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Sermon on the Mount

Part 3 of 10

Blessed to Be A Blessing

Matthew 5:13-20

Please turn in your Bibles to Matthew 5, Verse 13, and leave them open. We will get to that passage in a little bit. Jesus,

in this passage, is going to talk about our life’s mission, our life’s work. Many people think of Jesus as a kind of guru,

who went around just dropping out these beautiful, but kind of random sayings, like they would belong in a Hallmark cardor something. That is not what was going on here.The Sermon on the Mount is designed to launch a movement in the face of powerful opposition from at least four factions,that Jesus was aware of. And, all of those factions had money power and reasons to get rid of Him.These words of Jesus are not happy little esteem boosters. They are dangerous. To understand them, we have to back upand

understand what Jesus is really saying about Israel’s story. To do that we go all the way back to the beginning of Israel. God comes to a man named Abram, and this is what He said: Let’s read it out loud together it is there on your

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I will bless you and you will be a blessing...And all the people of the earth will be blessed through you.(Genesis 12:2-3)

God comes to Abraham and says, “I am going to bless you, but not just for your sake, because the world is a mess, but it’s

my world. And I w

ant it back. I want to fix it, so I’m going to work through you. You will be like a blessing conduit.

You will be blessed, to be a blessing.I want to pause here for a moment and talk about us. Anybody in this room feel blessed today? Ever? If you look atyour life, your body, your mind, your education, your home, your friends, your gifts? Food? Opportunities? Did you

ever receive anything that you didn’t earn or merit or deserve? How many of you who are here today would say that I have

been bl

essed? OK, here is the question: Why were you blessed? To be a blessing. It’s not just for you.This is God’s idea with Israel. They are blessed to be a blessing. God calls this “blessed to be a blessing” relationship a

“covenant.” And He uses some different images to describe it. Now this is all behind Jesus’ words. In the Book of

Numbers, God says,

It is an everlasting covenant of salt before the Lord for both you and your offspring. (Numbers 18:19)

Why a covenant of salt, because in our day, salt is optional. In the ancient world, it was not optional. There was norefrigeration. Decay and rot were the great enemies of life, and salt was the only force that could arrest decay. It couldpreserve. So, it had power in the ancient world. The Bible talks a great deal about salt. Some of you know, there was a

family of a guy by the name of Lot. They are fleeing Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot’s wife was disobedient to God, and she

was turned into a

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pillar of salt. Pillar of salt. And they took her with them on the journey, and that was the beginning of the salt lick. No, not really, just a bad example of Bible humor.So, salt is this magic thing in the ancient world.

God says, I want to make with you a covenant of salt.

Why? Because

in my world there’s rot, there’s decay, there’s sin, there’s deceit, there’s corruption, there’s selfishness. Everything’sspoiled. I’m going to start a new people, and I’m going to have a covenant of salt, so that through my people I can

beginthe process of saving my world from corruption, and decay, and rot.As you meet with people, you are freshness, your are hope, you are joy. A covenant of salt. Blessed, to be a blessing.And then He uses another image. In the Old Testament God says to His servant,

I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles. (Isaiah 42:6)

That word again “covenant.” Here is what is really interesting. And a light for the who? For the Gentil

e. Remember,

God said to Abraham, all the peoples of the earth. It is not just about Israel. It is not an insider deal.

It is far too small of thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of theearth. (Isaiah 49:6)

God says my world is dark, the people confused. They hide, they sin, they are scared. I want you to be light, poise, truth,confidence, knowing God. A light not just for yourselves, but for the Gentile, for the whole world. Blessed to be a

blessing. This is God’s vision for Israel.

Covenant of salt. Covenant of light. But this call, this understanding was largely lost in Jesus’ day.

There were four

factions, all of whom had their own vision for Israel that was at odds with Gods’ vision.

There was first of all Rome.

Rome’s vision of Israel was that they existed for Rome’s benefit, to be exploited.

Then there were the zealots.

These were Israelites that hated Rome. They were basically terrorists, committed to theviolent overthrow of Rome.

Another faction were called the Sadducees.

Many of them were priests, but they had given up on the Kingdom evercoming down here and on God ever doing anything. There deal was they collaborated with Rome. Their vision was get apiece of the pie.

The final faction was kind of disgusted with all these folks so we might call them the reformers

. These were peoplewe read about in scripture referred to as the

Pharisees.

When you see that word think reformer. Their deal was: Why

don’t we just isolate ourselves from everybody who doesn’t’ obey the law? Then when God sees how good and pious we

are, then He will destroy everybody else, and the world will be ours.So, these were the visions. Rome, they were the world. The zealots said we exist to rule the world. Sadducees said: weought to be like the world. And the reformers said: we ought to withdraw and isolate from the world.Notice none of these groups was talking about blessing the world. It was in the middle of this cauldron that Jesus comes.He stand on the side of the mountain, and He remembers how God said to Abraham one day,

I will bless you.

Jesus talks to this rag-tag group that H

e’s been healing and delivering and what is the first word in the Sermon on the

Mount, of the Beatitudes? Blessed! Blessed are who? Blessed are the poor, blessed are those who mourn, and blessed

are the hungry. Blessed are you. That’s the deal. Good News. It’s for you, it’s for you, its’ for you, it’s for you.

But here’s the deal: you are blessed to be a blesser. “You are the salt...” If you have your Bibles open now to Matthew 5,

Verse 13,

You are the salt of the earth.

