Where's Your Life Going?
Sermon notes from John Stickl at Valley Creek Church on the Sermon on the Mount, the direction of our lives, and Jesus’ invitation to a good and beautiful life.
God is compassionate
God is good and beautiful, holy and loving. His kingdom is here and now, and he is inviting us into a good and beautiful life.
Jesus looked at the crowds with compassion. He looked at the rich young ruler and loved him. God reveals himself as gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love.
Whatever trial, season, or heartbreak you are facing, receive his compassion. Pray that your family, co-workers, and the people you encounter would also know him for who he really is.
7 maintaining loving devotion to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin. Yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished; He will visit the iniquity of the fathers on their children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.”
We are a people on a journey
We are not a church that exists Sunday to Sunday, event to event, or experience to experience. We are going somewhere, doing something, and becoming someone.
- A harbor of hope: A place where people beaten by the storms of life can find hope, be restored, and be sent back out.
- A training center for life: A place to learn and practice the things Jesus did.
- A family on mission: Beloved sons and daughters releasing their Father’s kingdom wherever they go.
You decide how you participate. There is a difference between coming in when you need hope, training for your own growth, and saying, “These are my people. This is my place. This is the journey I’m on.” Deep roots lead to a wide life.
Wrestling through the Sermon on the Mount
This is not a try-harder, behave-better speech. It is Jesus’ invitation to a good and beautiful life.
If you do not know Jesus, consider whether he knows what is good, true, and right. Is he worth following? Count the cost of following him, but also count the cost of not following him.
If you have put your faith in Jesus, you are responsible to arrange your life around what he teaches.
- Expect questions and tension that lead you to seek him.
- Work through his teaching in community, not only on your own.
- Notice how your view of God shapes what you hear. The ear hears what the mind already believes.
What is a good and beautiful life?
You already have a definition. It shapes your schedule, spending, decisions, and disappointments. Somewhere along the way, someone or something helped form it. Are you sure your definition is right?
Is it success, significance, money, comfort, convenience, appearance, family, work, religion, or purpose?
Jesus describes a life lived in his kingdom, where we are loved and we love. It is a life of freedom as our Father’s beloved sons and daughters, where our inward reality matches our outward life.
It is freedom from anger, lust, lying, vengeance, performing for approval, treasuring temporary things, worry, and judgment. It is an interactive relationship with God and a life built on the rock.
Where is your life going?
What would a good and beautiful marriage, parenting, singleness, work, or ministry look like? As you age, is your life becoming more good and more beautiful?
If you are progressing according to your own definition, is it delivering what you hoped? Are you experiencing more joy, peace, freedom, and hope?
The journey with Jesus is not a straight line without hardship. We move forward through valleys as well as victories. Even our new valleys can be higher than our old highs because we are becoming someone.
An invitation to your future
Do not discard the Sermon on the Mount because part of it addresses something painful in your past. It is not a message of condemnation about what was. It is an invitation to what can be.
Divorce is not good and beautiful, but a good and beautiful God works for the good of those who love him and brings beauty from ashes.
The outline matters: Entering the kingdom
The Sermon on the Mount is not a buffet of unrelated sayings. Its order matters. Jesus has been declaring and demonstrating the kingdom, healing people and setting them free. Then he teaches the people gathered around him.
The Beatitudes
The blesseds are not a new set of requirements for earning God’s favor. They are invitations to people who thought they were excluded. The kingdom is now available and accessible to them.
A good and beautiful life does not depend on the circumstances around us. It depends on entering the kingdom Jesus makes available.
Salt and light
Those who enter the kingdom become living demonstrations and declarations of it.
A righteous heart
Righteousness that surpasses the Pharisees is not more outward religious activity. It is a heart surrendered to God, not merely righteous-looking hands.
Anger
Anger comes when our will is violated or we are afraid our kingdom is being threatened. Entering Jesus’ kingdom means surrendering our own. We no longer have to control everything or defend our rule.
Lust and divorce
Lust uses another person to gratify ourselves. Love uses our life for another person’s good. We were created for deep intimacy with God, not for using people to satisfy our desires.
Jesus addresses divorce after anger and lust. These teachings belong together, rather than standing as isolated demands.
