Matthew 5:21-26
“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. So far in the sermon on the mount, Jesus has subverted the expectations of his listeners. Anyone who may have been part of this audience of disciples in Matthew 5, probably had preconceived notions of what God is looking for them to do, or how God is looking for them to live. - Often times so do we. “Poor in spirit?” - The kingdom of heaven is yours! “A little on the meek side?” - There’s actually a sizable inheritance in store just for you! Today we will see, Jesus has also begun to challenge his listeners understanding of the Law of Moses - but also makes the claim that he’s not “changing a single letter of it.” For his first century Rome audience and even us sitting here today in a post Postmodern world, Jesus’s assertions can be quite frankly jarring. At first glance Jesus likening of Hate to Murder might seem over the top, I’ve even been taught Jesus is “taking the law to the next level” - but I think if we take a look at the heart of God, we see he’s not calling us to anything new that God hasn’t called us to in the past. If you are new to the Bible, or even if you have heard this story a million times, lets take moment to review the Bible’s account of the world’s first murder: Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. A couple things I’d like to point out: 1. Isn’t there a striking similarity between the scenario Jesus gave to the crowds about offering a gift at the altar and remembering that your brother or sister has something against you, and the story of Cain and Abel offering gifts to God? I think so- close enough anyway for me to write a devo on it! There’s especially a similarity as Jesus tells us that whenever we are at the altar looking at God, God is looking at our hearts. 2. There are lots of debates about why God rejected Cain’s offering; but whether God rejected it because it wasn’t as good as Abel’s, or He rejected it because it simply wasn’t the best of what Cain could have offered - we can see in Cain’s story that much like the short story Jesus provided - there was something wrong with the posture of Cain’s heart - and God most definitely saw it, and comes to him at this critical moment, “Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?” It’s almost as if He’s saying, “If you let go of your deep-seated resentment won’t it be better for you?” 3. God warns Cain of the dangers of the condition of his heart. “But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you.” That day sin had Cain and his anger and hatred lead to destruction of another life, and severe consequences of his own. I believe Jesus in Matthew 5 is helping us who may have missed the Heart of God in that story, see what his desires for us really are. God desires for us to learn how to be reconciled to each other, and not live a life of holding onto anger. I love the way Marty Solomon of Impact Ministries puts it: “Contrary to most popular thought, Jesus is not “upping the antee” for God’s expectation, Jesus is claiming this has always been God’s expectation, that prohibition [or law] against murder is actually about anger and hatred in your heart.” And Jesus doesn’t just say this and leave us to our own devices on how to quit being angry, he gives us proactive things we can be doing to stamp out the hate and anger in our lives. Listen to the end of his teaching: 1. “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.” Jesus makes us aware that anger is the root of Murder, and recieves the same consequence. Not murdering someone is fine, [pat on the back]… but we can often not murder them, and still in our hearts harbor a deep-seated resentment of “I wish they werent even alive.” That’s the dark - and not the life God has called us to. 2. “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them” If you remember you are angry with someone, stop what you are doing and go be reconciled to them before you continue with what you are doing. 3. “Settle matters quickly with your adversary” Settle your legal matters, before they become legal matters. Why wait for something to snowball? Meet conflict before it has a chance to grow. Be ready to forgive, and humble enough to own your part and ask for forgiveness. 4. “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way” Lastly he lets us know it is never too soon to try to be reconciled with others - Take every opportunity to do so. Do it on the way to court if you have to! It’s a great way to pass the time on the trip there. Layo AdeyemiSat, Sep 21, 8:25 PM (23 hours ago) to me Title: The Heart of God Remains the Same. Tagline: At first glance Jesus likening of Hate to Murder might seem over the top, I’ve even been taught Jesus is “upping the ante” - but I think if we take a look at the heart of God, we see he’s not calling us to anything new that God hasn’t called us to in the past. Matthew 5:21-26 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. So far in the sermon on the mount, Jesus has subverted the expectations of his listeners. Anyone who may have been part of this audience of disciples in Matthew 5, probably had preconceived notions of what God is looking for them to do, or how God is looking for them to live. - Often times so do we. “Poor in spirit?” - The kingdom of heaven is yours! “A little on the meek side?” - There’s actually a sizable inheritance in store just for you! Today we will see, Jesus has also begun to challenge his listeners understanding of the Law of Moses - but also makes the claim that he’s not “changing a single letter of it.” For his first century Rome audience and even us sitting here today in a post Postmodern world, Jesus’s assertions can be quite frankly jarring. At first glance Jesus likening of Hate to Murder might seem over the top, I’ve even been taught Jesus is “taking the law to the next level” - but I think if we take a look at the heart of God, we see he’s not calling us to anything new that God hasn’t called us to in the past. If you are new to the Bible, or even if you have heard this story a million times, lets take moment to review the Bible’s account of the world’s first murder: Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. A couple things I’d like to point out: 1. Isn’t there a striking similarity between the scenario Jesus gave to the crowds about offering a gift at the altar and remembering that your brother or sister has something against you, and the story of Cain and Abel offering gifts to God? I think so- close enough anyway for me to write a devo on it! There’s especially a similarity as Jesus tells us that whenever we are at the altar looking at God, God is looking at our hearts. 