Sermon on the Mount. Will you be found guilty?

By Thomas Denegre

The district attorney is charging you with masquerading as a Christian.  Will there be enough evidence in your life to defend yourself that you are living the life Jesus mentioned in the Sermon on the Mount? (Matthew 5:1-12)

The district attorney presents his charges against you. He rattles them off.

“On the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew Chapter 5, Jesus said;

Blessed are the poor in spirit, but you say blessed are the achievers.

Blessed are those who mourn, but you say blessed are the self-fulfilled.

Blessed are the meek, but you say blessed are the powerful.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, but you say blessed are the unrestrained.

Blessed are the merciful, but you say blessed are the manipulators.

Blessed are the pure in heart, but you say blessed are the uninhibited.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, but you say blessed are the expedient.

Blessed are you who are persecuted for his sake, but you say blessed are the aggressors.”

Your accuser points his finger at you and states, “Your guilty as charged, aren’t you?”

You’re guilty and you know it.  But before the accuser could finish, your defense attorney stands up to rebut the charges. “Your honor,” said your attorney, “just as God will not judge us until we die, so shouldn’t we?”

The judge thought about it for a moment and said, “Counselor, you have a good point.  We’ll place the defendant on probation and see if there’s any evidence of being a Christian. He has one year! Court dismissed”

You stand up to shake your attorney’s hands and notice the nail imprints on them. He says to you, “Are you ready to be convicted as a Christian? More importantly as a believer, a disciple and a saint? They’re all one in the same.”

“I don’t know if I can do it,” said the defendant.

“I didn’t ask if you can do it. I asked if you are ready?”

“I guess so,” the man whimpered.

“There is no way you can do these things by yourself. It’s impossible to do. What I required man to perform on the Sermon on the Mount can only be done through me. I am the one who transforms you into a Christian; not yourself.   That’s the difference between self-righteous and being righteous, or in the right relationship with me.”

“I want you to trust me! Believe in me.  Know this one thing, before you were born, I dreamed of you and who you were going to become.  I love you.  I loved you so much that I died just for you.  When you read about me in John 15, you’ll understand there is no greater love than a love that sacrifices all and this is demonstrated when a man sacrifices his life for his friend.  You are my friend.  My dearest friend.”

“Just say the word you believe in me and open your heart to me.  Opening your heart is the game changer.  You are called to live in life union with me.  Let my words live powerfully within you and they will transform your mind and heart.  I am always with you; spirit-to-spirit.  Call on me and I will hear you, teach you, encourage you, mourn with you, and love you. Nothing will separate us.”

“It’s imperative you open your heart to me so I can pour my love into you. I will heal the wounds of your heart and empty your gunny sack of grievances.  I will set you free from yourself so you can love me, love yourself, and love others without conditions.”

“I then want you use my love to love me back.  Use my love to love others.  It will be my love that will transform you and impact others.  When you know and taste my love, you will acknowledge your weaknesses and my power.  It will be my power that will nourish and strengthen you to live a life of humility.  You’ll be able to see people as I do while understanding and comforting their suffering.  You will naturally want to follow my will and bless other people with it.  Your heart will be purified while your mind will be laser focused on the word of God.  You will no longer be double minded, but a powerful force in the world with a single-minded focus to do our Father’s will.”

“Before the foundations of this world was created, I came here for one purpose; to bring you back into the family.  It was always the plan for you to live in life union with the Father and myself. I’m here to restore you back to the Kingdom.  Just as my father and I are one and his glory rests in me, so too are you one with us.  His glory will rest in you too. Isn’t that an abundant life?”

“By being in life union with me while my word lives powerfully within you, not only will you be convicted of being a Christian, but you’ll be a light and salt to this world.  Let’s start at the beginning.  Open your heart to me and let my love pour in.”

The Lord Bless You

Read Numbers 6:22-26

The Lord blesses us, constantly!

God, the Father, gives us everything we need for our earthly life: clothes, food, shelter, family, a congregation, among many other things. He also blesses us with talents and abilities so that we can be productive, honor Him, and carry on His work.

