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Sunday, January 29, 2023

“Surprise Them With Grace and Mercy”

Scripture:  Matthew 5:7Matthew 5:38-42Hebrews 4:14-16

Read Matthew 5:7

 In our 5th Beatitude today, Jesus is once again calling believers to live, act, and care for others in a whole new way.  The world may proclaim the need for mercy, but it is seldom a Godly form that they are promoting. Mercy should never be self-centered, or limited in scope, or even held back from some as a punishment.  And it isn’t that we are to only talk about mercy and justice – we are to live it as God would have us live.  In Micah 6:8, we read that the Lord has shown us what goodness involves, and that He “requires” that we “act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God”.  This has nothing to do with how we might interpret the call to mercy and justice, and it definitely isn’t a legalistic approach to living out God’s call, but rather in a way that reflects how God defines it and bestows it. 

 It would seem that the call has little to do with our thinking about it, or discussing it, or even encouraging others to do it.  The real issue in Micah, as it is throughout scripture, is that it isn’t even that we do it ourselves, but more importantly, it’s in the way that we do it – that we are to love being just and merciful to the extreme toward others, in the same way that God has been for each one of us (John 13:34-35) 

 For the Lord, He is looking to us to proclaim His presence in this world by living in a way that others will get a glimpse of what He is all about.  In Hosea 6:6, we are told “For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.  The Lord wants us to understand that this is what He wants for our life, and to recognize that this is His precious gift to all who seek Him.  Do we live this life as though our relationship with the Lord is far more important to us than the one we have with other people?  We are to begin with God, and then let that guide us into a life with others.

 Read Matthew 5:38-42

 As Jesus opens up this totally new concept of mercy for the people gathered on the hillside that day, He is taking a step that completely rewrites the intent of Jewish law regarding wrongdoing.  The interpretation of law had always been based in a retribution type of  approach to justice.  Both Leviticus24:20 and Deuteronomy 19:21 require that whatever injury you may have committed against another person, the same must be done to you.  If you caused a wound to their hand, you would receive the same wound to the same hand.  If you caused the loss of an eye, the same eye on your head would be taken from you.  And the list goes on.

 The world’s justice and mercy is all about retribution, while God’s is about compassion and deferred judgment until the day when Jesus will sit upon His Judgment Seat for that perfect, factual, and final decision.  God is telling us that retaliation isn’t mercy, but simply a way to expand and continue the pain and injury that comes from worldly aggression.  Now I will admit, that I still have a long way to go before I am able to live in this way, but it has to be a goal that we all should claim and strive to gain.

 And the rest of this passage, when it speaks of not resisting evil and harm, is really about the conflict that exists between the kingdom of earth and the kingdom of God.  They stand in direct contrast to each other – the one seeing conflict as something to use against those who seek to do us harm, while the other calls us to resist from following the example that others set before us, and to look to divine guidance as our solution to the world’s condition.

 It appears that God wants us to be a holy example to the people of earth, even if it allows them to hurt us and take advantage of us.  Do we have a human right to safety and preservation?  Certainly!  But in Luke 6:36-38, Jesus tells us “37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you.”  It isn’t about letting the laws and ways of earth limit us in how we respond to their evil, but to raise our level of mercy and justice to a much higher and more loving form that reflects our faith and desire to live and care in the way of Jesus.  Live in a Godly way – not because it will be easier, because it won’t be, but because it is better, and that when we do, it will serve to honor Christ.

 Do the laws of our nation allow us to stand strong against evildoers, and to push back when they push us toward desperation?  They do!  We can still make our homes and property safe for our families, but we should never take on the mantle of aggression and conflict when life’s situations turn sour.  It is definitely something worthwhile to work on, isn’t it!

 Read Hebrews 4:14-16

 So what is this reference to Jesus being our “high priest” all about?  For Israel, a priest was to be an intercessory between Jehovah God and the people.  He wasn’t a teacher, he wasn’t a preacher, he never did counseling or offered any other support service to the people, and in general, their responsibilities were to be limited to care of the sanctuary, the ark, the alter, the curtain that separated the open areas from that which was known as the Holy of Holies, and anything else that was related to the care of these objects, such as accepting and administering the offering of sacrifices.  They were always to be descendants of Aaron and the Tribe of Levi, and had no responsibility or employment other than that which occurred in the Tabernacle, or later, in the Temple.

