November 20, 2009—Sermon on the Mount
Scripture: Matthew 5, 6, 7
And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
Matthew 7:28-29
Observation
The Sermon on the Mount has to be one of the most amazing and challenging sections in all of Scripture. It concludes by saying that the crowds were astonished at Jesus’ teaching, which came with authority.
The law of Moses already had proven to be an impossible standard for people to keep flawlessly, and now Jesus came on the scene and essentially said, “You thought the bar was high? I’m going to raise it much higher!”
Application
So much higher, in fact, that it is impossible. The only person in history ever capable of fulfilling the standard set in the Sermon on the Mount is Jesus himself. Then he gave himself as a worthy sacrifice to pay my penalty for falling short of God’s righteousness.
As I seek Jesus daily and abide in his presence, allowing the Holy Spirit to change and mold my life, I have the opportunity to increasingly look like the person the Sermon on the Mount describes. And where I fail, I have the covering of his forgiveness.
Prayer
Jesus, thank you for fulfilling the amazing standard you set in the Sermon on the Mount. I want to look more and more like you as I live each day. Please work in my heart today. I want to be able to experience the reality of “Blessed are the meek [praus], for they shall inherit the earth.” Amen.