Everybody knows where this image is coming from.)

But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?

He is describing what happened to Israel, what these people have done to it. He is making a very serious charge, anindictment, here.

...The salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot. (Matthew 5:13)You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a light and put itunder a bowl.

(But that is exactly what has happened.)

Instead they put it on a stand that gives light toeveryone in the house.

(The whole world.)

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds, and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16)

Blessed to be a blessing. You are the salt of the earth, light of the world.

And the people responded, of course. Who, us? Who, me? (Turn to your neighbor and say, “Who me?” Not the

Romans, with all of their power and wealth? Not the Zealots, with all of their passion? Not the Sadducees, with all of theirconnections, not the reformers with all of their piety and religiosity? And Jesus says, no. He says they are all wrong.The subjugators and the dominators and hat

ers, and the collaborators and the isolators, they are all wrong. And here’swhat I’m going to do.

I’m going to love them all. I’m going to love the Centurions. I’m going to have a Zealot become one of my people. I”lllove the priests. I’ll love the Pharisees, and I’ll love them all. But a lot of them wont’ get it. They’ll fight me, they’lloppose me, they’ll persecute me, and they’ll imprison me. Eventually they’ll kill me.

And then, here is the next step in the plan. You, my little rag-

tag crowd, you will love them. And then they’ll fight youand oppose you and persecute you and imprison you. And kill many of you. And what will you do? Then you’ll lovethem even more. Isn’t that a great plan? Aren’t’ you all fired up about that

plan? And the people cried out, “Well not

so much.”

But it happened just the way Jesus said it would. Unbelievable brilliance. But now, it would take a different kind of person

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it would take a salt and light company, and, of course, people were not there. So Jesus has to talk about how doestransformation happen. Ironically, when it comes to transformation, that is what these guys, the reformers, religiousleaders, scribes and Pharisees were most interested in. Jesus was in a lot of ways similar to these factions, but He had Hisbiggest disagreements with these guys. And it is critical to understand this to get to his teaching.Because this is what got Him into so much trouble. We turn there now (Matthew 5:17-20). Jesus says,

Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.

(People were thinking that was what he wasabout because he disagreed with them.)

I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. Truly I tell you,until heaven and earth disappear, the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the law until everything is accomplished.

(Until up there comes down here.)

Anyone who sets aside theleast of these commandments,

(He’s using loaded language here a

gain)

and teaches others accordingly, will be called the least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands, will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus did not come to say, you know, the law was just bad news, good thing we don’t have to think about that any more.

Jesus did not disagree with the reformers in that they thought obedience was important, and that Jesus came to say you

don’t have to obey stuff

. Jesus says, Anyone who breaks the least of these commandments.

Jesus understands Gods’ will for the human race is no buffet table. That is the point of this

. You cannot walk aroundsaying,

Well, you know I’m comfortable following the easy commands, like the one in Deuteronomy 22 that said, “If youcome across a bird’s next beside the road do not take the mother with the young. You may take the yong but be

sure to let the mother go, so that it may go well with you and you may have a long life. (Deut. 22:6-7) That is agood one. I will subscribe to that one. But no adultery, no sexual impurity. I might need to violate that one inorder to be happy. So I will keep that optional. No envy, no gossip, I am not thrilled about those.

Jesus like any good Rabbi said, Torah is beautiful and He loved it and it is to be obeyed, even the least one.

But Jesus says, and here is the difference. “the Scribes and the P

harisees in their righteousness focused on obeying rules

and on external compliance. Never violate the rule!” Jesus focused the heart.

He said, All of the law of the prophets

can be summed up this say, “Love God with all your heart and mind and strength. Love your neighbors as yourself.”

And if you think you are obeying but you are neglecting the transformation of the heart, then, you are getting off base.And you are going to do more damage than good. And that was what is going on. And that is why

He says, Unless your righteousness exceeds that as described by the Pharisees you can not live in the kingdom of God.

I used to think that was really bad news because they were so righteous. They fasted twice a week, prayed for hours,memorized the whole Old Testament. But see, precisely what Jesus is saying: You must not distort or misunderstandrighteousness or spirituality. At its heart it is just about love. Love God, love people. How good were the Pharisees atloving? They were terrible. So, i

n Jesus’ eyes, how much righteousness did they have? They did not have any at all!They were real pious, they were not righteous. So, when Jesus says, “Your righteousness has to exceed theirs,” He is not

saying something daunting like this is going to be really hard. He is setting the bar incredibly low. And then He

illustrates this in His teaching. If you don’t get this, then, the Sermon on the Mount becomes defeating and confusing.

And it has been that for many people over the centuries.This is g

enerally Jesus’ style of teaching, he does not give new laws or rules or regulations. He gives illustrations of whatKingdom life looks like. And contrasts that with what Dallas Willard calls “general prevailing attitudes” of His day,

conventional wisdom about how to live life. Usually He is not giving rules and regulations. He is contrasting Kingdom

living with “general prevailing attitudes.”

Classic example of this if found in Luke 14. Jesus had a banquet and he noticed that people were scrambling for places of honor. It is all about being number one. Now, notice exactly what Jesus says. Jesus turns to the host of this banquet.

Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers, do not invite

your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they might invite you back and so you will be repaid. But

when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed.” (Luke

14:12-13)