Song of the Savior (Matthew 5:1-2)
Here’s my message from this past Sunday, February 20th, 2022. The audio and video can be found here. You can also subscribe to the podcast here.
On a Friday morning in 2017, Australian teacher and author John Dickson rented a cello to make a point. He paid for a two hour lesson. And then he practiced almost non-stop - for five days. That following Tuesday he would take the stage in a Sydney theatre and perform Bach’s “Prelude to Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major.” I know you’ve heard it. It’s stunning. But there’s no surprise: when Dickson took the stage, in front of the lights and the audience, it didn’t sound anything like that piece. Not at all.
But waiting on the side was an accomplished cellist, Keni Mizushima. And he eventually rescued him. He took over and the contrast was - no surprise - pretty striking. Here’s the point the author made and made well. Listen to him:
"Disregarding Christianity on the basis of the poor performance of the church is a bit like dismissing Johan Sebastian Bach after hearing Dickson attempt the Cello Suites. Hearing me play, you could be forgiven for wondering whether Bach really knew how to write a tune. But most of us have a vague idea of how the original is meant to sound. So, we might suspend judgment about the melody itself and place the blame where it belongs, my playing. We know to distinguish between the composition and the performance.
I have often felt something similar when pondering Jesus Christ and the history of the church. Jesus wrote a beautiful composition. Christians have not performed it consistently well. Sometimes they have been badly out of tune. Occasionally, they have played something entirely different. And when people turn to contemplate the original, Christ makes Christians look bad.” (John Dickson)
Karis, over the last couple of years, followers of Jesus in the world - and especially here in the United States - haven’t played well. Not at all. That includes people out there. And people in here. You, me. We’re included in that.
We’ve performed the music poorly, for sure. We’ve at times played a completely different song. And the watching world has noticed. And the composition we’ve botched - and what we really need to hear - is what we’re jumping into today. It’s what’s found in Matthew chapters 5 through 7. It’s called the “Sermon on the Mount.”
We see this song of our Savior. And while Jesus is no doubt grieved, He has not given up on us. And He invites us to learn this song from Him and sing it for Him in the streets. Today, as we jump into this next section in Matthew, perhaps the most well-known part the gospel and maybe even of the entire Bible, I want us to think about three things. First, what this Sermon is. Second, what we must understand. Third, why it’s needed so much. Let’s jump into each today.
The Sermon on the Mount
Now we’re going to be in this section of Scripture for quite some time. And here, today, at the outset, let’s make sure, first of all, that we understand what this Sermon is.
The gospel of Matthew starts out with a look at the identity of Jesus. We find that in chapters one and two. Who He is. Where He’s from. Matthew ends, though, with the purpose of Jesus. What He does. Why He’s come. We see the road to the cross. The triumph of the resurrection. That’s in chapters 26 through 28.
In between are five cycles of stories and sermons. We see Jesus’s works. Followed by His words. Five different times. We just finished up the first round of story, as we saw His preparation for ministry. Christ’s baptism, His temptation.
Now we come to the first section of teaching, the first sermon. And this is perhaps the most well-known of them all - “The Sermon on the Mount.” Augustine first called it that - way back in the fourth or fifth century. Jesus sees the crowds, and He seeks some time by Himself. And that leads Him up the mountain - likely on the hills overlooking the northern shores of the Sea of Galilee.
Well, the quiet doesn’t last for long. He sits down. That’s the posture of a teacher. And His students, His disciples, gather around Him. And, as we find out, from the end of this sermon - so also do the crowds. And Jesus begins to teach. And here, in these chapters, we find some of the most beautiful words in all of Scripture. But they’re also some of the most jarring. That’s because of what Jesus says. And how He calls us to live.
Look back at chapter 4 with me again. In verse 23, we hear of Jesus going out “teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom.” In chapter 4, verse 17, Matthew says, “From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” It seems this sermon fits with that theme. Sinclair Ferguson puts it this way:
“This is what it means to repent and to belong to the kingdom of heaven. The sermon is a description of the lifestyle of those who belong to that kingdom.” (Sinclair Ferguson)
This what a life transformed by the King looks like. A life living in His kingdom.
Now I’ve already spoken of this sermon as one of the most beautiful of songs. And I don’t think that’s much of a stretch. Because of the beauty of the words, the lyrical quality, even of the prose. But they do start out with the Beatitudes. Right? Verses 3 through 12 of chapter 5. And what’s the first word of each of those? “Blessed,” right? “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Now we’ll jump into that one next week. And we’ll take them on one at a time. But how also does our Bible’s song book start? The Psalms? Look at Psalm 1, verse 1.
Psa. 1:1 Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
Psa. 1:2 but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
Psa. 1:3 He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
You could say the Psalms start with a Beatitude. Or maybe the Beatitudes start with a Psalm. But either way, the Sermon on the Mount sings. And it calls us to join in on the song.
