Text:  Matthew 5:1-2

Presented by T. Fletcher

There is nothing I would rather talk to you about than Jesus Christ.

Two weeks ago, this church was invited to pray and to share at a special meeting.  A time that was spent talking about the serious issues that we face as a church family.  One of the strongest ideas that came out of that time was that we tend to border on superficiality.  Whether you agree with that or not…what is true is that superficiality is a major problem of all churches today.  Spokane Church is certainly not in a class by itself in terms of dealing with this problem.

What is wrong with superficiality in our church life?  Look it up in Websters and you find some definitions and clarity.

1.  Superficial is when you are at or near the surface of something. 

To be superficial in faith…is to mean we’ve only scratched the surface of the depths of what is really relevant to our faith.

2.  Another way to understand superficial is to use it in a sentence, “He made only a few superficial changes to the manuscript”, for example.  Meaning, there were some changes suggested and even enacted…but they were so weak a change that there has been literally no change…in other words…the problems still exist.

In faith…is it possible that our church could be accused of the same thing…”We have made only a few superficial changes”, but at our core…we have really made NO CHANGE…or none that really matter??

Thomas A Kempis wrote of this strange problem of the church: “Jesus today has many people who love his heavenly kingdom, but few who carry his cross;  many who yearn for comfort, few who long for distress.  Plenty of people he finds to share his banquet, few to share his fast.  Everyone desires to take part in his rejoicing, but few are willing to suffer anything for his sake.  There are many that follow Jesus as far as the breaking of bread, few as far as drinking the cup of suffering;  many that revere his miracles, few that follow him in the indignity of the cross.”

Think of the people of Israel in the Old Testament.  Jeremiah was surrounded by people who knew it was good to go to the temple and say things like “This is the temple of the Lord”.  That sounds “holy” doesn’t it.

They were in the right place, and they were saying the right words.  But being in the right place and saying the right words is only the opportunity  for a life of faith.  We can be baptized, and go to church every Sunday, sing the songs, pray the prayers…but all that can be nothing more than right place and right words. 

Jeremiah 7:2-8

"'Hear the word of the LORD, all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship the LORD. 3 This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place. 4 Do not trust in deceptive words and say, "This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD!" 5 If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, 6 if you do not oppress the alien, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, 7 then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your forefathers for ever and ever. 8 But look, you are trusting in deceptive words that are worthless.

NIV

What the Lord requires is more than that…he requires right living.

The text we are going to be studying over the next few months is a very simple, and a very difficult text.  It is simple because it is so clearly spoken, so easily understandable.  The language is not difficult, the principles are clearly defined.  Yet, the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) is a very difficult text because it has the power to cut to the heart of superficiality…to call a spade a spade, and a hypocrite a hypocrite. 

That is unless you have a view of the Bible that fails to take the words of the Bible seriously.

That is unless you feel that the Bible has nothing very important to say to us today.

There is nothing more important in life than the way we approach the Bible.  It is our source, our authority.  We know essentially nothing about God and the Christian Life apart from the Bible.

The Sermon on the Mount is part of the Bible.  The Sermon on the Mount is …A perfect picture of the life of the Christian…connected with God.

‘
Why should we study the sermon on the Mount?

1.  Christ died so that we could live it. 

Titus 2:13-14

Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

NIV

2.   It will lead us to grace.

A careful reading and study will often crush to the ground.  We are not able to live this apart from the grace of God.

3.  The more it is lived, the more blessing received.

D Martyn Lloyd- Jones “If you want to have power in your life and to be blessed, go straight to the Sermon on the Mount.  Live and practice it and give yourself to it, and as you do so the promised blessings will come.  “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness” the sermon says.  If you want to be filled, don’t seek some mystic blessing;  don’t join a committee hoping you will get it.  Face the Sermon on the Mount and its implications and demands, see your tremendous need, and then you will get it.  It is the direct road to blessing.”

4.  This is the best way to reach people who are in need of Jesus Christ.

The world today is looking for and desparately needs true Christians.  We don’t need more campaigns, better programs, a bigger yellow pages ad, a sharper looking website…What we need to do to reach people and help them to find Jesus…is to live the Christian life…you and me…right here…right now.   Consistently, urgently, powerfully, humbly.

If we can do that…if we can find this renewal…this “perfect picture” of life with God in his church…people will be crowding in to this building wanting to know what the secret is.

How many people have gone looking in our church…looking to find something real, something that is not superficial…something that meets the deepest need of their life and found a group that was caught up in superficialities.  There are a whole lot of people who believe in God in this country…but it is making absolutely no or very little difference in their life.

*85% of born again Christians believe “the Bible is totally accurate in all of its teachings.” (2000) *Nearly all born again Christians (99%) say their religious faith is very important in their life, compared to 75% of non-Christians. (2000)

*85% of Americans identify themselves as Christians. (1999)

*Two-thirds of Americans (66%) say they have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in their life today.

Where are they?  Where are all the people.  Only 40% of Americans attend a religious service of any kind on the weekend.  That means that for every one of you here there is more than 1 other person out there, who says they are a Christian, who says that faith is important to them, who says that Bible is accurate in all of its teachings…but doesn’t go to church.

Where are all the people??

Some things to understand about the Sermon on the Mount

1. All Christians are to be like this

Not just some…not just “super Christians”…all Christians.

2.  All Christians are meant to show all the characteristics

Not some show one good trait, and some show another.

3.  None of these principles are natural

We are not hungry for righteousness naturally…it is by grace…and the work of the Holy Spirit

4.  These principles create differences between Christians and non-Christians.

To be like Christ will bring revival…our aim is to be like Christ…not like the world.

5.  Christians and non-Christians are in two totally different realms.

Ours is the kingdom of Heaven…we belong to a different kingdom.