"A Change in Goals"

Sermon 1 in the Series: “The Greatest Sermon Ever Preached: A Spiritual Overhaul by the Master.”

Edward Perronet, who wrote the first two verses of “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name,” was a co-worker of John and Charles Wesley. According to NetHymnal.com, “John Wesley was always trying to get him to preach, but Perronet, though capable, was somewhat in awe of Wesley, and always deferred to him. Any time John Wesley was pr¬sent, Perronet felt Wesley should do the preaching. But John Wesley was not one to take “no” for an answer. So, one day, in the middle of a meeting, he simply announced, “Brother Perronet will now speak.” Thinking quickly, Perronet stood before the large crowd and declared, “I will now deliver the greatest sermon ever preached on earth.” He then read the Sermon on the Mount, and sat down.”

That story, plus Judy’s nudging me to do something supplementing our new Apprentice series book, The Good and Beautiful Life, inspired me to the sermon series we begin today, a series that like the Apprentice book is based on the Sermon on the Mount. Series Title: “The Greatest Sermon Ever Preached: A Spiritual Overhaul by the Master.”

When I was a child, there seemed to be two sorts of people in my community. The first sort, those who wished to appear prosperous, traded their car in for a new model every year. The second sort, those who wished to be thrifty, if they ever bought a new car at all, planned to keep it for a long time. At a certain point, the thrifty ones would invest in a complete overhaul of the car which could not have been justified in its resale value, but only in terms of the mileage it would wrack up at minimal cost. I remember one man who put his car through two major overhauls, plus some minor ones, and got it to 350,000 miles, still looking pretty good, a mark of great distinction in those days, especially on the kinds of roads on which we had to drive in rural southeastern Kansas with pot holes that gradually jarred cars to pieces. I suggest that we examine the Sermon on the Mount carefully so that we will receive a spiritual overhaul by the Master Mechanic Jesus and so that our lives will be marked with great distinction and durability.

Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount, begins with the Beatitudes which means Blessings. Most of us think of the Beatitudes as familiar, safe, relaxing. I have known of people who claim to read them in place of sleeping pills. The Beatitudes are too powerful to let slide by like that. There are two versions of Jesus’ Beatitudes, one reported in Luke as part of the Sermon on the Plain, and the other in Matthew as part of the Sermon on the Mount. I believe that both Luke’s and Matthew’s versions are divinely inspired and authentic accounts, perhaps delivered on separate occasions. We need to understand both versions as part and parcel of Jesus’ message and mission and of our identity as his disciples.

Luke presents Jesus’ mission as one of redeeming love turning the social world as we know it upside down and inside out. Luke introduces Jesus as one who will carry out God’s plans for scattering the proud, bringing down the powerful, lifting up the lowly, filling the hungry, sending the rich empty away, for bringing about the falling and rising of many. Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit to do just that, and the Spirit came upon his followers to help them carry that mission to all places and times. In Luke’s version of the Beatitudes, the poor, the hungry, those who mourn under oppression, and the persecuted will be blessed, while curses fall on the rich, the full, the arrogant, and the reputable. In the fullness of time they will find themselves in a great reversal of circumstances. What Jesus describes in Luke’s account isn’t exactly the way most people assume that life operates. Yet Luke sees Jesus’ mission continuing through the church, empowering the weak and forgotten through the working of the Holy Spirit in the community of faith. That should get our attention. What would our church life look like if we were grasped more fully by Jesus’ mission as reported in Luke’s Beatitudes?

Is Matthew’s version of the Beatitudes easier to swallow? Not if we really understand it. Matthew’s account focuses less on our material and social circumstances and more on our spiritual goals in life. Matthew’s Jesus is God with us for judgment and for grace. Jesus announced the theme of his ministry, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The kingdom of heaven is God’s reigning power that will be brought to fullness at the end of time, but that has already invaded this world, calling us to transformation, calling us to live by kingdom goals and values. Matthew’s presentation of the Beatitudes is key to that purpose.

