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Studies in the Sermon on the Mount

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What a book! Pick up your Bible and read Matthew chapters 5 through 7, then pick up this book and let God change your life! After reading this book if your life is not changed, you are not listening to that Still Small Voice; you are not hearing the Quiet Knocking on your life's door! Lloyd-Jones fully explains in simple yet complete detail the Beattitudes in particular, and the full body of Jesus' sermon in general (as he does in all his books compiled so far). Read this book, and your spirit will become poor; you will mourn sin, and will feel comfort; you will know how to be meek; you will hunger and thirst for righteousness, and know how to be filled with more; you will know how and why to be merciful, and mercy will come your way; your heart will be purified, and you will see God working in the here and now; you will understand how to make peace; and, because you're "doing the righteousness," persecution WILL come your way!

Read this book, and you just might begin living the life you were called to live when you first became a Christian!

If you want to understand the Sermon on the Mount this is the book to read. D. Martin Lloyd-Jones has a masterful command of the scriptures and will keep you turning pages well into the night. I cannot imagine a better treatment of Jesus's most famous sermon.

I was first introduced to this book by Bible teacher John MacArthur. He considered D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones as the author that has most influenced his life. After reading SSM I agree with MacArthur -- this is one of the most gifted and Spirit-led authors of the 21st century. This book will help you see the depth of the Beatitudes and much, much more. There are few more powerful Christian books than this one.

I was raised in a "Christian" household but realize now that the behaviors shown were not at all Christian. It is one thing to quote a bible verse for every situation you find yourself, it is another to live the way Christ instructed.

The first chapters of this book freed me to believe again that Christianity is not just the ability to quote verse. Lloyd-Jones acknowledged all my skepticism because of the behavior I had seen Christians exhibit all my life. I found myself nodding and saying "yes, this is SO true." And it opened my heart for the truth of what Jesus had to say.

This book made me realize that I can call myself a Christian but what is truly in my heart and demonstrated in my behavior calls me something other.

I keep my student bible close by as he references many different parts and I would often find myself leaving his book to read his references. I try to read a chapter a day. I highlight, I make notes and when I'm done, I'm going to start again. Along with this book and my bible, I pray. Lloyd-Jones made me realize that I cannot exhibit Christ-like behavior of my own free will - it is only through Christ that this can happen - it is not natural behavior. My prayer is that others will see the change in me and ask me about it so I can be a light unto this world.

Additionally, I really haven't had much use for the Old Testament but I am eager to read and understand the entire bible now that this book has shown me that Jesus referenced the OT Scriptures that he expounded on them and that He actually fulfilled the prophesy of the Scriptures. I can no longer believe that the OT is irrelevant.

You will have questions answered and know what it means to accept Christ in your heart. If you are like me - when you see bible-believing, church-going people around you but you've always wondered about the mean-spiritedness, or gossipy, or judgemental, or even prejudicial behavior they exhibit - it's contradictory to Christianity and David Martyn Lloyd-Jones exposes that and frees us to not be like so many others who proclaim to know Christ but do not exhibit it in their behavior.

If you're ready to be challenged but set free, get this book today. As a side note, at around Chapter 18 - I began to also read "Christianity, The Faith that Makes Sense" by Dennis McCallum. It is a very thin book, and easy read. But it was a nice companion as it also made me understand that the ENTIRE bible is God's word and provided more incentive to know it better.

God willing you will find this review helpful and pick up this book to start your true path to Christianity.

This book was written from a series of sermons brought by the author on Matthew 5-7. This man, Martin LLoyd-Jones, was truly anointed by God in his delivery and writing on the Beatitudes. The book should be read by all in the modern Charismatic/Pentecostal Church in order to truly understand what God's anointing on a person really is, and not the unmitigated rubbish emanating today from that quarter. It is absolutely brilliant, even after a second or third reading!

This book is absolutely amazing. I had studied the sermon on the mount a little bit prior to reading this, but Lloyd-Jones collection of sermons will truly inspire and challenge you in your daily life. Everyone should read this, and read it again. I read this in one sitting for the first time, but I would recommend reading it at a slower pace, perhaps a chapter per week because it is very profound and challenging material. Great book for a bible study.

I first read this book 2 months after becoming a Christian - 7 years later it is still one of the most influential books in my life. Simply brilliant, it will give you an in-depth understanding of the great teachings of Christ

