The Sermon on the Mount #5

Thank you and good morning, church.

It's good to see you and thank you for this opportunity

to open God's word and let God speak to us.

So let's just pray now.

Heavenly Father, Lord, your word is a lamp to our feet

and a light to our path.

Lord, speak into our hearts now, Lord, and transform them.

Change our hearts of stone to hearts of flesh

that see the world the way you see it

and reach out then in love.

I pray this in your son's name. Amen.

Well, this is going to be a bit of a heavy one.

If you just saw the reading then, it's pretty full on.

And so I'm trying to...

I can't lighten it up, but I'm just letting you know

that it's going to be pretty full on.

I heard a story once about a preacher in a small town

who preached up a storm.

He started with this amazing illustration.

He led into opening God's word.

And then really by the end of it,

everyone was convicted of their sin,

their need to repent,

and their need to live for Jesus each day.

And so word got around town.

It was a small town.

And so everyone turned up the following week.

The church was packed.

Everyone from the town turned up.

And he started off with the same illustration.

And I went, oh, I heard it last week,

but that's a good illustration.

I like hearing it again.

And then launched into the same sermon, word for word.

And they all came out.

And because other people hadn't heard it that week before,

they went, good sermon.

Thanks very much.

And they went on their way.

And the following week,

they all turned up again.

And he preached exactly the same sermon, word for word.

And the following week,

they all turned up.

And he preached the same sermon, word for word.

They're starting to get a bit worried.

Is this, you know, what's it called?

An age moment?

I don't know.

Like, is he getting premature dementia?

I don't know.

Like, what was it?

And who's going to speak to him?

You know, has he just sort of turned up

and got the same folder?

And anyway, someone was brave enough.

And they went up to him.

And they said,

you seem to be preaching the same sermon every week.

We kind of like your style.

But, you know, we like your variety as well.

Can't you just, what's the reason?

You've got a reason.

He said, it's one thing to know it.

It's another thing to put it into practice.

Then he goes on to say,

I'll start preaching something new

when we all start doing it.

And not really a joke,

but just a case of put it into action.

This new year,

we have been working through the Sermon on a Mount.

One of the most famous pieces of teaching

in the history of the human race.

It's been heard of by a lot of people.

But at the same time,

it's a misunderstood piece of teaching.

Even though it's actually not difficult to understand.

Rather, it seems that those who know of

the Sermon on the Mount

actually haven't read it for themselves.

Oh yeah, I know of the Sermon on the Mount.

Jesus was a good guy.

You know, he had some moral teachings, didn't he?

Something about loving people,

I guess, in there somewhere.

Some moral reflections or suggestions

on how to live.

Take it or leave it.

The Sermon on the Mount

is not like that at all.

It actually calls us

to make an extremely important choice.

Choose life.

Jesus came to give us life to the full.

This is life

and what it means to live life

according to being part of God's kingdom

and it's on God's terms.

Having been chosen by God,

we now have a daily choice

to live as followers of Jesus.

Jesus lays it out in the Sermon on the Mount.

What it means to live a life in him

and God has very high standards.

Jesus is not talking about

a better moral code

or burdensome new laws

that we have to achieve

to get a tick in God's good books.

Jesus is showing

what life can be like

if we follow him

and if we trust him.

Like the minister

who kept preaching the same sermon

until everyone decided to do it,

we can't walk away

from Jesus' words unaffected.

We need to hear them again

and again

and be reminded

there is a call to action.

Make a choice.

Live for God's upside down kingdom

each and every day.

As we come to Matthew 7,

we will see the important choices

we must make in relationships

and how we can call on God

to help.

Jesus shifts from

warning his followers

about their own personal temptations

concerning wealth and worry

to temptations that can surface

in their relationships

with each other.

Jesus has something to say

about our relationships

because following Jesus

should make a difference

to how we relate

to one another,

to our brothers

and to our sisters.

Matthew 7, verse 1.

Matthew 7:1

Do not judge

or you too will be judged.

For in the same way

you judge others,

you will be judged

and with the measure you use,

it will be measured

to you.

Our culture,

more than ever,

seems super judgmental,

hypercritical,

touchy,

easily offended.

