Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
"The Sermon on the Mount and progressive revelation: We recognize in the Bible a system of doctrine, a line of teaching, a progressive, historical revelation ... Comparing Exodus or Matthew with Ephesians, for example, it is evident that God has dealt differently with men of different ages, according to their knowledge of Himself. There has been development and progress, historically, in the knowledge of God and His purposes ... Let us consider briefly the subject of the Messianic kingdom, for example: (1) The kingdom was promised in Old Testament times (Jer 23:5). (2) It was proclaimed at hand during our Lord's earthly ministry (Matt 4:17). (3) It was offered at Pentecost, after the death and resurrection of Christ (Acts 3:19-21). (4) It was rejected as the book of Acts shows (Acts 7:54-8:3; 28:25-28). (5) It was postponed and is being held in abeyance until a future time (Matt 23:39); Rom 11:25). (6) Finally, when our Lord returns to judge and reign, the kingdom will be established on earth (Rom 11:26). Then, for the first time since the fall of man, this world will become a scene of true peace, prosperity and blessing. The establishment of the kingdom of Christ on earth is the very goal of Old Testament prophecy, but the epistles of Paul explain how the prophetic program was interrupted by grace. Thus the true condition of this world today can be understood only as we recognize progressive revelation in Scripture." (Stam)
"To understand the Sermon the Mount we should bear in mind that our Lord, while on earth, was, and taught His disciples to be subject the Law of Moses (Matt 22:2-3) ... In case after case our Lord quotes the Law of Moses, or the general teachings about the Law and then sets an even higher standard, judging the very motives of the heart. Clearly, then, 'the fullness of the time,' referred to by Paul in Gal 3:13 and 4:4-5, had not yet come, for rather than redeeming His hearers from what Paul calls 'the curse of the law,' our Lord made His precepts and prohibitions even more searching and binding. And this for a very good reason. It was meant to impress further upon men their depraved condition and the impossibility of their rendering perfect obedience to God — hence their deep need of a Saviour. As with the Law, the Sermon on the Mount taught its greatest lesson historically. It demonstrated that man needs Christ, not first as a King to reign over him and show him a felicitous way of life, but as a Savior to pay the penalty for his sins and deliver him from the judgment to come. We freely concede to the preachers of the 'social gospel' that the Sermon on the Mount teaches good government, good human relations, and good conduct in general, but it does not deal with the utter impossibility of fallen man achieving this goal, human nature being what it is. The time for this had not yet come. But will human nature ever change? Will such happy relations as described in the Sermon on the Mount ever actually exist? Yes, they will, when Christ returns to earth to reign. It is in connection with the coming Messianic kingdom that the 'new covenant with the house of Israel with the house of Judah' will be fulfilled (Jer 31:31-34; Ezek 36:24-28). According to the terms of this covenant God says to His erring people: 'And I will put My spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statues, and ye shall keep My judgments and do them (Ezek 36:27)." (Stam)
on the mountain - "Chapters 5-7 contain the widely known and loved Sermon on the Mount. It is one of the five long discourses by Christ found in Matthew, the others being 9:35-10:42; 13:1-52; 17:24-18:35; and 23:1-25:46. The Sermon on the Mount does not present the way of salvation but the way of righteous living for those who are in God's family, contrasting the new Way with 'old one' of the scribes and the Pharisees. For the Jews of Christ's day this message was a detailed explanation of 'Repent' (3:2); 4:17). It was also an elaboration of the spirit of the law (5:17, 21-22, 27-28). For all of us it is a detailed revelation of the righteousness of God, and its principles are applicable to the children of God today." (Ryrie)
"The first question we must ask in considering the Sermon on the Mount is: To whom was our Lord addressing His remarks? To all men? Most assuredly not, for not only was He sent to none 'but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel,' but he clearly instructed His apostles not to go to the Gentiles, or even to the Samaritans, but only to 'the lost sheep of the house of Israel' (Matt 15:24; 10:5-6). But He was not even addressing the people of Israel as such at this time, for we read that 'seeing the multitudes, He went up into a mountain' and that there He addressed 'His disciples' (Matt 5:1). Indeed, all through this sermon our Lord distinguishes His disciples, His followers, from the world, even the religious world, about them." (Stam)
Blessed - "The Beatitudes (Blessed means 'happy') describe the inner qualities of a follower of Christ and promise him blessings in the future. They contrast sharply the characteristics of the Pharisees, who were proud, thinking they had already attained righteousness." (Ryrie)
