Sermon on the Mount: Matthew 6:1-4

Take care not to do your good deeds publicly or before men, in order to be seen by them; otherwise you will have no reward [reserved for and awaiting you] with and from your Father Who is in heaven. Thus, whenever you give to the poor, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites in the synagogues and in the streets like to do, that they may be recognized and honored and praised by men. Truly I tell you, they have their reward in full already. But when you give to charity, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, So that your deeds of charity may be in secret; and your Father Who sees in secret will reward you openly. Matthew 6:1-4

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

Jesus said to him, Why do you call Me [essentially and perfectly morally] good? No one is [essentially and perfectly morally] good—except God only. Luke 18:19

For who has known or understood the mind (the counsels and purposes) of the Lord so as to guide and instruct Him and give Him knowledge? But we have the mind of Christ (the Messiah) and do hold the thoughts (feelings and purposes) of His heart. 1 Corinthians 2:16

In this [union and communion with Him] love is brought to completion and attains perfection with us, that we may have confidence for the day of judgment [with assurance and boldness to face Him], because as He is, so are we in this world. 1 John 4:17

And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you shall heed My ordinances and do them. Ezekiel 36:27

Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17

Sermon on the Mount: Matthew 5:42

Give to him who keeps on begging from you, and do not turn away from him who would borrow [at interest] from you. Matthew 5:42

Jesus answered him, If you would be perfect [that is, have that spiritual maturity which accompanies self-sacrificing character], go and sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven; and come, be My disciple [side with My party and follow Me]. Matthew 19:21

But [dedicate your inner self and] give as donations to the poor of those things which are within [of inward righteousness] and behold, everything is purified and clean for you. Luke 11:41

As it is written, He [the benevolent person] scatters abroad; He gives to the poor; His deeds of justice and goodness and kindness and benevolence will go on and endure forever! 2 Corinthians 9:9

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. And in Hades (the realm of the dead), being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far away, and Lazarus in his bosom. Luke 16:22-23

[But what of that?] For I consider that the sufferings of this present time (this present life) are not worth being compared with the glory that is about to be revealed to us and in us and for us and conferred on us! Romans 8:18

And God is able to make all grace (every favor and earthly blessing) come to you in abundance, so that you may always and under all circumstances and whatever the need be self-sufficient [possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation]. 2 Corinthians 9:8

But when you give a banquet or a reception, invite the poor, the disabled, the lame, and the blind. Then you will be blessed (happy, fortunate, and [a]to be envied), because they have no way of repaying you, and you will be recompensed at the resurrection of the just (upright). Luke 14:13-14

And if you had only known what this saying means, I desire mercy [readiness to help, to spare, to forgive] rather than sacrifice and sacrificial victims, you would not have condemned the guiltless. Matthew 12:7

Philippians 4:18-19

18 But I have [your full payment] and more; I have everything I need and am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent me. [They are the] fragrant odor of an offering and sacrifice which God welcomes and in which He delights.

19 And my God will liberally supply (fill to the full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

I was raised in a Full Gospel, you better tithe and offer church. Every sermon somehow revolved around us giving money to the church. The sermons would typically go like this, give and God will multiply your seed a hundredfold. The scripture used for this preaching can be found in Mark 10. But what was amazing to me is that no one was a multi-multi-billionaire. I mean if it were true that if we gave a dollar, then we would receive $100 back, there would have been a ton of people making billions. So it was either the preaching was wrong or the Bible was wrong and I choose to believe that it was the preaching. 

Look at Jesus’ life, was He super rich? Did Jesus have a huge home or His own private boat to take Him to preach, Matthew 8:20? Did He have His own pure breed donkey to ride upon to show people that He was blessed by God, Matthew 21:2? Was Paul, John, or Peter super rich? Did they have huge homes and massive amounts of worldly things? They didn’t and yet every one of their needs were fully met by our Father and they had far more than a hundred fold of what they had when they first started. They had more fellowship, more love, more faith, more hope, more joy, and more peace. They had so much peace they could be imprisoned and sleep like babies, Acts 12:7-8. They had so much that when the jail doors miraculously flew open, they stayed so that the jailor wouldn’t be killed, Acts 16:27-28. They raised the dead, healed the sick, made trips to Heaven, and all without money and worldly possessions. 

If you believe that our Father wants a bunch of rich worldly people, where is the example of Him doing it in the Bible? Did all of these people over all of the years just not have faith? Or, is our riches not of this world? The people in Acts sold everything that they had to share with each other and they did not become super wealthy because of it, Acts 2:45. They actually were so poor Paul would raise money for them as he traveled, 1 Corinthians 16:3. We are in this world, but we are not of this world and neither are our riches, John 17:14. 