I love John Stott’s outline the most of all. He calls those Beatitudes “A Christian’s Character.” We then see “A Christian’s Influence” in chapter 5, verses 13-16 - where we learn of our role as “salt” and “light” in the world.
The rest of that chapter deals with “A Christian’s Righteousness,” where we hear what kind of life the Lord expects - in a nutshell, a pure heart that overflows in love.
In the first part of chapter 6, we see “A Christian’s Piety.” There we hear about the motivation that should drive our acts of worship. Jesus then moves to talking about “A Christian’s Ambition” as that chapter concludes. Here we hear how we’re not to worry. And how that’s tied to what we worship.
Chapter 7, verses 1 through 20 deal with “A Christian’s Relationships” - with God, with others. That chapter, and the sermon, concludes with “A Christian’s Commitment.” Will we listen to Jesus? Will we build our lives on His words?
We’ll walk through those seven sections over the next several months. And again, we’ll learn what life in the kingdom looks like, what it means to walk in repentance and faith. That, in a nutshell, is what this sermon is.
Understanding the Lord’s Sermon
I want to move on to a second point: what we must understand. Most of us at least pretended to watch a football game over the past couple of weeks. And there in that game were some pretty big plays. But one of the most infamous plays from scrimmage of all time came at the hands of a guy named Jim Marshall. Now over 50 years ago, the Minnesota Vikings defensive lineman scooped up a fumble and plodded 66 yards into the endzone - in the wrong direction. What we now call a “scoop and score” ended up that game as a “scoop and safety.” He’s been labeled “Wrong Way Marshall” ever since.
Now that’s what can happen if we take this Sermon on the Mount and start heading in the wrong way. We hurt ourselves and our cause. We have to understand how to actually read it. Here are six things we have to grasp. First, this sermon is meant to be obeyed. It’s easy for us to read it and throw up our hands. And think, “Why even bother?” But earlier we read and saw how this whole sermon begins. But it’s really important to see how it ends.
Matt. 7:24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
Matt. 7:25 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.
Matt. 7:26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
Matt. 7:27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
The verses following say the crowd is astonished. And it’s really doubtful they hear His words as optional. As theologian R.T. France once put it, “The teaching of the Sermon on the Mount is not meant to be admired but to be obeyed.”
Second, these words show our need for grace. C.S. Lewis once said this:
As to ‘caring for’ the Sermon on the Mount, if ‘caring for’ here means ‘liking’ or enjoying, I suppose no one ‘cares for’ it. Who can like being knocked flat on his face by a sledgehammer?” (C.S. Lewis)
Now another thing I’ve seen people do with this passage is say something like this: “I live by the Sermon on the Mount.” With an air of confidence. Even superiority. But I don’t know about you, but Lewis’s words ring true for me. Christ’s words hit hard. They knock me down to size. They show me my need.
Love your enemies? Don’t be anxious about anything. Are you kidding me? Those are all the words I need to hear. I can’t do this on my own.
Third, then, this message points us to the new birth. We need new hearts. We’re expected to obey Christ’s words. We all know we can’t keep these words. What do we do? We run to our Father for help. And we ask Him to make us new. John Stott puts it so well:
“For the standards of the Sermon are neither readily attainable by every man, nor totally unattainable by any man. To put them beyond anybody’s reach is to ignore the purpose of Christ’s Sermon; to put them within everybody’s is to ignore the reality of man’s sin. They are attainable all right, but only by those who have experienced the new birth which Jesus told Nicodemus was the indispensable condition of seeing and entering God’s kingdom.” (John Stott)
Fourth, though, these words put us at Jesus’s feet. Yes, we need new hearts to follow this at all. But we’re invited into a life where we follow Jesus and listen. The crowds are here with Jesus, hanging on His every word. And between them and Christ are His disciples. And as we’ve said multiple times already, and we’ll repeat thought this study in Matthew, He calls us as disciples, too. To learn from Him. To follow Him. That has to be our posture before this sermon.
Fifth, this sermon meets us right where we are. Jesus came announcing the kingdom of heaven. And our minds go to a time when everything’s made right. When the King is fully seated on His throne. But Jesus says again, that the “kingdom is at hand.” It hasn’t fully come. That day’s coming in the future. But it’s here in part. And that means that He wants us to live this out today.
