The Sermon on the Mount I

Subtitle: Behold Your King!

Matthew 1-5.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on December 3, 2023.

As we embark on our look at the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 through 7, we want to take time to adjust just how we see this scene.

The word “sermon” sounds as if Jesus is simply a preacher, and everyone that day was simply going to church.  As we will see, Matthew sees something far greater than a teacher exhorting us to live for God.

As an introduction to this series, I have picked the subtitle, “Behold Your King!”  These words are used in Zechariah 9:9 to point Israel to Messiah who would come to them as lowly, and riding on a donkey.  Both Matthew and John quote Zechariah 9:9 to Jesus, particularly the Triumphal entry before his crucifixion.

The early church understood that Jesus was presenting himself as king.  Even after his rejection and crucifixion, he is still King Messiah.  God had made him king, and God was not taking nominations for the position.  He wasn’t looking for our input on who it is going to be.  We see this in Psalm 2.

Matthew’s gospel is not just a diary that tells us what happened each day of the life of Jesus.  It does roughly follow his life, but it is presented, or packaged, in a way to help us see who Jesus really is.  Some of the crafting of this message is done by Jesus himself, particularly when we are reading his words.  However, in the chapters leading up to the sermon on the mount, Matthew is purposefully arranging things so that we will understand what he understood about Jesus.  In fact, the whole book of Matthew is clearly packaged in a way to highlight things about Jesus.  There are 5 large collections of the teachings of Jesus in Matthew with the Sermon on the Mount being the first.  Another one that we see is the Parables of the Kingdom.  It is believed that Matthew puts it in these 5 collections to map or to picture the five books of the law.  A similar thing is done with the five collections, or books, of the Psalms.

I say all of this because I want us to pay attention to how Matthew presents the very Jesus who gives the sermon on the mount starting at Matthew 5:3.  There are two main pictures that lay behind who Jesus is.  Let’s look at those.

Jesus is the greater David

In the very first verse (1:1), Matthew signals something important about Jesus.  He is descended from David, “the son of David.”  He is also descended from Abraham.  Matthew will go on to give the data of the genealogy of Jesus.  However, this is the most important connections.  Why? 

He does so because King Messiah would come from the lineage of David.  Matthew is ultimately presenting Jesus as the Messiah of God, sent to rule Israel and the nations.   He is also presenting Jesus as the ultimate fulfillment of The Promise to Abraham.  Through Jesus, all the nations of the earth would be blessed.

Yet, Messiah is not just a son of David.  Messiah, Jesus, is greater than his ancestor David.  David gives us a template of a righteous king versus King Saul, a template of a wicked king.  David was righteous, but not like Jesus.

If you think that I am making this up, then look at 1:18.  Matthew writes, “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows…”  For us, the word “Christ” almost comes off as a last name.  However, it is the Hebrew word for Messiah, and all of the prophecies in the Old Testament make it clear that Messiah is a king.  You can particularly go to Psalm 2 to verify that.

Yet, the king references given by Matthew continue.   In Matthew 2:2, the Magi come from the East and ask Herod a question.  “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?”  They are looking for a king, which is disturbing to Herod (isn’t he the king? Who is this king they are looking for?).  In 2:4, Herod inquires from his religious experts where “the Christ was to be born.”  Notice that Herod and his religious leaders make the connection from a king of Israel, that Gentiles would be looking for, to the Messiah, Christ.  The chief priests then respond by using Micah 5:2.  Messiah would be born in Bethlehem and would become the “Ruler,” and the “Shepherd” of Israel.

All of this harkens back to the Davidic covenant given in 2 Samuel 7 (also in 1 Chronicles 17).  There God tells David that one will come from his line who will be a son to God and that God would be a father to him.  This special son would reign as king forever.  This king would be directly anointed by God’s Spirit to fix and rule over Israel and the nations.

This is most likely why the exile (“captivity”) is mentioned by Matthew in his genealogy of Jesus, 1:17.  The captivity was a great crisis among the people of Israel.  The line of David was cast down, Jerusalem destroyed, and the temple gone.  What was God doing?  Was He done with Israel?  We will look more at this later.

In Matthew 4:17 and 23, the main thing that Jesus is proclaiming is “The Kingdom,” which is connected to King Messiah.  Jesus is not just a man from the house of David trying to be king.  He is being presented as the Messiah who brings in a special time of heaven’s administration on earth called “The Kingdom,” or “the Kingdom of Heaven.”   In the sermon on the mount alone, Jesus references “kingdom” nine times (five times in chapter five, three times in chapter six, and 1 time in chapter seven).  The Kingdom is important for Jesus.