2. There are lots of debates about why God rejected Cain’s offering; but whether God rejected it because it wasn’t as good as Abel’s, or He rejected it because it simply wasn’t the best of what Cain could have offered - we can see in Cain’s story that much like the short story Jesus provided - there was something wrong with the posture of Cain’s heart - and God most definitely saw it, and comes to him at this critical moment, “Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?” It’s almost as if He’s saying, “If you let go of your deep-seated resentment won’t it be better for you?” 3. God warns Cain of the dangers of the condition of his heart. “But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you.” That day sin had Cain and his anger and hatred lead to destruction of another life, and severe consequences of his own. I believe Jesus in Matthew 5 is helping us who may have missed the Heart of God in that story, see what his desires for us really are. God desires for us to learn how to be reconciled to each other, and not live a life of holding onto anger. I love the way Marty Solomon of Impact Ministries puts it: “Contrary to most popular thought, Jesus is not “upping the antee” for God’s expectation, Jesus is claiming this has always been God’s expectation, that prohibition [or law] against murder is actually about anger and hatred in your heart.” And Jesus doesn’t just say this and leave us to our own devices on how to quit being angry, he gives us proactive things we can be doing to stamp out the hate and anger in our lives. Listen to the end of his teaching: 1. “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.” Jesus makes us aware that anger is the root of Murder, and recieves the same consequence. Not murdering someone is fine, [pat on the back]… but we can often not murder them, and still in our hearts harbor a deep-seated resentment of “I wish they werent even alive.” That’s the dark - and not the life God has called us to. 2. “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them” If you remember you are angry with someone, stop what you are doing and go be reconciled to them before you continue with what you are doing. 3. “Settle matters quickly with your adversary” Settle your legal matters, before they become legal matters. Why wait for something to snowball? Meet conflict before it has a chance to grow. Be ready to forgive, and humble enough to own your part and ask for forgiveness. 4. “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way” Lastly he lets us know it is never too soon to try to be reconciled with others - Take every opportunity to do so. Do it on the way to court if you have to! It’s a great way to pass the time on the trip there. Layo AdeyemiSat, Sep 21, 8:25 PM (23 hours ago) to me Title: The Heart of God Remains the Same. Tagline: At first glance Jesus likening of Hate to Murder might seem over the top, I’ve even been taught Jesus is “upping the ante” - but I think if we take a look at the heart of God, we see he’s not calling us to anything new that God hasn’t called us to in the past. Matthew 5:21-26 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. So far in the sermon on the mount, Jesus has subverted the expectations of his listeners. Anyone who may have been part of this audience of disciples in Matthew 5, probably had preconceived notions of what God is looking for them to do, or how God is looking for them to live. - Often times so do we. “Poor in spirit?” - The kingdom of heaven is yours! “A little on the meek side?” - There’s actually a sizable inheritance in store just for you! Today we will see, Jesus has also begun to challenge his listeners understanding of the Law of Moses - but also makes the claim that he’s not “changing a single letter of it.” For his first century Rome audience and even us sitting here today in a post Postmodern world, Jesus’s assertions can be quite frankly jarring. At first glance Jesus likening of Hate to Murder might seem over the top, I’ve even been taught Jesus is “taking the law to the next level” - but I think if we take a look at the heart of God, we see he’s not calling us to anything new that God hasn’t called us to in the past. If you are new to the Bible, or even if you have heard this story a million times, lets take moment to review the Bible’s account of the world’s first murder: Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. A couple things I’d like to point out: 1. Isn’t there a striking similarity between the scenario Jesus gave to the crowds about offering a gift at the altar and remembering that your brother or sister has something against you, and the story of Cain and Abel offering gifts to God? I think so- close enough anyway for me to write a devo on it! There’s especially a similarity as Jesus tells us that whenever we are at the altar looking at God, God is looking at our hearts. 2. There are lots of debates about why God rejected Cain’s offering; but whether God rejected it because it wasn’t as good as Abel’s, or He rejected it because it simply wasn’t the best of what Cain could have offered - we can see in Cain’s story that much like the short story Jesus provided - there was something wrong with the posture of Cain’s heart - and God most definitely saw it, and comes to him at this critical moment, “Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?” It’s almost as if He’s saying, “If you let go of your deep-seated resentment won’t it be better for you?” 3. God warns Cain of the dangers of the condition of his heart. “But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you.” That day sin had Cain and his anger and hatred lead to destruction of another life, and severe consequences of his own. I believe Jesus in Matthew 5 is helping us who may have missed the Heart of God in that story, see what his desires for us really are. God desires for us to learn how to be reconciled to each other, and not live a life of holding onto anger. I love the way Marty Solomon of Impact Ministries puts it: “Contrary to most popular thought, Jesus is not “upping the antee” for God’s expectation, Jesus is claiming this has always been God’s expectation, that prohibition [or law] against murder is actually about anger and hatred in your heart.” And Jesus doesn’t just say this and leave us to our own devices on how to quit being angry, he gives us proactive things we can be doing to stamp out the hate and anger in our lives. Listen to the end of his teaching: 1. “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.” Jesus makes us aware that anger is the root of Murder, and recieves the same consequence. Not murdering someone is fine, [pat on the back]… but we can often not murder them, and still in our hearts harbor a deep-seated resentment of “I wish they werent even alive.” That’s the dark - and not the life God has called us to. 2. “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them” If you remember you are angry with someone, stop what you are doing and go be reconciled to them before you continue with what you are doing. 3. “Settle matters quickly with your adversary” Settle your legal matters, before they become legal matters. Why wait for something to snowball? Meet conflict before it has a chance to grow. Be ready to forgive, and humble enough to own your part and ask for forgiveness. 4. “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way” Lastly he lets us know it is never too soon to try to be reconciled with others - Take every opportunity to do so. Do it on the way to court if you have to! It’s a great way to pass the time on the trip there.
