Hello! Terry has begun a series, entitled “True Christianity,” to explore the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew 5-7. The first three parts of this series are included below, with both audio and written notes. Praying this series blesses you, whether you can be with us in person or over the internet.
True Christianity, part. 1
Intro: What does true Christianity look like? Jesus tells us.
- Jesus’ Ministry Begins
- Matthew 4:17 is where Jesus begins to preach (His earthly ministry)
- fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy (Isaiah 9:1-2), quoted in Matthew 4:14-16
- Jesus taught in Galilee (Matthew 4:23-25)
- People came from all over (see map)
- Three-Fold Ministry of Christ
- teaching
- proclaiming
- healing
- Matthew 4:17 is where Jesus begins to preach (His earthly ministry)
- Jesus Prepares for Teaching (Matthew 5:1)
- sees the multitudes
- goes up a mountain
- mountains are places where God meets His faithful
- disciples come to Him
- people wanted to know how to get into the Kingdom of God
- Pharisees & teachers of the law each set their own standards of external righteousness & requirements were different depending on which teacher you followed (called the “yoke” of the law).
- Jesus Begins to Teach (Matthew 5:2)
- these attributes are what God will begin to manifest in the life of a believer
- Matthew 11
- Poor in Spirit (Matthew 5:3)
- spiritually destitute apart from the Lord
- recognizing you have nothing without Him, that you desperately need a Savior
- opposite of what the world believes
- Romans 7:18
- you can’t obtain righteousness apart from God
- James 1 – the anatomy of sin
- Ezekiel 36
- to be in the Kingdom of God, He must first exchange your heart of stone for a heart of flesh
- Jesus is all we need (the “I am” statements of Jesus – John 6:35, 8:12, 10:9, 10:11, 11:25. 14:6, 15:5)
- when we recognize our spiritual destitution/poverty, we turn to God for His grace and mercy
- the reward for those who are poor in spirit
- entrance into the Kingdom of God/eternal life
- spiritually destitute apart from the Lord
- Those Who Mourn (Matthew 5:4)
- we mourn for the things that break God’s heart, that grieve Him
- is a spiritual mourning that comes when we see how sinful we are apart from Him, coming short of what God expects of us
- shall be comforted
- only the Lord can comfort and strengthen a broken heart
- spiritual mourning should lead us to truly care about all the people who are hurting around us
- take the focus off of self and put it on loving others
- we mourn for the things that break God’s heart, that grieve Him
- Conclusion
- As we draw closer to the Lord (as He prepares us to join Him in eternity), we turn towards the cross & put our backs to the world more and more.
True Christianity, pt. 2
- Introduction: Biblical Christianity means denying yourself, taking up your cross, & following Christ.
- Matthew 5:3 – what’s important is our relationship to God through Jesus
- The “Blessing Sandwich:
- joy on earth comes through right relationship with God
- joy in heaven comes from eternity with God
- Humility – the lower you go, the closer you come to God
- 1 Peter 5:6
- Matthew 10:39
- Philippians 3 – let go to take hold
- don’t just add Jesus into your life
- get rid of the old, grab onto the new
- David’s sin with Bathsheba & murder of Uriah (2 Samuel 11) led him to humility
- Psalm 51, esp. verse 17
- the word “contrite” in Hebrew (daka) can mean “deflated” or “crushed”
- We need to see our spiritual bankruptcy before God.
- Isaiah 64:6
- Acts 26:18
- Our life apart from the Lord is like a cup with a big rock in it. That rock is our pride, filling up the cup. We must empty it out (humble yourself) before we can fill it up with Christ.
- The “Blessing Sandwich:
- Matthew 5:4 – mourn over the things God mourns about
- the sin in my life
- the hell-destined world filled with transgression against a holy God
- Matthew 5:5 – meekness does not equal weakness
- Luke 18:9-14 – The Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican (Tax Collector)
- Pharisee
- compares himself to other people around him
- thinks he’s better than they are
- filled with selfishness & pride
- self-exaltation
- external religion
- Publican
- stands far off
- wouldn’t even lift his eyes
- beat his chest
- “Be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.”
