Jesus commanded, yes commanded, us to love one another as He loves us—perfect love wrapped solidly around perfect truth, and perfect truth wrapped solidly around perfect love. How did Jesus do that? He did His Father’s will. The very Son of God submitted and obeyed God’s commands!
I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. John 5:30
This is what a servant does. He/she seeks the will of their master and then they do it. And the will of the master is given as a command, not a suggestion. The cross wasn’t a suggestion, one of many possibilities, or the better of two choices. It was the only choice and Jesus willingly obeyed!
Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Philippians 2:5-8
As long as we, Jesus’ disciples, continue to lean and take sides instead of running to Jesus and each other, we will continue to be ineffective, bearing little or no fruit. The result is the world does not know we are His disciples and consequently they do not know Jesus.
In His first sermon, Jesus lays the foundation of just where He is coming from on all this commandment stuff. What’s interesting is that I’ve heard these chapters used to accuse the “legalist” of putting traditions above God’s commands. I’ve also heard this sermon used to accuse the “liberal” of not taking God’s commands seriously. What Satan doesn’t want any of us to see is that this sermon accuses each of us as individuals. Jesus is basically saying, “No one has been getting this commandment thing right. So let me explain…again.”
What we call The Sermon on the Mount is found in the New Testament found in Matthew 5-7. Thousands of sermons and multiple books by people a lot smarter than me delve into the wealth of subject matter found here. As always, I encourage you to read and re-read these chapters, seeking God’s face and His purpose contained in the verses.
All I have room for in this context, though, is simply to give a glance into what I think are some of the themes in this discourse. My prayer is that you will be challenged to re-think where your position is on the battlefield and adjust that position if necessary. I know for me, if I did nothing else but read and deeply study this sermon and then obey what I learn, Satan would have no hope of stopping my impact on the world for God’s glory.
Discussion
- What are your thoughts concerning Elaine’s premise that most born-again believers lean, at least a little, to either a “legalistic” or a “liberality” lifestyle? Which side do you lean toward? Why?
- Why do you think it is so hard to achieve the balance between legalism and liberalism?
One Another Living 