"When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes."--Matthew 7:28-29. These two verses conclude the Sermon on the Mount which is considered to be the greatest sermon ever preached in the history of mankind. What Jesus has taught here is takes the righteousness of men and shows us that the righteousness of men stands in stark contrast to the righteousness of God. Jesus shows us that God holds us to a standard that is much higher than man's. When Jesus finishes teaching these things, the crowds find it simply amazing.
Simply amazing. Has there ever been in a time in your life where something happens and you are simply awestruck at how powerfully God has worked (or is working) in that situation? There have only been a handful of times where this has been the case for me. Maybe such as is the case here, it was a sermon preached that just totally changed you in such a way that you became a stronger and more zealous servant of God.
Simply amazing. In some ways, this was the reaction of the people to the Sermon on the Mount. The crowds were amazed. This begs the question, what was so amazing about Jesus' teaching?
Simply amazing. We know from Matthew 7:28-29 that one reason the crowds were so amazed was because Jesus taught as one having authority. Jesus was not simply repeating what past teachers had taught. Jesus was teaching them that living a godly life was more than just following the rules. Living a godly life means completely changing your lifestyle as you obey the commandments of God. This is another aspect of the Sermon on the Mount that is simply amazing.
Simply amazing. Another aspect of the Sermon on the Mount that is simply amazing is the fact that acting on what Jesus taught would give us solid footing in our relationship with God. In Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus tells us that if we act on the words of Jesus and apply them to our lives, we will be like the man who built his house on the rock and when the storms come, we will be able to stand firm. On the other hand, if we fail to apply Jesus' words to our lives, we will be like the man who built his house on the sand and when the storms come, we will be knocked off our feet.
Simply amazing. The final aspect of why the Sermon on the Mount amazed the crowds is found at the tail end of Matthew 7:29 where we see that Jesus' taught "not as their scribes." What Jesus laid out before them was not just a set of do's and don'ts. No, what Jesus said out before them was simply a list of do's in order to live a righteous life. What the scribes were doing stood in stark contrast. They were simply adding rules and traditions that only appeared to be righteous but really had nothing to do with living a godly life. This was what was so amazing about the Sermon on the Mount.
Simply amazing. The Sermon on the Mount gives all Christians direction in every aspect of life including personal relationships, prayer, charity, money, worry, dealing with our brethren and people in general, and eternal life. Putting the lessons Jesus shows us here into action in our walk with Him can and will give us a solid footing in our relationship with God. This is simply amazing.
Simply amazing. So my encouragement to you is this. Go back through Matthew 5-7 and look at the different areas of life Jesus covers and find out where you need to improve. Is it your personal relationships? Do or say something for the people in your life that will aid in building that relationship such as serving or simply telling them how much you love them. Is it prayer that needs work? Spend some time before getting your day started today with Him in prayer. How about money? Look at your budget and see if there is ways you can use your money for the glory of God even if it means cutting something out that you don't necessarily need. Whatever area of life, take time to adjust those areas so that they fit into what Jesus teaches us in the Sermon on the Mount.
In closing, I leave you with the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:24 -- "Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock."
DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! PRAY ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS!
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