Sermon On The Mount: Part 12

Do not think that I came to do away with or undo the Law [of Moses] or the [writings of the] Prophets; I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For I assure you and most solemnly say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke [of the pen] will pass from the Law until all things [which it foreshadows] are accomplished. So whoever breaks one of the least [important] of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least [important] in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever practices and teaches them, he will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:17-19

I want to continue on with the Truth that Jesus has fulfilled all that the Law ever required so that now we are free from the Law and live completely and totally under Grace. 

For being ignorant of the righteousness that God ascribes [which makes one acceptable to Him in word, thought, and deed] and seeking to establish a righteousness (a means of salvation) of their own, they did not obey or submit themselves to God's righteousness. For Christ is the end of the Law [the limit at which it ceases to be, for the Law leads up to Him Who is the fulfillment of its types, and in Him the purpose which it was designed to accomplish is fulfilled. That is, the purpose of the Law is fulfilled in Him] as the means of righteousness (right relationship to God) for everyone who trusts in and adheres to and relies on Him. Romans 10:3-4

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (emancipation from bondage, freedom). 2 Corinthians 3:17

[My precaution was] because of false brethren who had been secretly smuggled in [to the Christian brotherhood]; they had slipped in to spy on our liberty and the freedom which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might again bring us into bondage [under the Law of Moses]. To them we did not yield submission even for a moment, that the truth of the Gospel might continue to be [preserved] for you [in its purity]. Galatians 2:4-5

Yet we know that a man is justified or reckoned righteous and in right standing with God not by works of the Law, but [only] through faith and [absolute] reliance on and adherence to and trust in Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). Galatians 2:16

Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the [Holy] Spirit as the result of obeying the Law and doing its works, or was it by hearing [the message of the Gospel] and believing [it]? [Was it from observing a law of rituals or from a message of faith?] Are you so foolish and so senseless and so silly? Having begun [your new life spiritually] with the [Holy] Spirit, are you now reaching perfection [by dependence] on the flesh? Galatians 3:2-3

And all who depend on the Law [who are seeking to be justified by obedience to the Law of rituals] are under a curse and doomed to disappointment and destruction, for it is written in the Scriptures, Cursed (accursed, devoted to destruction, doomed to eternal punishment) be everyone who does not continue to abide (live and remain) by all the precepts and commands written in the Book of the Law and to practice them. Now it is evident that no person is justified (declared righteous and brought into right standing with God) through the Law, for the Scripture says, The man in right standing with God [the just, the righteous] shall live by and out of faith and he who through and by faith is declared righteous and in right standing with God shall live. But the Law does not rest on faith [does not require faith, has nothing to do with faith], for it itself says, He who does them [the things prescribed by the Law] shall live by them [not by faith]. Christ purchased our freedom [redeeming us] from the curse (doom) of the Law [and its condemnation] by [Himself] becoming a curse for us, for it is written [in the Scriptures], Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree (is crucified); To the end that through [their receiving] Christ Jesus, the blessing [promised] to Abraham might come upon the Gentiles, so that we through faith might [all] receive [the realization of] the promise of the [Holy] Spirit. Galatians 3:10-14

Jesus fulfilled all that the Law required so that we do not have to. Our freedom and abundant life's no longer depends on our works, we have life and we now have it more abundantly because Jesus has done away with us living under laws and rules. Because of Jesus' success we now live under free and completely undeserved Grace and Mercy. 

Sermon On The Mount: Part 11

Do not think that I came to do away with or undo the Law [of Moses] or the [writings of the] Prophets; I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For I assure you and most solemnly say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke [of the pen] will pass from the Law until all things [which it foreshadows] are accomplished. So whoever breaks one of the least [important] of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least [important] in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever practices and teaches them, he will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:17-19

So many of us still try to live life’s full of laws and life’s of do’s and don’ts. Jesus came to fulfill what the Law foretold of, so that it now is all by grace and not by works or laws. The Law foreshadowed Jesus and our Father’s Grace and what the Law foreshadowed has been completely and totally fulfilled. 

