So, what is Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) all about?
Genuine Faith: Over and over Jesus says that authentic Christian faith is rooted in the heart. A God-honoring life involves more than saying the right words (note “Lord, Lord” in 7:22). Nor can genuine Christian experience be reduced to squeaky clean outward behavior (remember: hate is a kind of murder, and lust is a kind of adultery, 5:21-30). Bottom line: good words and good behavior will not suffice one day when God will judge the HEART.
Sure Hope: The Sermon on the Mount is famous for its many bold challenges. But beneath it all is a glorious hope of life and eternal joy in Jesus! He promises that, despite our struggles, we have his “blessing” (5:3-12); he assures us we’ll be rewarded by the Father for our secret prayer, giving, & fasting (6:1-18); he leads us away from destructive anxiety (6:25-34); he assures us that the Father gives “good gifts” to his children who ask (7:11—and, of course, the greatest gift is his love!); and he points the way down the narrow path that leads to true, eternal life (7:13-27). So, don’t be overwhelmed by the challenges: Jesus offers grand HOPE.
Two Pathways: Over and over Jesus paints a picture of life with two alternatives—not three or ten or forty-four … but two. Yes, Jesus is “either/or”; yes, this is binary thinking at which some people recoil: “Surely there must be a ‘third way’; we mustn’t be so simplistic!” But if we’re going to take the Bible seriously, we cannot miss Jesus’ either/or approach: We’re salt in a decaying world and light in a dark age; we serve either God or money; people store up treasure either on earth or in heaven; there’s the wide path to destruction and the narrow way to life; there are good trees bearing good fruit and bad trees bad fruit; you can build your life on shifting sand or on the rock of Jesus Christ. … It’s one way or the other. Jesus is the fork in the road.
So, what way will you turn? Which path are you taking?