Through forceful, powerful, blatant, bold Calvinistic and evangelistic sermons, Pastor Jones did a marathon preaching on one of, if not the most controversial and heavily debated Sermon on the Mount; shattering other man-centered, self-centered, legalistic, antinomian, perfectionist interpretations. I have to admit before I read these sermons, I had most of my interpretations wrong. Here are some observations from what I took in. First, the Sermon on the Mount is not a social gospel where all it cares about is the actions, ethics and morale of the story. Though important, they are neither the meat nor the center of it; Christ the Preacher is. Not only is this so, but as Pastor Jones remarked in the concluding sermon, that throughout the course of it, Christ declares, I would say, both implicitly and explicitly, that he is the true giver, interpreter and center of the law. Second, no one can rightly live out the principles taught in it unaided unless one is a believer relying on the grace and power of God who enables him to do so. Third, it is not something one has to do to become a Christian. Instead, it shows what Christians should become as a result of a new gracious ruling principle in their hearts. Fourth, in some cases like turning to the other cheek, going extra miles, giving away both the cloak and the coat, loaning to those in need, not committing adultery, it is the general bigger-picture principles behind the detailed examples that was to be conveyed, not the actions themselves that are the most important. I wouldn't write what they are here, but let the readers discover on their own. Fifth; on the other hand, it involves some details which Pastor Jones beautifully expounds within the general description or principles, for example, on what the Lord's prayer means and how it is to be prayed properly with the right heart and attitude, how to determine the characteristics and signs of false prophets and professors, what it means to enter through the straight gate and going through the narrow way, what building house on sands and rock by the foolish and wise man signify and how we know which one of these categories we fall into. These are stunningly soul-searching; something critical that those of us who confess to be Christians should test ourselves with. Here is one of his quotes worth musing on what it urges us to do in regard to entering the strait gate,

"You have to go out of your way to find this gate. You will have to analyze yourself and be very honest with yourself, and having refused to hold back, say, `I am going on with this until I discover exactly what I have to do'. Here are so many who do not find this way of life because they have never sought the gate and entered in.... [it involves] fasting, sweating and praying... we must give ourselves no rest or peace until we know for certain that we are on this way."

And lastly, without trying to be simplistic, the underlying principle of it all is that it is the spirit, not the letters that matters. It is the heart, the desire, the attitude, the character and the outlook on one's life, not the actions, that Christ is concerned the most and therefore focuses his sermons on to graciously rebuke, correct and encourage. Despite his sober and frightening warnings, we should not lose heart but continue to persevere to the end to follow him for he who has began a good work in us will never leave us nor forsake us and will carry it on to completion.

Do you hate religion? I know I do, and I'm a pastor. Christianity is not hoops of rituals, rules, and traditions that people hop through in an attempt to please God. Christianity is not trying to be a better person or trying to pretend we are more than we really are. The Sermon on the Mount reveals what true Christianity is about.

The Sermon on the Mount lays the foundation for Christianity. It exposes our true helpless condition before God and calls for Him to transform us into what truly does please Him. In fact, our sinful nature and our world goes contrary to everything that Christ teaches here. "Blessed are the poor in Spirit?" Our world says don't be humble, be aggressive. Demand your rights. "Blessed are those that mourn" Our world and minds tries everything possible to avoid thinking on true sinful conditions of our world. We instead want to deny the truth and escape to some pleasure.

In David Martyn Lloyd-Jones book on the Sermon on the Mount he lays out before us what Christ was truly teaching about the Kingdom of God and its citizens. The Sermon teaches us what it takes to be a true Christian:

Poor in spirit - We must humbly recognize our spiritual bankruptness before God. We must admit we are sinful, helpless, and deserving of God's righteous punishment. This humility opens the door for the next Beatitude...

Mourning - As Lloyd-Jones will lay out for you this is having godly sorrow over your sin and the sins of others. Not only have you recognized you deserve God's judgment, but you truly want to change (repentance). This repentance opens the door for the next Beatitude...

Meekness - Your true awareness of self in the presence of God makes you lowly, gentle, and humble towards others. You tend to agree with them of your lowly state and that it can only be by God's grace that you can be changed and used for the good.

starve and thirst for righteousness - As each beatitude builds off the other one the next one to naturally follow is craving the necessities of spiritual life. This person starves for God to deliver them from their sins and replace those things with Christ's perfect and good character. It also speaks of having true peace with God through a right relationship.

And each Beatitude, as you will see in this book, builds off each other. They not only speak of the path of one becoming a true follower of Christ, but also these describe the character of every true follower of Christ. Because God's Spirit enters the believer the Christian will live this supernaturally good life. And people around us will recognize the difference between us and the rest of the world, just as a Japanese citizen would stand out in another culture.

Of course, this book is not just about the Beatitudes but about the whole Sermon on the Mount. Trust me, this book may be huge, but it's a great read. Pace yourselves by reading one 10 page chapter each night. And don't forget to apply what you learn. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to know the truth about God's Kingdom and how a real follower of Christ is live. No more religion! Give me the real stuff: a God-empowered life and a humble relationship with my Creator, King, and Savior.

Doctor Martyn Lloyd-Jones has preached approximately 60 sermons that makeup this book. Fortunately the writing has not removed the impact of the preaching that has produced this work. I strive to share this book with brothers and sisters in Christ for it is my belief that every member of the Body of Christ would be mightily impacted through the reading and studying of this work. The reading of this book has caused me to purchase additional writings by this author, such as; his series on Romans, and the series on Ephesians. I was first introduced to the author when I was given a two volume biography of Doctor Lloyd-Jones by Iain Murray ... another enriching experience.