And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, MAT 5:1-2.

I want to start a series with a study of the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5-7. In this message we will consider the introduction found in the words of our text.

These two verses contain tremendously precious truths even though they were just the preparatory language for the Sermon on the Mount. They deserve our closest attention because nothing in the Bible was spoken in vain. These two verses contain a wealth of truth. They may seem only preparatory in nature, yet these verses are filled with precious truths. May the Lord help us to open and unfold the richness of the truths that are contained in them. The average person would ask what do they have for us to talk about? Yet, they are overflowing with richness.

This teaches us why the Bible holds four gospels. I would like to unfold this by using an example to illustrate it. A car accident involving four automobiles took place at an intersection. There were four eye witnesses--one at each corner. The first car went out of control and hit the second. It in turn was pushed into the third and the third into the fourth.

Now, the four witnesses did not give identical accident reports because they all observed it from different locations. All four of them had their attention fixed on different vehicles, and they all saw what happened on different sides. This accident had four different observations, just as we see in the four gospels. Each man saw a different dimension of Christ in the gospel.

The four gospels speak about the Lord Jesus Christ and His work. The four gospels were written by four men who were with the Lord Jesus Christ throughout His entire ministry. They each had their own observations, because they saw Him in four separate dimensions. With the report of four men on the gospel of Jesus Christ, we have a much richer view because they each saw a different central theme of the ministry of Christ.

Concerning the Sermon on the Mount, apparently Luke was not as affected by it as Matthew was because Luke only wrote twenty- nine verses about it. Matthew wrote three full chapters about it. A different central theme caught each of their attention. All four gospels speak about the Lord Jesus Christ and His ministry, but they each have their own theme.

In the Gospel of Matthew, the theme is the Lord Jesus Christ as King. In the Gospel of Mark, the theme is the Lord Jesus Christ as the lowly servant of the Father. Luke's gospel shows the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of Man, and the Gospel of John shows Jesus as the Son of God. All four gospels speak about the Lord Jesus Christ and His ministry, but they each have their own theme. With the four gospels, we see a much richer gospel than just by looking at one. What one of the disciples didn't see, another one did.

This teaches us another lesson. No man who has ever walked the face of the earth, except the Lord Jesus Christ, has seen the full dimension of His ministry. This is important to understand.

The world has so many churches and different denominations. What is the result? The result is a wrong philosophy. This is: "They don't see what I see, so therefore they are wrong." The Lord has not given us identical understandings. Our brother may have preached a God-sent sermon, but in a different dimension than I have seen. I may have an unbalanced gospel. I might not preach the full counsel of God! I might preach gospel that is heavy on the Law, and someone else might preach one that is light on the Law. When the Lord Jesus Christ preached His gospel, He had a perfect balance of the Spirit of the Law in His gospel. This is clearly demonstrated throughout the Sermon on the Mount.

We must be most careful about condemning a man who has been sent by Christ to preach the gospel. We cannot condemn him because he doesn't see what we see. We must be very careful of this. Only one place must be common ground. That is that Lord Jesus Christ and the authority of the Word of God must be the absolute authority. It is very good to study more than one author or minister's work because each person has a different insight into a different area. I do not believe that any person should live and die under the ministry of one pastor because no one person ever sees the full dimension of Christ. Let's consider that now.

MAT 1:1 says, "The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham." It is very important that we understand what the Lord is telling us here. Matthew's gospel began with the Kingly office of Christ. He saw Christ as the son of David, the son of Abraham, and the promised Messiah. He saw the promise that God had given to Abraham and his Seed, which was Christ. That was his opening remark. Matthew sees the Kingly office of Christ as the son of David. He starts with, "The generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham."

Watch what happened. The Son of David has a Kingly title. "...Thou son of David, have mercy on us," MAT 9:27. David was given a kingdom that would be everlasting. When Jesus was referred to as the son of David, He was referred to as being in the generations of the kings. In the very first verse of Matthew, we see that he is recognizing the Kingship of Christ.

Watch what we see in PSA 145:12-13, "To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom. Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations." This speaks of the kingdom of David. This is the prophecy of the Kingship of Christ.

