Faith without religion.
Unpacking the Profound Teachings of Jesus in Matthew 7: A Closer Look at the Sermon on the Mount
Sermon on the Mount, Multitudes, Apostolic Record
In a recent discussion on Matthew Chapter 7, Shawn Delaney and his co-host delved into the complexities of the Sermon on the Mount, exploring its profound impact on the multitudes who heard it. The conversation highlighted the timeless principles Jesus taught, such as the Golden Rule, and how these teachings were both jarring and enlightening to the Jewish audience of the time. The hosts speculated on the diverse crowd that Jesus addressed, suggesting it was primarily Jewish, with possibly some Gentiles present.
The dialogue also touched on the cultural and religious context of the era, comparing it to modern-day Christianity. They discussed how Jesus’ teachings might have resonated with those who were disillusioned by the corruption within the religious establishment of the time. The conversation further explored the transition from the law-based Judaism to the faith-based teachings of Jesus, emphasizing the shift from adherence to the law to belief in Jesus as the path to righteousness.
The hosts examined the concept of the “coming destruction” and the salvation Jesus offered, which was a significant theme in the teachings of the apostles following Jesus’ ascension. They discussed the implications of Jesus’ return and the subsequent judgment, including the fate of those in Sheol and the role of the Lake of Fire.
Throughout the discussion, the hosts emphasized the importance of understanding the historical and cultural context of the scriptures to fully grasp the teachings of Jesus. They concluded by reflecting on the astonishment of the multitudes at Jesus’ teachings, noting that he spoke with authority unlike the scribes of the time, and how this approach is something believers should aspire to emulate today.
Podcast Transcript:
all right Matthew chapter seven
still Sermon on the Mount
finishing it up there’s just more than
one could ever talk about in this one
but read it okay we’ll Chip Away
um I just have three questions
okay
I’m writing he basically discussed
age-old principles that we still
treasure now the treasure now like the
Golden Rule he’s been doing this over
the last couple chapters like and we’ve
kind of touched on that but
um
I just wanted to ask a couple clarifying
questions when it says he’s speaking to
multitudes which it does at the end
we’ll get there but I assume it means
lots of types of people
she’s and Gentiles probably mostly Jews
there there could have been some
Gentiles mixed in but this was the
habitation of the Jews the where they
lived and they were his people and he
went to the lost sheep so it was
probably almost all Jews okay and is
there any sense I know we talked about
this a lot but and how
like how profound or jarring this these
lessons might be to them at the time
extremely
adjourning extremely jarring yeah so but
we like will liken our time now in
Christianity to them then sort of with
Judaism how it’s gotten messed up by
various society and stuff like that uh
it’s in that case it seems like it’s
likely that there’s a lot of people who
might see it as like we’re doing this
wrong individuals and they’re the ones
who have this affinity for Jesus who’s
like okay this is correct you know like
it’s actually not profound he’s actually
like saying what they’ve needed to hear
this whole time and they’re like oh do
you know what I’m trying to say no which
refers that I don’t um you’re saying
that these everything that Jesus is
teaching would be super profound but
could it be that there was a large
portion of these Jews who could see the
corruption in the church and it’s
actually not profound what he’s saying
it’s actually something they’ve been
thinking for a while and didn’t need it
and yeah do you know what I mean yeah I
think that there are Seekers of Truth
and Seekers of light in his day who
recognize quickly right you know maybe
his disciples for some of them the the
12 maybe they recognize quickly but the
profundity of it was going to be and the
shock of it was coming from those who
based their faith on the current culture
of Judaism which was law based and and
didn’t care for the poor like it should
and all sorts of things preyed upon the
widows and did all sorts of terrible
things and to them what Jesus was saying
would be a shock to their system because
now I’m not saying some of them uh they
could have been following those
Traditions have been ensconced in them
and when they heard Jesus the light
could have come on and they could have
followed them you know we see some of
those leaders the Sadducees and
Pharisees they govern the nation and
they they collectively formed a
governing body called the Sanhedrin okay
and there were members of that Sanhedrin
