Matthew 6
The Sermon on the Mount
Hypocrites
Vs. 1-4, Giving
Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be seen of them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father in Heaven.
So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hyocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truely I say to you, they have their reward in full.
But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father Who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
"Hypocrites" comes from a Greek word that means, "actor, performer." So these religious super-stars were only acting in order to receive honor and respect from other people, to be held in high esteem by them. But their hearts weren't in it.
Jesus said that when we finance charities or put our tithe in the offering plate, we are not to make any big thing of it, but just give quietly. Our motive is not to be popular or famous, we just want to see that God's work has the resources it needs to further the Gospel.
Our attitude is the key here: the reason why we're giving our money is revealed in the manner in which we make the transaction. We will be rewarded; either by a pat on the back, or by having a bigger mansion in Heaven, able to do more for our God forever.
Vs. 5-17, Prayer
When you pray, don't be like the hypocrites; they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
And when your're praying, don't use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do (mantras?), for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.
So don't be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
So we are to seek out our Father in an intimate setting, and just curl up on His lap and ask Him for what we need, as a child in Daddy's arms.
Then He gives us "The Lord's Prayer," an example, like an outline, to use in our own prayers.
Pray, then, in this way:
Our Father who is in Heaven, hallowed be Your Name.
First acknowledge your relationship with Him and recognize His position.
Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.
Desire for His righteousness to be the standard of living here on the Earth, just as it is in His perfect Heaven; for Jesus to reign as our King.
Give us this day our daily bread.
Ask Him for whatever it is you need for this day, each day; don't try to store it up for tomorrow. The manna had to be gathered every day, it rotted overnight.
And forgive us our debts [trespasses, sins], as we also have forgiven our debtors [those who have trespassed against us].
We are always to forgive one another and never hold a grudge, for it only hurts ourselves. Let it go.
And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
Ask that we would follow Him away from temptation, and to strengthen us in our battle with the evil one (check out our spiritual armor in Ephesians 6:11-17).
For Yours is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
End your prayer with praise.
So the pattern for prayer here is:
--Salutation (Hey, Dad, You're the best!)
--Praise and desire for His way, always
--Ask for what you need today
--Confess whatever needs to be cleaned out, and forgive whoever slighted you
--Ask for His strength in the spiritual battle we are waging today
--End with more praise.
For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.
This is how important forgiveness is. If we refuse to forgive others, then I would question if God has ever forgiven you. He forgives us more than we would ever need to forgive one another, and it only harms ourselves to hang on to it. Release it, let it go, give it to God. Then you can experience His peace.
If you've forgiven, but it still hurts to think about it; then forgive again. Sometimes it's hard to really let it go, and we need to continually forgive, until it doesn't hurt any more.
O my Father, Your Word is so wonderful, because You are so wonderful! Thank You for giving me understanding and insights into what You are saying to us. Thank You for Your great Love wherewith You have loved each one of us.
Thank You for loving me! You know me, You know all about me, all my weaknesses and faults and failings; and You love me anyway! You are so amazing! Thank You!
It's no wonder that every created being will bow down to You and worship You; for to see You at all is to see how awesome You are! There's no denying Who You are. It's so obvious that You alone deserve all the praise, all the honor, all the glory, all the credit for all You've done! Only You are God, no other at all.
O Father, continue to help me, strengthen me, let not my weaknesses trip me up, but hold me securely in Your hand. Though I may stumble, I will not fall, with my hand in Yours. Lead me on, Father; on that narrow path that leads to righteousness and glory.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Tuesday, March 5, 2019
Monday, March 4, 2019
You've Heard But I Say
Matthew 5
The Sermon on the Mount
Vs. 27-48
You have heard versus I say to you, concerning:
Adultery (vs. 27-28): ... Whoever looks at a woman lusting after her has already committed adultery in his heart.
Divorce (vs. 31-32): ... Whoever divorces his wife except for fornication has caused her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
Vows (vs. 33-37): ... Swear not at all; neither by heaven ... nor by the Earth ... neither by Jerusalem ...neither by your head; ... But let your communication be Yes and No, for whatever more is said brings evil.