Social media algorithms,

I think,

play into this a little bit.

People want to post images,

get likes,

get followers.

There's a guy,

Mr Beast,

who's got millions of followers

and do perfect.

There's all these people

and they make a living

out of getting followers.

Instagram posts,

getting likes,

whether it's on home renos

or decorations

or I actually personally

follow a thing

called van life.

Van life's these people

who do up the interior vans

and they,

anyway,

they're nice.

So there's sort of,

sometimes it's a little bit positive

but it can also be a negative.

If you don't fly

a particular flag

or have a political allegiance

and it lies outside

popular culture,

expect to be vilified,

a media pylon,

face the wrath

of the cancel culture

who are judge,

jury and executioner.

But we judge all the time,

superficial judgments,

self-righteous judgments,

hypocritical judgments,

unfair and ill-informed judgments,

harsh, unforgiving judgments.

When we meet people,

before we've even opened our mouths,

before we go into a conversation with them,

we do a top to toe.

I like their eyes,

nice smile,

look at the shirt they're wearing,

oh they've had a haircut,

nice haircut,

all the way down to,

oh I wouldn't wear those shoes,

or all the accessories

that they're wearing

that they have.

This is before we even say,

oh hi,

my name is,

what do you do?

What are your hobbies?

Where do you live?

What are your thoughts on this issue?

That's how we relate to one another,

by judging each other,

compartmentalizing,

putting each other in a box,

assessing whether they live up

to a certain standard

or the right postcode,

if we have anything in common,

where they fit in the social standing

or pecking order of things.

And so we point the finger,

I've done this in schools,

and say,

every time you point the finger,

there's three pointing

right back at you,

to which you remember

a student saying,

I'm just going to point

like this now.

So obviously,

there's no wrong in them.

Do not judge.

No, no, I'll do it this way.

Do not judge.

In these words,

Jesus is saying,

don't set ourselves up

as judge.

That's God's job.

Don't be self-righteous.

Set ourselves up to judge

and to criticize.

If you find yourself doing this,

Jesus is saying,

there's no place for that

amongst Christian people.

Christians aren't to judge.

God is judge,

and he will judge one day,

and we'll answer to God.

We'll answer to God's standards,

not our own.

When it comes to Jesus,

Jesus uses the very graphic image

of a speck in someone's eye

and a plank in our own.

This is real,

but we don't like to think of it as us.

It's not me.

Preferably it's that person over there.

Surely not me.

But here's an opportunity right now

even to think,

where am I at with this?

Am I judging

and being judgmental?

Do you find yourself being a bit judgy?

What at stake here

is our attitude.

What does critical,

judgmental character look like?

It's self-righteous

and it's hypocritical.

We may tell ourselves,

I can afford to look down my nose

at my less disciplined peers

or my colleagues

because of their recurring sin,

some small deficiency

or inconsistency in their lives.

We may conclude

that their spiritual stature,

personal integrity

and useful service of others

are all vastly inferior to our own.

But it's condescending

and actually fails to recognize

our own sinfulness.

I can't help but think

of Jesus' response here

when there's a crowd of people

with stones in their hand

ready to stone the adulterous.

And notice if they're being consistent,

the man should have been there as well.

And Jesus stands up

and he says,

those who have not sinned

cast the first stone.

And he goes back to doodling in the sand,

whatever he's drawing or writing.

And they all one by one

drop their stones and walk away.

And then he gets up

and actually it's,

those who have not sinned cast,

Jesus can cast the first stone now

because he has not sinned.

And he goes on to say,

neither do I condemn you,

but go and leave your life of sin.

So don't keep doing it.

Leave your life of sin.

So if we're going to cast stones,

listen to Jesus' words,

that those who are without sin

cast a stone.

Do you find that the very thing

that you struggle with

is the thing that you actually notice

in someone?

So I think it's because

we're attuned to that sin

or we're so practiced at it.

Like if you're someone

who's used to concealing something,

you'll notice someone else

who's, oh,

they're looking the other way

when they're talking.

They must be lying or something.

And you notice

you can be attuned to this.

At which point we have a choice.