Jesus, the Father’s only Son, is gracious to us. He voluntarily gave up His life to defeat death so that we might live with Him forever in paradise. Jesus’ face shines on us every day!

The Holy Spirit, sent by the Father and the Son, gives us peace. The Spirit grants us faith so that we can believe in Jesus and realize God’s grace. We will have troubles, but knowing that we have ultimate peace in heaven can help us have peace here on earth.

We are blessed. We are not worthy of God’s love, yet He loves us. We have smart phones, the internet, enjoyable food, automobiles, vacations and so much more. He loves us so much that He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross as an atoning sacrifice for our sin, so that we have eternal life.

That is the greatest blessing of all!

QUESTIONS:

1. How has God blessed you this year? This month? This week? Today?

2. Given that God richly blesses you daily, what will your response be? What can you do to bring honor and glory to God?

PRAYER:

I pray that God continues to bless His children, both temporally and spiritually. May we realize His blessings and constantly thank Him for them.

Mark Locher

Better Is One Day In Your Courts

I love music.  Worship songs allow me to lean into God and catch a glimpse of what it will be like in heaven.  I particularly love songs that come straight from scripture. Psalm 84 is one of those scriptures that has been put to music.

How lovely is your dwelling place,
    Lord Almighty!
2 My soul yearns, even faints,
    for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out
    for the living God. -Verse 1,2

Better is one day in your courts
    than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
    than dwell in the tents of the wicked.  -Verse 10

Click here to listen to Better Is One Day, by Matt Redman

As you listen to the words. Spend some time thanking God for your blessings. It is so easy to take each day for granted. 

Psalm 84 also says

Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.

Blessed are those whose strength is in you, 

whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.

Lord Almighty,

blessed is the one who trusts in you.

Read  Psalm 84 here

A Cliff Hanger

Matthew 5:1-11

When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught his climbing companions. This is what he said:

“You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope.
“You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you.

Over the years, I have learned that God is most evident to me when I am crying out to Him for help. I love how The Message states the beatitudes, like…”You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope.” If I hadn’t arrived at the ‘end of my rope’ so many years ago, I don’t know where I would be today. I don’t think I want to know.

It was as I was dangling off a cliff and hanging on to the end of a rope that I was brought to my knees. I began to search for a meaning to my life, a purpose or reason to go on. That was when God showed up. And because my fingers were torn and bleeding from the rope burns I was open to the healing balm Jesus extended to me. Blessed...

Many years later as my husband was facing his final hours, Jesus made Himself known in a big way. The words, “You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you,” became clear. During that season Jesus was sitting between Dave and me, listening in on our conversations and painting a picture of the new home that was waiting for him. Blessed...

Read over the rest of the Beatitudes and see if you can identify with a few and recognize blessings that happened to you because of those situations. Share them here if you like, or in the comments section below. We would love to hear from you.

Mark 12:28-34

One of the teachers of the law inquired of Jesus which of the commandments was the most important. Jesus replied;

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this; Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.”

In Deuteronomy 6, Moses spelled out God’s message with similar words, and instructed the people of Israel to obey God, being careful to show His character to the world.

How do we carry on with only one focus? The Lord has given us with so many other responsibilities: children, homes, careers, finances, spouses, extended family, friends, the earth………

We use the gifts we have been blessed with, and as we rely on the strength of the Holy Spirit to be revealed through our weakness, it all comes together as it is meant to be!

1^st Peter 4:10 reminds us; “Each one should use whatever gifts he has received  to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.”

It is our job to be creative in our approach to spreading the good news. To use our God given gifts and model for the world what is in our hearts. God already knows.

We are not expected to preach if our gift is not preaching, however our actions will speak volumes about who we are and whom we serve. What are your gifts?

We are to become who we were created to be, and strive to live as our Lord commanded. We will never reach perfection, but we can surely die trying. What a way to go!  

We are Blessed

Nobody likes change.