Truthfulness
We lie to get what we want or avoid what we do not want. In the kingdom, we become people of truth.
Vengeance and love
Retaliation keeps escalating. Someone must turn the other cheek, stop defending themselves, and let the Lord be their defender. Love is not merely a feeling. It is choosing and acting for another person’s good.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.
12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you.
14 You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.
15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they set it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ will be subject to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject to the fire of hell.
23 So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you,
24 leave your gift there before the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.
25 Reconcile quickly with your adversary, while you are still on the way to court. Otherwise, he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison.
26 Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.
28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
29 If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.
30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to depart into hell.
32 But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, brings adultery upon her. And he who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
34 But I tell you not to swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne;
35 or by the earth, for it is His footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.
36 Nor should you swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black.
37 Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ Anything more comes from the evil one.
39 But I tell you not to resist an evil person. If someone slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also;
40 if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well;
41 and if someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.
42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
43 You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor’ and ‘Hate your enemy.’
44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Do not even tax collectors do the same?
47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even Gentiles do the same?
48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
The outline matters: Motives, treasure, and worry
Giving, prayer, and fasting
Jesus addresses the motive beneath these activities. Are we trying to be seen and approved by people, or are we seeking to please our Father?
If being noticed is the goal, being noticed is the reward. If pleasing God is the goal, it does not matter whether nobody sees or everybody sees.
Treasure
The human heart was made to treasure. The question is whether we treasure the right things.
Earthly treasures break down, disappear, and demand our energy. Jesus directs us toward his word, Spirit, people, presence, kingdom, and life.
You know what you treasure by what you pursue, keep, and protect. Money is a terrible god. We cannot serve both money and Jesus.
Worry
Our Father loves us and cares for us. We were created to worship and seek his kingdom, not to live in worry. We cannot worry and worship at the same time.
2 So when you give to the needy, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward.
3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
5 And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward.
6 But when you pray, go into your inner room, shut your door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
7 And when you pray, do not babble on like pagans, for they think that by their many words they will be heard.
8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
9 So then, this is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.
10 Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. ’
14 For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive yours.
16 When you fast, do not be somber like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward.
17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
18 so that your fasting will not be obvious to men, but only to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light.
23 But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
24 No one can serve two masters: Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
26 Look at the birds of the air: They do not sow or reap or gather into barns—and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
28 And why do you worry about clothes? Consider how the lilies of the field grow: They do not labor or spin.
29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was adorned like one of these.
30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
31 Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
32 For the Gentiles strive after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.
34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.
The outline matters: Relationships and foundations
Judgment
We judge to change someone or to feel better about ourselves. Neither belongs in a life of love.
Our supposedly valuable advice can be like pearls thrown to pigs when it is offered in a spirit of judgment. The other person cannot receive it, and conflict follows.
Ask, seek, and knock
John connects this teaching with the relationships Jesus has just addressed. Ask God, but also ask the person. Seek after them. Knock on the door of their heart rather than trying to force change through judgment.
Treat others as you would want them to treat you when they want you to change.
The narrow way
A good and beautiful life will not always align with what everyone else is doing.
The tree and its fruit
The condition of the heart shapes the fruit of the life.
Knowing him
The point is not simply doing things for God, but living in an interactive relationship with him.
Building on the rock
Align your life with Jesus. This is a whole-life invitation, not a collection of good and beautiful moments.
2 For with the same judgment you pronounce, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
3 Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but fail to notice the beam in your own eye?
4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while there is still a beam in your own eye?
5 You hypocrite! First take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
6 Do not give dogs what is holy; do not throw your pearls before swine. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.
8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
9 Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?
10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?
11 So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
12 In everything, then, do to others as you would have them do to you. For this is the essence of the Law and the Prophets.
14 But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it.
16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.
19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
20 So then, by their fruit you will recognize them.
22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’
23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’
25 The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because its foundation was on the rock.
26 But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.
27 The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its collapse!”
1. An invitation, not an obligation
Jesus does not force people to follow him. He presents what is available in him and invites us to receive it.
He kindly, graciously, and persistently keeps inviting. We decide whether we want what he offers.
