Fruitful Living
The Sermon on the Mount (I)
Now He saw the crowds, He went up on the mountainside and sat down.
His disciples came to Him, and He began to teach them, saying: – Matthew 5:1-2 NIV
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 teacher of the law – Matthew 7:28-29 NIV
INTRODUCTION: What is this sermon!
The sermon on the Mount is probably the best-known part of the teaching of Jesus though arguably it is the least understood, and certainly it is the least obeyed. It is the nearest thing to a manifesto that He ever uttered, for it His own description of what He wanted His followers to be and to do. To my mind no two words sum it up better, or indicate more clearly its challenge to modern world, than the expression “Christian counter culture”.
In a way Christians find this search for cultural alternative one of the most hopeful, even exciting, signs of the times. This is because in His activities He is the comforter as well as the disturber. For the Holy Spirit, He necessarily convicts us of sin before He gives us the comfort of being our helper.
The first place to which Christians should be able to turn is the one place which they normally ignore, namely the church. For too often when Christians see in the church is not counter-culture but conformism, not a new society which they have renounced, not life but death then there is a lot of disappointment.
BACKGROUND TO THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT.
This is how God put it to the people of Israel soon after He had rescued them from their Egyptian slavery and made them His special people by covenant: “I am the Lord your God. You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. You shall not walk in their statutes.
You shall do My ordinances and keep My statutes and walk in them. I am the Lord your God.” This appeal of God to His people, it will be noted, began and ended with the statement that He was the Lord their God. This was because He was their covenant God, and because they were His special people, that they were to be different from everybody else. They were to follow His commandment and not take their lead from standards of those around them.
Throughout the centuries which followed, the people of Israel kept forgetting their uniqueness as the people of God. Although in Balaam’s words they were “a people dwelling alone, and not reckoning itself among nations”, yet in practice they kept becoming assimilated to the people around: “They mingled with the nations and learned to as they did.”
So they demanded a king to govern them “like all the nations”, and when Samuel remonstrated with them on the ground that God was their king, they were stubborn in their insistence: “NO! but we will have a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations.” Worse even than the inauguration of the monarchy was their idolatry.
“Let us be like the nations” they said to themselves”… and worship wood and stone.” So God kept sending His prophets to them to remind them who they were and to plead with them to follow His way. “Learn not the way of the nations,” He said to them through Jeremiah, and through Ezekiel, Do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am the Lord your God.”
But God’s people would not listen to His voice, and the specific reason given why His judgement fell first upon Israel and then nearly 150 years later upon Judah was same:
“The people of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God… and had… walked in the customs of the nations…Judah also did not keep the commandments of the Lord their God, but walked in the customs which Israel had introduced.”
THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
All this is an essential background to any understanding of the Sermon on the Mount. The Sermon is found in Matthew’s Gospel towards the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry.
Immediately after His baptism and temptation He began to announce the good news that the Kingdom of God, long promised in the Old Testament era, was now on the threshold. He Himself had come to inaugurate it. With Him the new age had dawned, and the rule of God had broken into history.
‘Repent,’ He cried, “for the Kingdom of God is at hand.” Indeed, “He went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the Kingdom.” The Sermon on the Mount, then, is to be seen in this context. It portrays the repentance and the righteousness which belong to the Kingdom. That is, it describes what human life and human community look like when they come under the gracious rule of God.
And what they look like? Different! Jesus emphasised that His true followers, the citizens of God’s Kingdom, were to be entirely different from others. They were not to take a cue from the people around them, but from Him, and so prove to be genuine children of their Heavenly Father.
The key text of the Sermon of the Mount is Matthew 6:8: “Do not be like them.” It is immediately reminiscent of God’s Word to Israel in olden days: “You shall not do as they do.” It is the same call to be different. And right through the Sermon on the Mount this theme is elaborated. Their character was to be completely distinct from that admired by the world (the beatitudes). They were to shine like lights in the prevailing darkness. Their righteousness was to exceed that of the scribes Pharisees, both in the ethical behaviour and religious devotion, while their love was to be greater and their ambitions nobler than those of their pagan neighbours.
To be continued!
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By Dr Joyce Aryee
B. Instead, walk in righteousness and true holiness … (20–24)
- This is how you learned Christ
• As you heard Him and were taught by Him (through His apostles, of course – Matt. 28:19–20)
• In Whom is the truth – John 8:31; 14:6 - For you were taught to “put off” the “old man”
• That is, your “former conduct,” how you behaved before you were saved – Col. 3:5–9
• Putting off the old man is needed because it is never content, but grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts (like addictive drugs, you always need more). - And to “be renewed in the spirit of your mind”
• Which is the key to true “transformation” – Rom. 12:1–2
• You renew your mind only as you “set your mind on things above” – Col. 3:1–2 - And to “put on the new man”
• A new man “which was created according to God” – Col. 3:10
• A new man, “in righteousness and true holiness” – Col. 3:12–17
In giving the admonition “No longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles,” Paul has made it clear that it involves both a “putting off” and a “putting on.” That is, our “Walking in Truth and Holiness” is not just a bunch of “Thou Shalt Not’s,” there are also some “Thou Shalt’s.”
To illustrate further the difference between the “old man” (how the rest of the Gentiles walk) and the “new man” (how Christians are to walk), we find Paul making…
II. The Application – (25–32)
Case in point: lying… (25)
• The “old man” thinks nothing of lying.
• The “new man” puts away lying, and in its place speaks truth with his neighbor (especially to those who are members of the same body).
