John Dickson is a noted author and historian and was our guest speaker on Sunday, November 19 at Community Church. His message focused on the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5).
John said one of the things that strikes him in his travels is that Christianity isn’t shining everywhere in the world. His observation is that the once bright light of Christ is now growing dim in parts of Britain, Australia and the United State. In light of people drifting away from Christianity, John explored how we can reverse this trend by examining and following the words of Jesus. Here are some key points from his message:
*The first words of Jesus in this famous sermon are “Blessed are the poor in spirit,” which means we must recognize our moral bankruptcy. We must be aware of the fact we are unworthy before God.
*As soon as you admit you are poor in spirit, then Jesus says the kingdom of heaven is yours. Translation: You don’t get into God’s kingdom by obeying the Sermon on the Mount, but instead by acknowledging you can’t obey the Sermon on the Mount and need God’s mercy.
*If you are truly poor in spirit and recognize your own brokenness, you won’t judge or look down or be angry with the evils of this world. Instead, you will mourn the broken world. We must be sorrowful, not judgmental. We must first see the evil in our own soul and only then lament, not judge, the evil in the world. Too often Christianity has cast judgment on the world from a wrongful attitude of moral superiority.
*People in Jesus’ day were expecting a tornado of judgment to come upon the ungodly, especially on the evil and nasty Romans. Instead, Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount emphasizes serving others and being meek, pure in heart and peacemakers, and loving your enemies.
*Jesus wants us to shine in the world, not judge. One example of this was Fabiola, considered the wealthiest woman in Rome. When she became a Christian, she sold all her property and used the money to serve the people in Rome. She invented the public hospital and served the sick. When Fabiola died, all of Rome came out for her funeral, drawing larger crowds than even for an emperor. That’s an ancient example of shining in the world by living according to Jesus’ teaching.
*Unfortunately Christians have not always been shining throughout history. The Crusades is a despicable example of Christians killing others in Jesus’ name. Even if the Crusades were well motived, the actions blackened the name of Christ for hundreds of years.
*Unless we take hold of the beautiful tune of Jesus, we won’t shine. Even a beautiful tune can be played badly. A beautiful tune can be ruined by a bad performance. As Christians, it’s hard for our neighbors to distinguish a terrible performance (our actions) from the beautiful tune of Jesus.
*Jesus didn’t just talk about how to love and serve others. He put action to his words by dying on the cross for our sins. In response, our desire should be to follow Jesus’ example and shine in the world.
