Well, those of you who may be visiting with us, we have spent quite some time considering Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7, that which we commonly call our Lord's Sermon on the Mount. And we finished our Lord's Sermon last week, Sunday. But if you notice, in chapter 7, we're not quite finished. There are two more verses that we could consider and we do this morning. Matthew 7, verses 28 and 29. And I would invite you to turn with me also in 2 Timothy 3. 2 Timothy 3. We read together verses 10-17. Paul begins this picture talking about godlessness in the last days and pointing really a very grim picture of the godlessness of the world in the last days. And then he turns very strongly to Timothy and begins verse 10, You, however... So we read together beginning at verse 10 through 17. Hear now God's holy inspired Word. You, however, know all about My teaching, My way of life, My purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings, what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. While evil men and imposters will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, Continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of because you know those from whom you learned it and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. Matthew 7, verses 28 and 29. When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at His teaching because He taught as one who had authority and not as their teachers of the law. May God add His blessing to the reading and consideration of His Word this morning. Well, beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ, indeed, at first glance, this text might seem like an unimportant or imperfect follow-up to the glorious words of Jesus Himself. Indeed, our Lord has just spoken this beautiful, powerful, content-filled sermon on the mount, as we call it. And then to follow up with these two verses, it might seem like nothing more than well, they lived happily ever after. After all, in your red letter editions, these words aren't in red. Jesus didn't speak them. So why spend time considering them? And I have to admit that when I initially started this series, I hadn't even given consideration of those verses until about a month or two when I read them again. And then one of you challenged me a little bit last week about are you going to consider those last two verses? Yet, Matthew's words, beloved, are more than just a useless epilogue. This disciple, this friend of Jesus, this eyewitness, gives us a powerful look at the effect of Jesus and His sermon onto the crowds. Indeed, the words of Matthew are inspired words. Now, when it comes to speakers or preachers, you may have a certain speaker that captures your attention, that mesmerizes you unlike any other. One, that you hang on their every word as it is. And maybe for a variety of reasons. Maybe because you like the sound of their voice or because of their use of vocabulary. Maybe because of their knowledge of the subject material or maybe simply the overall presentation. No doubt because of the entire package. And you hang on their every word. For myself, among a number, there's one that really stands out, a preacher that I have been blessed to hear at R.C. Sproul Ligonier Conferences a couple of times. There's power and there's passion in his preaching. And I can't wait to hear him preach when I have the opportunity. And as I read his books, and you probably know this too when you read books of those whom you've heard speak, you can hear their voice in the writing as you read it. It's as if they're reading it right to you. And for me, for this man, his sermons, as all true sermons ought to be, are faithfully founded on the only source. So along with the power and the passion, it's the content, obviously. Faithfully founded on the only source, on the Word of God as it is to be. Yet Christ's audience heard nothing less than the source Himself. They heard truth from the mouth of God Himself and they were amazed. as Matthew records that Jesus amazed the crowds. Now, the word amazed really is not the best choice of words. Matthew uses it here, but for us it's really sort of a weak term. And a better term would be astonished. The idea of being overwhelmed with a bewildered wonder. We might say they were shocked, not in a terrifying way, but with an impressed astonishment that came over them, As if they were to say, wow, I have never ever heard anything like that. I can't believe what I just witnessed and heard as the crowds were amazed by the character and the content of Christ's preaching. As they were amazed by how He taught and by what He taught. First of all, they were amazed by how He taught. Verse 29, Matthew says, because He taught as one who had authority and not as their teachers of the law. They were amazed by how he taught versus their teachers of the law, versus the scribes of the day, the religious experts of the day. Now we need to try to picture the entire scene a little bit. Here's this teacher on this mountainside. He's quite young in his early 30s. His father they knew was a carpenter and they also knew his background. He was from a poor family. He was from the town of Nazareth, no less. He was simply a common, ordinary person. There was nothing elite about him or his family. Nothing that should draw attention to him. As far as his training, he was not a graduate of a great rabbinical university. He had not sat at the feet of a great teacher like Gamaliel. He was not licensed to exhort by the Sanhedrin. He was not like their scribes. They're teachers of the law. Indeed, their teachers of the law, we know they had a certain status. They had a certain authority that was given to them among the people. The people were called to respect them and to listen to them. But their teaching, you see, was not original. They did not teach with authority like Jesus. They taught the law to be sure, but they taught its traditions. They taught its interpretations as they had been handed down since it was first given to Moses. They were those of whom Jesus said, you have heard it was said. And of course, they said what they had heard was said and on down the line. They quoted the so-called experts, those whose names, some of them, probably couldn't even be remembered. But we sang, Christ shall have dominion. His name shall be remembered from sea, from coast to coast, from around the world. They quoted experts who studied interpretations of others and that's what was given throughout the generations. That's what was passed on. Boys and girls, a little bit like if your brother or sister comes to you and tells you to do something. Go do