Stranger Things - Part A

It's really not as much a sermon on the mount has its amount of the sermon.

In fact, I was given this title the sermon of the monarch.

That's what it's about the kingdom. The kingdom of God is the King announcing living subjects of Bruce's stories today shares about the Jews is brought into the world.

He offers you want to let you know what an opportunity for to visit the sites with the prophets and kings in the Bible heard from God is my plan to Israel in 2022 90 on the journey. Places like Nazareth, the Jordan River enters from out in the garden to and that's just a quick look at the trap. Find out more about the trip. Inspiration cruises.com/CAD Q want to let you know about a unique opportunity you have to pursue biblical studies in a way that works with your schedule personal and small Bible study is a great way to learn about God and his word you want to learn about the Bible's inspiration and inerrancy and interpretation to the history of authenticity of the Bible help recall increase your knowledge of the Bible and your confidence in its authority education and graphical studies will impact your spiritual life rest of your life. Classes start January 10 sulfite today@calvarychurchcollege.com. Let's dive into today's teaching in Matthew chapter 5. This begins to stay. I know you've heard the statement for that truth is stranger than fiction, and so often that is the case right there are some things that happen that are just outlandish, bizarre, unexpected real nonetheless they happen and are some examples of this. Let me give you a few to show you what I mean. In 1979 a Burger King in the Midwest was broken into regularized and itself isn't odd. The name of the criminal who broke into the Burger King makes the story interesting.

I he was 18-year-old Ron McDonald write a strange right I was out for headlines.

Ronald McDonald breaks in the Burger King. A year later, in a completely different city, Detroit, Michigan a burglar to place burglar burglary took place in the burglar was apprehended. His name was Jimmy Carter 1880, Jimmy Carter was arrested in Detroit for burglary, not the president but a man named Jimmy Carter, but that in and of itself is sort of strange but what makes it over the top strange is the name of the arresting officer who was Richard Nixon. So when Richard Nixon arrest Jimmy Carter that's strange. Here's another one in Orlando, Florida and a courthouse. A jury of 12 were on their way to the court room to finish out the hearing of the case as they were on their way to the courtroom.

They were in the courthouse elevator. The elevator got stuck there trapped in an elevator for 20 minutes. Eventually they get out they make their way to the courtroom, but they were on their way to hear a case against the Otis elevator company so do you think the jury was prejudice when they heard that case strange and then there's an there was an ad in a newspaper in Wisconsin, Marshfield, Wisconsin then ran this way for sale parachute used Nuance never opened. I'm actually buying that Pharisee really strange. You've guessed by now, and you know by now if you been in the series that this series now streaming were taking popular shows that people stream on different platforms and were looking at kind of a biblical twist on the name now just want to give a disclaimer were not recommending any or all of these shows.

Some of them I've never heard of some of them I have and I have heard of the one called stranger things and stranger things is based on the disappearance of a young boy in Indiana in a town that was near a top-secret government lab boy disappears. The police friends and family go on a search for the boy and the strange disappearance of this young boy leads to stranger phenomena like government experiments and supernatural forces was called stranger things well with that as an introduction. We are looking at a small section this morning of the sermon on the Mount in the sermon on the Mount, as you probably know, is the best known sermon.

Jesus ever preached everybody knows about the sermon on the Mount, but it's arguably the least understood sermon that Jesus ever preached I would put it this way, the sermon on the Mount is the greatest sermon ever preached by the greatest preacher who ever lived, but I've never really like the title the sermon on the Mount. To be honest with our first of all, is not a biblical title. Jesus does not say the name of my sermon this morning is the sermon on the Mount. That's just a name that we have traditionally passed down through history because Jesus spoke it on a little mountain that you can visit in Israel a little outcropping of the hill I preached the sermon on the mount from that mountain several times with groups in Israel overlooking the sea of Galilee. The reason I don't like the title is because the title gives you no information about the sermon that's like me saying the name of my sermon this morning is the sermon from the pulpit you're thinking every sermon is a sermon from the Pope, so gives you no information is really not as much a sermon on the mount has its amount of the sermon. In fact, I would give it this title the sermon of the monarch. That's what it's about the kingdom. The kingdom of God asked the King announcing kingdom living two subjects of the kingdom. Now this sermon is filled with some strange things and the people who heard it. Never heard anything like this before.

So when it was all done, which is the end of chapter 7, the last two verses of chapter 7 read this. So it was when Jesus had ended these sayings that the people were astonished at his teaching, utterly amazing, blown away by what they heard, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes saw streams to so many of them who heard now much of Jesus ministry was filled with strange things, strange sermons sermons about controversial subjects sermons they got people's emotions going our conversations that Jesus had, which were sometimes very heated and very intimidating miracles that he performed all of these together were strange to the people who observe. In fact, when Jesus healed the paralytic and told him your sins are forgiven, were told they were all amazed they glorify God were filled with fear, saying we have seen strange things today.

