Is the Sermon on the Mount Meant for Today?

In this regular feature Dave and Tom respond to questions from listeners and readers of The Berean Call.  Here is this week’s question.  “Gentlemen, I take the Bible seriously and sometimes it leaves me with more questions than answers. I’d like your perspective on the Sermon on the Mount.  First, was it written for Christians today?  And second, what does, the meek shall inherit the earth, mean?  I don’t know if that has ever happened in history yet the earth seems to be the Christian’s final destiny rather than heaven.  Isn’t that what Revelation:21:3And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
See All..., indicates?

T. A. McMahon:

Dave, Jesus lays out—we’ve been talking in our past segments, about works and He lays out some things that we are to do in the Sermon on the Mount and I know many have taught that this was just for the Jews, this was not for the church, we are saved by grace through faith, but there are some interesting points here to this person’s question.

Dave Hunt:

Tom, you have an advantage because you see these things ahead of time.  I should just sit back and let you give the answers.

T. A. McMahon:

Hey Dave, you’re the one with more gray in your beard, you’re the more sage looking, not sage brush but you know, sage.

Dave Hunt:

Here I walk in and sit down and then you read these things and I’m supposed to come to some idea—“the meek shall inherit the earth.”

T. A. McMahon:

The Sermon on the Mount.

Dave Hunt:

Right.  Jesus says some pretty strong things there about the life that we should live.  As far as inheriting the earth, whoever wrote that letter said that the earth seems to be the destiny for Christians because of the last chapter of the Bible.  Well, the heavenly city New Jerusalem; I believe is the destiny of Christians.

T. A. McMahon:

I think that’s what they are referring to since you mentioned it.

Dave Hunt:

Father’s house of many mansions, but it does seem to come from heaven to this earth.  They are the nations of the saved.  I believe those are the redeemed who are not in the church and they are living on this earth and so forth.  I don’t understand a great deal of that chapter.  For example, it talks about “river of life” I know that we don’t need water.  It talks about a tree of life, you know with 12 manner of fruit, its leaves for the healing for the nations.

T. A. McMahon:

When you say we don’t need water you’re talking about our new resurrected bodies, right?

Dave Hunt:

We don’t need literal water, there is no literal water that gives life and these is no literal tree that gives life.  I think these are symbolic of the life that we have in Christ and so forth.  This is the throne of God and of the Lamb out of which this flows.  So, I don’t understand everything that’s involved—the nations on the earth and so forth, but definitely we would not say that this earth is our heritage.  He said He would take us to His Father’s house of many mansions.  I believe we will rule over this earth, in the millennial reign of Christ we certainly will, as well as in the eternal state.  So, the meek will inherit this eternal state, the eternal earth.  The earth abideth forever, a new heaven and new earth.  I don’t think it is just confined to this earth; there is a new heaven and a new earth.  What that involves, I don’t know, but I think we can learn a spiritual lesson from it at least.  We don’t take over this world.  We have people today who think they are supposed to take over the world.  We have people who think Constantine was a Christian and with the sign of the cross he took over the Roman empire.  Or the Crusaders, Pope Urban II, the first crusade and waving the banner of the cross, they slaughtered Jews and they captured Jerusalem for the Church.  Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world.  If my kingdom were of this world my servants would fight.”  But it’s not that kind of a kingdom.” So, you don’t get the kingdom, you don’t get—and I think He is talking about that, He’s speaking of the kingdom—the ultimate promises of God, the ultimate state, the eternal state of man is not something that you gain by your works—we were just talking about that—by your effort, by being aggressive, something that you are going to take over, but it’s something that comes to those who are meek.

T. A. McMahon:

Dave, I remember teaching about meekness that I thought was interesting, hopefully it was accurate, but they were talking about during the Roman times when they were selecting horses to draw the chariots and they would have sometimes three or four abreast and you looked for a horse which was meek.  Now, these are strong horses, powerful horses but in meekness they were able to be controlled by just the smallest pulling of the reins.  So, I think that’s a point that if we are to be controlled of the Holy Spirit, meekness has more to do with that than it has to do with whether somebody is a wimp, or not a wimp.  I think it is a good point.

Dave Hunt:

Well yes, you are pointing out something that’s important there, Tom.  Meekness is not weakness but it is trusting in God, it’s allowing Him to have His way.  Peter tells us, 1 Peter:2:21-23 [21] For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: [22] Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: [23] Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:
See All... he says, “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: 22) Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: 23) Who when he was reviled, reviled not again;  when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously.”  So, Christ was meek and mild.  He didn’t answer back, for example before the rabbis.  He didn’t revile them as they reviled him, but He committed himself to the God, it says, who judges righteously because He took our place.  He took the place that we deserved.  So, I think this also is what this verse is talking about.  There’s nothing that we can do, there’s nothing that we can say.  We have to meekly allow God to have His way in our lives and trust Him for eternity.  And, it those who trust in Him who will be in His kingdom in His eternal home, the Father’s house of many mansions.  I think that’s at least part of what Jesus is saying here, as well as for our conduct.  Some people who call themselves Christians can get so obnoxious and so aggressive.  We need to trust Him rather than striving in our own strength.