Sermon - 29 Jan 2023 - The blessed life
Micah 6:1-8 “The Lord’s Case Against Israel”
Listen to what the Lord says: “Stand up, plead my case before the mountains; let the hills hear what you have to say. 2 “Hear, you mountains, the Lord’s accusation; listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth. For the Lord has a case against his people; he is lodging a charge against Israel. 3 “My people, what have I done to you? How have I burdened you? Answer me. 4 I brought you up out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery. I sent Moses to lead you, also Aaron and Miriam. 5 My people, remember what Balak king of Moab plotted and what Balaam son of Beor answered. Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous acts of the Lord.”
6 With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? 7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
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Matthew 5:1-12 “Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount”
Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.
He said: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
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Good morning everyone, welcome to today’s Youth Sunday service. Our theme today is “The blessed life”. Let us pray. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of all our hearts be acceptable to you, O Christ, our Strength and our Redeemer, amen. Our two scripture readings today offer two different perspectives on the blessed life: one is from the perspective of a human being, and the other is from the perspective of God himself in the person of Jesus Christ. We will analyse both scriptures and determine the way God wants us to live.
In the first reading, the prophet Micah is a contemporary of Isaiah and Hosea. Micah prophesied during the momentous years surrounding the tragic fall of Israel to the Assyrian Empire around 722 BC. Micah predicted not only God’s judgment of his wayward people but also how God will restore his sinful people to grace.
This passage is called a “prophetic covenant lawsuit” in which Micah addresses the broken relationship between God and the people of ancient Israel. The passage can be divided into two main sections: God’s controversy (verses 1-5) and God’s requirements (verses 6-8). In the first section, Micah recites the righteous acts of God with emphasis on four events: redemption from Egypt; inspired leadership; deliverance from the schemes of Balak and Balaam; and entrance into the Promised Land. In the second section, Micah acknowledges a need for reconciliation. The people’s extravagant offer of more sacrifices is countered by the demand of God that they do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with their God. The repeated word “what” functions to show the stage of pilgrimage toward reconciliation between God and the people of Israel. The last “what” essentially summarises the whole passage, asking: “What does God expect of you?”
Instead of sacrifices, God wants faithful relationships and reliable solidarity. The two commands in verse 8, doing justice and loving kindness, stand at the center of Israel’s faith. The first command concerns the love of neighbour. The second command concerns the love of God.
The third command is to walk humbly. The term “humbly” could be misleading because it does not mean belittling yourself. Rather, to walk humbly is the opposite of walking arrogantly and self-righteously. An American Protestant Old Testament scholar and theologian, Walter Brueggemann suggests that the term “walking humbly” is to pay attention to others. In this way, the command to walk humbly is the journey of self-sacrifice. If we walk humbly, then we acknowledge others who will be our companions along the way. A Brazilian educator and philosopher, Paulo Freire succinctly said that “oppressors dehumanise others and violate their rights,” and dehumanisation is the opposite of becoming fully human. In contrast, the command to walk humbly will lead us to the restoration of God’s image, and we will all become agents of transformation in the world.
If we walk the path humbly acknowledging others, who will be our companion along the way? Micah answers: “With your God.” This is not just the presence of the Holy Spirit, but also the Spirit’s power of salvation so that one can walk with the God who saves, reconciles, heals, and transforms.
Now that we have a better understanding of the human perspective on the blessed life, let us now examine the divine point of view. The Sermon on the Mount is sometimes thought of as Jesus’ “Declaration of the Kingdom.” The American Revolutionaries had their Declaration of Independence. Karl Marx had his Communist Manifesto. With this message, Jesus declared what His Kingdom is all about. It presents a radically different agenda than what the nation of Israel expected from the Messiah. It does not present the political or material blessings of the Messiah’s reign. Instead, it expresses the spiritual implications of the rule of Jesus in our lives. This great message tells us how we will live when Jesus is our Lord.
The first portion of the Sermon on the Mount is known as the Beatitudes, which means “The Blessings”. Each Beatitude is an attribute of Jesus himself. He spoke of his own nature and the nature of the followers that God the father gave to him.
1. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
This beatitude is first, because this is where we start with God. The poor in spirit recognise that they need God’s grace. Even Jesus subjugated himself to God by being obedient unto death. In a poetic way, this is both how the universe began and how it will end: in the beginning, Jesus the Word of God created everything at the command of his Father, and at the end of time, Jesus will kneel before his Father and present all creation to him, that God will be all in all.
2. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Jesus does not speak of casual sorrow for the consequences of our sin, but a deep grief before God over our fallen state. Jesus himself was a man of sorrows, who wept over the city of Jerusalem before his crucifixion.
3. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
In this context, “meek” does not mean cowardly. It translates to people who suffer wrong without bitterness or desire for revenge. We can only be meek, willing to control our desire for our rights and privileges because we are confident God watches out for us, that He will protect our cause. Jesus said of himself, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” Where all other leaders direct their follows to go here and do this, Jesus directs his followers to come directly to him for all their needs, and he turns none away.
4. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.
How does this hunger and thirst for righteousness express itself? Please note that the word “righteousness” here does not mean the law of the land or what is popularly known as right and wrong; it means God’s holy righteousness, which overshadows any ethics or morals that the world can muster. Jesus himself knew this hunger and thirst, so much so that he endured death on the cross rather than delay God’s righteous plan one more day.
5. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
If you want mercy from others - especially God - then you should take care to be merciful to others. Christ has mercy even for his enemies, asking God to forgive them as they crucified him.
6. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Jesus promised that the person who is pure of heart will, thanks to their faith, see God in this world as though through a mirror darkly, but in the Kingdom will meet God face to face. Jesus saw the presence of God in every person he met because he knew that all life comes from God.
7. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
There is no peace in the modern world. There’s crime and war all over the world. Does this sound familiar to you? “If only everyone did what I told them to do, everything would be fine!” Of course, this method does not work and it has not worked for thousands of years, but people still try to force their will on others. In the beatitude, “peacemakers” are not those who live in peace, but those who actually bring about peace, overcoming evil with good. One way we accomplish this is through spreading the gospel, because God has entrusted to us the ministry of reconciliation. We make peace between humanity and the God whom they have rejected and offended. One of Jesus’ titles is the Prince of Peace because he successfully reconciled humanity with God, mending our relationship with our creator.
8. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
It did not take long for these words of Jesus to ring true to His followers: early Christians heard many enemies say all kinds of evil against them falsely for Jesus’ sake. Christians were accused of numerous crimes and punished or killed. Jesus himself was falsely accused in a mockery of a trial and then brutally killed by the government of the day, but three days later there was a resurrection. If Jesus did not come back to life then everything he taught would have been worthless. However, his resurrection proves that all he says is true; both he and his followers are truly blessed.
In conclusion, both Micah and Jesus say that justice, mercy and humility are what God requires of his people. However, Jesus goes a step beyond by offering his own life on the cross. On our own, we are unworthy of God’s grace, but Christ brings everyone to God. Amen. Let us pray. Lord, teach us to view this world through your eyes. Help us to see you in every aspect of our lives, continuously working towards this world’s salvation. Allow us to participate in this great work, so that we will have the right to be called the children of God. Amen.