At the Center

At the Center

A sermon delivered by Rev. Peter T. Atkinson

January 28, 2018

at Gordonsville Presbyterian Church, Gordonsville, Virginia

Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 5-7

Let us pray,

Help us to see despite our eyes

Help us to think outside of our minds

Help us to be more than our lives      

For your eyes show the way

            Your mind knows the truth

            Your being is the life.

Amen.

Imagine for a moment if you will that you have been drawn to follow Jesus, and you aren’t exactly sure why, but there is something about him. Maybe it is word of mouth. Maybe you’ve had a personal encounter. Maybe you have heard about some kind of miracle. Maybe you are curious. Maybe you are starved for a savior, something else than you’ve always known, but you have come, and you have gathered here with many others to this mountain, and the man you have come to see sits down on the mountainside and begins teaching, and you heard this:

You’ve heard that people are blessed when they are successful, powerful, the rulers, the strong, the mighty, but in reality, in God’s kingdom it is very different, almost opposite perhaps. . .

For instance it is actually those who are poor in spirit who own the kingdom of heaven.

Those who are mourning for losses that find their comfort,

Those who are small and weak who will come to gain the world

Those who desire above all what is right who will be filled

Those who actually give mercy who will be shown mercy themselves

It is actually those who are pure in heart will be the ones who see God

The ones who are out making peace, who will be the children of God.

And if you can stand in persecution for righteousness, and because of righteousness will you be given that kingdom of heaven.

When people insult you, persecute you, and say evil because of me, and because you are following me. . . do not worry, instead rejoice, give thanks and be glad, for your reward will come from God in heaven like those prophets who have come before. . . .

The world is flipped upside down, what you don’t know is that it is not what the world says that is important, instead what you are, and what you are made to be, for you are like Salt, and Salt is important, because it is salt, if it would somehow stop being salt, it would no longer be salt, and therefore would lose its worth. . . be what you are made to be. . .

A light, you are a light in this world, and you must shine, you cannot hide yourself, what  you have been made to be, it must shine for the world to see, front and center and raised up high. . . people will see you being what you were made to be, they will see those deeds, shining and they will glorify God in heaven, Your father in heaven. . . for you were made by God. . .

But don’t think that this status, this special place, the fact that you are made in the image of God, stands outside of the Law and the prophets, not at all, instead it fulfills what they have said, because I am fulfilling them, even the smallest of details, the stroke of a pen, the smallest of letters, nothing is changed, righteousness matters, you must be righteous even beyond those Pharisees. . .

You have heard the commandments, they have said you shall not murder, but I tell you it is not the action but the cause of it, not the murdering, but the anger. . . . the anger itself is enough to condemn you.

Likewise, adultery, you’ve heard that you shouldn’t commit adultery, but its more than that it is the lust in your heart, the action in your heart. . . whatever causes the action needs to be removed. . . it is about curing the diseases not just treating the symptoms. . . the action is the symptom the heart is the disease.

Marriage is for life, the paper doesn’t matter it is the commitment. . .

You’ve heard that you shouldn’t break oaths. . .but it isn’t that you shouldn’t break them, you shouldn’t make them. . . there is no need to add anything to your word, it should be just as binding. . .  your yes should mean yes, and your no should mean no, any embellishment dissuades you from the good.

But at the same time there must be patience, you’ve heard that you are to take revenge, the old adage of an eye for an eye, but you shouldn’t, if someone strikes you let them, give them your other cheek to strike. If they steal from you, give them more. If they take your shirt, give them also your coat. . . if they make you run a mile, run too. . . Give to the one who asks, and do not turn the borrower away. . . for the needs of others take precedent. . .

Even your enemies, those who are out to hurt you. . . You’ve heard, love your neighbor and hate your enemy, but I say love your enemy, pray for those who hurt you. . . because that is being a child of your Father in heaven. . . He makes you and them, and he makes the sun rise on all, those who are evil and those who are good, and the rain falls on everyone. If the only love you have is for those who love you, what extra is there. . . even the tax collectors do that. . . what are you doing that is more? What are you doing to raise the bar? Those who do not know me? Those who are following other understandings of God, smaller conceptions of me, do such things. . . God is perfect, and he is your heavenly father, therefore be perfect yourself.

But don’t just be perfect to be seen to be perfect, to be judged well, to be thought highly of. . . for there is much more reward to be had beyond what could be given to you here. . . so when you give to those who are in need, don’t announce it, don’t flaunt it, so that you may be honored by others. . . such honor is what you will get, but there is much more to be had. . . so when you give, don’t even let one hand know what the other is doing, give in secret, and then your God who knows all will surely know and give to you out of his heavenly infinite abundance. . .