are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven - "The millennial kingdom will be made up, not of those who are spiritually smug and self-satisfied, but rather of those who realize their spiritual need. There is nothing that God hates like pride, and it will not be tolerated under the reign of Christ. Rather His kingdom will be built on humility and love. But sinners today are not asked to be anything to inherit a position in Christ, but only to trust in Him who died for our sins." (Stam)
are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted - "There are many Old Testament Scriptures which indicate that Israel will not be saved until she turns in repentance to her crucified and long-rejected Messiah. This will be the occasion of her 'mourning.' Then, and not until then, will the prophecies be fulfilled (Zech 13:1; Isa 40:1-2; Isa 51:11-12). The historical order of the events discussed in these verses are clearly brought out in one brief passage in Isa 61:1-3: 'The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion—to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.'" (Stam)
are the pure in heart, for they shall see God - "This beatitude, like all the others, is based upon Old Testament Scripture. Indeed it is one of the great Millennial Psalms, Psalm 24, that our Lord seems to be referring to here. The 3rd and 4th verse of this Psalm read: 'Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in His holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart...'" (Stam)
are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven AND are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account AND rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven - "It should be observed that verses 10-12 are actually one beatitude, having to do with the persecution through which our Lord's disciples were to pass. Thus the Beatitudes open and close with the promise to our Lord's faithful followers that 'theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Vers. 3,10,11) ... But were not our Lord's disciples looking forward to reigning with Him in Heaven? Not, for the kingdom of heaven is to be set up on earth (Jer 23:5; Lk 2:14; Matt 5:5; 6:10). These and a host of other passages regarding the coming kingdom should help us to understand God's program for Israel, for they emphasize the fact that 'the kingdom of heaven' is to be set up on earth ... But does not our Lord promise His hearers, in this last beatitude: 'great is your reward in heaven'? This is true, but we must not read into this that He referred to a reward which they were to receive when they reached heaven. In 1 Pet 1:4 peter, the apostle of the circumcision, declares to his readers that their inheritance is 'reserved in heaven' for them. Likewise in Rev 22:12, a passage having to do directly with the return of Christ to earth to reign, we read His words: 'And, behold, I come quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every man according as his work shall be.' That the apostles did rejoice in their sufferings for Christ is verified by the record of the Acts. In the closing verses of Acts 5 we read how the religious leaders lowered themselves to the level of common bullies as, finding no just reason to condemn the apostles, they had them beaten and further commanded them not to speak in the name of Jesus before letting them go. But the lashes did not bring only suffering and pain, for were not the apostles bearing them for the blessed Messiah, with whom they hoped soon to be reigning? Thus the record continues: 'And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ' (Acts 5:41-42)." (Stam)
"In our exegesis of the three chapters [chapters 5-7], (which of necessity we have to condense considerably) we shall always in every part look upon the sermon on the mount as the proclamation of the King concerning the Kingdom. That Kingdom is not the church, nor is the state of the earth in righteousness, governed and possessed by the meek, brought about by the agency of the church. It is the millennial earth and the Kingdom to come, in which Jerusalem will be the city of a great King. We read in the Old Testament that when the Kingdom comes, for which these Jewish disciples of our Lord were taught to pray, the law will go forth out of Zion and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem. While we have in the Old Testament the outward manifestations of the Kingdom of the heavens as it will be set up in the earth in a future day, we have here the inner manifestation, the principles of it. Yet this never excludes application to us who are His heavenly people, members of His body, who will share the heavenly throne in the heavenly Jerusalem with Him. Israel's calling is earthly; theirs is an earthly kingdom, ours is altogether heavenly. 'In the sermon on the mount we have, then, the principles of the Kingdom of heaven, with very plain references to the millennial earth. Yet let is not be thought that this takes from us the application to ourselves which Christians seek in it. The fuller revelation only completes the partial one; the higher blessing transcends the lower ... The Kingdom has, then, a heavenly and an earthly side. Both are seen in the discourse, but the earthly is predominant." (Gaebelein)
