“How Shall We Come Before the Lord”
Matthew 5:1-12 [Gospel Lesson]
Micah 6:1-8 [Teaching Text]
Our Gospel Lesson this morning is the beginning of what is called the “Sermon on the Mount.” Some say it’s the only sermon Jesus ever preached. He did a lot of teaching but not so much of what we might consider preaching. This section of the sermon is referred to as the “Beatitudes.”
These verses can be understood in at least four ways: [1] They are a code of ethics and a standard of conduct for all believers. [2] They contrast kingdom values [what is eternal] with worldly values [what is temporary]. [3] They contrast the superficial faith of the Pharisees with the real faith that Jesus demands. [4] They show how Old Testament expectations will be fulfilled in the new kingdom. These Beatitudes are not multiple choice, like you can pick what you like and leave the rest. They must be taken as a whole. Jesus perfectly exemplified them, and we must aim to live as He did!
When Jesus announced that “The kingdom is near,” people naturally wanted to know how they could qualify this kingdom. Jesus said that God’s kingdom is organized differently from worldly kingdoms. In the kingdom of heaven, wealth and power and authority are unimportant. The first and primary quality needed is humility, recognizing your need for God. Kingdom people seek different blessings and benefits than people of the world, and they also have different attitudes.
Micah is considered one of the Minor Prophets. We don’t know a whole lot about him except that he was a prophet in the 8th century, a contemporary of three better known prophets—Isaiah, Amos, and Hosea. Micah was a prophet who spoke for the downtrodden and exploited people of Judean society, particularly for the poor farm workers who were suffering at the hands of powerful landlords. This may help you as you seek to understand the three Biblical demands he places upon our lives: “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.”
An Episcopal priest was asked by a high school class in Cambridge, Maryland, to deliver a graduation sermon. Afterwards he spoke of the invitation as one of the truly significant moments of his ministry. Little did he know that students made the selection by picking a Sunday and attending a number of churches. Their purpose was to time the sermons. The minister who gave the shortest sermon was chosen to deliver the graduation sermon. Ouch! Talk about humbling!
Or the little girl [around 3-years-old] being interviewed and asked, “Who are you most scared of, Mommy or Daddy?” She responded, “Mommy.” And the interviewer asked, “What about Daddy?” And the little girl answered, “He’s scared of her too.”
In our text this morning, because God’s demands of loyalty and love are not being met, God takes Israel to a metaphorical court where God is both prosecutor and judge. He calls on the mountains and the foundations of the earth to be third party witnesses since they would have been witnesses to the original covenant.
God reminds the people of all He had done for them—the leaders He had sent to rescue them—the places of great importance: Shittim, the last camp of the Israelites east of the Jordan and Gilgal, its first camp on the west bank.
God doesn’t call attention to their gross sins but asks where He has failed them. He doesn’t command but pleads with them to remember His faithfulness to them. The people are silent and seem to have no answer against their accusations.
The people of Israel responded to God’s request by trying to appease Him with sacrifices, hoping He would then leave them alone. But sacrifices and other religious rituals aren’t enough; God wants changed lives. He wants His people to be fair, just, merciful, and humble. God wants us to become living sacrifices [Romans 12:1-12], not just doing religious deeds but living lives transformed by Him. When we follow God consistently, He pours His transforming love into our hearts.
Brothers and Sisters, God doesn’t want our empty sacrifices and half-hearted efforts—He wants man to be good through justice—mercy—and humility. God is to be worshiped—adored—studied—and served and we do this by loving and serving others. If we can’t love our neighbors whom we can see, then it will be impossible to love God who we can’t see.
How shall we come before the Lord? To be just and kind and to live in quiet fellowship with our God; to walk humbly, or as one wise sage said, to walk “wisely” with our God!
Thanks be to God!
Eastman First Methodist Church 