Sermon on the Mount
“Honest to God”
The first book of the Bible, Genesis, ends on a high note. The family of Jacob are wonderfully saved by God's creative power in that one of Jacob's sons Joseph becomes Prime Minister of Egypt and they appear to now live happily ever after. God's plan to redeem the world had begun rather well thank you very much. We then turn the page and begin to continue to read the story. It bears no resemblance to what had previously been described.
This went on for 430 years. And then we read the following wonderful words:
"After a long time the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned under their slavery, and cried out. Out of the slavery their cry for help rose up to God. God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God looked upon the Israelites, and God took notice of them." (Exodus 2:23-25, NRSV)
This morning as we hear the words of Christ from the Sermon of the Mount, we cry out of our slavery. We groan under the oppression of all that inhibits us to live and grow as human beings. Our lives are a tedious repetition of bitter and ruthless labour. Our lives are bleak with no prospects. We are in pain and in our heart of hearts doubt there can be relief. We are overwhelmed by life. We are bored, stressed, strained, disappointed, cynical. Like the end of Genesis things in life were once promising; but now forces and circumstances defiant to any sense of hope have enslaved us. We are bowed down with our labours - there is no end. Really, honestly speaking - life should not be like this. We had expected better. It hasn't happened. Agreed? Probably not.
While there might be some points of connection in what I have just described, in the main, I would imagine most people would think that I have overstated the case. Things are not quite that bad. I suggest that they are. I suggest that given we don't recognise that, is testimony to the depth of our imprisonment. Truly. It's a theological given that a life without God is profoundly destitute. To live life in disregard and ignorance of the Creator is to be, spiritually speaking, the "walking dead."
However - as a Christian disciple, it can be that we suffer amnesia. We have tasted the wonder of the forgiveness of God, but over time its impact and power has diminished. We have become forgetful and comfortable. We've forgotten what it is like to have lived on the edge. Or maybe we have become cold. Like the older brother in the story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15); or like the church of Ephesus which has lost its first love of God (Rev 2). We have lost our vision of the kingdom of God; we are unaware of the presence of God; lost sight of Him. We cannot remember the last time we prayed for the Spirit to revive our hearts and empower our service of Christ. The world is enslaved. There is only one way out of it. Only one way to freedom. Utter dependence upon God.
The Beatitudes make that call. Cast that vision. They call us home. But first of all they define our state. Describe our human condition. Invite us - challenge us - to be "honest to God." However long we have known Christ; wherever we are at - these words of Jesus strip away the masks; still the voices; hush the clamour of life; get to the real essence of life.
Tell the truth - and in the stillness - whisper to our souls:
"Honest to God - can you say these do not describe your condition?"
This morning we will consider the first three Beatitudes;
- " Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
- " Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted."
- " Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth."
These particular Beatitudes speak a word to the "prisoner" and the "blind." They are proof that - just like at the time of the very first Exodus - God has heard the cry of His people. He has looked upon the state of humanity and has taken notice. He is concerned. Concerned to the extent that He has literally inhabited the same imprisoned space so that He may lead us out of slavery.
These Beatitudes are grace in action. They are not passive and insipid. They are vital, robust, energetic and alive. They are divine flesh and blood participating with human flesh and blood. Grace colliding with people. But here's the thing. While it is divine grace impacting upon people - it is also about us participating with God's grace (see the publication: Stassen, Glen H. and D.P. Gushee, Kingdom Ethics: Following Jesus in Contemporary Context. Downers Grove, Il.: IVP, 2003)
The Beatitudes are not only a divine declaration. They are also a call to action. A vision of how to live. We receive the grace of God; we participate in the grace of God as he works in the lives of others. If you only see the Beatitudes as a portrait of Jesus - they have no impact in terms of salvation. They're just about Jesus. If you only see them as applying to the church apart from Jesus - they become demands that we cannot fulfil.
