Hello Everyone,
If you were to preach through Matthew 5:1-7:27 (The Sermon on the Mount), what would be your main points? These main points would be determined by the central ideas of these related passages. The needs of your congregation would shape your imperative themes, which is the particular response from them that you expect to achieve from your message. Please read the following summary of Matthew 5:1-7:27, which provides these answers for you.
The First Discourse: The Sermon on the Mount (5:1-7:27) – Matthew 5:1-7:27 records the first of five major discourses in the Gospel of Matthew, often called the Sermon on the Mount. Scholars generally describe Matthew’s five discourses as teachings. Therefore, some say the Gospel of Matthew reflects Jesus in His office and ministry as a teacher.
In the first discourse, Jesus establishes the foundational doctrines of the kingdom of Heaven. In an effort to express the unifying theme of the Sermon on the Mount, Morris and France share the common view that the first discourse describes daily life for members of the kingdom of Heaven. Hagner describes its central theme as “the ethics of the kingdom.” H. A. Ironside calls it “Principles of the Kingdom.” Marshall says it describes “a new way of life.” Other terms used are “standards” and “the code of behaviour.” Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures uses the term ‘indoctrination’ to describe the theme of the first discourse when evaluated as a part of the ordo salutis thematic scheme. The first discourse emphasizes the theme of indoctrination in the Sermon as Jesus delivers the ethical or doctrinal truths by which to live as members in the kingdom of Heaven (5:1-7:27).
Literary Evidence for the Theme - Literary evidence for the theme of indoctrination in the Sermon on the Mount is see in the frequent use of the word δικαιοσύνη (5:6, 10, 20; 6:1, 33), a word used in Matthew only two other times outside this discourse (3:15; 21:32). Thus, Jesus teaches on God’s true standard of righteousness in the Kingdom of Heaven as the theme of the Sermon on the Mount. This literary evidence also reflects a common theme between the first narrative section (4:12-25) and discourse (5:1-7:27) as Jesus preached about God’s standard of righteousness through faith in Him, confirming His Word with miracles in the narrative, and teaching on righteousness in the discourse.
Literary Evidence for the Structure – The literary structure of the first discourse follows the thematic scheme of the ordo salutis in its expanded form: predestination, calling, justification, indoctrination, divine service, perseverance amidst persecutions/worldliness, perseverance amidst offenses/false doctrines, and glorification.
Here is a proposed theological framework of the first discourse indoctrinating disciples into the kingdom of Heaven:
(2) The First Discourse: The Sermon on the Mount 5:1-7:27
(a) Introduction 5:1-2
(b) Predestination: The Beatitudes 5:3-12
(c) Calling: The Salt and the Light 5:13-16
(d) Justification: True Righteousness in the Kingdom 5:17-20
(e) Indoctrination: The Laws of the Kingdom 5:21-48
(f) Divine Service in the Kingdom of Heaven 6:1-18
i) Almsgiving (sanctifies the heart) 6:1-4
ii) Prayer (sanctifies the mind) 6:5-15
iii) Fasting (sanctifies the body) 6:16-18
(g) Perseverance in the Kingdom of Heaven 6:19-7:20
i) Perseverance amidst Worldly Cares 6:19-34
α) Prohibition against Serving Material Possessions 6:19-21
β) Two Parables to Illustration Singleness of Heart 6:22-24
γ) Seeking the Kingdom of Heaven First 6:25-33
δ) Conclusion: Do Not Worry 6:34
ii) Perseverance amidst Offenses 7:1-12
α) Prohibition against Judging Others 7:1-2
β) Two Parables to Illustrate Need to Walk in Mercy 7:3-6
γ) Trusting God in Prayer 7:7-11
δ) Conclusion: Walk in Love with Others 7:12
iii) Perseverance amidst False Doctrines 7:13-20
α) Warning of the Narrow Way 7:13-14
β) False Prophets and the Parable of the Fruit 7:15-19
γ) Conclusion: Know Them by Their Fruit 7:20
(h) Glorification: Entering the Promised Land 7:21-27
i) Doing the Will of the Father 7:21-23
ii) The Parable of the Two Builders 7:24-27
The first discourse (5:1-7:27) contains one of the most condensed, theological frameworks within the Gospel of Matthew, because it contains the entire ordo salutis in its expanded form. The central idea of the first discourse states that Jesus taught His disciples the principles of the kingdom of Heaven in order that they might fulfill the Great Commission. This is accomplished as a disciple walks in the predestined blessings (5:3-12); serves as salt-and-light to call the world to repentance (5:13-16) by preaching the Gospel of God’s standard of justification through faith in Christ Jesus (5:17-20); walks in maturity in the doctrines of the kingdom (5:21-48); serves the Lord through almsgiving, prayer, and fasting (6:1-18); and perseveres amidst worldly cares (6:19-34) as well as offenses (7:1-12) and false doctrines (7:13-20), so that he might inherit the kingdom of Heaven (7:21-27). The theological framework of this section allows the preacher to develop the sermon series using either a nine-sermon or one-sermon approach. The sermon series can develop nine sermons around the central ideas of the nine subsections, culminating with the central idea in 7:24-27, or it can have one comprehensive survey that captures the entire theological framework in a manner that points toward the Great Commission.
Central Ideas - Here are proposed statements expressing the central ideas of the first discourse in Matthew 5:1-7:27 emphasizing Jesus teaching His disciples the doctrines of the Kingdom of Heaven:
Exegetical Idea of the Text—Jesus taught His disciples the principles of the kingdom of Heaven in order to govern its members.
Theological Idea of the Text—God has established principles to bless and govern His children as a witness that the kingdom of Heaven has come.
Homiletical Idea of the Text—Because the Kingdom of Heaven has come, disciples of Jesus are called by the Gospel to embrace the principles of the kingdom of Heaven in order to fulfill the Great Commission.