You can pounce and highlight it

and go, ah,

you're actually not telling

the truth right now.

Or you can first take the plank

out of your own eye

before you go to take

the speck out of theirs.

It's hypocritical and double standards

to expect something from others

that we can't accomplish ourselves.

I can assure you,

anyone who gets up in the pulpit

and shares a message

from the scriptures,

they're convicted.

I'm not standing up here

and saying,

I don't struggle with anything

that I'm sharing with you,

the way you struggle.

We're all convicted.

There's nothing self-righteous.

You pour over the scriptures

and you go,

wow, I'm preaching on this.

I'm going to say,

this is what God says.

But at the end of the day,

I really struggle with this myself.

So I want to be clear about that.

But in the same way we judge,

we'll be judged,

and do we really want God

to use that measure against us?

Because I think humans

can be really merciless

and yet God shows grace and mercy.

We don't want him to judge us

the way we judge each other,

I think, personally.

Jesus is saying,

we shouldn't give up

any capacity to discern

right from wrong

and I'm going to get to that

in a moment.

It's not that we should

never help one another

or completely refrain

from pointing out

some wrongdoing.

But first,

be prepared to take

that plank out of your eye

and once that's dealt with,

then remove the specks.

This is about how we relate

to one another.

As Christians,

there needs to be a difference.

And if we go back

to Matthew 5, verse 7,

Matthew 5:7

remember the blessed.

Blessed are the merciful,

for they will be shown mercy.

What Jesus is saying here,

as we come into a relationship

with God,

kingdom living involves humility.

It involves self-reflection

and it involves repentance.

In God's upside-down kingdom,

our lives have to change.

We won't feel the need

to assert our rightness

all the time

because when we're

in God's kingdom,

we're secure enough

to recognise

that we've got faults

and everyone,

every one of us

are fully reliant

on God's grace.

We can acknowledge

our own faults

and at the same time,

if need be,

are able to encourage others

to turn back to Christ.

And I think here

in Galatians,

Galatians chapter 6,

Galatians 6 · chapter mention

we read,

Brothers and sisters,

if someone is caught in sin,

you who live by the Spirit

should restore that person gently,

but watch yourselves

or you also may be tempted.

Carry each other's burdens

and in this way

you will fulfil the law of Christ.

Restore gently,

but first,

take the plank

out of our own eyes

and then work

on the speck in theirs.

But be careful also

that whatever

they're struggling with,

you then don't get tempted

and drawn into yourself.

Jesus has been talking

about how Christians

need to relate

to one another.

Don't copy the hypocrisy

of the Pharisees.

And he's now addressing

how we relate

to non-Christians.

He goes from saying,

do not judge,

this is really tricky now,

I think,

and we're going,

what?

To requiring us

to actually make

a judgment call.

Jesus goes on

to talk about

dogs and pigs.

And they're his labels,

they're not mine,

they're his,

and so it's Jesus' words

and they're full on.

He's not talking about

non-Christians in general.

He's talking about

those who just,

like Pharaoh's heart

that hardened,

don't want anything

to do with this at all.

The sacred pearl here

that Jesus is talking

about here

is the gospel.

And if I could put it

this way,

in one hand,

we've got God's love

and God's compassion

and in the other hand,

we've got God's judgment.

That is the gospel.

God's judgment

is poured out

on his son

because he shows

compassion

and love to us.

You want to know

about God's love?

You've got to have

the full gospel.

What I'm hearing today

from society

is this.

I want to know

about God's love

and compassion

but I don't want

to hear about judgment.

I don't want to hear

that judgment's coming.

I don't want to hear

that I'm going to be judged.

But you don't get

the full gospel

if you don't bring

in judgment.

And when I say,

how do you know

God loves me?

Because

he took the judgment

for me

on the cross.

But people

don't want to hear

that today.

They don't want

to hear it.

So don't cast

your pearls

before dogs

and pigs.

In other words,

don't bother

sharing the gospel

with people

who have decisively

rejected it.

We need to

recognize them

for who they are

and this is

a judgment call.

When Jesus says

don't judge,

he's not saying

remove all our

critical faculties

or under no circumstances

can we hold

no opinions

about right and wrong.