For God has done what the Law could not do, [its power] being weakened by the flesh [the entire nature of man without the Holy Spirit]. Sending His own Son in the guise of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, [God] condemned sin in the flesh [subdued, overcame, deprived it of its power over all who accept that sacrifice], So that the righteous and just requirement of the Law might be fully met in us who live and move not in the ways of the flesh but in the ways of the Spirit [our lives governed not by the standards and according to the dictates of the flesh, but controlled by the Holy Spirit]. Romans 8:3-4

DO YOU not know, brethren--for I am speaking to men who are acquainted with the Law--that legal claims have power over a person only for as long as he is alive? For [instance] a married woman is bound by law to her husband as long as he lives; but if her husband dies, she is loosed and discharged from the law concerning her husband. Accordingly, she will be held an adulteress if she unites herself to another man while her husband lives. But if her husband dies, the marriage law no longer is binding on her [she is free from that law]; and if she unites herself to another man, she is not an adulteress. Likewise, my brethren, you have undergone death as to the Law through the [crucified] body of Christ, so that now you may belong to Another, to Him Who was raised from the dead in order that we may bear fruit for God. Romans 7:1-4

THEREFORE, [there is] now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live [and] walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life [which is] in Christ Jesus [the law of our new being] has freed me from the law of sin and of death. Romans 8:1-2

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (emancipation from bondage, freedom). 2 Corinthians 3:17

IN [this] freedom Christ has made us free [and completely liberated us]; stand fast then, and do not be hampered and held ensnared and submit again to a yoke of slavery [which you have once put off]. Notice, it is I, Paul, who tells you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no profit (advantage, avail) to you for if you distrust Him, you can gain nothing from Him]. I once more protest and testify to every man who receives circumcision that he is under obligation and bound to practice the whole of the Law and its ordinances. If you seek to be justified and declared righteous and to be given a right standing with God through the Law, you are brought to nothing and so separated (severed) from Christ. You have fallen away from grace (from God's gracious favor and unmerited blessing). For we, [not relying on the Law but] through the [Holy] Spirit's [help], by faith anticipate and wait for the blessing and good for which our righteousness and right standing with God [our conformity to His will in purpose, thought, and action, causes us] to hope. Galatians 5:1-5

Jesus fulfilled the Law so that we don’t have to. Once again we see that everything that Jesus preaches to us in the Sermon on the Mount is fulfilled for us by our Father’s power that is at work within us.  

Sermon On The Mount: Part 10

You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has lost its taste (purpose), how can it be made salty? It is no longer good for anything, but to be thrown out and walked on by people [when the walkways are wet and slippery].You are the light of [Christ to] the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good deeds and moral excellence, and [recognize and honor and] glorify your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:13-16

We are the salt of the earth, we cannot help it, we have been chosen by our Father to be the light on the side of the hill.

For those whom He foreknew [and loved and chose beforehand], He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son [and ultimately share in His complete sanctification], so that He would be the firstborn [the most beloved and honored] among many believers.And those whom He predestined, He also called; and those whom He called, He also justified [declared free of the guilt of sin]; and those whom He justified, He also glorified [raising them to a heavenly dignity]. Romans 8:29-30

In Him also we have received an inheritance [a destiny—we were claimed by God as His own], having been predestined (chosen, appointed beforehand) according to the purpose of Him who works everything in agreement with the counsel and design of His will, Ephesians 5:11

We have been predestined, chosen beforehand, to show the success of our Lord as we are used to shine the Light of His Truth. It is our Father’s power that is always being greater in us than anything that is in this world.

But thanks be to God, Who in Christ always leads us in triumph [as trophies of Christ's victory] and through us spreads and makes evident the fragrance of the knowledge of God everywhere, 2 Corinthians 2:14

Jesus told us at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount that we are blessed because we will be hated and mistreated. But even though we are hated, the Truth is that we will be empowered to serve and love those who hate us. 

And now, Lord, observe their threats and grant to Your bond servants [full freedom] to declare Your message fearlessly, while You stretch out Your hand to cure and to perform signs and wonders through the authority and by the power of the name of Your holy Child and Servant Jesus. And when they had prayed, the place in which they were assembled was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they continued to speak the Word of God with freedom and boldness and courage. Acts 4:29-31

Don’t ever worry about loosing your saltiness, you can’t!

