Jesus Preaches We have been looking at Jesus from the time that He was baptized and began His public ministry. We have seen Him call out disciples, we have seen Him demonstrate His power over natural laws through the various miracles that He did, and we have seen that he is passionate about the things of God. Today we will open up one of the sermons of Jesus and try to gain some sense of just what the message of Jesus is. We may read or piece together our vision of Jesus as a man who told stories or parables and performed miracles and walked around the countryside with a group of followers. We may not realize that Jesus actually preached. From last week, we were reading in the first chapter of Mark. We saw Jesus casting our demons. If we continue to read in that gospel, we see that Jesus heals the mother in law of Peter and many others. Then we come to verse 35 and we read: In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there. Simon and his companions searched for Him; they found Him, and said to Him, Everyone is looking for You. He said to them, Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for. And He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out the demons. (Mark 1:35-39 NASB) Now, I will be totally honest here, the mission of Jesus to bring salvation and reconcile sinful man back to the Holy God, so eclipses all else in my mind that I had overlooked this passage. What did we just read? What did Jesus tell us about why He came? so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for. 1
Jesus came to preach. Have you ever thought about that? Well, as important as His sacrifice is to bring us salvation, is His message of any value for us? If not, why did He waste time and energy in preaching? Why was this the reason He came for? For me, if it was one of the driving reasons for Jesus coming to earth to preach, then I want to know what He said. His message might be of importance. Our scripture this morning is taken from Matthew the 5 th, 6 th, and 7 th chapters. We will not read them in their entirety this morning. However, I encourage you to spend some time this week and read through this very well known Sermon on the Mount. Luke records a similar sermon in the 6 th chapter. Some call this the Sermon on the Plain because in Luke s account we are told that Jesus came down from the mountain. Let s read Luke 6 beginning with verse 12. It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God. And when day came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also named as apostles: Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; and James and John; and Philip and Bartholomew; and Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot; Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place (Luke 6:12-17 NASB) This may be Luke s account of the same sermon or it may be an indicator that Jesus had a similar message for the people that gathered to hear him. In the two scriptures that we have already read this morning, we may want to notice something else that was important to Jesus. In Mark we read: Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there. 2
Again, in Luke: He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God. If part of the Trinity, Jesus the Christ placed prayer as an important part of His day, what does that tell me about my prayer life? If you will, turn with me to the 5 th chapter of Matthew. We will not read through each verse but we will scan through looking for the message of Jesus in the very familiar sermon. When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying Jesus starts His sermon of with a series of blessings. This series is known as the Beatitudes. There have been many sermons about these blessings and we could spend as much time as we want to take them in detail to glean the message. However, the core of all of these is a humble gentle spirit in service to God will be blessed. Jesus is telling us that even if we are poor, sorrowful, mistreated, show mercy without receiving mercy from others, sow harmony and not discord, suffer persecution for the things of God, then we will be blessed. Our first on overriding obligation is to humbly serve God. Jesus then moves on to the fact that we are here for a purpose. We are the saving influence on earth and we are to be the light that bring other to God. You are the salt of the earth Most of us remember when salt was used as a preservative. That saving quality is what we are charged by Jesus to be. 3
Jesus couples this part of His sermon with our responsibility to be a light. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. In the 17 th verse, Jesus addresses another key thing to remember about the mission of Jesus. Let s read a few verses starting with the 17 th verse of chapter 5. Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. One of the things that we need to keep in mind is that God gave laws for us to live by. Those laws are there to guide us in our relationship with God and each other. Jesus did not come to set aside those laws but to help us see them as the foundation on which our relationship with God may be secure. The rest of the 5 th chapter is an amplification of the principles of that law. The law is not a check list that we keep to the letter while ignoring the reasoning behind the laws. It is not enough to not murder someone. We are to leave out the hatred that leads us to harboring malice. That malice could lead to murder. We are not to have lustful thoughts in our minds. We may never act on those thoughts but we must work to control our thoughts to reflect the intent of God. When we commit to our 4
spouse, it is God s plan that we commit for a lifetime. Anything else is contrary to God s desires. In the 6 th chapter, we see how Jesus views various aspects of religious works. In this chapter, we see Jesus talk about charity, prayer, and fasting. Jesus turns His attention to us on a more personal level. Jesus tells us that our relationship with God is personal. He starts off with our motives. Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 6:1 NASB) The good things we do like giving to those in need are to be done in private. They are strictly between God and us. Any other way may tend to become a show or our piety. Look at me I gave money to the needy. Jesus then addresses prayer. Rather than using words that are planned to show how educated of pious we are, Jesus tells us to approach God with reverence, humility, and familiarity. We are to address God as we would our loving father. When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. (Matthew 6:5-6 NASB) We certainly are very familiar with the prayer that Jesus gave as an example of how our prayers should be. It is short. It is understandable. It is reverently addressed to a loving father. It shows our support to the things that are important to that father while admitting our short comings and our desire for his patience and help. 5
The later part of the 6 th chapter deals with money. Money has always been needed to provide for our necessities of life. Even before there was a currency issued by a government or region, there was some basis for trade (livestock, produce, human effort, etc.). Perhaps human obsession over money has been around since the beginning of recorded history. Whether we admit it or not, money has become and is the primary god for most people. Money is revered, the power that money brings is desired, and money can and does corrupt people. Jesus warns us about the ease with which we are torn away from God because of our attitude toward money. First He tells us to place our trust in the treasures of heaven. Then, He cautions us about becoming a slave to our pursuit of money. Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21 NASB) Then, He cautions us about becoming a slave to our pursuit of money. No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. (Matthew 6:24 NASB) Jesus goes on to show that the money issue is not just about serving God. He points out the anxiety that plagues our lives because we are so wrapped up in the pursuit of money robs us of a quality of life that God never intended. Do not worry then, saying, What will we eat? or What will we drink? or What will we wear for clothing? For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these 6
things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:31-33 NASB) Jesus concludes His sermon with a few points that we need to see and understand. First, we are to judge using the same standard as we want be judged. Basically, we are to judge without hypocrisy. Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. (Matthew 7:1-2 NASB) We are to treat others with the same respect and grace as we desire to be treated. We often call this the golden rule. In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:12 NASB) As we travel through life, we are to follow the path that Jesus lays out. There is not a multilane freeway when it comes to following Jesus. Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. (Matthew 7:13-14 NASB) We are to avoid false teachers. This requires that we become fruit inspectors. It is not a contradiction of the judging from verse one. This is using our ability to see the truth and avoiding those who teach false things. Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. (Matthew 7:15-16 NASB) 7
Our lives are to be built on the teachings of Jesus. This will ensure that we are firmly supported in all that life brings our way. Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. (Matthew 7:24 NASB) In this sermon, Jesus covered a lot of territory. However, His call is simple. Place your trust in God. Humbly follow after God s will and teachings. Don t follow pride, lust or covetousness. This will bring us into a close relationship with a loving God. 8