 And the high priest?  He would be chosen for a specified time, to be the one who would be allowed to venture past the curtain to come into Jehovah’s presence to pray for the people and the nation, to make any sacrificial offering on behalf of the nation, and to make any other necessary petitions directly to Almighty God.  During his tenure of service, he would be the only one who could carry out these responsibilities.

 The writer of Hebrews tells us that now Jesus has become our true and only “High Priest”.  He, too, has been chosen to serve on our behalf for a specified time – and it extends from the day He was born among us, until the day He returns to take us safely home with Him. 

As for the curtain, at the moment of His death on the cross, the curtain was torn from top to bottom, allowing all of the faithful to have direct access to the presence, the power, the majesty, the hope and grace and mercy of God. (Matthew 27:50-52) 

The sacrifice that the people had to make for each and every sin, regardless of how often they occurred, was a constant task, for sin never stopped.  But now, the only necessary sacrifice has been made and consecrated at Calvary, and forgiveness is readily available to all who repent of their sin. (Ephesians 1:7)

And as far as prayer is concerned, in John 17:6-26, we read that Jesus is praying for not just all believers collectively, but specifically for you, me, and each and every one of the faithful, continuously, that we might be one through Him.

 Jesus was tempted, He was hated, He was maligned, He accepted weakness on our behalf, He has experienced all of the struggles that we do every day. (2 Corinthians 13:3-4)  And yet, He never sinned by returning hate for hate, lie for lie, pain for pain, condemnation for condemnation.  And He did it all for one reason – hear v. 14 once again,  16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

 And when we use the opportunities that God gives us, to share the hope and gift of Jesus with others, the mercy and grace of Almighty God will fill all who even come close to it, and it will never run dry within us.  And the people of earth will never see this incredible gift of God coming, and will have to take a second look to even believe it!  Surprise them with true mercy today!

 

Sunday, January 22, 2023

“Feed on the Good Fruit, Not the Rotten”

 Scripture:  Matthew5:6; Matthew 7:15-23; Matthew 12: 30-33

Read Matthew 5:6

 In today’s Beatitude, the fourth in our series, we read about our “hunger and thirst” for those sustaining and holy “foods” that the life of all believers are in desperate need of.  This isn’t referring to the food that the world supplies for our human consumption, but rather for the spiritual nourishment that can only come directly from God.  And it isn’t speaking about our needs for today, other than being the encouragement that there will be a day that is yet to come, when faith in Christ will fulfill every possible need that we will ever have.

 So it appears that this eagerness is not specifically for the needs of this life, but rather for the life that the Lord has promised us through faith in Jesus.  It exists in the great expectation that we have for the coming of God’s kingdom and the blessing that will be granted for all who have remained faithful to God’s commandments and teachings that Jesus has brought to us. 

 As in so many of Jesus’ teachings, the blessings that He promises aren’t always intended to come to us in this life, but rather, through our faith in Him, they are promised to all who will come to know eternal life in Christ.  And yet, these lessons are also vastly important for the life we live in the here-and-now, for the way we live this life will be the proof of obedience that He calls for in the passage we know as The Great Commission (Matthew28:18-20).

 We are to be fruitful –in both our physical life, and our Christ-centered life.

 Read Matthew 7:15-20

 So what is the “fruit” that Matthew’s gospel is speaking about?  It has little to do with what we say we will do, and far more in all that we think and do.  Fruit is, in reality, all that we live and do for the Kingdom of God.  Does our life reflect the ways that Jesus lived, or do we fall far short of the perfection that our Lord demonstrated for us?  Do we offer encouragement to others to live a Godly life – one that is based in the fullness of scripture and not in worldly concepts?  Do we follow His teachings to the very best that we can, or do we act as though the passages we agree with are good enough?  And when we do walk outside of Jesus’ way, do we confess our failures to God, and seek His divine forgiveness?  If any of us discovers that God’s way hasn’t always been the one we have chosen, we need to begin seeking God’s good fruit for our life.

 As Matthew continues in his thoughts regarding why it is important that the faithful have a “hunger and thirst for righteousness”, and that those who don’t are only producing “bad fruit”.  He carries the analogy of “false prophesy” to the point of where and how it all comes about.  And he uses the image of wolves, thornbushes and thistles to emphasize it all.

