Exalting Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount

Danny Akin, Daniel L. Akin

• Publisher: Holman Reference
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN:
  9780805496673
• eBook ISBN:
  9780805496697
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Commentary

Exalting Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount is part of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series. Edited by David Platt, Daniel L. Akin, and Tony Merida, this new commentary series, projected to be 48 volumes, takes a Christ-centered approach to expositing each book of the Bible. Rather than a verse-by-verse approach, the authors have crafted chapters that explain and apply key passages in their assigned Bible books.

Readers will learn to see Christ in all aspects of Scripture, and they will be encouraged by the devotional nature of each exposition presented as sermons and divided into chapters that conclude with a “Reflect & Discuss” section, making this series ideal for small group study, personal devotion, and even sermon preparation. It’s not academic but rather presents an easy reading, practical and friendly commentary.

The author of Exalting Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount is Daniel L. Akin.

Sermon on the Mount

How Are Citizens of the Kingdom to Live among the Nations?

Matthew 5:1-12

Main Idea: God’s people can delight in their call to live differently, knowing that true blessing comes from submission to and dependence on God who will reward them as they become more like Jesus.

I. Delight in Your Spiritual Bankruptcy apart from God’s Grace (5:1-3).

II. Delight in Your Deep Grief over Sin because God Will Comfort You (5:4).

III. Delight in Your Dependence on and in Your Submission to God, and He Will Reward You (5:5).

IV. Delight in Your Longing for God, and See God Satisfy You in Him (5:6).

V. Delight in Graciously Helping Others, Knowing God Will Graciously Help You (5:7).

VI. Delight in a Clean and Pure Heart, for You Will Enjoy Eternal Fellowship with God (5:8).

VII. Delight in Being a Peacemaker because It Gives Evidence that You Are a Child of the God of Peace (5:9).

VIII. Delight in Inevitable Persecution because You Will Receive a Great Reward, and You Are in Good Company (5:10-12).

Over the years I have heard more than once, “This is the greatest sermon ever preached by the greatest preacher who ever lived.” The reference is to the “Sermon on the Mount” of Matthew 5–7, a title given to the sermon first by Augustine (AD 354–430) (Quarles, Sermon, 6). Now, not everyone would agree with this judgment. Ayn Rand, author of Atlas Shrugged, “regarded its prescriptions as among the vilest ever uttered. . . . She [also] regarded Christian morality as a poison” (Hart, “Trouble,” 18). In contrast, Mahatma Gandhi praised the writing and said, “[T]he Sermon on the Mount . . . went straight to my heart” (Ghandi, 68).

As we prepare to walk through this gold mine of biblical truth, it might be helpful to gather a few facts about the sermon itself. First, we find a Reader’s Digest version of the sermon in Luke 6:20-49. Second, the sermon does not teach men and women how to live to get into the kingdom but how men and women in the kingdom should live. This is a discipleship discourse. Third, its teaching is to be personally applied to us today, as citizens of God’s kingdom, though there is a now/not yet reality to our citizenship: we are kingdom citizens now, but we await the full manifestation of that kingdom when Jesus returns. Fourth, Luke’s account especially (but also Matthew’s) is a beautiful balance of both the positive and the negative, and its breadth is extensive. It deals with

attitudes	love	the inner man	discipleship
conflicts	giving	works	obedience
opposition	enemies	discernment	true loyalty
money	rewards	judgmental attitudes	wisdom
materialism	mercy	prayer	true reality
flattery	hypocrisy	forgiveness	true security

Fifth, both accounts are certainly a summation or condensed version of a much longer, more detailed sermon. Jesus preached for more than ten minutes! Sixth, it is the first of five major discourses in Matthew’s Gospel.

Discourse 1 5–7

Discourse 2 10

Discourse 3 13

Discourse 4 18

Discourse 5 24–25

Matthew’s Gospel portrays Jesus as a new and greater Moses. He is the greater lawgiver and prophet promised in Deuteronomy 18:15-20. Seventh, the sermon consists of three basic types of discourse material: (a) beatitudes, (b) ethical admonitions, and (c) contrasts between the teachings of Jesus and the traditions of the scribes and Pharisees.

