Youth DCLM Search the Scripture 13 March 2022 | Lesson 11 || Sermon On The Mount
Youth DCLM Search the Scripture 13 March 2022
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YOUTH STS LESSON 11 -SERMON ON THE MOUNT
TEXT: Matthew 5-7, Luke 6:17-49; 13:22-30.
MEMORY VERSE: “And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain and when he was set, His disciples came to him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying: (Matt 5:1,2)
The Sermon on the Mount is a practical message or discourse which our Lord Jesus Christ have to
His followers and disciples. This sermon covers chapters five to seven of the book of gospel according to Saint Matthew. It is known as the longest recorded sermon of our Lord.
Youth DCLM Search the Scripture 13 March 2022 | Lesson 11
Question 1: Why do we call this message of Christ ‘Sermon on the Mount’?
Jesus preached this message on a mountain. The sermon was directed to the multitude that was
gathered to hear Him. Jesus Christ used the opportunity of the gathering of the crowd to minister
unto them. Christian youths must (like Christ) use every opportunity to preach wherever crowd are
gathered, be it at football field, morning assembly ground in schools, bus stops, marketplace or any
other place where crowds are.
The Sermon on the Mount describes what the Christian life of youths should be like while we live
here on earth, in our thoughts, words and actions. The Sermon on the Mount is aimed at exposing
man’s sin, pointing him to Jesus Christ, demonstrating a way to happiness, showing him how to live
a life that is pleasing to the Lord. It is an exposition of the doctrines of the kingdom of God, pattern
of godliness expected of kingdom citizens and precepts for daily Christian living. Our Lord Jesus
Christ in this sermon, used both symbols and imagery to emphasise basic truths about Christianity
so that youths may understand the demands of God’s kingdom and requisite qualifications for
heaven.
1. THE PRECEPT AND THE BLESSEDNESS OF KINGDOM LIFESTYLE
Matt 5:1-12; Luke 6:20-23; Psalm 42:1,2; 2 Cor 5:20; 1 Pet 1:15,16
“And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples
came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying” (Matt 5:1,2). The Lord Jesus began to teach the people about life in the Kingdom. Youth gathering or programme in the church is not for entertainment, but to preach and teach the word of God. Bible-based preaching brings sinners to repentance, transforms lives, matures young converts, establishes believers and grounds them in the faith. The Lord’s sermon on this mount began with what is generally referred to as the “Beatitudes”.
Question 2: What do you understand by the word “Beatitude”
The word “beatitude” has been translated, blessed’, ‘happy’ ‘fortunate’ or highly favoured’. It explains the spiritual state of those who practice the precepts of the Kingdom and live out the practical holy lifestyle.
i. “Blessed are the poor in spirit….” (Matt 5:3). The first of the beatitudes teaches on poverty of
the spirit. The poor in spirit are youths who are quick to acknowledge their sins, genuinely
repent of them and turn to God with their whole hearts. Such humble minds, like King David
(Psalm 51:3,4) and the thief on the cross (Luke 23:39-43) received pardon from the Lord. When
a youth acknowledges his or her sins and genuinely turns away from them, he or she becomes
qualified for heaven.
ii. “Blessed are they that mourn…” The second beatitude focuses on those who mourn or cry for
sin. The mourner who is blessed is heart-broken because he sees the effect of sin in his life.
God’s promise for the mourners is that “they shall be comforted”.
iii. “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth”. The third is on meekness. A meek
youth is gentle and does not retaliate or revenge when offended. God commended Moses for
being meek (Numbers 12:3). God wants His children to be meek (Matt 11:29).
iv. Fourth, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled”. To hunger and thirst after righteousness is to have intense desire for more of God. It
is to pant after the nature of God with great passion. “As the hart panteth after the water
brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living
God: when shall I come and appear before God?” (Psalm 42:1,2). Knowing more of God
should be the burning desire in the heart of every godly youth.
v. The fifth beatitude teaches about mercy. “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain
mercy”. Believers should show mercy even to the undeserving, just like God showed us when
we were sinners (1 Pet 1:3).vi. The Sixth is purity of heart. “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God”. God demands holiness because He is holy and all those who want to see Him at last must be holy (1 Pet 1:15,16).
vii. Seventh, “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God”.
Believers are also called to be peacemakers and to follow peace with all men. One who preaches
to reconcile sinners to God is a peacemaker.
viii. Lastly, “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven”. Persecution is part of the Christian life (Mark 10:30; 1 Peter 2:21); when
it comes, we are to take it in good fate. If anyone suffers as a Christian, he or she should rejoice
because there is reward for such in heaven.
