Lakeside Bible Church | Sermons

We come now to the main body of the Sermon On The Mount in which Jesus articulated the standard of righteousness we all must attain in order to make it to heaven. The only standard of righteousness the people in Jesus' day knew was the artificial, external righteousness of the proud, legalistic religious leaders who taught you had to earn your way to heaven by your own good works which included how much you gave, how long you prayed, and how often you fasted. Because the religious leaders were completely wrong in how they superficially interpreted and applied the Law, Jesus was compelled to provide His own interpretation and application of the Law and explain its deeper implications. Vv. 17-20 serve as an introduction to Jesus' powerful, practical exposition of the Law. These four verses are the interpretive key to the rest of the Sermon On The Mount. The challenge is this text can be confusing. These four verses have all sorts of theological ramifications which lead to numerous discussions on the intricacies and nuances of the relation between the Old and New Testaments, the relation between the Law and the Gospel, and the relation of this text to the many other New Testament texts that unambiguously affirm that certain parts of God's Law have now been done away with and no longer apply to Christians. There are few things more confusing to Christians in our day than the role that God's Law plays in our lives.

As we wrap up our study of the greatest love song of all time, we see this exemplary couple model the kind of lifelong love it takes for every married couple to remain loyally and faithfully committed to each other until the day they die. As the years go by, the relationship between a husband and wife should grow and mature, and even when their desire and/or ability to be physically intimate eventually fades, the commitment to one another that has always been behind it remains and they are closer and stronger than ever. In the remaining verses, we learn what we can do to ensure we are growing and maturing in our relationship with our spouse. This seasoned couple says and does some of the same things they have already said and done earlier but with a few differences and additions. And we will get the clear sense they are at a much more mature stage in their relationship. That maturity is by and large the result of the many conflicts and reconciliations they have experienced over the years. We see the durability of their relationship as it has endured, by God's grace, the wear and tear of married life (i.e. ups and downs, joys and sorrows, blessings and challenges, fighting and making up, etc.).

Are there times when you don't feel like praising the Lord almighty? Perhaps you know all of the reasons why you should praise God (intellectually) and you even have personal stories of God's faithfulness in your life, but you haven't truly experienced the “joy of the Lord” in some time. If we are honest, all of us have experienced something like this at some point in our Christian walk. We know we should praise the God of mercy, but we simply don't feel like it or we get distracted by the tyranny of the urgent. Psalm 103 serves as a great reminder that we must not forget the many blessings of God, but instead give thanks for receiving and enjoying them. This Psalm becomes a practical roadmap of how we are supposed to think about the mercies of God, because when we don't feel like praising God, it is essential that we remind ourselves of who He really is and what He's done for us. This in turn should cause our hearts to re-orientate toward Him, producing a response of gratitude and praise no matter what the circumstances may be.

The Song of Solomon paints a realistic view of true love. Just because you truly love someone does not mean you never argue or fight with them. It is inevitable that conflict and friction and tension will occur in even the best marriages. It would be easy to view Solomon and the Shulammite as the perfect couple with the perfect marriage. But lest we get a false impression of marriage, God infused this idealistic marriage with a dose of realism. Under the direction of the Holy Spirit, Solomon shared how shortly after he and the love of his life got married, they experienced a marital spat. Like every other married couple, they got sideways with one another and endured a painful, stressful time of separation but were eventually able to work out their differences and “kiss and make up.”

The Song of Solomon paints a realistic view of true love. Just because you truly love someone does not mean you never argue or fight with them. It is inevitable that conflict and friction and tension will occur in even the best marriages. It would be easy to view Solomon and the Shulammite as the perfect couple with the perfect marriage. But lest we get a false impression of marriage, God infused this idealistic marriage with a dose of realism. Under the direction of the Holy Spirit, Solomon shared how shortly after he and the love of his life got married, they experienced a marital spat. Like every other married couple, they got sideways with one another and endured a painful, stressful time of separation but were eventually able to work out their differences and “kiss and make up.”

In the Bible, God performed two wedding ceremonies in paradise; one at the beginning of history and one at the beginning of eternity. And every wedding in between is a reenactment of the first wedding between Adam and Eve and a rehearsal for the second wedding between Christ and the Church. A wedding is an echo of Eden and a hint of heaven; a glimpse of the Garden and a foretaste of forever. While marriage is a gracious gift that God provided for us to enjoy during our lives here on earth, it serves primarily as a preview of our marriage to Christ in heaven and to prepare us for that glorious wedding day. In light of eternity our earthly marriages are temporary and momentary and point to a much greater, far more satisfying and everlasting relationship with Jesus Christ. He is our one true love for whom we wait.

In the Bible, God performed two wedding ceremonies in paradise; one at the beginning of history and one at the beginning of eternity. And every wedding in between is a reenactment of the first wedding between Adam and Eve and a rehearsal for the second wedding between Christ and the Church. A wedding is an echo of Eden and a hint of heaven; a glimpse of the Garden and a foretaste of forever. While marriage is a gracious gift that God provided for us to enjoy during our lives here on earth, it serves primarily as a preview of our marriage to Christ in heaven and to prepare us for that glorious wedding day. In light of eternity our earthly marriages are temporary and momentary and point to a much greater, far more satisfying and everlasting relationship with Jesus Christ. He is our one true love for whom we wait.