Going beyond Duty (vs. 38-42): Eye-for-eye and tooth-for-tooth versus turn the other cheek and Sue you for your shirt, give him your coat, too. ... Go the extra mile.
All these things show that God looks at our attitudes and thought processes, even before they produce the actions.
Our legislators have tried to play God and make "hate-laws" that are supposed to determine the perpetrator's frame of mind at the time of the crime. But only God knows what we're thinking. Our civil and criminal laws can only judge actions, not necessarily intentions.
When Jesus is our King, being God, He will know what we're thinking; and He will be able to maintain the peace by apprehending the criminals before the harm is done to the intended victims. Only He has authority to do that.
The Law of Love (vs. 43-48): You have heard that it has been said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you.
That you may be the children of your Father in Heaven; for He makes His Sun to shine on both the evil and the good, and sends rain for the just and the unjust.
For if you only love those who love you back, what reward is in that? Don't even the tax collectors do that?
And if you're only friendly with your friends, what are you doing more than worldly people? Don't even the tax collectors do the same?
Therefore, be perfect, like your Father in Heaven is perfect.
Okay, this is impossible! To be as perfect as God the Father? What is He saying here?
So even if we do pray for our enemies, instead of against them, it's for us to do as individuals; we cannot nationally love our enemy nations, it's a personal thing we need to do personally.
The Government is not there to meet our daily needs, or to love our enemies for us; we are responsible for taking care of our own business of daily living, and to show our enemies the example of doing good to everybody, as God does in shining His Sun for everyone and giving His rain upon their crops and ours. God blesses everybody every day, but most people don't realize it.
So, as God's children, we are to show respect and honor for even those who disagree with us, and have made themselves our enemies and persecute us; for they also are made in God's image and likeness, even though it's a marred image. They also need God's healing.
O my Father, please heal and strengthen Your children who will enter into Your Kingdom; to learn to transform our minds to think Your thoughts, Father. When we're thinking Your thoughts, we will not be as vulnerable to the wrong thinking that leads into sin while we're still here in the flesh.
Teach us how to live out Your Law of Love in our daily lives, in our relationships with the others who people our worlds, both those we get along with and others. Father, we already love others as we love ourselves; that's why people who disrespect others show that they don't respect themselves, either. Help us to love others as You have loved us, with Your perfect, unconditional Love.
Help us live our lives in such a blameless way that no accusation will stick, no weapon formed against us will succeed. Let us remember that we live in glass houses, the World is watching us.
Use our lives, our actions, our relationships, and our words to bring to others the knowledge of You, Father, and Your Love and mercy and grace toward us all. Your invitation is extended to all, in that You are not willing that any would perish, but that all would come to repentance in realizing that Jesus died for each one of us, and turn around our attitudes.
And every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is King over all kings and Lord over all lords, and worthy of all praise, honor, worship, adoration, and blessing.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
The Sermon on the Mount
Vs. 27-48
You have heard versus I say to you, concerning:
Adultery (vs. 27-28): ... Whoever looks at a woman lusting after her has already committed adultery in his heart.
Divorce (vs. 31-32): ... Whoever divorces his wife except for fornication has caused her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
Vows (vs. 33-37): ... Swear not at all; neither by heaven ... nor by the Earth ... neither by Jerusalem ...neither by your head; ... But let your communication be Yes and No, for whatever more is said brings evil.
Going beyond Duty (vs. 38-42): Eye-for-eye and tooth-for-tooth versus turn the other cheek and Sue you for your shirt, give him your coat, too. ... Go the extra mile.
All these things show that God looks at our attitudes and thought processes, even before they produce the actions.
Our legislators have tried to play God and make "hate-laws" that are supposed to determine the perpetrator's frame of mind at the time of the crime. But only God knows what we're thinking. Our civil and criminal laws can only judge actions, not necessarily intentions.
When Jesus is our King, being God, He will know what we're thinking; and He will be able to maintain the peace by apprehending the criminals before the harm is done to the intended victims. Only He has authority to do that.
The Law of Love (vs. 43-48): You have heard that it has been said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you.
That you may be the children of your Father in Heaven; for He makes His Sun to shine on both the evil and the good, and sends rain for the just and the unjust.
