The Sermon of All Sermons, Part 2

If you're not fond of hypocrite you're in very good company. Jesus was neither. In fact, in his well-known sermon on the Mount, Jesus unleashed a stinging rebuke against those who held a double standard today on Insight for living.

Chuck Swindoll continues her message started yesterday in which he summarizes chapters 5, six and seven of Matthew. This section of the New Testament contains what Chuck refers to as the sermon of all sermons punctuated with warnings to those who either twist the truth or parade their religious pride were here today with communities that I know nothing of you are as a child of God, able to present your own needs before him, and I urge you to do so as I lead us in the general way in prayer. My desire is that you listen to the Lord who guides you in your own time of prayer and I will lead us before the morning offering bell with me please. We come on the heels of a busy week.

Our father and we have been busy through the morning and now were able to be quiet before you begin.

I pray by quieting our hearts, since relieve our anxiety.

Begin now to break our habit of simply doing the religious thing on Sunday morning and leaving unchanged and unmoved. Make this day significant. Speak to us as if you and each one of us were sitting together in our own family room talking, listening, thinking, with plans to change in any area you suggest address needs. Lord I pray that you will not find us resistant or denying them but may we acknowledge it's me oh Lord, most in need of what you are saying today it's me it's not my partner in life is not my child. It's not my parent. It's not my friend. It's me.

Speak to us directly convict us where we needed.

Guide us clearly in areas where we are confused and provide us with a map that will give us hope to locate the destination and then pursue it whatsoever. Those men and women in uniform today who are in difficult places, dangerous places they press on with courage and confidence by those who lead them in battle, do so wisely with discernment, comfort their families at home, bring them back safely to us when the victory is one we pray for those our father who live under the threat of terrorists whose who lives whose lives are being threatened whose homes are being invaded whose children and family members are being killed. Give us a bridge for an appreciation and a renewed gratitude for this land of the free, we pray that you will bring counselors to those in leadership over our nation that they may speak in a straightforward, uncompromising way that the truth may be heard and change occur. We are in a desperate situation as a country and we acknowledge give strength where there is weakness, guidance where there is ignorance and hope for there is despair. These offerings, we give today really come from you for our treasure would be nothing were not for your wonderful provision and generosity find us faithful as we give generously and joyfully in the name of Jesus we pray everyone set a man you're listening to Insight for living to study the book of Matthew Chuck Swindoll. Be sure to download his searching the Scriptures. Studies going to Insight world.org/study and now Chuck's message about the sermon of all sermons of all sermons Jesus delivered, none is more significant, more famous, more convicting, or more enduring than his immortal sermon on the Mount. That's why I called it the sermon of all sermon it cannot be improved upon.

Before we get into it. I want to do today. Sort of an overview of the sermon as a whole, and even before that, I want to set the stage for it because you may have made have overlooked that in your understanding of the Scriptures. So go to chapter 5 Matthews gospel. Let's focus on the first two verses we point out some things that can be easily overlooked their contrasts is Jesus waiting for the people I should say instead of Jesus going to the people he had the people come to him. See verse one.

One day as he saw the crowds gathering. He went up on a mountainside. Most preachers would rush to the crowd. Jesus walks away from the crowd and on the mountainside. We read.

He sat down and his disciples gathered when you compare this with Luke in the parallel passage in Luke that matches Matthew five, you notice that not just the disciples who were the close and the called ones Jesus but a larger gathering than they had come together to hear this second thing I noticed is not inside the building.

Most sermons are preached in the building called the church or chapel or a temple Lord Tabernacle some type; he's not inside a building. He does his outside on a mountainside.

Notice also that he didn't stand up most sermons today are preached. While the person is on his feet. We read that Jesus sent down the people gathered around him sitting and he sat down among them. It wasn't uncommon it isn't to this day for rabbis to deliver their message in a sitting position. So we sitting down, I noticed also. He doesn't began by blasting away as many evangelists do when they preach the gospel.

He begins in a very gentle way, telling them how they can find lasting happiness and he repeats that several times. Blessed are you blessed are you, how happy are you, how happy would you be how happy you are is he delivers what we know today as a series of beatitude.

What was the result of delivering the message turned to the end, often at the end of the sermon. People are ready to leave and they are on their way to wherever they want to go for the day.

Quickly forgetting what they heard. It didn't happen this day on the 28th verse of chapter 7 when Jesus finished watch closely.

The crowds were amazed at his teaching.

This sermon started and then they couldn't get over it.

They had never heard anything like it, though they had heard preaching all their lives.

None like this one man writes the people had heard many sermons before from the regular rabbis in the synagogue.