who believed in Jesus so they were of
the culture and they were of the law and
Jesus message to them did resonate so
yeah I think Seekers of Truth hear the
truth and those who don’t care about it
will embrace the other things either the
world or tradition
answer your question yeah it does I I’m
I’m a sense of like what is known about
culture then what’s not known what are
assumptions what the context is of the
culture like I know there was a law but
I’m trying to get into more of the
details like you’re talking about you
learn about the culture when you study
the Old Testament and then you learn
about the culture when you study the
Hebrew rabbis today or those in the past
who wrote about the culture and then you
uh so there is a lot that we aren’t
going to really get about that culture
okay yeah and but something I guess
let’s
funny to me and why it’s similar to now
is that
he like Jesus literally is God With Us
and he said and God is the one that set
up the law so what he’s saying and and
the law as you just recently made known
to me was like couched in ideas of love
I didn’t know that so something like him
saying treat others the way you want to
be treated should not be that profound
to them yeah some of those things
weren’t profound to him but you’re going
to read maybe you already how I don’t
know is where they’ll say and they were
astonished at his doctor we’ll get there
at the at just at the very end astonish
at his teachings yeah yeah so it was
shocking to them and I would assume it
would be like uh someone coming on the
scene today and saying something like
Jesus came back
the teachings shocked them yeah yeah
okay
um
it seems like he’s just to clarify again
this Sermon on the Mount is him training
these people
I have one
I realized that there is something that
was unclear to me like he’s training
them they’re gonna carry out the word
after his death for that short time
until he returns and what like what is
the difference in the law
for it but what’s the difference in the
law pre-jesus to the law between Jesus’s
death and his return
the the law uh was abolished at the
cross okay yeah the pre-jesus law done
at the cross so what is this
time after his death then what is called
what is how is someone known to be
righteous or not in that time that it
was when they because they’re
predominantly Jews when they saw that
they needed him to be saved and they
received him by faith so believe yeah
believe yeah this like initial stuff we
talked about that comes before learning
and growing okay
that saved them from prison what happens
oh that’s a great question it saved them
one from the coming destruction
okay which I that’s a phrase that I’ve
never really understood what does that
mean becoming destruction was the
promised destruction of a great and
Dreadful day that was coming to them and
they would not suffer the dread of that
day that’s right that that means they’re
safe and destruction they’re safe from
destruction and they would be taken up
by Jesus into the New Jerusalem okay
okay so the Jews of that day were
promised the apostles went out after
Jesus ascended and said believe on and
Believe on him the day is coming you’re
not going to escape unless you believe
on him and they increasingly got more
urgent in that message as their as it
grew closer and closer okay that’s the
first thing the second thing is they
would be saved from prison
because they had yeah they would go to
the paradise part so she’ll still
existing in this yes Jesus yes like if
Jesus hasn’t returned it’s she all right
now that’s right and that’s why when
people say they died and went to God
yeah that’s ridiculous it’s ridiculous
it makes no sense what’s the refute to
that they don’t have a refutation other
than they say Jesus ascended and so we
go to the father but if you take the
whole scripture and look at how the
Judgment works for them in that day
you from Jesus leaving and his returning
during that period if you died you would
still go to Shield until he returned and
when he returned those who were in The
Paradise part would join him okay in
taking up the bride into the New
Jerusalem okay right they would join him
and people on Earth who were believing
that’s right that’s right everyone
together everyone together and people in
prison and shield ah after that it
happens they it says Hal gives up her
dead okay they go before the great white
Throne judgment that’s described and
they they look to see are you in the
Lamb’s Book of Life if they weren’t they
would be cast into the Lake of Fire to
take their part in it or they would be
somehow something would happen to them
but I don’t believe they would be there
forever because the scripture says not
like a fire was made for Satan and his
angels not for man
so to them then those who are in the
