 Photo Credit: Kevin Carden, Creation Swap Did you ever notice what Jesus filled up on before he went into the wilderness for forty days? For that matter, did you notice why he went into the wilderness? In Luke 4:1 we get the answers to both of these questions:
Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit before he went into the wilderness and it was this same Holy Spirit who then led him into the wilderness. How interesting, don’t you think? Without the Holy Spirit, he would have succumbed to Satan’s temptations. Yet without the Holy Spirit, he would not have felt compelled to go into the wilderness in the first place.
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Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
In June I began an impromptu study on some verses on the Sermon on the Mount. After that study I decided I would go to the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount and look at the whole thing from start to finish. Today, we look at the final words in that sermon, and how appropriate they are too.
This sermon of Jesus' was famous because from it we learn how to live as Jesus did. He covered everything - blessings, the Law (and how he fulfilled it), murder, adultery, marriage, oath-taking, going the extra mile for someone, loving our enemies, how to pray, praying for our enemies, fasting, money, worry, judging others, taking the narrow path and more. His ideas were, at the time, extraordinary and unique. They still are. Can you imagine any government, anywhere who, instead of going to war, would instead sit down and pray for their enemies? What a world we would live in if we all followed Jesus'. May His Kingdom come! He finishes his sermon by emphasizing how important His words are. By living them and applying them to our lives, we are building a firm foundation, founded on the rock Himself - Jesus Christ. When the storms of life come our way, we will not fall because our faith, hope and trust is built on a firm foundation - Jesus. But the foolish man has not built his faith on the Rock. Sadly, the church at large has lost its firm foundation. I see it time and time again, where Pastors encourage the members of their congregations to study books instead of the Bible. Resulting in members getting all their "wisdom" from man rather than from the Word of God. Books like the Circle Maker for instance. This book has deceived many well-meaning Christians into believing that God has given them a new way to pray. He has not. A careful examination of this book reveals that everything it is based on is not even found in the Bible. And yet, whole congregations are reading this book.
Be wise therefore, and build a firm foundation on Jesus Christ and the Word of God. A Bible study should be based on the Bible and nothing more. Taking you through Scripture, precept by precept. It should not be based on new ideas or "fads". This is where the church is losing its firm footing, by placing more emphasis on "book-studies" than Bible studies. When a new "fad" book appears that everyone is "raving" about - beware! And compare it against Scripture. If it is built on a firm foundation of Scripture then you will be in the Word more than you will be reading that book. It will merely be a guide to your Bible studies, nothing more. Keep standing on the Word of God and you will build for yourself a firm foundation in life.
“Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.
Continuing on with a look at Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, I want to take a closer look at oath taking and the implications it might have for Christians in the world today. Are we for example, forbidden from swearing on a Bible in court?
Let us first look at the history Jesus is talking about here. In Exodus 20:7 we find this verse: You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain. So what does it mean to take the Lord's name in vain? And what does that have to do with swearing an oath? The word for "vain" in Hebrew is shav' and it means emptiness, vanity, falsehood, lying or worthlessness (of conduct). So "taking the Lord's name in vain" was to use it in a false, empty way. Many have taken this to mean we shouldn't curse using God's name and so we shouldn't, because it is using God's name in a profane way. Which we find in Leviticus 19:12 and is also something we should not do. And you shall not swear by My name falsely, nor shall you profane the name of your God: I am the Lord. So we have two verses that warn us about using the Lord's name in a false or profane manner (in vain). How does this relate to what Jesus was talking about in regards to oath taking? Deuteronomy 23:21 gives us an idea: When you make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay to pay it; for the Lord your God will surely require it of you, and it would be sin to you. The word "vow" comes from the Hebrew word neder and means to promise or swear to do something. In this case making a vow to God and not following through is considered a sin. Each of these verses shows us that using God's name when taking an oath, as a way to show everyone your statements are true is essentially using it in a false, empty and profane way. In Old Testament times oaths taken in the name of the Lord were looked upon as binding, and if you didn't follow through with that oath, or you were never meaning to follow through, it was strongly condemned by Jewish Law. However, by the time Jesus came on the scene, the Jews had developed an elaborate system of oath-taking, adding to what the Lord had commanded, which often formed the basis of actual lying. In other words, there were stages of truth and thus also of falsehood within the system of taking oaths. Jesus alluded to this in Matthew 23:16-22. According to Jesus, all such oath-taking was unnecessary if one were in the habit of just telling the truth. It's so simple! Tell the truth and you do not need to take an oath. Hence his command do not swear at all. Jesus said, "Do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black." Again, the Lord is driving home the point that no one should use God's name in vain this way, because He is Holy and the creator of everyone and everything and so should be respected - not used to extract the truth out of someone or extract a promise from someone. Instead, we are to let our yes, be yes and our no, be no. Why? Because as Jesus said, "Whatever is more than these is from the evil one." This is why Christians will not and should not swear on a Bible in a courtroom or swear using God's name in any way at all. Jesus is telling his disciples to speak the truth in such a way that their “yes” means yes and their “no” means no. To make an oath or vow that is binding and using God's name to cement that oath is, as Jesus says, "from the evil one."