1. Honest to God - poor in spirit
Chris Marshall (Kiwi NT scholar) describes this Beatitude as a summary of all the ones that follow. The rest explain what this one is about. Define it. This one is related to all the others like the thumb is to the other fingers. Being poor in spirit is an internal and external condition. Poverty of spirit, and poverty economically requires an acknowledgement of our utter need for God. In whatever capacity and situation.
This Beatitude is about bankruptcy. In every regard. It is about being before God - being honest about it - and saying "I have nothing to offer in my defence; no virtue to offset the divine judgement that I deserve; no resources to draw on to live a fulfilled and meaningful life apart from You. I am poor in spirit." Honest to God. There is nothing especially fantastic about the condition in itself - its not like being "poor in spirit" is something to aspire to or celebrate. It is just the honest human condition. To recognise it is to be "honest to God." Blessed are they when they are in that condition. Blessed are they if they never forget. Blessed are they because their enslavement is over. And the blessing continues because theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven; theirs is a new identity and home. And now they become part of extending that blessing as they participate in God's grace reaching the poor in spirit. Reaching the poor. Empowered by the Spirit to do that because Jesus stands with us - being our sin; and poor for our sake.
"This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah, "He took our infirmities and bore our diseases." (Matthew 8:17, NRSV)
"For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich." (2 Corinthians 8:9, NRSV)
The extraordinary thing is - that the blessing for the poor in spirit; of those who recognise their need for God, and never forget it - is that their lives literally become the dwelling place of God Almighty. Can you even begin to comprehend that?
"For thus says the high and lofty one who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with those who are contrite and humble in spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite." (Isaiah 57:15, NRSV)
"All these things my hand has made, and so all these things are mine, says the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look, to the humble and contrite in spirit, who trembles at my word." (Isaiah 66:2, NRSV)
When did we ever think that we ever became more than "poor in spirit"? (compare Paul's writings - in a sense, he never got over his sinful past) Yes - because of and in Christ we are rich beyond measure. But that is only and always because of and being in Christ. The relationship we have with Him is "our poverty of spirit" + "riches of Christ" = "kingdom of heaven."
2. Honest to God - those who mourn
Just before the Sermon on the Mount begins, Jesus' ministry and message is summed up in Matt 4. "From that time Jesus began to proclaim, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near."" (Matthew 4:17, NRSV)
The Kingdom of Heaven is near. What is your response? Is that good news? Does your heart skip a beat? Is it a time of celebration? Interestingly - no.
As one commentator powerfully observes - the Kingdom of Heaven is near. Mourning is the appropriate response. Not celebration. Tears greet the Kingdom. Repentance. "Blessed are those who mourn…" Blessed are those who realise that with the coming of the Kingdom their sin needs a sacrifice. There is a case to answer; judgement to be meted out. Someone is going to pay for this. Severely. Someone has to pay for sin with their life. Honest to God.
"Blessed are those who mourn…" as they see the sin around them. Sin expressed through the treatment of others, and mourn about the destructiveness of it upon the lives of people who deserve dignity and respect. The prophet Amos spoke to a people who would not mourn over such things.
"Hear this word, you cows of Bashan who are on Mount Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who say to their husbands, "Bring something to drink!" The Lord God has sworn by his holiness: The time is surely coming upon you, when they shall take you away with hooks, even the last of you with fishhooks. Come to Bethel-and transgress; to Gilgal-and multiply transgression; bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three days; bring a thank offering of leavened bread, and proclaim freewill offerings, publish them; for so you love to do, O people of Israel! says the Lord God."
"Alas for those who lie on beds of ivory, and lounge on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock, and calves from the stall; who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp, and like David improvise on instruments of music; who drink wine from bowls, and anoint themselves with the finest oils, but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!
"The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob: Surely I will never forget any of their deeds. Shall not the land tremble on this account, and everyone mourn who lives in it…On that day, says the Lord God, I will make the sun go down at noon, and darken the earth in broad daylight. I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; I will bring sackcloth on all loins, and baldness on every head; I will make it like the mourning for an only son, and the end of it like a bitter day."