prison part were judged before the great
white throne and if their name wasn’t
found in the books that were open they
would be cast into that Lake of Fire
it’s conjecture that they would get out
be purified whatever else Catholics
teach them a place called Purgatory
whatever but that is not the case for us
anymore that was all to them okay wait
that’s that’s confusing through this so
his return
paradise and Believers go up to him
right he’s returned already this is all
done for the Believers that’s right
Shield prisoners go to Lake of Fire
which the prisoners are judged hell
empties instead so prison’s done okay so
Shield’s done yeah but like a fire is
now no it’s not it’s Eternal because
it’s the fire that comes from God so
Lake of Fire is a thing still right now
it’s debated it’s debated I believe the
Lake of Fire is because it’s in the
presence of the Lamb it says Okay okay
so I believe that that lake of fire for
those who were in prison when they go
before and they’re cast into it if their
name isn’t in there I believe that that
is a place where they are confronted by
God’s light and they are purged of
whatever was in them like in his
presence
I believe that the Lake of Fire is
probably the New Jerusalem
and that if someone outside of it
decides to enter they go through that
same thing yeah but it like doesn’t
affect like the liquify is a good thing
well I mean God is good and and it’s in
his presence so it seems to me and and
here’s another sideline is because he is
eternal they call that punishment or
purging Eternal because it’s coming from
him but it doesn’t mean forever and ever
and ever and ever it just means he’s
administering it and he’s purging those
people who have to pass through it and
like it’s only
painful our punishment when it’s purging
bad right and it could be good and
refining when it’s finished its job
approaching that definitely so Believers
are maybe and not like a fire too if
it’s the New Jerusalem uh if it’s the
New Jerusalem I think that you are
equipped with a resurrected spiritual
body that can abide in that without a
problem okay right and that’s what
people from prison are like getting to
is that body got to
but that’s all for them that that prison
part today that’s all fulfilled
but that I just don’t understanding
saying it’s fulfilled when the
Fulfillment happened at the
instantiation of the Lake of Fire after
what the the creation the the
beginning of the Lake of Fire happen at
fulfillment
um I don’t know if that’s true because
it says it was created for Satan and his
angels so it could have happened at the
creation
but
then like prisons on a thing the use of
the Lake of Fire happens once
fulfillment happens once Jesus returns
and people received from the great and
Dreadful day so it it implies that the
Lake of Fire is now part of the
Everlasting New Jerusalem situation it’s
an opinion because I can’t say yes or no
I just believe that what was the Lake of
Fire described in Revelation for people
who were in prison in that day
I believe that they took their part in
that I don’t it doesn’t say what that
means and somehow I believe they were
purged and they exited because it says
they will take their part in that Lake
of Fire for us today once Jesus came and
he emptied out hell and he took his own
from Paradise emptied out prison and
then today I see us entering in a
similar thing but I don’t know how to
describe it other than it being the
presence of God
well it’s just to ask like it seems like
there’s another line here of like an era
where Lake of Fire has like an end
for people and then there’s a nut do you
know what I’m saying yeah and you could
say that it’s theoretical but if at the
end of that first stage the Lake of Fire
served its purpose for those who were in
prison okay
and it did its purpose as John describes
then it seems to be over and that’s when
it would happen when he when the Great
White Throne judgment happened upon his
return and you don’t think that someone
who would is not a Believer now who
would maybe go to prison back then isn’t
going to the lake of fire right now
first I don’t yeah that’s the conjecture
that’s something I can’t answer well
they either are or the Lake of Fire is
just virtually the same thing as it was
back in that day but now it’s just the
New Jerusalem okay and to enter it into
those things you got to pass through
that virgin I just know that or I
believe that whoever is in the Kingdom
by faith
and whoever who doesn’t uh whoever’s
outside of that Kingdom because they
lack Faith or has to go through
something to get in right yeah and I
don’t know what it is but it seems like
if you’re in the dark and you’re going
into the light you’re going to be purged
so it seems like the same properties
exist but this is you that’s me reading
into yeah
because it’s really vague yeah all right
so okay