For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable [for He does not withdraw what He has given, nor does He change His mind about those to whom He gives His grace or to whom He sends His call]. Romans 11:29

Sermon On The Mount: Part 9

Blessed (happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous—with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of your outward conditions) are you when people revile you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things against you falsely on My account. Matthew 5:11

Jesus is repeatedly telling us that we are going to be hated and persecuted, but He tells us to rejoice because we are blessed when it happens. Now the question is why don’t we feel blessed when what He tells us is going to happen, happens?

So faith comes by hearing [what is told], and what is heard comes by the preaching [of the message that came from the lips] of Christ (the Messiah Himself).  Romans 10:17

And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free. John 8:32

And how can men [be expected to] preach unless they are sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of those who bring glad tidings! [How welcome is the coming of those who preach the good news of His good things!] Romans 10:15

Here is the Truth, the more our Father uses us, the more we will be hated. It’s not a glamorous message, but the more we hear it the more we will realize that we are blessed when people come against us. The Holy Spirit will cause us to rejoice, even when we are hated and mistreated. 

Be glad and exceedingly joyful, for your reward in heaven is great [absolutely inexhaustible]; for in this same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:12

Sermon On The Mount: Part 8

Blessed and happy and enviably fortunate and spiritually prosperous (in the state in which the born-again child of God enjoys and finds satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of his outward conditions) are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake (for being and doing right), for theirs is the kingdom of heaven! Matthew 5:10

We are pursued (persecuted and hard driven), but not deserted [to stand alone]; we are struck down to the ground, but never struck out and destroyed; 2 Corinthians 4:9

For all [these] things are [taking place] for your sake, so that the more grace (divine favor and spiritual blessing) extends to more and more people and multiplies through the many, the more thanksgiving may increase [and redound] to the glory of God. 2 Corinthians 4:15

Remember that I told you, A servant is not greater than his master [is not superior to him]. If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word and obeyed My teachings, they will also keep and obey yours. John 15:20

I do not ask that You will take them out of the world, but that You will keep and protect them from the evil one. John 17:15

So for the sake of Christ, I am well pleased and take pleasure in infirmities, insults, hardships, persecutions, perplexities and distresses; for when I am weak [in human strength], then am I [truly] strong (able, powerful in divine strength). 2 Corinthians 12:10

In just 10 verses Jesus has told us twice that we are blessed if we are persecuted. So we shouldn’t at all be surprised if we are persecuted. We shouldn’t marvel if they won’t let us say scriptures in public assemblies. We shouldn’t at all wonder if laws are passed that contradict our values and we shouldn’t be surprised if we are even killed for our Father using us. We should actually be thankful for such things. And the reason that we can rejoice is because greater is He that is in us, then he that is in this world. Our Father will keep us and He will always cause us to be more than conquerors through Christ.

Moreover [let us also be full of joy now!] let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance. And endurance (fortitude) develops maturity of character (approved faith and tried integrity). And character [of this sort] produces [the habit of] joyful and confident hope of eternal salvation. Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us, for God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us. Romans 5:3-5

Sermon On The Mount: Part 7

Blessed (enjoying enviable happiness, spiritually prosperous—with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the makers and maintainers of peace, for they shall be called the sons of God! Matthew 5:9

Invoke blessings upon and pray for the happiness of those who curse you, implore God’s blessing (favor) upon those who abuse you [who revile, reproach, disparage, and high-handedly misuse you]. Luke 6:28

Bless those who persecute you [who are cruel in their attitude toward you]; bless and do not curse them. Romans 12:14

But if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head. Romans 12:20

We are blessed if we are the peace makers. Think of our world today and how many of us react when a politician comes against our beliefs or how we react to ISIS or a radical atheist who is attacking our faith? How many of us bless these people with our speech? How many of us feed them or cloth them while they are still acting out towards us? Listen to conservative radio; the words that we use towards those who seem to be against us are aggressive and angry. Jesus tells us that we should be blessing and praying for these people. Jesus goes on to say that even if they physically attack us, we should allow it. What?  

