MATTHEW. !

NOT A SINGLE WORD THAT MATTHEW SPOKE IS RECORDED IN HIS GOSPEL OR IN ANY OTHER BOOK OF THE BIBLE (INTRO: COMMENTARY PEOPLE'S BIBLE).  ALTHOUGH ALL THE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE WERE WRITTEN BY INSPIRATION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.  THE ORDER WHICH THEY WERE ARE ARRANGED WAS NOT INSPIRED. YET MATTHEW IS STILL LOCATED AS THE FIRST BOOK OF THE NEW TESTAMENT.
THE DISTINCTIVE LITERARY STYLE OF THE "SERMON ON THE MOUNT" AND THE PARABLES ARE IN SUCH STRIKING CONTRAST TO THE SURROUNDING PORTIONS OF THE GOSPEL THAT ONE FEELS CERTAIN THEY MUST HAVE COME FROM JESUS HIMSELF. MATTHEW CLEARLY  DEMONSTRATES THAT JESUS CAME, NOT TO DESTROY THE LAW AND PROPHETS, BUT TO FULFILL THEM. CHRISTIANITY IS NOT A NEW RELIGION TO REPLACE JUDAISM; IT RATHER FULFILLS THE PROMISES OF THE OLD TESTAMENT ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE " GARDEN OF EDEN" THE MIRACLES OF JESUS ARE NOT ONLY DEMONSTRATIONS OF HIS DIVINE POWER, PROVING HIM TO BE THE SON OF GOD;  THE MIGHT THAT THE PROPHETS FORETOLD OF THE THEY SAID THE MESSIAH PROMISED TO MAKE THE DEAF HEAR, THE MUTE SPEAK,, THE BLIND SEE, THE LAME WALK, AND EVEN THE DEAD COME BACK TO LIFE, AND THE DEMONS WOULD BE SUBJECT TO HIM.  HE WOULD PERFORM ALL THESE MIGHTY WORKS BY THE POWER OF HIS WORD. SOME BIBLE SCHOLARS ARE OF THE OPINION THAT MATTHEW WROTE HIS GOSPEL IN HEBREW OR ARAMAIC AND THAT SOMEONE ELSE
LATER TRANSLATED IT INTO THE GREEK OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. THE BASIS FOR THIS THEORY SEEMS TO BE A STATEMENT OF PAPIAS, A PUPIL OF THE APOSTLE JOHN
TO THE EFFECT THAT MATTHEW HAD WRITTEN IN HEBREW, BY THIS WE MAY BE CONFIDENT THAT MATTHEW WROTE HIS GOSPEL IN GREEK, AND WE HAVE HIS INSPIRED WORDS IN THE GREEK NEW TESTAMENT. TWENTY-SEVEN BOOKS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT WERE WERE WRITTEN IN GREEK IN THEIR FINAL FORM, IN CONTRAST TO THE BOOKS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT, MOST OF WHICH WERE WRITTEN IN HEBREW, ALTHOUGH A FEW OF THEM WERE WRITTEN IN ARAMAIC OR GREEK. IN ANY EVENT, THE NEW TESTAMENT TEXTS THAT HAVE BEEN PRESERVED UNTIL THE PRESENT WERE WRITTEN QUITE SOON  AFTER THE ORIGINAL VERSIONS.
 THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT JESUS SERMON ON THE MOUNT IS THE MOST FAMOUS SERMON EVER PREACHED. IT IS PERHAPS ALSO THE MOST MISUNDERSTOOD. IT IS NOT A SUMMARY OF THE WHOLE CHRISTIAN FAITH. AS A MATTER OF FACT, IT IS SAFE TO SAY THAT A PERSON WHO CLAIMS TO FIND HIS WHOLE RELIGION IN THIS SERMON IS NOT EVEN A CHRISTIAN. AND NO ONE WHO HEARS OR READS THIS SERMON BY ITSELF, APART FROM THE REST OF SCRIPTURE, WILL COME TO AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH. IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND THIS SERMON, WE MUST KEEP IN MIND THE AUDIENCE TO WHOM IT WAS PREACHED AND THE PURPOSE JESUS HAD IN MIND. THE AUDIENCE WAS, PRIMARILY, JESUS DISCIPLES,  ALTHOUGH LARGE CROWDS WERE EVIDENTLY IN THE BACKGROUND LISTENING IN. THE PURPOSE OF THE SERMON WAS TO GIVE THE BELIEVERS A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE GOD-PLEASING CHRISTIAN LIFE.
AN UNBELIEVER IS LIKELY TO INTERPRET JESUS WORDS AS A PRESCRIPTION FOR MAKING ONESELF RIGHTEOUS AND EARNING A PLACE IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
WHEN HE TAKES A CLOSE LOOK AT THE REQUIREMENTS, HE MAY DECIDE THAT IT ISN'T WORTH THE EFFORT. OR HE MAY TAKE ONLY A SUPERFICIAL LOOK AND CONVINCE HIMSELF THAT HE IS ABLE TO SAVE HIMSELF BY HIS OWN EFFORTS, THAT HE CAN PRODUCE THE RIGHTEOUSNESS GOD DEMANDS OF US.