Today is Monday Meditations – Please link your faith-based posts below.
Let's encourage one another. Don't forget to visit those who post. 
Read Matthew 5:27-32
Continuing on with Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, today we look at what Jesus had to say about adultery and some of the strange things he said in regards to that topic.
It is interesting to note that when you look up the word "adultery" in Strong's Concordance you get the standard definition of the word which is "to have unlawful intercourse with another's wife". But you also get this definition, "A Hebrew idiom, the word is used of those who at a woman's solicitation are drawn away to idolatry, i.e. to the eating of things sacrificed to idols." So what did Jesus say about adultery in general? Like he did with anger, he looks at the intent of the heart. As he did with anger when he equated it as being the same as murder, he says that when a man looks lustfully at a woman it is the same as committing adultery with her. The intent of the heart is what is looked at here and to drive that point home Jesus added the following: "If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell" (Matthew 5:29-30, NKJV). So did Jesus literally mean that he wants us to pluck out and cut off our body parts? Not at all! Jesus is using the eye and the hand as a metaphor for how dangerous it is to give into the sin of adultery. What Jesus implies is that if your right eye is infected with disease then the logical thing to do would be to pluck it out. Likewise, if your hand is diseased and it is spreading the logical thing to do would be to cut it off. His point is not that one should literally pluck out their eye, or cut off their hand but that one should recognize that the source of lust comes from within the mind and heart of man, not from the physical organ itself. It is when we allow those lustful thoughts to fester that they grow and are acted on, thus resulting in sin. Jesus is teaching that men and women need to bring their lust under the control of the Holy Spirit. Jesus goes on to discuss divorce and how the sin of the heart (wanting what it can't or shouldn't have) results in adultery. In fact, he stressed that those who are married should never divorce unless the sin of sexual immorality (fornication) is present. I talked about the meaning behind fornication in another post and why it was so important to abstain from it. The point is clear, lust begins in the mind or flesh (as does all sin) and weaves its way into the heart, infecting the whole body. Once the mind begins to make excuses for why it's okay to sin, then it has no trouble convincing the heart of following through. God looks at the intent of our hearts (Jeremiah 17:9-10), so if we do not bring our desires under the total control of the Holy Spirit then we are allowing sin to reign in our lives and ultimately saying to God, "I don't want to be obedient to you. You are no longer in charge of my life." And God will do as you ask and leave you to your own desires (Romans 1:24-25; Psalm 81:11-12). This is why we are told time and time again in scripture to run from sin because it destroys not just your relationship with God, but in the case of adultery, it destroys whole families. This is why Jesus put it so bluntly, because in the end it would be better to lose a limb than to see the destruction the sin of adultery can wreak.
Today is Monday Meditations – Please link your faith-based posts below.
Let's encourage one another. Don't forget to visit those who post. 
I have decided to look at the entire Sermon on the Mount for the next little while. The following is updated from a previous post.
In Jesus' famous Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1-11) he gives us eight definitions of those who are blessed and the outcomes of those blessings. Who are the recipients of these blessings? The Poor in Spirit
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
The International Standard Version translates “poor in spirit” as “destitute in spirit.” God’s Word Translation says, “Those who are spiritually helpless.” In other words, those who are poor in spirit recognize how unworthy they are to stand before the throne of God. They agree that their sin is ever before them and without God they are utterly and hopelessly lost. People who are poor in spirit, therefore, recognize their spiritual condition and the need to make themselves right before God. The majority of those who come to Christ, do so with a repentant heart, recognizing they are sinners and need Him. Therefore all those who have come to Jesus are poor in Spirit. The promise of course for them is the kingdom of heaven.
Those Who Mourn
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Last year I lost my mother and was greatly comforted by all the friends and family who came alongside me to mourn her loss. But I don't think this is where Jesus was going with this. Why? I believe when Jesus was teaching his disciples he had a more spiritual goal in mind. For example, when building on the first blessing listed above (Blessed are the poor in spirit), if you recognize that you are poor in spirit, do you mourn your separation from God because of your sin? If you do, then God not only promises you the kingdom of heaven, but he promises that you will be comforted as well. To those who believe in Jesus as their Saviour your sinful state was washed clean and God sees you as a new creation, holy and perfect in His sight (2 Corinthians 5:17). What a comfort to the soul that is!