 Matthew’s point is that the false teachings may look good at first glance, but beneath the surface, the lies that they contain are nothing short of being deadly.  We also need to be on the lookout for pricker bushes, for when they get a hold on us, they produce nothing of value as far as nourishing fruit go.  Anything that grows on their branches will do us much more harm than we might know, and far less good than we could ever hope for.

The point of Mathew’s comments are that “good fruit”, the gifts of the Spirit, will be a great benefit to our lives and will be the source of the good fruit that our life will bring to the Lord, while “bad fruit”, those things that come from evil, will only serve to demean and destroy the life that God has created for us.  And the fruit that grows in our lives will tell it all – whether beneficial or destructive, truthful or deceitful, Godly or evil.

 Read Matthew 7:21-23

 These three verses go to show us that it isn’t even the things that appear to be holy and true that are faithful and genuine.  It requires Godly wisdom to accurately judge the things that people do, and judgment is totally outside of our realm of responsibility. (Matthew 7:1-6)  In Jesus words, we are told that the only test as to whether the words or actions of another are truly from God, is either by testing them against the results, the fruit, that come from them, or by comparing them to our only trustworthy source of truth, and that is the prayerful understanding of scripture.

 It all comes down to being obedient to the will and word of God, and the only judgment that matters will be the one that Jesus exercises when He returns to this world.  Christ will be the last of the judges, and His decision will be perfect and final.  Even if someone has all the attributes and appearance of faithfulness, Godly wisdom and Godly authority will be the only source of perfect truth.  And then, Jesus will know, and nothing else will matter.

 Read Matthew 12:30-33

 This is one of those passages that have plagued folks for many years – after all, can’t Jesus forgive any sin?  In a word, yes, but only when we come to Him by faith, and in surrender of our sinful ways.  Sin has no chance of defeat and pardon unless we confess and repent of those errant ways.  The best passage that I have found in the Old Testament that speaks about God’s forgiveness is Psalm 130:3-5 we read If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand?  But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you.  I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in His word I put my hope.”  This is what is required for forgiveness in Jesus – reverence, obedience, authentic service, and patience.

 Also, we must always remember Jesus’ words at the Last Supper (Matthew 26:27-29)– This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”  Forgiveness is based in our trust and faith in the Blood of Jesus – not in the Spirit, for there is no sacrifice of blood in the Spirit, nor in the Father who never had any blood to spill.  It is crucial that we remember that words that come from either the Father, or Jesus, or through the power of the Holy Spirit, are the same words that either of the other 2 Persons of the Trinity would also speak.  There is no division of thought or promise in God.

 

So forgiveness comes by faith in Jesus, not from the Holy Spirit.  If we had read one more verse in Matthew’s gospel, we would have read these words - “ For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”  (Matthew 12:34)  Sinfulness means that our heart isn’t quite full of Jesus yet, but it also means that by faith, we still have the chance for forgiveness in Him, for the part that is filled with the Lord will still lead us to follow His will most of the time!

 

Good fruit is still our goal in Christ Jesus, for that will demonstrate our striving to walk in His way.  Good Fruit will be filled with Godly hope and divine strength in this place, while Bad Fruit will always be empty of God, which can only bring about our downfall. 

 

Seek then, that which will fulfill and relieve our “hunger and thirst for righteousness”, and give God the glory for His nourishment and refreshment. 

Sunday, January 15, 2023

“God’s Got It, So Why Worry?”

 Scripture:  Matthew 5:5; Matthew6: 25-34; Zephaniah 3:9-14

 Read Matthew 5:5

 Remember 2 weeks ago, when we considered Jesus’ words about the “poor in spirit” – that it refers to our attitude toward the world, and not to the depth of our faith?  Today, in our 3rd Beatitude, Jesus takes this Christian attitude to an even higher level – that our poverty in spirit will reveal a meekness in our approach to worldly things, that this will reveal the extent of our identity and faith in Christ.  It tells others that we no longer have any use for the power of earth, or trust in the riches of earth, or dependency on the ways of earth.