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Writing this devotional was exciting at first as I dove into the Beatitudes, which are kingdom principles that sound backwards in the view of cultural norms. Then I realized God was wanting me to share part of the story He’s given me. And that story requires vulnerability, which can be scary especially for a recovering people pleaser and perfectionist.
Today, we’re looking at the final verses of the Beatitudes when Jesus talks about finding joy in the midst of pain and persecution. He says in Matthew 5:10-12, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” What is persecution? According to Nate Sweeney in Abiding at the Feet of Jesus: A Study on the Beatittudes, the essence of persecution arises when the Spirit of God in you is at war with the Spirit of the world in others. Christian persecution occurs in all shapes and sizes. It’s the hostility experienced from the world as a result of one’s identification as a follower of Jesus. You can also say it’s the natural repercussion of becoming more like Jesus and abiding with Him. When you abide with Jesus, He gives you the boldness and courage to keep walking the narrow road even while being persecuted along the way. “You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.” Matthew 10:22. So what does it look like to stand firm to the end even while being persecuted? Well, here’s a piece of my story that I’m excited but also nervous to share with ya’ll because I want to control how I’m perceived by others and be seen as ‘perfect.’ But the Lord constantly reminds me that I’m human, flawed, and IMPERFECT. The story He’s given me is one that will hopefully encourage you as it encourages me. College athletes like to party. The swim team at Colorado State University was no different. While I was a Christian my freshman and sophomore years, I was living more for the world than I was for Jesus. So I did go out and party with my teammates. Things were going swimmingly as I was doing well in the pool and seemed to fit in with my teammates. That all changed when God fully captured my heart the summer in-between my sophomore and junior years. When I came back that junior year, I had convictions based on my new life in Christ that lead me to stand against the crowd. I came to value integrity, honesty, and transparency with authority figures like my coaches. Junior year, we were asked to not drink for a certain time period and even signed a contract to make it official. Because my coaches asked us not to and I signed my name on that dotted line, I became convicted because of my integrity as a Christian and desire to live in the light. Yes, part of it was not wanting to get caught and lose my swim scholarship, yet I no longer had that desire to go out with my teammates like I used to. My heart was convicted as God start transforming other parts of my life. The next two years were the hardest years of my college career as I navigated my new life in Christ and the convictions He laid on my heart and how to live them out in my old environment. These new choices did not sit well with my teammates. The more I pursued my relationship with God, the more hostility it created on the team though I didn’t throw it in my teammates’ faces that I would no longer go out and party with them like I used to. However, they still were suspicious of my faith as my honesty became an inconvenience to them. So I had a choice to make - I could pursue the path I was on and follow the life God was leading me toward, which would continue the separation and isolation I was experiencing with my teammates, or I could buckle under the peer pressure in order to keep the peace with them. “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:12-17. I made the choice to take the road less traveled as Robert Frost once said although I Iost a lot of friends and became the butt of many jokes...but God. But God took what the enemy intended for evil and used it for good. He transformed tears of pain into tears of joy. “Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.” John 16:20. This story does have a happy ending, ya’ll. And that’s all credit to The Man upstairs. My relationship with Christ grew exponentially despite the cruelty of my teammates. Genesis 50:20 “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” I reached out to an old college teammate of mine to follow up on a conversation we had earlier this year. When I was a senior, Veronica was a freshman. She shared with me how much she was impacted by my behavior and mistreatment on the team, which humbled me and brought me to tears. I can’t even begin to tell ya’ll how much it hurt - mentally, physically, and emotionally - being treated poorly and dealing with my first somewhat significant injury that senior year; how many times I broke down and cried; how many times I wanted to throw in the towel and quit. I’m sure many of ya’ll can relate to that one. It’s like running the last few miles of a marathon as you body screams, “STOP!” while your mind says, “One more step.” By God’s strength, I did not stop. Instead, I kept going and finished the race set out before me, as I read these words that Veronica sent me: “Essentially, the year after you graduated, our team’s culture changed a lot. Andrea, Marie, and I would invite the freshmen to church and found that there was a more Christian base on our team than before. Personally, you inspired me to reach out and join more organizations and be unapologetic about my faith. Your boldness rippled through the team after you left and the culture has continued to improve. Basically, it was watching you have patience and love for people even though they tried to shut you down in any way that they could. Even after 4 years, you were still willing to love people who could be cruel at times, and that level of steadfast love was crazy to watch. I’m sure people felt much more aware of their level of complaining around you because you were never one to complain and always had a positive attitude. The way you lived your life shined a light on the sins of others, and they didn’t like it. Most people would have backed off, but you continued to be a kind and loving person who wasn’t afraid to share your faith and love with others. There is no way anyone who didn’t have the