Youth DCLM Search the Scripture 13 March 2022 | Lesson 11
2. THE POSITION OF THE LORD ON CHRISTIAN CHARACTER AND THE LAW
Matt 5:13-48; 6:1; Mark 4:21; Luke 8:16; 11:33; Eph 5:11,13
The Lord likens believing youths to salt. As salt, our lives should possess its properties; (i) Being
white and pure; (ii) Being able to prevent decay and corruption; (iii) Seasoning by making the world
a better place to live. Our Lord also refers to believers as the light of the world. Light shows the way
(Neh 9:12). We are to be examples of righteous living in our homes, schools and society. We are not
to join multitude around us in their sinful practices, but be distinct so as to be able to point the way.
Light also reveals. When light comes, it exposes things kept in the dark. “Let your light so shine
before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven”
(Matt 5:16).
Furthermore, the Lord corrected the erroneous belief that He had come to destroy the law: “Think
not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil”
(Matt 5:17).
Question 3: What does the Law refer to in this context?
The Law here refers to all the five books of Moses and its commandments. The prophets include all
the books written by the prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and other prophets, major or
minor. There are three types of law viz: sacrificial law, ceremonial law and moral law. Jesus actually
came to fulfil the Law.
All the sacrifices and ceremonies of the Old Testament foreshadowed Him (Hebrews 10:1). He is the perfect Lamb that was sacrificed for the sin of the whole world, to fulfil the requirement of the Law. However, the moral law remains and its commands are actually restated and reemphasised by Christ in the New Testament. Hence the Lord expects that we keep and teach them. “…whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt 5:19).
The Lord warns against shallow and pretended righteousness as practised by the Pharisees. Strict
adherence to the dos and don’ts of the ceremonial and sacrificial law in negligent of the moral law
attracts the displeasure of the Lord. Focusing on outward forms of righteousness without inward
purity makes an individual a hypocrite because there is a disconnection between what is seen by
others and what is practised in the secret.
Youth DCLM Search the Scripture 13 March 2022 | Lesson 11
3. PROPER PERCEPTION AND INTERPRETATION OF THE LAW
Matt 5:21-7:29; 19:18; Gal 5:19; Matt 19:3-19; Luke 6:27; 11:2
The Lord proceeds to interpret some Old Testament commands which the Pharisees, by their carnal
and selfish interpretation, had corrupted. His interpretation of the Old Testament exposes the hollow and self-serving interpretation of the Pharisees and lays emphasis on the spirit of the word rather than the letter. “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and
whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever
is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment…” (Matt 5:21,22).
All killings have anger at its root. Through anger, Cain slew his brother. To overcome the problem of
anger, one must be genuinely converted. Anger must be dealt with before it brings the victim into
danger. “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed
adultery with her already in his heart” (Matt 5:27,28). Here the Lord talks about what constitutes
adultery (Matt 5:27,28). Lust in the heart brings adultery (James 1:14,15).
Our Lord explains that those who committed the real act and those who did it through mere thought are alike guilty before God. That also calls for a regeneration of the heart, a determination to mortify the deeds of the flesh through the Spirit (Romans 8:13), a decision to remove and refrain from objects that can inflame the passion, like pornographic materials, or getting too close to the opposite gender. It is in that sense that the Lord commands us to “pluck” out the eyes or “cut” off the hands that could lead us to sin.
Besides, divorce and remarriage while the other partner is still alive constitutes adultery. “It hath
been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement; But
I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication,
causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth
adultery” (Matt 5:31,32). In contradiction to the prevalent practice of divorcing the wife for every
cause, Jesus taught that marriage is a life-time commitment and should not be tampered with. It is
one man one wife without divorce or remarriage and no unscriptural co-habitation (Matt 19:4-6; 1
Cor 7:2; John 4:16-18). Youth DCLM Search the Scripture 13 March 2022 | Lesson 11
Our Lord proceeds to correct the false interpretation on the law of swearing. People in the Old
Testament were forbidden to lie swear falsely. Today, Christian youth are commanded, “Swear not
at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne” (Matt 5:34). It is profane to swear with anything
God has made or our life because it belongs to God. Rather, our words should be our bond. “Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth” (Matt 5:38). Though
this was given as a rule to guide the judges in their dispensation of justice, it teaches non-retaliation for children of God. It should not be extended to private conduct where an individual takes the law into his or her hands.
Turning the other cheek is an expression suggesting that the believer should be ready to suffer or go the extra-mile for righteousness’ sake (1 Pet 2:19,20). The chapter wraps up with the message on love. “Ye have heard that it has been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, love your enemies…” (Matt 5:43,44). To many, this is strange because enemies should be hated or set up for destruction. But in the kingdom of God, this is not so.
Question 4: Why should believers love their enemies?
