Blueprint for building individuals, families and nations

Introduction:

Sermon on the Mount is God’s blueprint for building individuals, families, communities and nations with heavenly values and heavenly blessings. Christians are called to: Be fundamentally different from others, penetrate the secular society, influence and change the secular society, retain their distinctiveness and to build the nation. The Kingdom of God is the core of the Sermon on the Mount. It talks about the lifestyle and life choices of the Kingdom community. For the lifestyle presented in the Sermon on the Mount affirms God’s perspectives, priorities and boundaries. Mathew Chapter 7 presents the Goodness Framework/ Nobility Framework/ Blessing Framework. Jesus tells us to ask, seek and knock for good things not only for self and family but also for the society and the nation and the world. When we ask we receive good things. When we seek find good things. When we knock doors of goodness are opened unto us. Mr. John Samuel IAS narrated the incident of his daughter’s gold chain was found after prayer and searching for it. The little Elga playing with her friends in the sand near the home lost her gold chain. When she informed her other playmates they were expecting Elga to be beaten up for the loss. In contrast to their expectation, Mr. John Samuel asked his little daughter, what is the response we do in such situations and she said that we must pray. Then the family prayed for the lost item and went in search of it, which they found too. The children were astonished at the response of the family. When we ask for good things we receive definitely receive.

Beatitudes are the There are several indices that measure the different aspects of life UNDP’s Human Development Index, Global Peace Index, Bhutan’s Global Happiness Index, BSE’s Sensex, etc are indices that measure different aspects of life. We must learn about the Global Blessedness Index based on the Sermon on the Mount will help individuals, families, societies and nations to measure the ‘blessedness’ experienced by them, based on the foundational values. The eight pillars of the Global Blessedness Index (GBI) based on the beatitudes are: humility, contrite heart, gentleness, righteousness, mercy, pure in heart, peace makers, persecuted for righteousness. When one’s life is based on the Global Blessedness Index, we can expect seven outcomes. Of the seven, four are natural and three are supernatural. The four natural outcomes of GBI are: comfort, inheritance, satisfaction and mercy – those who are built on the 8 pillars of GBI will experience comfort, inherit the earth, be satisfied with what they hunger and thirst for, and will find mercy. The supernatural outcomes of lives built on the 8 pillars of GBI are: seeing God, identity as sons/daughters of God and inheriting the kingdom of heaven.

Life Redefined.

Art Simon said, “The problem is not that we’ve tried faith and found it wanting, but that we’ve tried materialism and found it addictive, and as a result find following Christ inconvenient.” Though we know that the best choice of life is following Christ and building our lives on the 8 pillars of GBI and inherit the seven outcomes we fail to make a conscious choice of it and hold on to it. Let us not miss the best. We are carried away by the dangerous disease of ‘Affluenza’. We are occupied with ‘runaway consumerism’ which drives us to stress but leaves us empty. We yield ourselves to a painful, contagious and socially transmitted condition of overload and waste. We end up materially rich and affluent but morally deprived and bankrupt. The book titled ‘Kingdomnomics’ puts before us a challenging question – will our time, talent and treasure, the way they are being consumed will they bring the eternal dividends? Are we conscious and careful to invest our time, talent and treasure for the Christian impact we are called for?

Network of Relationships:

As Christians we need to exhibit a counter culture. The counter culture is not just an individual?value system and life style, but a community affair. Relationships based and built on the counter culture is of paramount importance. We need to be a brother/sister and care for others. Our role is not to judge others. We can’t play God – God alone is worthy of judgement. Let us not be hypocrites. Let us not despise others. The ‘Golden Rule’ should guide our attitude and behaviour towards others.

Necessity of Choice:

We cannot afford to be neutral we need to choose between the two choices given to us. There are two ways of life – the hard and the easy way.?There are two gates – the broad and the narrow gate. There are two destinations – life and death. There are two crowds – the large and the small. We have to choose one of the alternatives. There is no other alternative. The scariest words of all one could hear from Jesus, “Depart from me, I never knew you.” Of these scariest words we must shudder and shiver. Our choice must be to get the entry and not the entry denied. In Mathew12: 22 Jesus says, “Not everyone who says to me LORD, LORD shall enter the Kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, LORD, LORD have we not prophesied in your name, cast out demons in your name, and done many wonders in your name? and then I will declare to them, I never knew you, depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.”

Conclusion:

When Jesus finished the Sermon on the Mount people started asking the question, who is this teacher, one who is teaching with authority. We have the knowledge of Jesus Christ as our teacher and mentor, the judge on the last day, the Lord and God. Jesus Christ our teacher and mentor have shown us the best way towards blessings both here on earth and in eternity. Jesus Christ is our Lord and God whom we obey and serve has set before us the choice for our blessedness. We will meet him as judge soon and we need to give account of our actions to him. We must wait for his coming with the actions he has prescribed for us and must be cautious not be meeting the judge with the scariest statement from him, “Depart from me, I never knew you.”