Matthew 5, 6, and 7 reveal the reality of the kingdom. According to Matthew, the kingdom has three main aspects: the reality of the kingdom, the appearance of the kingdom, and the manifestation of the kingdom. If we are going to understand all the chapters and verses in Matthew regarding the kingdom, we have to see these three main aspects of the kingdom. Some of the verses in Matthew are concerning the reality of the kingdom; others are concerning the appearance of the kingdom; still others are concerning the manifestation of the kingdom in the future.
We must realize that as the reality of the kingdom comes into being, the enemy, Satan, will also come in to do some distracting, frustrating, and damaging work. This working of the enemy produces the outward appearance of the kingdom. Today these two lines exist together: the reality of the kingdom and the appearance of the kingdom. In Matthew 13 there is the wheat, but there are also the tares. There is the great tree growing up out of proportion and not according to its kind, and there is the leaven corrupting the fine flour. The tares, the great tree, and the leaven constitute the outward appearance of the kingdom.
Eventually there will be the harvest time, the full coming of the kingdom. That will be the manifestation of the kingdom. Do not consider that it is unnecessary to discern these three aspects concerning the kingdom. If you do not see these three aspects, you cannot understand what Matthew says concerning the kingdom. This is the very reason why many Christians have never been clear concerning the kingdom in Matthew. They simply have never seen the three different aspects of the kingdom. The reality of the kingdom is fully revealed and covered in Matthew 5, 6, and 7. These chapters have been called the Sermon on the Mount. The Lord Jesus called His disciples and brought them to the mountaintop where He gave them the discourse which is recorded in Matthew 5, 6, and 7. It is not easy to realize and apprehend what is revealed in these three chapters. In the past, these three chapters have not been realized in a full, adequate, and proper way. Although they may have used some of the sentences, phrases, and terms from these chapters, most Christians have not apprehended them in a proper way. These chapters are the revelation of the proper kingdom life, and some of the verses are very deep. If you do not realize the governing principle, it will be difficult for you to apprehend the real meaning of these verses.
The Lord's discourse on the mount is divided into seven sections which reveal seven aspects of the life of the children of the kingdom.