Exceeding Righteousness: Studies in the Sermon on the Mount

A little boy asked his mother one day if she knew what Goliath said when David hit him in the head with a stone. "Well, I didn't know Goliath said anything," she replied. The little boy nodded his head knowingly and said, "Yep, he sure did. When David put that stone in his slingshot and swung it around and around, and let it go and hit ol' Goliath right between the eyes, Goliath said, 'Hmmmmm, nothing like that has ever entered my mind before." That is the aim of this sermon: to offer some new ideas and insights related to the kingdom of God that have never entered your mind before. Perhaps, I'll also be able to answer some of your questions and dispel some of your confusion about God's kingdom. That's certainly my hope and it's been my prayer in the preparation of the message. There are several good reasons why we all need a better understanding of the New Testament teaching about the kingdom of God. To begin, both Matthew(4:17) and Mark(1:14) agree that the kingdom was the subject Jesus addressed first, as well as most frequently and consistently during his ministry. It clearly was his all-consuming passion. The kingdom is mentioned no fewer than 49 times in Matthew's gospel and 16 times in the Gospel of Mark. There are also 38 occurrences in Luke. Something so important to Jesus ought to be understood and ought also to be the primary object of his followers' concern. A second reason to come to grips with the kingdom of God is that occasionally a critic of contemporary preaching will "wish out loud" that modern-day preachers would "just preach more like Jesus used to preach." Well, if their wish comes true, preaching will indeed undergo a transformation. However, it will not suddenly become the "old-fashioned, hell-fire and brimstone" variety they expect. Instead, it will be preaching almost entirely consumed with the kingdom of God. Therefore, a return to biblical preaching and teaching requires a better understanding of our Lord's favorite subject.