Today we begin reading Jesus' Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:1-20. The picture above is from the Mount of Beatitudes on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee in Israel. Jesus spoke the Beatitudes to encourage us as we go through the ups and downs of our spiritual life. 

The Beatitudes are words of encouragement when we feel like “hanging it up,” when the Christian life is too hard, when we don't want to "take up our cross and follow" Jesus. The promises in the Beatitudes give us strength to “take it up,” trusting that as we take up our cross, God will use us to “light it up" so that we become the Light of the World to the people in our area of influence. 

Matthew 5:20 then gives us the theme for the rest of the Sermon on the Mount: For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. 

The Pharisees of Jesus' day were the "super-religious" who looked down on everyone else. The Christian life to which Jesus is calling us requires much more than an outward veneer of religion. Jesus is looking at the thoughts and attitudes of our hearts. 

In Genesis 13-15 we see spiritual ups and downs played out in a believer's life.

Abram (later named Abraham) failed at the end of Genesis 12. It was a spiritual low as we see him lying about his wife.

Then we see spiritual highs. In Genesis 13, Abram displays a generous spirit toward Lot. In chapter 14 he shows incredible courage to rescue Lot from the invaders. On the way back Abram is blessed by a mysterious man named Melchizedek, a type or picture of Christ, of whom we will hear again in Psalm 110 and especially in the book of Hebrews. 

From those spiritual highs, Abram falls into a valley of despair at the beginning of Genesis 15. It seems like God isn't going to keep his promise. The LORD says, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward."

What is the antidote to that despair? God's promise! And how do you claim a promise? It is not by doing something. It is by believing. Genesis 15:6 is the first time that faith is mentioned in God's Word. By faith, we claim the righteousness, the right standing with God, that we cannot possibly earn. 

As Genesis 15 goes on, you see what it meant in Old Testament times to "cut a covenant" (the literal translation of the Hebrew). Animals were cut in two and the parties walked between the halves - symbolizing that if they broke the promise, they should suffer the same fate as the animals. But notice, only the LORD in the form of a smoking firepot goes between the pieces. It is a one-sided covenant. God makes a unilateral promise of salvation - no conditions for us to fulfill. It is the covenant of grace upon which we place our faith. 

Sometimes we Christians can feel like we can take on the world like Abram did in Genesis 14. Then doubts and fears fill our hearts. We feel like “hanging it up.” It is in those darkest times that the LORD's words can lift us up. We are not alone. The Savior God is with us, not because we are so good and strong, but because he is so merciful and forgiving. His promises give us strength to “take it up,” taking up our cross, confident that he will use his strength in our darkest times to “light it up,” so that we become “the light of the world."  Amen.

Below is a map that can help you trace Abraham's travels in the Promised Land.