Philippians 4:14-17

14 But it was right and commendable and noble of you to contribute for my needs and to share my difficulties with me.

15 And you Philippians yourselves well know that in the early days of the Gospel ministry, when I left Macedonia, no church (assembly) entered into partnership with me and opened up [a debit and credit] account in giving and receiving except you only.

16 For even in Thessalonica you sent [me contributions] for my needs, not only once but a second time.

17 Not that I seek or am eager for [your] gift, but I do seek and am eager for the fruit which increases to your credit [the harvest of blessing that is accumulating to your account].

These verses show us that it was the Holy Spirit working through Paul. We can see this because Paul was excited about what our Father would do for the Philippians for helping the Gospel be preached. This kind of talk was pretty rare for Paul. I don’t know if it because no one else was helping him, or he just didn’t write about people giving to him. I know that today it’s hard to get an evangelist to not talk about giving them money, but for Paul it was very rare. There are many times though that we do see Paul writing about glorying in others rewards and that type of glorying is the true sign of our Father using a person to serve. 

For what is our hope or happiness or our victor’s wreath of exultant triumph when we stand in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? Is it not you? you are [indeed] our glory and our joy! 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20

There is a blessing when our Father uses us to give to others. Unfortunately false religious wolves know this and prey on the people. However don’t fret about it, our Father let’s this happen because money is not very important. We can look at Jesus and see this; He knowingly placed a thief in charge of His money, John 12:26. We all believe that money will help us, it won’t, our Father’s power is the only thing of any value. Our Father made man from clay, fed thousands with table scarps, turned water into the best wine, and used two men to thwart thousands of armed warriors. Our Father knowingly allows people to prey on our money, because He is causing us to loose all trust in it. Our Father will remove all of us from Babylon, which is the worlds system, before Jesus returns.

I then heard another voice from heaven saying, Come out from her, my people, so that you may not share in her sins, neither participate in her plagues. Revelation 18:4

Galatians 2:7-10

7 But on the contrary, when they [really] saw that I had been entrusted [to carry] the Gospel to the uncircumcised [Gentiles, just as definitely] as Peter had been entrusted [to proclaim] the Gospel to the circumcised [Jews, they were agreeable];

   

8 For He Who motivated and fitted Peter and worked effectively through him for the mission to the circumcised, motivated and fitted me and worked through me also for [the mission to] the Gentiles.

   

Do you see a difference here in verse 8. Paul is giving God the glory for using Peter to tell the Truth, but earlier to James and the other leaders, Paul says whether they were leaders or not he didn’t know. The Truth is that the leaders in Jerusalem were probably being taught more by Paul than they were teaching Paul. For guys  who were caught up in works that probably had to really bug them. They were seeing Paul being used powerfully and they are trying to work on their own and they are just not seeing the same results. But how could they deny what our Father was doing through Paul? 

9 And when they knew (perceived, recognized, understood, and acknowledged) the grace (God's unmerited favor and spiritual blessing) that had been bestowed upon me, James and Cephas (Peter) and John, who were reputed to be pillars of the Jerusalem church, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, with the understanding that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised (Jews).

Think about what we are being shown: after twelve years of preaching the church finally recognized Paul and began to fellowship with him. So what church was Paul working with before that? So many believe that you have to be in a church and answering to church leaders to be used by our Father, so what church allowed Paul to preach before? The glorious Truth is that Paul wasn’t answering to a bunch of so called religious leaders and our Father still used him powerfully to proclaim the Truth that was setting people free. So once again, do not fret about it if our Father does not have you in a church. Because the Truth is that He has you in The Church that has not been made with human hands. Our Father will never allow us to fail. If He has us going to a physical church then great and if He doesn't great, He is our Father either way! 

10 They only [made one stipulation], that we were to remember the poor, which very thing I was also eager to do.

In Christ we cannot help but to be eager to help the poor. We are one with Jesus and He is very concerned with the poor, so we can be no other way. 

Give, and [gifts] will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will they pour into [the pouch formed by] the bosom [of your robe and used as a bag]. For with the measure you deal out [with the measure you use when you confer benefits on others], it will be measured back to you. Luke 6:38

Now the company of believers was of one heart and soul, and not one of them claimed that anything which he possessed was [exclusively] his own, but everything they had was in common and for the use of all. And with great strength and ability and power the apostles delivered their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace (loving-kindness and favor and goodwill) rested richly upon them all. Nor was there a destitute or needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses proceeded to sell them, and one by one they brought (gave back) the amount received from the sales And laid it at the feet of the apostles (special messengers). Then distribution was made according as anyone had need. Acts 4:32-35

The Holy Spirit gives us our Father's measure to help the poor. We have our Father's physical, spiritual, and soulful abundance to be able to be charitable unto every good work, 2 Corinthians 9:8. 