 

My wife is an administrative assistant in the mortgage department of a bank. Her bank was bought by another. Her job functions changed to be more aligned with the purchaser’s procedures. And if that wasn’t enough, the government enacted banking rules that describe how she has to do parts of her job.  She has change in two dimensions!

 

Nonetheless, although stressed, she is also blessed. She survived the post merger lay-off. She also has received much recognition from her management for her willingness to change and help others.

 

Today’s reading is Numbers 6:22-27.

 

The Jews had been servants of Pharaoh in Egypt, but now they are wanderers in the dessert. They had been slaves, but now are nomads. As slaves, they knew what was expected of them each day As nomads, they were following God’s lead, but not sure where they were going and not sure how they would provide for themselves. This change was a trying time for them.

 

In the midst of this, the Jews were blessed.

 

We all undergo change in our life. Maybe we get married, or perhaps our job gets redefined to make our company more profitable. Maybe we lose our health or perhaps lose a spouse. Maybe we have to relocate to a different city.

 

There are a many things that can change which can cause much stress.

 

And yet, we are blessed during these times of anxiety and uncertainty!

 

God blesses us in many ways. We often think of physical blessings, such as food, shelter and clothing. God provides these things, and they are, of course, important.

 

Sometimes we forget, however, the spiritual blessings that God also bestows on us. He sent his only son to die on the cross so that we may have eternal life. That is the biggest blessing there is!

 

We have heard this many times, but it bears repeating:

 

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”

 

We are blessed!

At Odds With The World

The beliefs of the world are often times at odds with God. The world, in fact, will misuse God’s Word to make Christians feel guilty or even unloved. This is true today and was true 2,000 years ago.

An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, sometimes called the Law of Retaliation, is known today to mean “the punishment should fit the crime.” At the time of Christ, however, the Pharisees had convinced many Jews differently. They said sick and poor people were being punished because they were terrible sinners.  The Pharisees taught that God was retaliating against them. This also perpetuated the myth that the Pharisees were more righteous than others.

Today’s reading, Isaiah 61:1-7, corrects this, and many other, misconceptions. Written about 700 BC, Christ is speaking through the prophet Isaiah. He is telling the world that he will appear in the future to set up his Kingdom, and his Kingdom is not what the world expects.

In his Kingdom, Christ will bind up the brokenhearted, proclaim freedom for the captives and proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. He will bestow on his people a crown of beauty. Those in the kingdom will inherit a double portion and will have everlasting joy.

Although these are things the world does not accept, nonetheless they are good news indeed! Christ did this because God loves us so much.

While addressing the Pharisees, Jesus quoted Isaiah 61 and said, “Today this scripture is fulfilled on your hearing.” (Luke 4:14-31). The Pharisees, threatened because their power was at risk, plotted to kill Jesus. They rejected Christ, God’s provided scapegoat for our sins!

The world rejected Christ 2,000 years ago and is still at odds with his Kingdom today. The world sometimes tells us that our predicaments are of our own making and that God does not love us. It sometimes tells us there are earthly powers more important than God. It sometimes even tells us that there is no God.

Nothing could be further from the truth. As Isaiah predicted, Christ’s Kingdom is here. We belong, we are blessed and we are loved. What great joy that is for us!

No matter what the world says.

Psalm 69

Prayer is Breaking

“Blessed be your name, in a land that is plentiful.

Where your streams of abundance flow, blessed be your name.”

“Blessed be your name, when I’m found in the desert place.

Though I walk through the wilderness, blessed be your name.”

These lines sung by Chris Tomlin and several other artists illustrates how we as Christ followers are called to praise the name of the Lord no matter what our circumstances. Through the good times and bad, amidst joy as well as sorrow and suffering, our God looks for us to worship and thank Him. Yes, it’s much easier to be grateful for the blessings in our lives than the pain and sorrow, but as we become more aware of God’s workings and realize our plans are often not the same as His it becomes a bit easier to do.

The true test of our devotion is when the rain keeps coming day after day, month upon month, and for years on end. When one trial after another beats us down and empties our soul as in Psalm 69, ---the Lord waits for us to cry out in our brokenness. Verses 1-3; “Save me, Oh God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; and the floods engulf me. I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God.” 

