Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount | February 8, 2026

Today’s message is a little different than normal. Rather than sharing a full sermon on a few verses of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, I offered a brief introduction, then the full text of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount from Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7.

Later in the service, I included an extended welcome to the communion table which functioned as a sort of wrap-up to the sermon, and then concluded with a post-communion blessing reflecting on Jesus’ words. 

Here’s the livestream video from Christ the King and the sermon podcast audio.

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Introduction

Each Sunday, we read parts of the Bible, typically a dozen or so verses at a time, but we rarely read large chunks as a cohesive whole.

I want to try something different today and instead of reading a few verses of Jesus’ sermon on the mount and then preaching a sermon about a sermon, I’m going to just share Jesus’ sermon with you. So, you may be seated.

The sermon on the mount begins in Matthew chapter 5. As Matthew’s telling the story of Jesus in his gospel, he starts with a genealogy, tells about Jesus’ birth to Mary and Joseph in fulfillment of prophecy, the story of the Magi, Herod’s betrayal and the holy family’s flight to Egypt, and that’s the first two chapters.

Chapter 3 is all about John the Baptist and his teaching, then Jesus is baptized. Immediately after his baptism, in chapter 4, Jesus is tempted by the devil, and we’ll hear that story in two weeks.

Back from the wilderness, Jesus hears John has been arrested and put in prison, and he begins his own public ministry. He begins to preach, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” He calls some disciples to follow him, which we heard about two weeks ago, and then Matthew gives us Jesus’ most famous teaching, the sermon on the mount.

I saw someone this week call this sermon on the mount the “Constitution for the Kingdom of Heaven.” Pastor Wendy talked last Sunday about the first part—which we call the Beatitudes—as Jesus’ “Project Kingdom of Heaven”—an alternative to the might-makes-right rule of this world.

Most of the famous sayings you know from Jesus are in this sermon, and as he traveled around teaching, he likely repeated many of these phrases to different crowds in different venues and settings. But Matthew records it all here in chapters five, six, and seven, so hear the words of Jesus.

See what sounds familiar, what’s challenging in Jesus’ teaching (and some of it is very challenging!), what sticks out to you.

I’ll start with the end of Matthew 4 as an introduction.

The Holy Gospel according to Matthew. Glory to you, O God.

The Sermon on the Mount

Jesus went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.

So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought to him all the sick, those who were afflicted with various diseases and pains, people possessed by demons or having epilepsy or afflicted with paralysis, and he cured them. And great crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he began to speak and taught them, saying:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything but is thrown out and trampled under foot.

You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. People do not light a lamp and put it under the bushel basket; rather, they put it on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished.

Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder,’ and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment, and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council, and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire.

So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift.

Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.

You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.

It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’ But I say to you: Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.

You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you: Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also, and if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, give your coat as well, and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to the one who asks of you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.

You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven, for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.

For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Beware of practicing your righteousness before others in order to be seen by them, for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.

So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Pray, then, in this way:
Our Father in heaven,
may your name be revered as holy.
May your kingdom come.
May your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And do not bring us to the time of trial,
but rescue us from the evil one.

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

And whenever you fast, do not look somber, like the hypocrites, for they mark their faces to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The eye is the lamp of the body. So if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If, then, the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

No one can serve two masters, for a slave will either hate the one and love the other or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?

Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For it is the gentiles who seek all these things, and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For the judgment you give will be the judgment you get, and the measure you give will be the measure you get.

Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.

Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under foot and turn and maul you.

Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

Is there anyone among you who, if your child asked for bread, would give a stone? Or if the child asked for a fish, would give a snake?

If you, then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

In everything do to others as you would have them do to you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Enter through the narrow gate, for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it. Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits.

Are grapes gathered from thorns or figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits.

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; go away from me, you who behave lawlessly.’

Everyone, then, who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall because it had been founded on rock.

And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its fall!

Now when Jesus had finished saying these words, the crowds were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as their scribes.

This is the Gospel of our Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.

We continue with our hymn of the day, #815 I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light.

Communion Invitation

In the sermon on the mount, Jesus sets a high standard for his followers, a high bar to enter the kingdom of God. He takes the commandment of not committing adultery and says just looking at someone with lust is enough to break it.

Don’t kill someone? No, you can’t even get angry with someone else.

Too much?

If you find yourself thinking this whole idea of the poor being blessed, loving your enemies, not judging anyone makes the kingdom of God seem unrealistic, impossibly idealistic, you are absolutely correct.

If the narrow road to salvation by these standards seems so narrow as to be impossible, you understood why Paul says all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

We cannot live up to the standards to which Jesus calls his followers. I want to walk as a child of the light, and I can’t do it. Not on my own.

But Jesus did not come to condemn the world. Jesus did not come merely to tell you how bad you are, how sinful you are. Jesus came to offer you grace, forgiveness, and mercy.

Jesus tells us, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” And then he invites us to the table. Knowing we are sinners, knowing we fall short, knowing how very, very far we are from perfect, he invites us to share a meal with him.

A meal where he offers himself for us, where he offers us forgiveness, uniting us to be his body in the world.

Jesus entered this world to be with us sinners, to bring us into God’s kingdom. Where our best efforts fall short, God’s grace is sufficient. Jesus fulfills the law’s impossible demands. He lays down his life so we can live.

People of God, in the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven. You are welcome to this table, where Jesus is the host and the meal.

For in the night in which he was betrayed, “our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks; broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying:
Take and eat; this is my body, given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.

Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink, saying: This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin. Do this for the remembrance of me.

And so we pray together, as Jesus taught us, “Our Father…”

Post-Communion Blessing

May this body and blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ strengthen you and keep you always in God’s grace.

May this meal fuel you to live Jesus’ teaching, blessing your neighbors and community in Jesus’ name, becoming what you have received, the body of Christ.

May you know you are blessed to be salt and light for the world, in Jesus’ name.
Amen