Back in the days, when I was the pastor of a sizeable church,

We would celebrate Christmas with big productions. One year, when the stage was crowded with props and children, the music still ringing in our ears, I went to the microphone with my Bible in hand. As I began to speak, a girl six or seven years old, who had been sitting on a step right in front of me, stood up. She turned around, and with hands on her hips looked up at me and said, “Boring!”

- Christmas is a challenge – we run through the same story every year
• but here's a twist:
◦ we’ve heard (plenty of times ) that Jesus is God’s Christmas gift to world
◦ but coming to Christmas through the Sermon, we hear something new
• Jesus announces that he is not God’s only Christmas gift
◦ we are also God’s gift to the world–we’re not the big one;
◦ we're more like stocking stuffers – but still, we’re salt and light

These last two Beatitudes on Jesus’ list are not easy to digest

Jesus envisions a grim future for us – and if so,
- we’re expected not only to survive it, but to rejoice and be glad
• John Chapman was the Abbot of a monastery in Britain
• he was also a spiritual director to others, especially through letter writing
◦ one man who wrote to him, wanted his insight as to
◦ how he could extricate himself from a painful situation
Chapman, “I cannot possibly show you a way out . . . . [what you have is] the simple experience that suffering is really suffering and that the chief feeling it causes is rebellion against it, and even against Providence for allowing it. ¶ It is all a nasty medicine, but works wonders.”
- we agree it’s a nasty medicine, but doubt it works wonders
• we’re more of the opinion expressed by Helmut Thielicke,
Thielicke, “What a ghastly prospect! It makes one ask in all seriousness how Jesus could ever have gained disciples with an appeal like that.”
• so I think what we need to do first, is back away from these verses
◦ and get an aerial view of the entire Sermon

The central miracle asserted by Christians is the Incarnation. They say that God
became Man. Every other miracle prepares for this, or exhibits this, or results from this.
C. S. Lewis, ". . . In the Christian story God descends to re-ascend. He comes down; down from the
heights of absolute being into time and space, down into humanity . . . down to the very
roots and sea-bed of the Nature He has created." (C S Lewis)

Incarnation literally means “embodied in flesh…or taking on flesh”
The union of the Divine Nature with human nature…as the Son of God assumed our
flesh, body and soul.

Jesus is sitting on a mountain overlooking Sea of Galilee

He is teaching a course on “Christian Spirituality”
- we are now five weeks into his introduction: The Beatitudes
• prior to teaching this course, Jesus had been announcing, "the kingdom of heaven is at hand"
◦ the course he teaches is meant to prepare us for that kingdom
◦ the Beatitudes reveal characteristics of the abundant life--the truly "good life"
• Jesus is not giving us a new list of rules
◦ he isn’t telling us what we should be doing, but describing what his followers are becoming
• all through this course, Jesus is working from the inside-out
◦ this is obvious in the next Beatitude we’re going to probe

“Blessed are the pure in heart”

When I began preparing today’s talk, there was a sudden moment when I felt very small

The spiritual wisdom of Jesus rivals every other enlightened text
- even gurus, like Gandhi, who rejected Christianity have admired the Sermon
• reading the words of Jesus, and trying to explain them to you,
◦ leaves me feeling inadequate and foolish
◦ like a four-year old who is told, “Explain quantum physics
- what I know about these two Beatitudes, I learned on the job,
• not from other Bible teachers or commentaries,
◦ but in my own ministry of applying the words of God to the lived experience of people on this journey
• what we’ll go over today may be challenging, but it will be practical and liveable,
◦ and what I believe Jesus wants us to learn

Welcome back to Jesus’ Sermon On the Mount

He begins with the Beatitudes – not to be confused with "benedictions"
- they are more like a series of riddles
• he describes conditions in which people are already blessed
◦ already acceptable to God and discovering the abundant life
◦ but what he says sounds like the opposite of abundant life
• we would never tell a friend who is grieving, “You’re so blessed”
◦ and even in Jesus’ time and culture meekness was a deficit
- for this reason, we must pat attention to both lines of each Beatitude
• the first line is an incomplete picture
◦ something else comes after the situation Jesus identifies
◦ his “Blessed are” lines are explained in the “for they shall be” lines
• Jesus surprises us in order to enlighten us
◦ he reveals the contrast between worldly values and heavenly
◦ I admit, the most difficult place to practice the Beatitudes is in real life

Recently, I came across an interesting ad:

The caption said, “Free AI Sermon Generator”
“Free AI sermon outlines help you preach a confident, creative message. AI sermon starter ideas make your sermon fresh and relevant.”
- I realized, from now on my life could be easy; for example,
• last week I mentioned my frustration with “kingdom” (bringing to mind the idea of a nation with borders)

Last week I gave my introduction to the Sermon On the Mount

This week we’re going to look at Matthew’s introduction
- but first, I have a question – and it’s for me as much as anyone:

Are we ready for this?

- the Lord has made many changes in our exterior lives,
• but the big challenge of the Sermon is what it does on the interior
◦ we’ve cleaned up our speech; what about our thoughts?
◦ we've given up bad habits; what about desires and resentments?
• I rationalize my inner life:
“My thoughts don't hurt anyone” and “I’ve a right to my private thoughts”
◦ the Sermon tells me, “Not any more”

A couple weeks ago someone told me,

“Your next series of talks should be about The Sermon On the Mount”
- that title has a pleasant ring to it, doesn’t it?
• isn’t that where Jesus talks about birds and lilies? Love your enemies? Do not judge?
• it’s like a friend has invited us on an outing:
“Hey, go with us to the park for a picnic. We’re going to sing our favorite worship choruses, then share our favorite Bible verses.”
- but the reality is, the Sermon isn’t butterflies and rainbows
• it doesn’t read like a collection of Hallmark greeting cards
• it contains the most intense demands in all of scripture
◦ some Christians have given up on it

The prophetic ministry of Elijah provides one of the most entertaining stories in all the Bible. When it comes to phenomenal miracles, Elijah’s only rival would be Moses. His spiritual stature as a man of God is equal to the greatest heroes in scripture, and yet St. James wrote, “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours” (Jas. 5:17). Like us, Elijah could be frightened, discouraged, and ready to give up.

Elijah would have been a fun person to know– if you like surprises. For instance, this final episode begins with a surprise. It seems we were supposed to already know he was going to be swept up to heaven by a whirlwind. He certainly knew that his work was done and something significant was about to happen, but it’s not likely he was aware he would take a ride unlike any other in the entire history of humankind. As we walk the last leg of his journey with him, it’s as if he already has one foot out the door.