But I say to you, Do not resist the evil man [who injures you]; but if anyone strikes you on the right jaw or cheek, turn to him the other one too. Matthew 5:39

I do not know about you, but if these verses were left up to me, then I would beat the daylights out of a person who hit me. On my own I would evoke curses on someone who didn’t acknowledge me with a wave for letting them in to traffic. On my own I do not implore our Father for blessing on others who are against me. But amen, I am not left alone, and none of us are ever left alone.

Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Hebrews 13:5

But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, Galatians 5:22

Amen, we cannot help but be the peace makers, the Holy Spirit will not stop until we are.

  

Sermon On The Mount: Part 6

Blessed (happy, enviably fortunate, and spiritually prosperous—possessing the happiness produced by the experience of God’s favor and especially conditioned by the revelation of His grace, regardless of their outward conditions) are the pure in heart, for they shall see God! Matthew 5:8

For both He Who sanctifies [making men holy] and those who are sanctified all have one [Father]. For this reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren; Hebrews 2:11

Who were chosen and foreknown by God the Father and consecrated (sanctified, made holy) by the Spirit to be obedient to Jesus Christ (the Messiah) and to be sprinkled with [His] blood: May grace (spiritual blessing) and peace be given you in increasing abundance [that spiritual peace to be realized in and through Christ, freedom from fears, agitating passions, and moral conflicts]. 1 Peter 1:2

But it is from Him that you have your life in Christ Jesus, Whom God made our Wisdom from God, [revealed to us a knowledge of the divine plan of salvation previously hidden, manifesting itself as] our Righteousness [thus making us upright and putting us in right standing with God], and our Consecration [making us pure and holy], and our Redemption [providing our ransom from eternal penalty for sin]. 1 Corinthians 1:30

So that He may strengthen and confirm and establish your hearts faultlessly pure and unblamable in holiness in the sight of our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) with all His saints (the holy and glorified people of God)! Amen, (so be it)! 1 Thessalonians 3:13

And may the God of peace Himself sanctify you through and through [separate you from profane things, make you pure and wholly consecrated to God]; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved sound and complete [and found] blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah). 1 Thessalonians 5:22

Well I guess once again we cannot help but to be blessed.

Sermon On The Mount: Part 5

Blessed (happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous—with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy! Matthew 5:7

Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy [that is, readiness to help those in trouble] and not sacrifice and sacrificial victims. For I came not to call and invite [to repentance] the righteous (those who are upright and in right standing with God), but sinners (the erring ones and all those not free from sin). Matthew 9:13

But we believe that we are saved through the grace (the undeserved favor and mercy) of the Lord Jesus, just as they [are]. Acts 15:11

For sin shall not [any longer] exert dominion over you, since now you are not under Law [as slaves], but under grace [as subjects of God’s favor and mercy]. Roans 6:14

So then [God’s gift] is not a question of human will and human effort, but of God’s mercy. [It depends not on one’s own willingness nor on his strenuous exertion as in running a race, but on God’s having mercy on him.] Romans 9:16

For God has consigned (penned up) all men to disobedience, only that He may have mercy on them all [alike]. Romans 11:32

But God—so rich is He in His mercy! Because of and in order to satisfy the great and wonderful and intense love with which He loved us, Even when we were dead (slain) by [our own] shortcomings and trespasses, He made us alive together in fellowship and in union with Christ; [He gave us the very life of Christ Himself, the same new life with which He quickened Him, for] it is by grace (His favor and mercy which you did not deserve) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation). Ephesians 2:4-5

We cannot help but be blessed because we are the recipients of God’s Mercy. Jesus is now greater in us than anything and everything that is in this world and we now have His very Love dwelling within us. So that means that He will cause us to be merciful, even towards those who hate us and despitefully use us.

I have made Your Name known to them and revealed Your character and Your very Self, and I will continue to make [You] known, that the love which You have bestowed upon Me may be in them [felt in their hearts] and that I [Myself] may be in them. John 17:26

We have freely received mercy. We did no works to earn it. It was just freely and graciously given to us. We did not even believe on our own to receive it. We were empowered by the Holy Spirit to acknowledge Jesus and mercy now abounds in us, 1 Corinthians 12:3. The Fruit of the Holy spirit causes us to be as Jesus is, even though we are still in this world, 1 John 4:17. I hope you are seeing that Jesus tells in this sermon us the things that will cause us to be blessed and in the rest of the Bible we are told that we cannot help but do the things that Jesus teaches. We are blessed, because Jesus causes us to blessed.