Loving our enemies makes for the possibility of conversion (Rom 12:20). It also makes us to be like
our heavenly Father (Matt 5:44,45). If Stephen and other apostles of Christ had prayed for the
destruction of Saul who later became Paul, Christendom and humanity would have been at a great
loss. True believers are to imitate their heavenly Father’s disposition towards all men, be non-
discriminating, ready to be kind and benevolent to all. By so doing, we shall be “perfect, even as
ſour] Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matt 5:48). Youth DCLM Search the Scripture 13 March 2022 | Lesson 11
Jesus also denounced the undue emphasis on outward religious practices among the religious groups of His day. A practice He condemned as hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is the bane of Christian living and service. It is doing a good action before men with a design to gain praise and honour to ourselves. Christ addressed the subjects of alms giving, prayer and fasting, etc. While these should be practised by believers regularly, the Lord calls attention to the possibility of not attracting any reward from God because of the disposition and intent of the heart while doing them. God sees our hearts, while men only see the outward expression of piety.
Alms should be given because we want to help the poor, not because we want public praise or to draw attention to ourselves. In the same vein, prayer should be a sincere request from the heart, otherwise, there will be no reward. From verses 9-15 of chapter 6, the Lord gives us a model of prayer as a pattern to guide us on what our focus and priorities should be when we pray.
This Lord’s prayer is not meant to be recited on every occasion or as an attachment at the end of our prayer session.
Question 5: What lesson can we draw from the content of the Lord’s prayer?
The lessons to be drawn from the Lord’s prayer include: One, recognising the Fatherhood of God;
knowing that He is willing to listen to and answer our petitions as a loving Father (Matthew 7:11).
Two, giving honour and reverence to the King of kings. Three, desiring that His kingdom and
Lordship be established on earth. Four, prioritising God’s will above other things. Five, submitting
to do His will here on earth. Six, asking Him to provide the necessities of life for us. Seven, seeking
pardon for our sins and mistakes. Eight, expressing our readiness to forgive other people’s offences
against us so that we also can be forgiven. Nine, praying to be preserved from temptations and evil
by our heavenly Father.
The Lord also taught that fasting should be done to draw heaven’s attention to our needs and not as an act of outward piety. Fasting was instituted as a means of drawing closer to God. Moreover, the Lord admonishes believers to be heaven-minded, laying much emphasis on their spiritual lives and how to get to heaven than to spend all their lives getting earthly wealth that shall perish (2 Pet 3:10-12). Single-minded pursuit of the things of God would make a believer serve God with undivided attention.
Matthew chapter six closes with warning against worry and anxiety. “Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?” (Matt 6:25). The Lord supported this warning with comparisons between His children and lesser creatures – birds of the air and lilies of the field. If God cared for them, He will care for us. Ours is to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and other things shall be given to us (Matt 6:33).
Moving to the third and last chapter of the Sermon on the Mount, Christ warns believers against
being critical or judgmental (Matt 7:1-5). “Judge not, that ye be not judged” (Matt 7:1). Rather, we
are to judge ourselves and make sure we are constantly looking forward to the coming of the Lord (1 Cor 11:31; 4:5). Besides, when we get busy judging others, we ignore our own faults that should be corrected. Then the Lord turns His attention again to the subject of prayer. He had warned that it should not be employed as a means of outward piety or show but as a duty towards God. Here, He reveals prayer as a means of obtaining our requests from God. He said, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matt 7:7). The believer should come to God with a positive attitude of receiving every request according to His will (1 John 5:14). Youth DCLM Search the Scripture 13 March 2022 | Lesson 11
We are admonished to keep asking until the needs are met. This is immediately followed by what is termed generally as the Golden Rule. “Therefore, all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets” (Matt 7:12). Adopting this
as a rule of life is said to make an individual impartial, honest, candid, just and fair.
Christ also shows that there are but two gates into eternity; the one which leads to eternal life is
“strait” or narrow; and the other to eternal damnation is “broad” or wide. The narrow way does not
accommodate the vices that heaven forbids (Rev 21:27). Everyone is admonished to enter through
the narrow gate because it is the way that leads to life eternal. Another warning is that we should becareful of false prophets. False prophets will multiply as we move close to the end (Matthew
24:4,5,11). Satan will send a lot of his agents into the world to deceive as many as possible so that
they might be damned. False prophets are known by their works; they deceive through their words
(Matthew 24:5); and they engage in false worship which is designed for show (Matt 23:5).
Finally, the Lord draws attention to the danger of self-deception. Many hear the word of God but do
not do it; yet, they claim they are children of God. True worshippers and candidates of heaven both
hear and obey the word of God. That is the meaning of building our houses on the rock. “Therefore,
whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock” (Matt 7:24).
But hearers only build their houses on sand. “And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it” (Matt 7:27). When the Lord was done with the sermon, every one present recognised the power and authority in the word of God. Believers are to do no less through the anointing and power of the Holy Spirit so that our hearers can be blessed. Youth DCLM Search the Scripture 13 March 2022 | Lesson 11