For if you only love those who love you back, what reward is in that? Don't even the tax collectors do that?
And if you're only friendly with your friends, what are you doing more than worldly people? Don't even the tax collectors do the same?
Therefore, be perfect, like your Father in Heaven is perfect.
Okay, this is impossible! To be as perfect as God the Father? What is He saying here?
So even if we do pray for our enemies, instead of against them, it's for us to do as individuals; we cannot nationally love our enemy nations, it's a personal thing we need to do personally.
The Government is not there to meet our daily needs, or to love our enemies for us; we are responsible for taking care of our own business of daily living, and to show our enemies the example of doing good to everybody, as God does in shining His Sun for everyone and giving His rain upon their crops and ours. God blesses everybody every day, but most people don't realize it.
So, as God's children, we are to show respect and honor for even those who disagree with us, and have made themselves our enemies and persecute us; for they also are made in God's image and likeness, even though it's a marred image. They also need God's healing.
O my Father, please heal and strengthen Your children who will enter into Your Kingdom; to learn to transform our minds to think Your thoughts, Father. When we're thinking Your thoughts, we will not be as vulnerable to the wrong thinking that leads into sin while we're still here in the flesh.
Teach us how to live out Your Law of Love in our daily lives, in our relationships with the others who people our worlds, both those we get along with and others. Father, we already love others as we love ourselves; that's why people who disrespect others show that they don't respect themselves, either. Help us to love others as You have loved us, with Your perfect, unconditional Love.
Help us live our lives in such a blameless way that no accusation will stick, no weapon formed against us will succeed. Let us remember that we live in glass houses, the World is watching us.
Use our lives, our actions, our relationships, and our words to bring to others the knowledge of You, Father, and Your Love and mercy and grace toward us all. Your invitation is extended to all, in that You are not willing that any would perish, but that all would come to repentance in realizing that Jesus died for each one of us, and turn around our attitudes.
And every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is King over all kings and Lord over all lords, and worthy of all praise, honor, worship, adoration, and blessing.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Sunday, March 3, 2019
All Will Be Fulfilled
Matthew 5
The Sermon on the Mount
Vs 17-18
Do not think that I have come to destroy the Law or the Prophets: I have not come to destroy but to fulfill them.
For truely I say to you, until Heaven and Earth pass away, one jot or tittle shall not in any way pass from the Law until all will be fulfilled.
Jesus is saying that not the least part of a letter of a word (a "jot" is a dot, and a "tittle" is the tiniest stroke of the pen) will be nullified, but that every detail of every word of every story and teaching in Scripture will hold True and actual until this whole Earth and Universe are destroyed and made into a New Heaven and a New Earth.
And when Jesus walked this Earth, He said here that He fulfilled all the laws and prophesies of the Old Testament. With His life He fulfilled all the civil and moral laws, and His death fulfilled all the Sacrificial laws. He is also fulfilling all the Feasts God told His people to celebrate.
When Jesus died, He was our Sacrificial Lamb; and when His Blood splattered His altar, the Cross, He fulfilled the Personal Sacrifice for each one of us individually for Salvation. God saves us one by one.
And when His Blood was poured out at the foot of the Cross He was fulfilling the Corporate Sacrifice, to purchase the whole Earth, which makes Him our rightful Judge. He judges whole Nations.
And when he returns to rule as our King over all kings and Lord over all lords, then He will fulfill all the rest of the Prophesies, concerning Israel and all the Last Things.
Then this Time Line of Mankind will come to an end, and a whole new epoch will ensue, in a New Universe with a New Earth-like planet, all designed to operate on a completely different basis of existence. Jesus said, Look, I am making all things new (Revelation 21:5); not just the Earth, but a whole new Creation!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
The Sermon on the Mount
Vs 17-18
Do not think that I have come to destroy the Law or the Prophets: I have not come to destroy but to fulfill them.
For truely I say to you, until Heaven and Earth pass away, one jot or tittle shall not in any way pass from the Law until all will be fulfilled.
Jesus is saying that not the least part of a letter of a word (a "jot" is a dot, and a "tittle" is the tiniest stroke of the pen) will be nullified, but that every detail of every word of every story and teaching in Scripture will hold True and actual until this whole Earth and Universe are destroyed and made into a New Heaven and a New Earth.
