Detailed person that I am, it will be very difficult for me to blog the entire Sermon on the Mount in one post, but I will make a valiant effort. Matthew 5-7 is packed full of fabulous material! Did Jesus really sit down on a single afternoon and preach this sermon to His disciples alone? Maybe.... I am much more inclined to believe that the truth in these chapters were the things Jesus shared with anyone who would listen. Throughout Jesus' three years of ministry, these were the important words He wanted everyone to hear and to follow with their lives. You and I would do well to find someone to mentor, and we could use these three short chapters to teach a new believer to be like Christ.
Matthew 5:48, "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect," is the theme of the entire passage. Jesus has high expectations for His followers: have a godly attitude; be salt and light; be righteous; do not murder or commit adultery; do not divorce; be a person of integrity; love all people. We must admit we cannot possibly score perfectly in each of these categories, but we should be encouraged rather than discouraged to strive to reach the goal God has set for us. Because of my perfectionism, I sometimes do not attempt projects I know I will not execute well. That has not proven to be a helpful philosophy in life. Just because I cannot possibly be perfect as my heavenly Father is perfect, does not mean I should not put forth my best effort. Actually, in my own strength I cannot do it anyway. "But nothing is impossible with God!" Luke 1:37.
Did you notice in Matthew 6 that Jesus said to do these three things secretly: giving, praying, and fasting. Regarding each of those things, He cautioned against hypocrisy. My NIV Study Bible defines a hypocrite as a "play-actor." You and I would call a hypocrite a "faker." When I give, do I fake a cheerful spirit? When I pray, do I play-act in front of the congregation? When I fast, do I seek as much sympathy as I can find by whining about my grumbling stomach or bragging about my self-denial?
The remainder of the Sermon on the Mount teaches these principles: store up treasure in heaven by following God, not money; do not worry; do not judge others unfairly; ask God for what you need; and follow God's way, not the easy path of the world. Wow! If every person who claims to be a Christian would simply follow these instructions, wouldn't life be fun? Then if we would tell all our unbelieving friends and family members what a positive difference it makes in our lives to follow the straight and narrow path, couldn't their lives be changed as well?
The first parable at the end of the Sermon tells us that people will recognize our righteous living by what we do for Christ. The second parable tells us to be wise, not foolish, as we put Jesus' words into practice. If the Sermon on the Mount really was a one-time sermon, it packs a powerful punch, don't you think? Just like the crowds, I am amazed at Jesus' teaching, and I want to put it into practice today. I think I will invite someone else to join me in striving to reach God's goal of living perfect according to His standards. Will you join us too?
I would like to share with you some of the things that Pastor Wyatt has been preaching on the past several weeks- "The Beatitudes." This certainly is not the whole message from his sermons, but some of the things that really spoke to me.
ReplyDeleteI have read these verses numerous times and never really stopped to consider all the things that Christ says in these short verses. And I will try to remember to keep it short.
Those poor in spirit: Pride is the root of all evil. You can't be filled with the Spirit, unless you have been emptied out. It is the condition of your heart! Having a poor spirit focuses upward.
Those who mourn: Spiritual mourning because of our sins. Conviction always comes before conversion! Matt 4:17 Repentence was Christ's message. Godly sorrow brings about a change that leads to salvation. The greatest gift I can give my children is the example of humility!
Those who are meek: We must examine our own hearts first. Our lives should be transparent and encourage others to inspect our lives. Meekness is gentleness a fruit of the Spirit. Example of being meek is knowing when to be angry and when not to be. Revival has to happen within me first!
Those who hunger and thirst: We cannot expect to be holy if we just sit around and wait for it. We have to do it! A spiritual indicator of when you need righteousness is unhappiness. Righteousness only comes from Christ!
Those who are merciful: Who we are is more important than what we do. We are saved so we do good works, not saved because of our works. We are created to do good works for Christ. If forgiveness or mercy are dependant on us forgiving others, then none of us would be forgiven. Mercy is a gift. It is genuinely caring about others. Mercy is caring enough to see someone else's pain and want to help.
Those pure in heart: To have a pure heart, you must first realize you have an impure heart. Christ doesn't waste His time on those who have hardened their hearts towards Him. The condition of the heart is the center of our personality. A pure heart is focused only on God. Repentance is necessary.
Those who are peacemakers: How we respond to conflict makes all the difference. I must first be at peach with myself. If conflict is not resolved then it will continue to resurface. God killed His own son to make peace with me. Why should it be so hard for me to make peace with others? Don't let a breach in a relationship be because I have hardened my heart. There's no growth or benefits to only loving friends. We must also love our enemies.
The last one is next week's sermon. So, I'll have to blog on that another time.
Fabulous! I cannot tell you how grateful Trent and I are to know that God has been faithful to bring FSBC a wonderful new pastor. We continue to pray that the Body of Christ in Yuma will be ready to follow God wholeheartedly.
ReplyDeleteThe beatitude series sounds terrific. My favorite line from your comment, Melissa was, "We cannot expect to be holy if we just sit around and wait for it." Amen and amen! Pursue God as if your eternity depended on it! Jesus Christ is the very air that I breathe!!!!
Well, this last Sunday brought everything to that! Making Christ our everything. Is my heart in Heaven? I want my whole being to be so consumed with Him that nothing else matters!!
ReplyDeleteBlessed are those persecuted for righteousness sake! Some persecution is because of our own actions. Those persecuted for Him, we will be blessed. Our reward is in Heaven. Everyone who wants to live a godly life will be persecuted! We need to start warning people that God's judgement is coming. Trouble starts happening when I am getting closer to God. It's not a coincidence. If I am spiritually minded, then I will be offensive to the world. I am not to feel resentful for being persecuted. What would it be like to kiss the very thing that will bring me to my death? I will only grow in Christ through my trials. Is my heart in Heaven?? Don't just understand it, LIVE IT!!
I felt so consumed by God afterwards and then immediately following church, someone said something to me that critized something I did. For a brief second my thoughts were "Why even bother? Someone is always going to find fault in what I do." But then I came back to God's thoughts. There is always going to be someone who critizes you, but it doesn't matter because I think you are wonderful and you did it because you love me. That is what matters!! I'm not living for the world. I'm living for Him!!!!!!
I have been painfully aware of spiritual warfare the last few days. As you said, when we begin to serve and get close to God, the enemy is sure to attack. We must recognize that we battle against spiritual forces of darkness, not merely against flesh and blood. The attack should be a good reminder that we are battling on behalf of the King of Kings. Hold His banner high!
ReplyDeleteI am also being attacked spiritually since Sunday and it continues to get worse every day. I'm trying to stick it out and trust God, but it's getting really hard!! I know God's in control and I have to rely on He has my best in mind, but it's getting hard to believe that when it seems like those who persecute me are getting away with it.
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