Keys To Kingdom Greatness: An Exposition of the Sermon on the Mount

In the Sermon on the Mount, most people assume Jesus is teaching about Kingdom 'entrance.' But by focusing on the audience (disciples), the timeline of what they knew, the introduction and each part of the sermon (not to mention Matthew's overall purpose, Old Testament prophecies, New Testament theology, the grace gospel, etc.) Elkins shows Jesus is addressing Kingdom greatness, not entrance. The Bible knows nothing of a present, or present-not-yet, form of the Kingdom. The Kingdom Jesus is talking about is the one He, John, and the disciples had been preaching, the one understood by the Palestinian audience, the literal future, earthly Kingdom of Messiah on earth. Jesus will get around to addressing Kingdom entrance in His evangelistic close, but not at all in the manner it's usually taken. Rather, He gives the clearest, most cogent refutation of so-called lordship salvation, and actually presents the John 3:16 message as the means of entrance. If keeping the words of the sermon were necessary for 'entrance,' the one thing it will have succeeded in doing is making sure no one will enter the Kingdom! If, on the other hand, it's about 'inheriting' the Kingdom as a possession--to rule and be great there--it works wonderfully well, and is the great discipleship primer it's intended to be.