Sermon On The Mount: Part 4

Blessed and fortunate and happy and spiritually prosperous (in that state in which the born-again child of God enjoys His favor and salvation) are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God), for they shall be completely satisfied! Matthew 5:6

But now the righteousness of God has been revealed independently and altogether apart from the Law, although actually it is attested by the Law and the Prophets, Romans 3:21

For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed in (trusted in) God, and it was credited to his account as righteousness (right living and right standing with God). Romans 4:3

Is this blessing (happiness) then meant only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We say that faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness. Romans 4:9

For if because of one man’s trespass (lapse, offense) death reigned through that one, much more surely will those who receive [God’s] overflowing grace (unmerited favor) and the free gift of righteousness [putting them into right standing with Himself] reign as kings in life through the one Man Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). Romans 5:17

Well then, as one man’s trespass [one man’s false step and falling away led] to condemnation for all men, so one Man’s act of righteousness [leads] to acquittal and right standing with God and life for all men. Romans 5:18

But if Christ lives in you, [then although] your [natural] body is dead by reason of sin and guilt, the spirit is alive because of [the] righteousness [that He imputes to you]. Romans 8:10

For being ignorant of the righteousness that God ascribes [which makes one acceptable to Him in word, thought, and deed] and seeking to establish a righteousness (a means of salvation) of their own, they did not obey or submit themselves to God’s righteousness. For Christ is the end of the Law [the limit at which it ceases to be, for the Law leads up to Him Who is the fulfillment of its types, and in Him the purpose which it was designed to accomplish is fulfilled. That is, the purpose of the Law is fulfilled in Him] as the means of righteousness (right relationship to God) for everyone who trusts in and adheres to and relies on Him. Romans 10:3-4

So what Jesus tells us here is that we are blessed if we hunger for His Grace and for His power to set us free. We are not blessed if we try to keep a bunch of Laws, for Christ is the end of the Law as a means of righteousness. We are blessed when we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to realize that our righteousness is as filthy rags and that true righteousness is just a free gift, given to us for no other reason than we are loved by our Father. We are not righteous because we go to church, give a tithe, make an offering, pray a certain way, or wear certain clothes. We are just righteous because Jesus is Lord.   

Sermon On The Mount: Part 3

Blessed (happy, blithesome, joyous, spiritually prosperous—with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the meek (the mild, patient, long-suffering), for they shall inherit the earth! Matthew 5:5

Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law [that can bring a charge]. Galatians 5:23

We are told by Jesus that we are blessed if we are meek, mild, and patient. As we have studied already we cannot help but to be meek and patient because we have the Holy Spirit within us. His power causes us to place others above ourselves. Our Father’s Love that now abides within us allows us to be patient with people regardless of their issues or their sins.

We are also told in the Bible that we will know each other by our fruit and our peace is that our fruit is now produced through us through the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is our Vine and we are His branches. So our Fruit is Jesus' Fruit! 

Therefore, you will fully know them by their fruits. Matthew 7:20

But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law [that can bring a charge]. Galatians 5:22-23

With these Truths in mind I want you to think about the people you know who call themselves Christians, especially those who call themselves Christian Leaders. Are these people patient with sinners? Are they patient and meek with notable public figure sinners? How do they speak of politicians who are not pushing Christian values? How do they react to homosexuals? Are they meek and gentle with them, or are they harsh and quick to judge and sentence damnation upon them?

We always need to remember that even our righteousness is as filthy rags. We all have shortcomings. So what if some people have different shortcomings than ours, we all fall short and that doesn’t damn us, because our Father has mercy on us all alike. So if our Father is having mercy on us, why wouldn't we have mercy on others? And don't tell me that people have to ask for mercy or forgiveness first, read about Jesus on the Cross, Stephen while he was being stoned, or Paul when he was falsely imprisoned. Our Father's Mercy is always freely given, even if not asked for.   

