Sept 24: You’re looking at it backwards

Back. After a looong hiatus.

Today at WMB Waterloo (video) we looked at Jesus advice to love everyone as recorded in the sermon on the mount (Matthew 5). But before we go there, where have we come from?

Over the summer, WMB looked at (use your favourite word) the yoke, habits, practices, disciplines or life-rule of Jesus. These practices are profound and subtle. If you really want to follow Jesus (by, for example, loving everyone), you aren’t going to get there through trying, or sheer effort — which seems counter-intuitive. Its going to take being with Jesus, becoming like Jesus and doing what he did. How does that happen? By practicing The Way, that is, the way of Jesus.

To try this out, our homegroup is starting the practice of prayer from practicingtheway.org. Here’s a great overview sermon about why the practices help you become like Jesus and learn to love. And, then, how the sermon on the mount begins to make sense. I’ll let you know later how the practice is going.

Last week at WMB was an overview of the sermon on the mount. When Jesus spoke, it wasn’t “the sermon on the mount”, it was just Jesus talking on a hill and “lets go over and hear what he is saying” (John Mark Comer in the last video). When Jesus is talking few people see him as Messiah. Jesus ends his sermon with this crazy punch-line: if you practice what I say, you are wise. If you don’t you are foolish. Wow, hardly ending on a high, encouraging note.

Jesus seems to think its in my profound best-interest (the difference between wise and foolish) to practice what he said. Mathew’s closes with this observation: the people were blown away. I wanted to understand why they were blown away, because for me now, what Jesus said seemed kind of normal.

Tim Mackie’s video helped me understand why the the sermon on the mount is mind-blowing and I really encourage you to watch it. Jesus takes 6 ways in which we relate to each other (including what we covered at WMB this morning: “love your enemy”). Jesus shows how the heart behind my actions needs transforming. When God’s way is written on my heart then I become truly transformed into the person he intended me to be.

All of this has emphasized for me the upside-down nature of Jesus good news. Jesus really wants me to look at the world if a very different way … and I should be very humble about what I think I know and how I live my life. Tim Mackie’s “how are you guys doing” in that video is right on.

Which brings me back to WMB today. We started with the song “Battle Belongs“. The words go like this:

When all I see is the battle, You see my victory
When all I see is the mountain, You see a mountain moved
And as I walk through the shadow, Your love surrounds me
There’s nothing to fear now for I am safe with You

So when I fight, I’ll fight on my knees
With my hands lifted high
Oh God, the battle belongs to You
And every fear I lay at Your feet
I’ll sing through the night
Oh God, the battle belongs to You
Phil Wickham

How did you hear or sing the song? Did you hear that Jesus would help you with your battles?Did hear that Jesus would help you achieve your goals?

The song goes on:

And if You are for me, who can be against me? Yeah
For Jesus, there’s nothing impossible for You
When all I see are the ashes, You see the beauty
Thank You God
When all I see is a cross, God, You see the empty tomb

Almighty fortress, You go before us
Nothing can stand against the power of our God
You shine in the shadow, You win every battle
Nothing can stand against the power of our God
Phil Wickham

This song talks powerfully about victory, the power of God and how prayer is the posture of battle. What came to mind when you thought or sang about victory in your life? Jesus in the sermon on the mount defined Victory. Jesus seems to say that victory is when God’s law is written on my and our hearts. He also says the way to get there is to practice the way. That’s really different than what I’m thinking. Its not what comes first to my mind — I have other ideas in my mind about what success or victory looks like. So I guess that’s why he is putting the choice in front of me / us.

I’ve been surprised over the summer (these 2 videos are just a sampling) at how I naturally look at things backwards. I find Jesus way of framing reality to be counter-intuitive and challenging. But, on reflection, profoundly right. That must be why the people were blown away.

We’ve got a few more weeks in the sermon on the mount series. Watch the video.