Matthew 5-7 Sermon on the Mount Outline

Matthew chapters 5-7 may sound scary. But all Jesus is doing is elevating the law to its proper place to get His listeners to ask the question, “well who then can be saved?”, as well as giving teachings with wisdom.

The answer is – no one can be saved by keeping the law, because no one can keep it perfectly. Thus, Jesus is getting them to start looking to the messiah (Him) for salvation, rather than by keeping the law (that they thought they were keeping perfectly).

Outline:

1. The 8 beatitudes (or blessings). 8 traits that generally portray a saved person:
   1. Poor in spirit (downtrodden, despised). This is the situation of most who come to faith. Jesus mainly chose these types of people to inherit salvation.
   2. Mourn. They will receive eternal comfort.
   3. Meek.
   4. Seek after righteousness. They will receive.
   5. Merciful. They in turn will receive eternal mercy.
   6. Pure.
   7. Peacemakers.
   8. Persecuted for the sake of Christ. They will have “the last laugh”.
2. Believers are “salt and light” of the earth.
   1. We’re different, in a good way. And we’re to let our goodness (in conduct and character), our works, our godly wisdom and our salvation message (the gospel) shine in the dark world filled with evil.
3. Christ restores the law to its proper standard:
   1. The Jews in His day must have not really been taking the law that seriously, following it half-heartedly, and thinking they were “doing just fine” with how they were following it. Jesus is restoring the law to its proper standard and showing them how “off target” they really are when it comes to the standard of the law.
   2. He came to fulfill it, not get rid of it.
   3. Even anger at another without a cause is murder.
   4. Even lust is adultery.
   5. Even divorce aside from sexual immorality is adultery.
   6. Swearing by God is not allowed. Simply do what you’re going to say you’re going to do, whether your answer to someone is “Yes” or “No”.
4. Repaying others for their evil against you:
   1. The old way of doing things was to repay others for the evil they do against you, using the same measure they do to you.
   2. Jesus corrects this thinking and tells us to patiently take their evil and persecutions, and to render kindness and love in return, instead of evil.
5. A lesson to do things for the right reason:
   1. In giving to the poor
      1. Don’t make a big scene and give your money to the poor in order to be seen and glorified by others (Oh, he’s such a good person. Look at all the money he’s giving away).
      2. Give in secret, for the right reason – that the person genuinely needs help and you have the means to help them. Not for praise from men, but to genuinely help the other, knowing that your money was given to you by God in the first place in order to help the needy. God is the one who works in and through us. It all traces back to God. God gets all the glory.
   2. In prayer
      1. Again, don’t make a big scene in public when you pray in order to be seen by others and get them to think how pious and godly you are, seeking glorification from others.
      2. Pray alone, having a genuine conversation with your Father.
   3. In fasting
      1. Again, don’t make a big scene in public when you’re fasting, making yourself seem all miserable so people will know your fasting in order to get them to think how pious and godly you are, seeking glorification from others.
      2. Act as if you’re not fasting, and our Father will reward you.
6. Don’t worry about earthly possessions:
   1. Don’t worry about acquiring a bunch of unnecessary, over-and-beyond (our basic necessities) possessions on this earth: a fancy house and cars, fine clothing, etc.
   2. We’re just pilgrims passing through this temporary life, waiting to get to our eternal home – heaven – where our eternal possessions are waiting for us (much better than anything we could acquire on this earth. We don’t know exactly all that will be, but we do know: a mansion, a new body that can teleport, a horse that can fly, food and drink so fine you can’t find it on this earth).
   3. We can’t take any of these earthly possessions with us when we die. And at the end of the day, they won’t bring you any more joy and peace.
   4. Instead, take the money you have left over and give to the poor so they can buy their basic necessities to get through life.
   5. Be content with what you have.
7. You cannot serve God and money at the same time:
   1. This goes hand in hand with the previous point. Money tells you to acquire more of it and hoard it all for yourself and to spend it on lavish, excess luxuries for yourself. God tells you to buy your basic necessities to get through this temporary life, and to give any left over money to the poor, so that they can buy their basic necessities to get them through this temporary life.
8. The lamp of the body is the eye:
   1. How you perceive things tells of what kind of man you are: full of light (goodness) or darkness.
9. Do not worry about your basic necessities in this temporary life:
   1. To get us through this life, when you really reduce it down, all we need is: food, drink and clothing.
   2. And Jesus tells us not to worry about how we’re going to get all that stuff, as our Father in heaven will provide.
10. Don’t judge others hypocritically:
    1. If you judge someone for something, yet you yourself have the same (or even a different) problem, you’re being a hypocrite. Instead, fix your problem first, then you can correct the other.
    2. And if you do judge someone and have a reason yourself to be judged in anything, you will be judged for that thing with the same level of judgement you rendered to the other for their issue.
11. Now Jesus goes into salvation messages:
    1. “Do not give what is holy to the dogs, nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.”
       1. Don’t waste effort on sharing the gospel message with hostile people. Give it to them at first, but if they fight it, don’t try and force it upon them.
    2. “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”
       1. Ask and seek for salvation and godly wisdom and it will be given to you.
       2. This is not saying, “Ask for a $120,000 car and it will be given to you.” It’s talking about salvation and wisdom from God.
    3. Enter heaven by the narrow way
       1. The narrow way that leads to eternal life is faith in the gospel alone – in Christ’s death, burial and resurrection for the payment of our sins – no works added.
       2. The broad road that leads to hell is trying to enter heaven by doing good works, by being a “good person”, and all other religions.
       3. Matthew 21-23: Many people will try to enter heaven based on their own works and being a good person, even though they believe in Christ, but they will be rejected and told how they’re not righteous by the standard of the law (they inevitably still practice some lawlessness), and that they ignored the only way to receive the required imputed righteousness that comes by faith in Christ alone.
12. Being doers of these things, not just hearers:
    1. Those who take these teachings and actually implement them in their lives will be wise and will never fall, no matter how hard the evil world comes at them. They will be found standing in the end.
    2. Those who hear these teachings and don’t implement them in their lives are foolish and will be overcome when the evil world comes at them, and they will be found wanting in the end.
    3. All these teachings are God’s “ways” and wisdom, and we’re to build ourselves up on that foundation so that we will never stumble.