And when Jesus walked this Earth, He said here that He fulfilled all the laws and prophesies of the Old Testament. With His life He fulfilled all the civil and moral laws, and His death fulfilled all the Sacrificial laws. He is also fulfilling all the Feasts God told His people to celebrate.
When Jesus died, He was our Sacrificial Lamb; and when His Blood splattered His altar, the Cross, He fulfilled the Personal Sacrifice for each one of us individually for Salvation. God saves us one by one.
And when His Blood was poured out at the foot of the Cross He was fulfilling the Corporate Sacrifice, to purchase the whole Earth, which makes Him our rightful Judge. He judges whole Nations.
And when he returns to rule as our King over all kings and Lord over all lords, then He will fulfill all the rest of the Prophesies, concerning Israel and all the Last Things.
Then this Time Line of Mankind will come to an end, and a whole new epoch will ensue, in a New Universe with a New Earth-like planet, all designed to operate on a completely different basis of existence. Jesus said, Look, I am making all things new (Revelation 21:5); not just the Earth, but a whole new Creation!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Saturday, March 2, 2019
Salt And Light
Matthew 5
The Sermon on the Mount
Vs. 13-16
You are the salt of the Earth: but if the salt has lost its savor, how shall it be salted? It is therefore good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be walked on under foot of men.
You are the light of the World. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.
Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it gives light to all that are in the house.
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father Who is in Heaven.
Salt is good for two things: to bring out the flavor, or to preserve. So we as God's children need to season our families and our culture in such a way as to bring out the delicious flavor of all the good things that are there, and also to preserve these good things about our society by killing the microbes of unrighteousness that are spoiling and decaying it.
But if we succumb to the base and negative parts, then who is left to elevate our neighborhoods to a better lifestyle? We must be the salt that will season and preserve the right things.
Light is what enables us to see. We must enlighten our friends and neighbors so that they can see. We must not hide that we do good things out of a false humility; but let our lives be an open book, living in glass houses, letting others see that God strengthens us to accomplish what we do.
O my Father, please teach Your children how to be the salt and the light that our families and neighborhoods need so desperately. Help us to accomplish the good things You planned ahead of time for us to do, and strengthen us to withstand the push-back from the enemy and his minions.
One Day all these rebels and degenerates will be compelled to bow their knee and agree that You alone are Lord over all lords and King over all kings, worthy of all honor and praise and glory and blessing, along with Your own people who are already willingly giving You this worship and homage.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
The Sermon on the Mount
Vs. 13-16
You are the salt of the Earth: but if the salt has lost its savor, how shall it be salted? It is therefore good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be walked on under foot of men.
You are the light of the World. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.
Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it gives light to all that are in the house.
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father Who is in Heaven.
Salt is good for two things: to bring out the flavor, or to preserve. So we as God's children need to season our families and our culture in such a way as to bring out the delicious flavor of all the good things that are there, and also to preserve these good things about our society by killing the microbes of unrighteousness that are spoiling and decaying it.
But if we succumb to the base and negative parts, then who is left to elevate our neighborhoods to a better lifestyle? We must be the salt that will season and preserve the right things.
Light is what enables us to see. We must enlighten our friends and neighbors so that they can see. We must not hide that we do good things out of a false humility; but let our lives be an open book, living in glass houses, letting others see that God strengthens us to accomplish what we do.
O my Father, please teach Your children how to be the salt and the light that our families and neighborhoods need so desperately. Help us to accomplish the good things You planned ahead of time for us to do, and strengthen us to withstand the push-back from the enemy and his minions.
One Day all these rebels and degenerates will be compelled to bow their knee and agree that You alone are Lord over all lords and King over all kings, worthy of all honor and praise and glory and blessing, along with Your own people who are already willingly giving You this worship and homage.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Friday, March 1, 2019
The Beatitudes
Matthew5: 3-10
The Beatitudes:
Blessed are the poor in spirit:
For theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Poor in spirit means to not be self-satisfied in your spirituality. Realize that the paycheck that you have earned for your sinfulness is only death. We are born with dead spirits, we have no spiritual life until we are born into God's family by His putting His Holy Spirit into our spirit to make it alive. But first we have to realize that we are spiritually dead, unable to help ourselves.
