God and mankind are fully reconciled in Jesus Christ by not having their trespasses imputed to them. The completed work of Jesus on the cross offers to everyone who will believe in Him forgiveness and righteousness. This finished work releases to every believer the blessing of Abraham whom God called a friend. The gospel gets better still.
Elder Edward begins by introducing Matthew 5:1–2 as the foundation of the message, emphasizing Jesus going up the mountain to teach the Beatitudes. Although Jesus often withdrew to the mountains for solitude and prayer, in this passage it was to teach them the principles of God’s Kingdom.
The sermon then reflects on the three temptations of Jesus in the wilderness, especially the third one on the “exceedingly high mountain,” describing it as a place of spiritual exchange and deception, where Satan offers worldly glory in return for worship. Elder Edward warns that if Satan dared to tempt Jesus, many others have likely been tempted similarly and had failed- Thus highlighting the need for believers to draw near to Jesus to gain strength to resist.
He concludes by stressing that Jesus calls His disciples primarily to “be with Him,” and that the Sermon on the Mount was a training ground for discipleship based on heart-level obedience rather than legalistic righteousness.
