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Sermon on the Mount
The Sermon on the Mount answers some of the most pressing questions that every Christian What is a Christian? Does the law of God still have a place in the Christian life? How can I learn to pray? How can I learn self-discipline? Why am I a prisoner to anxiety?
This book deals with these issues in a crisp, concise, and readable way. It provides an ideal introduction to Jesus' great manifesto for life in his kingdom.
This book deals with these issues in a crisp, concise, and readable way. It provides an ideal introduction to Jesus' great manifesto for life in his kingdom.
184 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1987
About the author
Sinclair B. Ferguson
181 books493 followersSinclair B. Ferguson is Associate Preacher at St Peter's Free Church in Dundee and also Distinguished Visiting Professor of Systematic Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was Senior Minister of First Presbyterian Church of Columbia, South Carolina and prior to that, he was minister of St. George's-Tron Church in Glasgow.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
April 7, 2023
This was exceptional, and it took me on a journey in really understanding and applying Jesus's sermon on the mount. Highly, highly recommend!
January 27, 2022
I really enjoy Ferguson and his teaching style. He is a joy to listen to. So I was a little hesitant to read him but it was not a let down, this was a very good book on the world’s great sermon. I highly recommend this.
December 23, 2022
Ferguson proves to be a fine homiletical companion through the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7). Due to length constraints and the practical focus of the volume, there are some themes and concepts that are not as thoroughly explored as they could be. Notably, there is very little exploration of the structure of the Sermon as a whole. But the book is very good at delivering what Ferguson clearly set out to deliver: a warmly experiential and theological exposition of the Sermon on the Mount that is both instructive and easy-to-read. The style of writing is pleasant and enjoyable, even as Ferguson hits on difficult/convicting truth at points.
August 5, 2022
A helpful, pastoral exposition of the Sermon on the Mount from a trustworthy source.
“When God leads us to see that this is our real condition before him, and we recognise this to be so, then poverty of spirit is born in our hearts. Undeceived at last, we see that our only hope is in the Lord.”
“When God leads us to see that this is our real condition before him, and we recognise this to be so, then poverty of spirit is born in our hearts. Undeceived at last, we see that our only hope is in the Lord.”
June 23, 2024
Excellent book full of teaching and application! God’s people are called to live the whole sermon rather than cherry picking bits and pieces of it to obey.
July 30, 2008
Only read if you're prepared to change how you live your life. Confirms my suspicion that I truly have not given up enough of myself for Jesus.
May 1, 2023
No excuse to read bad popular level theology when Sinclair Ferguson exists and has written extensively.
Nothing groundbreaking, but a refreshing exposition which avoids the twin pitfalls of moralism and sentimentalism to which so many evangelicals (a previous iteration of myself included) collapse into when reading the sermon on the mount. A couple takeaways:
1. Read the sermon as a sermon, not a smorgasbord of proverbs and anecdotes.
2. Jesus’ moral teaching is not innovative, but a reassertion of the law in its proper ethical foundation, this of course being love.
3. The sermon consists of the announcement of the kingdom of heaven, and the exhortation to live in a way proper to the kingdom of heaven. The announcement is superficial without the exhortation, and the exhortation is baseless without the announcement.
Nothing groundbreaking, but a refreshing exposition which avoids the twin pitfalls of moralism and sentimentalism to which so many evangelicals (a previous iteration of myself included) collapse into when reading the sermon on the mount. A couple takeaways:
1. Read the sermon as a sermon, not a smorgasbord of proverbs and anecdotes.
2. Jesus’ moral teaching is not innovative, but a reassertion of the law in its proper ethical foundation, this of course being love.
3. The sermon consists of the announcement of the kingdom of heaven, and the exhortation to live in a way proper to the kingdom of heaven. The announcement is superficial without the exhortation, and the exhortation is baseless without the announcement.
