Randy Harris, Virgil Bentley, and the Sermon on the Mount

Our church is studying the Sermon on the Mount over the next couple of months.  Nathan Burrow, our preacher, is preaching on it. Every Bible class is studying it. And to help kick it off, we had Randy Harris come teach a combined Bible class on it. He did a "get ready to study this" lesson.  

One thing he talked about really struck me. He talked about memorizing the Sermon on the Mount.  

I like that idea. Christians just do not know Scripture like we used to. Or at least like we thought we did. Knowing Scripture is important. Having Scripture be a part of you matters. It is good to have Scripture just pop up in your mind at the right time. You can read Scripture and that helps. Read it aloud. Read it repeatedly. Those all help.  

But memorization matters. I hope children's classes still do memory verses. My wife always had a memory verse for our grandkids’ cousin camps every summer.  

The Sermon on the Mount is a life guide for followers of Jesus. I need to have in my mind and heart the Beatitudes. I need the teaching on forgiveness. And the reminder to not do my religion just to be seen by others. And not to lust or get angry. And how to trust God. And to actually do what is in this sermon.

So my wife and I are working on memorizing the Sermon on the Mount on our morning walks. After we pray. Yes, she makes me walk a long time. And no, we are not going to demonstrate how we are doing by quoting this Sermon to everyone we see. Kind of misses the point if we do that.

So thanks for that reminder, Randy.

And thanks to Virgil Bentley. Way back around 1980 I heard Virgil preach a sermon. The Sermon on the Mount. He preached it from memory. And I remember thinking how great it was that he could have that message be so much a part of him.  

So thanks to Virgil and Randy—and my wife Marsha—I am putting the Sermon on the Mount into my mind, heart, and life.

It's a good idea.