I read it quietly aloud this morning, timing the length. I had read it many times but had never timed the sermon, or read it aloud. It was fifteen minutes in length. Fifteen minutes! Yet, each sentence is so packed with truths and challenges and convictions that I found it hard to continue reading. I really wanted to stop and "think on these things". The sermon had humor; not cheap jokes, but real humor."How can you say to your brother,'Let me take the speck out of your eye when all the time there is a PLANK in your eye?' ". "If your son asks for bread will you give him a stone? If he asks for fish will you give him a snake?". "Do not throw your pearls to pigs!". There is a bit of home-spun humor in these statements, but they are packed with truth.
The sermon concluded with an illustration about the wise and foolish builders, and it closed.
Who preached this brief, powerful, truth-packed sermon? You know. Jesus! We simply call it the "sermon on the mount". It was preached, not to a group of worshipers gathered in a church or synagogue, but to a group of seekers, curious, and skeptical, on a hillside near the Sea of Galilee. The sermon dealt with such issues as blessedness; being a light in the world; Scriptural fulfillment; murder; adultery; divorce; oaths; revenge; love for enemies; giving; prayer; fasting; treasures; worry; judging others; salvation; false prophets; doing God's will; and building on the right foundation. All that preached in FIFTEEN MINUTES! It left the listeners "amazed". We are still amazed by this sermon today. Very little of it, if any, calls for great books of theology to delve into the "hidden truths". You can read the sermon and understand what Jesus said. You may not like it, but it is clear and easily understood.
I read this last week of a "preacher" who takes over an hour for his sermons each week. I wonder how effective they are, if at all. I know from experience it is harder to bring a brief,effective message than a lengthy one. I have always remembered the statement of one seminary professor who said: "Preach about God and preach about twenty minutes!". The first sermon I ever preached was forty-five minutes. I used a whole box of ammunition and didn't hit a single target.
