JESUS’ SERMON ON THE MOUNT
Most people, including many who are not Christians, have heard of the sermon which Jesus preached to many people on a mountainside – and may even quote bits of it!
The following is a series of daily thoughts and prayer suggestions, going through the “Sermon on the Mount” (Matthew chapters 5 to 7) over a period of about 2 months.
Each day there are a few thoughts and a few suggestions for prayer which can be used as part of a Christian’s “Quiet Time” – reading the Bible, then thinking and praying about what has been read.
But of course the most important part is applying these teachings in our daily lives! This is why it is important to look at what Jesus taught, bit by bit, so that we can apply each day what the Lord is saying to us, and build these into our lives.
May God bless you as you meditate on His Word, the Bible, and live by it!
LESSON 1:
PRAYING THROUGH THE BEATITUDES
Verses 3 to 12 of Matthew chapter 5 are often called the “Beatitudes” – the “beautiful words and thoughts” of Jesus, by which we should live. Or, if you like, the attitudes which should be in our lives!
1. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 5:3)
At first this might seem a strange thing for Jesus to say, because we might be thinking of “poor in spirit” with regard to the Holy Spirit, and usually, being poor is something we don’t want! But Jesus is encouraging us to be humble in our spirits. The Bible says “Be filled with the [Holy] Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18) and so we should be rich in the things of God’s Spirit, but humble in spirit as far as our lives and attitudes are concerned. A huge amount of what is said and done in the world today tries to encourage us to achieve, excel, be proud, rule, be in control, and so on, but Jesus says the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are genuinely humble. One thing which will help us in this way is to realize that everything we are, and every good thing we have, is a gift from God. So to Him belong the praise, and the glory, and the thanks for all we have and all we are!
Pray that:
· We will realise that everything which is truly good in our lives is because of the working of God’s Spirit and not just our own doing.
· Those who lead in the Church will be people of humility, with a serving spirit rather than a dominating or domineering spirit.
· We will humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God so that in due time He will exalt us as He chooses (James 4:10; 1 Peter 5:5-6).
2. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Matthew 5:4)
Usually we associate mourning with death, but we can mourn over a number of things – disappointments, the loss of possessions, the way we have failed people, or they have failed us, etc., as well as the loss of friends who have died. In all these situations (and many more!) God will comfort and help those who mourn, if they will come to Him. “What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and grief to bear, what a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!” As we come to Him, with all our sorrows, grief and mourning, we can find comfort and help from our Friend and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Let us bring all these things to God in prayer, commit them to Him and receive His comfort and strength! (Remember too that Christians don’t mourn the death of other Christians as those who have no hope – for we have the glorious hope of eternal life with the Lord!)
Pray that:
· Rather than carry our own grief and mourning, we will turn to the Lord and cry to Him for help and comfort.
· God will use adverse or difficult situations to draw us closer to Himself.
· Rather than turn to God in anger, we will come to Him in faith, lay everything at His feet and trust Him.
· We will come to know the Lord as the one who cares for every need we have.
3. “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5)
Many people are striving to excel, to be top, to be in control. Many people are strongly motivated by pride and the desire to lead, control and be served, rather than to serve. But Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek” – those who are gentle and truly humble; people who love and serve and give, rather than always wanting to be in charge and to be served. Jesus modelled this beatitude (and, indeed, all the beatitudes) in His own life and ministry. While people fight and go to war in order to conquer, possess and control, Jesus says it is the meek, not the mighty and powerful, who will ultimately inherit the earth.
Pray that:
- God will help us to follow Jesus’ example of humility, gentleness and meekness.
- We will realise it is better to give than to receive; to serve rather than to be served.
- We will desire to serve other people, rather than always wanting to be served; to be least rather than greatest.
- We will realise that the earth does not belong to the strong, the mighty and the powerful, but to the meek.
4. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6)
Hunger and thirst are two of the strongest “drivers” in our lives – we all hunger; we all thirst. We all need to eat and drink. Oh that our desire for righteousness might be as strong as our desire for food and water! Jesus promises that those people who really hunger and thirst for righteousness will be satisfied – and not “just satisfied” but filled! Let our heart’s cry be for righteousness, holiness and purity – all those things which are pleasing to God, and which bring true fulfilment, joy and satisfaction in our lives as well.
Pray:
· That we will really hunger and thirst after righteousness – right living, in every sense.
· That we will all “strive to be holy, as God is holy”.
· That even non-Christians will begin to long for purity and right things in their lives, and that they will find that Jesus is able to help them satisfy this thirst.
· For Godliness and righteousness in the Church and in our society.