the dishes or go mow the lawn. And by the way, mom says, or dad says. Now, if they say that, that might have a little bit of weight with you. It might come with a little bit of authority. But not like if mom comes to you and says, do the dishes. Or dad says, do or mow the lawn. It comes right from the source then. The scribes were passing down the interpretations that had been given throughout the generations. But Jesus taught with authority. Matthew says He taught as one who had authority, or we ought to understand, one having authority. It was part of His very being. It was an authority all His own, unlike anyone else. It comes a bit with the idea of absolute power and sovereignty, which is interesting because they did not yet know His true identity, yet the authority of His divinity came through in how He taught. His authority was seen in His confidence, not in the interpretations or the sayings of others, but in what Jesus Himself had to say. But I tell you, He said. Or, I have come to fulfill. Or, not everyone who says to Me, but instead, I will tell them plainly. Or, He spoke of these words of Mine. He was making amazing, confident claims, really, in the arena of the scribes and the teachers of the law. In the arena of their expertise. Challenging them. His authority was seen in His certainty as He would say, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Or, for they will see God. Again, these other guys, they were the experts in the kingdom of God. They were the ones who knew God better than anyone else. But here's this man, he spoke as if he knew those things for a fact, and he did. Because as we know, it's his kingdom. And as we know, they would see God because of him. He spoke not as a law interpreter, but he spoke as the law giver and the law keeper by which he amazed the crowds secondly by what he taught the content of his teaching what he taught about himself we know that Jesus claimed authority over the law as we have considered he exposed the inadequacies of the religious system of the scribes and the Pharisees they had reduced the law and law-keeping to just the external, just the literal letter of the law. Just don't take an object that belongs to somebody else and then you haven't stolen. Just don't end someone's life. Don't stop them from breathing and you will not have committed murder. Just don't engage in physical intimacy with your neighbor's wife and then you're safe. You haven't committed adultery. They reduced it to just the external, literal letter of the law, but Jesus taught the Spirit of the law. Jesus taught the heart of the matter. But I tell you, whoever looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. He claimed authority over the law that they interpreted throughout the generations. He claimed authority for the hope of eternity. He made it very clear that the hope of eternity is based on, as He said, these words of Mine. It's the words of Jesus. It's Jesus Himself who determines if one is like the wise man or one is like the foolish man. The hope of eternity is His determination as He will say to some on that day, I never knew you. And He also claimed authority as He presented Himself as the basis of persecution. Those would be blessed who are persecuted for My sake, He said. And that persecution would come because of those who reject His authority. He made such bold claims. And He made them because of His claim also about who He is, about what He taught with regard to His own identity. He says, I have not come to abolish the law of the prophets. On the other side, He is saying, I have come. And that begs the question, from where? From where have you come? You're not who we expect you should be. You're speaking like someone we don't recognize. So from where have you come? In another place in the sermon, he speaks of my Father in heaven. And therefore, in essence, he is saying I have come from my Father in heaven and I have come to fulfill the law and the prophets. He is identifying himself as the Messiah that God had promised. He is identifying himself as the Messiah that the prophets spoke of and he would fulfill the law that they were feverishly trying to keep to no avail. Not only in its righteous standards and its absolute perfection, but also suffering its curse. Fulfilling the curse of the law. Taking its punishment completely in all of its fullness. And then ultimately, He claims authority to judge. He is the judge. This very ordinary looking one who sat before them on the side of the mountain And on this day, He would be before them and all of mankind again, only in a not so very ordinary way. He would be before them again on His throne of glory as the King of the Kingdom, as the Judge of all men. All of this is what He taught about Himself, which is significant, beloved, because of what He also taught about man. About man in general. As we considered last week, there are only two kinds of people. There are those who enter the wide gate and travel the broad road that leads to destruction. And there are those who enter the small gate and travel the narrow road that leads to life. There are those who produce bad fruit. There are those who produce good fruit. There are those who are like the wise man, those who are like the foolish man. There are those who hear the words of Jesus and put them into practice, and those who don't. And Jesus is the deciding factor between the two kinds. That is what He teaches throughout this sermon. Yet, that is where His teaching was also not like their teachers of the law. They're teachers of the law by whom men were taught hopelessness. That's what their teachers of the law were teaching. Hopelessness. This sermon, as we have seen, is about the Kingdom of Heaven. about entering that kingdom, about the character and the behavior of the kingdom's citizen, all in Christ alone. But the teachers of the law made the kingdom all about man, man entering and man living by outward obedience to the law, to a law that they had expanded to hundreds of do's and don'ts about trivial matters that was impossible to keep. They were concerned about trivial matters. But Jesus was concerned about eternity. Jesus cared about the eternal destiny of man. And the result of the teaching of the scribes is that man lived in horror because of the hopelessness of working, working, working, but not getting anywhere. The law became a burden to man. They lived in fear. Have I done enough? Or have I canceled out the good that I have done by all the bad that I have done. They lived in fear of punishment from a vengeful, from a wrathful God. The scribes' teaching was so greatly degenerated and