Fourth Of July 2020: How Stands The City?

Good morning! If you have your Bibles, please turn to Matthew chapter 5. You probably were expecting me to say turn to the book of Mark, and I get that. But we are going to take a one week break from the book of Mark to talk about who we are as Christian Americans. Not American Christians, but Christian Americans. Hopefully that will make more sense in a few minutes.

You know, every year, over a million people visit the National Archives rotunda in Washington, DC, where the two foundational documents of our country are on display: The Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution. The entire building is basically designed to display and protect these documents. Temperature and air filtration are strictly regulated, and the building was designed to minimize the amount of sunlight allowed into the Rotunda. The documents themselves are encased in hermetically sealed, helium filled cases, covered with bulletproof glass. Each night the documents are lowered twenty feet into a steel vault.

These documents are precious to Americans, because they represent who we are as a people. Many of you could probably quote at least some of the Declaration of Independence, couldn’t you?

“We hold these truths to be ________________________, that all men are ___________________.” Good job! Now, raise your hands if you were picturing the Schuyler sisters from Hamilton singing that. Good. My tribe.

How about the Preamble to the Constitution? How many of you know the Preamble to the Constitution by heart?

We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, secure domestic tranquility; provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our posterity do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

Ok—show of hands again: How many of you know this because of Schoolhouse Rock? That’s what I figured!

We take these words to heart, and we protect the documents they are a part of, because they define what it means to be an American. Every President takes an oath to “preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.” As one of our church members posted on his facebook this week, he made the same promise when he was sworn in to the Army National Guard in 1981, and that oath does not have an expiration date.

But as we look st Matthew 5, the beginning of Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount, I want to suggest to you that these three chapters—Matthew 5-7, are as foundational to a citizen of the Kingdom of God as the Constitution is to a citizen of the United States. And if there is one section of the Bible that would be the most beneficial to memorize, this would be it. About 20 years ago, I was part of a discipleship group that memorized the sermon on the mount, and my life has never been the same.

Jesus gathered his disciples and established the governing principles that define who we are as Christians.

Think of the Beatitudes (verses 1-12) as our Preamble:

When he saw the crowds, He went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to Him, and He began to teach them, saying,

[transition each one]

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when men persecute you, and revile you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in Heaven. For in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

And then we get to the verses that we are going to spend the rest of our time dealine with this morning. Stand with me and let’s look at verses 13-16:

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it brings light to everyone in the house. In the same way let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father who is in Heaven.