We must understand that David is in the grave. We must understand that, never failing, a son of David sat upon the throne. This is prophetic because it points to the Kingdom of Christ. Throughout the generations between David and Christ, the king of Israel never failed to be a descendant of David. Why? It pointed in a prophetic way to the office and Kingship of Christ. Now we see that the Book of Matthew immediately begins setting forth the Kingship of Christ.

Let's look at Abraham now. PSA 145:13 says, "Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations." This is speaking to the Jews of their King, the Messiah, the promised Seed of Abraham. Matthew 1:1 shows that this now is that promised Messiah. This is that promised Seed of Abraham.

Galatians 3:16 speaks of the Seed of Abraham. The promises to the Seed of Abraham have been greatly misunderstood. Who is the Seed of Abraham? Scripture tells us so clearly in Gal 3:16, "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, [notice not to 'seeds' which is plural.] as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ." This shows that the Lord Jesus Christ was the promised Seed of Abraham, therefore all of the promises that go to Abraham and his Seed are pointing to Christ. We may not take this to mean the Seed of Abraham after the flesh, just as we cannot look at the kingdom of David after the flesh. This points to the Messiah and His coming kingdom. These are the promises that go to Abraham and his Seed.

In Gal 3:29 we find, "And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." All of the promises to Abraham and his Seed flow through Christ because Christ was the promised Seed of Abraham. If ye are in Christ, then ye are the seed of Abraham. To claim an interest in the promises as the Seed of Abraham while unconverted or unregenerate, which means outside of Christ, is a delusion.

We are taught here, "And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." The Lord Jesus Christ and those who are in Christ are the Seed of Abraham. The seed of Abraham is singular, not plural. "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ," GAL 3:16.

The Gospel of Matthew speaks of the conception of Jesus in a Kingly way. Throughout the Book of Matthew, the Kingly office of Christ is brought forth. MAT 1:22-23 says, "Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us." Matthew speaks of the conception of Jesus in the womb of Mary as the Messiah. It is pointing to His Kingly office.

The Book of Matthew in its beginning teaches the Kingly office of Christ. This gospel starts with the wise men coming from the East, which points to the Kingship of Christ. MAT 2:1-2a says, "Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews?" Matthew was focusing on the Kingship of Christ. This is why the Bible has four gospels. The Kingly office of Christ is not reflected by the other three gospels.

Now watch what that verse says. "...Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him," MAT 2:2. They went to worship the King of the Jews. This is what brought the slaughter of all the children of Bethlehem under two years old. Herod became concerned for his kingdom because he thought Jesus was a threat to his throne. It was the Kingship of Christ that was being presented.

What do we find in MAT 2:11? "And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him...." They worshiped Him as King and as the Messiah. They saw Him as the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords; they saw that Kingship of Christ.

It goes on to say, "...and [they] fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh." The gold, frankincense, and myrrh were kingly gifts. They were not the gifts that were given to poor people. They were not the gifts that were brought to somebody who couldn't even afford a room in the Inn and who had their child born in a manger. It was the Kingly office of Christ that was being recognized here.

Throughout the Gospel of St. Matthew, the word kingdom is used fifty times, and the expression kingdom of heaven is used thirty times. This is not true in the other books of the Bible. It is the Kingly office that is being presented by St. Matthew. This is what is being reflected where Matthew saw Him ascending the mountain. He saw Jesus ascend to His ministry, which was a Kingly palace, a Kingly place.

The Gospel of Mark presents Christ with the theme of a servant. He was born to be a servant, born of a woman, born under the law. As a servant, He came to serve God the Father. The Gospel of Mark does not mention the lineage of Jesus because a servant's ancestry is quite irrelevant. When Mr. Dukakis ran for the office of President of the United States, his ancestry was revealed. It became known that he is from Greece. His whole family tree was uncovered. Why? He became a public figure. Who he is, where he is from, what his parent's names are, what his background is, and how he came to where he is: now all became very important.

Mark saw Jesus as a servant. Nothing in the Book of Mark speaks about His lineage, His ancestry, or His origin. Another thing that is very important with a man like Mr. Dukakis, who ran for President, is who his parents are, where he was born, and the circumstances of his birth. The Book of Mark makes not one mention of Jesus' birth.

