MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE – Mountains & Plains

Mountains and plains in Israel

If you happened to miss church this past Sunday, you missed another great sermon.  Rev. Ryan Gabriel spoke about the Sermon on the Plain (found in Luke 6).  His sermons always give food for thought, and this one was no different.  However, today I want to look at both of Jesus’ sermons and see what, exactly, was the difference between the two.  Matthew tells us about the Sermon on the Mount.  That one is longer (two chapters), and we hear about that one far more often than the Sermon on the Plain.  True enough, there is about a third of each that overlaps the other.  However, the two were preached to two completely different audiences and for have two different overall messages.   Scholars often debate as to if each of these sermons were preached all at once (once for the “mount” and once for the “plain”), or were they preached at various times and then written down as one.  To me, it doesn’t actually matter.  The messages and lessons that are contained in each are the same, no matter them details of when/where they actually occurred. 

Sermon on the Mount

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus was speaking primarily to a Jewish audience.  This would have included the leaders of the Jewish community, as well as the common folk.  He went up on the mountain, above the people that were following Him, to get away from the pressing crowd somewhat.  He wanted to speak to them, but He couldn’t really get their attention and be heard unless He moved up above them a bit.

 

Sermon on the Plain

In the Sermon on the Plain, He was talking to primarily to a Gentile crowd.  There were people from many of the towns around where He was.  He had just spent a whole evening and night praying to God on a mountainside.  When He came down, he called all His disciples to Him (there were many more than just the 12 we read about throughout the Gospels and Acts), and picked out 12 of them.  Jesus would continue teaching ALL His disciples, but these 12 would receive specific instructions to raise them to more of a leadership role as time went on.  After Jesus chose those 12, He walked out onto the plain (a large enough flat area of the ground that everyone could come close) and He began teaching everyone. 

There are differences between the two sermons, other than the people who were there to hear the sermons, and the difference in where Jesus stood to preach.  The Sermon on the Mount was primarily about what it meant to be a good Christian.  There was a great deal of compare/contrast of the haves vs. the have-nots, and a reversal of roles when it came to who would get into heaven and who wouldn’t.  In the Sermon on the Plain, Jesus was emphasizing kindness and caring to the poor and those in need.  In the Sermon on the Mount, the point Jesus was trying to make as:  “All you folks who think you’re the best at following God’s rules and  laws have it COMPLETELY WRONG!  Here’s what it REALLY means to follow the laws you have been given by God.”  In the Sermon on the Plain, Jesus was basically saying:  “Here’s what else you need to know… it’s not just about how YOU follow the laws… it’s about HOW YOU TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER!!”  

The Sermon on the Mount was prompted by what the Pharisees and his disciples were saying to Jesus about ministry practices.  The Pharisees were alarmed that Jesus forgave people of their sins in the name of God. To them, that was the supreme blasphemy.  They also did not approve of his healing on the Sabbath. According to the Pharisees, Jesus was breaking Jewish Law right and left.  The Sermon on the Mount was meant, to a large degree, to set them straight. 

The Sermon on the Plain started out as Jesus talking directly to His disciples.  He had just picked His apostles, and was beginning to teach them.  The first thing that He wanted them to know was that IT WASN’T ABOUT THEM.  It was about OTHERS:  How they treated others; How everyone should treat others; How we should especially take care of those who could not take care of themselves; How those were the types of people that would be rewarded in heaven.  He even started out with an admonishment, asking them why they even bother to call him “Lord” if they weren’t going to follow what He was teaching them.  OOOooo… that got their attention, alright!

Luke has been called the “social Gospel” because of its overall sympathy for the poor and emphasis on kindness throughout the entire book.  In Luke, we see teachings from Jesus like:
** Love your enemies and do good to those who hate you (Luke 6:27).
** Do unto others as you would have them do unto you (Luke 6:31).
** Do not judge, and you will not be judged (Luke 6:37).

Both the Sermon on the Mount and the Sermon on the Plain laid the groundwork for the Christian church, and they both continue to instruct us and guide us today.  Timeless and eternal, Jesus reaches out to us through the ages and still guides us in the way He would have us go today. 

I encourage you to spend some time this week rereading both Sermons:

Sermon on the Mount:  Matthew 5-7 
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%205-7&version=NIV

Sermon on the Plain:  Luke 6
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%206&version=NIV

 

Take care of each other!

