Sermon on the Mount: The Constitution of the Kingdom

By Dr. Kevin Drury

This book is a Christian training book that can be used to teach a 40-week course through the Sermon on the Mount. It can also be used for general reading and learning the core truths Jesus taught the original 12 disciples that transitioned them out of the Jewish worldview to the heavenly kingdom worldview He came to inaugurate. The foundational truths Jesus taught are still relevant today for the disciples of Jesus to grow from a spiritual babe to become perfect like our Father who is in heaven.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Feb 14, 2024
• ISBN: 9798350945645

Book preview

Introduction

This book is also a Course! As a Course, it is intended to be taught in a consistent format from start [Matthew 5:1] to finish [Matthew 7:29]. When taught as Course, each class missed must be made up to guarantee continuity in learning, and if 3 classes are missed that are not made up then the person missing those classes will be excused from the Course.

Obviously, if you are reading this book and are not participating in a structured class, you are at liberty to read and process at your own pace.

Revolution Movement’s Discipleship Course [RMDC], The Sermon On The Mount [SOTM], The Constitution Of The Kingdom is a 40 plus hour intensive study of the SOTM found in Matthew 5-7, as well as the study of some of the over 240 New Testament verses that have in Him in them.

The SOTM has been called the Constitution of the Kingdom and is the foundational teaching of Jesus to His original 12 disciples on kingdom life. The Beatitudes are the Preamble to this Constitution of the kingdom.

Much of the rest of Jesus’s teachings and New Testament [NT] revelation can be traced back to the SOTM. It is as if the SOTM was the seed sown that produced the rest of the NT revelation.

The SOTM is filled with identity and practical kingdom lifestyle core values. The identity issue is one that Jesus felt was a prerequisite to His original disciples gaining the confidence needed to carry out His mission of advancing the kingdom of God into unfamiliar and unfriendly territories. Those territories began in Jerusalem and extended into Judea, Samaria and then to the ends of the world.

Eleven chose to become world changers! One chose to become a betrayer. Become a world changer!

Discipleship from a kingdom perspective is about the one being discipled wanting their life to become like the person that is discipling them.

True kingdom discipleship is discipleship to the Lord Jesus Christ and the Lordship of Jesus, the Christ. Jesus, as Head of the body, which is His church, disciples people through mature disciples of His. The material used in this Discipleship Course process is not more important than the person being discipled. The teaching is just one aspect of how the disciple is discipled. In Biblical discipleship, the disciple observes the person discipling them and they want to emulate their lifestyle when their lifestyle imitates Jesus’ lifestyle.

Paul said it this way, Imitate [follow] me as I imitate [follow] Christ. [1 Corinthians 11:1]

What Paul was saying is, I am pursuing Christ and His life so if you follow me, you will find Christ. Or Christ is the model I am molding my life after. Look to Him, not me!

Jesus is the only perfect human being, so we must operate in grace and mercy when being discipled by another imperfect human being.

As a disciple of Jesus and hopefully a future person who disciples others to Jesus, you must also remember these words of Paul:

²⁴ Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. ²⁵ Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we imperishable. ²⁶ Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; ²⁷ but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be DISQUALIFIED.¹

Running to win is a kingdom core value! Our race is not against other disciples. It is against the world and its systems of bondage to self, as well as all satanic influence. Recognizing what is not beneficial to running to win and the willingness to set those things aside or do away with them completely, is a prerequisite to finishing this Course well, as well as the life God gave you and saved you to live.

Paul also wrote this, I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.²

Biblical Christianity is experienced by allowing Christ Jesus to live through us!

In addition to the SOTM we will look at many of the over 240 in Him verses found in the New Testament. ‘In Him’ is the umbrella term for the verses that have ‘in Him, ‘with Him’, ‘by Him,' ‘through Him,' ‘in, with, by, through Jesus’, ‘in, with, by, through Christ, in, with, by, through Me,’ etc.

AS CHRISTIANS WE MAY NOT BE CALLED TO GO INTO ALL THE WORLD, BUT WE ARE CALLED TO GO INTO ALL OF OUR WORLD! WE ARE TO RE-PRESENT [REPRESENT] THE RESURRECTED JESUS TO THE WORLD WE HAVE INFLUENCE IN. OUR WORLD IS OUR SPHERE OF INFLUENCE AND AUTHORITY.

No one should ever assume authority outside the sphere of influence God opens the door for them to exercise it and operate in. Sometimes God will send a person to a specific location and other times the person will be invited in. Either way, we will do well if we know our limitations as it pertains to kingdom authority.

Paul reveals this truth when he wrote:

¹³ But we will not boast beyond our measure, but within the measure of the sphere which God apportioned to us as a measure, to reach even as far as you. ¹⁴ For we are not overextending ourselves, as if we did not reach to you, for we were the first to come even as far as you in the gospel of Christ; ¹⁵ not boasting beyond our measure, that is, in other men's labors, but with the hope that as your faith grows, we will be, within our sphere, enlarged even more by you, ¹⁶ so as to preach the gospel even to the regions beyond you, and not to boast in what has been accomplished in the sphere of another. ¹⁷ But he who boasts is to boast in the Lord. ¹⁸ For it is not he who commends himself that is approved, but he whom the Lord commends.¹

This RMDC will help you gain confidence by assisting you in your discovery of finding out whose you are, who you are, why you are, where you are, and why you are where you are.

