"Now Hear This" #3

Since Jesus had already begun his teaching ministry and his fame had begun to rapidly spread throughout the region, he took advantage of the multitude of people who had begun to follow he and his disciples and sat down to lay a very new foundation of what God's will for them was and still is. His Sermon on the Mount does not really contain the elements of the gospels requirements, but it lays out a dramatic contrast to the the Law that had been given to their ancestors by Moses. He said -

• "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets, I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill." Matthew 5:17

During this sermon he repeatedly states, "you have heard that it was said........but I say to you" which obviously is intended to draw them away from what they had been taught all their lives. He even uses the scribes and Pharisees as an example to contrast what they were accustomed to hearing that was no longer acceptable to God. By using the word "fulfill" he emphasizes that the Law they were so culturally accustomed to was now brought to it's completion by God through him and his teaching.

He introduces this teaching with the word "Blessed". He uses this word 9 times to kind of lay out a new way of thinking and living in the Father's kingdom. That word means "fully satisfied". In fact each of those 9 statements could be prefaced with "because of me". So, as we read these statements we should have that phrase "because of me" in mind. Lets look then at Matthew 5:3-10 NKJV

• "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

This phrase is applicable to all of us at some time in our lives. It doesn't really mean one who is humble, but rather one who is helpless. Jesus says the Father wants to reach out to that faithful person who is struggling to see a way through some depressing, overwhelming circumstance.

• "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."

This could apply to all situations of mourning/crying. However the word for mourn here probably is pointing to grief or sorrow over sin, all sin. The word "comforted" surely is the end result of being forgiven by God and a new way of seeing a new reality for self and others.

• "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."

The 'meek' here are those who humbly submit to the Father's will. Meekness in this context is not  some mild mannered introvert who hesitates to speak up for themselves. No, this person recognizes the love and power of God and trusts that love no matter what. Jesus says, they will finally win.

• "Blessed are  those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled."

To me this seems to honor the person who is satisfied with the Father to hear and follow His word again and again and again and again. Being hungry and thirsty is a never ending part of life. So is being hungry and thirsty for the word and blessings of God the Father. Never ending.

• "Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy."

Mercy is a powerful and positive attitude that we all must learn to adopt. It is a learned reaction to our own and others failures. If you haven't yet done so, please resign from the judge's bench. Only God can judge because only He is qualified. Jesus will say this often during his ministry.

• "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God."

 This statement points to the heart of God as our model for our motives and actions. Purity of heart is a continuous commitment to reflect the heart of God in any and every circumstance.The word "see" here is a progressive recognition of God working in my heart and life. It can mean "experience".

• "Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God."

In my spirit this points to a way of life that we can only learn from God. Being a peacemaker isn't always easy because Satan wants to control how we think, which is how he controls what we say and do. Sometimes you just have to look him in the eye and say, "NO!" just like Jesus did. We must allow God's love, mercy and grace to become a controlling aspect of our life.

• "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Jesus knew what lay ahead for his disciples, and even for him. That persecution continues all over the world today. Even in those areas where it is ugliest, the kingdom is alive and growing. Persecution of Christians was belched forth out of the pit of hell itself . Jesus knew it would. Read Revelations 12 and know the devil will not win this war that began in heaven itself.

Thank you dear reader, for hanging with me here. Looking forward to seeing you again.

"Now Hear This" #2

Since we will be looking into some Bible text written by Matthew, I think we can benefit from knowing something about him, who he really was and who he became because of Jesus.

• He was a Palestinian Jew whose hometown was Capernaum, the town Jesus ultimately went to after his temptation by the devil in the nearby wilderness
• He was employed by the Roman government to collect taxes from the Jews of that area and was no doubt hated and rejected by his Jewish countrymen
• Jesus called him to "Follow Me" while Matthew (also called Levi) was at work at his booth

"Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting as his tax booth. "Follow me", Jesus said to him, and Levi got up and followed him. Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house and a large collection of tax collectors and others were eating with them." Luke 5:27-29

• He became one of Jesus' Apostles and participated in the ministry of Jesus to spread the good news of the kingdom 
• He was present during all of Jesus' ministry and after the resurrection
• He was named as being present on the Day of Pentecost when the gospel was first preached by the apostles as God's completed promise to the entire world
• Matthew's name means "Gift of God" in Hebrew
• The central theme of his gospel account is that Jesus is the long awaited Saviour and King of God's new kingdom 

I also want to preface these studies of the Sermon on the Mount by hearing some very impactful words Jesus spoke to all of us who will ever breathe in this world. So I urge you to Now Hear This:

"Jesus answered, 'I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know Him and have seen him''. "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say 'Show us the Father'? Don't you believe that I am in the Father and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me who is doing his work." John 14:7-10

"If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me." John 14:23-24

• Go back and read those words over and over until the word "ANYONE" really explodes in your spirit. What a wonderful promise God the Father has made through His Son to all of us!

"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. To him who overcomes I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." Revelation 3:20-22

• Jesus calls out to "ANYONE" who is listening and hearing him knock on the door of their heart to open that closed door and let him in. Although this passage is specifically addressed to the lukewarm church at Laodicea, it calls out to ANYONE who will hear him.

In our next session we will begin that process at Matthew 5. Please join me again. Thank you.

"Now Hear This - Jesus Has Something To Say"

After Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist the Spirit led him into the wilderness where he was tempted by the devil to deny all that he was and the mission the Father had sent him to accomplish. He had already fasted forty days in preparation for this encounter and he was prepared to face the devil and his lies. Failing to convince Jesus to follow him, the devil finally left him and angels came to tend to his needs.

Soon after, John was imprisoned by Herod and when Jesus learned of this he returned to Galilee and ended up in Capernaum, which was to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah 9:1-2.

"......the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. From that time on Jesus began to preach". Matthew 4:16-17

Very soon afterward he began to call selected disciples to follow him as he went to the surrounding villages to begin his preaching ministry, just as Isaiah had predicted many hundreds of years before. He healed many sick with all manner of diseases and afflictions while he preached the good news that Isaiah had prophesied. Word spread quickly and soon multitudes were following him and his disciples throughout that mountainous region.


"Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him and he began to teach them."  

What follows at Matthew 5-6-7 is the iconic Sermon On The Mount.

We today definitely need "a great light" since we have become surrounded by darkness and live again in the "darkness.....of the shadow of death."

Although Jesus intent is not to give the people (or us) some comforting words to help us deal with the current pandemic, but to share with those multitudes the words the Father had sent him to preach to the people who were oppressed by the rulers/politicians of that time, however his words can truly heal our spirits too. Our collective life today has become VERY different from what it was even a month or two ago. So, I want to share some thoughts with you from Jesus which can hopefully impart a sense of something far greater than COVID 19. Although I am not in any way a medically trained professional, nor an expert in psychology, Jesus is both. I firmly believe his words can help us too.

So here is what I am proposing: lets walk together through these simple, powerful, beautiful, convicting words from God the Father as He speaks through His Son whom He sent for this very purpose, to give us some light in our darkness.

Please pray with me and for me as we launch into this together and you might even want to read Matthew 5 to begin. I would also encourage you begin to think of someone you know who might benefit from this journey through these Words of Jesus, the good news. HALLELUJAH!