so
this is another maybe belated question
but you’ll use when you’re talking to
people about fulfillment
people who don’t believe it you’ll say
something like you’re a woman you you
know why aren’t you obeying the law then
no not the law why aren’t you obeying
the apostolic record directives okay
that is what I’m trying to ask what is
that where is it written
it’s all through what the apostles and
Jesus established during that age for
his bride okay Jay and Paul and others
had things that they taught the very
existence of Apostles was part of it
okay so where are the apostles the
Mormons say we’ve got them but they they
don’t fit the qualifications so that’s
one thing and when you find that in the
context of the New Testament what they
call Louis tester
and then there’s a whole bunch of other
things that are in there that were part
and one of them was women can’t speak in
church okay so if Jesus hasn’t come back
and taken his bride then what the heck
are women doing speaking in church and
they’ll say well that was how do you
know that was and you can equally like
this we just had an event
about something like this and you were
asking Hannah what you you shouldn’t be
speaking right now but if you believe
that you can equally ask her who are
your Apostles yes or or when a widow
comes to your congregation Paul lays out
seven things they need to have done to
prove they get the support of the church
okay yeah okay that makes sense okay
covering your head was one of them so
there’s a kind of a list of things that
happen then and so what happens is every
material Church says today well we like
that moment we don’t like that one
they’re not following what the apostles
set up for the bride to be for Jesus to
come back and take okay and I got to
these questions because this Sermon on
the Mount
seems like the start of him you’re
saying it’s him training the apostles
but he doesn’t get into that stuff yet
oh no like this is just in fact he
doesn’t really get into much about what
the church should be yeah where does
that stuff come from Peter okay they’re
the apostles and so but Paul’s been told
by someone Jesus Jesus told Paul yeah
taught him these are the laws that are
yeah distinctives
and that’s recorded yeah where
recorded in Acts by Luke and it’s
recorded in Galatians of how Paul was
taught and trained okay I know you’ve
said this that I’m no it’s good together
okay
two minutes
um okay
okay
one I have two more questions so after
he gives them this stuff he says not
everyone that says Lord John to the
kingdom of heaven but he let do at the
will of my father who is in heaven not
those who do the will will have this
house built on a rock you know so what
can you just again explain what this
will is with love in John chapter six
the Jews come to Jesus and say how do we
do the will of God okay he says believe
on him who he sent that’s because he
doesn’t even say love there oh okay just
believe on him who he sent in the
Epistle of the Apostle John the first
epistle it says and these are his
Commandments
to believe on him who he has sent and to
love okay so I take that as a principle
that if you want to be in the faith
believe on him and then love
yeah okay yeah
so the idea of being perfect in the
previous chapter is kind of not part of
that no
no and he that’s just like that was to
get the Jeep no that was to get the Jews
to say oh you know I can’t do any of
that and then he says okay well with God
it’s impossible I mean with man it’s
impossible with God it’s possible what
do you mean look to me I do it all okay
and have faith in me believe on his son
and then you’ll love okay so then it
says the multitudes multitudes they
still don’t get why it says that at the
end yeah yeah I’m guessing that they
must have joined okay along the way uh
were astonished at his teachings okay
for he taught them as one having
Authority and not as their scribes yeah
so the Jews in their economy they have
scribes and they would take and they
would write the law they were like the
lawyers of the Jews okay and they have
things called mishnahs and they had all
these
um
or commentaries on the inspired word
okay and they were like legalists who
knew the law and said no no no no no
well he didn’t teach like that he taught
by the spirit and so and he was
interpreting all these things from
different places and they’re like he
teaches it’s like he has some kind of
authority and not like ours and not like
our scribes who cite chapter and verse
you know and that’s what you want to be
as a Believer you want to be like that
and not chapter and verse that’s what
Jesus was how the heck did we get to
where we’re at now by people not reading
it contextually
that’s really crazy
all right well we’re done let’s talk to
seven
see you next time
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