For the next several weeks, we are going to be considering the Sermon on the Mount. It is, without a doubt, the greatest sermon that has ever been preached. The primary reason for this is simple—it was preached by the greatest preacher who has ever preached, that, of course, being Jesus, the Christ. Before we get to the sermon itself, we should take some time considering the preacher and the way that He taught.

Jesus Is the Son of God

We know this intellectually, but we need to think about it while we study the Sermon on the Mount. With every chapter that we explore, every verse we examine, and every word we evaluate, we must not forget that the one doing the teaching is the Son of the living God. We must remember that the teacher is no ordinary man, but is God manifested in the flesh. We must know with every passage and principle, every sentence, and every sequence, that we are being taught by Deity. That means there is divine authority behind everything that is taught in the Sermon on the Mount. The content of the sermon is at once powerful and practical and capable of changing the life of anyone who is willing to live by its words because the teacher is the Son of God.

Jesus Preached What We Need

Any sermon that is motivated by a desire to please man is almost worthless. Great sermons are produced by preachers whose main desire is to teach what man needs rather than what he wants. This was the only kind of teaching that Jesus ever did, and the Sermon on the Mount is a great example of it. Since Jesus was primarily interested in two things when He taught, that is, the truth and saving souls, we know that the Sermon on the Mount is going to be full of the former and result in the latter. Once when some Pharisees were trying to entrap Jesus, they began by trying to flatter Him; nevertheless, their flattery was true. They said, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances” (Matthew 22:16).  For this reason alone, studying this great sermon is time well spent.

The Teachings of Jesus Are Practical and Understandable

This was a constant characteristic of all of Jesus’ teachings, and the Sermon on the Mount is no exception. Jesus could have presented His message with any terms He desired, since He is the Son of God. So, what did He choose to do? He chose to use simple terms of everyday language, and illustrations that everyone would understand. He spoke of the birds of the air and lilies of the field. He talked of narrow gates and broad ways. What this means to us is that when we study the Sermon on the Mount, we can expect to get an understanding. The Sermon on the Mount is not difficult reading. It may be hard to apply at times, in fact, I can assure you that it will be. However, I can also assure you that its teachings will be clear.

There is nothing better than to sit at the feet of a great preacher who we know loves us and wants to teach us things that can help us make it to heaven. So, as we journey through the Sermon on the Mount, I hope that you will join me each evening as we learn from the Master.

As you wind down for the night, think on these things.