The gospel is filled with strange things.

You know that unbelievers think you're strange right you figured that out.

They think you are weird for what you believe you mean to tell me you're saying the whole world is consigned to an eternal hell unless they believe in one God, who died and rose again. That is absolutely absurd to them. The Bible says the message of the gospel is foolishness to those who are perishing. When Paul preached the gospel in Athens at the Areopagus Marcel and the philosophers were listening to Paul preached they said you are bringing some strange things to our ears and so your friends, your acquaintances in your family members were too happy to hear about your conversion they want, when I told him that I was save my parents were my friends certainly were not my brothers didn't like it and that's because my friends and my brother sort of knew from now on.

This guy is making the statement that he's gonna live a different kind of a life is to do what he used to do what we used to do. Peter speaks about that in first Peter chapter 4 in regard to these they think it's strange that you do not run with them in the same flawed of dissipation speaking evil of you. So it's all strange to outsiders want to do is have you look with me at the first little section of the sermon on the Mount this morning and I want to show you for strange things for strange elements about this sermon. First of all, a strange hopefulness only take you to verse one will we read and seeing the multitudes just mark that there's a crowd.

There are huge numbers of people who are watching this and seeing the multitudes, he went up on a mountain and when he was seated his disciples came to him.

Not now that you have that in mind I need you to understand where the multitudes came from. With this kind open up the story and there's a crowd of people and so the observer should ask why is there a crowd of people.

And that's because go back to chapter 4 verse 23 just the last few little verses, Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.

Then his fame went throughout all of Syria.

That's the northern regions above Galilee.

They brought to him all sick people who are afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon possessed epileptics and paralytic's, and he healed them was a result of that great multitudes plural huge enormous crowds followed him from Galilee Decapolis Jerusalem and beyond the Jordan, they'd never seen this before. People didn't get healed when they went to church or synagogue, and now all of a sudden there's this new preacher who is, and he saying strange things and doing strange things, healing people, natural law gets suspended bodies that naturally deteriorate. Congenital anomalies are fixed instantly dead people come back to life. So this brought massive crowds with a hope that starts growing in their hearts. I caught a strange hopefulness and his wife strange.

They hadn't had hope for hundreds of years. In fact, there had been a hope for less Nass to all of the people that were living in the land of Israel and his wife the history of the Jewish nation is a history of oppression, occupation, a history of slavery and subservience to other nations, they were slaves for 400 years in Egypt. After that they got into the promised land for a little while until 722 BC, when the Assyrians took them captive to their land, but 586 BC. The Babylonians came again and took the rest of them captive to their land and then later on the Syrians. The Seleucids oppressed them so it was like one oppression after another that in each of those cases, God sent them a savior, a deliverer, so they were in Egypt who did God send and deliver them from Egypt.

Moses. Moses delivered them. He was her Savior.

He brought them out of Egypt when they were in Babylonian captivity got raised up Nehemiah to approach the king and brought a batch of them back into the land.

When this is Seleucids. The Syrians oppressed them, God raised up a guy by the name of Judas Maccabeus is not in your Bible. It's between the old and New Testament. But now, at this time New Testament times. There is another oppressor call Rome. Rome is in charge of Roman rule is bearing down on the vassal state of Israel there paying taxes to Rome are being told what to do by Roman soldiers.

They are feeling hopeless until now now hope begins to grow they been longing for a deliverer. Maybe this is the one that hope begins to grow back. There was an ancient prayer that every Jewish person said that went like this.

I believe in the coming of Messiah, and even though he tarries yet. I will wait for him every coming day.

I am waiting for a Savior, a deliverer I help now.

Chapter 4 verse 23 on now there's this whole this messianic longing that is being burned and here's what you need to know the messianic longing is now at fever pitch.

If Jews and they always have long for a Messiah. If ever there was a time when they super long for a Messiah. It was right now. Listen to the words of Rabbi Halal silver who writes this and I'm quoting prior to the first century messianic interest was not excessive the first century, however, especially the generation before the destruction of the second Temple witnessed a remarkable outburst of messianic emotionalism when Jesus came into Galilee, spreading the gospel of the kingdom of God and saying the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand. He was voicing the opinion universally held that the age of the kingdom of God was at hand. Listen to his last statement, the Messiah was expected around the second part the second quarter of the first century CE questionnaire met the words the expectation that the Messiah would come is happening right now. Now you understand why when John the Baptist was baptizing at the Jordan River was like one of the first questions asked are you the guy you the Messiah, because now there's one coming after me who is the Messiah. So now there's a preacher and this preacher can perform miracles and he cures people and hoping went ballistic crowds of people are teaming around him wherever he goes. That was in that crap. Well, who's in any crowd.