 But what about the reference to our “inheritance” of earth?  Are we supposed to assume leadership here some day?  Not exactly.  This offer is not making reference to the present earth, but rather to the renewed earth, the new earth that Revelation 21 speaks about, the earth that will come in Christ’s Day. (Revelation21:1-5)  “Meekness” toward the things of earth in this life, will bring us glory in the earth that awaits all who trust and follow in the way of Jesus.  This is about what awaits us through our faith in the salvation that Jesus Christ will bring. 

 This is what today’s Beatitude is promising to all who will believe and follow in the word of God.

 Read Matthew 6:25-34

 A lot of folks have a problem with this passage, in that they find it nearly impossible not to worry about their life in this world.  After all, we need food and clothing, as well as many other vital essentials – why would Jesus tell us not to worry about them?

 In the first half of the 20th century, a psychologist by the name of Abraham Maslow developed an approach for ranking our human needs.  You may have even studied his pyramid, known as Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, especially if you took a Psychology course in college.  At the most basic level, he determined that we are all in need of certain minimal supports for our life – things such as air, food, water, clothing, shelter, sleep, etc.  He stated that without fulfillment of these basic necessities, we will struggle, if at all possible, to move up through the next 4 levels of needs.

 In our passage from Matthew, Jesus is acknowledging that these needs are, indeed, important, and even necessary, for our life.  But He is also telling us that through faith in Him, He will see to our ability and efforts to obtain all of the needs that are vital for our existence in this life.  But I think the caution here is not that we can just sit back and do nothing to achieve those necessities, but that we must trust in God’s provision of work and ability and sufficiency.  In those times of unemployment, or illness, or tragedies, or other major issues in this life, He will see to it that we will always have enough to sustain us, whether we receive all that we would like or not, it will always be enough.

 Remember Israel’s time during their trek from Egypt to the Promised Land?  They became hungry and thirsty, and the Lord provided them with manna and quail that came every morning and evening, directly from heaven (Exodus 16:11-15), and for their thirst, water was provided that issued right out of solid rock (Exodus 17:3-6)!   Even the clothes that they wore never wore out during the entire 40 years that they spent on their journey “home”. (Deuteronomy29:2-5)

 He is the great Jehovah Jireh – a name which means “The LORD Will Provide” (Genesis 22:14).  He did, He does, and He always will.

 Read Zephaniah 3:9-11

 The prophet begins with “Then”, implying that the Lord’s purification and cleansing of the world will occur at a given time.  Some translations read “At that time”, or even “In the end”.  We seldom get an exact time or day in prophecy, but in general, God’s timing for renewal is centered on the return of Christ and His day of Judgment. 

 Zephaniah seems to be telling us that the process of purification will be made in a way that separates the faithful, from those who are arrogant and self-centered, or in other words, the meek and obedient will be separated from the worldly.  The reference to the region of Cush (an area that existed in the northern part of Egypt) tells us that judgment will not be limited to Israel, and neither will salvation – that all who come to the Lord and His ways will know His justice and mercy, and that for the faithful, forgiveness and worthiness will also become theirs by the grace of God.

 And those who have never surrendered their worldly passions, pride and self-importance will never again have a chance to give it all up in favor of God’s blessings.  They will be left in the “outs” of humanity, with no hope, no promise, no redemption, no forgiveness.  They will be separated as the sheep from the goats.  They will be seen and judged just as they are. (Matthew 25:31-34)

 And no one will miss seeing the Lord’s “refining fire” at work throughout the face of the earth.

 Read Zephaniah 3:12-14

 And who will be left?  The meek, the humble, the “poor in spirit”.  And all temptation will be taken away, along with those who saw them as ways to be enjoyed.  Lies, arrogance, deceitfulness, sinful ways in general, will no longer plague the faithful of the Lord, and they will be seen as worthy and purified in Christ.

 Those who had always seen humility as a waste of time will be made humble, and the meek and lowly will be raised up by God’s glorious blessings.  The hope that the Lord has given to the faithful of earth will bring a holy reversal upon all of the people – the great will become least, and the meek will become honored, and nothing will ever again be as it once was.  And all will, at last, know the complete truth of God, and will have no choice except to submit to it. 

 For on that day, “at the sound of the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians2:9-11) But for many in the world, it will be too late to experience the glory that comes from proclaiming that holy and precious name.