"The Sermon on the Mount and progressive revelation: We recognize in the Bible a system of doctrine, a line of teaching, a progressive, historical revelation ... Comparing Exodus or Matthew with Ephesians, for example, it is evident that God has dealt differently with men of different ages, according to their knowledge of Himself. There has been development and progress, historically, in the knowledge of God and His purposes ... Let us consider briefly the subject of the Messianic kingdom, for example: (1) The kingdom was promised in Old Testament times (Jer 23:5). (2) It was proclaimed at hand during our Lord's earthly ministry (Matt 4:17). (3) It was offered at Pentecost, after the death and resurrection of Christ (Acts 3:19-21). (4) It was rejected as the book of Acts shows (Acts 7:54-8:3; 28:25-28). (5) It was postponed and is being held in abeyance until a future time (Matt 23:39); Rom 11:25). (6) Finally, when our Lord returns to judge and reign, the kingdom will be established on earth (Rom 11:26). Then, for the first time since the fall of man, this world will become a scene of true peace, prosperity and blessing. The establishment of the kingdom of Christ on earth is the very goal of Old Testament prophecy, but the epistles of Paul explain how the prophetic program was interrupted by grace. Thus the true condition of this world today can be understood only as we recognize progressive revelation in Scripture." (Stam)
"To understand the Sermon the Mount we should bear in mind that our Lord, while on earth, was, and taught His disciples to be subject the Law of Moses (Matt 22:2-3) ... In case after case our Lord quotes the Law of Moses, or the general teachings about the Law and then sets an even higher standard, judging the very motives of the heart. Clearly, then, 'the fullness of the time,' referred to by Paul in Gal 3:13 and 4:4-5, had not yet come, for rather than redeeming His hearers from what Paul calls 'the curse of the law,' our Lord made His precepts and prohibitions even more searching and binding. And this for a very good reason. It was meant to impress further upon men their depraved condition and the impossibility of their rendering perfect obedience to God — hence their deep need of a Saviour. As with the Law, the Sermon on the Mount taught its greatest lesson historically. It demonstrated that man needs Christ, not first as a King to reign over him and show him a felicitous way of life, but as a Savior to pay the penalty for his sins and deliver him from the judgment to come. We freely concede to the preachers of the 'social gospel' that the Sermon on the Mount teaches good government, good human relations, and good conduct in general, but it does not deal with the utter impossibility of fallen man achieving this goal, human nature being what it is. The time for this had not yet come. But will human nature ever change? Will such happy relations as described in the Sermon on the Mount ever actually exist? Yes, they will, when Christ returns to earth to reign. It is in connection with the coming Messianic kingdom that the 'new covenant with the house of Israel with the house of Judah' will be fulfilled (Jer 31:31-34; Ezek 36:24-28). According to the terms of this covenant God says to His erring people: 'And I will put My spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statues, and ye shall keep My judgments and do them (Ezek 36:27)." (Stam)
on the mountain - "Chapters 5-7 contain the widely known and loved Sermon on the Mount. It is one of the five long discourses by Christ found in Matthew, the others being 9:35-10:42; 13:1-52; 17:24-18:35; and 23:1-25:46. The Sermon on the Mount does not present the way of salvation but the way of righteous living for those who are in God's family, contrasting the new Way with 'old one' of the scribes and the Pharisees. For the Jews of Christ's day this message was a detailed explanation of 'Repent' (3:2); 4:17). It was also an elaboration of the spirit of the law (5:17, 21-22, 27-28). For all of us it is a detailed revelation of the righteousness of God, and its principles are applicable to the children of God today." (Ryrie)
"The first question we must ask in considering the Sermon on the Mount is: To whom was our Lord addressing His remarks? To all men? Most assuredly not, for not only was He sent to none 'but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel,' but he clearly instructed His apostles not to go to the Gentiles, or even to the Samaritans, but only to 'the lost sheep of the house of Israel' (Matt 15:24; 10:5-6). But He was not even addressing the people of Israel as such at this time, for we read that 'seeing the multitudes, He went up into a mountain' and that there He addressed 'His disciples' (Matt 5:1). Indeed, all through this sermon our Lord distinguishes His disciples, His followers, from the world, even the religious world, about them." (Stam)
Blessed - "The Beatitudes (Blessed means 'happy') describe the inner qualities of a follower of Christ and promise him blessings in the future. They contrast sharply the characteristics of the Pharisees, who were proud, thinking they had already attained righteousness." (Ryrie)
