Sermon On The Mount: Qualified Disciples

Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Matthew 7:12 (NKJV)

Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us...

Ephesians 5:1-2 (NKJV)

To be our Teacher’s qualified students, we must study the Word and follow Him. We must humble ourselves and obey Him. We must do as He did: love God first, at all times and in all ways.

We’re also ordered to love our neighbors… even the ones we might not understand: 

  • Conservatives who choose to carry guns,

  • Liberals who choose social activism,

  • Queer people with unusual lifestyles,

  • Jews, Muslims, or other faiths we don’t share,

  • Immigrants with foreign words and customs,

  • Crying strangers clinging to our borders,

  • Dazed and shell-shocked addicts who’ve lost themselves,

  • Unhoused people with unsightly messes,

  • Loud-mouthed people who like to rant and rave,

  • Imprisoned people trapped behind thick walls,

  • Poor people we’d rather not consider,

  • Unusual people with special needs.

  • Isolated people sitting alone…

Jesus covered rules with grace, hate with love, and hellish aggression with holy peace. Our Savior fulfilled every Word of God– and summed Them up with simplifying ease:

'Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them' (Matthew 7:12).* 

It's an easy-to-understand Command, but nevertheless, OH-SO-HARD to do. But do It we must. This Verse must shine in our minds, mouths, and deeds.

Actors, models, and talent for Christ, consider It your most important Script: your underlying plot and action plan:

  • If you want patience, be patient yourself.

  • If you want kindness, be kind to others.

  • If you want a friend, become a friend first.

  • If you want love, love the unloveable…

Since without Jesus, you’re a sinner, too.

'There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one' (Romans 3:10-12). So, REPRESENT HIM WELL IN HOLLYWOOD.

  • If you want success, give it to others.

  • Applaud the winners with sincerity.

  • Encourage the losers and lift them up.

  • Accept the small roles with genuine joy.

When you relish the role of a servant, then you’re ready for God’s elevation!

Sermon On The Mount: Your Treasure Chest (Part 27)

* Even more: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest Commandment. And the Second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments' (Matthew 22:37-40).

NOTE: This is a 2023 update of a 2013 Carey Lewis Devotion. You may see notes to 'Actors, Models & Talent for Christ.' If you think you're not in show business, think again. Shakespeare said, 'All the world's a stage and all its men and women merely players. Mostly true. But you're not merely players. You are messengers and ambassadors for the King of kings.

Carey Arban