extremely corrupted that as one commentator rightly says, it did not impress the minds of men with any reverence for God. It did not truly point to God. And beloved, that is because it only focused man's attention on himself. And then came this Jesus. then came this jesus who taught as one who had authority and again he exposes the inadequacies and the failures of the scribes and the pharisees religious system which was a system which was not sufficient for entering nor for remaining in the kingdom here comes this jesus and he taught about hope. He taught about hope for those who trust in Him alone. He gave the deeper meaning of sin. It's not just the outward act. Sin takes place in the heart, but He gave the deeper meaning of sin in the context of hope in Himself. As you remember, He began this sermon, and we have emphasized throughout this series, He began this sermon in a very interesting way by addressing those who are poor in spirit. Those who are spiritually bankrupt. Those who have nothing to offer to God. And those who know it. Those who mourn because of their sin. He begins with them. Because He promises hope to those who look outside of themselves. To Jesus who came to fulfill that law that we broke that we have no hope of keeping. No hope of earning God's favor by keeping it. He has come giving hope, a living hope, a certainty, as He says, that theirs is the kingdom of heaven. He begins that way. Theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Why? As He ends the sermon, it's theirs because of Jesus Christ, the solid rock foundation of the kingdom citizen, in whom there is forgiveness and life. That's how He begins and ends. And He teaches kingdom citizenship throughout the rest of the sermon. Kingdom character and behavior. He teaches it with, as He says, these words of mine. These words of mine. His words on how to build one's kingdom lifehouse. His words about what that lifehouse looks like. A life centered on Jesus Christ. A life of devotion to and confidence and contentment in God that removes a sinful concern from the things of this life. A life of love for others. Not just a love spoken, but a love lived. Life in Christ. A life that will never crumble. Not because of what you and I have made of it ourselves, but it will never crumble because of the foundation that holds it all together. Beloved, Jesus amazed the crowds, astonished them by teaching with authority. and by the authority of what he taught. The kingdom of God, one's entrance into that kingdom, one's citizenship in that kingdom, has everything to do with one's relationship with Jesus. But notice what Matthew does not say. He says they were amazed, but not that they believed and obeyed. He leaves that out. We don't know. But we do know that these words are for us, for you and me today, just as much as they were for Matthew's original audience. Jesus knew what He was speaking about, not from tradition, not from books, but He wrote the book. We have His Word. We have His voice. It comes with His authority and empowered by His Holy Spirit. It is the power of God and salvation for those who believe. And as He comes to us with His Word, beloved, His purpose is not that His Word be doubted. His purpose is not that it simply be considered and then put on the shelf for reflection. His purpose is not even that it be amazing or impressive. His purpose is that it be believed and obeyed. Indeed, we are to be amazed. We are to be amazed that the holy, the pure, the righteous, the sovereign God should bother with sinful men to even save some. We are to be amazed that Jesus Christ would give His life as a ransom for many. We are to be astonished at those things, but it's not to stop there. Not just to be amazed, but to believe. To claim His sacrifice for me too. For you too. to be astonished not only that God chose to bother Himself with sinful man and to save some, but that He chose to concern Himself with me. That Jesus Christ gave Himself for me. As those who profess faith in Jesus Christ by the gracious operation of the Holy Spirit, we are called also to recognize, to confess, to accept the authority of Jesus. The one alone with the authority to go to the cross and to pay for sin, to demand our lives, and to be obeyed. You see, He has the authority to speak His truth and to bring His truth to pass, which He will do. And ours is the confidence that it is all for our good. We are called to build with confidence upon Him, not in fear of failure or in dread of punishment, but with joy of the victory in Jesus Christ by whom believers are and will remain God's kingdom citizens. And beloved, He has given us the blueprint for building the kingdom life in Him. As Paul says to Timothy once again, all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. For teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. The very breath of God. The blueprint for molding and shaping His redeemed people more and more in His image. The blueprint for life devoted to God and His glorious rule. A life that glorifies Him and enjoys Him forever. This is His Word. This is His voice. To be read. Heard, to be studied, to be believed, and obeyed. You see, He has the authority to direct our lives, and for those who are in Him, He leads only in one direction, and that direction is eternal life. Dear people of God, the Word of God, the Word of Christ, is the Word of authority that will say on that day to those who reject Him, away from Me, I never knew you. But it is also that word of authority that will say to those whom He has saved, those who trust in Him and belong to Him body and soul and life and in death, those who have built on Him by grace through faith, He will say to them, Enter into the joy of your Lord. Dear people of God, what words to hang on. Words guaranteed by the King, by the Judge Himself. Because with Him it is and it will be. living happily ever after. Amen. Let's pray together. Dear Heavenly Father, we recognize that in our day, as in so many ages past, there are so many who step on the authority of Your Word. Step on Your authority. Father, we praise You for Your Word, Your Word of life. Your Word which is truth. Your Word which points us in the right direction, leads us to the only Savior, Jesus Christ. Your Word by which we are transformed to the power of Your Holy Spirit. And Father, may we too be students of Your Word, those who love it, those who can't get enough of it, those who hang on Your every word, desiring to learn more and more and more until the day that You do bring us into Your glory forever and ever. Hear our prayer, O Lord, for Jesus' sake. And in His name we pray. Amen.