Until next time… J…

Footprints in the Sand: Wisdom, Guidance, and God's Will

God’s wisdom … seeking God’s guidance … knowing God’s will … these are all things I hope you have pondered at one time or another … In fact … as a child of God … your eternal life purchased through the suffrage of our Savior … you should not only ponder these things … you should strive for them …

You aren’t here by accident … we’re here because God put us here … He put you here for a reason … He wants you … us … to come to know Him in a personal way … The greatest discovery you’ll ever make is to come to know the love of God through a personal relationship with Him. You were created to know God and to be His friend forever … He not only has a general purpose each of us … He also has a specific plan for our lives … You’re not a surprise to God … He knows all about you … the good … the bad … and the ugly … and He loves you beyond your imaginings … and has a plan for your life … and an eternal plan …

Have you ever felt a tug to do something … help someone … call someone … visit someone … or sundry of other actions … did you wonder if it was God speaking to you? This could very well be the case … in many instances it probably is … However …. Feelings and emotions … given to us by God … are important … but can be tricky and deceiving … but God also gave us mental abilities … when contemplating something we need to look at it carefully and logically … part of discerning God’s will is for us to ask Him to help us see all sides of any issue … which sometimes comes through the help from others we trust …

But emotions and intellect aren’t enough … when we face a decision … we need to pray about it with a heart that trusts God to lead us … and with the influence of meditating on God’s Word … Knowing God’s will can give you peace in the midst of situations that consist of suffering and everyday trials … When we are in constant fellowship with God … He will lead us in fulfilling His plan  … 1 Corinthians 10:13 … “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

God’s wisdom is not tainted by the needs … the desires or the emotions of humanity. God-given wisdom is divine wisdom … it comes from the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. God-given wisdom cannot be acquired through the pursuit of earthly things or through man’s efforts since it is strictly a gift of grace ... Only God is wise ... only He can give us this kind of wisdom … what we know is limited.

We can’t see the big picture or how one action will affect another … We can’t see how our decisions affect the people around us … God can … God is all-knowing … He has perfect wisdom and is capable of understanding the impact of every single decision on every single thing … But God’s wisdom is so much better because He is invested in working things out for our good … He desires to use His wisdom to draw us closer to Him … not only was God willing to give wisdom to anyone who asks, but He would also give wisdom generously … James understood that wisdom was something to be sought after. In James 1:5 we see … “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” … Proverbs 2:6  … “For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;” … James 3:17  … “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.” 

Everything was made with the purpose of pointing our hearts and minds back to our Creator God … That is the whole reason why we exist. The truth is that we are living significant lives simply because we have been made in the image of God … and He is the one who gives us purpose.

I’ll leave you with a verse from James 1:17 … “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

Submitted by Joan Paschal

MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE – Pharisees: Then & Now

 

Do you take notes during the sermon?  Some folks do and some don’t, and either choice is fine.  I find that it does a couple of things for me:  it helps me to concentrate on what’s being said and it gives me something to reread during the week to think about the sermon again.  As I reread my notes from Sunday’s sermon, I was struck by Paul’s constant struggle to teach his churches HOW to follow Christ.  We continue to struggle with much the same things all these millennia later.  The details of the challenges that Paul faced with his churches are different than many we face nowadays, but the underlying causes of the problems remain the same.  That’s why Paul’s letters continue to teach us important lessons so many centuries and millennia later. 

The birth of Christianity caused a big change in the way that people thought about religion.  Following Christ wasn’t like anything they’d ever experienced before.  Jesus’ teachings were a radical way of thinking about, well, everything!  Human nature puts “self” about “others”.  Human nature is survival-based, whereas Jesus taught that we were to think of others first and to put God above all else.  That’s almost the exact opposite of what had ever been done before.  Putting “self before others” is called narcissism.  Narcissism is defined as “selfishness, involving a sense of entitlement, a lack of empathy, and a need for admiration”. 

• -        Selfishness
• -        Sense of entitlement
• -        Lack of empathy
• -        Needing admiration

You don’t have to look far (in the news, especially) to see narcissism in action, do you?  I could add “spiritually pompous” to that definition when it comes to narcissism and religion.  The Pharisees were extremely guilty of that, back in Jesus’ time.  That’s why He constantly admonished them.  The Pharisees were party within the Jewish religion who believed that God could and should be worshipped even away from the Temple and outside Jerusalem, which constantly put them at odds with the Priests of the Temple, who wanted everyone to worship ONLY at the Temple, and buy their sacrifices (also only at the Temple). To the Pharisees, worship consisted of prayer and studying God's law.  So far, that sounds reasonable, doesn’t it?  Here’s the thing though…  They were full of greed and self-indulgence. They acted self-righteous because they were the scrupulous keepers of the law but were, in fact, not righteous: their mask of righteousness hid a secret inner world of wicked thoughts and feelings. Jesus knew exactly what they were, and often was found debating with them when He was in Jerusalem. 

Today, we would call the Pharisees narcissists.  Pastor Gabriel asked a question in the Sunday Sermon:  “Is narcissism the cause of the division in the church today?”  I can see many instances where it likely is a part of it, at the very least.  More and more, we find ourselves in a “me first” kind of world.  It’s up to each one of us to remember the teachings of Jesus and those of Paul and put others first.

Paul, in his letter to the church in Rome, warns: “I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil.” (Romans 16:17-19)

In his letter to the church in Philippi, Paul said: ”So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.”  (Philippians 2:1-5)

 Jesus warned:  “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”  (Luke 20:46-47)  

Submitted by Jackie Garrison