Donna and I taught this Course several years in a row to small groups of people. We continue to teach it to those we currently disciple to Jesus. We know some who read this book will teach it to others. In teaching some of the in Him verses too, especially in the first few classes, we demonstrate how to exegete texts to discover the nuggets of truth found in them. Those texts should be discussed in the classroom setting, or with others you relate to. This helps the processing and assimilation of the life-giving word of God.

Through our teaching the SOTM and some of the in Him verses, those we taught began to learn how to study the Bible to learn.

That is a goal of this Course!

Kevin’s Personal Testimony

I never loved to read, and that included the Bible. I struggled for many years because I was convinced that I did not like to read. The reason I did not like to read was because I did not believe I was good at reading comprehension. That mindset made sure I struggled comprehending what I read. Once I realized I loved learning, I learned that I could read and understand what I read, even while not liking to read.

In order to cover the SOTM in our group setting, we averaged 2.75 verses each hour we met. There are 111 verses in Matthew 5-7. This Course is designed to last 38 weeks. If you are going through this Course, or that you are teaching this material, we ask that you are punctual, prepared, and that you participate in the discussions each week.

Much truth is gleaned during the discussion times.

More truth will emerge in you as you invest in what you learn.

As a disciple of Christ Jesus, it will benefit you to study the SOTM and the various in Him verses during the week and come to the class prepared to discuss what you have learned. Feeding on the in Him verses give you food to feed the others in the class. Plus, you will find ‘you’ in Him in the ‘in Him’ verses.

As is the case in any endeavor, you will only get out of this Course what you put into it, especially when you are not in class. The typical student should spend at least 2 hours studying what is learned during the Course time.

Donna and I hear all kinds of reasons why people do not invest in their own growth. I don’t have the time is the most prevalent reason people give for not reading, studying and processing the course material for this Movement.

In our over 4 decades of investing in people, we have discovered people will make time for what they are interested in or passionate about.

Every human being has the same amount of time. Every week provides us with 168 hours [7 x 24].

EXAMPLE:

•Sleeping 8 hours a night = 56 hours a week!

•Kevin sleeps about 4-6 hours a night.

•Working 8 hours a day Monday - Friday = 40 hours a week!

•Driving to work 1 hour per day = 5 hours a week!

•Eating three meals a day taking an hour per meal = 21 hours a week!

•Attending 1 church service per week = 3 hours per week, including travel to and from church!

•Spending time for this class = 2 hour a week allowing for travel to and from class!

•Investing in your growth outside of class = 7 hours a week [1 hour per day outside of class]!

That is a total of 134 hours, which leaves 34 hours a week, almost another work week, for other activities. If you have a family, then that will take time that needs to be added. If you dedicate 4 hours a day for undivided family time that is 28 hours a week, and you still have 6 hours of free time.

The typical areas where time can be allocated is during meal time, where just feeding on Scripture 1 hour a day will increase your opportunity to learn; or sleep where waking up 1 hour earlier is also beneficial. There is pain in the process, but vision will give any pain a purpose!

… who for the joy set before Him [vision] endured the cross, despising the shame [pain - physical and emotional]، … Hebrews 12:2

Personal Testimony #2

For over 20 years I tithed every day to the Lord. I would get up around 4:30 AM and would spend 2.5 hours studying the word, meditating on the word, and in prayer and worship. The time invested during those years is still yielding good fruit in my life and ministry.

Again, most people will make time for what they are interested in or passionate about!

I use the New American Standard Bible [NASB] to teach the SOTM. The ‘in Him’ verses are taken from the NASB and the New King James Bible [NKJB], which Donna uses. There are 2 lists of these verses are in the Appendix of this book. One lists the verses in the order they appear in the New Testament. The other list lists them by which phrase is used in the various texts and translations. You may find ‘in Him’ verses in other translations as well. These are not exhaustive lists that are provided for you.

RMDC DNA

You are complete in Him. Colossians 2:10 NKJB

RMDC MISSION

Discipling God’s sons and daughters to the Lordship of Jesus Christ!

•John 1:12 - But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.

RMDC VISION

The maturing of the saints into the full measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ!

•Ephesians 4:13 - until WE ALL ATTAIN to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to A mature man, to THE MEASURE of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.

A great benefit of taking this Discipleship Training Course, in addition to finding or improving your identity in Christ and maturing in Him, is learning how to study your Bible to learn revelatory truth. One of the great breakthroughs we have found as we get testimonies from those who have taken this Course of study is how their confidence was raised to new heights as it pertains to their personal devotional time with the Lord.

Testimonies of Previous Students

1. "Being a