strength of God could have survived those 4 years on the team, but you had that light in you, which got you through it, and He used it for good. Also, your continued pursuit to follow your passions as well. I remember being stunned at the amount of stuff you did outside of even the pool and despite how hard it must have been, you persisted through it all. And personally, without you, Dre, and Marie on the team showing that there can be God’s light in dark places, I wouldn’t have even made it through that year on that team. So you were a reminder every day that God is good and He gives us the strength to get through it.” Although I didn’t get to see it at the time, my obedience to God left a legacy at my school and on my team. He was there working behind the scenes the whole time. Ya’ll, I don’t know what your story is. I don’t know how God will use it. But I do know that He will use whatever you’re going through for His glory. When you’re being persecuted, be encouraged because it means you’re resembling something that’s not of this world. We often times want to fit in yet this world is not our home. How do you make a difference in the world? By being different from the world. Heaven is our home, which is why Jesus reminds us that heaven is our reward for all the trials we endured during our time on earth. That’s the beautiful thing about the Beatitudes - it doesn’t make sense to find joy in the midst of pain. Yet, Jesus used the Beatitudes to awaken a culture that was religious, works-based, and self-righteous to an intimate, abiding relationship with Him. The Latin word ‘beatus’ is where we get ‘blessed’ from as each Beatitude describes two statements, WHO is blessed + HOW he or she is blessed. With this particular Beatitude from Matthew 5:10-12, the one standing apart for Jesus is blessed by experiencing joy in the midst of suffering and will enjoy the gift of heaven. So the next time you’re feeling down in the dumps because you’re the odd man or woman out, recognize that even the perfect Son of God was considered ‘different’ and rejected by society. We can’t live with a fear of rejection because life is short and we’ve got a mission to accomplish - to love God and to make Him known. Even if we’re the only one at our workplace, in our family, on our team, or in our neighborhood. Even if we are treated poorly as Jesus wraps up the Beatitudes with this reminder that life is hard. We will NOT always fit in and we WILL be treated differently because of our faith. Yet, that is something we should find joy in because while pain is temporary, love is eternal. And God’s love always wins. It won over the CSU swim team and it will win wherever you go with God. To answer the question I asked at the beginning, what does it look like to stand firm to the end even while being persecuted? It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Pushing through the physical pain of a marathon requires discipline, dedication, and perseverance. The same thing applies to our spiritual lives. When we’re being persecuted because of our faith, that’s when we have to keep pressing toward the goal of loving God and loving others. One step at a time. Matthew 5:4-5
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is taking the formula of this world and turning it upside down. He is doing that to paint an image of how you and I, as his disciples, should live our lives. These passages talk about what our lives should have the characteristics of. The interesting thing about mourning and meekness is that they are forms of weakness. In our world we want to be strong. We instinctively believe that those who are happy and assertive are the ones we want to be. Jesus doesn’t. More than that, these verses point us toward God. 1. Let’s talk about mourning. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. This is a strange thing to say! I’ve never gone to a person in sadness and mourning and told them…”You’re lucky!, You’re fortunate!” It doesn’t feel like the right thing to say. But that is what Jesus is saying here! How is this possible? The key is what we are mourning. Based on the context (and some helpful suggestions from a commentary I was reading), I think Jesus is celebrating the people who are mourning sin and its effect on the world and in our own lives. I recently did a 12 step biblical recovery program. Putting to paper my inventory of sexual sins and the harms I had done to other people. It put me into a serious place of mourning and in that place I saw that I needed help. It showed me that I needed something (as Layo pointed out last week). For the Christian, mourning naturally points us to God. He’s the one who can comfort. That’s why I think this beatitude is about God! Sadness alone isn’t good. It’s the fact that we are going to be comforted by the God who knows are pain, is powerful to do something about it, and is fixing the ultimate cause of pain that makes mourning a blessing. 2. Let’s talk about meekness. Like me, you probably imagine meekness as a combination of weakness and passivity. You imagine a pushover, a wallflower, the kid who gets pushed around in highschool, the girl who does what her friends insist on. That’s not what it is. Let me give you a list of words that I think paint the biblical image of meekness (John Piper wrote an extremely helpful article on this!) A meek person: Supreme confidence in God > relies / waits on God (See Psalm 37) Rejects revenge / defensiveness > trusts in God to justify > teachable. Humble > aware of personal imperfection / confident in God’s love > Reasonable. Slow to speak. Quick to listen. Let me give you a definition. Someone who is supremely confident in God and because of that relies on God for success and waits on God. Someone who knows their own weakness / imperfection, but is confident of the outcome because they trust God and because they trust God don’t feel the compulsion to take and defend. A passive person thinks “I’m weak, so why bother resisting.” An assertive person thinks “I’m strong, so I can take what I want.” A meek person thinks “God’s got this.” In our world, we likely see this kind of person as weak and foolish because they aren’t taking what they “should get” or “defending themselves when attacked”, and, if God wasn’t in the picture, they would be! But God is the one