For God has consigned (penned up) all men to disobedience, only that He may have mercy on them all [alike]. Romans 11:32

If someone calls themselves an elder, judge them by the way they handle those who are sinners. If they are eager to say how those people are going to Hell, my advice is to watch out for them. If they are patient, and that doesn’t mean that they condone sin, but that they are loving and welcoming of the sinner, then there is a good chance that they are filled with the Fruit of the Holy Spirit. Remember that our Father causes us to bless those who curse us, pray for those who despitefully use us, feed our enemies, and cry out for people's forgiveness as they kill us.

Sermon On The Mount: Part 2

Blessed and enviably happy [with a happiness produced by the experience of God’s favor and especially conditioned by the revelation of His matchless grace] are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted! Matthew 5:4

Jesus tells us that we are blessed if we mourn. He goes on to tell us that we have God’s favor if we mourn and that if we mourn then we are in an enviable position.

So for the sake of Christ, I am well pleased and take pleasure in infirmities, insults, hardships, persecutions, perplexities and distresses; for when I am weak [in human strength], then am I [truly] strong (able, powerful in divine strength). 2 Corinthians 12:10

Moreover [let us also be full of joy now!] let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance. And endurance (fortitude) develops maturity of character (approved faith and tried integrity). And character [of this sort] produces [the habit of] joyful and confident hope of eternal salvation. Romans 5:3-4

Let’s also look at the story of Lazarus here to see the Truth of we are blessed if we mourn.

And at his gate there was [carelessly] dropped down and left a certain utterly destitute man named Lazarus, [reduced to begging alms and] covered with [ulcerated] sores. Luke 16:20

And it occurred that the man [reduced to] begging died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. Luke 16:22

Lazarus had a terrible life and only when he died was he comforted. You know what I always find great about Jesus’ parable? Jesus never said that Lazarus was a righteous man, or a good man, or a believing man, He only said that Lazarus was a destitute man. I honestly believe there is a very comfortable eternity for those who our Father uses to be destitute while they were on this earth. The parable of Lazarus gives me great hope when I see the world and all that is going on. We were never told that Lazarus was used to preach or serve, but we were told that he was eternally comforted as a reward for his suffering.

Paul was used by our Father and he also had what the world would call a hard life. Paul was beaten, falsely imprisoned, left for dead, sick, and hated, yet he wrote that he rejoiced in his sufferings. Paul rejoiced because the Holy Spirit empowered him to rejoice. Paul was blessed by experiencing our Father’s energy and power while suffering. Everywhere we look in the Bible we can see that the more our Father uses us, the more hard times that He will take us through. God doesn’t do this because He is mean; He does it because it allows us to stop trusting in ourselves and it allows us to live in His glory and His power.   

Sermon On The Mount: Part 1

Seeing the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and when He was seated, His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: Blessed (happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous—with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the poor in spirit (the humble, who rate themselves insignificant), for theirs is the kingdom of heaven! Matthew 5:1-3

As we begin to study the Sermon on the Mount together, I want you to remember this Truth: it is Jesus’ responsibility to cause His teachings in this sermon to come to pass in our lives.

I am the Good Shepherd; and I know and recognize My own, and My own know and recognize Me— John 10:14

Dwell in Me, and I will dwell in you. [Live in Me, and I will live in you.] Just as no branch can bear fruit of itself without abiding in (being vitally united to) the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me.  I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing. John 15:4-5

John answered, A man can receive nothing [he can claim nothing, he can take unto himself nothing] except as it has been granted to him from heaven. [A man must be content to receive the gift which is given him from heaven; there is no other source.] John 3:27

Jesus is our Shepherd and we are His sheep. Jesus is the Vine and we are His branches. Jesus is our Head and we are His body. Sheep do not shepherd themselves, branches do not bear fruit on their own, clay only becomes what the potter wants it to be, and the Truth is everything must first be given to us from our Father.

So as we study Jesus’ teachings remember that He has to make them happen. We cannot do them, we cannot will them into existence, and we cannot learn them unless Jesus empowers us to. The responsibility is completely and solely on Jesus, not on us.

