Yesterday our 50 day journey together through the Sermon on the Mount began with a worship gathering that focused on the context of the Sermon on the Mount (the audio was recorded, but was unfortunately unusable because of a technical issue). We discovered that the backdrop, or context, of the Sermon was the kingdom of God that Jesus had inaugurated, the community that Jesus had gathered around himself, and Jesus himself as a brilliant teacher.
The three chapters in Matthew that contain the Sermon are by far Jesus’ most well known teachings, and have been heralded for centuries as the greatest ethical teaching in history. As followers of Jesus we cannot possibly hope to understand the gospel or our role in the Kingdom of God unless we are deeply immersed in the Sermon on the Mount.
As we embark on this journey together, keep in mind that you don’t go alone. None of us is an expert, but we’re all committed to each other as apprentices of Christ. The daily exercises are meant to resemble the rhythm of a daily workout; we’ll mix it up, give you some regular rest days so you can process what you’re learning, and it will get somewhat more intense as the 50 days progresses. Also like a daily workout, it will go better if you find a partner to process it with. Read on for today’s exercise:
Exercise:
You can do this exercise alone, or with a friend or spouse. Find a quite time and place and read the entire Sermon on the Mount slowly (Matt 5-7), taking in the whole teaching. Then take a few minutes to reflect on what you’ve read, answering the following questions either in the comments or in a journal:
Finally, take some time to pray your reactions to this passage. This isn’t a time to ask God for things. Instead, speak openly to God about this passage and pay attention to the way your heart responds to the prayer.
Mervin said...
11. My reactions span a wide range, from feeling comforted at not having to worry about the future to being challenged to do everything possible (including disfigurement) to avoid sin.
2. One challenge is the willingness to do charitable things without thought of reward. My human nature likes to be recognized and appreciated for doing something good.
3. I would like to grow in Christ-likeness and be an encouragement to others in their Christian walk.
10/6/09 12:42 AM | Comment Link
Ben Sternke said...
2Merv, thanks for the thoughts. Your desire to follow Jesus closer is an inspiration to me.
10/5/09 7:46 PM | Comment Link
jkshanklin said...
3Following Jesus is no joke. It's not a cultural tradition to be taken lightly like opening one present on Christmas Eve or voting for the same political party your whole life. Following Jesus isn't a business plan, or a campaign slogan. It's not a bumper sticker or a self help guide.
Following Jesus sucks. It's hard and challenging and frustrating and annoying, dangerous and exhausting. And it's simply and wonderfully the most beautiful way to live.
10/6/09 5:02 AM | Comment Link
Ben Sternke said...
4I am reminded this morning, too, of the role of love in all of this. I said Sunday that we'll never begin to follow Jesus unless we think he's at least smart. I think, too, that we'll never continue to follow Jesus unless we love him. Unless our hearts are captured by him, unless he has our affections, we'll likely drop our apprenticeship as soon as it becomes difficult or no longer supports our egos or really begins to cost us something tangible.
We love, though, because he first loved us, so I think it is appropriate for us to meditate on Christ's love for us as a way of fanning into flame our love for him. After all, one of the apostolic prayers we prayed from Ephesians during the last series was that we would really know the vastness of Christ's love. May our awareness of how much we are loved grow! And may our love for Christ grow, that we would become mature and complete, lacking nothing.
10/6/09 5:36 AM | Comment Link
Ben Sternke said...
5So true Josh. There's definitely a paradoxical nature to this life.
10/6/09 5:37 AM | Comment Link