What did Jesus really show us with his sermon on the mount? Most of us are aware of the Ten Commandments, but few realize that these ten are the first of six hundred thirteen of God's Laws in the Bible. They are found in Exodus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Reading these makes you realize only Jesus could live up to God's Laws.
God said in Jeremiah 31:31-33, "The days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them," declares the Lord. "This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time," declares the Lord. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
The sermon on the mount is the moment God was talking about. This is where God started the process of putting it in our minds. Jesus dying on the cross brought the Holy Spirit to us, and that's how it's written on our hearts. Though Jesus was speaking to his disciples that day, the others could hear the message too. So anyone listening or reading it now is also Jesus' disciple. It was not a message for the world but for his followers, then and now.
The primary scripture that sticks out to me is Matthew 5:20, For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. He's telling us we cannot get to heaven on our own accord. If the Pharisees and teachers of the law can't make it, we certainly will not make it on our own. We cannot do enough works to get there, no matter how hard we try. We get there by Grace, accepting Jesus dying on the cross for our sins and believing that Jesus is the son of God, which opens the door to heaven. Yes, our works matter; they determine our station in heaven, but they will not get us into heaven.
The rest of his sermon breaks down in depth what each of the ten commandments really means. For instance, "Thou shall not Murder." Most of us take it literally and say I haven't done that, I'm not guilty, but Jesus says if you have ever been angry with someone or spoke wrongly to them, you are guilty of this sin as well. He elaborates on them to help us realize we are all sinners and need Jesus's Grace to live an eternal life in heaven.
I heard an interview with Candace Cameron Bure not long ago, and she said she always thought of herself as a good person. She honors her parents, doesn't lie and is kind and generous to others. So, she felt she had nothing to worry about until someone gave her a book with God's Laws in it. That's when she realized she, too, was a sinner. So, even though we are good people according to our standards, we are sinners going by God's standards. His are so much higher than ours.
This isn't to make us feel condemned, though. It's to make us realize we all need Jesus. And that's a good thing. Let God put it in your mind and then write it on your heart. Accept him with gladness. Repent, forgive, and love your enemies and everyone, for that matter. That opens your heart to God. Accept him in your heart, and then as God says, "I will be their God, and they will be my people." Are you ready for that? I know I am.
Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you, Lord, for your laws. It shows how much we mean to you, and you are such a good parent—keeping us on the straight and narrow path. Thank you for coming into our hearts and being our God. In Jesus Holy name, we pray. Amen.
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