Jesus turned tables

you remember.

He turned tables

at injustice.

Diedrich Bonhoeffer

stood up

against Hitler.

It actually

saw him imprisoned

and later executed

because he stood up

and spoke against evil.

Evil prospers

when good people

do and say nothing.

Christians must have

a voice in society.

What Jesus is saying

is that we must

recognize those

in the world

who have so rejected

Christ

that there comes

a point

when we're not

to waste our time

any longer

casting the pearls

of the gospel

before them.

We have to discern

when we're speaking

pearls to those

who have ears to hear

and when the pearl

of the gospel

is being trampled

underfoot.

But how can we know?

I think it's hard

to know.

You don't know

people's hearts

or you can't

read their thoughts.

But there probably

are occasions

when we're

proverbially

shown the door.

I don't want

to hear this anymore.

So there's no point

carrying on with this

and it always

blows me away.

It's an amazing

message of forgiveness,

hope,

and love.

And people don't

want to hear it.

The intent

of the Sermon

on the Mount

is to listen

to Jesus' words

and to act

upon them.

Our relationship

with our brothers

and sisters

in Christ

should be different.

Jesus has presented

us with two

difficult tasks.

One,

a standard

in the way

we relate

to one another

and if we're

honest,

we know

how difficult

this can be.

Do not judge.

And two,

he's actually

set out

that we need

to discern

and recognise

those who are

the dogs

and pigs

which can be

too tricky

and it might

be too quick

to actually

write people

off

because you

hear of

amazing

conversion stories

of total

Christopher Hitchens,

brother Peter Hitchens,

Christopher Hitchens,

total atheist,

Peter Hitchens

was as well,

Peter Hitchens

now just loves

Jesus and

shares the message

of the resurrection.

So how can we

know?

Come to our

heavenly father

and ask.

Let's take out

all the verses,

Jesus didn't have

verses.

What follows

on from this

is Matthew

Matthew 7:7–11

7,

verses 7

to 11.

Ask

and it will

be given

to you.

Seek

and you

will find.

Knock

and the

door

will be

opened

to you.

For

everyone

who asks

receives.

Those

who seek

find

and to

those

who knock

the door

will be

opened.

Which

of you

their son

or daughter

asks for

bread

will give

them a

stone?

or if

they ask

for a

fish

will give

them a

snake?

If

you

then

though you

are evil

know how to

give good

gifts to

your children

how much

more will

your father

in heaven

give good

gifts to

those who

ask him?

Ask

seek

knock.

these

words

are often

used

in

sermons

to

give

the

impression

that

God

is

our

personal

vending

machine.

I

actually

know

someone

from a

different

denomination

and I

don't want to

make a

judgment call

here but

I think

they're

wrong in

this.

I'm not

judgment about

the

denomination

but what

they believe

is that

you can

demand

things from

God.

I demand

a new

surfboard

or I

demand

a new

car.

I

don't

read that

here.

But if

you want

stuff

just

ask.

I

want

more

money

or I

want

success

in my

relationships

or business

just ask

and God

will dispense

our every

wish.

Now I

actually do

believe it

doesn't hurt

to ask.

Ask

sure.

But God

isn't the

cosmic

Santa Claus

and we

need only

bring our

Christmas

wish list

and God

will tick

it off

for us

or give

us a

hunk

of

coal.

What I

actually

believe

there's

no harm

in asking

and God

knows the

difference

between our

needs and

our wants

we need

to look at

the context

of ask

seek

knock.

Followers

of Jesus

will find

it difficult

to not

judge

on the

one hand

and on

the other

hand be

wisely

discerning

able to

assess

someone's

willingness

and openness

to the

gospel.

It's a

difficult

ask

so ask

God.

To ask

naturally

indicates

prayer

but seek

and knock

are also

metaphors

of prayer.

Ask

seek

knock

seems to

suggest

an

escalation

a rising

scale

of intensity

in our

prayers

and points

to the

persistent

manner in

our lives

of asking

our heavenly

father.