Mark's focus was on the theme of a servant. Jesus was come to be a servant. Mark saw Christ as a lowly servant to the Father, therefore, there is no mention of His birth in the Gospel of Mark. The Gospel of Mark concentrates on Jesus' works and what He does. He is looked at as a servant, and therefore, His works are Mark's focus. What Christ is doing as a servant of the Father is the focus in the Gospel of Mark.

Take notice that the Gospel of Mark begins with Jesus' baptism. What does that teach us? This shows us how that in the way of obedience, He stepped into the waters of baptism to be marked for death. PHI 2:8 says, "And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." In the way of His baptism, we are taught that Jesus voluntarily stepped into the wrath of the Father to take away the penalty of sin.

When Jesus was circumcised, He became a debtor to do the whole law for His church. "For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law," GAL 5:3. When He stepped into those waters of baptism, He thereby pledged to emerge Himself in His Father's wrath to pay the penalty of sin for His people as an act of obedience.

This teaches that blessed truth of COL 2:10-12: that we are complete in Him through His blood and righteousness. "In whom also ye are circumcised...by the circumcision of Christ, [made righteous by the imputed obedience of Christ],...Buried with him in baptism, [acquitted from the penalty of sin by the imputed blood of Christ], wherein ye are risen with Him."

To be complete in Christ we need both His pledge in baptism and His pledge in circumcision. We need His blood which was pledged in His baptism to acquit us from the penalty of sin. We need His conformity of life to the divine law, which was pledged in His circumcision, to be our righteousness. We need them both to be complete in Christ.

The Gospel of Mark teaches us that Jesus came as a servant of the Father to walk in the way of obedience, to be marked for death, to be placed in the grave, and to be raised again. In His baptism we have the pledge that He is not only going to pay the penalty, but that He is going to be raised again from the grave. This is the New Testament pledge that God the Father was satisfied with His work.

The baptism of Jesus marked Him for death to pay the penalty of sin for His church. He came up again out of the water to pledge that He would come up again out of the grave. Christ's resurrection is the Father's pledge that He accepted Christ's perfect satisfaction of our debt of obedience to the law and His death on the cross as the full satisfaction of God's justice for His church. Christ's resurrection is our pledge that God the Father thereby accepted Christ's church as complete in the blood and righteousness of Christ. His work was finished. That is the first thing we are taught in the Gospel of Mark.

Now watch what MAR 1:9 says. "And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan." MAR 1:12-13 says, "And immediately the spirit driveth him into the wilderness. And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him." What does that teach us in the way of a servant?

Adam was in paradise to serve God. Adam was tempted--but he fell. For Christ to be our substitute, He had to be able to bear the temptation of Satan. Adam was tempted only once before he fell, but the Lord Jesus Christ was tempted forty days. "And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him," MAR 1:13. We have to see that this points to Jesus as the lowly servant of God as the substitute for His church. His forty days of temptation in the wilderness were His preparation to serve God the Father. He was preparing to withstand all the wiles of Satan, to withstand all the powers of Hell, to obey, and to do the will of the Father.

In MAR 1:14-15 we read that Jesus goes out to preach the gospel. He is going out in the service of the Father. It says, "Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel." Chapter One tells of His going through His baptism and temptation in the wilderness. Now it is speaking of His going forth to preach the gospel in His service to the Father.

V:16-17 says, "Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men." The Lord Jesus is bringing together His work force to do the service and the work that the Father has given Him. We read in JOH 17:4,6, "I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do...I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word."

In the Gospel of Mark the key words are straightway and immediately. It is a Book of action. The words straightway and immediately are found throughout the Book.

The Gospel of Mark does not have much of the teachings of Jesus. The Books of Matthew, Luke, and John show much of the teachings of Jesus, but in the Book of Mark we find only a few parables. The Gospel of Mark has nineteen miracles recorded. These miracles are the work of the servant of the Father and support the theme of the Gospel of Mark as being that of a servant of action.

The Gospel of Luke teaches the theme of the Son of Man. The Gospel of Luke has a complete different approach than the gospels of Matthew and Mark. Mark teaches Jesus as a servant, and Matthew teaches His Kingship.

The Gospel of Luke starts with Christ's conception in the womb of Mary. He was born of a woman. The theme is not immediately about, "Emmanuel God with us." The focus is on Mary, what she did, and what the Lord said to her.

