Jesus was a captivating teacher. He spoke with authority. And He said things that people needed to hear. He knew what He was talking about, because as God, He knew what mattered and how a life pleasing to God should be lived. In His teaching He turned religion into relationship. He turned “truth” on its head. The distorted and corrupted preaching of the times was replaced with God’s kingdom truth. He came to set truth free from the strangle hold His times had placed on it. We need that authoritative voice again.
The Sermon on the Mount is life shaping to all who will embrace its truth and live it. Jesus’ teaching led to life change that left people of His generation in awe. Love your enemies? Do good to those who hate you? Embrace meekness, a humble spirit? Pursue God’s kingdom above all else? Don’t worry about the things you need, God will take care of you?
As I read God’s Word, a couple things hit me. The Bible remains the best selling book in the world. Over 100,000,000 Bibles are sold in the world each year. Yet I have to wonder if it has become more a symbol of Christian faith, than the book of Life. There is a growing disparity between its truth and our practice. God’s Word is truth and there is NO other book in the world that even comes close to its value. It is history, theology, prophecy. It is a lamp to our feet, a light to our path. It gives wisdom, understanding, strength, hope and peace. It shows us God, His holiness, His heart, and love for us. It points us to salvation, and helps us understand eternity. It is truth and life. Nothing is left out that we need to know and He has given us His Spirit for power to live it.
Yet I fear that many who call themselves Christian spend little time reading it and even less time letting the Spirit of God change their lives through it. Yet it is in this Book of Truth, that our best Life exists.
Our culture is going to continue to drift from God’s truth because that truth is seen as exclusive or discriminatory. Fairness, acceptance, tolerance will be higher values than timeless truth. As our culture’s voice gets louder and louder, those not grounded in God’s truth will be susceptible to the various winds that blow.
It’s time to do a little assessment. If we say we are Christian and believe the Bible to be God’s invaluable Word, what are we doing with it?
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