the beatitude is pointing to. We “inherit the earth” because God is in our corner. Generally, an inheritance is received from someone. For us, that someone is God! That’s not really what Texans practice. The guy with a giant Ford 150 with guns in his truck and stickers on the car that say “Come and Take It” and “Don’t Tread on Me” has his confidence in something else. Remember Jesus during the last day before his crucifixion. He knew that His death was God’s will and that God was in control. So when Peter tried to free Him by force, he refused. When the crowds / Pharisees were yelling lies, he responded in silence or responded simply. He was meek because of his confidence in God. Lastly, meekness isn’t being passive. Jesus went to Jerusalem. People told him not to and He went anyway. He did exactly what God was calling him to. The meek person’s confidence in God leads to action, specifically doing what God calls them to. Ephesians 6:21-24
Q1- What is it about Tychius that makes him worthy of being sent to the church in Ephesus? *His Faith - Our faith in Jesus Christ birth, death, burial and resurrection is what makes worthy or eternal life. Q2- Do I know what is going on in my church body/ the world to know where the Lord needs me to use my gift of faith? - Our faith is a powerful gift and we should be using it for God’s kingdom. Q3- Who receives grace? - The Christians that are faithfully practicing the love of Christ receive his abundant grace! Matthew 5:1-3
Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them. He said: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. First impressions matter, for good and bad. They determine the direction a first conversation could head in - “is it pleasant or frustrating to talk to Susie?” They can lead you to form an opinion of someone - “do I enjoy Joseph a lot, or a little?” They can even dictate whether a person wants to continue a relationship - “you know I wouldn’t be too upset if I didn’t rub shoulders with this Sally again.” We’ve all done this in some form or fashion (so don’t judge me!) - We often go to great lengths to set ourselves up for a great first impression when we have the opportunity, because we know they are important. First impressions set the tone for things that will come next. I see the Sermon on the Mount as Jesus’s first impression in the Gospels and we can learn a lot about him from it. What is he about? What is he not about? Do I want to exchange pleasantries with him? Do I want to continue rubbing shoulders with him? All of this just from this introduction he gives. To set the scene Jesus has just begun his ministry. In the previous chapter he has called his disciples, began teaching in synagogues, and started healing diseases. We see these actions have gained him a bit of notoriety, and news about him is starting to spread. Large and diverse crowds, we see in chapter 4, are coming to get a glimpse of who Jesus is: from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan- many of these groups would never interact in any other circumstance. Jesus then calls his disciples forward to teach them something - “hey, here are the basic tenets of my theology.” ...and in an opening message he proclaims: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Jesus’s ministry was fairly short, only 3 years. He had to be intentional and impactful with his words. This initial statement was an interesting way to start off, and sets quite the first impression. We will eventually see as we continue the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus often subverts the expectations of his listeners. Anyone who may have been part of this audience of disciples in Matthew 5, and even us here today probably have or have had preconceived notions of what God is looking for us to do, or how God is looking for us to live. But Jesus seems to flip things upside down a bit. Who here today aspires to be “poor in spirit?” Or who here today thinks that being poor in spirit sounds like a desirable state to fall into? If you think about it from a worldly perspective, being poor in anything is probably not what you want. Yet Jesus presents a radically different agenda than what’s expected, setting forth that both the nature and aspirations of citizens of His kingdom will be different. Over the next few weeks as we continue through Matthew be prepared to have Jesus flip the script on what you expect. Even if this is your 50th time going through the Beatitudes or your first time ever hearing that word, there is a lot for you to discover - and I hope you are encouraged and strengthened by these incredible words of Christ. But remember it all starts with this first impression: If you wish to find yourself in God’s favor, you must come from a position of need, and that’s the only way this relationship will work… Once your foundation has been laid there, the kingdom begins, and the blessings follow. Ephesians 6:10-20
The full armor of God contains six pieces that we are called to put on. Why do we even need armor and protection? Well, life is a war and we are soldiers who need to put on our battle gear. As pastor Mark Driscoll reminded me, we need to sleep in our boots cause the enemy never sleeps...and we all have an enemy who seeks to destroy us. What did Paul do when he was faced with the enemy? He turned to God and prayed! God reminds us that we aren’t alone. Prayer is our way of radioing in to headquarters to ask the Commander In Chief for help and to let Him take over. God doesn’t want us to be overwhelmed, anxious, or fearful, which is why He put in the Bible 365 times, one per day, ‘do not be afraid.’ Instead of being fearful, anxious, or overwhelmed, we can be alert and pray in the Spirit. The Gospel is a mystery, but God’s given us the key to unlock this mystery through His Holy Spirit. So let’s unlock it and dive deeper into those six pieces of battle armor we’re to put on. 1. Belt of Truth (v. 14) • Belt • A strip of leather or other material to support clothes or carry weapons (think of soldiers) • A sign of rank or achievement (think of sports like karate) • A strip or encircling band of something having a specified nature or composition different from its surroundings • How often is the truth different in a world full of lies? • The truth helps us carry weapons (God’s Word), allows others to trust us so God can raise us in ranks and achievements, and lets us stand out from all the lies this fallen world is filled with 2. Breastplate of Righteousness (v. 14) • Breastplate • Defensive armor (think of soldiers) • A vestment worn by a Jewish high priest with 12 gems for the 12 tribes of Israel • What do you do with a breastplate? You keep it close to the heart to protect the heart just like Solomon reminds us to guard our hearts in Proverbs 4:23 • The more we pursue righteousness (acting in accord with moral law or being free from guilt and sin), the more we protect our hearts from the pain of guilt and sin as God washes us clean and makes us new 3. Gospel of Peace on the feet (v. 15) • Feet • Infantry (foot soldiers) • The base or bottom • To cover a distance • The Gospel is what holds everything together, it’s the foundation of our faith just like through Jesus, the Gospel bridges the gap between God and man so it covers the distance between two former enemies peacefully 4. Shield of Faith (v. 16) • Shield • A piece of metal used a protection against blows and missiles • Displays a coat of arms • Protests from danger, risk, or unpleasant experiences • Faith • Taking the next step without seeing the whole staircase • COMPLETE confidence and trust • The thesaurus even says good relationships are built on trust so just a side note that a good relationship with God is built on trusting Him :) • What does the enemy hate and constantly attack? OUR FAITH • Why? Because with God, our mustard-seed sized faith can move mountains (Matthew 17:20) So the shield of faith is beautiful and shows who we are as a child of God with that coat of arms. It also shows us what will be hit the hardest (our faith) as we grow in our faith and learn to trust God and lean on Him every day 5. Helmet of Salvation (v. 17) • Helmet • A hard or protective padded hat • A predatory mollusk in tropical and temperate seas that eats sea urchins (I didn’t know that beforehand) • Salvation • Deliverance from harm (think of sin and all its consequences) • The logical part of ourselves won’t always understand Jesus as He is unfathomable because He’s God and we’re human. That’s when and where the enemy will try and distort truth, which is why we must wear protection on our heads to protect our minds from the lies from the enemy, our flesh, and the world 6. Sword of the Spirit (v. 17) • Sword • A weapon with a long metal blade used for thrusting and striking • Military power, violence, or destruction • God’s words spoke creation into existence. That means God’s words are sharper than a double-edged sword, they divide the soul and spirit, joint and marrow, they judge the thoughts and attitudes of our hearts (Hebrews 4:12) • This reminds us that God’s Word, the Bible, is OUR MOST POWERFUL WEAPON IN BATTLE. It’s why we must be in His Word consistently! At the end of the day, whether you realize it or not, we have three enemies - Satan, our flesh, and the world. So you can go through the day acting as if these enemies aren’t real or you can put on your armor and fight back. Will it be easy? No, it won’t. Will it be worth it? Absolutely. Why? Because Jesus has already won the war. No matter what happens on that battlefield, we’re already victorious through Jesus’ death and resurrection. That doesn’t give us an excuse to not fight, it means we can fight with God’s power and strength knowing we’re bringing home the W. I don’t know about you, but that certainly gives me that extra power up that I need to keep fighting and fighting well. :) How will you suit up and fight today? With the armor of God or with the armor of man? David chose a slingshot and five stones yet, with God’s armor, He brought down the giant. Man’s armor has chinks and holes, God’s armor stands all the flaming arrows and the test of time. We’re fighting against evil in this world and in the heavenly realms, but even in chains just like Paul was when he wrote this letter to the Ephesians, we can fight with the full armor of God on. So let’s pick up our belt, breastplate, feet, shield, helmet, and sword, and be victorious through God and His mighty power because God is love (1 John 4:8) and love conquers all and never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8).
Submission and obedience are woven throughout scripture, yet freedom and choice are seemingly opposite things we desire; how can these things coincide? Ephesians 6:1-9 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise—3 “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” 4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. 5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. 6 Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. 7 Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, 8 because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free. 9 And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him. Last night I watched a clip from Braveheart on youtube. I’ve actually never seen the movie, but here I was watching what I believe is one of the more iconic scenes not just from that movie, but from movies in general. In the scene, Mel Gibson is riding on a horse, wearing blue face paint and yelling in a Scotish accent. There is a relatively large crowd of men in what appears to be a last stand of sorts. Again, I literally have no idea what’s taken place until this point, but I’m assuming there has been some level of oppression, and Mel Gibson and team are fighting for autonomy or independence. At the end of the scene Mel Gibson says something to the effect of, “they can take our lives, but they can never take our freedom!” Then everyone cheers. I don’t know if I’m interested enough in that clip to be convinced of watching the full Braveheart movie, but there is something about that line that resonates with me, and I’m assuming resonates with people who live in 21st century America. The ability, and even the right to act, or speak, or think without hindrance is ingrained in this country’s DNA. It has been literally fought for, and died for because without a doubt freedom is a good thing. It is good to be able to choose… All that said, themes of submission and obedience are woven throughout scripture (I will use these two words interchangeably today). Here at the closing