LUK 1:27-28 says, "To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women." Being the Son of Man becomes the theme. The conception of Christ in the womb of Mary is mentioned only one time in the Book of Matthew. Then it was mentioned with an immediate reference to, "Emmanuel God with us." The emphasis was on the Lord Jesus Christ, not Mary.

In Luke we see that the emphasis is on Mary, and Christ being born of a woman. In LUK 1:42-43 we read, "And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" Being born of a woman is so emphasized by Luke. It is very important that we understand the distinction in the four gospels.

In another example Mary went to see her cousin Elizabeth, who was great with child--with John the Baptist. Elizabeth who was overwhelmed said, "And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" We see much more emphasis on the woman in the Book of Luke than in the Book of Matthew.

The Gospel of Luke teaches the theme of the Son of Man in the taxation of Joseph and Mary. Take notice how Joseph and Mary were dealt with, brought forth, and made to submit under authority. They had to submit to taxation. They had to go to Bethlehem to be taxed. In this we see the lowliness of the Son of Man. We see how Joseph and Mary were brought into Bethlehem for the purpose of being taxed.

LUK 2:4-5 says, "And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child." This was bringing about the prophecies that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem of Judaea. The Lord in His providence brought about the exact timing of that taxation, so Joseph and Mary would be in Bethlehem at that time. The theme of the Son of Man is evident.

LUK 2:5 says, "To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child." The gospel of Luke teaches the theme of the Son of Man in His humble birth. This is shown in the manger scene. The inn had no room for them. LUK 2:7 tells us, "And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn." Take notice that it was a humble birth. It was humility. It was all teaching the theme of the Son of Man.

The Gospel of Luke teaches the lineage of Christ. This is important for us to understand. Mark made no mention of the lineage of Christ. The Gospel of Luke does; it records Christ's lineage beyond David and Abraham, all the way back to Adam "which was the Son of God." Watch what LUK 3:38 says. "Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God."

Luke also teaches the human nature of Jesus. Luke teaches us the feelings of Jesus. He wept over Jerusalem, LUK 19:41. This shows His human nature. It tells us about Jesus' tender heart, about how He hungered, thirst, and wept. LUK 19:41 says, "And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it." He saw what was coming upon Jerusalem, and He had sympathy. His heart went forth.

It is so important for us to understand HEB 4:15. "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." He knows our every weakness. He was there; He understood; He saw. He had His human nature as a human being. In His human nature, He wept over the city of Jerusalem. The Gospel of Luke is the theme of the Son of Man.

The Gospel of John teaches the theme of the Son of God. It begins back in eternity. The Gospel of John doesn't mention the genealogies of Christ. It doesn't deal with His conception. JOH 1:1 begins with, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." The Gospel of John is looking to and is teaching Christ as the Son of God.

We can see a tremendous fullness and beauty in the four gospels. If we had any one of the four gospels without the other three, we would never have had the teaching of the full dimension of Christ. We would never have seen the fullness of Christ.

In the Gospel of John we see Him as the Son of God. JOH 1:1-4 says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men." The Godhead of Christ was immediately brought forth as the first emphasis of John.

John was not looking to His lineage or His conception. John was looking at one thing--Christ originated in eternity. He was God the Creator. John saw the Godhead of Christ.

We want to notice this is being reflected in the message from our text. MAT 5:1 says, "And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain...." Matthew is bringing forth the beauty of the Kingly office of Christ by the exaltation of Christ--that ascending the mountain. It says, "...and when he was set, his disciples came unto him." The custom of the Jews and the Pharisees was to sit down to teach. When He came into this place at the top of the mountain and was sat down, His disciples came around Him.

Another thing that we take notice of in LUK 6:17 is that it mentions the multitudes. When Jesus got through with the Sermon on the Mount, we see what the reaction of the multitudes was to His sermon. He did not withdraw Himself as some commentators contend. They say that He was just sitting with His disciples. This is not what MAT 5:1 means. "And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him." This does not mean that the multitude did not go up.

In MAT 7:28-29 we read, "And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes."

Many of the commentators say that only Jesus and His disciples were on the mountain, but that goes against the Word of God. LUK 6:17 says, "And he came down with them, and stood in the plain, and the company of his disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases."

We must understand that the multitude came to be taught. We find this in MAT 5:1-2. "And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying...."