Case in point: anger… (26–27)
• The “old man” gets angry and lets it linger, or get out of control.
• The “new man” may get angry, but does not…
• Let it linger (“do not let the sun go down on your wrath”)
• Allow it to prompt sinful behavior (“nor give place to the devil”).
Case in point: stealing (28)
• The “old man” is willing to steal.
• The “new man” not only stops stealing, but works so he can help others in need!
Case in point: corrupt communication… (29)
• The “old man” doesn’t worry or care what comes out of his mouth.
• The “new man” not only avoids “corrupt communication,” but seeks to speak that which is uplifting to those who hear.
Summary… (30–32)
Why be concerned about putting off the “old man” and putting on the “new man?”
When Christians act like the “old man,” it grieves the Holy Spirit.
By the Holy Spirit we were sealed for the day of redemption – Eph. 1:13–14.
Therefore, we ought to put away those things befitting the “old man” (bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, evil speaking, malice).
And in its place we need to put on those things befitting the “new man” (being kind, tenderhearted, forgiving one another just as God forgives us in Christ).
Conclusion
What a contrast there would be if all those in the church truly carried out the admonition to “Walk in Truth and Holiness!” The church would stand out like “a city that is set on a hill” – Matt. 5:14–16.
And the world, though it now has “their understanding darkened,” would be more likely to come to see the truth that is in Jesus.
But what hope is there if the church is more like the world than the “holy temple” it is to be?
Brethren, are we “grieving the Holy Spirit of God?” – Ephesians 4:30
While the increasing worldliness in our society naturally concerns us…
Let us be careful not to react with attitudes that reveal our old characteristics when we were in the world.
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By Rev. Dr Joyce Aryee,
the author
Fruitful Living
Sanitation, hygiene, the morality ofpublic space: Reclaiming Ghana’s civicvirtue through faith, policy (Final Part)
A. The role of religious leaders and counsellors
Religious leaders wield immense influence in shaping public values. Every mosque, church, and shrine should integrate environmental stewardship into its doctrine. Islam views the earth as a masjid—a place of prostration (Sahih Bukhari, 335). Polluting it is akin to defiling a sacred space. Monthly khutbahs should focus on amanah and tahārah, connecting spiritual purity to environmental discipline.
As a counsellor, I affirm that behavioural reform requires both moral teaching and psychological reinforcement. When believers internalise that cleaning a drain is an act of ʿibādah (worship), they transform routine labour into sacred service. The Prophet (peace be upon him) taught: “Removing harmful things from the path is a branch of faith.” (Sahih Muslim, 35). This hadith perfectly captures the theology of civic virtue.
B. Individual and community pledge
Moral renewal begins with personal accountability. Every household must adopt responsible waste practices—segregating recyclables, composting, and cooperating with collection services. Citizens must also exercise al-amr bi-l-maʿrūf wan-nahy ʿani-l-munkar (enjoining good and forbidding evil) by correcting neighbours who litter or misuse public spaces, with gentleness and wisdom (Qur’an 16:125).
Communities should establish local sanitation committees under mosque and church leadership, creating faith-driven accountability structures. Supporting local enforcement, rather than resisting it, must be seen as a contribution to maslahah—the public interest that the Sharia seeks to protect.
This collective moral reawakening must integrate faith, governance, and citizenship into one moral project: cleanliness as worship, sanitation as patriotism.
C. Conclusion: Cleanliness, dignity, and the Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah
Ghana’s destiny as a great nation is inseparable from the cleanliness of its environment and the conscience of its citizens. The choked gutters, polluted rivers, and scattered waste are not only environmental failures but spiritual wounds upon our collective soul. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Allah is pure and accepts only what is pure.” (Sahih Muslim, 1015). A nation that aspires to divine favour must first reflect divine purity in its public spaces.
To achieve this, we must view sanitation through the lens of the Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah—the higher objectives of Islamic law—which aim to preserve life (ḥifẓ al-nafs), faith (ḥifẓ al-dīn), intellect (ḥifẓ al-ʿaql), wealth (ḥifẓ al-māl), and posterity (ḥifẓ al-nasl). Clean environments are essential for all five objectives:
• Preservation of Life (ḥifẓ al-nafs): Proper sanitation prevents disease and death. Protecting human health is a divine imperative. Allah says, “And do not throw yourselves with your own hands into destruction.” (Qur’an 2:195).
• Preservation of Faith (ḥifẓ al-dīn): Islam equates purity with faith. An unclean environment obstructs worship and spiritual growth, violating the believer’s covenant of cleanliness.
• Preservation of Intellect (ḥifẓ al-ʿaql): Healthy surroundings promote clarity of thought, while pollution and disease diminish cognitive vitality and learning.
• Preservation of Wealth (ḥifẓ al-māl): Waste management safeguards public funds, prevents costly health crises, and preserves natural resources.
• Preservation of Posterity (ḥifẓ al-nasl): Environmental care ensures a habitable planet for future generations, fulfilling our amanah to the unborn.
By aligning sanitation with these higher objectives, we transform a civic duty into a sacred mission. Achieving the Maqāṣid requires cooperation between policy and piety—laws enforced justly, education grounded in values, and citizens inspired by faith.
Let every believer remember that a clean street is a silent dhikr (remembrance of Allah), a purified drain is a fulfilled amanah, and a healthy neighbour is a protected trust. When our gutters run clear and our air smells fresh, it will signify not merely progress but piety—proof that Ghana has reclaimed its moral and civic virtue under the gaze of the Almighty Allah.
Thank you.
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