We tend to turn our backs and run from pain and trials, but perhaps that is not what is best. If we stay in the pain rather than attempt to flee from it, God will meet us in that pain and do His work in us if we allow it. Standing firm within the storm and lifting our eyes, hands and heart upward is the best way to see the storm through and then look around to realize and appreciate what the rains have produced.

“We must trust the Lord through the darkness, and honor Him with unwavering confidence even in the midst of difficult situations. The reward of this kind of faith will be like that of an eagle shedding its feathers is said to receive—a renewed sense of youth and strength.” J.R. Macduff

Read/Listen to Psalm 69

Matthew 5:2-12

Do you feel blessed? I wanted to see just what this word means in English and Dictionary.com defines blessed as blissfully happy, contented, divinely or supremely favored, fortunate.  During the time in history when Jesus was teaching from this hillside, he was there because the people wanted to know more about Him, they wanted to hear what He had to say to them.

His words to the followers then, just as now, affirm the fact it isn't worldly treasures that will make us blissfully happy; things will not bring about contentment. He teaches that the materials things of this world have no kingdom value.  The Eight Beatitudes hold us to a different standard of living; they point us to a life of humility, mercy, purity, and peacefulness.  

The Eight Beatitudes, or Sermon on the Mount, which the text for today is often called, is a way to live life.  The Christian 12-Step program, Celebrate Recovery is grounded in these verses.  For all people dealing with hurts, hang-ups and habits these eight declarations are rules to live by; a way to become recovered in Christ.

When we live by this higher standard we may not feel blessed, as this world knows blessing.  We will feel persecuted, poked fun at and sometimes we may even fear for our well-being, but Jesus taught:

"Count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don't like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble." (Matthew 5:11-12)

Read Matthew 5:2-12 here.  Listen to Matthew 5:2-12 here.

Pharaoh Dreams, Joseph Raised - Genesis 41

Pharaoh, deeply troubled by dreams, needs someone to interpret them. Hearing of Joseph’s wisdom, he sends for him. Joseph reveals to Pharaoh the coming of seven years of plenty and seven years of famine throughout the land of Egypt.

Joseph repeatedly testifies about God. "God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires…God has revealed…God has shown…the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon."

God is always happy to work through someone whose only concern is to reveal Him. Joseph leaves no doubt, when everything happens as he states, it is by God’s power.

Pharaoh recognizes the spirit of God within Joseph. He says to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.” Joseph suddenly goes from the dungeon to entering the service of the king!

Seven years of famine happen after the seven years of abundance.

Joseph accepts his responsibilities as his mission from God. Because of Joseph’s faith and hard work there is enough food stored to save lives in Egypt and many nations.

Joseph can enjoy great wealth and power. He can have revenge against his brothers and Potiphar’s wife. But, with God’s help, he chooses to forget all his troubles.

Joseph is blessed with two sons. He acknowledges and praises God for his blessings.

As I think about Joseph, I am reminded of the importance of maintaining a relationship with God. Prayer and storing up His Words in my heart everyday is essential as He wants to bless me and use me to bless others.

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To read today's text, Genesis 41, click here.

Covenant with Abraham - Genesis 12

You are never too old to be called by God. Does this surprise you? It does cause me to stop and ask myself, really? Perhaps you are preparing for retirement in the near future. What would happen to those plans if you suddenly felt God moving you into a new ministry or even calling you to go back to school and learn to counsel youth or work with addicts in recovery or minister to the homeless, what would you do? How would you feel?

It would be difficult to feel blessed wouldn't it? It would be hard to view this new circumstance as a mighty challenge that God blessed you to explore. Don't you think perhaps Abram felt much the same when he was told by God to pack up all is belongings, grab his wife and leave town. Don't you think Abram might have felt just a bit annoyed that now, at the ripe old age of 75, he was being called to venture out into a new land, a new country and start all over again. But, God was up to something BIG. Is he up to something big in your life too?

Read the entire scripture reading for today at Biblegateway and Genesis 12

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