What's the Sermon on the Mount Really About?

      I am currently reading through the messages given on what is commonly called the Beatitudes.  When I was younger, this chapter seemed like a list of things that only God could do.  Who I was and what God's expectation was didn't seem to match up.  I liked chapters 13 and 14 of the Life-Study of Matthew because they really shed some spiritual light on this! 

    In Matthew 4 after defeating the devil's temptations in the wilderness, Jesus started His ministry by calling His disciples and telling people to repent for the kingdom of the heavens (Matthew 4:17).  I like the way Witness Lee connects on pages 161-162 these chapters in the Gospel of Matthew to Matthew's central theme of the kingdom: 

"Matthew 5, 6, and 7 may be called the constitution of the kingdom of the heavens.  Every nation has a constitution.  Certainly the Gospel of Matthew, the book on the kingdom of the heavens, also must have a constitution" (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Matthew. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1977, Print).

      Another thing that helped me with this section was seeing that Matthew 5:1-11 is a description of the kingly nature that the Lord has sown into our hearts when we were regenerated.  So I've learned that when I touch the Lord in the word and in prayer, I'm touching the life that is poor in spirit, mourns for fallen mankind, is meek towards others, and hungers and thirsts for being right with both God and man.  So I realize that my biggest need every day is just to spend time with the heavenly King!

Other blogs on the Life Study of Matthew:

You can listen to excerpts from the Life Study of Matthew along with excellent commentary by tuning into the Life Study of the Bible with Witness Lee.    

Do You Skip the Genealogy in Matthew?
What is the Focus of the Gospel of Matthew?
What is the Sermon on the Mount Really About? (Part 1)
What is the Sermon on the Mount Really About?  (Part 2)
Why is the Crucial Significance of Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13?
How Does Jesus Calm the Stormy Sea in Matthew 8:23-27?
How Does the Great Physician Heal our Hearts in Matthew 9:12?
Have You Seen the Battle Between the Two Kingdoms in Matthew 12:26-28?
What is the Connection Between the Kingdom & the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13:3-23?
What is the Significance of the Parables on the Treasure & the Pearl of Great Value in Matthew 13:44-46?
What is Walking By Faith All About in Matthew 14:22-33?
What Lesson Did Peter Learn on the Mount of Transfiguration in Matthew 17:1-13?
How Does Matthew 18 and 19 Relate to the Kingdom?
What Does Peter's Denial of the Lord Teach us in Matthew 26:69-75?