 For on that day, it will only be the meek of earth who will ultimately come to know the glory of heaven for their own lives.

 

Sunday, January 8, 2023

"Comfort Others As I Comfort You"

 Scripture:  Matthew 5:4; Matthew 5:13-20; Isaiah 49:13-19

Today’s Beatitude is the second one in our series – the one that speaks about mourning and comfort.  But we need to understand that this promise isn’t referring to personal struggles or anguish that we feel over the loss we experience due to the death of a loved one, or a personal tragedy, or the pain that incapacitates us from an illness or some other event.  This mourning is that which the faithful go through because of the condition that God’s people are being subjected to.

 Think about the feelings you may have had when an area church has had to close because the membership has fallen to a level that is unable to sustain the ministries and mission that have always been such a vital part of faith; or when long time members of our own church allow the world to pervert their faith, and they begin living and worshipping in a way that fails to bring honor to our Lord Jesus; or when divergent thought begins to tear a church apart at the seams and creates a great divide that is both unmanageable and irreconcilable. 

 That is what today’s Beatitude is all about – what we are to do in these situations, and how God will respond to those who remain faithful and strong in spite of what the world is doing all around us.

 Read Matthew 5:4

 Jesus is telling us that those who are broken and mourn over the oppression and persecution that the Church and its people are experiencing will be blessed and comforted, and even today, we should be expecting and rejoicing in this promise of encouragement.  Once again, we are hearing that God cares and comforts those who stay close to Him and in the way He has called us to go.  But even more than that, we are being told that our connection to each other, within the church, is vitally important in support and assistance for each other.

 After all, isn’t unity in Christ what the Church is supposed to be about?  How can unity between people have any meaning whatsoever, if Jesus isn’t part of the relationship!  And when the faithful find themselves immersed in conflict, whether it is worldwide, or within a particular congregation, what are we to do about it?

 Simply, we’re to remain faithful and active in the call that God has placed on our lives!  Celebrate God in true worship; reach out to the lost of earth and show them the way to Jesus; support missionaries wherever they may be serving; teach Godly truth to the young and elderly and those new to the faith, and confront false teaching for the lies that they are spreading. 

 Read Matthew 5:13-16

 As Jesus begins to preach His sermon, we discover that He is offering Godly teaching that is directed at all who would follow, trust and love Him. 

Lesson #1 – the concepts of salt, light, and a city not only fit together, but they each contribute to faith in unique, but not so subtle, ways. 

The lesson of salt is that unless salt is salty, it isn’t salt at all.  And if we are to be followers of Jesus Christ, the only way is to follow Him is in His way!  Other ways will make us “loose our saltiness”, and we will be no good for anything - not in this life, and definitely not in the next. 

The lesson of light is that we are to carry on in the way of Jesus.  Remember when He said that while He was in the world, He would be the Light of the world? (John 9:4-5)  For now, He is gone from this world, and is calling us to assume the responsibility to carry His light of truth, so that the darkness of evil will not overcome us all.

And the lesson of a city?  We are to be the community of God, and are to be a refuge and landmark for all who strive to walk in faith.

 Lesson #2 – Each one of these concepts imply that we must exhibit certain interconnected characteristics if we are to have any hope to truly be one with God in Christ.  “Saltiness” defines us as one in Christ, and it will never fail to be true.  Light is our reaching out in “saltiness” to the world around us.  And when we are that “city on a hill”, we reach out to those who are struggling in their life of faith, in encouragement and comfort and strength.

 And when we do these things on behalf of our Lord Jesus, God will, in turn, bless us, exalt us, and rejoice within us.

 Read Matthew 5:17-20

 Many believe that since Jesus came to earth, and when He preached and taught us about faith in Him, He must have been telling us that we were no longer obligated to live a life that is reflective in the Law of God.  But this is far from the truth.  He did not come to replace either the Law or the words that the Prophets spoke – He has come to complete, fulfill, and clarify those words from God that were given to us eons ago.  God’s commands and the Old Testament prophecies were only starters for our walk in faith, and therefore are still important in our striving to live a life in Christ.  

