| Preface | 2 | |
| Reprint Guidelines | 5 | |
| Table of Contents | 7 | |
| Abbreviations and References | 12 | |
| Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount | 13 | |
| What Is Righteousness? | 13 | |
| An Unattainable Ideal? | 13 | |
| Radical Alternative to Modern Values | 14 | |
| Christian Counter-Culture | 14 | |
| Pipe-Dream or Possibility? | 14 | |
| Form and Structure of the Sermon on the Mount | 15 | |
| The Synoptic Problem | 15 | |
| Differences in Words and Setting | 16 | |
| The Jesus Seminar | 17 | |
| But Are These Jesus' Actual Words? | 17 | |
| Is the Sermon on the Mount a Single Unit? | 18 | |
| Conclusion | 18 | |
| I. Kingdom Citizens (Matthew 5:1-16) | 20 | |
| 1. Paradoxical People: The Beatitudes (5:1-12) | 21 | |
| Blessed are the poor in spirit (5:3) | 22 | |
| Blessed | 22 | |
| Blessed are those who mourn (5:4) | 23 | |
| Blessed are the meek (5:5) | 24 | |
| Blessed are the hungry for righteousness (5:6) | 25 | |
| Blessed are the merciful (5:7) | 26 | |
| Blessed are the pure in heart (5:8) | 28 | |
| Blessed are the peacemakers (5:9) | 29 | |
| Blessed are those who are persecuted (5:10-12) | 29 | |
| Rejoicing in Persecution (5:12) | 30 | |
| Excursus 1: What Is the Kingdom of Heaven that Jesus Proclaims? | 33 | |
| Son of David, Messianic King | 33 | |
| Kingdom of Believers | 34 | |
| Kingdom of Heaven or Kingdom of God? | 34 | |
| References to the Kingdom in the Sermon on the Mount | 35 | |
| 2. Witnessing People: Living as Salt and Light in the World (5:13-16) | 36 | |
| Salty Christians (5:13a) | 37 | |
| Salt as a Preservative | 37 | |
| Salt as a Seasoning | 38 | |
| The light of the world (5:14-16) | 39 | |
| Evoking praise towards God (5:16) | 40 | |
| Words verse deeds | 41 | |
| A light to the nations | 41 | |
| Excursus 2: The Religion of the Pharisees | 43 | |
| Who Were the Pharisees? | 43 | |
| Historical Origins | 43 | |
| The Tradition of the Elders | 44 | |
| Jesus' Criticism of the Pharisees | 45 | |
| II. The Kingdom and the Spirit of the Law (5:17-48) | 46 | |
| 3. The Spirit of the Law and Reconciliation (5:17-26) | 47 | |
| Old verse New, Law verse Grace | 47 | |
| Not to Abolish but to Fulfill (5:17) | 48 | |
| Jots and Tittles (5:18) | 49 | |
| Practicing and Teaching (5:19) | 49 | |
| Surpassing the Pharisees' Righteousness (5:20) | 50 | |
| How Did Jesus Fulfill the Law? | 50 | |
| Civil Law | 51 | |
| Religious or Ceremonial Law | 51 | |
| Moral Law | 51 | |
| You have heard that it was said ... but I tell you ... | 53 | |
| Do Not Murder (5:21) | 53 | |
| Anger and Insult (5:22) | 53 | |
| Woe to You Hypocrites! | 54 | |
| The Fire of Hell (22c) | 55 | |
| The Cleansing Process | 55 | |
| First, go be reconciled to your brother (5:23-24) | 56 | |
| Is Reconciliation Always Possible? | 57 | |
| Settle matters quickly with your accuser (5:25-26) | 57 | |
| The Golden Center | 58 | |
| Excursus 3: Did Jesus Believe in Hell? | 60 | |
| 4. Adultery, Lust and the Spirit of Marriage (5:27-30) | 62 | |
| Legalistic Righteousness | 62 | |
| Lust in the Heart | 62 | |
| Natural Sexual Desire verse Lust | 63 | |
