The Christian Life //

I'm sorry that I haven't been that industrious on the blog lately... I'm working on a bible study/book for our high school students called The Christian Life//

Here's the unedited intro:

Introduction //

The Gospel
The Sermon on the Mount can be a troubling message to some. Jesus takes the commandments that religious people try so hard to manage, and He ratchets them up to an insane level. We are left either feeling like the principles are unattainable, or at least unachievable in this life. But, that is to miss the crux of the message. Jesus is not teaching morality and asking us to live up to the mark, he is teaching perfection. “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly father is perfect” (5:48). And He is teaching a supernatural righteousness. “Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven” (5:20). The Pharisees and teachers of the law were in full-time training for righteousness. To surpass them would take more than simple hard work—it would take a miracle.

The miracle that it takes to fulfill the sermon is found in the One delivering the message. The only way to be perfect and to have a supernatural righteousness is to borrow it from elsewhere. The One who is delivering the message is the source of the Christian’s life. And He gives us His righteousness, His Life, New Birth.

The New Birth is described in Jesus’ list of eight characteristics or beatitudes. The first four show us the inward work of getting a new heart and the final four show us how that changes the attitudes and behaviors of the Christian. Blessed are the poor in spirit, the mourners, the meek, those who hunger for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and the persecuted. But Jesus could have said, “blessed are those who are Christians,” for this is a descriptive list of those that have experienced salvation. From that point on, the rest of the message unpacks The Christian Life for us. But we must first see that Jesus is calling us to an authentic Christianity and not superficial obedience.

Religion vs. The Gospel
What Christ desires of us is a saving relationship with Him. Anything less is considered sub-par. Even if our outward behaviors look “christian” we must be careful that our hearts are changed and we are operating out of love for God. It is not enough to simply do the right thing. We need to do the right thing for the right reasons. We need to serve God for the right motives. Just like I need to serve my wife for the right motive. My wife’s love language is quality time. It can be difficult to make sure that I give her quality time because she is a nurse that works nights. We are on opposite schedules and work in different cities. So, I often try to manage my time with an excel spreadsheet. I lay out my week and plug in ministry time, time with friends, time with family, and time with Ash. But, Ashley doesn’t simply want me to block-off time for her… she wants me to want to spend time with her. Do you see the difference? I can give Ash time out of duty, or I can give her time because I love her and want to be with her. In the same way we can serve God out of duty, or we can love Him and want what He wants. Jesus teaches us this in His sermon. He contrasts the difference between religious service and Christian service. It has been noted that the summary of the whole sermon is that there are two ways to live: Religion or Christianity. One way is poisonous and treacherous, the other is life-giving and good. And, these two ways are found all over the whole message. We will see this as we journey together.

First Theological… Then Ethical
The Sermon on the Mount shows us what it means to be a Christian. Then, it draws out the implications of being a Christian. It is descriptive not prescriptive. This is a key to understanding the Bible and Christian living. In seminary they call this “imperative vs. indicative.” God always tells you who you are in Christ before He commands you to do something. He declares who you are then He asks you to act. This order is found all over the New Testament. Survey many of the New Testament letters and you will see this pattern. The first two thirds of the letters are primarily theological. Then, the last third is typically ethical. It is first theological then second ethical. In this sermon, Jesus first tells us who we are then he tells us what we should do. You are blessed of God because of His compassion, provision, and salvation…. Now live like a Christian. This may seem insignificant but it is huge. People that do not see their relationship with God as one that has been “blessed” to them, typically try to earn God’s favor. This strategy involves trying very hard to live out the commands of God to earn a right relationship with Him. In essence, this way of life causes you try to outweigh your bad by doing good. The hope is that at some point the good outweighs the bad and then God owes blessing. Jesus shows us that this mindset is not only wrong but toxic. The blessings come before the behavior. And to switch the order is to fall in line with the religious group that eventually killed Jesus. The Pharisees and teachers of law had mastered the commands of God, but they were appalled at the economy of salvation. God gifts those that do not deserve it. When we feel we have to achieve goodness through giving, praying, forgiving, and the like, we are attempting self-salvation. But, Christ shows us that we are blessed when we see our need of a savior, repent of sin, and experience heart change. The giving, praying, and forgiving all flow from the initial blessing. This is a radical view of the Christian life.