We have specimens of these discourses preserved in the mission and Gemara. The Jewish Talmud. When both were completed the driest dullest collection of disjointed comments on every conceivable problem in the history of mankind have been addressed you except through sermons like that and you have been bored to tears, and may I say to you it wasn't your fault. If a servant is uninteresting. It's the preachers fault. Now you may not be interested in hearing it, and you may be reluctant to listen. But if he delivers the message as it is designed to be deliberate. You cannot be bored because the truth is designed to set you free. When you are liberated from bondage are not bored in this case the bondage is hypocrisy is a long-standing habit among those who were followers of Christ to learn the system. Unfortunately were raised around it. Preachers can be the worst that hypocrisy we could look like were living one life when in fact were living a lie. We can say things beautifully but we can live them prophetically and because you're around that you could pick up that habit. Just as people did in the days of Jesus and this sermon is designed to make you different to make you break that habit.

If it happens to be one you have formed. In fact, I agree with John or Debbie Stott. I think the key statement in the entire sermon is chapter 6 verse eight do not be like them.

Jesus concern is that those who follow him will continue to follow the Pharisees and the scribes to continue to live like and sound like and ultimately looked like hypocrites before going further into this three chapters of this sermon on the Mount. I want to address a few of my comments to hypocrisy in our day.

We live around political hypocrisy is not a political statement. It's a true statement. Rare is the politician who isn't also a hypocrite may learn to play a part.

They make promises they have no plans to keep and they deliver them with persuasion to the point where you will vote for them believing they will keep their word.

Most don't.

So there's political hypocrisy here's another when there is a moral and ethical hypocrisy that is swept our time we leave an impression that an individual is trustworthy, has integrity and we find out later that person lied, then there's financial hypocrisy it's called fraud.

We've all read of it funds a raise for one cause, but they are spent for other things promises are broken. Plans are phony. The fraud occurs and we are shocked. So the sermon on the Mount is a message that is for every one of us living today, the worst kind of hypocrisy in my opinion is religious hypocrisy, so-called spiritual leaders look one way, but in reality they do not live that way in private. They are another kind of person sermons are preached, but another one originated instead of Christ and his kingdom being enhanced the person himself is enhance the great temptation is to learn the system and to fit into that lifestyle. Now let's take a quick look at the survey of the sermon on the Mount right I give you simple words that give you an outline topic at least I suggested.

It's not inspired. You certainly are free to change it. But here's what I think Matthew is Matthew chapter 5 is teaching out with hypocrisy.

Three words I could write them over the chapter 5 out with hypocrisy.

The chapter falls neatly into three segments. First, the Beatitudes verses three through 12. The Beatitudes answer the question, what is it mean to have character Jesus great goal among his followers was not great productivity is not leaving the Great Depression.

It was developing people with great character.

They are who you think they are. They are real to the core. One of what that sounds like her. Looks like learn the Beatitudes when you go to chapter 5, verse 13, down through 16. We have another question answered.

What is it mean to influence others by that I mean influencing them for the good.

It means that we shake the salt verse 13. It means that we shine the light verse 14 it means that we spread good deeds among those around us.

Please observe her spreading good deeds among the lost and the saved. You don't first find out if a person is a Christian as to how you're going to treat the person as a matter of fact, it doesn't matter whether the person is saved or lost. If you're doing good deeds you do them and that's when you will discover that individual who was lost become suddenly interested in what it means to be a Christian. Not always, but often so verses 13 to 17 are answering. What is it mean to verse 13 to 16. What is it mean to influence others for the good and then the end of the chapter 17 to 48. What is it mean to be godly. What is it mean to be godly and there are a number of examples that were going to get into his.

We work our way through Jesus is drawing a contrast as he illustrates it from the commandments themselves show you what I mean.

Verse 27. You've heard the commandment says you must not commit adultery. Verse 28. I say to you, anyone who looks at a woman with lust already committed adultery say would be settable woman who looks at a man lustfully. It's adultery. Jesus is she is correcting the understanding that it's something in the heart sees dealing with the inner person.

The commandment dealt with the outer person.

This goes to the heart, look at another when verse 2031, you've heard the loss say a man can divorce his wife by merely giving a written notice of divorce. That's what the religious teachers taught in the days of the first century.

But I say a man who divorces his wife… She is been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery in the ozone described so he addresses the subject of God and is as it relates to what the harmony of hope of a marriage. Verse 34 but I say to you, verse 39 but I say to you see he is helping them understand again verse 44 but I say to you, he's clarifying what it means to be truly godly, so out with hypocrisy.

That's chapter 5 when you get to chapter 6 here's a new title down with performance down with performance. This section of the sermon digs deeply you think would try to quit trying to look good.

Quit trying to appear pious. Here Jesus reaches over and peels off a two commonly used masks. One is pride look at look at chapter 6, verse one. What you don't do your good deeds publicly to be admired by others. That's what the chapter was about is what this part of the sermon is about.