It's a mixed bag right there were some real disciples, authentic disciples. There were some curious people they just heard this guy can do things in he speaks differently so I want to go on and see what he's about. But then there were people who were part of the crowd who were following Jesus, so to speak, who were really only there for the immediate benefit because I hear he gives free lunch to hang around long enough and he heals people so the these people saw Jesus as a bread line free lunch a healing line. They saw the immediate benefit in John chapter 2 when he is in Jerusalem were told, many believed in his name when they saw the signs which he did with interesting is right after that, it said. But Jesus did not commit himself to them because he knew the hearts of all men. Then in that crowd. There were some people who just looked at this as a political opportunity.

Jesus could be a political pond very useful. We hate Rome.

We want to overthrow Roman bondage.

This could be the tipping point we need to get Rome off our back. Jesus knew this in John chapter 6 we read Jesus knew they were about to come and take him by force and make him a king.

So you got people from authentic disciples to seeing this as a political opportunity to people saying this is a free lunch. All sorts of different motivations and that crap there's a strange hopefulness that is growing as a second strange thing I want you to notice there's a strange emphasis is what I mean.

The crowds are coming there here there's thousands upon thousands of people.

So what is he do verse one seeing the multitudes, he went on a high mountain or he went up on a mountain and when his when he was seated his disciples came to him and he opened his mouth and taught them them being his disciples, saying, this is worded very carefully domestics.

He sees the crowd. It's as if he leaves the crowd or tries to. With his disciples and with his disciples.

He takes them to a place where he sits down and he teaches in other words, it is important to note this.

This is a message not preach to the crowds at large, but to the disciples. Certainly there were people from the crowds who were there. I don't doubt that it's hard to keep that many people away, but but yet a yellow imagine this, Jesus is outside speaking and there might, maybe thousands of people scattered around.

He has no microphone. He might be talking loud, but the people that are really going to hear him are his disciples to their closest and as you get further back in the crowd to miss a lot, but that's okay because this is a message preached in Jesus mind and heart to his disciples primarily spoken to his father die I'm bringing this up because some people say that the sermon on the Mount is God's plan of salvation and they will say that if you ever want to make it to heaven. You have to obey the sermon on the Mount so they see it sort of as a means to salvation.

You earn your stripes with God by keeping the sermon on the Mount and then you're going to have others look at the sermon on the mount as get this a charter for world peace that if we can get nations of the earth to adopt the sermon on the Mount things will be good in the world. Leo Tolstoy who wrote the famous novel war and peace, that was his premises sermon on the Mount nations adopted this could change everything. And then there are others I would say many many others who just think, the sermon on the Mount is just great speech filled with nice sayings you got some beatitudes we like those golden rule. That's awesome thing about birds and not wearing cool but that's kind of in this is sort of platitudes and nice sayings and lovey-dovey in the brotherhood of man and the birds are singing in pieces raining. These are people who don't understand the sermon on the Mount sermon on the mount or the sermon of the monarch has no broad universal application. It is a message for disciples not daytime followers students his own so to expect non-Christians to act like Christians is absurd. The first at 51.

The first act of life change. Internal change work. Something happens to that person's called conversion. Then there in the kingdom something else you should note in this emphasis he's teaching his disciples said, seeing the multitudes you want to buy mountain and when he was what he do he set down when he was seated his disciples came to him so picture in your mind Jesus giving us from.

He's not standing up like I'm standing up he was sitting down. See, we have the same all messed up and I'm standing there sitting. If this was antiquity. If this was then the rabbi would be seated and you would be standing now you know what just for fun, humor me to just stand your feet just for starters, and just get the feel of what this is like I'm liking this time I can get used to this. Can you can you do this you know we want to have a 621. If you were too far down that road to change it now. When a rabbi wanted to speak with authority, the rabbi sat down with the rabbi was having casual, informal conversation, he might stand up or walk with his disciples and teach them but was considered not as authoritative is sitting down and we still use this idea to this day.

Have you ever heard of a professor holding a chair in a university heard the term without that's a tenured professor.

They hold the chair of philosophy or psychology or science to hold the chair means to have a place where that reviser speaks with Skip message from the series now Street use a resource that will nourish your soul with God's amazing trip. Here's what Norm Geisler said about the tactics, there is no better block to include Christians to think clearly you Skip on the need to engage in spiritual warfare. You'll never fight God's battles for myself, you'll never contend for what really matters.

Just cruise and interlacing boiled.

You have to decide to get as part of the house and join the fight become a contender for treatment.

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