But hear me: it’s going to be really hard. In the overlap of the ages. But, these words are for 2022. For today. For now. For you. For me. Hear Ferguson again:
“The kingdom has come, in Jesus. Through faith in him, we enter the kingdom. It belongs to us. But we live in ‘the kingdom of the world’ (Rev. 11:15), although we do not belong to it. We belong to a new order of things, a new age altogether, a new humanity in Christ. But that new life has to be lived out within the context of the old. The new lifestyle of the kingdom (the life described in the sermon) is to be expressed in the context in which it is opposed by the world, the flesh, and the devil (1 Jn. 2:15-17). This is why the battle in which the Christian finds himself is far fiercer than anything he knew before he became a Christian.” (Sinclair Ferguson)
Sixth, though, this sermon gives us the path of blessing. It shows us what God’s grace can do. What a life lived under His favor looks like. It’s a foretaste of that kingdom fully come. It’s the road that leads to joy. Again, life in this age isn’t easy. And living these words is really hard. But hear me, Karis, it’s worth it. It is!
Our Great Need for This Sermon
Third, let’s consider why it’s needed so much. Now there may be a few fans of Ted Lasso here today. Maybe you heard this. But Jason Sudeikis, the actor who won an Emmy for playing Ted, expressed his surprise at the show’s success. When asked why, this is what he said. “Because it’s about two things Americans hate: soccer and kindness.” Here I want to share the heart behind why I chose this gospel, this series. In the forefront of my mind, I very much thought of this sermon. Of its relevance especially today. Here in the United States, and even within the American church. We’re not good at living out these truths. And some times, we even act like we hate them.
Here are four reasons why I think we so desperately need these words. First, it reminds us of whose voice we’re meant to follow. Now maybe you already caught this, but there’s a reason why Jesus goes up on a mountain. And teaches the people of God. Who else does that in the Old Testament? And guides God’s people to freedom? Moses. We’re meant to see Jesus as a new, better Moses here. Who gives us God’s words. And enables us to live them out.
Just like Moses, Christ tells us the blessings of obedience and the curses of the opposite. He says in chapter 5, verse 17, that He comes to fulfill the law of God. Repeatedly, He says, “You’ve heard that it was said, but I say this.” He speaks with such authority that the crowd is shaken. And we’ve already seen His expectation of obedience. Our futures, He says, are determined by what we do with His words. Do we build them on sand? Or on rock? Now that’s a voice we need to follow.
Hear me dear brothers, dear sisters. There are so many voices calling out to us today. There is so much temptation to follow other authorities. But if we call ourselves Christians, there’s something so basic we can’t forget. Jesus is our teacher. Jesus is our King. Hear His words cut through all the noise - and obey.
Second, this reminds us how wide the gospel extends. Now if you ask me why I think these past couple of years have been so hard, here’s my take. Our understanding of the good news of Jesus, the gospel, is just far too narrow. It may fit a relationship between me and Jesus. It, in theory, keeps me out of hell. It maybe gives me some peace. But that’s just about it.
But the story of God is about Him restoring shalom to all that He had made. That’s everything that had gone wrong being made right again. This is our hope. One day, there is perfect peace and justice again, when His kingdom of heaven comes to earth, and comes in full.
The gospel of the kingdom extends wider than we think. And it’s meant to be experienced here and now. We see that here in this sermon. It speaks to how we live with those we can’t understand. It takes head-on things like money, sex, and power. It guides us how to respond when we’ve been wronged. It addresses our worry. And how fickle our hearts can be. It tells us how to help those who have strayed. And how to stand up to those who lead them astray.
As Kierkegaard once said, “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!” Here we see many of those inches, and we get to listen to Christ’s heart - so we can navigate all the others, as well. And work with - and certainly not against - the world we all want, the kingdom of heaven.
Third, this reminds us of how deep the gospel of Jesus goes. In Martin Lloyd-Jones's, famous commentary on this sermon, he goes off, in the beginning, on how superficial Christianity has become. And this is back in the 1950s. We’re living in an age, where people wearing Christian t-shirts, who have #blessed on their profiles, are throwing grenades at each other, and claiming Jesus’s endorsement for their behavior.
Jesus on this mount warns people of the Scribes and Pharisees. And that’s because they work like crazy to keep the letter of the law but get so far away from its spirit. They have this outward form of godliness but deny its power. They may not murder, but they’re full of hate. They may not commit adultery, but they sure to do lust. Their best deeds are done only for show. They look for loop holes in the Bible to live how they want. They use God’s word to prop up their sinful desires. And they lead people astray with their hollow lives.
Christ says, in chapter 5, verse 20, “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” It’s gotta go so much deeper, Jesus says. He says later, in verse 48, “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” He sees through our pathetic posturing. His standard is perfection. And His kingdom goes deep. So deep we can only go there by grace. It changes us from the inside-out. And that’s why the Beatitudes start with people who see they’re poor in Spirit and mourn for their sins. Who are meek and hunger after God. We know we don’t have what we need. And we long for His help.
John Dickson, in his book Bullies and Saints, refers to one of the “melody lines” of Scripture, that God’s people have so often ignored. And it’s the one we find here, in Matthew 5. That we should love our enemies. Why? So that we’d look like our dad. Who loves enemies like us. If that gospel of the kingdom gets in us. If we realize how much we’ve been loved. Despite having run in his opposite direction. If that reality goes down deep, and works its way into our hearts, that melody will burst out of us, too. It just has to.