James Bryan Smith, in The Good and Beautiful Life, correctly says that the Beatitudes are not a new set of virtues that further divide the religious haves and have-nots, but are words of hope and healing to those who have been marginalized. Are you broken, down-and-out, desperate? Then you are just the sort of person for whom Jesus brought the kingdom of God. When the Beatitudes are addressed to the down and out, Smith is right. No one is excluded. Jesus will start with us where we are, and he will be the presence of God for us, enabling us to live as kingdom people.

But what about when the Beatitudes are addressed to the socially comfortable and the religiously complacent? The Beatitudes may comfort the afflicted, but they also afflict the comfortable. To the comfortable and complacent, the Beatitudes speak a strong challenge to change attitudes, to find new goals in life.

How do you know whether you are one of the afflicted to be comforted or the comfortable to be afflicted? We all have our problems and would like to be comforted, so having problems does not tell us that we are one of the afflicted to be comforted. I suggest that we are among the comfortable to be afflicted if too much of our energy goes into maintaining our status, our influence, our reputations, our prosperity, our perks, our privileges, our goodness, our ideas, our traditions, and so forth. If too much of our energy is going into maintaining our place in life, we are probably among the comfortable and complacent whom the Beatitudes are designed to disturb.

Jesus begins his kingdom ministry and then addresses his disciples and potential disciples: Matthew 5:1 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. 8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

In Matthew’s account, Jesus announces eight characteristics of people who will be blessed by God with the kingdom’s benefits.

1. The poor in spirit know their need for God. Rather than defending their position in life, they toss their pride aside and transparently seek help from Jesus to reorient their lives. They don’t worry about who knows. To such does the kingdom belong.

2. Those who mourn lament the cruelty and corruption of this world and especially their own dependence on and participation in that evil. They repent, turn from their wrong, and turn toward the empowerment for new life that is offered by Jesus. Jesus’ brother and Matthew’s spiritual twin James put it this way: “7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” Jesus says that those who mourn in that way will be comforted.

3. The meek are not namby-pamby doormats, but are the humble and teachable, ready to obey God’s will. They are humble enough to change their lives in accord with Jesus’ instructions. Because, in the end, the new heaven and new earth will perfectly fulfill Jesus’ will, the humble and obedient will inherit the earth.

4. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness seek God’s justice. They know that God is holy and that God’s people are called to be holy. The burning desire to live out godly character is the driving force of their lives. Their desire will be satisfied.

5. The merciful refuse to sit in judgment on sinners, but show compassion to them. As they forgive, so they will be forgiven. They will receive the measure of the mercy they give out.

6. The pure in heart are single-hearted in their pursuit of God and godly values. They do not divide their hearts and minds by keeping one foot in the world’s camp, by thinking constantly of what they could have if they just took a few moral or spiritual shortcuts. They focus intently on living God’s way. They shall see God.

7. The peacemakers are committed without limit to forgiving enemies, seeking the best for them and, if possible on a safe and just basis, reconciling with them. By loving their enemies, they show that they are children of God, living in God’s image.

8. The persecuted stand so strongly and clearly for God’s word and God’s ways that they find themselves at odds with the values of the world and hence, under hostility from the world. They know that they are not better than their Master Jesus, and so may suffer for a time, but they also know that they will share his eternal reign over the perfected new creation.

As I have said, the Beatitudes are comforting to the discouraged, but disturbing to the complacent. The way you hear them will depend on where you are in life. If you are down and out, the Beatitudes invite you into the kingdom of God where your deepest aspirations can be satisfied, but, if you are complacent, they really stir the pot and call you to a kind of distinctive living you have not previously imagined; they demand that you set new and less comfortable goals. Jesus follows up the Beatitudes with these words about distinctive living.

13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

No matter who we are and what we have done, God loves us and wants to provide good things for us, but we must put ourselves in position to receive his blessings. The best blessings are not money, sex, and power—or even having the reputation of being religious. The best blessings are the results of Jesus working in and through our lives. Being part of the living in the kingdom of God here and now so that others may see the reality of the loving and sovereign God is the highest honor and richest fulfillment that can come to us in this life. There is no greater blessing. Jesus’ Beatitudes point the way for us. They express the goals that are the first step in our spiritual overhaul.