Jesus tells them in Matthew 4 to repent for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.  They need to get things right with God, but they specifically need to listen to the one whom God was sending, Jesus.  He would show them how to fix everything in Israel and the nations.

The sermon on the mount becomes a king who is announcing his arrival, and declaring the terms of his kingdom.  Yet, this is not the only image that Matthew is projecting to us.

Jesus is the greater Moses for a new exodus

Jesus is not just giving Israel the word of the Lord.  He is the Word of the Lord.  Similarly, Jesus is not just another prophet in a long series of prophets.  He is The Prophet.  In fact, Moses prophesied that God would send another prophet like him in Deuteronomy 18.  Israel would need to listen to this prophet. This is important because Moses was not just another prophet.  The writer of the book of Hebrews in chapter three of his letter makes the connection between Jesus and Moses.  Moses was faithful as a servant in order to set up the House of Israel for Yahweh.  All the prophets that came after him were different in that they pointed Israel back to the writings of Moses.  They were not instituting a new thing, but maintaining what Moses helped set up.  Even the prophecies they gave of the future Messiah were in light of Israel. 

Jesus would similarly build a new house.  However, Jesus is greater than Moses.  He is not just building a house for God, but He is building a house as a son.  This is a marriage picture.  The son builds onto the house of his father to make room for him and his bride.  Jesus is The Prophet who is like Moses, and yet, who is also greater.

Matthew’s 5 large collections of the teachings of Jesus are presenting him in this light.  We can notice on top of this that Jesus goes up  in Matthew 5:1 “on the mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.”  “The mountain” is sometimes translated as “a mountain” simply because it is not defined in the passage.  Yet, the definite article is there.  Matthew is using language connected to the days of Moses, and the mountain they went to in order to receive the instruction of Yahweh. 

This may not be expected for us, but the Hebrews understood from the prophet Isaiah that God was going to do a New Exodus in order to solve the problem created by Israel’s sin.  Isaiah ends chapter 39 with the revelation that God was going to judge Judah and send her into exile in Babylon.  Yet, the next chapter opens with God telling the prophet to comfort His people.  God would send a servant that would bring Israel back from the captivity and enable the work of God to prosper in his hands.  This servant would set up the promised Kingdom of Messiah.  From chapter 40 to 66, the imagery of the Exodus is promoted as God’s template for saving Israel again.  The same God who saved them from Egypt would save them from Babylon, and even more than that.

Yes, it looked like Israel was done, and that the line of David was done.  However, through Isaiah, God says that He is not done!  When the enemy tells you, “It’s over,” and “There is no recovery from that,” don’t listen to him.  Whether it comes to mind about yourself, another person, or a certain Republic you know and love, it doesn’t matter if it is dead, the meat is completely rotted off of the corpse, and the bones are completely dry.  God is able to bring back from the dead in order to keep His promises.  This new exodus would be on a greater scale, and such an impact would require a greater Moses.

Christ would be the end of the captivity of not just Israel, but also of the nations.

Yet, Jesus is greater than simply being the greater Moses.  In Matthew 2, we see the child Jesus going down to Egypt in order to escape Herod’s attempt to kill the kids under two years old.  Isn’t it strange that we have a king killing babies, and Jesus going to Egypt?  There is purposefulness to this.  Jesus is even the greater Israel.  Everything that Israel went through and failed, Jesus will walk through and succeed, without sin.  He will be the perfect Israel, the perfect servant of the Lord, following the leading of Yahweh even through the desert.

Israel’s time in the wilderness was supposed to be an intimate time of God’s supernatural care and provision.  Yet, they fell to sin by grumbling and complaining.  They created a golden calf to serve, rebelled against Moses, and even committed sexual immorality at Baal Peor.  Yet, Jesus goes into the wilderness and is tempted at all points by the devil, only to come out of it having passed the test with flying colors.

All the promises to Israel fall upon the One who is the ultimate Israelite.  We should even note that the name Israel was not given to the nation.  It was given to an individual, Jacob.  Jacob had wrestled with God and is given a blessing of a new name.  It is often translated as “Prince with God,” which is fair.  However, it might be more impactful to think of it as “One who has power with God.”  Jacob had touched God, and God helped him.  He had power with God, not a power of control, but a power of relationship.  God cared for him.  Jesus is the greater Jacob, the greater Israel, the greater One who has power with God!  God listens to him.