 And the Lord doesn’t stop there, that these commands and warnings are still a vital basis for our faith in Christ.  It’s just that Jesus knows that we will never be able to keep each and every word that preceded His walk on the face of this earth – that we still need to understand the reason behind each word, but that when we fail to keep them, and we all do from time to time, we need faith in Jesus and His great sacrifice at Calvary to gain forgiveness for our failures. 

Moses, representing the Law, Elijah representing the Prophets, and Jesus, God in the flesh (Matthew17:1-13) – coming together on the Mount of Transfiguration, to show us that unity within the complete word of God will sustain us in faith in Jesus, and to give us hope of seeing God’s glory one day soon!

 And the Lord goes on to say that as bad as going against those words will be, it will be even worse if we encourage others to ignore them, telling them that there is little, if any, importance in them for their lives – even to the extent that our ignorance and arrogance in this omission may result in our being excluded from the heavenly Kingdom of God. (Revelation21:5-8)

 After all, if we ignore and fail to follow the word of God, how can we expect to be allowed to join Him in Glory?  After all, it’s God’s way and right to say “Yes” or “No”, and we have nothing further to say about it.  And the implication is that the very ones who should have known better – those who are leaders in the Church - have also done these very things, and we had better be listening to those who are sharing the truth of Jesus’ words, and not the ones that come from worldly sources! 

 Read Isaiah 49:13-19

 The comfort that the Prophet speaks about is nothing less than forgiveness for the repentant; it is nothing less than a welcoming for those who are returning home from wayward living.  This may have been referring to the people of Israel who were returning home from their 80 years of exile; it may be seen in the welcoming that the Prodigal Son received when he returned repentant to his father and home (Luke 15:11-31); it may be for the faithful who persevere in spite of the oppression, and pressure, and lies, and persecution that come against us all; and it may be for the errant souls who turn back to God after eluding His word and promise for many years.

 And who will be the ones who rejoice over this turn of events?  All of creation is who!  Even when it seems as though God has forgotten all about us and our struggles, we can rest assured that He never can and never willHebrews 13:5 reassures us that the Lord has promised those who follow Him, that “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”  Never!!!

 So the next time you feel as though you are “under the gun” of earth, and that God either isn’t paying attention, or just doesn’t care, listen for the sound of creation in its rejoicing and singing as you stay strong and perseverant in your trust and love of Jesus Christ.  And from a passage that I have referred to several times in the past,  Romans 5:3-5 – “ suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” 

 And that will be enough to receive the Lord's peace and comfort!

Sunday, January 1, 2023

"Poor in Spirit, Rich in the Lord"

 Scripture: Matthew 5:3; Matthew 6:19-24; 2 Corinthians 8:9; James 2:1-5

  Today is not only the first day of a new year, it is also the first day of a new sermon series, which will be based on the Beatitudes.  These verses are the introduction to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount - the greatest amount of continuous teaching that we have throughout the gospels, and contains some of the most recognizable, re-quoted, and challenging passages of all.

 Each week until Lent, we will consider the message that one of the Beatitudes contains through the examination of one of Jesus’ “Sermon” passages, as well as other related scripture.  The teachings of Jesus must always be a priority for our lives (Matthew 28:18-20), and these verses are an important part of all that He wanted us to learn and follow.  So today, we begin with the first of these 9 lessons – that being “poor” with the Lord will never be a bad thing, and that when He calls us to be “poor”, He is making a distinction between the attitudes of earth and the glory of heaven, and as we move through these 9 “blessings”, we discover that Jesus is all about reversing the value classes of earth to more closely align with those that God would consider appropriate.

 And just a thought on the word “blessing” itself – this word that comes to us from the Latin, implies the conveying of a “privileged condition”.  Obviously, as we will see in these few verses, the “privilege” that Jesus is speaking about is living as a heavenly attribute and through a Godly attitude, and not in what the world would consider as an advantage.  But then, is there anything about Jesus that the world would ever choose for their own life?

 Read Matthew 5:3

 First, we have to understand that “poor in spirit” does not imply a deficiency in faith!  It is referring to our attitude and position in the world.  Being poor in spirit means that we understand that our needs are great, and that there is no place in faith for an arrogant heart, a strong ego, and an ever growing sense of self-worth.  It means that we acknowledge that we have no control over our life in the present, and that our future destiny is completely in the hands of our Almighty God.