Prosperous For Every Occasion

And God is able to make all grace (every favor and earthly blessing) come to you in abundance, so that you may always and under all circumstances and whatever the need be self-sufficient [possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation]. 2 Corinthians 9:8

I want you to think for a moment about having all of the money in the world, every last cent of it, all of the worlds filthy lucre is yours. (I say that tongue and cheek) You would absolutely be self sufficient and you would have an overwhelming abundance, but even with all of it, could you be charitable for every good work? No, but our Father says that He is able to make us sufficient, with abundance, for every good work. How?

Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]-- Ephesians 3:20

Far too often we look to money or possessions as the resource for our giving, but these earthly things are not enough to cover being charitable unto every good work. Possessions are insufficient for such a task. And during the Great Tribulation we will not even have any earthly possessions, yet Jesus tells us that we will be blessed because we will be used by our Father to give to those in need, Matthew 24:44-46.

To be charitable for every good work, we must look to the power of our Father to be at work within us. Our Father’s power turns water to wine, John 2. His power feeds thousands of people with only some scraps of food, Matthew 14:16-19. When our Father works through us the dead are raised, the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame walk, the lost are saved and it is all done without earthly possessions. To be the greatest in Heaven we must be the worlds biggest servants, Matthew 23:11. To be the biggest servant requires our Father’s power to be the force that is working through us.

So we need to stop looking for earthly possessions to be the power of our charity and we need to look to our Father’s power. Only through His grace can we be charitable in every good work. Desire to be the greatest, so desire that without money you are used by our Father, Who is God, to bless every need that the world has.

Great Gifts For The Guests Of The Bride

For many are called (invited and summoned), but few are chosen. Matthew 22:14

The Bible tells us that when our Father comes and judgment happens that everyone who has ever lived, both good and bad, Matthew 22:10, will be there. Everyone who has ever been born will be there at the Wedding Feast, some of us as the Bride and the rest as guests, most of the guest will stay, at least one will be cast out, but everyone will be there when our Father enters the room. So this part of the parable of The Marriage Supper has to stand for something else, because Jesus tells us that many, not all are called. Jesus has to be speaking of those who have been called to be part of the Bride of Christ before His Millennial Reign. Not everyone will be called to be part of the Bride and out of the many who are called, only a few are chosen to be the Bride.

Think of the parts of the world that for centuries have never heard of Jesus. Think of the billions of people who have died that never heard the Gospel preached to them. Think of all the people who have heard it and rejected it. When you consider all of these people, it only makes sense that only a few of us, out of these billions of people, will be chosen. But the glorious Truth is that does not mean for a second that those who weren’t ever called or chosen to be the Bride of Christ, will be thrown into the Lake of Fire. There will be many guests who are allowed to stay with the Bride and Groom for all of eternity. These people will be served night and day by us and it will be a glorious life for them. It will not be a life as one with Jesus, but it will be a glorious life none the less.

Then I heard a mighty voice from the throne and I perceived its distinct words, saying, See! The abode of God is with men, and He will live (encamp, tent) among them; and they shall be His people, and God shall personally be with them and be their God. God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more, neither shall there be anguish (sorrow and mourning) nor grief nor pain any more, for the old conditions and the former order of things have passed away. Revelation 21:3-4

Those who are called and chosen will be the Bride, we will be one with Jesus, we will no longer be men, we will be as Jesus is, 1 John 3:2. These verses in Revelation are not talking about the Bride of Christ, but they are talking about the gifts that the guests of the wedding receive from the Father of Groom. So not a bad way to spend eternity is it? There will be no death for the guests who are allowed to stay, no fear, no anguish, no sorrow, and no mourning and everything will be provided by God as He is living right there with them.

The Holy Spirit tells us that we rule and reign with Jesus, our Groom, for all of eternity. The body does not rule and reign over itself. The arm does not rule the lungs and the lungs do not rule the feet. Body parts are all one and we are now and forevermore the one Body of Christ. So there has to be people that we rule and reign over, these people are the guests that Jesus talks about in this parable.

The guests that are allowed to stay and live forever in the Marriage Supper are those who did not commit the only unforgivable sin, blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. Isn’t this parable great?

The Keys Of Abundance In Christ

“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John 10:10

The first key to an abundant life is to know that it is the will of our Father that we have one! God is so concerned with us living abundantly that He sent Jesus so that we could. Just take a minute and consider all of the scriptures that talk about our Father's desires for us to have life abundantly. Virtually ever Book in the New Testament proclaims that through Christ we will be victorious as God works through us!