Blessed are they that mourn:
For they shall be comforted.
We are to not just say we're sorry, but actually feel remorse for the lives we have lived in defiance of God and His ways for us. We need to mourn the death of our innocence or our morality from the life we have lived up to now. To mourn the sorrow we caused our Loving Father by our rebellion.
Blessed are the meek:
For they shall inherit the Earth.
Meekness is not weakness, it's great strength under control. The picture is of a massive war horse who obeys its rider through a bit in its mouth. That horse is one of the strongest animals domesticated by Man, yet they are controlled by its rider who is only a fraction of its mass. That's meekness.
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness:
For they shall be filled.
Hunger and thirst are primal instincts for survival. To hunger and thirst after righteousness is to direct this basic need toward a moral right-ness that will undergird every attitude and purpose.
Blessed are the merciful:
For they shall obtain mercy.
Mercy is not giving or receiving the punishment or negative consequences we deserve. So to give the other a break and not come down hard on them, but being gentle and kind instead would be merciful. When we let it slide and not let it bother us, then God will also treat us that way.
Blessed are the pure in heart:
For they shall see God.
To be pure in heart is to harbor no ill will toward anyone. For any reason. A pure heart is perfect, and God won't let anything less than perfect live with Him in Heaven. So only the pure in heart will be able to see God as He is.
Blessed are the peacemakers:
For they shall be called the children of God.
Jesus as our Lord God paid the price to tear down the wall of separation between Man and God, making peace. He is the Prince of Peace. So all those who promote peace among men are acting like Him. Like father, like son; like the Father, so the sons and daughters.
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake:
For theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
The enemy, who is a liar, hates everything that smacks of God. When God's people are living good, moral lives, promoting what is good and wholesome in their societies, the enemy bristles with irritation, and must attack and wipe out whatever is uplifting. And that means the people who are promoting this righteousness, who are showing how beautiful and desirable wholesomeness is. So they are being persecuted because they are righteous.
Blessed are you, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake.
Rejoice and be exceeding glad: For great is your reward in Heaven: For so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
Many people are following the lies of our enemy, he is very pursuasive in his deceptions. So he uses people to slander and besmirch the people of God. We need to remember that we are not fighting against the people who are attacking us--our battle is with the evil spiritual forces backing them.
I think that most people who are being deceived don't realize how backward and twisted their thinking is. Like Eve, and like Saul of Tarsus, they think they're doing the right thing when they believe the label of hatred and lay it on what is good and loving. And God's people suffer, but the persecutors are the real victims.
We can rejoice in the Lord, knowing that He suffers with us when we hurt, and we're not alone in the abuse we are subjected to. But those who are persecuting and slandering cannot claim any hope without Christ.
They need our mercy and our prayers on their behalf, to ask God to have mercy on them. Just as Jesus asked the Father to forgive those who were crucifying Him.
I wonder who was praying for Saul of Tarsis, instead of praying against him. And I look forward to finding out who was praying for me, to have God come to me as He did, offering His Love so graciously.
These Beatitudes are the basis of the Christian 12-step program called Celebrate Recovery. Their application to our way of thinking show us how to heal the hurts and hangups that have hampered our lives. These eight sayings of Jesus dovetail right into the 12 steps of those secular programs. They work because they're God's principles. Whenever the World finds something that works, it's a Biblical principle. Otherwise it wouldn't work.
So, to enter into the Kingdom, we first must be healed. And cleansed. And have our minds transformed to think God's thoughts for us. That's the only way we'll be able to thrive in the absolute Righteousness of the Kingdom.
Father, help us all to learn to think Your thoughts for us: about ourselves, about You, and about one another. Teach us Your ways, Father. Prepare us to face the times You said are coming, to remain faithful to You regardless what others around us are saying or doing. And prepare us for Your very presence, Father.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
The Beatitudes:
Blessed are the poor in spirit:
For theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Poor in spirit means to not be self-satisfied in your spirituality. Realize that the paycheck that you have earned for your sinfulness is only death. We are born with dead spirits, we have no spiritual life until we are born into God's family by His putting His Holy Spirit into our spirit to make it alive. But first we have to realize that we are spiritually dead, unable to help ourselves.