(Amos 4:1-5; 5:6, 14, 6:1-7;8:7-10; 9:5)
Blessed are those who mourn - who weep with those who weep. Blessed are those who heads are bowed down in grief. Whose hearts are broken and who to the naked eye seem to be living a normal life; but who when no one is around weep and weep. Whose hearts and spirits are crushed in mourning. Jesus Christ calls you blessed. You will be comforted.
Some years ago I was looking through a box of books that had been kept in the ceiling of Ruth's family home. In it I found a book that is almost 100 years old. A small devotional written by the great preacher F.B. Meyer. In one chapter - he makes an amazing liberating observation.
"And the evening and the morning were the third day." Gen 1:13
Six times these words are repeated, and the one lesson that rings out is that God counts His [days], not as man does from night to night, but from evening to morning. 'Not first the light, and after that the dark; but first the dark, and after that the light.'…Your life is dark. Sin is darkness; sorrow is darkness; ignorance is darkness; and to a greater and less extent these three are part of your daily lot. But the night is far spent, the day is at hand."
…you will be comforted.
3. Honest to God - the meek
The first two Beatitudes really describe the human condition of sin and pain. This third Beatitude - in part - is blessing a state that is reached by the recognition and path of poverty and mourning. "Meek" as a word is practically beyond help in the English language. It has been emptied of its meaning. An example of current day dictionary definitions read:
"Meek…
Humbly patient or docile; overly submissive or compliant; spiritless; tame.
Deficient in spirit or courage. Not violent or strong."
The biblical word "meek" is used to describe two people in the Bible:
Moses - Num 12:3
Jesus - Matt 11:29
One took on the King of Egypt and that great empire; the other took on the forces of evil and the world.
One writer describes the "meek" like this:
"They do not accommodate to the powerful and influential, but "surrender their will to God so completely that God's will becomes their will…They become God's "workhorses" on earth."
Their lives are entrusted to and empowered by God. They are the meek. They make no demands or claims on the sovereignty of their lives - they submit it to the One Who holds the power of life and death. Who created them in His image. They are the meek.
Blessed are those who recognise their poverty of spirit; and that the riches they enjoy are entirely due to Christ; those who have mourned their sin and that of the world around them - and from this awareness have come to that place of understanding that life can only be lived in step with the will of God. Whose lives have been captured and liberated by God - whose lives are dedicated to fulfilling the will of God. They are those - who in the midst of an enslaved existence work with the grace of God which is liberating humanity.
Whenever the Greek word is translated as "meek" or "humble" it is always linked to peacefulness or peacemaking. Easy to think of anything or anyone who has peace as their agenda as somewhat weak and out-of-touch with the reality of life. Those who work and hanker for peace - the meek - one day they will get their way. Their state is powerful because it is God-ordained and God-filled. They believe in God and what he is doing. They dwell among the poor in spirit and those who mourn - because they too know that state.
They are honest to God. And these people? They will inherit the earth. Really. In actual fact. THE earth.
In time God will renew this planet. Creation will be utterly transformed and a new heavens and a new earth will be created. The meek get the earth. Honest to God. Think about that.
Conclusion
Blessed are the…
For theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven; for they will be comforted; for they will inherit the earth. For those here who resonate with the pronouncements of poor in spirit; mourning; meek - where you may well ask - are these rewards? The promises contained in the Beatitudes are in the "future sense." They are written in a particular grammatical way that means this: only God can fulfil it. What is promised is solely in the power of God and a relationship with Him.
And why is taking so long? We live in the age that is in between. Between the time when the kingdom of God broke into this world in the person of Jesus and before He returns in glory. We live the life of faith that resides in a time in history whereby the promises of God - the promises of the Beatitudes "is; is not; will be." This is the life of faith. That's not always easy - but blessed are the poor is spirit; blessed are those who mourn; blessed are the meek…
…honest to God.
Presented By: Rev. Geoff New