Listen, God is not done with Israel even today.  Romans chapters nine to eleven show this.  Just as God did not throw off the gentiles forever, but used Israel to reach them, so too, God has not thrown off the nation of Israel forever, but will use the nations to bring Israel to a place where they will recognize Jesus as Messiah and repent before the Lord.

In Matthew 2:15, he quotes Hosea 11:1 “out of Egypt I called my son.”  When you look at the context of Hosea 11, you may think that they are misquoting.  It is clearly speaking of Israel as a nation.  Yet, when you see Israel as a prophetic, image in contrast, then you see how Matthew makes the connection.  Just as God called Israel out of Egypt, so Messiah would be brought out of Egypt.  Messiah is the ultimate Israel.

This connection of Jesus with King David and with The Prophet Moses will later be rounded out with The Great High Priest.  Jesus is presented as all of these roles all wrapped up into one.  He sits on the mountain and gives the Torah, the instructions of Yahweh for His people.   This is what Matthew is presenting.

So, when we read the sermon on the mount, we are not just hearing a nice sermon.  Jesus is setting up his kingdom, and we would do well to heed his instructions.  He is the prophet of god who we need to listen to so that we don’t perish in the wilderness (Exodus).  And, he is the king established by God that we need to submit to so that we don’t perish in the way when his wrath raises up just a little (Ps 2, Messiah).  Lastly, he is the High Priest who we need to remove our sins from us, to reconcile us to God so that we do not miss out on our inheritance.

Thus, Jesus tells us in the sermon on the mount, 5:17-18, that he did not come to destroy the law, but to fulfill it.  He is all that the Law was pointing towards.  He is the ultimate fulfillment of what the Law was showing us.  Hallelujah!

Behold King audio

Christmas through Time

John 1:1-4, 14-17; Hebrews 2:14-18; Revelation 21:3-8.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on December 22, 2019.

In Charles Dickens’ story, A Christmas Carol, Scrooge is visited by spirits that show him his Christmas past, present, and future.  Today, we are going to widen the scope beyond just the life of one person.  For you see, Christmas is far more ancient than the Christmas of your childhood, and it is further into the future than the Christmas of your old age.  It is the eternal plan of God stretching from eternity past into eternity future.

I pray that we may once again be filled with joy that the story of humanity is not just darkness and woe.  Rather, it is a story of Christmas down through the ages, a story of Christmas through time.

The Savior has come (John 1:1-4, 14-17)

At Christmas time, we recognize that the Savior of the world has already come.  It is generally obvious that Christmas is rooted in the birth of Jesus over 2,000 years ago.  However, Christmas goes further back than that technically.

In this passage, John shows us that the incarnation is rooted in eternity past, even before the earth was created.  This should remind us of Revelation 13:8. If the crucifixion is somehow rooted in that eternal past before creation then it is a logical necessity that his incarnation was too.  What does it mean for Jesus to be crucified, and therefore incarnated, before the foundations of the earth were laid?

It is part of the reality that, when God was planning creation, He also knew that those who were made to be an image of Him would fall into the slavery of sin and need saving.  It is then that He chose to do what was necessary to make salvation possible for us.  He chose to incorporate an incarnation into His plan, as well as a crucifixion.  He would enter the world and help us.  Thus, Christmas is far more ancient than that moment at a manger in Bethlehem.  It is part of the very character of God.

Everything before that moment in Bethlehem was prologue to the incarnation and later the crucifixion.  Thus, the Bible is not just a compilation of stories.  Each story is a small part of a larger story, a story of the character of God being revealed to mankind.  Everything has its place: the fall from the paradise of Eden, the Flood, the Tower of Babel, the creation of nations, the Law of Moses, the nation of Israel, and its turbulent history.  All of these are important in the greater plan of God. 

This should give us confidence that we are not in the middle of a time that is unimportant.  We too are a part of this larger story that did not end 2,000 years ago.  What we see around us now is also important in the revealing of God’s good purpose for His creation, and particularly those He made in His image.

In Jesus, God stepped down into our world.  He “became flesh” as John puts it in vs. 14. He is the light of the world to illuminate the darkness of our ignorance, but more than knowledge, it says, “in him was life.”  Jesus comes to give us knowledge and even more he comes to give us life.  Yes, he gives eternal life, but this is more than just a promise of something down the road.  He also gives us life right now.  At Christmas, God came into closer relationship with humanity than was ever thought possible.  In Jesus, God says, “I see you… I know it is tough… I will help you; let me help you.”  This is what God has done in Christmas past.

The Savior is here (Hebrews 2:14-18)

At Christmas time, we also recognize that the Savior of the world is still with us here today.  Hebrews 2 focuses on what Jesus has made available to those who are believing in him.  The first of these is that he is delivering people from the slavery of sin.

