Page 109 - TH130 Kingdom of God A4 Final

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The Sermon

on the Mount

and the Kingdom

t is time to focus on one of the most well known sermons of Jesus. It
is known as the Sermon on the Mount and is found in Matthew 5–7.
IThis sermon contains Jesus’ most complete teaching on life in the
Kingdom. In it, He teaches us how we are to live as citizens of God’s
kingdom (4:7, 23; ref. 3:1–3). Jesus taught similar lessons in His “Sermon
on the Plain” found in Luke 6:17–49. However, in this chapter, we will
focus our thoughts on His sermon in Matthew. Please read Jesus’ sermon
in Matthew 5–7 before proceeding with this chapter.

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus specifically mentions the Kingdom
eight times (5:3, 10, 19 [twice], 20; 6:10, 33; 7:21). He further mentions
“God’s throne” and the “city of the great King” one time each (5:34–35).
You will note that, in his Gospel, Matthew prefers the phrase “kingdom
of heaven” to the phrase “kingdom of God” used by the other evangelists.
(See Table 1.1.)

The Constitution of the Kingdom

Some have suggested that the Sermon on the Mount could appropriately
be called the “Constitution of the Kingdom.” Just as a modern constitution

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