September 9, 2024
The Sermon on the Mount is a section found in the book of Matthew from Chapters 5-7, full of exhortations, instructions and warnings said by Jesus. It's a section that is fairly often quoted by believers, but how often are those quotes used correctly? Dr. Ferguson goes through the Sermon on the Mount and emphasizes Jesus' sermon by explaining what Jesus means when He brings up something. This book brings great wisdom, encouragement and awareness to a believer that seeks to have Christ as their foundation. I recommend reading it! Dr. Ferguson has ways with words and is inspiring to see how God used Him to write this book, to ensure that people who do read this section in Matthew, understand the importance of the Sermon and the contents introduced.
August 20, 2020
Short, maybe too short, look at the pivotal chapters 5–7 of Matthew's Gospel. This is not an exegetical study but more like devotional writing (which I generally eschew). Ferguson is an underappreciated pillar of the church, and always worth reading. This should not be the only book one reads on Christ's seminal sermon, but it's a quick read that could be mined for insights.
May 29, 2018
A very helpful, accessible, and insightful commentary for the Sermon on the Mount.
March 27, 2020
Excellent pre read before studying the sermon on the mount for youth Sunday school lessons.
April 3, 2024
Very good. The only downside was that it didn't go into even more depth.
January 4, 2018
Excellent book on the Sermon on the Mount. I’m certain I will refer to it again and again.
March 10, 2010
A painful read. I don’t know if it’s a melancholic Scottish Reformed trait or what, but Ferguson makes the Sermon on the Mount so private and introspective and anxious and obsessed with sin that it’s suffocating. One could never really get the impression from this book that Jesus came preaching about a public place, the kingdom of God. For Ferguson, the Beatitudes are outgrowths of personal sins, and Ferguson’s overall treatment makes Jesus sound like a petty school marm, whose whole universe revolves only around interior sins. It’s a very bleak world.
Take, for example, Ferguson’s explanation of the “poor in spirit.” Most commentators across traditions take it, at least, as an autobiographical restatement of Jesus’ own life: “made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant” (Phil. 2:7) and “He became poor” (2 Cor. 8:9). In other words, rich Jesus looked at the world through the spirit or eyes of the poor. And in fact, one can take all the Beatitudes as positive descriptions of Jesus and the sort of people He wants in His very public kingdom. But not Ferguson. I expected Ferguson to exclude any actual poverty, but I was surprised by the reduction of beautiful things to sin: “What is poverty of spirit? By speaking of the poor ‘in spirit,’ Jesus underlines the fact that he is not speaking about any lack of material prosperity.... Jesus is describing the person who sees his spiritual bondage, is conscious of the debt of his sins” (15). Sheesh. Automatically, then, the Beatitudes are no longer descriptions of Jesus but call us to turn inward and grieve. They aren’t the positive characteristics of a kingdom that resembles Jesus but rather a list of internal failings.
What about “Blessed are those who mourn”? Might this have any connection to actual, public grief caused by the sorts of imperial chastisements Isaiah and Jeremiah lamented? Maybe the imperial bloodletting of Jews so common in Galilee of Jesus’ time? Is it what Jesus Himself mourned over? (Mt. 23). No, for Ferguson, “the grief Jesus describes is man’s mourning over his own sinfulness; it is regret that he has proved a disappointment to the Lord” (18). Sin, more personal sin.
What about the “meek” who inherit the earth? This should be a relatively easy one, since it’s a quote from Psalm 37. Do Ferguson and David match up? Ferguson sees meekness as an internal state – about “breaking our pride,” “destroying our sense of self-sufficiency,” “secret ambitions we have hidden in our hearts.” More introspection. But in Psalm 37, David’s exhortation isn’t directed at middle-class anxieties over personal sin and atonement. David looks outward and defends the “meek” against real public oppressors – “evildoers” and “workers of iniquity”(37:1) and “the man who brings wicked schemes” (37:7) and “the riches of many wicked” (37:16) and “the wicked in great power” (37:35). The main contrast has to do with violence: “The wicked have drawn the sword, And have bent their bow, To cast down the poor and needy, To slay those who are of upright conduct” (37:14). Instead of the oppressor’s violence, “the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace” (37:11).