Blessed are they that mourn:
For they shall be comforted.
We are to not just say we're sorry, but actually feel remorse for the lives we have lived in defiance of God and His ways for us. We need to mourn the death of our innocence or our morality from the life we have lived up to now. To mourn the sorrow we caused our Loving Father by our rebellion.
Blessed are the meek:
For they shall inherit the Earth.
Meekness is not weakness, it's great strength under control. The picture is of a massive war horse who obeys its rider through a bit in its mouth. That horse is one of the strongest animals domesticated by Man, yet they are controlled by its rider who is only a fraction of its mass. That's meekness.
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness:
For they shall be filled.
Hunger and thirst are primal instincts for survival. To hunger and thirst after righteousness is to direct this basic need toward a moral right-ness that will undergird every attitude and purpose.
Blessed are the merciful:
For they shall obtain mercy.
Mercy is not giving or receiving the punishment or negative consequences we deserve. So to give the other a break and not come down hard on them, but being gentle and kind instead would be merciful. When we let it slide and not let it bother us, then God will also treat us that way.
Blessed are the pure in heart:
For they shall see God.
To be pure in heart is to harbor no ill will toward anyone. For any reason. A pure heart is perfect, and God won't let anything less than perfect live with Him in Heaven. So only the pure in heart will be able to see God as He is.
Blessed are the peacemakers:
For they shall be called the children of God.
Jesus as our Lord God paid the price to tear down the wall of separation between Man and God, making peace. He is the Prince of Peace. So all those who promote peace among men are acting like Him. Like father, like son; like the Father, so the sons and daughters.
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake:
For theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
The enemy, who is a liar, hates everything that smacks of God. When God's people are living good, moral lives, promoting what is good and wholesome in their societies, the enemy bristles with irritation, and must attack and wipe out whatever is uplifting. And that means the people who are promoting this righteousness, who are showing how beautiful and desirable wholesomeness is. So they are being persecuted because they are righteous.
Blessed are you, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake.
Rejoice and be exceeding glad: For great is your reward in Heaven: For so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
Many people are following the lies of our enemy, he is very pursuasive in his deceptions. So he uses people to slander and besmirch the people of God. We need to remember that we are not fighting against the people who are attacking us--our battle is with the evil spiritual forces backing them.
I think that most people who are being deceived don't realize how backward and twisted their thinking is. Like Eve, and like Saul of Tarsus, they think they're doing the right thing when they believe the label of hatred and lay it on what is good and loving. And God's people suffer, but the persecutors are the real victims.
We can rejoice in the Lord, knowing that He suffers with us when we hurt, and we're not alone in the abuse we are subjected to. But those who are persecuting and slandering cannot claim any hope without Christ.
They need our mercy and our prayers on their behalf, to ask God to have mercy on them. Just as Jesus asked the Father to forgive those who were crucifying Him.
I wonder who was praying for Saul of Tarsis, instead of praying against him. And I look forward to finding out who was praying for me, to have God come to me as He did, offering His Love so graciously.
These Beatitudes are the basis of the Christian 12-step program called Celebrate Recovery. Their application to our way of thinking show us how to heal the hurts and hangups that have hampered our lives. These eight sayings of Jesus dovetail right into the 12 steps of those secular programs. They work because they're God's principles. Whenever the World finds something that works, it's a Biblical principle. Otherwise it wouldn't work.
So, to enter into the Kingdom, we first must be healed. And cleansed. And have our minds transformed to think God's thoughts for us. That's the only way we'll be able to thrive in the absolute Righteousness of the Kingdom.
Father, help us all to learn to think Your thoughts for us: about ourselves, about You, and about one another. Teach us Your ways, Father. Prepare us to face the times You said are coming, to remain faithful to You regardless what others around us are saying or doing. And prepare us for Your very presence, Father.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Thursday, February 28, 2019
The Sermon On The Mount, Intro.
