The Sermon on the Mount

The Sermon on the Mount

The Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel according to Matthew sets forth standards for all of mankind to live by. In the sermon, Jesus addressed not only his disciples but also a wide range of people described in Matthew 7:28 as "the crowds". Because of this, it can be argued that the Sermon on the Mount addresses both the believers and non-believers of Jesus Christ. Throughout the sermon Jesus tries to change the attitude towards Moses' Law from external obedience to internal obedience. While the Bible was written nearly 2000 years ago many people question whether or not the passages still apply to life today. I believe that many of the passages, especially the Sermon on the Mount, can still be applied to life today.

No one can argue that society today is the same as it was 2000 years ago when the Bible was written. The Sermon on the Mount is part of God's word, used to influence the conduct of His followers. Jesus preached his sermon just after John the Baptist had been arrested for preaching about obedience to God. Jesus was very concerned about the kingdom of God. He spent the night in prayer and delivered his sermon to the twelve apostles the following day. Jesus spoke against common culture at the time in showing support of John the Baptist. I believe that while society has faced great change in the last two millennia the Sermon on the Mount can still be applied today. We, as followers of God, cannot let society change us. As long as we accept the God's word, as told in the Sermon on the Mount, we can prevent the negatives from society from overcoming us. Three aspects of life that are taught about in the Sermon on the Mount that apply to life today include personal relationships, adultery, and deception.

Personal relationships are addressed in the following passage, "But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire.” (Matthew 5:21). We cannot worship God if we have something against one of His creations. In order to have a relationship with God, we must remember to love others like God would. Reconciliation should be a daily occurrence in our personal relationships. This passage could not speak any louder especially at a time when our world it full of violence, within our own country, city, and even neighborhoods.

No one can doubt that our culture has become very sex driven. It is apparent nearly everywhere you turn in society including fashion, television, advertisements and music. Matthew 5:28 states “But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart”. With all of the temptation surrounding us on a daily basis it is important to remember this passage. It is important to remember that we cannot be faithful to our spouses if we fantasize about other men and women.

Our society is full of deception; just think of the political elections that took place just