The Beatitudes

Jesus spoke the beatitudes, which are also called the Sermon on the Mount, to His disciples to help them live a better life.  These beatitudes will also help every other believer be a better example and by keeping them they will honor the Lord.  Jesus taught what He expected from His followers, which was a contradiction to the way that society lived and what they were taught.  Each beatitude started with a blessing, but may not have been what the disciples expected to hear.  

Being close to Jesus would have made them very popular with many of the people that were in the crowds that followed Jesus. Think of the time Jesus fed the 4000 and also the 5000 men plus women and children.   Many people loved to hear Jesus speak, saying at one point in time that He spoke like a man with authority, not as the Scribes and Pharisees.  With the disciples having all this prestige and popularity Jesus knew that there would be the temptation of thinking they were more important and better than anyone else.

Jesus chose these men for a specific purpose, but He loves all people the same.  The Bible says this in Acts 10:34-35, “Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.”

It also says this about the same subject in Romans 2:6-11, “For he will render to every man according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are factious and do not obey the truth, but obey wickedness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for every one who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality.”

Jesus wanted His disciples to know that if anyone seriously tried to live out these beatitudes they would surely run into opposition, then and even now in our day.  What matters to the Lord is faithful obedience to Him, not your popularity, financial status or your position of authority.  Jesus didn’t teach to be proud and legalistic like the teachers in that day were, he taught complete, heartfelt obedience.  

These beatitudes were in contrast from what was being taught, but keeping them would bring rewards and blessings, but maybe not in this life.  We also need to be careful, just like the disciples, because popularity could have caused them to think more highly of themselves than they should.  In our day many who have preached, taught and ministered in some capacity have become very popular and are subject to the same temptations and they may start using God’s Word to promote their own agenda, so guard yourselves and put God’s Word into practice including the Sermon on the Mount.  

You may think of the beatitudes as hard to live by, but if you strive to keep them they will be like good medicine and you will bring glory to the Lord because many will see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.  It says this in 1 Peter 2:11-12, “Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.”

If you haven’t studied the beatitudes lately, maybe today would be a good day to refresh your memory.  If you have never read them, you can turn to Matthew chapter 5 and read verses 1-12, then start applying what it says there, to your life and you will become a changed person.  Something to think about!  May the Lord bless you and yours and have a super day!!  

Repent or Perish

The Lord seeks the humble and contrite heart, which He will not despise.  Repentance includes the church as well as the nation.  I believe as the church goes, the nation will follow.  If the church is vibrant and moving in the Spirit it will affect the people and the nation.  This nation was founded on freedom of religion but little by little it is losing its freedoms, what happened, did the Lord fail or did man fail?  Did we get proud and puffed up and start replacing the Word of God with man’s ideas and programs thinking we know more than God or did we just neglect the real truth and trade it for a lie?  

God’s Word says that is what the heathen did in Romans 1:24-25, “Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”

Many are praying for a great revival to break forth from the Lord and that is a good thing and the Lord knows we need one, a real, Spirit filled one that will not only affect the church but also the world, one that has lasting effects, not one that dissipates in a short period of time.  It seems like all the revivals I have read about ended because man got in the way.  Has the church allowed itself to be conformed to the world instead of being transformed, is that the problem?

God‘s Word says this in Romans 12:1-2, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

It also says this in 2 Corinthians 6:14-18, “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said:

‘I will dwell in them

And walk among them.

I will be their God,

And they shall be My people.’

Therefore

‘Come out from among them

And be separate, says the Lord.

Do not touch what is unclean,

And I will receive you.’

‘I will be a Father to you,

And you shall be My sons and daughters,

Says the Lord Almighty.’”

The church is to separate itself from the world’s sins and iniquities and expose them and not conform to them.  Marriage to a non- believer was strictly forbidden as well as a partnership in a business affair.  We are to be in the world but not of the world.   Separating ourselves from the world and its sinful influences means we will have to draw closer to the Lord, studying and praying consistently and be willing to repent when we sin and take it very seriously.  

If you want to see the world changed and our land healed, every true believer has a responsibility and that is to sincerely repent.  If you think because we live in the day of grace, as some refer to it, that we don’t need to repent and confess our sins, this is what God’s Word says in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Jesus spoke these words to the people in the days He walked the earth in Luke 13:1-5, “There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.’”

Here Jesus called the people to repent He also said this when He started His ministry in Matthew 4:17, “From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”  Jesus started His ministry with the same words that John the Baptist used. This message is the same for today and is the key for revival and seeing our land healed.  