Matthew 5-7
The Sermon On The Mount
The setting for this sermon: Jesus has been baptized by John the Baptist and has been tempted by Satan in the desert. Now he's calling disciples to follow Him and beginning His public ministry.
And His fame went throughout all Syria ... and there folowed him great multitudes of people ... (4:24, 25).
And seeing the multitudes, He went up into a mountain: and when He sat down, His disciples came to Him: And He opened his mouth, and taught them ... (5:1-2).
Jesus is opening this new chapter in His life. He is attracting multitudes of people who are interested in what He has to say, so He begins by laying out what it will look like when His Kingdom is ruling on this Earth.
The strict morality presented in this picture looks to us to be extremely strident: To even look upon a woman with lust is the same as committing adultery with her? To be angry with a brother is the same as murdering him? How can He say that the thoughts we allow ourselves to think are as evil as overt acts of violence?
I think it is because what we think about, what we focus on, comes from what we believe to be true in our hearts, and it colors our attitudes, which fuel our words and our actions. So it's all connected. We need to examine our hearts to see that what we truely believe really is God's Truth, rather than our own ideas or the culture we live in.
Cultures change and evolve and devolve. God's standards stay the same. So the more evil and wickedness is accepted in the culture around us, the more extreme God's righteousness appears.
That's why we need to "be careful" and "watch out" and "pay attention" to what righteousness is, and what "misses the mark" of perfection. We must constantly be on the lookout for anything in our path that would cause us to stumble. Even a small pebble of delusion can trip us up. Once started on a tangent, the longer we go, the farther we get from where we want to be.
So let's look at this sermon with a mind to see God's reasonable standards.
Jesus starts it with The Beatitudes, the Blessed are's. "Blessed" can be read as "Happy." And the Christian 12-step program called Celebrate Recovery is based on these Beatitudes for healing the serious and damaging habits that people need to be delivered from. So we all need to be healed before we actually enter His Kingdom, in order to live there comfortably, happily.
Tomorrow we'll begin to look at this Sermon to glean what we need to know in these days we are living in now.
O my Father, thank You so much for this roadmap that You have put into Your written Word. Thank You for having Your Spirit remind Matthew of all Jesus said here, so that we can have an accurate picture of Your Righteousness.
Father, help us to order our own lives according to Your love for us, so that we can love one another with Your Love, and live with one another in Righteousness and joy.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
The Sermon On The Mount
The setting for this sermon: Jesus has been baptized by John the Baptist and has been tempted by Satan in the desert. Now he's calling disciples to follow Him and beginning His public ministry.
And His fame went throughout all Syria ... and there folowed him great multitudes of people ... (4:24, 25).
And seeing the multitudes, He went up into a mountain: and when He sat down, His disciples came to Him: And He opened his mouth, and taught them ... (5:1-2).
Jesus is opening this new chapter in His life. He is attracting multitudes of people who are interested in what He has to say, so He begins by laying out what it will look like when His Kingdom is ruling on this Earth.
The strict morality presented in this picture looks to us to be extremely strident: To even look upon a woman with lust is the same as committing adultery with her? To be angry with a brother is the same as murdering him? How can He say that the thoughts we allow ourselves to think are as evil as overt acts of violence?
I think it is because what we think about, what we focus on, comes from what we believe to be true in our hearts, and it colors our attitudes, which fuel our words and our actions. So it's all connected. We need to examine our hearts to see that what we truely believe really is God's Truth, rather than our own ideas or the culture we live in.
Cultures change and evolve and devolve. God's standards stay the same. So the more evil and wickedness is accepted in the culture around us, the more extreme God's righteousness appears.
That's why we need to "be careful" and "watch out" and "pay attention" to what righteousness is, and what "misses the mark" of perfection. We must constantly be on the lookout for anything in our path that would cause us to stumble. Even a small pebble of delusion can trip us up. Once started on a tangent, the longer we go, the farther we get from where we want to be.
So let's look at this sermon with a mind to see God's reasonable standards.
Jesus starts it with The Beatitudes, the Blessed are's. "Blessed" can be read as "Happy." And the Christian 12-step program called Celebrate Recovery is based on these Beatitudes for healing the serious and damaging habits that people need to be delivered from. So we all need to be healed before we actually enter His Kingdom, in order to live there comfortably, happily.