The Meek
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Each blessing seems to build on the next. If you recognize that you are unworthy to stand before God and you mourn that spiritual state, then when you humbly bow before Him confessing that sin and repenting of it, God promises you will inherit the earth. But what does it mean to "inherit the earth?" Psalm 37:11 also talks about the meek inheriting the earth, but goes on to say that they shall also "delight themselves in the abundance of peace." Jesus was probably referring to this verse in his Sermon on the Mount discourse because it would have sent a strong message to the Jews of his day that were being persecuted by the Romans. Read Psalm 37:9-13 and you will see that the wicked will not prosper (God is actually laughing at their plans) and that in the end it is the meek who humble themselves before God, who will inherit His promises. Who are the meek? All those who kneel before the King of the universe and humbly submit to His will and leadership.
Those who Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
Who fills us when we seek the Lord with all our hearts? The Holy Spirit. He alone makes us complete in Christ. Jesus said in John 15:4-5: Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If you are not actively pursuing God by getting to know Him through His Word, if you don't hunger and thirst for His Word, you are stifling His Holy Spirit and missing out on His blessings. If you just believe in Him but don't pursue a relationship with Him, you are missing out on the blessing of being filled by Him. Jesus confirmed that apart from Him you can do nothing. So if you are actively pursuing God, you have the promise of being filled with His Holy Spirit.
The Merciful
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
How do you treat others? When they wrong you are you forgiving? How about when it comes to sharing the Gospel? Do you do it often? God’s eyes roam the earth. Will He find you merciful toward others in that you have freely shared not only His love and kindness, but His message of salvation as well? There are many opportunities to extend mercy to another. But the greatest mercy of all is sharing the truth about Jesus with one who does not know Him.
The Pure in Heart
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Because of this, no one can see God face to face and live (Exodus 32:20). But those who are made new in Christ Jesus are justified by His blood and will one day see Him face to face (Revelation 22:3-4). God has wiped their sins away and they are no more. On judgment day they will be considered pure of heart and will see God face to face. If you have accepted Jesus as your Saviour, this verse applies to you!
The Peacemakers
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Are you starting to see a pattern? The Beatitudes don’t single out one type of person. Jesus was describing the blessings that all who follow Him will receive. The early Christians sought to live in peace with each other as much as possible. They were known by their love for each other. They lived their lives for God and because of Him and were known as a peaceful people. While there were many issues they had to deal with from within their own circles, such as eating food sacrificed to idols and whether or not Gentile converts should be circumcised, they were still devoted to each other (Acts 4:32-35). To my knowledge (and please point me to Scripture that I am missing if I'm wrong) the early Christians did not single out unbelievers and attack their lifestyles as Christians do today with homosexuals. Yes, if sin was found within the church it was dealt with, but as far as I can tell they did not openly attack people outside the church. They shared Jesus' message of redemption and free gift of eternal life, but they let the Holy Spirit convict the hearts of those listening to the message. They were known as a peaceful people. For the most part, Christians today behave the same way and they shall be called the "sons of God." Those Christians who openly attack homosexuals (or anyone really) and who spew hate (like Westboro Baptist for example), are directly opposed to God's will and therefore will miss out on the blessings Jesus talks about in these verses.
The Persecuted
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
Christians are currently the most persecuted people in the world. “Out of every ten people, seven cannot live their faith in full freedom. And the most persecuted faith is Christianity, with at least 200 million people suffering from discrimination.”1 Jesus added to this blessing by saying, "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you (Matthew 5:11-12, NASB). Yes, serving God is a risky business, but great are the rewards for those who follow Him.
Finally, did you notice that it is the persecuted and the poor in spirit who will receive the kingdom of heaven? Each blessing as I said, builds on the other. Each blessing gives a description of a person who is living for God. All these blessings are intertwined and are granted to those whose hearts are set on God, ready to serve Him. But what does the phrase, "for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" mean? Revelation 3:21 gives us a hint of what it will be like to receive the kingdom of heaven. Revelation 20:6 goes even further to suggest we will reign with Christ. This is the gift of the kingdom of heaven. To not only serve as priests to God, but to serve with Him in the new heaven and new earth. What an inheritance awaits those who live their lives with God as the centre and focus of their beings! Don't miss out on these blessings. If you have not yet accepted Jesus as your Saviour I implore you to do so today. Set your heart and your mind toward the King of Heaven. Repent and humble yourself before Him and be welcomed into the family of God!
1 Rome Reports TV News Agency, November 30, 2010
Today is Monday Meditations – Please link your faith-based posts below.
Let's encourage one another. Don't forget to visit those who post.  “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’" Many people today say they "know God" but the verses above imply God will say He never knew them. This is rather a scary verse for a new Christian. For any Christian, really, who might be struggling with their faith. So over my next three posts, I'd like to look at them in context.
These verses were part of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 7 also includes the verses on judging others, asking, seeking and knocking, and the wise man who built his house upon the rock. They all tie in very nicely with the ones above, for the entire chapter is about how we should live our lives before others (not judging them), how to approach God with our concerns (ask, seek and knock), how we should walk with God, who we should not listen to, and how to build our faith on a firm foundation. But we are going to concentrate on the verses above. We will start with the narrow gate. |
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