Don't do what you do to cause other people to admire you or for the purpose of thinking better of you or your father has rewards for you in heaven.

So we just three illustration verse two when you give to someone in need. Don't blow a trumpet.

Don't call attention to it in the street simply give, and you will have a reward, but if you give for these other reasons. Your reward is lost.

Look at verse five when you pray, don't do it this way. Like the hypocrites who love to pray in public on street corners where everyone can hear them tell you the truth the reward the that's all the reward deliver receive but when you pray going to your closet by your prayer life be cultivated when you're alone in private not practice when you're in public and the better you learn to pray in private, the more easy you will feel praying in public because you will not be praying to others, but praying to the Lord. Verse 16.

When you fast, don't make it obvious as the hypocrites do they try to look miserable. They let themselves get dirty gallant. They walk around us, so you will realize they been fasting, but when you fast, look normal, clean yourself up.

Fasting is to be done in private. Your father who sees everything, will reward you for then the other mask is the mask of looking called when in fact are filled with anxiety and Jesus addresses were re-our favorite indoor sport in the latter half of the six chapter again and again and again. He addresses were re-worry worry. Verse 25 I tell you not to worry 27 can all your worries at a single moment to your life. 28. Why worry about your clothing.

31 so don't worry about these things.

Say what will we eat or drink or or where verse 34. Don't worry about tomorrow.

Tomorrow has enough worries of its own, so you read the sermon on the Mount and you begin to take it to heart. You realize it worry really has no place in your life. I realize when I say that I'm taking away your favorite friend.

Some of you would have to say find it. The sudden worry about I be worried about that. I don't have something most people have a longer worry list and prayer.

So when you pray about something you leave it with him.

You don't carry it with you as a burden. He tells us about doing that as he talks about down with performance to get the chapter 7 here's 1/3, I want to divide this chapter into two. How about up with acceptance, with acceptance and here he begins with those convicting words do not judge others and you will not be judged. In other words accept others for what they are and for who they are. I love the way he illustrated verse three. Why worry about the suspect in your brother's eye or your friends. I when you have a law in your own magic that walking along with his log in your own eye, trying to be a spec inspector in the life of someone else. The point is you got more things in your life that are wrong than the simple thing you're criticizing in someone else's life see how this hits hard to convince people must be charmed into righteousness really. I think your wanting to Christ you're not embarrassed to believe in Christ, you're not criticized into the faith you charmed into the fate and the way we charm others is by accepting them for who they are. This is brand-new information for many of you, I realize, and I don't mean that to be insulting so limit get specific we need to accept people who worship differently than we do. Rather than judge them.

We need to accept those who look and dress differently than we do. We need to accept those who are young and immature in making mistakes. Part of being young and immature.

You make mistakes will write them off when you beat me to be accepting of those who struggle with addiction may not be your problem your struggle but you have your own addiction world strugglers just in our list of struggles is a little different than the one with criticizing and we pick someone to criticize who happens to have an addiction that is an hours criticizing will never help anyone get over an addiction. We accept them for who they hardly make a way to help them find their way through it and get victory over bold counsel for those who love someone struggling with an addiction. It's just one of the take away lessons that arise from Matthew Jesus sermon on the Mount you're listening to Insight for living Chuck Swindoll has titled his message. The sermon of all sermons and to learn more about this ministry. Visit us online@insightworld.org now by way of clarification are brand-new, comprehensive study and Matthew will capture our imagination.

Over the next several months. In fact the better part of the year Chuck started with the birth of our king and now we're tracing his footsteps through all 28 chapters moving toward his great commission to go and make disciples and in conjunction with this broadcast series.

Chuck has recently completed a commentary on Matthew was well and because of the enormity of the study Chuck's commentary comes into hardbound volumes. The set is called swindles living inside commentary on Matthew.

Whether you're new to the Bible or you teaching the Bible is a pastor, you'll find Chuck's approach to Matthew, both scholarly and accessible, and it's written in the engaging style that's become a hallmark of Chuck's teaching, so to purchase swindles living inside commentary on Matthew go to Insight.org/offer or if you prefer, call us if you're listening in the US dial 1-800-772-8888 Insight for living ministries is supported not by the purchase of books and resources to the contributions of people like you and we invite you to join our mission to introduce King Jesus to 195 countries of the world to give a donation today. Call us listening in the United States dial 1-800-772-8888 and then remember that many are choosing to automate their giving.

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This growing family of supporters is allowing Insight for living to advance its mission with boldness so to become a monthly companion today. Call us listening in the United States dial 1-800-772-8888 or you can easily sign up online@insight.org/monthly companion. Join us again Friday. Chuck Swindoll continues to describe the sermon of all here on Insight for living. The preceding message.

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