thoughts of the letter to the Ephesians we see what many might call the most controversial commands Paul gives: Wives submit to your husbands. Husbands love your wives. Children obey your parents. Slaves obey your masters. (Even the “husbands love your wives” command becomes a much harder pill to swallow once you realize he means unto death). My guess is that there are a lot of people in this room, or people who may be reading this in the future who are not really onboard with the idea of submission or obedience. Google has this cool feature where they calculate the frequency with which words have been used throughout the course of history. When I googled “obedience” there is almost a comical drop in the use of the word in the past two hundreds of years- it's like everyone watched Independence Day & Braveheart at the same time, and humanity never looked back! I think it’s safe to say at some level, we all struggle with practicing these. At some level, most people have a desire, and sometimes an obsession with control and choice. Full transparency: I’m a life-long VIP member of this club. I often feel so restricted and limited when I am asked to surrender my freedom to someone else, and to be obedient to someone else as is the call in Ephesians 6. As you can imagine, this is very problematic when it comes to all things faith. The solution lies in adjusting two things- 1. The posture of our hearts 2. Our perspective submission What do I mean by posture of the heart? I mean “Do you have an unsubmissive heart, or a submissive one? If you’re like me, the answer is often times, “unsubmissive.” But this isn’t just because I’m a child of rebellion- often times it’s because I just want to control things in such a way that I’m safe or comfortable. Relinquishing control would mean entrusting my own well-being, and my own my own desires to someone else. This feels like a dangerous choice, and not for my own good. But when we start to believe that the character of God is good- And when we start to believe He’s in the business of pouring out blessings, sometimes so much blessings that our own storehouse won’t have room enough to contain it, this will have a big impact on us. This transforms our relationships: wives, husbands, slave or free. Everything changes. It means we don’t have to withhold anything from each other in fear of not receiving what we need. Not our time, not our energy, not our resources. We don’t have to withhold our trust or our commitments. If God is dishing out blessings, we don’t have to hold onto anything too tightly. We can give, and love, and serve each other freely. This naturally adjusts our perspective submission. There can now be “freedom” in submission. What do I mean by this? Let me give you a half-baked example: if you ever get a chance to play poker with my (and there’s hypothetical units of money at stake) you get to witness what some of my friends call a reckless abandon in my tactics. This is because I understand when I’m playing, my perspective is “hey, I have nothing to lose,” (except what I’ve already put in - but I never think about that). This “frees” me not to worry about making mistakes or mulling heavily over my next move. It actually makes me a terrible poker player, but I play with freedom! If the reason we will not willingly submit is tied to a fear losing something, or we will not have enough of what we need, we won’t be able to submit well. However if we begin to trust in God we can submit out of a position of strength instead of a position of need. If we trust we will have everything we need because of the Lord’s provision, now we can be obedient and submit. I guess this brings us to probably the most important aspect of Ephesians 6 - Why should we submit? Paul provides several reasons of why we should submit: 1. “So that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth” 2. As slaves of Christ in submitting we are literally “doing the will of God 3. “That the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do” All of these are great motivators in our journey of faith. Submission also ultimately brings unity and peace into our lives as we look to benefit others instead of holding out for ourselves. As we go out this week, learning to submit and having a submissive heart will bring us closer to others as well as closer to God. God’s Marvelous Plan
Ephesians 3:1-6 3 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles-- 2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. 4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. In this passage, Paul refers to the term “mystery” 3 times. What do you think of when you think of a “mystery”? I have never been a fan. It frustrates me when there is something that I can’t figure out. I am an extremely logical person, and in my mind, everything should make sense and fit in its perfect place. Obscurity is my enemy. What Paul is speaking of is the Greek word “mysterion”. Instead of something that forever remains unknown, “mysterion” means that the truth has eventually been revealed by God. “In English a ‘mystery’ is something dark, obscure, secret, puzzling. What is ‘mysterious’ is inexplicable, even incomprehensible. The Greek word mysterion is different, however. Although still a ‘secret’, it is no longer closely guarded but open… More simply, mysterion is a truth hitherto hidden from human knowledge or understanding but now disclosed by the revelation of God.” (Stott) Like this. Notice what the mystery is. It’s defined in verse 6: “This mystery is that the Gentiles [the nations, that’s most of us here] are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” The mystery is that the Gentiles—every tribe and language and people and nation—will now be included in all the promises of God made to Israel. The mystery hidden for ages is that all the peoples of the world will be included in the unsearchable riches of the Messiah.
The answer is contained the last phrase of verse 6. This mystery—this inclusion of the nations in the unsearchable riches of the Messiah—is “through the gospel.” And what is the gospel? Paul’s clearest definition goes like this: Now I would remind you of the gospel . . . that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:1–4). So we Gentiles are included in the riches of the Messiah because he died for us.
