Scripture is from the Holy Bible — New King James Version (NKJV)
Notes on Scripture (below) by tkbrown
Sermon on the Mount
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Lesson Scripture — Matthew 5:1-20
1 — “And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.”
2 — “Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:”
3 — “‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.'”
4 — “‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.'”
5 — “‘Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.'”
6 — “‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.'”
7 — “‘Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.'”
8 — “‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.'”
9 — “‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.'”
10 — “‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.'”
11 — “‘Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.'”
12 — “‘Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.'”
13 — “‘You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.'”
14 — “‘You are the light of the world, A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.'”
15 — “‘Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.'”
16 — “‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.'”
17 — “‘Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.'”
18 — “‘For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot of one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.'”
19 — “‘Whosoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.'”
20 — “‘For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.'”
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Apostle Selection Completed
Lesson Scripture — Luke 6:12-15
12 — “Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray and continued all night in prayer to God.”
13 — “And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles:”
14 — “Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew,”
15 — “Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot, Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor.”
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Luke’s Description of the Sermon on the Mount
Lesson Scripture — Luke 6:17-23
17 — “And He came down with them and stood on the level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases,”
18 — “as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were healed.”
19 — “And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.”
20 — “Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said: ‘Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.'”
21 — “‘Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.'”
22 — “‘Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man’s sake.'”
23 — “‘Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, for in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.'”
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Prophecy Related to Matthew 5:1-20
v5 — Psalm 37:11 — “But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.”
v6 — Isaiah 55:1 — “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.”
v6 — Isaiah 65:13, 14
13 — “Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Behold, My servants shall eat, but you shall be hungry; behold, My servants shall drink, but you shall be thirsty; behold, My servants shall rejoice, but you shall be ashamed;'”
14 — “‘behold, My servants shall sing for joy of heart, but you shall cry for sorrow of heart, and wail for grief of spirit.'”
v7 — Psalm 41:1 — “Blessed is he who considers the poor; the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble.”
v8 — Psalm 15:1-5
1 — “Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill?”
2 — “He who walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart;”
3 — “He who does not backbite with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor, nor does he take up a reproach against his friend.”
4 — “In whose eyes a vile person is despised, but he honors those who fear the Lord; He who swears to his own hurt and does not change;”
5 — “He who does not put out his money at usury, nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.”
v8 — Psalm 24:3-5
3 — “Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or, who may stand in His holy place?”
4 — “He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully.”
5 — “He shall receive blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.”
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Prophecy Related to Luke 6:17-23
v21 — Isaiah 55:1 — “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the wters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.”
v21 — Isaiah 65:13
13 — “Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Behold, My servants shall eat, but you shall be hungry; behold, My servants shall drink, but you shall be thirsty; behold, My servants shall rejoice, but you shall be ashamed;'”
14 — “‘behold, My servants shall sing for joy of heart, but you shall cry for sorrow of heart, and wail for grief of spirit.'”
v21 — Isaiah 61:2, 3
2 — “To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn,”
3 — “to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”
v21 — Psalm 126:5, 6
5 — “Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy.”
6 — “He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.”
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New Testament Scriptures Related to Matthew 5:1-20
v1 — Mark 3:13 — “And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him.”
v2 — Matthew 7:28, 29
28 — “And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching,”
29 — “for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.”
v3 — Luke 6:20-23 — (See above.)
v4 — Revelation 21:4 — “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
v5 — Romans 4:13 — “For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.”
v6 — Luke 1:53 — “He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty.”
v8 — I Corinthians 13:12 — “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.”
v10 — I Peter 3:14-16
14 — “But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. ‘And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled (Isaiah 8:12).'”
15 — “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who askes you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;
16 — “having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.”
v11 — Luke 6:22 (See above.)
v12 — I Peter 4:12-14
12 — “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you;”
13 — “but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed you may also be glad–with exceeding joy.”
14 — “If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.”
v12 — Acts 7:52
52 — “Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers,”
53 — “who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it (Exodus 20:1).'”
v13 — Luke 14:34 — “Salt is good, but if the salt lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?'”
v14 — John 8:12 — “Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life.'”
v15 — Luke 8:16 — “No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light.'”
v16 — I Peter 2:11, 12
11 — “Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul.”
12 — “having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.”
v16 — John 15:8 — “By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so, you will be my disciples.'”
v17, 20 — Romans 10:3, 4
3 — “For they, being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.”
4 — “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”
v18 — Luke 16:17 — “‘And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail.'”
v19 — James 2:10 — “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.”
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New Testament Scriptures Related to Luke 6:17-23
v17 — Mark 3:7, 8
7 — “But Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea. And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea”
8 — “and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan, and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they hard how many things He was doing, came to Him.”
v19 — Matthew 9:21 — “For she said to herself, ‘If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well.'”
v19, 20 — Matthew 11:4-6
4 — “Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Go and tell John the things which you hear and see.'”
5 — “‘The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them,'”
6 — “‘and blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.'”
v20 — Matthew 5:3-12 — (See above.)
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Notes on Scripture: by tkbrown
I apologize for the absence of a post last week. Sometimes things happen and prevent me from completing a post. I do hope you will forgive me when that happens. Thank You!
