Publisher's Synopsis
In the first part of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus had made four points. First, He had been telling them to be poor in spirit, which meant that they should have a heart and mind that would be open to His instructions. Second, He had made some specific promises to those who are poor in spirit, mourning over their spiritual condition, meek, hungering and thirsting after righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, and makers of peace. He had spoken to those people who would be persecuted for His name's sake. He had spoken to those who have a responsibility to be salt and light. Third, He had shared His high view of the scriptures and had said that His life and ministry would not contradict anything that the people had been taught in the Old Testament. Fourth, He had showed His deity by presenting a higher lifestyle on such matters as anger, adultery, divorce, making oaths, self-sacrifice, and dealing with one's enemies.
In the second part of His sermon, He had given advice about how the saints of God should conduct their life. He had criticized the scribes and Pharisees because of their hypocritical giving and their long public prayers. He had also taught His listeners how they should pray. He had spoken to them about the importance of forgiving others because forgiven people should be forgiving people. He had then concluded the second part of His sermon by saying how important it is to put the Lord first in all things. Godly people should use their time, talent, and resources in ways that will accomplish the Lord's Will in their life. That means that they should be concerned about those who will leave this existence not saved because that was and is the major concern of the Lord. It was for that reason that He had died on the cross. Finally in being consistent with that idea of serving the Lord and of doing His Will is also the idea that one would be much wiser serving Him than chasing all of the meaningless, temporal pursuits of this life. In the third part of His sermon, Jesus had dealt with the problem among many people of being too judgmental when it comes to other people. He had told His listeners to worry more about their own faults than about the faults of others. He had next shared three levels of prayer where each one is a little more persistent than the other. Knocking is being more persistent than just seeking which is being more persistent than just asking. He had encouraged His listeners to live by the Golden Rule which simply means to treat others as one would want to be treated by others. Then, in the next part of His sermon, He had begun talking more about eternal issues. He had indicated that most people are on the wide path that leads to the wide gate that leads to eternal destruction. So the overriding theme of the Sermon of the Mount is to seek the Lord with all of one's heart and come to Him by faith early in life. It is to fully live one's life for Him. There is one note, however, to be made with respect to the organization of this text. Something that the reader might find useful is boxes throughout that show the different passages that are being referenced at the times and in the places where they are being referenced. That way, he or she will not have to jump all over the place or get into or out of the scriptures to locate a particular reference. Hopefully that inclusion will help the reader in trying to understand the various events and to also put them into their right context. So it is hoped that that will make this book easier to read and that the Lord will receive the praise, honor, and glory that He rightfully deserves.
