“Priorities: Different from the World”
Matthew 5:1-12
Jan. 15-16, 2006

1. Grace mercy and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Today’s message, in this second weekend of our sermon series on priorities, comes from Matthew 5:1-12 and is entitled, “Priorities: Different from this World,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ. Country singer Barbara Mandrell said that when her son Nathan was born, she always sang three songs to him: “Jesus Loves Me,” “This is the Day the Lord Has Made,” and “Jesus Loves the Little Children.” She said, “I wondered which of these would be the first song that Nathan would sing on his own. It was none of those three. The first song he sang was, “All My Ex’s Live in Texas.”

2. Barbara Mandrell’s son Nathan has reminded all of us of what it’s like to be a Christian in our world today. God calls us to put Him first in all that we do, to always make decisions that He would see as being righteous and part of His will. He wants us to order our priorities around Him. We’re to be in the world, but not of it. Sometimes we make the wrong decisions. Our priorities can be in the wrong place. Because of those decisions that we make, those we love can be harmed and even ourselves. In a world that wants us to only think of “self” before others it can be hard to be a Christian. Barbara’s son Nathan may have been speaking about some of the songs that he heard his mother or other country singers sing. It may have felt more realistic to him that there’s divorce and separation from those that we love in this world, because this is what he heard more about than the songs of Jesus. But Jesus reminds us that we’re not of this world, because it will pass away due to sin.

3. In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:1-12 He began His sermon by preaching on what the attitude of every Christian should be. These attitudes are what separate us as Christians from the world. This is why the Beatitudes are often the most misunderstood sermon Jesus preached on. They aren’t a summary of the whole Christian faith. It’s even safe to say that a person who claims to find their whole religion in this sermon isn’t a Christian. No one who reads this sermon by itself, apart from the rest of the Scriptures will come to an understanding of the Christian faith. The purpose of the Beatitudes was for Jesus to give the believers a better understanding of the Christian life. The world may take a look at this sermon of Jesus and say that this is His prescription for making oneself righteous and earning salvation. But, when the world takes a closer look they may think that it isn’t worth the effort. After all, who would want to be poor, have grief, be humble, have spiritual hunger, be merciful, a peacemaker and be persecuted for doing good. The world says just the opposite. It says that people have the right to become famous, wealthy, a little injustice is ok, personal peace is better than being persecuted and the best thing in life you can have is to be happy.

4. Jesus begins His Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 to enable all believers to have a deeper appreciation for the blessings they already have as Christians and to grow in their sanctified lives, this includes us too! In Matthew 5:3 Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” This is the opposite of what the world tells us. The world says that we need to become wealthy at all costs. Jesus is saying to us that the poor in spirit recognize their spiritual poverty, their sinfulness and unworthiness in God’s sight. It’s important to know that the Bible doesn’t regard poverty in material things as a special virtue. To be poor or even to make a vow of poverty doesn’t qualify a person for getting into the Kingdom of heaven. Being rich doesn’t disqualify a person from getting into heaven either. Jesus does point out that it’s generally more difficult for the rich to enter into the Kingdom of God.

5. The world would have us think that doing good deeds will get us into heaven and that all of us as human beings are born as good people, but it’s society and one’s surroundings that make people do bad things. In Matthew 5:4-5 Jesus says, “Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” Here Jesus tells us that mourning shows one’s sorrow for sins. It also expresses grief over all the consequences of sin in this world. This is a lot different from what the world says. As Christians it may be hard for us to be sorry for our sins or to admit that we’ve done wrong. Here Jesus is saying that we should make a priority to confess our sins and admit that we don’t deserve to be in God’s sight. This is where humility comes in. When we humble ourselves before God and one another we’re not being demanding and self-centered. We don’t insist on our own rights without a consideration of others as the world may do. Like Jesus those who humble themselves are willing to leave the matter of revenge in God’s hands.

