Over the course of our study of the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord Jesus has been going after our hearts. It has been obvious in every sermon and study that we’ve had. The Lord is after who we are, more than what we do. Our doing reflects our being, and our actions follow our hearts. As Bill Heard said in his preparatory comments for the Lord’s Table, Stan’s sermon was convicting and encouraging at the same time. Very true.
But I want to take a moment to ponder one part of this more deeply. Recently, I was struck again by Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 11:3, when he said, “But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” In reality, this is what Jesus teaches in the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 5-7 really is an exposition of Matthew 22:37-39. The Sermon on the Mount is about heartfelt devotion being expressed in faith-filled action. It’s about a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
Think about this with me:
- The Beatitudes are about Jesus. He’s the only One who perfectly embodies them. And, His people embody them as well. The Beatitudes are the attitudes that we are called to ‘be.’ And the only way we can ‘be’ like the Beatitudes is to sincerely love Jesus with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. I have found that when I am not enamored with Christ, I don’t live out the Beatitudes very well.
- The only way to be salt and light is to be sincerely devoted to Christ. Jesus is the only One who gives ‘saltiness’ to life, and He’s the light of the world. His followers bring tastiness and flavor to life, and they bring the aroma of Christ with them. This can only happen if we are near Him.
- The same holds with the 6 tests of righteousness that Jesus gave: anger, lust, retaliation, marriage, truthfulness, and loving our enemies. All of these are sins against others. They are not loving others well. But we cannot love others well if we’re not loving Christ well.
That is what made Stan’s sermon on Matthew 6:1-15 convicting and encouraging. “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people to be seen by them,” reveals the true devotion of our hearts. We love being recognized, noticed, and applauded for our goodness and moral purity. We love to take the moral high ground…and brag about it. Why? Because in one way or another, we were led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
As I awoke this morning, grabbed my coffee, and began to pray, I asked the Lord to protect my heart from being led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. Temporal pressures easily lead my heart astray. Challenging stresses that are not my doing, and some that are lead my heart astray. National and international turmoil that grieves me leads my heart astray. Lord, draw us back to a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
Each day…every hour and minute, the enemy of our souls is attempting to lead us astray from a simple and pure devotion to Jesus. The Sermon on the Mount has exposed it, and it has revealed our need for Christ.
Looking ahead:
This Sunday, Luis will speak on fasting from Matthew 6:16-18. I told him on Monday that, because fasting is convicting, I’m going to fast from Sunday’s service :). Not really, but I am looking forward to hearing it. We’re also honoring graduates this Sunday, so it should be a blast.
Cheap Seats:
- Check out this inside-the-park home run: https://www.mlb.com/news/rays-prospect-austin-overn-hits-inside-the-park-home-run-after-ball-gets-stuck-in-outfield-grass?lctg=4018933772&partnerId=it-20260514-18128100-mlb-1-A&utm_id=it-20260514-18128100-mlb-1-A
- The most bizarre double play I’ve seen: https://www.mlb.com/news/oklahoma-city-comets-turn-unusual-double-play?adobe_mc=TS%3D1780925460%7CMCMID%3D52434454623087976736788340276420052932%7CMCORGID%3DA65F776A5245B01B0A490D44@AdobeOrg&affiliateId=mlbapp-ios_webview_news-index&rsid=mlbios.at.bat.new.implementation
- Some incredible CLF news:
- Several of our young people showed lambs at Saturday’s Lamb Show. But Colton Mauch won the champion intermediate showman title out of 100 kids, and his sister, Sidney, was the reserve champion in the junior division. Congrats to the Mauch family and Colton and Sidney.
- Talen Lamm attends CLF periodically with his family. Last Saturday, June 6th, his South Umpqua Lancers won the 3A State Baseball Championship. My boys and I were at the game, and they played hard, gritty, and tough. Congrats, Talen.
Christ is King!
In Christ,
Dave York
