"Happy ye destitute, for yours is the Kingdom of God. Happy ye who hunger now, for ye shall be filled. Happy ye that weep now, for ye shall laugh." Anyone who has taught on the Sermon on the Mount can probably recall the expressions on the faces of his students growing increasingly distant and disbelieving as he continues through this foundational passage. By the time he reaches the segment commanding us to "turn the other cheek", often the students have completely alienated themselves from the message, justifying their incongruent behavior through innumerable variations of "after all, we're only human". Of course they're quite right in that response. The Sermon on the Mount asks the impossible of us, turning all our instincts for self-preservation and self-love on their heads. How can God have such unreasonable expectations?
The answer to this question may be found at the end of the passage. Luke 6:47-49. "Every one who is coming unto me, and is hearing my words, and is doing them, I will shew you to whom he is like; he is like to a man building a house, who did dig, and deepen, and laid a foundation upon the rock, and a flood having come, the stream broke forth on that house, and was not able to shake it, for it had been founded upon the rock. `And he who heard and did not, is like to a man having builded a house upon the earth, without a foundation, against which the stream brake forth, and immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house became great.'"
When a person becomes a Christian, although they are indeed a new person, they may retain many of their past thought patterns, behaviors, reactions, etc, sometimes called 'the Old Man'. In fact, the person has been hard at work building the house of their personality since the day they were born. Every event adds a new piece to the structure. In the life of a person with a relatively stable upbringing and circumstances, the structure might appear quite admirable - useful, efficient, even beautiful. Many are quite comfortable in such a home (and aren't in a hurry to change a thing). Others are not so fortunate. Their houses are at the point of being unfit to live in, or simply a step away from collapsing altogether. They may never have had decent materials to build with, or perhaps circumstances dictated that they build rapidly or haphazardly, so that the structure hardly resembles a house at all. A wind from the wrong direction shakes the whole mass, threatening the life within with death or harm.
My heart goes out to those who live in such broken-down dwellings, but in reality even those who have constructed mansions for themselves are pitiable. Underneath both the finery of the one and the futility of the other lies nothing more stable than the sand and soil of self. While it gives an illusion of permanence, criticism and course circumstances, thwarted schemes and trampled hopes can rapidly erode it away, leaving the house unsupported.
The process of Christian growth involves tearing down portions of the house of our personality, digging down through the layers of our selfishness, until we reach the only truly stable surface upon which we can build. Timeless, unchanging, solid - we must build our lives upon the living Word of God, for only in that way can a life be built which can last an eternity. In fact, this reconstruction is none other than the process of consecration (the tearing down and excavating) and sanctification (the laying of the stable foundation) spoken of throughout the Bible. Only after this has taken place can our hearts be enabled to fulfill the seemingly unreasonable demands of the Sermon on the Mount.
For instance, take a look at :20b - "Happy ye destitute, for yours is the Kingdom of God". Unchanged, no man could testify to the truth of this verse. In fact, we tend to deny it quite strongly. In this wealthy nation of ours, aren't the poor also usually the outcasts, the untouchables, the rubes and the fools? Our culture (yet another unstable surface upon which to build) and our unsanctified nature deny that happiness exists apart from wealth. As Christians, we might intellectually know that true happiness is not found in possessions or financial power, but our emotions often lead us down that path despite all our knowledge. If and when we find ourselves walking this path, it proves that we still have this World and our self-interest as our foundation.
If, however, we truly have Christ & His Kingdom as our foundation, we are able to embrace the truth of this verse. Why should any amount of money, or lack thereof, affect our joy? If we have truly built our lives on the fact of our joint inheritance of the Kingdom of God, knowing all that that encompasses, how could the temporary riches of this World play any role in our outlook?
Look at Luke 6:27 - 30. "`But I say to you who are hearing, Love your enemies, do good to those hating you, bless those cursing you, and pray for those accusing you falsely; and to him smiting thee upon the cheek, give also the other, and from him taking away from thee the mantle, also the coat thou mayest not keep back. `And to every one who is asking of thee, be giving; and from him who is taking away thy goods, be not asking again;'". Unchanged human nature is no more able to 'turn the other cheek' than to grow feathers and fly away. We are self-oriented - we protect ourselves, love ourselves, cherish and exalt ourselves. Any threat to our pride or our person is not to be tolerated - if struck, we strike back. A life built on Christ, however, cannot avoid a different viewpoint. We know that our enemy has only one of two possible destinies - either we will serve God eternally together in the Kingdom, or our enemy will suffer the second death for the sins he has committed. If the former is the case, we know that our enemy's sin has already been accounted for and its price paid on the cross by Christ. We can see our enemy through the eyes of the one who loved him enough to suffer in his place for the sins he has committed. If the latter, then we will do as our Father who lives in and controls the heart of the sanctified through His Spirit does in sending rain on the just and the unjust, and providing bread for the evil and the good. We will not seek to return evil for evil, knowing that the day of judgement will come.
Examine yourself in the light of verses 43 - 49, - where do you fit in? "`For there is not a good tree making bad fruit, nor a bad tree making good fruit; for each tree from its own fruit is known, for not from thorns do they gather figs, nor from a bramble do they crop a grape. `The good man out of the good treasure of his heart doth bring forth that which [is] good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart doth bring forth that which [is] evil; for out of the abounding of the heart doth his mouth speak. `And why do ye call me, Lord, Lord, and do not what I say? Every one who is coming unto me, and is hearing my words, and is doing them, I will shew you to whom he is like; he is like to a man building a house, who did dig, and deepen, and laid a foundation upon the rock, and a flood having come, the stream broke forth on that house, and was not able to shake it, for it had been founded upon the rock. `And he who heard and did not, is like to a man having builded a house upon the earth, without a foundation, against which the stream brake forth, and immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house became great.'" Do you produce good fruit or evil? Are you shaken by your circumstances, or are you resting steadily and securely upon the Rock of the Lord Jesus Christ? If you can be shaken, examine what that part of your life is founded upon. At one time I was very shy, easily hurt, and avoided contact with people. Over time I came to realize that this was due to the fact that I had believed some lies about my worth and myself. With God's help, I renounced those lies, and asked the Lord to build within me a true foundation. He did so. Now I am no longer shaken by fear of people. I can joyfully interact, taking delight in the time spent with my brothers and sisters in Christ, rather than isolating myself. This has enabled me to bear more and better fruit as well.
Examine yourself - what is your life built upon? If it is not built upon Christ, it is doomed one day to fall, for a day is coming when all things shall be shaken (Hebrews 12:26b - 27). Tragically, many Christians appear unaware of this, or unwilling to take the necessary steps to prepare for it. In fact, when a person with a good, comfortable life is reborn, many times they often don't go as far or as fast in the Kingdom as others who have not been as fortunate - many cannot bear to tear down the old house! Many to whom God desires to grant fullness of joy, strength, and victory instead prefer to remain spiritually crippled, clinging to their former life, though it is doomed one day to fall. Do not make that mistake. Prepare for that day, so you need not look back on all that was lost, saying, "it came to pass that the crash of that house was great".
