Law or Gospel
Notes
Transcript
Kurt Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut
If you only vaguely know who Kurt Vonnegut was do not feel bad, neither did I. He was an American writer who became popular after writing Slaughter House 5. It is a sci-fi, anti-war novel. Wikipedia describes it as a
is a science fiction-infused anti-war novel by Kurt Vonnegut, first published in 1969. It follows the life and experiences of Billy Pilgrim, from his early years to his time as an American soldier and chaplain's assistant during World War II, to the postwar years, with Billy occasionally traveling through time itself. The text centers on Billy's capture by the German Army and his survival of the Allied firebombing of Dresden as a prisoner-of-war, an experience which Vonnegut himself lived through as an American serviceman. The work has been called an example of "unmatched moral clarity"[2] and "one of the most enduring antiwar novels of all time"
This has nothing to due with my sermon except to establish the credentials of Kurt Vonnegut because he has a very insightful comment about the Beatitudes. He wrote in a Man Without a Country:
For some reason, the most vocal Christians among us never mention the Beatitudes (). But, often with tears in their eyes, they demand that the Ten Commandments be posted in public buildings. And of course, that's Moses, not Jesus. I haven't heard one of them demand that the Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes, be posted anywhere. 'Blessed are the merciful' in a courtroom? 'Blessed are the peacemakers' in the Pentagon? Give me a break!
For those of you who believe in the public display of the Ten Commandments consider those word. We are not a country in which murder is condone, or theft is honored
Happy, fortunate do not capture the religious significance
Consequences not rewards, identify with poor to minister ti them
lk
Poor in Spirit
Poor in Spirit
empty of all spiritual resources;
probably not material cf Luke
common theme in OT for God to rescue people from poverty
This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles” ()
and saved him out of all his troubles” ()
and saved him out of all his troubles” ()
Leon Morris, The Gospel according to Matthew, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press, 1992), 96.
opposite of Pharisaic pride
Mourners
Mourners
unexpected, regarded as unfortunate
not bereavement, not in an unhappy situation
grieve over sin
The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Gospel according to Matthew 2. The Beatitudes, 5:3–12
“My eyes shed streams of tears, because men do not keep thy law” (Ps. 119:136).
Meek
Meek
=self-effacement
keeping one’s self in the backgroud
do not pursue their own rights, self assertion is never a Christian virtue
strength not weakness
Hunger and thirst after righteousness
Hunger and thirst after righteousness
not occasional acts of good, but passionate concern
pursued not achieve, it is a given not earned
monk to disciple who he nearly drowned ‘When you want God as bad as you wanted air, you will find him.”
Merciful
Merciful
first four dependence on God, now how we then act
merciful disposition not occasional
habitual deeds of forgiveness
70x70
Pure in Heart
Pure in Heart
no latent hypocrisy
the heart is not the place where we expect purity
“out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies”
Leon Morris, The Gospel according to Matthew, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press, 1992), 100.
Peacemaker
Peacemaker
only place peacemaker is found
large scale wars vs quarrels
peacemakers not peacekeepers
people who end hostility
end hostilities
most difficult when one or more parties does not want to reconcile
Persecuted
Persecuted
never pleasant to have pain inflict on us
people who end hostility
end hostilities
most difficult when one or more parties does not want to reconcile
holding beliefs that the secular culture rejects
not general suffering
suffering for the gospel
Reaction
Reaction
Rejoice
you have not merited a heavenly joy but his joy is overflowing
prophets treated this way
How
How
prayerful meditation
journaling
surrounding yourself with people who live these blessing out
act differently