 THE BEATITUDES (STATEMENTS OF BLESSINGS) SERVE AS A INTRODUCTION TO THIS SERMON. THEY DO NOT TELL US HOW TO BECOME BLESSED; THEY RATHER DESCRIBE THE BLESSEDNESS THAT ALREADY BELONGS TO ALL BELIEVERS IN CHRIST. THEY DO NOT DESCRIBE EIGHT KINDS OF BELIEVERS; THEY MENTION EIGHT WAYS IN WHICH ALL CHRISTIANS ARE BLESSED. ALL CHRISTIANS ARE POOR IN SPIRIT. THEY ALL MOURN AND ARE MEEK. THEY ALL HUNGER AND THIRST FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS AND ARE MERCIFUL AND ARE PURE IN HEART. THEY ARE
PEACEMAKERS AND ARE PERSECUTED FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
 AS WE EXAMINE OURSELVES, WE MUST CONFESS THAT WE POSSESS THESE CHARACTERISTICS ONLY TO A LIMITED EXTENT, WE ARE MADE TO REALIZE THAT WE FORFEIT MANY BLESSINGS BY FAILING TO LIVE UP TO THE IDEALS JESUS EXPRESSES HERE. SO WE WANT TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE BEATITUDES IN ORDER TO
GAIN A DEEPER APPRECIATION FOR THE BLESSINGS WE ALREADY POSSESS AS
 CHRISTIANS. "BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT, FOR THEIRS IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. THEY RECOGNIZE THEIR SPIRITUAL POVERTY, THEIR SINFULNESS AND UNWORTHINESS IN GOD'S SIGHT.
GOD DEMANDS A 1OO PERCENT PERFORMANCE, BUT WE ARE STUCK ON ZERO.
THE POOR IN SPIRIT ALSO KNOW THEY ARE RICH BEFORE GOD THROUGH FAITH IN CHRIST JESUS.
IN THIS CONNECTION IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THE BIBLE DOES NOT REGARD POVERTY IN MATERIAL THINGS AS A SPECIAL VIRTUE. TO BE POOR  OR EVEN TAKE A VOW OF POVERTY DOES NOT QUALIFY ANYONE FOR THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. NOR DOES RICHES DISQUALIFY.  IN CHRIST THROUGH WHOSE PERFECT RIGHTEOUSNESS, THE POOR BECOME RICH. THEY ARE MOST BLESSED AFTER ALL.
 THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN BELONGS TO BOTH THE RICH AND THE POOR, WHO ARE POOR IN SPIRIT.  BUT DOES JESUS POINT OUT THAT IT IS GENERALLY MORE DIFFICULT FOR THE RICH TO ENTER THE KINGDOM OF GOD. IN THE FOURTH CHAPTER OF LUKE WE ARE TOLD THAT JESUS READ FROM THE BOOK OF ISAIAH WHEN HE STOOD UP TO READ IN THE SYNAGOGUE IN NAZARETH: "THE LORD HAS ANOINTED ME TO PREACH GOOD NEWS TO THE POOR, AND BIND UP THE BROKEN HEARTED."  (ISAIAH 61:1).  BUT THOSE WHO MOURN NOW CAN BE COMFORTED. FOR AS CHRISTIANS, WE DON'T MOURN LIKE THOSE WHO HAVE NO HOPE, FOR GOD HAS GIVEN US HOPE, PROMISING TO PROVIDE COMFORT AND STRENGTH IN EVERY TRIBULATION AND FINALLY ETERNAL LIFE FOR JESUS' SAKE
BLESSED  ARE THE MEEK, BLESSED ARE THE PURE OF HEART, FOR THEY WILL SEE GOD.  TO BE PURE IN HEART IS TO BE LIKE NATHANAEL, OF WHOM JESUS SAID, "HERE IS A TRUE ISRAELITE, IN WHOM THERE IS NO GUILE (NOTHING FALSE (JN 1:47). THE PURE IN HEART SPEAK AND ACT WITHOUT ULTIMATE MOTIVES OR CONCEALED SELFISH MOTIVES. OUR HEARTS ARE NATURALLY SINFUL AND UNCLEAN. WHAT YOU SEE IN THEM IS WHAT YOU GET FROM THEM;  AND WHAT THEY SAY, THEY MEAN. WHAT THEY PROMISE, THEY WILL DO. IT IS APPROPRIATE THAT, WE HEAR GOD'S WORD PROCLAIMED, WE CALL UPON THE HOLY SPIRIT TO " CREATE IN US A CLEAN HEART, AND RENEW A RIGHT SPIRIT WITHIN US. THE PURE IN HEART WILL SEE GOD.