Now to Him Who is able to keep you without stumbling or slipping or falling, and to present [you] unblemished (blameless and faultless) before the presence of His glory in triumphant joy and exultation [with unspeakable, ecstatic delight]— Jude 24

So for us to be humble as Jesus teaches that we should be, we must be empowered by our Father first to be humble.

But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law [that can bring a charge]. Galatians 5:22-23

We have been given the Holy Spirit and His fruit within us causes us to be humble. So right out of the gate we see that we are blessed, because the Holy Spirit causes us to be humble, His presence within us accomplishes humility. The Truth is that we will know each other by our fruit and our fruit is our Father’s Fruit and humility will always abound through a true believer.

Christian Persecution Spikes

“Christian persecution spikes in Pakistan, prompting calls for US to exert pressure.”

This was the Headline of November 2, 2015 on FOX News.com. It is a shocking Headline that is being printed in one form or another almost daily. There is a lie in the world and it is that our enemies pressure and hardships towards us is going to destroy us. This is an absolute lie and I will be honest, I far too often begin to believe it. But that is alright, because the Truth that sets us free is far greater than this lie.

Through Him also we have [our] access (entrance, introduction) by faith into this grace (state of God’s favor) in which we [firmly and safely] stand. And let us rejoice and exult in our hope of experiencing and enjoying the glory of God. Moreover [let us also be full of joy now!] let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance. And endurance (fortitude) develops maturity of character (approved faith and tried integrity). And character [of this sort] produces [the habit of] joyful and confident hope of eternal salvation. Romans 5:2-4

So for the sake of Christ, I am well pleased and take pleasure in infirmities, insults, hardships, persecutions, perplexities and distresses; for when I am weak [in human strength], then am I [truly] strong (able, powerful in divine strength). 2 Corinthians 12:10

And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto His heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory forever and ever. A-men. 2 Timothy 4:18

Blessed and happy and [enviably fortunate and spiritually prosperous (in the state in which the born-again child of God enjoys and finds satisfaction in God's favor and salvation, regardless of his outward conditions) are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake (for being and doing right), for theirs is the kingdom of heaven!. Blessed (happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous--with life-joy and satisfaction in God's favor and salvation, regardless of your outward conditions) are you when people revile you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things against you falsely on My account. Matthew 5:10-11

Now to Him Who is able to keep you without stumbling or slipping or falling, and to present [you] unblemished (blameless and faultless) before the presence of His glory in triumphant joy and exultation [with unspeakable, ecstatic delight]-- Jude 24

I also will, as so many people do, look to the U.S., the Police, or some other entity to protect us. This is a such foolish gesture because these forces will fail, but their inabilities doesn’t mean that we are going to be destroyed. Our Father will never leave us and He will never forsake us and the Truth is the harder things get for us in this world, the better things will get for us in our spirits. Pressure and hardships will empower us to trust in our Father and He will never allow us to be tempted above that which we can stand.

Right now there are many who are being attacked and persecuted by radical Muslims around the world. Our Father is well aware of this Truth and we should be rejoicing over it not seeking America to retaliate for us. We should rejoice, because our Father is obligated to keep His Word and that means He has to empower us to bless those who curse us. Our Father has to create a way for us to feed our enemies and they need the spiritual food that will set them free. So our Father has to empower us to give it to them. Jesus has to make us more than conquerors. He has to keep us from failing at delivering the Truth to everyone, including our enemies. This is what excites me, because I will be honest it doesn’t look like it can happen, but that is exactly when our Father usually makes it happen.  

I know that I live in America and that I have never had to endure threats on my life for having Jesus use me. But I have seen how our Father empowers those who He does use in these areas of the world. How awesome is it that our Father causes people to trust in Him and confess Him even though they might be killed for it? These people who are being attacked are full of joy too. The world calls this crazy, but for those who are going through it, they have an empowerment that goes beyond worldly wisdom and understanding. Our peace is that if our Father asks us to do the same, we too will have the same empowerment. Our Father will never leave us or forsake us, so we don't have to fret about what we will do if called on to suffer. We can see what we will do in the lives of our brothers and sisters who have been called on to go through it and their peace is not from a Country it is from our Father!