| Pornography, the "Victimless" Crime | 64 | |
| Cutting off Your Hand -- or Worse (5:29-30) | 66 | |
| Breaking Free from Lust and Lure | 67 | |
| Looking with Love | 68 | |
| Excursus 4: Homosexual Lust | 70 | |
| 5. The Spirit of Marriage. Jesus' Teaching on Divorce (5:27-32 with Matthew 19:1-12) | 72 | |
| Various Interpretations | 73 | |
| Challenge from the Pharisees (19:3) | 73 | |
| In the Beginning (19:4-6) | 74 | |
| What God Has Joined (19:6) | 75 | |
| Homosexuality | 75 | |
| Certificate of Divorce (19:7) | 76 | |
| Because of Your Hardness of Heart (19:8) | 76 | |
| Love is the Fulfilling of the Law | 77 | |
| But I Tell You .... (19:9) | 78 | |
| Better Not to Marry (19:10-11) | 78 | |
| Eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven (19:12) | 79 | |
| Except for Marital Unfaithfulness ... (19:9) | 80 | |
| An Exception for Desertion? | 81 | |
| Application of the Principle | 82 | |
| Practical Considerations | 82 | |
| 6. The Spirit of Truthfulness and Love (5:33-48) | 86 | |
| Oath Taking in the Old Testament | 86 | |
| Occasions for Oaths | 87 | |
| Pharisees' Perversion of Oaths | 87 | |
| Don't Swear at All (5:34) | 88 | |
| Let Your "Yes" Mean "Yes" (5:37a) | 88 | |
| More Than This Comes from the Evil One (5:37b) | 88 | |
| Practical Application | 89 | |
| Refuse to Take an Oath? | 89 | |
| The Spirit of Love verse Retaliation (5:38-48) | 91 | |
| An Eye for an Eye (5:38) | 92 | |
| 1. Restraint | 92 | |
| 2. Judicial Administration | 93 | |
| Pharisees' Interpretation | 94 | |
| Personal Non-Retaliation (5:39-42) | 94 | |
| Cameos (5:39-42) | 94 | |
| Overcoming Evil with Good | 96 | |
| Christian Pacifism | 97 | |
| Be Perfect (5:48) | 99 | |
| Excursus 5: Loving Your Enemies Case Study: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. | 101 | |
| III. Piety in the Kingdom (6:1-18) | 103 | |
| 7. Giving, Prayer, and Fasting (6:1-8, 16-18) | 104 | |
| Care for the Poor in Judaism | 105 | |
| Attitudes Toward the Poor | 106 | |
| The Root of Pride (6:1) | 107 | |
| The Audience of One (6:3-4) | 107 | |
| Trumpeting Our Piety (6:2-3) | 108 | |
| Pride, the Universal Temptation | 108 | |
| Secret Prayer (6:5-6) | 110 | |
| Prayer in Few Words (6:7) | 111 | |
| Why Pray at All? (6:8) | 112 | |
| Fasting (6:16-18) | 113 | |
| Excursus 6. Verses on How God Looks at the Poor | 115 | |
| 8. The Lord's Prayer (6:9-15) | 117 | |
| Salutation (6:9) | 118 | |
| Who Art in Heaven (6:9) | 119 | |
| Petition 1: That His Name Be Reverenced (6:9c) | 119 | |
| Petitions 2 and 3: For His Kingdom and Will (6:10) | 120 | |
| Petition 4: For Daily Needs (6:11) | 121 | |
| Petition 5: Forgiveness (6:12, 14-15) | 123 | |
| Petitions 6 and 7: Help When Tempted (6:13) | 126 | |
| A Doxology (6:13c) | 127 | |
| The Disciples' Prayer | 127 | |
| IV. Materialism and the Kingdom (6:19-34) | 129 | |
| 9. Temptation to Idolatry (6:19-24) | 130 | |
| Storing Up Treasures (6:19-20) | 130 | |
| Treasures in Heaven (6:20) | 132 | |
| Your Heart Is the Key to Your Real Treasure (6:21) | 133 | |
| The Window of the Soul (6:22-23) | 134 | |
| A Tug-of-War Between Two Masters (6:24) | 134 | |