Ask

indicates

how we

come to

God

with

humility

conscious

of a

real deep

felt

need

like a

child

asking

for something

from their

parents.

seek

links

prayer

with a

responsible

action

of

pursuing

God's

will

a bit

like

praying

for a

job

and also

actively

pursuing

work.

You don't

just have

it fall

in your

lap

necessarily.

Knock

includes

perseverance

if one

is asking

and seeking

like you

may spend

a lifetime

persistently

praying for

a family

member

or a

friend.

I've

got a

friend

that I've

been

friends

with

since

year

seven

and I

pray for

him

regularly.

He's

not a

Christian

and I

know

that

at one

stage

at

university

he really

told me

in certain

words

don't ever

talk to

me about

Jesus

again

but then

his

father

got

cancer

and he

said

is there

any

Bible

verses

that

could

help

him

and so

he's

not a

Christian

yet

but I

got him

a

Bible

and sent

it to

him

and I

got him

a

study

and he

actually

put

together

a

set

of

Bible

verses

for

his

father

to

read

and so

he still

hasn't

committed

his life

to

Jesus

but I

still

am

persistently

praying

and I

do think

even then

of my

daughter

when she

was three

the one

who did

that amazing

painting

anyway

I remember

I was working

in the study

and dad

dad

dad

and she

was just

knocking at

the door

I'm busy

I'm busy

I'm busy

but at

some point

you've got

to answer

that door

and I

answer

the door

and knock

pray

persistently

in the

sermon

on the

mount

Jesus

makes it

clear

what it

means to

live as

life

as a

member

of God's

kingdom

if we

want to

live

God's

way

loving

your

enemies

persevering

when

persecuted

giving

to the

needy

being salt

and light

in the

world

not worrying

about

tomorrow

storing up

treasures

in heaven

forgiving

others

not

sitting in

the seat

of judgment

yet

discerning

decisively

who have

rejected

Jesus

if we

want to

live God's

way

in God's

world

then we

ask

we seek

and we

knock

like the

persistent

widow

in Luke

18

she kept

going to

that unjust

judge

until she

got a

result

don't give

up

bring it

all before

God

in prayer

and trust

if we

are going

to be

at all

serious

about

living

the life

Jesus

offers

on the

Sermon on

the Mount

then we

have to

ask our

heavenly

father

to strengthen

us by

his

Holy

Spirit

to enable

us to

live this

life

the life

God

intends

for us

and what

Jesus

says here

if humans

who are

naturally

evil

and you

notice that

he calls

us evil

in fact

remember the

rich young

ruler who

tries to

tick off

the Ten

Commandments

yes all

I have

things I've

done sell

everything

and follow

me but

when he

comes to

Jesus

as good

teacher

what must

I do

to inherit

eternal

life

and Jesus

says why

do you

call me

good

only God

is good

so let's

be clear

you who

are evil

give good

gifts to

your kids

and I hope

we do

how much

more will

God give

good gifts

to those

who ask

Bono the

lead singer

from U2

was once

asked do

you pray

and he

said yeah

of course

I pray

and he

said well

what sort

of things

do you

pray

and he

said I

pray that

God's

will will

be done

then it's

more likely

to happen

in Matthew

Matthew 7:12

7 verse 12

Jesus sums

up all

of it

he says

so in

everything

do unto

others

as you

would have

them

do

unto

you

this

sums

up

the

law

and

the

prophets

ask

and you

will

receive

seek

and you

will

find

knock

and the

door

will be

opened

unto

you

throughout

the

sermon

on the

mount

Jesus

references

the

old

testament

the

law

and the

prophets

and he

says here

it could

pretty much

be summed

up

in this

golden rule

severus

reputedly

had it

written on

his wall

in gold

do unto

others

as you

would have

them

do unto

you

there's a

misconception

people said

oh that's

just common

to all

religions

or all

philosophies

and faith

traditions

this is

actually not

the case

the parallels

to Jesus

teaching

appear in

the negative

one example

is Confucius

he wrote

do not

inflict on

others

what you

yourself

would not

wish done

to you

it's subtle

but it's

different

to refrain

from hurting

others

so you

don't get

harmed

it's not

the same

as doing

good to

