Recently, I was thinking about great sermons I have heard. I began to wonder what is the best sermon ever? Then I realized, the best sermon ever preached is the Sermon on the Mount.
What was the best sermon ever preached? The best sermon ever preached was Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Jesus preached about the urgency that comes with the message of the Kingdom of God. This sermon exhibited Jesus’ authority, His obedience to His Father and His Word, and His deep love for people.
Here are 5 reasons why the Sermon on the Mount was the best sermon ever preached:
- Jesus Preached with Authority
- Jesus Preached the Words of the Father
- Jesus Preached the Message of the Kingdom
- Jesus Preached Without Fear of Man
- Jesus Preached the Greatest Commandment
Jesus Preached with Authority
As you read along with this blog, I would encourage you to read through Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew chapters 5-7. Now, we’ll begin at the end of the passage, where the Bible says that the people were blown away by Jesus’ teaching.
When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, because he was teaching them like one who had authority, and not like their scribes.
Matthew 7:28-29 CSB
Why does Jesus’ authority matter? Without authority, people are not motivated to obey the things commanded of them.
Just like when I was a kid, I was more likely to obey something my parents told me to do, rather than do what my younger sibling demanded of me.
The reason is that I knew that my parents had the authority to punish me if I didn’t obey them, and I knew what to expect if I followed through on their word. On the other hand, my younger sibling had no power to punish or reward me.
Without authority, Jesus’ teaching would be simply a few interesting words that the Jews would have likely forget about the next day. But with Jesus’ God-given authority, he could compel the crowds to act on His words, knowing that they were filled with truth and life.
Jesus Preached the Words of The Father
When Jesus spoke, He didn’t preach only His own words, but the words of the Father. It’s recorded in this passage that Jesus referred to the Old Testament at least five times.
And though Jesus was fully man, He was still always in relationship with God and the Holy Spirit, so much so that He wanted to share with everyone how to pray to God (Matthew 6:9-13).
Jesus would not have been saying these things apart from God, because without Him, without God as Gardener, Jesus would not be able to bear any fruit (John 15).
Jesus Preached the Message of the Kingdom
In His sermon, Jesus talks about very real things and practical principles to live by. He speaks on details about telling the truth, fasting, and the cure for worrying.
He says that if we want to succeed in any of these areas, first we are to seek the Kingdom of God.
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.
Matthew 6:23 CSB
We are to ask, search, and knock for His Kingdom, again and again, not because that’s where we get everything that we want, but because that’s where we find the good news.
The good news is the gospel, the fact that Jesus came to fulfill the law, not abolish it, all for our sake so that we could have eternal life with Him.
The message of the Kingdom is this gospel, and when we believe it when we seek it and Jesus first, we are entering the narrow gate into God’s Kingdom.
The Kingdom of God is at hand, therefore, let’s repent and turn to Jesus, who’s been preaching the message of hope, forgiveness, and redemption over our lives.
Jesus Preached Without Fear of Man
Jesus’ preaching was radical. He taught against our sinful nature and spoke counter-culturally, yet His teaching was filled with grace and truth.
Jesus was not in denial of who the people He was talking to were. He knew there were all sinners and that some in His audience would judge Him. There were even people who would, later on, want to see Him dead.
All throughout the gospels Jesus is questioned and threatened by the hypocritical Pharisees, and yet He doesn’t back down. Why? He preached with a fear of God, rather than man. He spoke with authority from God, not of the authority given by people.
Jesus knew that what He was saying would receive a lot of backlash and He knew that persecution was coming, but He was obedient to God anyway because of the love He had for the Father and for us. Jesus was not scared of what people thought, in fact, the Pharisees even said it later on in Mark 12:13-17.
Jesus didn’t gratify the desires of the flesh of man, and He knew that if what He was saying was true. He and others who preached God’s word would face persecution, something that proved He wasn’t speaking for His own fame or comfort.
You are blessed when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of me. Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Matthew 5:11-12 CSB
Jesus’ words were certainly not influenced by the fear of man or culture, or else He would not be saying such counter-cultural things. Jesus wanted the people then and us to know now that following Him isn’t easy, and it definitely won’t please man, but our reward is an eternity in heaven, which makes it all worth it.
Jesus Preached the Greatest Commandment
Jesus’ teaching backed up God’s greatest commandments to love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength by obeying His commands, and Jesus preaches again to love your neighbor as yourself.
Jesus even took it one step further and said to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. As if Jesus weren’t counter-cultural enough, He states this command:
You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven.
For he causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have?
Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what are you doing out of the ordinary? Don’t even the Gentiles do the same?
Matthew 5:43-47 CSB
Do you notice the word ordinary? That’s right, we’re called to go above and beyond and live extraordinary lives by loving even our enemies and praying for those who persecute us.
That’s a crazy task, but luckily Jesus didn’t just talk the talk, He walked the walked.
Jesus was persecuted terribly and eventually was killed on a cross as an innocent man by His sinful enemies. Jesus modeled for us what it means to forgive those who hate us when He Himself asked God to forgive His crucifiers as He hung on the cross (Luke 23:34).
This truly is extraordinary, and when we live by Jesus’ teaching as well as His example, we can live extraordinary lives too and rely on God’s Word, the Holy Spirit’s leading, and Jesus’ teaching to experience this kind of Kingdom life.
Jesus is the Best Preacher
Jesus is the best preacher, and the best sermon ever preached was the Sermon on the Mount because Jesus spoke with authority from the words of His Father. He preached the message of the Kingdom without the fear of man, and Jesus modeled for us what it’s like to love our neighbors as ourselves and to even love and pray for our enemies.
Jesus teaches us about living extraordinary lives according to God’s Word and the Holy Spirit’s leading. His preaching points us to the incredible grace and truth in the best sermon ever preached, The Sermon on the Mount.