are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven - "The millennial kingdom will be made up, not of those who are spiritually smug and self-satisfied, but rather of those who realize their spiritual need. There is nothing that God hates like pride, and it will not be tolerated under the reign of Christ. Rather His kingdom will be built on humility and love. But sinners today are not asked to be anything to inherit a position in Christ, but only to trust in Him who died for our sins." (Stam)
are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted - "There are many Old Testament Scriptures which indicate that Israel will not be saved until she turns in repentance to her crucified and long-rejected Messiah. This will be the occasion of her 'mourning.' Then, and not until then, will the prophecies be fulfilled (Zech 13:1; Isa 40:1-2; Isa 51:11-12). The historical order of the events discussed in these verses are clearly brought out in one brief passage in Isa 61:1-3: 'The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion—to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.'" (Stam)
are the pure in heart, for they shall see God - "This beatitude, like all the others, is based upon Old Testament Scripture. Indeed it is one of the great Millennial Psalms, Psalm 24, that our Lord seems to be referring to here. The 3rd and 4th verse of this Psalm read: 'Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in His holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart...'" (Stam)
are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven AND are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account AND rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven - "It should be observed that verses 10-12 are actually one beatitude, having to do with the persecution through which our Lord's disciples were to pass. Thus the Beatitudes open and close with the promise to our Lord's faithful followers that 'theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Vers. 3,10,11) ... But were not our Lord's disciples looking forward to reigning with Him in Heaven? Not, for the kingdom of heaven is to be set up on earth (Jer 23:5; Lk 2:14; Matt 5:5; 6:10). These and a host of other passages regarding the coming kingdom should help us to understand God's program for Israel, for they emphasize the fact that 'the kingdom of heaven' is to be set up on earth ... But does not our Lord promise His hearers, in this last beatitude: 'great is your reward in heaven'? This is true, but we must not read into this that He referred to a reward which they were to receive when they reached heaven. In 1 Pet 1:4 peter, the apostle of the circumcision, declares to his readers that their inheritance is 'reserved in heaven' for them. Likewise in Rev 22:12, a passage having to do directly with the return of Christ to earth to reign, we read His words: 'And, behold, I come quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every man according as his work shall be.' That the apostles did rejoice in their sufferings for Christ is verified by the record of the Acts. In the closing verses of Acts 5 we read how the religious leaders lowered themselves to the level of common bullies as, finding no just reason to condemn the apostles, they had them beaten and further commanded them not to speak in the name of Jesus before letting them go. But the lashes did not bring only suffering and pain, for were not the apostles bearing them for the blessed Messiah, with whom they hoped soon to be reigning? Thus the record continues: 'And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ' (Acts 5:41-42)." (Stam)
"In our exegesis of the three chapters [chapters 5-7], (which of necessity we have to condense considerably) we shall always in every part look upon the sermon on the mount as the proclamation of the King concerning the Kingdom. That Kingdom is not the church, nor is the state of the earth in righteousness, governed and possessed by the meek, brought about by the agency of the church. It is the millennial earth and the Kingdom to come, in which Jerusalem will be the city of a great King. We read in the Old Testament that when the Kingdom comes, for which these Jewish disciples of our Lord were taught to pray, the law will go forth out of Zion and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem. While we have in the Old Testament the outward manifestations of the Kingdom of the heavens as it will be set up in the earth in a future day, we have here the inner manifestation, the principles of it. Yet this never excludes application to us who are His heavenly people, members of His body, who will share the heavenly throne in the heavenly Jerusalem with Him. Israel's calling is earthly; theirs is an earthly kingdom, ours is altogether heavenly. 'In the sermon on the mount we have, then, the principles of the Kingdom of heaven, with very plain references to the millennial earth. Yet let is not be thought that this takes from us the application to ourselves which Christians seek in it. The fuller revelation only completes the partial one; the higher blessing transcends the lower ... The Kingdom has, then, a heavenly and an earthly side. Both are seen in the discourse, but the earthly is predominant." (Gaebelein)
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