Church, we can’t be satisfied with a shallow, sappy faith that’s built more on memes than the message of Jesus. The gospel of Jesus goes deep. That’s where our King wants to go.
Fourth, this reminds us of what mission we’re to be about. Is it to further our political party? Or to keep our guy on Pennsylvania Avenue? Is it about jump-starting the economy? Or fixing the healthcare system? Now those things are important. I sure think Christians should be involved. Who our decision-makers are surely does matter. But Jesus here says that we should be about His kingdom.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is the theme throughout. Entering there is the most important thing we can do. Seeking His kingdom is what we must be all about. He teaches us to pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done.” Doing His will - and spreading His kingdom - should be our chief concern.
And there’s this other theme that’s also in these words. We’re meant to be salt. We’re called to be light. We’re to let our light shine, so that others will see our good works and give glory to our heavenly Father. Our goal isn’t to “own the libs”. Or to pack the Supreme Court. It’s to show people the glory of our great God.
Now some won’t like that light shining in their eyes. We learn in the Beatitudes that suffering will come. If that doesn’t happen something is definitely wrong. As we go out on His mission and build the kingdom of heaven.
But John Stott sums up the Sermon on the Mount with two words: Christian counter-culture. Jesus is about creating a people, the church, that stands out, that lives differently, in a way that may push some away, but will draw others in to Jesus. As we live out this Sermon in God’s power, we’ll see that happen. We’ll build His kingdom. That, my friends, is our mission.
In what’s become a modern classic, made also into a film, The Book Thief, a work by Markus Zusak, tells a story of how lovely melodies and moving lyrics can bring about change. Liesel is the main character. She’s adopted into a German family right in the middle of WWII. Her father’s accordion ties him to a Jewish man they end up protecting in their basement. And he uses that instrument to bless many and provide for the home.
Liesel understands that Hitler rules predominantly through the power of words, and she fights on that front, even as a young girl. She uses reading - and later writing - to spread love and undermine hate. She becomes what her friend Max, that man in their basement, calls a “word shaker.” Friends, that what’s we can be, as well, as we hear the words of our King. And as we shake them out in our world. We can overcome the words of hate. As we carry melodies that bring people together. As we seek to obey our Leader and our King.
Singing the Song of Our Savior
This is the song of our Savior. And it must be sung and felt among the church. And heard and celebrated in the world. We’ll play wrong notes, for sure. We’re going to mess up the lyrics, no doubt. And people may question if we’re even musicians at all. Or accuse us of playing the wrong score.
But the Holy Spirit of God will move among those who are is. And He’ll guide us to sing this song of our Savior in Him and through Him and for Him. Not often on a big stage, for the crowds to see. But in small ways. In simple ways.
When you’re at odds with a sibling and you stop what you’re doing, and you go make it right.
When your heart is allured by something sinful, and you close out the app and call up a friend.
When your spouse says hurtful words, and you remember those vows, and return them with love.
When you keep your word and follow-through, even if you’re tired and wish you wouldn’t have made that promise at all.
When someone mocks your opinions online, and you power down your device and just put it away.
When someone stabs you in the back and you respond with kindness.
When you love your enemies. What a miracle of grace!
When you drop off that meal for the family who’s ill, and you hop in your car and speed away.
When you wrestle with your fears by getting on your knees. When you go pray instead of eat, because you long for Him more.
And you’re trying to do both, not for them, but for Him.
When you invest in His kingdom instead of buying the next shiny thing.
When you don’t stress the next meal, because He’s reigning as King.
When you gaze in the mirror, before you rage out the window. And never end up opening the blinds at all.
When you trust God for what’s good, knowing He’s a good and kind dad.
When you somehow do to others what you’d want done for you. How amazing is that?
When you follow Him down His path whatever they may do.
When you listen for His voice and look out for the wolves.
When you serve Him, from the heart, in the smallest of ways.
When you cling on to the rock as others play in the sand.
When you admit your weakness. And cry over your faults. And put down your fists. And ask for less of you and more of Him.
When you don’t give others what you think they deserve. And you run after Him and revel in what you don’t deserve. When you seek to make peace and look like your Father above. And when you take the abuse that inevitably follows. And still somehow, amazingly rejoice.
You’re singing His Song. He’s singing it through You. He sees you - even if no one else does. But you know what? They will. Your light will shine and warm. Your salt will flavor and preserve. And you’ll glorify Him as You sing this song. As He sings it through you. As people hear and ask, “How are you playing like that?” And even when you play wrong notes, and admit you’ve fallen flat. They’ll listen. And hear the song of the Savior. Let’s pray.