Tomorrow we'll begin to look at this Sermon to glean what we need to know in these days we are living in now.
O my Father, thank You so much for this roadmap that You have put into Your written Word. Thank You for having Your Spirit remind Matthew of all Jesus said here, so that we can have an accurate picture of Your Righteousness.
Father, help us to order our own lives according to Your love for us, so that we can love one another with Your Love, and live with one another in Righteousness and joy.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Wednesday, February 27, 2019
A Broken Spirit
Psalm 51: 17
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise.
II Peter 3: 9
The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsufferng to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Our broken spirit, our contrite heart, is our coming to repentance, realizing that we deserve death.
Colossians 1: 19-20
For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fulness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the Blood of His Cross; through Him, I say, whether things on Earth or in Heaven.
So the Father's good pleasure is to give all the fulness of being God as well as being fully Man to His Son, so that His Blood, shed on Calvary, would make peace between sinful Man and a holy God. His precious Blood, the Blood of God, has unlimited power and worth to pay the full price for human sinfulness and cleanse us totally pristine, as though we'd never sinned at all, perfect, fit to live with God in His perfect Heaven.
God saves us one by one, so the first sacrifice God wanted the Levites to teach the people, in the first chapter of Leviticus, is the personal sacrifice. When Jesus died, He was the Lamb of God, dying for each one of us individually, fulfilling that personal sacrifice for Salvation.
So when the Father draws someone to understand that Jesus took his place in death, because He didn't deserve it but he did; then the Blood of Christ washes him as white as snow, and God sends His Holy Spirit to take up residence in his spirit, making it alive. In that sense, that person is "born again," and now has spiritual life, as well as his human life. So every time God saves someone it's a miracle.
And when His Blood was poured out at the foot of the Cross when the Centurian pierced His side, He fulfilled the sacrifice for the whole congregation, laid out in Leviticus 4: 13-21. This Corporate Sacrifice He gave to purchase not just one congregation, but the whole Universe, which makes Him its rightful Judge. So if you consider yourself one of many He died for, then you are still under judgment.
O my Father, I pray for all those who think they are Yours, but have never come to that repentance that leads to Salvation. I pray that You would show Yourself and Your ways to them in Your Love, and draw them to Yourself. Then they will willingly praise Your holy Name, and give You the glory and honor You deserve.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise.
II Peter 3: 9
The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsufferng to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Our broken spirit, our contrite heart, is our coming to repentance, realizing that we deserve death.
Colossians 1: 19-20
For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fulness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the Blood of His Cross; through Him, I say, whether things on Earth or in Heaven.
So the Father's good pleasure is to give all the fulness of being God as well as being fully Man to His Son, so that His Blood, shed on Calvary, would make peace between sinful Man and a holy God. His precious Blood, the Blood of God, has unlimited power and worth to pay the full price for human sinfulness and cleanse us totally pristine, as though we'd never sinned at all, perfect, fit to live with God in His perfect Heaven.
God saves us one by one, so the first sacrifice God wanted the Levites to teach the people, in the first chapter of Leviticus, is the personal sacrifice. When Jesus died, He was the Lamb of God, dying for each one of us individually, fulfilling that personal sacrifice for Salvation.
So when the Father draws someone to understand that Jesus took his place in death, because He didn't deserve it but he did; then the Blood of Christ washes him as white as snow, and God sends His Holy Spirit to take up residence in his spirit, making it alive. In that sense, that person is "born again," and now has spiritual life, as well as his human life. So every time God saves someone it's a miracle.
And when His Blood was poured out at the foot of the Cross when the Centurian pierced His side, He fulfilled the sacrifice for the whole congregation, laid out in Leviticus 4: 13-21. This Corporate Sacrifice He gave to purchase not just one congregation, but the whole Universe, which makes Him its rightful Judge. So if you consider yourself one of many He died for, then you are still under judgment.
O my Father, I pray for all those who think they are Yours, but have never come to that repentance that leads to Salvation. I pray that You would show Yourself and Your ways to them in Your Love, and draw them to Yourself. Then they will willingly praise Your holy Name, and give You the glory and honor You deserve.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
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