| Serving Money | 136 | |
| The Story of the Rich Young Ruler | 136 | |
| Where Is Your Heart? | 137 | |
| 10. Temptation to Worry (6:25-34) | 139 | |
| Anatomy of Anxiety | 140 | |
| Illustrations of the Father's Care (6:26, 28-30, 32) | 140 | |
| What Worry Can't Do (6:27) | 141 | |
| Worry Is Sin (6:30-32) | 141 | |
| Seeking God (6:32-33) | 143 | |
| Seek God First and Foremost (6:33) | 143 | |
| Seeking God's Kingdom and Righteousness (6:33) | 144 | |
| All these things will be given to you as well (6:33b) | 145 | |
| Labor Still Needed | 145 | |
| Watchcare Still Needed | 145 | |
| Tomorrow Will Worry about Itself (6:34) | 146 | |
| V. Discernment in the Kingdom (7:1-29) | 148 | |
| 11. Judging Self and Others (7:1-6) | 149 | |
| Judge Not (7:1) | 149 | |
| Projection and Censoriousness | 150 | |
| Healing and Restoration | 152 | |
| The Measure You Use (7:1b-2) | 152 | |
| Judgment Day for Christians | 153 | |
| Sawdust Specks and Timber Beams (7:3-5) | 153 | |
| Pigs and Dogs (7:6) | 154 | |
| 12. Asking in Faith (7:7-12) | 157 | |
| Ask (7:7-8) | 157 | |
| Seek (7:7-8) | 159 | |
| Knock (7:7-8) | 160 | |
| Continuous Action (7:7) | 161 | |
| Parables of Persistence (Luke 11:5-10 and 18:1-6) | 161 | |
| Persistence and Faith | 162 | |
| Faith in God's Goodness (7:9-11) | 162 | |
| The Golden Rule (7:12) | 163 | |
| 13. Enter the Narrow Gate (7:13-29) | 166 | |
| The Small Gate and the Narrow Way (7:13-14) | 167 | |
| Leads to Destruction (7:13) | 168 | |
| Watch out for false prophets (7:15-20) | 169 | |
| Bad fruit | 170 | |
| Inedible Fruit | 170 | |
| Accountability | 171 | |
| Obedient followers verse mere professors (7:21-23) | 172 | |
| Self-Deception | 173 | |
| Faith and works | 174 | |
| False assurance | 174 | |
| The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders (7:24-27) | 175 | |
| As one who had authority (7:28-29) | 176 | |
| Appendices | 178 | |
| Appendix 1. Question Handouts for Group Participants | 178 | |
| 1. The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12) | 179 | |
| 2. Witnessing People: Living as Salt and Light in the World (Matthew 5:13-16) | 180 | |
| 3. The Spirit of the Law and Reconciliation (Matthew 5:17-26) | 181 | |
| 4. Adultery, Lust and the Spirit of Marriage (Matthew 5:27-30) | 182 | |
| 5. The Spirit of Marriage. Jesus' Teaching on Divorce (Matthew 5:27-32,19:1-12) | 183 | |
| 6. The Spirit of Truthfulness and Love (Matthew 5:33-48) | 184 | |
| 7. Giving, Prayer, and Fasting (Matthew 6:1-8, 16-18) | 185 | |
| 8. The Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-15) | 186 | |
| 9. Temptation to Idolatry (Matthew 6:19-24) | 187 | |
| 10. Temptation to Worry (Matthew 6:25-34) | 188 | |
| 11. Judging Self and Others (Matthew 7:1-6) | 189 | |
| 12. Asking in Faith (Matthew 7:7-12) | 190 | |
| 13. Enter the Narrow Gate (Matthew 7:13-29) | 191 | |
| Appendix 2. Songs and Hymns Based on the Sermon on the Mount and Related Themes | 192 | |
| Appendix 3. Inductive Bible Study Questions for the Sermon on the Mount (online download) | 198 | |
| Appendix 4. Readers Theater Scripts for the Sermon on the Mount (online download) | 199 | |