One of the first Truths that God ever shared with me is that He wants us to have abundance in our salvation. “Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.” Hebrews 7:25

Our Father also wants us to be abundantly healthy, as a loving Father should. “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” 3 John 1:2

Our Father wants our prayer lives to be abundant. “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:” Mathew 7:7

Our Father wants us to have the gifts of His Spirit abundantly as we wait for Jesus’ return. “So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 1:7-8

Our Father wants us to be abundantly prosperous in our finances so that we may be charitable and so that we may be self-sufficient. “And God is able to make all grace (every favor and earthly blessing) come to you in abundance, so that you may always and under all circumstances and whatever the need be self-sufficient [possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation].” 2 Corinthians 9:8 Amplified Bible

Our Father wants us to have abundant knowledge and wisdom and He wants us to know all things. “But the anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in Him.” 1 John 2:27

Our Father wants us to have abundant love. “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.” Ephesians 3:17-19

And Finally our Father wants us to have an abundant relationship with Him. “I in them, and Thou in Me that they may be made perfect in One; and that the world may know that Thou hast sent Me, and hast loved them, as Thou hast loved Me.” John 17:23

These are only a few of the Truths of God, that show us clearly that it is the will of our Father that we have an abundant life. This week God has been dealing with me a lot concerning the fulfillment of His will within our lives. As I look around at most of us I don’t see abundance. I see bits and pieces of the greatness of God, but nothing near what these, and so many other verses have to say about our abundant lives in Christ. And this isn’t our Father's desire for us, Jesus came so that we might have life and have it more abundantly! God is not a man that He should lie and all Scripture has been given to us by His Divine Inspiration. So if our Father had it written, we should all be living it!

So here is what He has shared with me concerning us living in His abundance. “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” Galatians 6:7 Whatsoever we sow is exactly what we are going to reap. And what does the Christian sow? “The sower soweth the Word.” Mark 4:14 The Truth of God is that what we sow is what we are going to reap and Jesus taught us that we are to sow the Word! Think about Jesus, He only spoke the Word of God, because He was the Word of God, and look at what He reaped. Jesus reaped abundance in everything. He knew God’s will for every area of His life. He was able to Heal the sick, raise the dead, preach the Gospel, perform miracles, and be raised from the dead Himself as King of Kings and Lord of Lords! “Whoever says he abides in Him ought [as a personal debt] to walk and conduct himself in the same way in which He walked and conducted Himself.” 1 John 2:6 Amplified Bible Jesus lived abundantly because He abundantly sowed the Word of God and the same holds true for us today. We have access to the fulness of God and the full abundance of God. Jesus told us to go into all of the world and preach the Gospel to every creature and whatsoever things we sow, that is what we are going to reap! Faith comes from hearing the Truth and the Holy Spirit will cause us to sow the Word abundantly.

Now we are talking abundance here. Most of us sow some Word and since we do, we reap some Word back, but through Christ we want and desire abundance! We want our Father to use us completely and we want to experience all that He has provided for us! “For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.” Matthew 7:2 If we want the abundance of Christ, than the Truth of God is that we must abundantly sow His Word! This is the key that will bring abundance into all of our lives. This is the will of our Father for each and every one of us! And our Father will never leave us or forsake us, so He is right here with us always empowering us to live a lifestyle of abundantly sowing His Word. He does this so that we may always reap abundantly the blessings of His Word!

The yoke of our salvation is easy to be borne and it is pleasant. “For My yoke is wholesome (useful, good-not harsh, hard, sharp, or pressing, but comfortable, gracious, and pleasant), and My burden is light and easy to be borne.” Matthew 11:30 Amplified Bible We now have the Holy Spirit teaching us all things and bringing all of the Words of God to our remembrance. “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” John 14:26 So we are never alone in sowing our Father's Word! We always have God right here with us making it an easy and pleasant thing to do!

Faith comes from hearing the Truth and the Truth will set us free! The Truth is that our Father wants us to have abundance in everything and our example is Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior! Jesus ever lives so that we may have the abundance of God to the uttermost and He has not given us a spirit of fear in accepting it! All things are now possible for us who love the Lord and God can now do all things through us because Christ has strengthened us! Greater is He that is now within us than he that is in the world and through Jesus we have been perfected, so that we may be the vessels of God’s righteousness. Be blessed this New Years Eve and may the abundance of our Father be all of ours from now and throughout all of eternity, as He leads us and Authors our faith into abundantly sowing His Truth to world!