Through the temptation of sin, we all fall into the trap of slavery.  It seems to promise freedom, but in the end, you are not free because freedom to do anything that I want always leads to bondage.  We become a slave to fleshly appetites that our mind knows is not good or has gone beyond proper boundaries.  The same spirit that raised Christ from the dead is here today to live within each and everyone who puts their faith in Jesus.  He is working right now to convict us of sin and what is right.  

Of course, our modern world scoffs at such antiquated notions.  What we don’t understand is that there is a moral reality to this world that is every bit as real as the physical reality that our scientists study in order to build a machine that flies in the air or goes to the moon.  If I tried to build a flying machine that only conformed to my imagination and desires, it would never really fly.  I would only be able to sit in the cockpit and pretend to fly around like a little kid playing with a cardboard box in the living room.  However, if I face reality- even that which I don’t like- I can finally begin to build something that can lift off of the earth and travel around the world.  These are two very different freedoms that are innocent when we talk about kids playing and adults creating.  The first is a freedom of fantasy and the second is a freedom of reality.  In their proper settings both can be helpful.  However, morality, right and wrong, also are hardwired into this reality.  We are physical creatures and our choices and actions have physical consequences.  Be sure that your sins will find you out in the end.  It is just as reliable as gravity acting upon an object.  If you remain in a moral fantasy and live in a way that pleases your imagination then your experience will not be as innocent as a kid playing in the living room.  No, when we are young our parents give us some shelter from sinful choices and should work to teach us right and wrong.  Eventually, we grow up and leave the living room to go out into the world, where harsh realities and the school of hard knocks awaits those who refuse to wake up and deal with reality in moral matters.

Jesus comes as a baby, and babies are the most helpless of us all.  He is showing us that he understands weakness physically.  He also grew up to be tempted in order to show us that he understands weakness spiritually.  He was really on this earth in physical form, experiencing what you experience.  However, he is also really here, right now, to help us, to help you.  He hasn’t abandoned us and forgotten us.  It just feels that way because the world is a dark place, and we are afraid.

Hebrews tells us that he not only delivers us from sin, but we are told that he provides for us mercy as our faithful high priest between us and God the Father.  We can’t see that part of his work, and so it takes faith to trust that he is fulfilling his role faithfully.  When I fail, the enemy of my soul wants me to quit and say it isn’t working.  However, God’s word tells us to repent and believe in Jesus.  If we do that, he is faithful and just to cleanse us from the guilt of our unrighteousness.

Are you receiving the mercy and cleansing that Jesus is giving out today?  Or, are you still stuck in your sins wondering what God is doing, even giving up that there may even be a God to help you in the first place?  The message of this world is that there is no one to save us but ourselves.  This is the lie that will ensure our mutually assured destruction.  Jesus has come, and he is still here through the Holy Spirit and those people that he inhabits.

The Savior is coming (Revelation 21:3-8)

When the story of the Bible comes full circle in the last book, the theme is the nearness of God.  For some, the current arrangement of Jesus being here spiritually is just not good enough.  This is tragic because he has promised to come again in a physical way, as he did on that Christmas day so long ago.  It will be Christmas on earth once again.

God will dwell with us, and not just spiritually.  Jesus will step down from out of heaven as the only righteous King who can deliver this world from the darkness of its sin.  He has not abandoned us.  In fact, the passing of time is the mercy of God to give people time to change.

This Christmas that lies in our future is the greatest Christmas of all, or at least the climax of the eternal Christmas.  It will be a Christmas when we find under the tree that all of the sin and evil of this world is removed.  It is a Christmas when we find that new, unbroken things have taken their place. 

In this passage, we are told that the former things will have passed away.  The former things are things like: separation from God and each other, tears, death, sorrow, crying, and pain.  Imagine a world where none of these things exist.  Who do you believe can actually deliver such a thing?  Is your faith in us saving ourselves?  Is it in one of the fallen angels who could dare to present themselves to the world as a king, that is a solution from the spirit realm that is “other” than Jesus?  Or, is your faith in Jesus? 

We are told that new things will replace the former things.  So, what are they?  We are united with God in a life where he is visibly with us.  We are to inherit all things, and, as if that wasn’t enough, we will enter into the full status as the adult “Sons of God.”  Wow, what a Christmas!

This Christmas let us remind ourselves that the story of Christmas and the little baby in a manger is only one chapter along the ancient story of the past, the fresh story of today, and the long-awaited climax that lies before us in the future!

Christmas audio