Do you like how Jesus lives? Do you want the kind of life he offers and the kind of person he makes?
His invitation to follow him and his invitation to rest reveal his heart. Yet our view of God determines whether we hear welcome or demand.
Everyone is invited to a good and beautiful life. The question is whether we choose it.
29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
2. For you, not someone else
It is easy to hear Jesus’ teaching and think about who else needs it: a worrying spouse, a greedy husband, a lying child, an angry parent, or a judgmental friend.
But Jesus is speaking to you. Let him address the plank in your own eye before trying to remove the speck from someone else’s.
If we do not let him work in us, we can turn the Sermon on the Mount into a weapon. Some people have been deeply wounded by a verse delivered in a tone that did not match Jesus’ heart. That is not the heart of God.
Are we experts in the law or people of love? An expert tells someone how to fix their life but will not lift a finger to help. A person of love uses both hands to help carry the burden.
The question is not who else needs to change. It is who you want to become.
3. It is ordered, and the order matters
Jesus is wisdom personified. What he says, how he says it, and the order in which he says it matter.
We often isolate one teaching, struggle to apply it, and conclude that the whole thing does not work. But the struggle may be connected to what came before.
- Worry may reveal that we treasure things that can be lost.
- Misplaced treasure may reveal a desire for people’s approval.
- Seeking approval may reveal that we have not become people of love.
- Using words for our own gain connects with using people for our own gratification.
- Anger reveals the kingdom we are still trying to control.
When you find a struggle, look back through the teaching. Have you worked through what came before it? Keep tracing it back to the heart and the surrender of your kingdom to his.
How to begin
- Intend to change. Decide that you do not want to keep treasuring an unhealthy, broken way of life.
- Confess and repent. Bring your sin to God and trusted people.
- Arrange your life as Jesus did. Change does not come merely by repeating, “I will not be angry.” Practice prayer, meditation, Scripture, community, and generosity.
Do the things Jesus did so you can do the things Jesus did.
4. Changing beliefs, not merely behaviors
Jesus keeps challenging what people have heard and believed. He identifies unexpected people as blessed and describes a narrow way that leads to life.
He is changing our thinking because our thinking directs our lives. Repentance means changing our minds, not simply trying harder to behave.
A good and beautiful life requires a renewed mind. As we think differently, we begin to live differently.
When we hear “law,” we may think of arbitrary rules. John describes it here as the way things actually work, like gravity, compounding interest, or sowing and reaping.
The Sermon on the Mount reveals the reality of life in God’s kingdom. Jesus is inviting us to believe him about that reality.
5. A description of Jesus, not a demand
The Sermon on the Mount reveals the character and nature of Jesus. The kingdom is not merely a place we go when we die. It is a reality we enter through being included in Christ.
John describes the kingdom as flowing from who God is: his goodness, beauty, righteousness, peace, and joy.
- Blessing, salt, and light: Jesus is the blessed one who blesses, transforms, and gives light.
- Righteousness: Everything in him is good, true, and right.
- Anger: He is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in love.
- Lust and faithfulness: He does not use us. He loves us and will not abandon us.
- Truth: He is truth itself.
- Vengeance: He forgives and laid down his life for us while we were his enemies.
- Approval: He lives to please his Father, not to perform for people.
- Treasure: He is the treasure, and he treasures us. He pursues, keeps, and protects us.
- Worry: He lives as a beloved Son, trusting his Father.
- Judgment: He was judged in our place so that we could become righteous in him.
- Asking, seeking, and knocking: He intercedes for us.
- The narrow way: He is the gate into an ever-widening life.
- Good fruit: He is the vine from whom fruitful life grows.
- The foundation: He is the eternal rock on which we build.
The invitation is not to manufacture this life through constant self-correction. It is to be included in Jesus and let him make us into the kind of people he describes.
Our old life is surrendered. His life becomes ours. As he is, so we are.
Do you want it?
Take a breath. Listen to the Holy Spirit. What is he showing you?
Holy Spirit, guide us into a good and beautiful life. Help us think differently about who God is and what he offers. Jesus, thank you that this invitation is for us. Help us receive it and walk in it. Amen.