God’s Word says this in 2 Chronicles 7:11-14, “Thus Solomon finished the house of the Lord and the king’s house; and Solomon successfully accomplished all that came into his heart to make in the house of the Lord and in his own house.

Then the Lord appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him: “I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

And just like there were consequences for sin in that day, there are consequences for sin in our day.  This message is not meant to be a condemning message but one to encourage all of us to repent and not to take sin lightly and to call it what it is, sin, and to deal with it accordingly. Something to think about, God bless and have a super day!!

Day of Rejoicing

Paul the apostle knew what it meant to rejoice in the Lord and he encouraged others to do it also.  Paul said this in Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!”

It seems like Paul would be an unlikely candidate to rejoice in the Lord.  From the time he was converted on the road to Damascus to the end of his life when he was beheaded in Rome, he suffered hardships, persecution and suffering.

Before his conversion Paul was a member of the Sanhedrin, a very self-righteous group of men who took a lot of pride in their self-righteous achievements, thinking themselves better than others.  Paul was a man that could boast about his achievements before his conversion also, read what he said in Philippians 3:4-6, “though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.”

To Paul, or any of the Pharisees or the members of the Sanhedrin, these would have been considered great accomplishments, but after Paul was converted they meant nothing to him.  Read what he said in the following verses in that chapter 7-11, “But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”

When Paul was converted, he had a radical change take place in his life which gave him a reason to rejoice and he did it quite often.  Paul learned to be content in every situation and I think that included suffering, persecution and hardships, how else could he rejoice going through these experiences.  Read 2 Corinthians 11:18-33, “Seeing that many boast according to the flesh, I also will boast. For you put up with fools gladly, since you yourselves are wise! For you put up with it if one brings you into bondage, if one devours you, if one takes from you, if one exalts himself, if one strikes you on the face. To our shame I say that we were too weak for that! But in whatever anyone is bold—I speak foolishly—I am bold also.

Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I. Are they ministers of Christ?—I speak as a fool—I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness— besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation?

If I must boast, I will boast in the things which concern my infirmity. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. In Damascus the governor, under Aretas the king, was guarding the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desiring to arrest me; but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and escaped from his hands.”

Paul was truly a remarkable man, having gone through all that he did, he could still rejoice in the Lord and encourage other believers to do so also.  By no means am I putting myself in Paul’s shoes; but I have also, on many occasions, tried to encourage others to praise and rejoice in the Lord.  I haven’t gone through near what Paul went through, but there have been many struggles and hard times over the years, it hasn’t always been a mountaintop experience, there have been a lot of valleys also.

But I rejoice and praise the Lord for who He is, because He is worthy, not just for His provisions and blessings.  Anyone can rejoice and praise the Lord when everything is going great, but what about in the valleys, when hardships seem to overwhelm you?  When you can praise the Lord in the hard times, those times won’t seem near as bad.  I think the key is, to get our minds off the circumstances and situations that seem to drag us down and get our eyes on the Lord and just start rejoicing and praising Him. If you find yourself struggling, for whatever the reason, try giving God some sacrificial praise and start rejoicing in Him and see what happens.  I think He will show up for the Lord inhabits the praise of His people, try it.  Something to think about!  Have a super day and may the Lord bless you and yours!!

Many Afflictions

I want every believer to realize that there will be trouble and hardships along the way; that living for the Lord doesn’t exempt us from these things.  We may wish we could escape problems and everything would always go well, but that is not reality.  You may have been taught that when you received the Lord as your Lord and Savior, everything would go well and you would not have a care in the world, but in all reality there will be afflictions, trials and tribulation.

The reason I am doing this Tidbit on this subject, is that when these things happen many believers get discouraged and even angry at God.  Some have even given up and some have thought about throwing in the towel, so to speak, and walking away from the faith.  The problem is that many are never taught to count the cost of following the Lord.  

For some reason the old gun fighters come to mind, they never seemed to count the cost of killing the person they were drawing against, all they wanted was another ‘notch on their belt’ and to gain the reputation of someone not to be messed with.  But in the end, sooner or later, they paid the price, which was the cost of being a gun slinger knowing the law was always after them and never knowing real peace, always looking over their shoulder wondering who was trying to sneak up behind them and being hated and rejected by people through their lifetime.

I know that was a whole different scenario but there is also a cost when following the Lord.  This is what it says about this subject in Luke 14:27, “And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.”  Jesus and the people in His day knew what it meant to carry their own cross and it wasn’t meant to just be fun or easy.  Following Jesus meant complete submission, and possibly death, and not just an emotional commitment that would soon wane.  If all you have is a superficial commitment, either go deeper or turn back.

