Series: Student Ministry: The Sermon on the Mount
- The Blessings of Christ’s Kingdom (Matthew 5:1-12)
- The Blessings of Christ’s Kingdom: Blessings One and Two (Matthew 5:3-4)
- The Blessings of Christ’s Kingdom: Blessings 3-7
- The Blessings of Christ’s Kingdom: You Will Be Persecuted, But Yours Is The Kingdom of God (Matthew 5:10-12)
- Sermon on the Mount: Be Who You Are In Christ (Matthew 5:13-16)
- God’s Word Will Always Stand And It’s All About Jesus: Matthew 5:17-20
- The True Meaning of Adultery (Matthew 5:27-30)
- Adultery and the Seriousness of the Marriage Commitment (Matthew 5:31-32)
- Be People Of Truth (Matthew 5:33-47)
- Giving Grace Instead Of Vengeance (Matthew 5:38-42)
- What Does It Mean To Love Your Neighbor? (Matthew 5:43-47)
- Our Only Hope Is Jesus (Matthew 5:48)
- The Lord’s Prayer: Our Father
- The Lord’s Prayer: Our Father In Heaven, Hallowed Be Your Name
- The Lord’s Prayer: Your Kingdom Come
- The Lord’s Prayer: Your Will Be Done On Earth As It Is In Heaven
- The Lord’s Prayer: Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread
- Forgive Us Our Sins (Matthew 6:12)
- The Lord’s Prayer: Lead Us Not Into Temptation
- The Lord’s Prayer Activity
- Forgiven People Forgive (Matthew 6:14-15
- Fast Toward God, Not Others (Matthew 6:16-18)
- Live For What Will Last (Matthew 6:19-34)
- Judge Not, But Do Judge (Matthew 7:1-6)
- God Gives So That You Can Give (Matthew 7:6-12)
- Which Gate Have You Gone Through? Which Path Are You On? What Is Your Eternal Destination? (Matthew 7:13-14)
- Beware the False Prophet (Matthew 7:15-18)
- You May Think You Know Jesus, But Does Jesus Know You? (Matthew 7:21-23)
- All Other Ground Is Sinking Sand (Matthew 7:24-27)
Over the past few weeks we have discussed the misinterpretation of different laws and the right interpretation of them. Jesus has shown us the meaning of the true meaning of the command not to commit murder and the command not to commit adultery, the seriousness of the marriage commitment, to be people of truth, giving grace instead of vengeance, and what was really meant by the command to love your neighbor. We have covered a lot of ground.
In this session, we discussed only one verse: Matthew 5:48.
“You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”-Matthew 5:48 ESV
We have noted in every message through these passages the inability to keep these laws perfectly. In every case, we have seen that we desperately fall short. We fall short of God’s glorious standard. We fall short of God’s righteous standard. And we see the standard here is perfection.
Jesus ends this portion of the Sermon on the Mount simply by saying that we are to be perfect as our “heavenly Father is perfect”. A standard which we have already seen that we cannot meet.
Jesus would live a perfect life, committing no sin and fulfilling all righteousness. A few years after the Sermon on the Mount Jesus would go to Calvary and die on a cross as the punishment for our sins, taking the punishment that was due us. We broke God’s Law and Jesus paid the punishment for us. He then rose from the dead three days later. Jesus conquered the power of sin and death. Jesus fulfilled all righteousness on our behalf.
When we see our failure to keep these Laws it drives us to Christ. We turn from sin and trust in Him and we are credited with Christ’s righteousness and our sins forgiven. Our failures bring us to see that we need the Savior. Our failures drive us to Christ.
R. Dwain Minor