Obviously the contrast isn’t only internal or only external. The meek in Psalm 37 are righteous and holy and virtuous, but the direction of David’s exhortation isn’t the direction of Ferguson’s. David has great confidence in God’s people, Ferguson doesn’t. David wants God to wipe out the powerful so that God’s righteous, nonviolent poor can have actual, kingdom peace; Ferguson has us looking forever inward to fix and fiddle with our sins. Psalm 37 is simply a restatement of Mary’s Magnificat: “He has put down the mighty from their thrones, And exalted the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, And the rich He has sent away empty” (Lk. 1:52,53). What keeps Ferguson from simply restating David and Mary? Why can’t Ferguson just talk like the Bible?
Take, for example, Ferguson’s explanation of the “poor in spirit.” Most commentators across traditions take it, at least, as an autobiographical restatement of Jesus’ own life: “made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant” (Phil. 2:7) and “He became poor” (2 Cor. 8:9). In other words, rich Jesus looked at the world through the spirit or eyes of the poor. And in fact, one can take all the Beatitudes as positive descriptions of Jesus and the sort of people He wants in His very public kingdom. But not Ferguson. I expected Ferguson to exclude any actual poverty, but I was surprised by the reduction of beautiful things to sin: “What is poverty of spirit? By speaking of the poor ‘in spirit,’ Jesus underlines the fact that he is not speaking about any lack of material prosperity.... Jesus is describing the person who sees his spiritual bondage, is conscious of the debt of his sins” (15). Sheesh. Automatically, then, the Beatitudes are no longer descriptions of Jesus but call us to turn inward and grieve. They aren’t the positive characteristics of a kingdom that resembles Jesus but rather a list of internal failings.
What about “Blessed are those who mourn”? Might this have any connection to actual, public grief caused by the sorts of imperial chastisements Isaiah and Jeremiah lamented? Maybe the imperial bloodletting of Jews so common in Galilee of Jesus’ time? Is it what Jesus Himself mourned over? (Mt. 23). No, for Ferguson, “the grief Jesus describes is man’s mourning over his own sinfulness; it is regret that he has proved a disappointment to the Lord” (18). Sin, more personal sin.
What about the “meek” who inherit the earth? This should be a relatively easy one, since it’s a quote from Psalm 37. Do Ferguson and David match up? Ferguson sees meekness as an internal state – about “breaking our pride,” “destroying our sense of self-sufficiency,” “secret ambitions we have hidden in our hearts.” More introspection. But in Psalm 37, David’s exhortation isn’t directed at middle-class anxieties over personal sin and atonement. David looks outward and defends the “meek” against real public oppressors – “evildoers” and “workers of iniquity”(37:1) and “the man who brings wicked schemes” (37:7) and “the riches of many wicked” (37:16) and “the wicked in great power” (37:35). The main contrast has to do with violence: “The wicked have drawn the sword, And have bent their bow, To cast down the poor and needy, To slay those who are of upright conduct” (37:14). Instead of the oppressor’s violence, “the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace” (37:11).
Obviously the contrast isn’t only internal or only external. The meek in Psalm 37 are righteous and holy and virtuous, but the direction of David’s exhortation isn’t the direction of Ferguson’s. David has great confidence in God’s people, Ferguson doesn’t. David wants God to wipe out the powerful so that God’s righteous, nonviolent poor can have actual, kingdom peace; Ferguson has us looking forever inward to fix and fiddle with our sins. Psalm 37 is simply a restatement of Mary’s Magnificat: “He has put down the mighty from their thrones, And exalted the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, And the rich He has sent away empty” (Lk. 1:52,53). What keeps Ferguson from simply restating David and Mary? Why can’t Ferguson just talk like the Bible?
June 26, 2009
Ferguson is one of those writers I grow to appreciate more and more as time goes on. He's never going to score huge originality points, but his clear writing style, pointed and simple applications are so refreshing.
