The Sermon on the Mount in the Valley of Life

I want to talk to you today about mountains and valleys. Carolyn and I used to live in Colorado. While we were living there, we often ventured into the Rocky Mountains to visit and explore.

Whenever we went into the mountains, I made a simple observation: People like to hike on the mountains. They enjoy climbing them and exploring them. But when it comes time to choose a place to live, they make their home in the valleys. Very few people actually live year round up on the mountains.

It’s down in the valleys where you’ll find the people. Down in the valleys where the rivers and creeks flow. Down in the valleys where the roads and the rails and the stores and the houses are. Life is lived in the valleys.

And there is a significant spiritual lesson for us today in that simple concept. While it may be exciting and exhilarating and rejuvenating to climb a mountain, spiritually speaking, we have to remember that 95% of life is lived in the valleys.

There are many “mountain-top” experiences described for us in the Bible. And without fail, in each and every case, that mountain-top experience is followed by a “going down”—down into the valleys where the people are, where the needs are, where the real ministry takes place. Because life is lived in the valleys.

Take Moses for example. He climbed all alone to the top of Mount Sinai. While up there, he met with God, and his face shone as a result. God gave him the Law on top of that mountain. But did Moses stay there? No.

He went down into the valley where the people were. Down to the sound of music and singing and celebrating. Down to where the children of Israel were dancing around the image of an idol they had made. Down among sinful people who needed to know the Lord.

Take Elijah as another example. He won a great spiritual victory over the prophets of Baal. Where did that victory take place? On the top of a mountain—Mount Carmel, a great rock that juts out into the Mediterranean. But did Elijah stay on top of that mountain? Did he set up camp there and bask in the glow of that great victory? No. He went down into the valley.

Down into the wilderness of Beersheba. Down to where a wicked queen, Jezebel, had put out a contract on his life. Down to where his physical and emotional and spiritual resources were stretched to the breaking point.

Still another example is Jesus. Did you know that there are several mountain-top experiences in the ministry of Jesus? Jesus often went to the mountains to pray; to gather his spiritual resources; to replenish his spiritual energy. But he always came back down. Because it was down in the valleys where the people were.

On one occasion, which is described for us in Matthew 17, Jesus took Peter, James and John up to the mountain-top with him. And while they were there…

…he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.

This episode is known as the Transfiguration. For a brief moment of time, Jesus was revealed in all his glory as the Son of God. The veil of his humanity was lifted for just a moment and his disciples caught a glimpse of his deity.

And Moses and Elijah, those two veteran mountain climbers from the OT showed up on top of this mountain for the occasion! Do you know why they were there? Their presence was God’s way of saying that in Jesus, the whole Old Testament was fulfilled.

Because Moses represented the Law, and Elijah represented the prophets. The Law and the Prophets pointed to the Son of God, the Messiah.

Now this was pretty heady stuff for Peter, James and John! This was like a private audience with God, with an all-star supporting cast thrown in. And if that wasn’t enough, God the Father even showed up at the Transfiguration. So it’s no wonder that Peter suggested that they set up camp right there.

Matthew 17:4 Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”

In other words, let’s stay here! Let’s stay right here on top of this mountain. Let’s not go back down in the valley. Let’s build three little shrines (one for you, one for Moses, one for Elijah) and lets just capture the excitement of this moment.

And what did Jesus say? He said “Guys, it’s time to go back down. Down to the valley. Down to where the people are. Down to where the other disciples are waiting. Down to where there is sickness and disease and demon-possession. Down to where there is a cross and a grave waiting for me.”

Some of our men went to the mountain top last weekend at the Promise Keepers seminar. They had a little taste of glory, along with 50,000 other men. But now, in the week since, they’ve come back down to the valley. Some of you guys may have had a rough week. And you’re thinking “Wouldn’t it be great if we could just go back up to the mountain and stay there?”

But listen to me. What happens down in the valley is the only proof that what you got up on the mountain-top was real. Because life is lived down in the valley. And if your Christianity doesn’t work for you there, it doesn’t matter what happens up on top of the mountain.

We’ve just come through the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus had the people up on a mountainside where he gave them the essence of what it means to be a Christian. And at the end of the Sermon it says…

Matthew 7:28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

This crowd had just had a mountain-top experience. They had just heard the greatest preacher who ever lived give the greatest Sermon ever preached. How did they react? How did it impact them?

Well, the Bible says that they were “amazed”.

I did a little research on the word “amazed” and I found that it occurs an amazing number of times in the ministry of Jesus. People were always being amazed at what he did, or what he said.

The word “amazed” in English actually translates one of two Greek words: the word “ekstasis” or the word “ekplesso”.

Now the word “ekstasis” is where we get our word ecstasy. It literally means “a standing out” (“ek” means “out”; “stasis” means “to stand”). In other words, ekstasis meant “outstanding”.

The Greeks used the word “ekstasis” whenever something took you out of your normal state of emotional equilibrium to a place where you were really excited—your emotions were standing out. You were really worked up. You were pumped.

The Bible says over and over again that when the people saw Jesus’ miracles and the things he did, they were “amazed” in that sense—they were enthused, they were excited, they were emotionally caught up in what he did.

Now there’s another Greek word that is translated by the word “amazed”. It is the word “ekplesso”. Ekplesso is made up of two Greek words: the word “ek” (again), which means “out”, and the word “plesso”, which means “to strike”. So the word “ekplesso” literally means “to strike out”! (You didn’t know that the ancient Greeks played baseball, did you?)

Actually, the word “ekplesso” has more to do with being struck with something mentally, or intellectually. When the people heard Jesus speak, when they heard his teaching, the Bible says that they were amazed—”ekplesso”.

