Tag: Jen Wilkin

Everything is Opposite- Sermon on the Mount Part 2

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Squinting at the scoreboard above our high school’s pool, I was surprised to see how many goals were posted on the “Guest” side for the evening’s water polo game.   My son and his teammates had been playing well and I was sure they’d scored a few more goals than the board showed for our home team. After a few minutes of confusion, I recalled we weren’t originally scheduled to host the game. The location had changed because our opponent’s pool was having maintenance issues, making us the “Guest” team in our own pool.

Turning to the fans surrounding me in the stands, I reminded them that our goals were being logged on the “Guest” side of the board. Most breathed a sigh of relief. Few of their sons had remembered to tell them this important detail before rushing out the door. Every time new fans arrived we told them the same information: “We’re the guest team tonight.” It’s always helpful to know how to read the scoreboard accurately so you can cheer for the right team.

As I opened the pages to Jen Wilkin’s Sermon on the Mount Bible study this week, my experience at the water polo game seemed like a fitting analogy. Reading Jesus’ opening words in the Sermon on the Mount evoked that same disconcerting “everything is opposite” sort of feeling.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3-10, ESV)

In the world’s eyes, few of the descriptions listed by Jesus would be considered a blessing—no one wants to be poor in spirit, mourning or meek. Few people in our world value righteousness, give mercy or show purity of heart. Fewer still strive to be peacemakers or feel blessed in the face of persecution.  Most of the things our world values are completely opposite.

However, as followers of Christ, we don’t see things from the world’s perspective. We know we’re just travelers passing through on our way to our true home in heaven. Jesus makes this clear in John 15 when He explains “If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world” (John 15:19a, NIV).

Our citizenship is in heaven. While we’re here on earth, our purpose is to be a dwelling for the Holy Spirit to bring God’s light into the world. (Paul talks about this in Ephesians 2:19-22, if you want to read more). In essence, we’re on the “Guest” team while we’re here and are called to invite others onto it with us by sharing the good news of Jesus with them.

Living the kind of opposite life Jesus describes is difficult, especially when the world around us doesn’t see value in what we’re doing. There can be lonely moments when we’re the only ones in the stands cheering for the “Guest” team because no one else cares about what matters to God. What I’m realizing, though, is that being blessed doesn’t always mean experiencing comfort or ease on this side of heaven.  We live with the tension of knowing Jesus has claimed the victory over sin, death and Satan, but our world has not yet embraced this truth. When the game ends, however, all people will look at the scoreboard and see that the “Guest” team has posted the win.

I thank God for blessing me with fellow travelers on my faith journey who walk beside me to encourage and challenge me as we strive together to live like Jesus. It’s a blessing to live an “everything is opposite” kind of life with others who know we’re just passing through on our way to a better place. It’s all about having our focus in the right place.

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Learning to Roll with Jesus- Sermon on the Mount Part 1

The opening lines of Matthew chapter 5 tell us that Jesus saw the crowds, went up on the mountain and sat down. His disciples came to Him and He started to teach them as a loving older brother explaining, “This is how we roll in the kingdom of heaven.” (Not an exact quote, obviously). His purpose was to teach them how to be part of His Father’s family, the royal family. Our purpose for studying His words is the same.

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I tried to act casual as I slid the Bible across the kitchen counter to my son while he shoveled cereal into his mouth.  Oblivious, he continued to stare at the tiny screen on his phone as he ate in silence. I waited for him to notice me, but he was totally transfixed by the game he was playing.  Finally, I realized my subtle approach wasn’t going to work. When I couldn’t stand his unresponsiveness any longer, I cleared my throat and tried starting a conversation.  “So buddy, how’s it going with reading the Bible every day?”

“Huh?” he answered, looking up with a Cheerio dangling from his lip

“Remember, one of our family goals this year is to read the Bible every day?” I answered, trying to sound lighthearted.

Without saying a word, he reached for the Bible, thumbed to a section in the New Testament, read silently, closed it with a thump and slid it back across the counter toward me. I had no idea what he read.  Not wanting to push my luck, I held back from asking him to discuss the deep spiritual truths he’d just encountered. I had to trust that reading the words was at least a good start.

This breakfast “conversation” was prompted by a plan my husband and I implemented several years ago to set goals with our boys at the beginning of each new school year. Besides daily Bible reading, we established goals for household responsibilities, athletics, academics, relationships and spiritual growth. Ideally, they are supposed to prompt our boys to make important things a priority when lesser things vie for their time—which is why Bible reading and taking initiative are on the list, but playing video games isn’t.

On paper, the goals seem attainable, in reality, they are difficult to accomplish consistently.   Still, having these goals lays a foundation and helps us to hold each other accountable when we veer off course.   They help to set our family’s rhythm as we move through the seasons. Essentially, they are our way of saying “This is how our family is going to roll for the next year.”

Jesus does a similar thing for us through His teaching in the gospel of Matthew, chapters five through seven, usually known as The Sermon on the Mount. The sermon takes place early in Jesus’ ministry as people were beginning to follow Him so they could hear His compelling teaching. The opening lines of the chapter tell us that Jesus saw the crowds, went up on the mountain and sat down. His disciples came to Him and He started to teach them as a loving older brother explaining, “This is how we roll in the kingdom of heaven.” (Not an exact quote, obviously). His purpose was to teach them how to be part of His Father’s family, the royal family. Our purpose for studying His words is the same.

Learning how to be part of God’s family is a lifelong pursuit. It requires commitment and focus. And if you’ve read the text of Jesus’ sermon before, you know that much of the teaching isn’t easy to swallow. There are portions that will make you squirm, other parts that will convict you and others that might seem impossible to attain. Don’t let that stop you from pressing forward. Just like my family’s goals, we aren’t always going to be successful in following what He lays out in the sermon. He knows we aren’t perfect, but He’s there to guide us as we learn from Him. It’s not about trying harder, but about letting God teach us how to be part of His family. It’s about learning the rhythm of His grace and then getting in sync with it.*

For those who have accepted Jesus, we are eternally part of God’s royal family. We are already welcomed, loved and approved by Him because of Jesus. The teaching in the Sermon on the Mount is not intended to weigh us down with rules but to teach us how to mimic our Father in heaven. Every family has a way of operating, Jesus is teaching us how to do that in His family.*

Jesus ends the sermon explaining why listening to His words and putting them into practice is vital: “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.” (Matthew 7:24-25, ESV) Keep that in mind so you can persevere even if the going gets tough during this study.

I am excited to climb up on the mountainside with you and to sit at the feet of Jesus as we learn from Jen Wilkin’s study Sermon on the Mount. Whether you are part of CPC’s Focused Living Bible study or reading this somewhere else on your own, I hope you’ll be inspired, encouraged and challenged by what you find here each week.

Continue reading “Learning to Roll with Jesus- Sermon on the Mount Part 1”