MEAT FROM THE MOUNTAIN:

Lessons from the Sermon on the Mount.

TEXT: MATT. 5: 1 to 7: 29

FROM CHAPTER FIVE:

Verses 1 - 10: The beatitudes are characteristics that are found in every Christian, not just some of the poor unfortunates.

Verses 13 - 16: Christians must be like salt and light, or we are good for nothing.

Verses 17 - 20: Jesus fulfilled the Law of Moses, and his followers must be more righteous than any Jew.

Verses 21 - 48: Christians must live to a higher standard than the Old Law and its “Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not foreswear thyself, An eye for an eye, and Love thy neighbor.” We must strive to live up to the standard of God’s love: “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”

FROM CHAPTER SIX:

Verses 1 - 18: We must never practice our religion for the sake of men’s approval. Our almsgiving, prayers, and fasting must be strictly between us and God.

Verse 19 - 34: Shun covetousness (materialism) and seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness. If you do so, you need never worry over the trivial things of life such as food, drink, and clothing.

FROM CHAPTER SEVEN:

Verses 1 - 6: Judge as God would judge. Do not condemn, but judge yourself and others rightly.

Verses 7 - 12: Give as God gives – liberally and without thought of recompense.

Verses 13, 14: Make sure to enter the right gate or the way will lead not to eternal life, but to damnation.

Verses 15 - 20: Judge men by their deeds, even as God judges them. Then you can tell the true from the false.

Verses 21 - 27: Hearing the words of Jesus means nothing if you do not DO what he teaches. Doing the will of Jesus is what separates the wise from the foolish; the saved from those destroyed.

          It is in the Sermon on the Mount that we learn what it really means to live as a Christian. It takes more than the Sermon on the Mount to become a Christian, but one cannot live a good Christian life without knowing the Sermon on the Mount and living the things Jesus teaches in it. These three chapters of Matthew (5, 6, 7) are truly the heart and soul of Christianity. Know these words and live them. Unless you do, you can never live with God for all eternity.