Greg Laurie Daily Devotion

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

God's Worldview

And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them.
—Matthew 5:1-2

If you want to know how Jesus thinks, then study the Sermon on the Mount. This sermon, found in Matthew 5-7, lays out the worldview of Jesus himself. Do you want to know how His heart really beats? Then study this sermon. It is the official manifesto of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

It begins with the words, "Then He opened His mouth and taught them. . . ." The phrase "opened His mouth" is a Greek expression used to describe something that is solemn, grave, dignified, and weighty. That is not to suggest that other things Jesus taught were not equally important. But it is to say there is weight given to the words Jesus laid out in the Sermon on the Mount. So we are to pay careful attention to everything that is found in it.

Also, the Sermon on the Mount was not given to the multitudes. By that I mean it wasn't given to the world at large. The Sermon on the Mount is not a philosophy by which we govern society, because people don't believe in God for the most part. Thus, they never would live by the Sermon on the Mount. The Sermon on the Mount is, effectively, for believers only. But even people who are nonbelievers will admire its teachings.

Not long ago I interviewed a man who was raised as a Muslim, yet he was exposed to the teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. He was impressed by them, and ultimately, it resulted in his committing his life to Jesus Christ.

Only a follower of Jesus can live out what He taught in the Sermon on the Mount. And even His followers will struggle with some of it at times. Yet this is God's worldview.

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Greg Laurie Daily Devotion - Sept. 7, 2010