6. In Matthew 5:11-12 we heard that we’re blessed when people persecute us for being Christians. It’s here that Jesus says, "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” This is a hard saying of Jesus for us to swallow. None of us want to suffer in doing good, especially in a world that says we should be happy in this life and try and make the best of what we already have. The world says that we deserve to pamper ourselves, because if you work hard in this life and make an honest dollar, then you deserve it. But, this isn’t true. Jesus is saying that we shouldn’t be surprised if people make us suffer for being Christians. We shouldn’t think that we’re entitled to all of the pleasures that this life has to offer.

7. This is what Nien Cheng knew about herself as a Christian living in a Communist society back in the 1960s, but nothing could have prepared her for the ordeal that she would suffer for being a follower of Jesus Christ. On the evening of August 30, 1966, Nien Cheng sat alone in her Shanghai home, reading. Toward midnight, she heard a truck stop in front of her house. Moments later a gang of Red Guards burst through her front door. They proceeded to ransack her home. Cheng—a wealthy woman with ties to England—was thrown in prison; her daughter was also taken from her. She was accused by the Communist government of spying for the British. The charge was false—but powerful people were trying to make her a sacrificial lamb. Someone who would discredit Chairman Mao's opponents. Cheng was taken back to prison. It was the beginning of seven years of torture, illness, and endless efforts to make her confess. But Cheng chose never to make a false confession. During her years behind bars, she later wrote, "I was not afraid. I believed in a just and merciful God, and I thought he would lead me out of the abyss." Cheng's captors were astounded at her ability to resist. Here she was, the poster child of the wealthy capitalists. They thought that someone who enjoyed her wealth would crumble once it was all taken away from her. But the measure of Cheng's life was not found in what she owned. During her suffering, one thing kept her sane: her belief in the truth and her faith in Jesus Christ. Through her faith in Jesus, she never lost her humanity. She remained unaffected by the awful changes in her circumstances. In 1973, Cheng was finally released and later immigrated to America.

8. Cheng's life perfectly illustrates the fact that the good life doesn’t come through wealth or possessions. It can’t be denied even in the midst of hardship. We often find true meaning and purpose in suffering for what’s right even when all the distractions of modern life are stripped away. This is why Jesus says that those who follow Him are blessed even when they’re persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. When Jesus made this statement He was also referring to all the prophets of the Old Testament who suffered persecution. Persecution for following the will of God won’t change. In fact, don’t be surprised if people ridicule you for following what Christ calls us to do as Christians. This can even happen in our Christian congregations. If people don’t like what God’s Word and their pastor tells them about divorce or about how to manage money they may look for another pastor or congregation that’s willing to overlook what God clearly says is wrong. They may even accuse the pastor and congregation as being too old-fashioned, narrow-minded, intolerant and uncharitable. But, God isn’t calling us to be tolerant of sin and people’s wrong priorities in life. He calls us to be in the world, but not of the world and to follow His will above all others, even if that may mean being persecuted for it.

9. In the end of our Gospel lesson for today Jesus says that all who remain faithful to God’s truth will be richly rewarded in heaven. These rewards will be of the grace of God, not of what we’ve earned. They will be in addition to the salvation that all people receive as a gift, because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for all people. They will be pleasant surprises to all people who may receive them in heaven. So when you’re persecuted or suffer for being a Christian, don’t lose heart. God will continue to strengthen you to keep Him first in all of your decision making. He will enable you to be humble, to remain poor in spirit for His sake, to hunger and thirst for righteousness, to show mercy, to keep peace among your families and friends and to remain sorry for your sins. Remember it’s through the power of the Holy Spirit that we’re reminded that we’re in this world, but not of it. Heaven’s our home and our decisions in this life are made to the glory of our God and King and to the benefit of His Kingdom. May God enable You to be His good and faithful servant to the very end. May He allow you to make the right decisions in this life in the same way that Nien Cheng did throughout her years of persecution. AMEN.