And prayer is the same. . . there is no need to pray to be seen, to be heard, to be judged as pious by others. . . when you pray go into your room, by yourself, close the doors, and pray not to others but to your father, and he will see what you will be done in secret. . . and when you pray don’t keep babbling on, it is not about how many words you use, your Father knows what  you need before you ask. . .

Instead pray like this

Our father in heaven, may your name be great, may your kingdom come, may your wil be done, make it on Earth like it is in heaven. . . give us this day what we need, forgive what we owe you, and let us forgive what others owe us. . .don’t lead us into wondering, and keep us from the evil one. . .

You see that is enough, and it is not just a prayer but a life, forgiveness forgive others when they harm you, and likewise you will be forgiven. . . if you do not forgive, you will not be forgiven. . .

And fasting. . . if you are going to fast don’t show how much you suffer for sympathy. . . for the sympathy you get will be the fullness of your reward. . . .but when you fast, when you sacrifice, put oil on your head, wash your face. . . let it not be seen how much you sacrifice, for again what your father sees is more important, and he sees all. . .

The rewards you receive on Earth do not last, they are destroyed by bugs and rats, thieves can steal them. . .they wither and fade in time. . .but treasure in heaven last forever, they cannot be stolen, then never wither. . . if your treasure is there and timless, then your heart will reside there, and your heart will not fail. . .

Watch where you are looking for your eyes light up the body, if they are healthy and rest on healthy things you will be full of their light, but if they focus on darkness, then the light shining within you will also become darkness. . . and how great that darkness would be. . . remember you are to shine your light to the world. . . and that light should be a heavenly light. . .

You have to choose, there are two possibilities and you cannot love both. . .you cannot serve two masters. . . where is your true treasure. . . . Loving one means despising the other. . . You cannot serve God and the wealth of this world. . .

So don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, don’t worry about your body, what you will wear. . . life is more than food, and your body is more than the clothes you wear. . .Look at the birds. . . they soar above, they do not sow or reap or hoard their food in barns, but they are fed, and it is your Father who feeds them. . . don’t you think your Father who made  you and knows your value would do the same or more for you. . . what can any worrying do for you? Does worrying give you more time

Why do you worry about clothes. . . look at flowers that grow in the field they don’t labor, they don’t spin, yet have you ever seen such splendor? If that is how God clothes the grass which is here today and tomorrow is burned, how much more will he not clothe you. . . where is your faith? Do not worry saying what shall we eat? What shall we drink? What shall we wear? Others may run after these things. . . but your heavenly Father knows what you need. . .

Therefore I say, seek first the kingdom of God, his kingdom, and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. . .fix your eyes on heaven and your needs will be given to you. . . do not worry about tomorrow. .. for tomorrow will have worries of its own. . .each day has enough trouble of its own. . .

So do not judge others, for you will too be judged. . . the measure that you use to judge others will be used to judge you. . .

Why do you look at the little bit of dust in another’s eye but ignore the huge plank that is in your own? Do not say to another that you will take the dust out of their eyes, like some hypocrite, instead work on removing the plank of your own eye, get it out, then you can see clearly enough to help the other. . .

Don’t give to dogs what is sacred. . . don’t throw your pearls to pigs. . . for they will trample them under their feet and then come back and tear you to pieces as well. . .

Look, ask and keep asking and it will be given to you, seek and keep seeking and you will find and keep finding, knock and keep knocking and you will find a perpetually open door. . Everyone who asks receives, the one who seeks finds, and the one who knocks finds that open door. . .

Remember that your Father in Heaven is Good. . . if your son would ask you for bread you wouldn’t give him a stone. . . if he asks for a fish you wouldn’t give him a snake. . . if you then, though are sinful, evil and lost, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will Your Father in heaven give to those who asks. . .

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, this is the full summary of everything in the Law and the Prophets. . .

Enter through the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many follow that path, but the gate that leads to life is small, and the road that leads to life is narrow. . . there are few who will actually find it. . .

And watch out for those who will tell you differently. . . these false prophets, they may come to you in sheep’s clothing, benign and sweet, but they are ferocious devouring wolves. . . by their fruit will  you be able to recognize them, just like people do not pick grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistes. . . good trees bear good fruit and bad trees cannot do so. . . every tree that does not bear that good fruit, will be cut down and thrown into the fire. . . leave the bad ones alone, for it will be easy to tell the difference in time.

Not everyone who comes to me saying Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but only the one who does the will o my Father who is in heaven. . . there will be a day when many will say, Lord, Lord, did we not speak out in your name and drive out demons and perform miracles in your name. . . but I will tell them plainly, “ I never knew you, away from me, your deeds were evil. . .

Hear these words from me, put them into practice, because then you will be like the wise man who built his house on the rock. . .the rains came down, the floods came up and the winds beat against the house and it stayed firm. . . it did not fall because it was on the rock. . .

But if  you do not put them into practice in your life. . . you will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. .. those rains came, the streams rose and that house fell with a tremendous crash. . .