Upside Down Living

Red Letters

I was painting the deck at the house the other day and had a country music station playing. As I was listening to a song by Morgan Wallen played, Rednecks, Red Letters, Red Dirt. In it, the chorus goes…

Red necks, red letters, red dirt One light, one bar, one church Where the Lord gets thanked and the shine gets drank While an outback brush pile burns Yeah, I've been away, way too long But tonight I'm headed back home 'Cause when I need to find me There's only three things that'll work Red necks, red letters, red dirt

It made me think about the words of Christ – the red letters. Almost everyone cherishes the red letters, or the words of Christ, but do they really understand how radical they are? Morgan Wallen and other country music artists have included references to the red letters, but have they ever spent any time thinking about what Jesus said and the implications that it would mean to their lives?

That is what I think we will learn as we consider this hallmark passage from Jesus. In the book of Matthew, it covers 3 chapters. It is called the “Sermon on the Mount”.

The New Moses

Up to this point in the book of Matthew, the author has shown that Jesus is the continuation of the promise to Abraham and that He is from the line of David and that He is the fulfillment of the prophecy. (Hang on, we are setting up the significance of the Sermon on the Mount). Then, Matthew describes Jesus as coming out of Egypt (fled Herod), baptized at the Jordan (goes into the water), in the wilderness 10 days, and then He goes up to the mount. Of course, this parallels the story of Moses, and all the people would have known that on Mount Horeb, Moses received the 10 Commandments. What would the disciples receive? That is the question and the emphasis of this passage.

The disciples were likely expecting that Jesus was greater than Moses, but like Moses they would be …

1. Delivered from slavery

2. Given new divine teaching

3. Saved from their sins

4. And…given a new covenant

So, Jesus takes them out into the country, to the mount, and begins to teach them what it means to live in the Kingdom. This is generally where country songs don’t want to go. Sadly, some nominal Christians would prefer to stay at the country song level as well.

The disciples find out that Kingdom living is Upside Down Living.

Upside Down Living

The Sermon on the Mount is found in chapters 5-7 of Matthew. Today we will begin with the 1st part, referred to as The Beatitudes.

Matthew 5:1–12 NIV

Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them. He said: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Someone asked C.S. Lewis if he cared for the Beatitudes,

“As to caring for it, if “caring for,” means liking or enjoying, I suppose no one cares for it. Who can like being knocked flat on his face by a sledgehammer? I can hardly imagine a more deadly spiritual condition than that of a man who can read it with tranquil pleasure.”[1]

That is what I think is strange about the way worldly people react to the teachings of Jesus. I want to ask, “Have you really read what Jesus said?” Those are not descriptions of what we would think as powerful people. These are the ordinary people…and they are called to join the family of God.

The beatitudes often resemble sacred paradoxes. For those who are citizens of God’s kingdom, human estimations and values are radically reversed: the hungry, the meek, the weeping, and the persecuted are pronounced blessed. In striking ways, the beatitudes present the consolation and the challenge of the kingdom that Christ was bringing.[2]

Living the Beatitudes

A good place for us to start is to understand what these verses have in common – “blessed”. The Christian life is not a life that is characterized by unhappiness. We are ‘Blessed’. It has become a common greeting today. “Be blessed” is at the end of the drive through order. It is the last comment checking out with groceries. We want to be blessed and to see others blessed. In Christ we are!

The “Poor in Spirit” are happy

The phrase ‘poor in spirit’ has a long history in the Old Testament, particularly in the Psalms, and refers to those who have confidence only in God, ground down as they are by longstanding social and political distress. They have learned to put their trust in him alone, and to their unspeakable joy they find that the kingdom is God’s free gift to them. Their joy springs from sheer, undreamed-of grace.[3]

“Those who mourn” are happy

This does not describe Christians as being always sad. It describes a heart condition. It is a heart that has acknowledged our own sin.

Jesus is speaking about life in the kingdom of God. The poverty he describes is in a man's spirit, not his pocket. Similarly, the grief Jesus describes is man's mourning over his own sinfulness; it is regret that he has proved a disappointment to the Lord. Numbed by the discovery of his poverty of spirit, he learns to grieve because of it. Here, then, is another characteristic of the Christian. He does not excuse his sin, or belittle it, or ignore it...As with all spiritual graces, it is possible for us to be deceived about the real nature of this mourning. It is emphatically not to be equated with a heavy and depressive spirit. It is emphatically not to be equated with a heavy and depressive spirit. Some of us by nature are melancholic, and sink more easily in our spirits. We become introverted and develop a poor image of ourselves that surfaces in the way we look at or address others, even in the way we hold our heads and walk. But all of these things can be characteristics of a person who is absorbed in himself; rather than is poor in spirit. By contrast, the man who genuinely mourns because of his sin has been drawn out of himself to see God in his holiness and grace. It is this – his sight of God – that has made him mourn.[4]

When we recognize our sin in the light of the sacrifice of Christ, we are truly happy!

