D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

In my continuing study of the gospel of matthew, I'm beginning to get into the Beautitudes. It will tkae me a few weeks to wade through them all. But I ran into this thought by the great British preacher D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on the Sermon on the Mount.

When reading the Sermon on the Mount, we need to keep in mind the difference between the 'outside' life vs the 'inside' life. Lloyd-Jones compares the Christian life to playng music. A person may play Beethoven's 'Moonlight Sonata' accurately and without a single mistake-yet not really play what the composer had in mind. Even though the notes are played correctnly, it is not the sonata that is being played. THe pianist may strike the keyes at the right time, in the right order, but he is missing the essence, the soul of the composition. He may not express what Beethoven wanted to be expressed. The true artist may indeed play the right notes at the right time. But accurate playing is not what makes one a giid musician. It is the expressin of what lies behind the notes that enthralls the listeners. In the same way, Christians are to be concerned about the letter of God's Word, but beyond that they are concerned with the spirit, the deeper will and purpose that lie behind the letter. That concern reveals an obedient heart filled with the deisre to glorify God.