 This is what defines our identity in the life we are living – that it isn’t where we are now, but rather what we are striving for in the better life that faith in Jesus will bring.  What is there about this other “kingdom” that we should strive to gain admittance to it?   Primarily, that the one we are currently in is going to come to an abrupt end one day, while the one that Jesus is speaking about will be eternal.   The one that is our current home is under the leadership of humanity, while the one that Jesus offers is under the authority of God.  Now, we only know imperfection, but then, we will be immersed in righteous perfection.  Here, we only know division and divisiveness, then we will know perfect unity.  In this place we strive to gain personal success and authority, then we will know what it truly means to “make it to the top”!

 And this is only the beginning of what the glory of heaven will be like.

 Read Matthew 6:19-24

 Let’s begin consideration of this passage in the middle of it, with what it means when we read that “the eye is the lamp of the body”?  Normally, we see the eye as the means to receive images, not to shine light on them.  But in Jesus’ day, people believed that the eye revealed the things of earth in the context of what the person’s mind wanted it to mean – this is akin to today’s concept that truth is never absolute, but is relative and unique, appropriate for each person individually, and that we are to respect their understanding, even when it goes against our own.

 So in this regard, our next thought is to discern the difference between the treasures of earth and those of heaven, and why Jesus would differentiate between them.  It all comes back to the full truth and benefit that we see in each one.  What do the treasures of earth gain for us?  It all depends on what benefit each of us sees in them!  Does social prestige bring with it a greater and more enjoyable life, or does it simply place a greater burden of responsibility and cost on us?  Does greater wealth provide us with an easier and joy-filled life, or does it create more fear and agony through the anticipated loss of its false security? 

 The ”rust and moths” that Jesus tells us will attack and destroy our worldly treasure aren’t literal, of course.  They are thieves, they are human mistakes, they are societal deterioration in value, and loss of confidence in their worth to our lives.  It all depends on the priority that “the lamp of our body” places on each one, and the worth of each will change as our spirit changes direction through the living of a life in Christ.

 And the things of heaven?  Their worth never changes, and our perception of them will only grow stronger through understanding with each passing day.  And as to our vision – when our focus changes from the ways of earth to the ways of God, our “eyesight” begins to reorient their perspective from our own personal and human desires to the truth that the Lord reveals in our life.

 Is our eyesight clear so that the truth that appears to us is Godly in form, or are we still focused on our own desires?  God’s vision is always best, regardless of which kingdom we are living in!

 Read 2 Corinthians 8:9

 So here again, we consider the purpose and extent of heavenly riches versus worldly poverty, and apply them to the greater picture of faith.  In this verse, we discover that it is through grace - the kindness, the generosity, the love of God - that our salvation is made possible!  And in the grace that defines the very character of Christ, He took His authority, His glory, His exalted position, the respect and honor that should always be His, and set it all aside in favor of becoming “poor” for our benefit.

 Jesus humbled Himself, that we might become worthy of sharing in the glory that we have never deserved and which has never been ours in the first place!  In spite of the life that we have lived, regardless of how good or bad it may have been, glory only comes to us through faith in Christ.  Honoring the Lord by living a righteous life is no longer the means for God to bless us with eternity – it has now become solely a matter of faith in Christ, and in our trust and obedience and love of Him, we can now enjoy the “blessing” of God through Jesus Christ – being no longer poor in divine Spirit, but now poor in the world, as Jesus Christ was, and now blesses with the riches of heaven.

 Read James 2:1-5

 And now, we are to honor the heavenly wealth that we now have, by bringing God’s blessings into the lives of others, just as the Lord Jesus did for us!  No more honoring others in worldly ways and for worldly purposes, but doing it all through the example of Jesus.  James writes that if we fail to live in this way, we are nothing more than being discriminatory and judgmental! 

 No longer poor, no longer worldly, no longer bereft of grace, but solely by faith and obedience to the way of Jesus, we are now filled to overflowing with Godly hope, love, and Spiritual fruit (Galatians 5:22-26) – the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  And never keeping any of it for our own glory, but offering it to all of the “worldly wealthy” of Earth, that they, too, might consider the hope and blessings that Christ has prepared for them!

 By the divine love that we now live and share, may others come to know the riches of our Eternal and Almighty God!