Jesus and the Courageous Life


(Cherie Johnson at the First United Methodist Church in Pocatello, Idaho has set up a new sermon archive on our website, so I am now able to return to using this blogspot as a means to share thoughts and research in preparation for the sermon that I will deliver the following Sunday.)

This next Sunday I will be preaching the third sermon in the Deep Spirit Sermon Series: “A Life That Is Courageous.” The idea of a courageous life traces to Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount, especially the first part, commonly known as the Beatitudes. This is what he says:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
        for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
     Blessed are those who mourn,
        for they will be comforted.
     Blessed are the meek,
        for they will inherit the earth.
     Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
        for they will be filled.
     Blessed are the merciful,
        for they will be shown mercy.
     Blessed are the pure in heart,
        for they will see God.
     Blessed are the peacemakers,
        for they will be called sons of God.
     Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
        for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
 "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.”

What is immediately apparent from this set of blessings is that they are describing the situations of people in dire straits: poverty, grief, powerlessness and persecution for their religious beliefs or practices. Peacemakers are also blessed, but as we know, peacemakers are never popular with their governments, so they are probably among the persecuted as well.

So, Jesus is speaking to people who are at the fringes of power, probably struggling to get by, or are finding out that leading a righteous life is not how to get ahead in the world. It takes a lot of courage to swim upstream of the prevailing social current in order to live according to a different set of values, let alone to see the world from a totally different perspective.

The perspective Jesus offers, of course, is God’s perspective. It is the perspective that runs throughout the Bible, but as we are told, God’s ways are not our ways, (Isaiah 55:8) and it takes training in order to see things from God’s perspective. That is why we look closely at what Jesus taught and how he lived. He said, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father (John 14:9).”

So how do we live this courageous life that Jesus demonstrates?

First, as I have said, we have to change our perspective and our very thought structure. This is called repentance in the Bible. Jesus starts there in his ministry: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near (Matthew 4:17)."

When we do this, it becomes apparent that the world is not structured according to God’s priorities. Inequity and injustice abounds. The rich oppress the poor, and then blame the poor for their poverty. On and on it goes.

So this new perspective is based upon an understanding and comprehension of God’s justice. However, it is a justice that is not based upon vengeance but rather upon compassion and mercy. Justice, compassion and mercy are all components of God’s love. This is the second aspect of the courageous life.

The third aspect requires us to look at ourselves through God’s eyes lest we become too self-righteous and certain of our own special connection to God. This requires humility borne of an intimate relationship with God.

The prophet Micah outlined just such a program for living a courageous life:
Do Justice
Love tenderly, mercifully, kindly
Walk humbly with your God

Tomorrow, I will examine his program for courageous living.

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