Eighth, there are numerous interpretive approaches to the sermon:

1. Utopian ideal ethic—teachings are impossible, unrealistic demands in this age.
2. Millennial ethic—teachings apply to the future kingdom of Revelation 20.
3. Spiritual elite ethic—teachings are only for the truly spiritual.
4. Eschatological (end-time) ethic—believing the end of the age was imminent, Jesus gave principles for such an impending period. Thus, the sermon provides only an “interim ethic.”
5. Intentional/internal ethic—one’s intention and internal motivation is the thrust of the sermon.
6. Call to repentance—the sermon’s intent is to reveal our spiritual impotency and drive us to repentance.
7. Principles of life for kingdom citizens—the sermon is a charter of conduct for Jesus’s followers at any time in any age. This view sees God’s kingdom as inaugurated in the first century, currently present, and still awaiting complete consummation at Christ’s second coming.

This last is the best understanding and easily incorporates views E and F. As Sinclair Ferguson well says, “The sermon is a description of the lifestyle of those who belong to the Kingdom” (Sermon, 3), what Augustine called “a perfect standard of the Christian life” (Serm. Dom. 1.1.1).

The sermon begins with a preamble known as “The Beatitudes” (5:3-12), eight declarations or pronouncements of blessing that possibly draw on Moses’s words in Deuteronomy 33:29. The word “beatitude” comes from the Latin word beatus, meaning “happy” or “blessed.” The Greek word is makarios. The word captures the idea of those who are the fortunate and blessed recipients of God’s grace and favor (Quarles, Sermon, 42). It is, therefore, more than an emotion. As Donald Hagner notes, “It refers to the deep inner joy of those who have long awaited the salvation promised by God and who now begin to experience its fulfillment” (Matthew 1–13, 91). For our study I will use the word delight. I believe it will serve us well.

Preachers commonly do individual sermons on each beatitude. This is a tempting approach, but I have chosen to take them as a group to experience their full impact. Citizens of God’s kingdom, having been redeemed by Christ and brought into this kingdom, are to live a certain kind of way among the nations. Here we learn what it means to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world (5:13-16). Let’s delight and take joy in this high and holy calling from our King!

Delight in Your Spiritual Bankruptcy apart from God’s Grace

Matthew 5:1-3

With the crowds flocking to him (4:23-25), Jesus ascends a mountain, likely located on the northern coast of the Sea of Galilee. Taking the traditional posture of a teacher or rabbi, this new and greater Moses (e.g., greater Lawgiver; cf. Deut 18:15-20) sits down, gathers his disciples around him (v. 1), and “[begins] to teach them” (v. 2). There are two concentric circles of listeners: the inner circle is his disciples, and the outer circle is the crowds.

The eight beatitudes all begin with the word “blessed.” The first begins, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” Why? It’s because “the kingdom of heaven is theirs.” Those who see themselves as a spiritual beggar and a pauper before God,...

Table of contents

• Acknowledgments
• Series Introduction
• The Sermon on the Mount
• The Power and Purpose of Our Witness to the World 5:13-16
• What Did Jesus Believe about the Bible? 5:17-20
• Are You Right with Your Brothers and Sisters? 5:21-26
• The Deadly Lure of Lust 5:27-30
• What Did Jesus Say about Divorce? 5:31-32; 19:3-9
• Jesus’s Wisdom on How to Talk to Others and How to Treat Others 5:33-42
• Love Your Enemies: It Is the Way of Jesus 5:43-48
• Are We Playing the Hypocrite? 6:1-8, 16-18
• The Lord’s Prayer 6:9-15
• The Imperishable Riches of the Kingdom of God 6:19-24
• Have Faith in God; He’s on His Throne 6:25-34
• To Judge or Not to Judge: An Important Question 7:1-6
• A Golden Promise and the Golden Rule 7:7-12
• The Choice Is Yours! 7:13-23
• How to Be Wise and Not a Fool 7:24-29
• Works Cited
• Scripture Index