DownshoreDrift

I've started a preaching series on the life and ministry of Jesus in the Gospels. On Sunday, I preached through The Sermon on the Mount. Yep, three chapters of Matthew in around 40 minutes. I wanted to look at this most incredible message from a big picture view, instead of breaking it apart into a million moralistic pieces. We often get hung up on certain aspects of this message and we make a new law out of it. Generally, we end up using this new law against others, instead of letting Jesus' powerful words do their work in our own hearts.

I remember when I first really came to the Lord in college and I read this message over and over again. At first, I set out to do it, thinking that I could just align myself with Jesus' words on Kingdom living. Poor in spirit? No problem! Meek? Merciful? Peacemaker? Sure, I can do that. No anger, lust, judgment, or revenge? Uh oh. Pray for my enemies? Give to those who abuse me? Go the extra mile? Turn the other cheek? Wait a minute! Do good for God alone instead of for credit before man? Look to heaven instead of worldly gain or fame? Don't worry about anything? Now, you've gone from preaching to meddling! I found that the harder I tried, the more I came up short. At one point, I felt like hurling the Bible across the room. "I can't do this, God!" Sometime later it dawned on me: That's exactly the point.

Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount to show the religious people and the self righteous ones that true Godly righteousness was a matter of the heart, not of outward performance. He said that their righteousness must surpass that of the pharisees. He said that our inner motives and thoughts mattered as much as our actions. He said that it wasn't enough to not do evil, but we had to do good, not just to our friends but to our enemies. The Sermon on the Mount is the greatest example of Jesus' call for a renovation of the inner life. In short, he described what Kingdom living looks like. We can see how much we've actually let Jesus take control of our lives by how closely we resemble what Jesus called us to in that message. You see, He doesn't call us to do this on our own. The life He describes is His life and only Jesus can live this message through us. "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." - Galatians 2:20.

What if we all lived out this message? What if we made it our life's desire to have Jesus live through us in this way? How different we would all be! Think about how much arguing, strife, and dissension would go away! Think about how Christ would be glorified in us. We wouldn't have much trouble being salt and light, would we? The Sermon on the Mount is a description of the life that we cannot live on our own. It shows us why we need a Savior and why we must live by the Spirit with a new heart and mind. It describes the life that only Christ can live through us. May we read these words and fall on our face in humility and dependence upon the Lord.

How would our lives change if we took these words seriously? How would our families, churches, workplaces, and cities change? Our culture? Perhaps, living out and helping others live out these words is what Jesus meant when He told us to make disciples of NATIONS. But, it starts with us, doesn't it? If we can't take it seriously, then how can we expect others to?