June 17, 2024
Outstanding. I purchased this after I saw somebody recommended it on social media, whilst at a conference at which the author was speaking. For years now, through his books and sermons, Sinclair Ferguson has been a massive influence on my life. He is a theological giant yet an immensely humble and kind man. Anyway, on to the book. It's vintage Sinclair, and it's hard to describe it beyond that. It's to the point and clear whilst also being superbly well applied. His use of illustrations is so helpful. He traces the major themes of the sermon on the mount passage by passage. It is accessible yet profound. It's tremendous. Often when reading I had to pause to pray, to worship and to ponder the realities brought out from these verses by Sinclair. Very thankful for Sinclair but even more thankful for a Saviour. What higher commendation can I give a book than to say it left me in awe of my Saviour? It truly did. The chapters are short, as is the book as a whole - thus there is no excuse as to why you wouldn't read it. Why not pick up and read this fine book for yourself?! Highly recommended!
January 17, 2019
I got this book because it was recommended to read along as a supplement for a sermon series we're going through as a church. Never have I been so grateful to have had such a good book recommended to me. Sinclair Ferguson is able to compact sound theological teaching in such easily understandable language (I think each chapter is never more than twelve pages) and he helped me understand just what Jesus was saying in the Sermon on the Mount. Outward action is not enough, we must examine our motives for why we believe what we believe and why we do what we do as Christians. Highly convicting (at times uncomfortable, as God's teaching often can be!), I strongly recommend this book, even if you're not currently reading the Sermon on the Mount. It has been an excellent accompaniment to my times with the Lord.
March 19, 2019
This was a short and accessible treatment of the Sermon on the Mount that is easily read without having to have a theological background. Very pastoral and filled with very sharp application. It lines up with majority reformed interpretations of the Sermon as found in most major commentaries, and so it offers up no novel or agenda-driven concepts. It is a solid guide, short of a full blown commentary, but more than a set of sermons. I've found Ferguson to be a very helpful teacher in nearly every book of his I have written. Very helpful in preaching prep, though it should serve as one of many tools for study of this section of Matthew's gospel.
August 4, 2020
I love listening to the preaching of Sinclair Ferguson. Perhaps, it is the Scottish drawl that he has. I am not a huge fan of this little book, and by little, I mean short. There is not a lot of details in this book. There is not a lot of commentary. There is not a lot of context. There really isn't a lot of anything in this book. This is the one book out of eleven that I purchased on the Sermon on the Mount, that I actually regret purchasing.
August 23, 2017
I had never heard of Sinclair Ferguson before doing the Challies 2017 reading challenge and I listened to him read his own audiobook. I found his Scottish accent as delightful as his insights into the Sermon on the Mount. After spending a better part of 6 months meditating and reading the Sermon on the Mount two years ago from the bible, he gave me some new things to think about and consider.
August 10, 2020
A wonderful little volume on this most sacred portion of holy writ. I used this while preaching through the sermon on the mount. Having traversed the work from beginning to end it is well worth every penny. Ferguson is a careful and practical exegete. Pastors and lay people alike will fin this helpful.
June 2, 2019
Outstanding commentary on this subject. Mr. Ferguson really had me thinking all the way through the book. I highlighted many pages. This book is a keeper for my library. It will truly be read again. Recommendation: Go out and get the book.
I am incline to read he book on Christian Maturity.
I am incline to read he book on Christian Maturity.
October 10, 2022
A solid, workmanlike exposition. Experienced commentary readers will wish for greater detail in several areas, but this is a great book for anyone unaccustomed to that sort of study. As always, Ferguson is eminently approachable and insightful.
October 16, 2019
Insightful and compelling. First book to finish reading, then begin a prompt reread.
January 29, 2020
Started strong then petered out in my opinion.
May 30, 2020
This small book is classic Ferguson: wise, understandable, helpful, pastoral.
February 15, 2021
A wonderful commentary on the Sermon on the Mount. Insightful and valuable.
February 17, 2021
Brilliant
September 19, 2022
A masterful combination of exposition and reflective devotional material. I will be revisiting this book for years to come.
May 24, 2023
Blessed to hear Jesus sermon on the mount as explained by Ferguson. Easy to read yet deep and focus on what Christ's heart for us as his disciple.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews