Post #7: Matthew 5-7 – Sermon on the Mount: To Whom? | KJV Right Division (Week 1)

Post 7 · Matthew 5-7 – Sermon on the Mount: To Whom?

"And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." — Matthew 5:1-3 (KJV)

Who? Jewish disciples in Israel, under Law, before the cross — Jesus preaching the ethics of the coming Kingdom to His covenant people.
Dispensation: Law — the Sermon on the Mount intensifies the Law for the Kingdom age; it is not the Church's rule of life.
Key: The Sermon on the Mount describes Kingdom righteousness exceeding the Law (Matt 5:20) — it is not Paul's Grace-Age ethic of righteousness by faith.

The Sermon on the Mount is the most misapplied passage in Christendom. It is regularly taught as the Christian's guide to living, yet its audience is Israel (Matt 5:1 — 'his disciples' in a Jewish context), its covenant framework is the Law intensified ('ye have heard... but I say unto you'), and its kingdom context is the coming Millennial rule. The Beatitudes, the Lord's Prayer, the turn-the-other-cheek commands — all are ethics for Kingdom citizens, not Grace-Age believers. This does not make them irrelevant; it makes them correctly understood when studied in their context.

Application: Read Matthew 5:17-20. Notice that Jesus says He came to 'fulfil' the Law, not abolish it, and that Kingdom entry requires righteousness exceeding the Pharisees. Now read Romans 3:21-22. Write out the contrast between Kingdom righteousness (law-based) and Grace-Age righteousness (faith-based).

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Prayer: Lord, thank You that the righteousness the Sermon demands, You have provided freely through faith. Help us to rightly place this great sermon in its Kingdom context without losing its majesty. Amen.