A key to understanding the Sermon

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T he people who first heard Jesus' teachings could not appreciate their full meaning -- because that would not come until after Jesus was resurrected and had shared the gift of the Spirit with his followers. The Book of John was written by someone with a deep spiritual understanding of Jesus and his mission and so when we read the Book of Matthew's Sermon on the Mount, we do well to keep some teachings from John in mind. These Johannine understandings, along with a citation from Acts of the Apostles, are immensely important for rightly dividing the Word in the Sermon.

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Acts 16:31

Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, and your house.

Believe in here means put your complete trust in Jesus.  The man would be saved and, in the vision of the apostle, his family would also come to Christ through him. That happens sometimes, but is not always the case.  

John 3:16

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Begotten. The writer is probably saying that Jesus was the only son that God ever sent into the world in human form. The writer wanted to make sure readers understood  that Jesus was more than a human servant of God.

John 3:3

Truly, truly I say to you, If a person is not  born again, he cannot see God's kingdom.

Before you can become born again you must come to God in the name of Jesus, or to Jesus himself, with an attitude of deep repentance.

John 3:5-8

Very seriously I tell you, unless a person is born of the Spirit, he cannot enter God's kingdom. What is born of the flesh is flesh and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Don't wonder about me telling you, you must be born again. The wind blows wherever it leans. You hear its voice but you don't know where it came from or where it is going. That's how it is for everyone born of the Spirit.

Being born again means being born of God's Spirit, so that you become a brand new creation.

John 4:13-14

Everyone who drinks that water will thirst again. But whoever drinks the water I give will never thirst again – this water will be like wellspring water, bubbling up forever.

Jesus is talking about the Spirit as flowing water.

John 6:48

I am the bread of life.

Consume Jesus and live forever.

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