- All signs of a broken and contrite heart
- Jesus notes that the lowly, contrite tax collector was declared justified/righteous
- v. 14
- 1 Peter 5:6 – either you let go of your pride & humble yourself or God will humble you
- Pharisee
- Conclusion: We have been given a way to be right with God.
- 2 Corinthians 5:17, 21
- Micah 7:19
- Living in right relationship with God is true Christianity.
True Christianity, pt. 3
- Intro: Being/becoming a true Christian is an ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It is a self-less life, modeled for us by Jesus Christ.
- To be blessed is to:
- have God in your heart
- yield to Him daily to do His will for His glory
- John 10:10
- The lower we go in emptying ourselves, the higher God will raise us (1 Peter 5:6).
- To be blessed is to:
- The Meek (Gentle/Humble) – Matthew 5:5
- They will inherit the earth!
- often overlooked/looked down on by the world
- praised by God
- opposite of what the world expects of successful people
- characterized by joy & peace that can only come from God
- can’t be shaken by the world/the enemy
- secure in Christ
- untouchable by the powers of darkness
- The Beatitudes are a spiritual progression
- recognize your need for a Savior
- then mourn over the things God mourns
- then we become humble
- then we hunger & thirst for righteousness
- etc.
- The Hungry & Thirsty – Matthew 5:6
- Jeremiah 29:13
- must desire to find God & be willing to set aside the useless things of the world to yield to Him
- We all have a God-shaped hole that only He can fill.
- He wants us to know Him.
- The closer we walk with Him, the more insatiable becomes our hunger & thirst to walk right with Him.
- Matthew 6:33
- We will be satisfied to the degree with which we hunger & thirst.
- Jeremiah 29:13
- The Merciful – Matthew 5:7
- We are not merciful apart from God.
- God has unending mercy for us
- 1 Corinthians 13:12
- trying to figure out who this God is
- We deserve His wrath, but He extends us mercy.
- James 2:13 – with the degree we extend mercy to others, God will extend the same to us
- Matthew 6:12
- 1 Corinthians 13:12
- Keep short accounts
- confess
- be thankful
- don’t hinder your rest by holding onto grudges
- The Pure in Heart – Matthew 5:8
- live at peace with others
- let offenses go
- don’t hold onto grudges
- keep the world from defiling your heart
- be clean spiritually
- live at peace with others
- The Peacemakers – Matthew 5:9
- come in the middle of those who are at odds with each other & help restore peace
- in the world
- in the workplace
- in the home
- in the heart
- the biggest peace a believer can offer anyone is peace with God
- we are all caught up in spiritual warfare
- the unbeliever is at war with God
- when we offer salvation, when someone accepts relationship with Christ, peace floods in
- Jesus is the door (John 10:7)
- all sin has been atoned for
- when you accept Christ, that atonement is applied to you
- all sin has been atoned for
- be a peacemaker, led by God
- come in the middle of those who are at odds with each other & help restore peace
- The Persecuted – Matthew 5:10
- persecuted for the sake of following Christ
- when you are walking closely with Christ, Satan & his minions will oppose you
- persecution (Greek: dioko – persecuted) -to pursue after; to inflict suffering
- Jesus said that they hated Him, they hated His Father before they hated Him, and they are going to hate us (John 15).
- persecuted for the sake of following Christ
- The Insulted & Persecuted – Matthew 5:11-12
- If we’re going to be His disciples, we can expect to be insulted, persecuted, and spoken falsely about.
- Rejoice over being persecuted for living righteously, for His name’s sake (James 1).
- great is your reward
- not on earth, in this life
- in the heavenly realm for eternity
- great is your reward
- Persecution has been happening to the people of God since He first created us.
- Stand firm!
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