others

even if

they don't

deserve it

the difference

between

for example

deciding not

to punch

my enemy

in the

nose

and deciding

to build

my enemy

a hospital

they're

dramatically

different

two different

ways of

living

one

is

negative

and one's

proactive

it's

positive

it's

affirmative

action

and that's

how we're

to live

there's no

parallel to

Jesus teaching

Jesus call

to love

is premised

on God's

love

his call

to love

enemies

doesn't

make sense

without

Jesus

repeated

emphasis

that God

is merciful

and gracious

to the

ungrateful

and the

wicked

and then

proving it

as Jesus

dies on the

cross for

his enemies

words

accompanied

with actions

why love

enemies

why be

gracious

why not

judge

show mercy

to the others

who don't

deserve it

because God

loves his

enemies

and shows

grace and

mercy to

those who

don't deserve

it

God's

judge

that's

his

job

the logic

is important

and we

get the

heartbeat

of Jesus

teaching

here

and I

want to

put this

in a

sentence

what we

think

lies at

the heart

of reality

shapes

what we

think

is an

authentic

human

life

what we

think

lies at

the heart

of reality

shapes

what we

think

is an

authentic

human

life

life

with

Jesus

now

and

forever

is

reality

Jesus

offers

life

can we

imagine

a world

where we're

all living

like

Jesus

where we're

not thinking

of our

own

needs

seeking

the best

for number

one

but actually

looking out

to help

others

sharing

the hope

of Jesus

Jesus

came into

this world

to make

that life

possible

the sermon

on the

mount

is a

glimpse

at the

relationships

of those

who follow

Christ

and what

the relationship

they'll find

themselves

engaged in

noticeably

transformed

by the

gospel

and living

for God's

upside down

kingdom

the rest

of the

chapter

I'm finishing

up here

is about

how gospel

can impact

our life

with warnings

to be

wise

and reminders

judgment

is coming

verse 13

enter through

the narrow

gate

wide is the

road that

leads to

destruction

verse 15

watch out

for false

prophets

wolves in

sheep's

clothing

by their

fruit

you will

know them

verse 21

not everyone

who says to

me

lord lord

will enter

the kingdom

of heaven

but

only the

ones who

do the

will of

my father

who is

in heaven

verse 24

everyone

who hears

these words

of mine

and puts

them into

practice

is like

a wise

person

who built

their house

on the

rock

you know

what happened

when he

finished

teaching

they were

amazed

there was

no one

taught

with such

authority

the preacher

who gave

the same

sermon

every week

week in

and week

out

was waiting

to see

if those

who listened

would respond

and take

action

we can't

walk away

from the

sermon

on the

mount

unaffected

we must

take action

in our

lives

it's one

thing to

know it

it's another

thing to

put it

into practice

and jc

ryle's got an

amazing quote

here about

this

doctrine is

useless

so it's one

thing to

know it

doctrine is

useless

if it's not

accompanied by

a holy

life

it is worse

than useless

it does

positive harm

something of

the image of

christ must

be seen

and observed

by others

in our

private life

and habits

and character

and doings

so church

ask

and it will

be given

to you

seek

and you

will find

knock

and the

door will

be opened

to you

for everyone

who asks

receives

those who

seek

find

and to

those who

knock

the door

will be

opened

let's pray

heavenly

father

we thank

you

that

you

knock

at

our

hearts

and you

say

let me

in

lord

open our

hearts

to you

to your

message

to your

word

heavenly

father

we ask

now that

we can

have the

beautiful

attitudes

outlined

in the

sermon

on the

mount

we pray

that we

can love

our

enemies

lord

we pray

that we

can

hunger

and thirst

for

righteousness

lord

we pray

that we

can

seek

you

with

all

our

hearts

lord

we

pray

that

our

eyes

will

see

the

need

in

this

world

our

hands

will

reach

out

with

your

hands

our

feet

will

go

where

you

will

take

us

to

share

the

gospel

and

your

great

word

lord

we

knock

and we

ask

that

you

answer

these

prayers

your

gospel

will

go

forth

your

kingdom

will

grow

in

each

of

us

and

your

amen