They were intellectually challenged by what he was saying. The content of his teaching stretched them mentally. It didn’t fit into any of their traditional categories. It was like nothing they had ever heard before. They were struck by it. That’s the Greek word that is used here in verse 28.

Now here is something very interesting about these two words “ekstasis” and “ekplesso”. Out of all the times that they are used to describe how people reacted to Jesus, only 25% of the time are they referring to the disciples.

What about the other 75% of the time? The other 75% of the time, these words are used to describe the reaction of the crowd—or even, on some occasions, the reaction of Jesus’ enemies—the Jewish or Roman authorities. In other words, 3 out of 4 times, the people who were amazed at what Jesus did were not his followers, nor did they become his followers.

“So what?” you say. Well here’s what: It is possible to be amazed—either in an emotional, ecstatic sense, or in an intellectual sense—by the ministry of Jesus Christ and not be one of his disciples.

It is very possible for you to become emotionally charged up about Jesus—to be ecstatic about his power and his miracles—and yet not become a true disciple.

I know of many people today who are like this. They love the flash and excitement and glamor of a certain kind of Christianity that emphasizes signs and wonders and miracles. They love the music and the show and the entertainment of it all. They are transported by the emotional experience. They become caught up in it—ecstatic with it.

But when you look at their lives as they live them from day to day, you see little evidence of a life-changing commitment to Jesus Christ. They want to live on the mountain top of emotional experience—to be amazed by Jesus—without coming to grips with his authority on the other 95% of their lives that they live down in the valley.

On the other hand, it is very possible for you to become intellectually captivated by Jesus’ teaching. I know of many people who have given their lives to studying the Scriptures. They have become experts in doctrine and theology. Some of them have many theological degrees to their name.

They study and systematize the teaching of Jesus and could argue rings around most of us in a theological debate about his life. And yet, for all their learning, for all their knowledge, for all their doctrinal sophistication, there is no life-changing evidence of the love of Jesus in them.

They want to live on the mountain-top, or in the ivory tower, of intellectual pursuit without really coming to grips with the authority of Jesus in their lives.

Because life is not lived on the mountain top. Life is lived down in the valley. It’s one thing to be amazed by Jesus when you are up on the mountain; it is quite another to acknowledge his authority when you are down in the valley—making decisions, choosing your priorities, building your lifestyle.

The word “amazed” is a significant word in v. 28 because it reveals a lot about the people who heard Jesus. They were amazed by him, but not many of them ended up following him.

That gets us to the other significant word in these verses at the end of the Sermon on the Mount.. It is the word “authority”. The word “authority” means “ the right to rule.”

Many of you have been watching the NBA playoffs on TV these days. It’s really exciting to see the talent and the skill of men like Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O’Neal, David Robinson, and Reggie Miller.

The combined salaries of just those four guys is probably greater than the GNP many third world nations. But for all of their talent, and size, and celebrity, and money, I notice that each of those players bows to the authority of a short, colorless guy in a gray shirt whose name you don’t even know—the referee.

Out on the court, the ref’s authority is absolute. When he blows his whistle, the play stops. When he calls a foul on you, you can argue if you want, but it won’t get you anywhere. The NBA has given him the authority—they have sent him out on that hardwood floor with the right to rule—and whether you like it or not, you have to submit to his authority.

Jesus Christ came here to earth with two things: power and authority. His power came from the anointing of the Holy Spirit on his life. His authority came from his having been sent by God.

Over and over again in his ministry, Jesus said “I have been sent. I am here on a mission. And that is what gives me the authority to say the things I’m saying.”

John 6:38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.

John 7:28-29 I am not here on my own, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him, but I know him because I am from him and he sent me.”

John 12:49 For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it.

John 14:24 These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

Jesus knew where his authority came from.

The year was 168 BC. Antiochus IV of Syria stood with a massive army at the gates of Alexandria. When the city fell, he would be the ruler of all Egypt. The Roman legions were busy elsewhere fighting the Greeks in the Third Macedonian War. There was little they could do to stop Antiochus from becoming the master of the Eastern Mediterranean. Or so he thought.

As Antiochus approached the city to demand its surrender, he was met by a special envoy from Rome. The man’s name was Lucius Laenas and Antiochus knew him well. The two men, in fact, had been friends from earlier days when they both lived in Rome.

Antiochus extended his hand to greet his friend. But instead of taking his friend’s hand, Laenas put into it a decree from the Roman Senate. That decree commanded Antiochus and his army to turn around and leave Egypt at once or face the wrath of Rome.

Antiochus was taken aback. He read the decree and told Laenas that he wanted to consult with his advisors before giving an answer. Laenas didn’t say anything. He simply drew a circle in the sand around Antiochus and told him to give his answer before he stepped out of the circle.

Faced with that ultimatum, Antiochus had no choice. He knew the power of Rome. And he knew that one day, sooner or later, they would enforce that decree. Undefeated on the battlefield, but humiliated, he and his army had to turn around and left Egypt.

One solitary man—Lucius Laenas—was able to turn back a whole army because he had been sent there by the Roman Empire. His authority exceeded the massed power of Antiochus’s whole army.

Jesus Christ came to earth with the full authority of the God of the universe. Now you can dispute his authority if you want to. You can refuse to accept it if you choose. But you will bow to it in the end.

The real proof of whether you accept it is if you take his commands down from the mountain and into the valley where you live and obey them. It’s one thing to be amazed at his teaching; it’s quite another to acknowledge his authority.

Jesus said “He who has my commands and keeps them; he is the one who loves me.”