Souls are deceived if a sentimental Christ is substituted for the Scriptural Christ, if His “Beatitudes” (Matthew 5) are emphasized and His “woes” (Matthew 23) ignored.
– A.W. Pink
1886 – 1952
Christ Alone Wyoming
Proclaiming the Truth of Christ-Centered Theology
Christ Alone Wyoming 
Matthew stresses Christ Jesus in His role as King, so the Sermon on the Mount may be read as the King’s creed – the guiding and foundational principles of His Kingdom.
Matthew was written primarily to the Jewish people, which helps to unlock the significance of Matthew Chap. 5, verse 1: “And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:” The Holy Spirit inspired Matthew to make a point of saying that Jesus “went up into a mountain” in order to call to mind the differences between the law that Christ the King was about to pronounce, and the law that Moses gave on Mount Sinai.
And, like everything in the Old Testament which is a shadow (Hebrews 10:1) or a type of the New Covenant, the law of Christ is “more perfect” than the law of Moses (Hebrews 8:5-7) Examples: Moses said, Give God a tithe (one tenth); Christ says, surrender everything you have to God; Moses said, do not kill; Christ says, do not even hate your enemies; Moses said, do not commit adultery; Christ says, do not even look at a woman with lust in your heart; Moses said, give God a day (the Sabbath); Christ says, Give God every moment of every day of your life.
It quickly becomes clear in Matthew Chapter 5 that the kind of rule-keeping and regulation-following it would take to truly achieve “righteousness” under God’s law is impossible for man to obtain. Only Christ’s righteousness is sufficient for the Kingdom of Heaven. That righteousness must be imparted to us faith. When this happens, we trust and obey Jesus Christ the King. (Romans 4:22-25)
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