In the United States, we value citizenship. We talk quite often about what it takes to be a good citizen of this country. We are frustrated when citizens abuse their privileges and rights of citizenship. We are angered when people misrepresent our country. If citizenship in a country of this world is that precious to us ... should not citizenship in the kingdom of God matter much more?! Should we not be even more concerned about what constitutes good citizenship in God's kingdom? One is eternal and one is not. What are the expectations for citizens of God's kingdom? What matters most to our king? How do we best serve him? The answers to those questions are found in what we have called, the Sermon on the Mount.
In Matthew 5 - 7, the principles, or laws of Jesus' kingdom are described. Jesus teaches his followers and any others who will listen, about what life in his kingdom looks like ... what citizens of his kingdom are to value ... how they are to behave. The Sermon on the Mount is a collection of these teachings from Jesus about life in his kingdom.
Some have called these verses the "beatitudes" or the "blesseds" of the Christian life. They are all about righteousness. They are all about the character of Jesus. They are the antithesis of worldly thinking ... the direct opposite of cultural wisdom. But the statements come from the mouth of our King ... will you believe him?
Listen to the words of William Barclay as he describes these verses:
"The beatitudes are not pious hopes of what shall be; they are not glowing, but vague prophecies of some future bliss; they are congratulations on what is. The blessedness which belongs to Christians is not a blessedness which is postponed to some future world of glory; it is a blessedness which exists here and now. It is not something into which Christians will enter; it is something into which they have entered. ... The beatitudes say, 'O the bliss of being a Christian! O the joy of following Christ! O the sheer happiness of knowing Jesus Christ as Master, Savior and Lord! The very form of the beatitudes is the statement of the joyous thrill and the radiant gladness of the Christian life. In the light of the beatitudes, a gloom-encompassed Christianity is unthinkable."
O the bliss! Notice two things ...
1. There is nothing wrong with rewards! You are not more spiritual if you think nothing of reward. These verses are full of beautiful, thrilling rewards. Is there even one of these rewards that you don't want? I want them ... so it's important to notice from whence they come. God rewards His people!
2. Notice the way the beatitudes are book-ended ... "for theirs is the kingdom of heaven". These are the characteristics that mark citizens in God's kingdom.
Now ... read Matthew 5: 1 - 16. Read slowly. Don't let familiarity dull the startling words from Jesus. And pray ...
Lord, we long to look more like you.
Thank you for this picture of true righteousness.
Thank you for this description of you and your character.
And now Lord, transform us into your image ...
give us a heart's desire to have our own lives look more like yours.
We do want to be faithful citizens of your kingdom.
And since we are citizens of the kingdom of God ... two things become evident.
First, we are the salt of the earth. That's important ... that's a high calling ... that matters. Salt was so important in the world Jesus inhabited. But it had to be pure salt to be useful. It couldn't be mixed with any other substance or it was no longer pure. So do we. We cannot have a little bit of Jesus and a little bit of the world. We loose our "saltiness" when we try.
Second, we are light for our world. That's important ... that's a high calling ... that matters. Darkness can be frightening. We stumble over things. Things look scary in the dark that are ordinary in daylight. In John 8:12, Jesus said , "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in dakrness, but will have the light of life." We provide light in our communitites, our worlds, when we reflect His light ... we have none on our own. We cannot have a little righteousness and a little worldliness. We shroud our light when we try.
So ... my friends ... be salt and light this week! How? By readjusting our value systems to match the values Jesus described in the beatitudes. By finding "bliss" in being the kind of people that belong to the kingdom of God.
Remember ... "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:6)
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