Sermon on the Mount Ever wonder about what it was like to hear Jesus speak in person? Find out in this rendition of Matthew 5-7.

Proverbs 1-9
Discover what the wisest man who ever lived says about right paths in life.

Ecclesiastes
Discover how this most cynical book in the Bible reveals the secrets to purpose in life.

Sermon On the Mount
The Greek and Roman empires lasted for centuries and no one would deny that those civilizations have had a profound influence on history and continue to reverberate in our culture today. In the midst of Greek and Roman society, in an obscure corner of the world, Jesus spoke for about twenty minutes in his “Sermon on the Mount”. How is it that those few words have more powerfully impacted history than all the centuries of Greco-Roman culture combined? There can be no explanation other that that of the Roman centurion who stood at the foot of the cross when Jesus died, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”

Experience the powerful words of Christ as David Baldwin presents "The Sermon on the Mount" word-for-word. David uses a few simple props and multimedia where venues permit. Unabridged, the Sermon on the Mount runs 20 minutes.

For more information Contact Word2Life.

Reflections on
"The Sermon on the Mount"

If you want to learn what the Bible has to say about love, you’d probably want to check out the love chapter – I Corinthians 13. If you want to learn about wisdom, you’d read Proverbs – a book near the middle of the Bible chalked full of sage advice. But if you want to learn about Christian Living, then you would turn to the Sermon on the Mount. The Sermon on the Mount is all about how to have right attitudes and actions before God.

The Sermon on the Mount is a goldmine of truth. We could spend a lot of time digging into it and unearth all sorts of wonderful treasures. Although this isn’t the place to camp out and explore each nook and cranny of Jesus’ words, we can take a moment get a bird’s eye view - to explore the Cliff Notes’ version - which can be helpful to garner an overall understanding.

Let’s take a look at a couple of examples of attitudes and actions. One of the subjects Jesus addresses in the Sermon on the Mount is murder. If a man commits murder then we would certainly all agree that that is a terrible crime. But it’s only a reflection of what’s already in that man’s heart - attitudes of hate and anger.

On the other hand consider someone like Mother Thersea. Her life was full of kind, selfless acts. These actions flowed from a merciful and pure heart – from right attitudes before God.

Right Attitudes Before God

"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
--Mt 5:3-10

Now, here’s the important thing; the one thing you’ll want to remember as you consider Christ’s words in the Sermon on the Mount: the prerequisite attitude - that one attitude of the believer from which all other Godly attitudes and actions spring. “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” To be poor in spirit is to be humble; to realize that we have no merit to stand on our own two feet before God.

I once went through a program called Evangelism Explosion. Every Monday night we would go out and knock on doors with the hope of winning people to Christ. One of the questions we would ask people is “If you were to die tonight and stand before God, what reason would you give him to let you into heaven.” The typical answer was, “I’ve lived a pretty good life.” Well that’s great, but that’s not enough. The Bible says our most righteous acts are as filthy rags before God. Before we can approach God we need to recognize this. We must be poor in spirit.

Once we recognize how truly poor in spirit we are before God, all kinds of possibilities open up:

• If you’re poor in spirit, than you can develop an attitude of repentance.
“Blessed are those who morn, for they will be comforted.” Have you developed an attitude of sorrow for your sin? I’ve got good news for you, God himself will comfort you.

• If you are poor in spirit you can develop an attitude of meekness.
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” You might consider meekness a long-term submissiveness before God - a life that is characterized by obedience over the years.

• If you are poor in spirit you can become righteous.
“Blessed are those who hunger thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”

• If you are poor in spirit you can develop an attitude of mercy and gentleness.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”

• Poverty of spirit is the prerequisite to having a pure heart.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” Isn’t that a marvelous promise? We start with poverty of spirit, we develop a pure heart, and our reward is that we will see God.

Exploring Actions that Flow from Correct Attitudes

What actions flow from correct attitudes? In chapter 6, the middle portion of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus lists three ‘acts of righteousness’.

Giving

Prayer

Fasting

Giving

1"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
2"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Notice that when describing giving Jesus says “When you give” not “If you give”. It’s expected that the believer will be generous. Do you tithe? Good, God expects that of you. Do you look for opportunities to be generous? This pleases God. However, be careful not to give to be seen by men for this is giving that flows from an incorrect attitude; an attitude that is not based on poverty of spirit but on pride.

Prayer

5"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Another action that flows from correct attitudes before God is prayer. Notice that Jesus doesn’t say ‘If you pray’, rather he says ‘When you pray’. The believer’s life should be characterized by prayerfulness. This pleases God. But if you pray to be seen by men this is evidence of an incorrect attitude and you can expect to receive nothing from God.

Fasting

16"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 17But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

The last act of righteousness that Jesus describes as flowing from correct attitudes before God is fasting. Notice that Jesus doesn’t say ‘If you fast’. He says ‘When you fast’. There is no more neglected spiritual discipline today than fasting. If you don’t fast you’re missing out on a major tool for knowing God and making great strides in the kingdom of God. There’s something about fasting that seems to cause God to sit forward on his throne in heaven and call to the heavenly host surrounding him “Have you considered my servant? He’s making a great sacrifice so that he might know me.” If you fast, and do so with a correct attitude, God will reward you.

The Results of Correct Attitudes and Actions

Jesus sprinkles through out his sermon evidences that you will see in a believer who is practicing correct attitudes and actions before God.

A Bright Light in a Dark Place
The world is a dark place. But by practicing right attitudes and actions before God you will be a lighthouse by which others can find their way.
A Worry Free Life
Chapter 6 ends with Jesus saying rather wryly “34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
A Fruitful Life
Jesus says:

15"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.”
Stand Strong in Times of Trial
Jesus closes his sermon with a parable:

24"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

Note that Jesus does not say “If storms come.” He says “When the storms come.” You will have trials in life. It is inevitable. However, if you will be careful to build your life on the words of Christ, you can be certain that no matter what challenges come your way, you will stand strong.