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As we begin studying the Sermon on the Mount, I would like to note, I have included Jesus’ selection of His additional six apostles as depicted in Luke Chapter 6. Luke’s presentation shows this was immediately followed by the Sermon on the Mount.
The Sermon on the Mount covers much territory and lays the foundation for Christ’s ministry here on earth. For this reason, I will divide it into several parts in order to not overwhelm you, the reader, with too much information to be digested at one time. It is important to understand how Christ’s words tie-in to other Scripture in both the Old and the New Testament.
Christ’s ministry took place under the Old Covenant until His death, we will see the vail protecting the Ark of the Covenant rent into two pieces–top-to-bottom. On the day of Pentecost, Christ’s church was established with form. Prior to this time, His kingdom is always referenced as being ‘at hand.’ After the day of Pentecost, His kingdom is always noted ‘in the present form.’ This means His kingdom was publicly established on the Day of Pentecost — when His church was established with the baptizing of three thousand souls.
Hopefully, this information will help you to ‘rightly divide the word of truth’ as we study the course of Christ’s ministry. However, do your own studying to verify whatever I mention in my notes. Do not ever take another person’s word for what the Bible says. Your salvation depends upon this one factor. The scriptures I present above are directly from the Holy Bible (NKJV). When I make a comment in my notes, verify it in the scriptures. Events noted regarding the vail and Christ’s death will be reviewed as we come to them. Study for yourself and prove all that I put forth in my writing.
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In Matthew Chapter 5, Jesus’ teachings show the underdog as more likely to go to heaven than the upper crust. The underdog’s tendency is to present as more meek and merciful and to have faith that studying God’s Word and applying it to daily life leads to purer hearts and righteousness.
Jesus alerts those in his hearing of other people’s tendency to persecute and revile those who follow God–just as they persecuted the prophets. Christ suffered during His life here on earth, and many persecute Him now and deride His teachings and life as untrue. Jesus assures you, when someone persecutes you because you are patterning your life after Him and His teachings, they have their reward already.
These trials are God’s method of refining our Christian hearts and skimming off the impurities each time suffering occurs and is met with a Christ-like attitude. Just as gold must be molten, allowing impurities to rise to the top to be skimmed off, we as Christians must also be refined. We must grow in Christ, increasing in our ability to forgive and move on. This is how maturity in Christ is attained–one trial at a time. This is also how our lives become a living example amidst a sea of worldly souls. Our lives become the light–beacon, if you will–leading others to Christ. This is why we are the salt of the earth.
Never be ashamed to stand up for what is right and be different. This is what Christianity promotes. This, and our faith, is what makes us Christlike–awaiting a home with Him in heaven.
There are those who, even today, say Jesus came to destroy the Old Covenant. He assured the crowd and His apostles this was not so. He came to fulfill the Old Covenant, and until all is fulfilled and heaven and earth pass away, not one iota of the law is destroyed. Anyone who breaks the commandments set forth by the law and by Jesus will never be great in heaven. In order to see heaven, Jesus said our righteousness must be greater than that of the scribes and the Pharisees.
Moving on to Luke’s presentation of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, we see that just prior to this sermon, Jesus chose six more disciples to be a part of His twelve apostles. All followers of Christ were, and still are, known as His disciples. However, only thirteen have been called apostles of Christ. When Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus, he revealed his enslavement to Satan, with whom he will spend eternity. Saul of Tarsus was subsequently appointed as the replacement apostle. We know Saul as Paul. He was one of the most grateful, for his sins prior to conversion had been great, and he was the first to admit this. Thus, he worked hard to teach others about Christ and His salvation.
Luke words his portrayal of the Sermon on the Mount a bit different, as we have seen in previous lessons, but it means much the same. He shows that those who have little are more likely to seek God through Christ and to be blessed. Those who have much are not interested in God’s blessings.
In the next lesson, we will continue reviewing the Sermon on the Mount. This is where the parables begin. Each teaches a valuable lesson for living the Christian life. Come back and join us in the feast God’s Word and Christ’s teachings provide, leading to the ultimate reward of a home with Them in heaven. Have a Blessed Week in Christ’s love!
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Lesson One -- Scripture: Zacharias to Have Son . . . Lesson Two -- Scripture: Jesus Birth Foretold . . . Lesson Three -- Scripture: Zacharias' Son, John, is Born . . . Lesson Four -- Scripture: Jesus is Born . . . Lesson Five -- Scripture: And Jesus Grew . . . Lesson Six -- Scripture: John Begins His Ministry . . . Lesson Seven -- Scripture: Jesus is Introduced to the World . . . Lesson Eight -- Scripture: Jesus' Ancestral Lineage Lesson Nine -- Scripture: Jesus is Tempted By Satan Lesson Ten -- Scripture: Jesus Begins His Ministry (Part 1) Lesson Eleven -- Scripture: Jesus Begins His Ministry (Part 2) ~~~~~~~~~~ Photo above by: kieutruongphoto @pixabay.com. ~~~~~~~~~~
by tkbrown 