The “Meek” are Happy

Many, even in the church, think that to be meek is to be weak. But the opposite is true. What the Bible is talking about is a powerful virtue. The slogan "strong enough to be gentle" comes close to defining it. True meekness is best seen in Christ. He was submissive, never resisting or disputing the will of God. His absolute trust in the Father enabled Him to show compassion, courage, and self-sacrifice even in the most hostile situation.

Those who are “Hungry and thirsty for righteousness” are Happy

During deployment there were times when we would talk about meals that we were looking forward to having when we got home. July 4th reminded us of grilling hamburgers and hotdogs outside. Thanksgiving reminded us of the turkey, cornbread stuffing, mashed potatoes AND gravy, cranberry (whatever), and pecan pies of home. Christmas reminded us of all the candies and desserts of the season. We were hungry for the tastes of home.“Spiritual hunger is a characteristic of all God’s people, whose supreme ambition is not material but spiritual.”[5]

What you are hungry and thirsty for, reflects where your heart is.

The Merciful are Happy

‘Mercy’ is compassion for people in need. Richard Lenski helpfully distinguishes it from ‘grace’: ‘The noun eleos (mercy) … always deals with what we see of pain, misery and distress, these results of sin; and charis (grace) always deals with the sin and guilt itself. The one extends relief, the other pardon; the one cures, heals, helps, the other cleanses and reinstates.’[6]

You cannot be merciful to people affected by disaster without doing something about it. Mercy demands a response.

The “Pure in heart” are happy

The Devil and Tom Walker is an early American short story written by Washington Irving. In the story Tom is a miserable man who sells his soul to the devil for riches. It is part comedy and part moral fable. In one part of the story, the devil, Old Scratch, points out the trees of the forest that represent prominent business and church leaders in the community. Although they looked good from the outside, they were rotten and hollow on the inside.

Luke 11:39 NIV

Then the Lord said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.

It is easy to become full of rottenness in this life. The Pharisees were legalists and followed rules without loving God. Others love themselves and their passions. A true Christians’ lifestyle demands purity in heart – repentance, obedience, and dependence of the Spirit of God.

“Peacemakers” are Happy

It’s much easier to blow up a bridge than to build one. Jesus asks us to be bridge-builders in two ways: Everyone needs to make peace with God and with others. Therefore, the peacemaker is both evangelist (bringing others to Jesus) and healer (working to bring reconciliation in family, among friends and throughout society).

At many times in his ministry Billy Graham has been criticized for reaching out to include people whom some have wanted to exclude. He has responded on occasion by quoting this poem:

He drew a circle that shut me out, Rebel, heretic, a thing to flout. But love and I had the wit to win. We drew a circle that took him in.

The “Persecuted and Insulted” for Christ’s Sake are Happy

In his longest recorded sermon, Jesus began by describing the traits he was looking for in his followers. He called those who lived out those traits “blessed” because God had something special in store for them. Each beatitude is an almost direct contradiction of society’s typical way of life. In the last beatitude, Jesus pointed out that a serious effort to develop these traits would create opposition[7]

Dealing with It

I think we would all agree that those are beautiful attributes, but we have also become very comfortable in telling ourselves that we just can’t do it. “Bless those who are able to do those things, I can’t” is a common expression. I suppose there were those during the time of Christ when followers said the same thing. It has been pointed out that the nearer Christ got to the Cross, the fewer the followers were.

In the beginning of the chapter there were crowds of people who followed Him, but it was only the disciples that received the teaching we just discussed. I remember when I switched units in 1997. I joined a group that was training to do “boots on ground” sneaky stuff. The training NCO talked about doing training where we’d be blindfolded and dropped off. We’d be on our own to find our way back. Now, in all honesty, the command would never have gone for the plan. But, there I was – in a new unit and wondering what in the world I’d gotten myself into. The disciples were probably wondering the same thing!

As Christians today we must ask ourselves, “Is the Sermon on the Mount relevant to me today?” Is this the way that I am supposed to serve Jesus? I talked to a man on Friday, once he learned I was a minister he began asking questions about the world around us. He said that he was afraid of what was going on. We talked about what truth is and I set the hook with “If God is the source of truth, then what He says must be the only truth.”

So, can we live any other way? No! We don’t have the luxury of telling God that these things sound good, but they are unachievable.

Matthew 7:21–23 NIV

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

These are some of the last lines of the Sermon on the Mount. Can we acknowledge the lifestyle of a Christian and then do our own thing? Jesus has already answered it. NO!

[1] https://christiancounseling.com/blog/uncategorized/the-king’s-speech-beatitudes-part-one-of-six/ [2] W. P. DeBoer, “Beatitudes,” ed. Geoffrey W. Bromiley, The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1979–1988), 444. [3]Michael Green, The Message of Matthew: The Kingdom of Heaven, The Bible Speaks Today (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2001), 90. [4] https://www.preceptaustin.org/matthew_54-5 [5] John R. W. Stott and John R. W. Stott, The Message of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7): Christian Counter-Culture, The Bible Speaks Today (Leicester; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1985), 44. [6] John R. W. Stott and John R. W. Stott, The Message of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7): Christian Counter-Culture, The Bible Speaks Today (Leicester; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1985), 47. [7]Bruce B. Barton, Matthew, Life Application Bible Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1996), 81.