Amazed, Angered, or Altered?
"Do not be like them." Matthew 6:8 (NIV)
Last night was the final session for our ten week Sermon on the Mount Bible study. We read through Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7 and then shared our Top Takeaways. This review process is always one of my favorite sessions because the women actually teach the lesson. I asked each woman to list their top 10 takeaways from the entire study. It sounds easy enough, but much like giving thanks (or making a grocery list!), it's hard to limit the list to just ten items. Experience has shown me over the last twenty years that our list will be long and varied, but there will be certain "sacred echoes," those words, phrases, or applications that keep appearing on someone's Top Takeaways list.
It's important to keep in mind that Jesus' Sermon on the Mount was just that: it was a sermon and it was (and is) meant to be considered in its entirety. The discourse occurred early in Jesus' earthly ministry and his primary audience were the disciples, the men who had just been called to follow Him (Matthew 4:19). That's an essential point to remember, because none of us can possibly keep the Sermon on the Mount directives without first being called to follow Jesus. On our own, we're simply unable to live the life that Jesus describes in his manifesto. Once obedient to Christ's call, however, the Sermon on the Mount is a portrait of what every Christian's life is supposed to look like as we follow Jesus. Of course, Jesus' Sermon on the Mount audience included more folks than just the disciples. Matthew describes the audience as "crowds" (Matthew 4:25, 5:1). These people were following Jesus because of his teaching and healing ministry throughout Galilee, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond. Some of the people were curious, others were interested, and the established religious leaders were certain that Jesus was either a blasphemer or a revolutionary.
One of our Top SOM Takeaways was the kind of response generated from listening to Jesus' teaching. Matthew summarizes the Sermon on the Mount with these words, "And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, as he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes." Basically there were three responses to Jesus' sermon:
The crowds were amazed.
The religious leaders were angered
The disciples were altered.
Those three responses are still true today. The question for each of us is, "Which one best describes me - am I amazed, angered, or altered?"
Here are some of the best Top Sermon on the Mount (SOM) applications:
Do not be like them; (Matt. 6:8) Jesus' call is for us to be different from both the nominal church and the secular world. He is Lord of the Counter Culture.
Jesus' absolute authority to teach the SOM because He fulfills it
We are called to follow Jesus
There is no substitute for obedience. Only those who apprehend the law as the word of Christ are in a position to fulfill it.
Empty to fill - the Beatitudes
We're called to be salt and light. Stay salty and keep shining.
Shine when tempted to hide; and hide when tempted to show. (F.B. Bruce) Jesus combated both the sins of fear and pride.
Do not worry. Choosing the wrong treasure guarantees I will have anxiety.
God is a "much more" God and a good, good heavenly Father
The Golden Rule is the "auto sum" of all of the Law and Prophets - one word summary is "love."
The cycle of judging destroys relationships. We are to be as judgmental and legalistic of ourselves as we are with others. Instead most of us are generous with ourselves and harsh with others.
The reality of hell and certainty of Judgment Day - what matters most is not what we say to Christ, but what He says to us (Matt.7:21-23)
Build on a sure foundation. Christ is the solid rock and narrow path of salvation.
I encourage you to take 15 minutes and read through the Sermon on the Mount, keeping in mind that this discourse was "just the beginning" of his teaching (5:2 NIV). Look for the takeaways as you read, or better yet, make a list of your own. When you finish reading Jesus' words, evaluate your response. Are you amazed, angry, or altered? We are probably all amazed at Jesus' teaching. We probably will be angry that he calls us to a Ministry of More than Halfway, loving and praying for our enemies. But, oh, how we all need to be altered in our hearts and lives so that we follow Jesus, die to ourselves, and live a life of love that glorifies God.
"When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die." (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)
The Sermon on the Mount - a call to be different!