It also says this in 1 Peter 4:12-14, “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.”  These verses speak of fiery trials and suffering and how we shouldn’t be taken by surprise when they happen.  How many of us can rejoice when we suffer for being a believer?  Think about it.  Paul said all who live a godly life will be persecuted.  

Jesus talked about the world’s hatred towards believers in John 15:18-21, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me.”   The world hated Jesus and it will hate His followers as well.  

I heard a man say that since he became a Christian he lost all of his friends, saying it like he was shocked or it was a big surprise.  I think many believers may respond the same way in similar situations but they shouldn’t, they should expect it, it is just part of the cost of being a believer, but who teaches that?  

Jesus also said this to His disciples in John 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”  Jesus told His disciples to take courage in spite of the struggles they would face because they would not be left alone in their struggles.  Jesus will not abandon us in our struggles either, praise the Lord.

Remember the ultimate victory has been won many years ago on the cross when Jesus shed His precious blood for us so we can claim the Lord’s peace in any situation.  There are other verses in the Bible that speak of counting the cost of being a believer as well, but I think I have said enough to give you something to think about and I hope you will.  May the good Lord bless you and may you have a super day!!

Wrestle

I think most adults know what it means to wrestle with someone but how many know what it means to wrestle with the Lord?  If you have ever seen a real, non-fake, wrestling match, or participated yourself, you know it is hard work.  There is sweat and pain involved and sometimes total exhaustion.  When the match is over someone may walk away hurt and humiliated.  It takes a lot of determination, strength and fortitude to win a wrestling match.  I know a little about it because when I was a young boy I would wrestle with my brother quite often.

There was a man in the Bible called Jacob who also knew a little about wrestling, it is said that he wrestled with an angel of God.  It is hard for me to understand how a man could prevail against an angel but this is what it says in Genesis 32:22-28, read it yourself, “And he arose that night and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons, and crossed over the ford of Jabbok. He took them, sent them over the brook, and sent over what he had. Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. And He said, ‘Let Me go, for the day breaks.’ But he said, ‘I will not let You go unless You bless me!’ So He said to him, ‘What is your name?’ He said, ‘Jacob.’ And He said, ‘Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.’”

It also says this about Jacob in Hosea 12:3-4, “He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and in his strength he struggled with God. Yes, he struggled with the Angel and prevailed; He wept, and sought favor from Him. He found Him in Bethel, and there He spoke to us.”

This is what it says about the power of one angel in Isaiah 37:36, “Then the angel of the Lord went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses—all dead.”  

If one angel can do this, and much more, how can one man prevail against an angel, there must have been something else going on here than what meets the eye. This is what the footnotes say in my NAS Ryrie study Bible; “The man who wrestled Jacob is called an angel in Hosea 12:4 and was evidently the preincarnate Christ.  Jacob’s wrestling involved agonizing prayer (Hosea12:4).  God allowed Himself to be overcome by Jacob, though He crippled him (whether temporarily or for the rest of his life is not stated).  His limp, however, was proof that this was no mere dream.  The Lord wanted to depart before daylight lest Jacob see Him (cf. Exodus 33:20), but Jacob insisted on being blessed first.  So God changed his name from Jacob to Israel which means ‘he fights or persists with God’ (in prevailing prayer).”

If you know anything about Jacob, you know he was a deceiver, liar and a coward; when he deceived Esau, his twin brother, he ran for his life.  This event happened just before he was going to meet up with his brother once again.  My feeling, from what I’ve read, is that God allowed this to take place to bring Jacob to his knees, to humble him so he would stop depending on himself and his resources and surrender to God and let Him take control and to be Lord of his life.  When Jacob’s name was changed by God to Israel he was a new man, praise the Lord!!

What about you, have you been trying to control your own life doing your own thing, going your own way and calling all the shots, so to speak?  How has it been working out for you?  Is there joy in the journey or devastation and turmoil?  It doesn’t have to be that way, Jacob found that out and humbled himself before the Lord and was delivered and you can be also.  The Word says this in Psalms 34:8, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!”

This is a warm invitation to get to know the Lord, try it, you will like it.  Stop being disobedient and start trusting the Lord.  Repent and humble yourself before the Lord, which is a good place to start.  Instead of wrestling with Him, surrender your life to Him.  Like I said, “taste and see that the Lord is good.”  Something to think about!  Have a super day and may the good Lord bless you and yours!!