Take notice of what He taught. He taught the true spirit of the law and the gospel. We need to understand that we must have a balance. Today the theory is that the law has been abolished. Nothing is further from the truth because the Lord Jesus Christ taught the true spirit of the law in the gospel. I want to deal with this. We have to understand that the Lord Jesus Christ revealed the Pharisees' warped interpretation of the law to contrast the true spirit of the law in the gospel.

MAT 22:36-40 says, "Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

What does He mean when He says the law and the prophets? He means this law of love and the gospel. The prophets were the teachers. They were those who taught the Old Testament. The law and the prophets means the law and the gospel.

It is the same when Christ was speaking the parable about the rich man and Lazarus. LUK 16:27- 29 says, "Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets [the law and the gospel]; let them hear them."

What did He really teach us about the law? The law is the law of love. We must not look at the law as anything but the law of love. What is the first thing it teaches? It teaches the love of God. What are the first four commandments? They teach us to love God above all. What about the next six commandments? They teach us to love our neighbor as ourselves. How can we say the law has been abolished? It is absolutely contrary to Scripture because, "...the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself," MAT 22:39.

The last six commandments teach us to love our neighbors as ourselves. We are not to kill; we are not to covet; we are not to steal. All these commandments point to loving thy neighbor as thyself.

What about the first four? "Thou shalt have no other gods before me...Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain...Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy," EXO 20:3-8. These are the commandments of loving God above all.

When they said unto Him, "Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, [The law of love!] Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself," MAT 22:36-39.

Any person who professes Christianity and says that the law of love has been abolished is speaking contrary to the Word of God. The law of love is the law of the gospel.

The gospel's the law of the Lamb;
My soul of its glories shall sing;
With pleasure my tongue shall proclaim
The law of my Saviour and King;
A sweet law of liberty this;
A yoke that is easy and mild;
Of love it the precious law is,
Unknown unto all but a child.

The law of the Spirit of life,
That takes the old yoke from our neck,
Proves Zion to be the Lamb's wife,
And Zion with beauty does deck;
Provides her a clothing divine,
And makes her all-glorious within;
Nor angels are clothed more fine,
Nor can it be sullied with sin.

Its beauties all center in Christ,
For Christ is the substance of it;
It makes broken hearts to rejoice,
And insolvent debtors will fit.
'Tis wisdom, 'tis strength, and 'tis love,
'Tis all that a sinner can need;
And all that are born from above,
By Jesus from Moses are freed.

This law is the poor pilgrim's rule;
With boldness this truth I'll maintain;
Thrice happy's the man, though a fool,
That in it can look and remain;
This man shall be blest in his deed,
For Jesus and he are but one;
He'll therefore supply all his need,
For ever and ever. Amen.

Notice when you read the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 that the Lord Jesus Christ preached the law and the gospel. The gospel includes the law. What is it? It is loving God above all, and loving thy neighbor as thyself.

Watch that perfect love. The law was first given on Mount Sinai. When it was given, no man could come near the Mount, lest he would be stoned. Now look at the difference when they come on the Mount in Matthew 5:1-2. The multitudes thronged Him. The multitudes came around Him. Why such a distinction? Until Christ came fulfilling that law given on Mount Sinai with perfection, it was wrath. It was justice. It was judgment because no human being is capable of perfect obedience to that law.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the end of that law, i.e., He fulfilled the intent of that law with perfection. The law was brought forth upon Mount Sinai. The law's satisfaction was finished upon Mount Calvary where justice was satisfied.

We read in PSA 85:10, "Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other." This is what took place on Mount Calvary. Those righteous demands of the law of God the Father and His perfect justice were satisfied. That is why the multitude can now gather around Jesus on the Mount. That is why the multitude can now throng Him.

PSA 85:10-13 speaks in a prophetic way about Mount Calvary, i.e., that perfect satisfaction of Christ which would be imputed and imparted to His people. He came now to teach that perfect satisfaction of the law. He was the end of the law, i.e., the intent of the law. He was there to satisfy every jot and every tittle of the law.

Psalm 85:10-13 says, "Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven. Yea, the LORD shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase. Righteousness shall go before him; and shall set us in the way of his steps."

