably 1 Peter 3:15 Our light must shine individually Ephesians 4:16 Our light must shine continuously Hebrews 10:23 Southern Ridge Church of Christ December, 2004 4
THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE KINGDOM The Value of the Old Testament Extreme views with reference to the Old Testament The Standard for God s people today Hebrews 1:1 Acts 3:22-23 Matthew 17:1-5 John 12:49-50 The Old Testament vs. the New Testament Ephesians 2:11-18 Colossians 2:14-17 Romans 7:1-6 The New Covenant is Better (Hebrews 8:6-13) The law & the priesthood were changed (Hebrews 7:12) Christ is the assurance of a better covenant (Hebrews 7:18-22) The first covenant has been removed (Hebrews 10:1-10) The new covenant was effective because of the death of Christ (Hebrews 9:15-17) 4) There is no justification through the old covenant (Galatians 3; 5:1- True Righteousness (Matthew 5:20) The meaning of righteousness ( ) The righteousness of the scribes & Pharisees Southern Ridge Church of Christ December, 2004 5
The righteousness that Christ demands Matthew 5:21-37 The law against murder Matthew 5:21-26 The law against adultery Matthew 5:27-32 The law against swearing Matthew 5:33-37 The law against retaliation Matthew 5:38-42 The law of love Matthew 5:43-48 Southern Ridge Church of Christ December, 2004 6
THE MODEL PRAYER (Matthew 6:5-15; Luke 11:1-4) A model with reference to brevity & scope A model with reference to simplicity A model with reference to order A model with reference to spirit General observations about prayer God desires that His children pray Philippians 4:6-7 Prayer should be offered in faith Matthew 21:22 Prayer must be with by the right motive James 4:3 Prayer must be according to the Will of God 1 John 5:14-15 Prayer must be offered in the Name of Jesus John 14:13-14 Southern Ridge Church of Christ December, 2004 7
TRUST IN GOD (Matthew 6:19-34) Trust in God versus trust in material wealth Matthew 6:19-24 Trust in God versus trust in ourselves Matthew 6:25-32 Why we should trust in God Matthew 6:33-34 BEFORE YOU JUDGE (Matthew 7:1-6) Remember the prohibition against judgment Remember the admonition for judgment Remember the concession about judgment Southern Ridge Church of Christ December, 2004 8