5. “Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy” (Matthew 5:7)
It is very easy to judge other people and be very hard on them; it is much harder to judge ourselves and deal with our own problems! In this teaching Jesus shows us the importance of being loving and forgiving towards others, so that, in turn, we will receive love and forgiveness when we do things which are wrong. None of us are perfect; we all deserve God’s wrath and punishment, but we plead with Him for mercy. We need mercy and we need to show mercy to those who have wronged us! Those who show mercy to others will also receive mercy.
Pray that:
· We will demonstrate the spirit of love and forgiveness to people who have wronged us in any way.
· We will extend mercy, even to those who do not deserve mercy.
· Just as we give mercy and are merciful, in the same way we will receive mercy – both from God and from other people.
· The Church will be known for its love, forgiveness and mercy, and this will draw many people into God’s Kingdom.
6. “Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8)
Can anyone really be pure in heart? Not by our own righteousness or good deeds, because the Bible says that God sees them as filthy rags! But by the righteousness we have through faith in Jesus Christ and His shed blood – shed so that we might be washed white like wool and become white as snow – we can be righteous through Him. And He can clean our hands and our hearts and our minds so that we can “see” God (know what He is like) even now. There is much, much more which is yet to be revealed, but if our hearts are clean we can come to know God. Indeed “this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ Who You have sent”, Jesus said (John 17:3).
Pray:
· “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my thoughts. See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way” (Psalm 139:23-24).
· That God will give us all a greater desire for clean hands and a pure heart.
· That we will increasingly turn away from sin and evil, and turn towards God, in our desire to know Him and find the true meaning and purpose to life.
7. “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9)
In a world which is torn apart by wars, fighting, violence and division, how we need to hear these words again – and live by them! God calls us to be peacemakers, not fighters; reconcilers, not people who stir up division, hatred and so on. And this applies to Christians too! We are called to be united with all our brothers and sisters in Christ – to love, support, encourage, protect and minister to one another. True peacemakers make peace with others and with God; they will be called God’s children. All God’s children should seek to be peacemakers wherever and whenever possible.
Pray that:
- Jesus, the Prince of Peace, will rule and reign in our hearts and lives so that we know, and live in, true peace.
- We will seek peace, not war; and unity with all that which is good and true, not division.
- We will do our utmost to help make peace.
- The children of God will be especially known for their peacemaking and unity.
- Our unity in Christ will speak to people about our faith and our God.
8. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 5:10)
There are plenty of people throughout the world who are persecuted – for a huge number of reasons! But Jesus says that those people who live righteously and who are persecuted for it; and those people who stand up for righteousness and speak out against all forms of wickedness, and are persecuted for their stand for what is Godly, will be blessed! The persecution is not the blessing; but God will bless and reward them for their righteous stand and Godly lives. What a challenge! There is also the need to pray for, and assist if possible, all those who are being persecuted for their faith in Christ. (Thousands of Christians every year are imprisoned, tortured or martyred for their faith in Christ – but theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven!)
Pray that we will:
· Stand up, and speak up, for those things which are good and true and pure.
· Encourage those things which are Godly – pleasing to God.
· Lead lives which demonstrate what is good and right and pure.
· Not be afraid of ridicule, opposition or persecution.
· Glorify God by our lives and by doing what is pleasing to Him – not men-pleasers but God-pleasers.
9. “Blessed are you when people revile you, and persecute you, and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on My account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in Heaven … ” (Matthew 5:11-12)
Of course, we are not blessed by people reviling us, or persecuting us, or speaking evil against us – in fact it is not very easy to handle these things – but nevertheless God will bless us through this time, if the words are false and because of our faith in Christ. If our accusers’ words are true, or if we have brought it on ourselves because of our foolish or wrong actions, not for Christ’s sake, then that’s a different story! In that case we need to repent and seek God’s forgiveness, and also the forgiveness of the people we have wronged.
Pray that:
· We will be wise in everything we say and do.
· When we are persecuted, or people speak evil of us because of our faith, that God’s grace will sustain us and bring us through.
· We will not retaliate by speaking back in the same wrong attitude.
· God’s grace will be evident in our lives and will be a powerful testimony to those who would speak evil of us.
· God will help us to rejoice, even in adverse circumstances.
[Continued in Lesson 2]
QUESTIONS
We encourage you to answer these Questions by copying and pasting them into an email, then filling in the answers and emailing them to us at Life Training School for marking and comments. A record will be kept of your marks and a Certificate of Achievement will be sent to you after completing this series of six Lessons.
1. What are “Beatitudes”? (You can use a dictionary to help, if you wish!)
2. What is good about being “poor in spirit”?
3. What good can come out of mourning?
4. What is the word we more commonly use for “meek”?
5. What is “righteousness” and how do we “hunger and thirst” after it?
6. In what ways can we show mercy to other people?
7. How can we be “pure in heart”?
8. How can we be “peacemakers”?
9. Why might a person be persecuted for being righteous?
10. Is it really possible to “rejoice and be glad” when people persecute us and speak evil things about us?