Isn't it beautiful how that righteousness shall go forth? Whose righteousness is that? It is the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus had been circumcised, which was His pledge to satisfy His Father's law with perfect obedience. Jesus had been baptized, which was His pledge to step into His Father's wrath to pay the penalty of sin. Mount Calvary could be looked at in His pledge of fulfillment, and they were not to be stoned. Therefore, they could come up with Him on that mountain, and Christ's "Righteousness shall go before him; and shall set us in the way of his steps."

The beautiful balance in Christ's preaching of the law and the gospel that took place in the Sermon on the Mount opened the way. Jesus preached a perfect balance. Jesus ascended a mountain to commence the revelation of the gospel, and the people thronged to hear Him.

In LUK 6:17 we are speaking again of the Sermon on the Mount, only as it was observed by Luke. Luke saw something that Matthew didn't mention. When we use the four gospels, we find such fullness.

LUK 6:17-19 says, "And he came down with them, and stood in the plain, and the company of his disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases. And they that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed. And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all."

Isn't that beautiful? Who was it that came? Those who had a need came. Those that were hungry and thirsting came. Those that had leprosy of sin came; those who had to hold their hands over their mouths and say, "Unclean, Unclean," came. They saw the disease of their soul, and they were the ones who came. They that were vexed with unclean spirits were healed.

MAT 5:2 says, "And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying...." That was so precious. When Jesus opened his mouth with the Sermon on the Mount, it was the beginning of the revelation of wisdom. Take notice that the Sermon on the Mount was the first gospel preached by the Lord Jesus Christ. It was the beginning of His ministry.

Look at PRO 2:5-7, "Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly."

When the Lord Jesus Christ opened His mouth, truths that had been sealed since the beginning of the world began to come forward. "I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world," MAT 13: 35b. Notice what it says in REV 5:1, "And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals."

Forty is the symbol of fullness and completeness all the way through Scriptures. "And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown." Matthew is the fortieth Book of the Bible. It was the opening of that seal.

The first thirty-nine books of the Bible were yet sealed. There were such precious truths in the first thirty-nine books, but the Lord had to open their understanding. The Lord opened His mouth, and see what happened. "And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals," REV 5:1. When the Lord Jesus Christ opened His mouth, those seals were broken. Those precious truths that had been sealed from eternity were set forth by His gospel.

Let's read on. "And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?" Who was worthy? The prophets weren't. Not one, including Daniel and Abraham, was worthy. The world had to await the time of the Lord Jesus sitting on that Mount. "And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof," REV 5:3-5.

When Jesus opened His mouth and began to bring forth the gospel, He began to open those seals. That is so precious, so blessed!

Watch and see His qualification. It was the Lamb that was slain. Look at V:6, "And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth." Seven is the symbol of perfection. "...seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth." That is what went forth when He opened His mouth.

These are such unspeakable riches! Look at verse 7, "And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne." O beloved, heaven was so joyous over the opening of the Book of knowledge. Think of what was opened when "he opened his mouth, and taught them."

REV 5:8 says, "And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints." Look at the wisdom and the glory in verse 9, "And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation." The theme of heaven was that Christ would be so glorified for the opening of that Book, for the opening of His mouth, for the bringing forth of the gospel.

Look at V:10-11. "And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands." They were saying, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain," REV 5:12. He was worthy to open that Book. Oh beloved, isn't that precious? And He opened His mouth, and the gospel went forth!

REV 5:11 says, "...angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands." Millions and millions of angels were singing with the elders and the four beasts, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain," REV 5:12. He alone was worthy. Abraham could not open those seals. Daniel could not open those seals. No man was worthy to look thereon, but the Lamb which was slain.

Think of what a blessing. "...the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing." What did we read from PRO 2:5-6? "Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding."

The opening of His mouth was to bring forth the wisdom of God. When He opened His mouth and preached the Sermon on the Mount, He opened those truths which had been sealed from the foundation of the world and brought forth the precious gospel. It says, "Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing."

What does it say in V:13? "And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever." For what? For opening His mouth, for opening the gospel, for opening those seven seals, those truths that were sealed from the foundation of the earth.

In V:14, "And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever." What was the theme of that whole chapter? It was the opening of those seals, i.e., the opening of His mouth. Our text says, "And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying...."