The crucifixion is not the world’s wisdom. It is not the world’s power. It is foolishness and weakness to the world. But it is God’s power. And it is God’s wisdom. 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 In Summary: God’s plan is a mystery to this world. But it is not incomprehensible. Through God’s Spirit, He gives us understanding. If this is all still a mystery to you, know that there is a God that wants you to understand it all. All of us have experienced brokenness in our lives, whether it’s loneliness, heartbreak, shame, or just a longing for more fulfillment. Jesus is the answer to all of our problems. “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3 If you have been saved, this is evidence of the power of the gospel in you. Remember where you came from, what you were like before Christ saved you. Thank God for what He has revealed to you. It is a gift! Gifts are meant to be used. You were saved for a purpose. This purpose is to make God known to others around you. If you are suffering through this, remember it’s for a reason. Just like Paul knew he was in prison on behalf of the Gentiles. Only in our weakness does it truly reveal God’s strength. It’s easy to be content when everything is going right, but what does it say to the world when everything is going wrong and you can still praise God because He cares for you. Whom might God be wanting to save through you? God used Paul to save the Gentiles, a people that Paul used to think of as inferior. Think of those whom you might be tempted to despise. Maybe you think they’re a lost cause. Or you worry they think you are a fool for what you believe. Pray for those people today, and trust in the power of the gospel. Let’s go ChristFit - here is the mystery of God revealed in our motto verse: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.” Romans 1:16 Ephesians 2:19-22
19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. Every other week I lose my tv remote. No, I don’t have a spot for it on a shelf, nor do I carefully place it on a coffee table that I can always find it on. And no, walking to the television and press the ‘on’ button isn’t an option- my power button doesn't work! Because of this, I find myself perpetually trapped in a specific routine when it comes time to watch television.. A routine which involves the following steps: 1. Frantically searching for the remote for 15 seconds to 15 minutes 2. Turning the television on 3. Watching television for a bit 4. Turning the television off 5. Putting the remote down somewhere and leaving (typically leaving it exactly where I was sitting) 6. After some period of time, returning to the television only to find the remote is mysteriously gone 7. [Repeat the process] I actual perform this same process for several other areas of my life: Locating car keys Searching for my work badge Finding my socks ...Really anything in my home that isn’t permanently fixed in its location is at risk of being temporarily lost or forgotten. The reason I start here is this: It’s so, so important for us if we call ourselves Christ followers not to lose track of Christ, lose focus of His love for us, or lose sight of His grace for us. We cannot succeed in a life of pursuing God without remembering daily that Jesus is the center of our faith, and the object of our affection and worship. Some of ideas discussed thus far in the letter, and specifically in Ephesians 19-22 really show us why Christ is in the center of our faith, and what happens when that is not the case. When we lose sight of Christ, we lose sight of our citizenship - In Ephesians chapter 2 there is a prominent idea of things that were once separated becoming united. Paul primarily is speaking about Gentiles and Jews coming together under 1 new identity of being citizens of heaven. Citizenship is important; it signifies that we belong to something, and it provides certain rights that those who do not have it are not privy to. Today we can hold onto the reality we are no longer strangers to God and can approach Him freely. When we lose sight of Christ, we become the new cornerstone and this leads to spiritual deadness - A cornerstone is the specific feature on which a particular thing depends on. In verse 20, Paul declares Christ is the cornerstone of God’s household, and furthermore our faith and salvation. Without Christ, the one thing that holds our faith together, our faith will fall apart. We see early in the chapter that before Christ we “were dead in [our] transgressions and sins. (v1)” When we lose sight of Christ we naturally veer toward sin. We also become more susceptible to believing in and acting upon things that don’t bring life, but instead hurt ourselves and others. Again, without re-focusing and re-committing our lives to Christ repetitively the whole building falls apart. When we lose sight of Christ, we cannot be the ambassadors of Christ that we were meant to be - The final verse of the chapter tells us that we are the dwelling places in which God lives by his Spirit. The purpose of this, I think is for us to display the light of God that is within us. How can we be ambassadors or promoters of something we ourselves aren’t emulating? We can’t! When we lose sight of Christ, we miss out on this opportunity to be the representatives God has tasked us to be. Finally, when we lose sight of Christ, we miss out on grace - This isn’t mentioned in the last couple of verses, but I think it’s still worth sharing! Earlier in chapter 2 Paul explains “it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves (v8-9)” I’ve recently had a chance to spend time with several Mormon missionaries, and talk about our beliefs about salvation (specifically salvation by grace vs. salvation by works). What I’ve come to realize is my friends haven’t experienced the freedom of God’s gift of salvation, and instead believe they are only entitled to God’s grace if they work towards it. The heartbreaking truth is without their attention on Christ, they will always be slaves to the impossible task of earning their way into God’s favor. In a sense, they are the cornerstone of their faith! Often times I find myself doing something similar, perhaps you do to. Whether it’s trying to not sin, or serving or reading my Bible because I know i should, I personally can become consumed with accomplishments and reaching milestones for the sake of “earning” God’s approval (or that of the people around me). When we do this, we quickly fall out of dwelling in God’s grace, and step into something entirely different. Even if you’ve heard all these things 1,000 times I hope you hear it with fresh ears: 1) The truth is that we who are in Christ are fully accepted no matter what we do, and no longer enemies to God or separated from his promises. 2) We who are in Christ, can rely on him to be a sturdy cornerstone and centerpiece of our lives, and He will give us the strength to turn from sin. 3) We who are in Christ, have His spirit in us, and have the opportunity to participate in God’s plan of redeeming people. 4) Finally, we who are in Christ can rest in grace, and rely on the atoning work of Christ’s death on the cross for salvation. Ephesians 2:14-18 14 For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. 15 He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. 16 Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death. 17 He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. 18 Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us. Jesus Brought peace to us: He came down from heaven took on flesh, lived a life with the same temptations of sinful people and still he chose to love us with grace and truth. He came down and brought us an example of peace. As you read in the Gospels you see him do this, a few examples the woman at the well, matthew the tax collector, the adultress who was about to get stoned, He called Peter to a deeper following of him, or making Paul the murderer of Christians to disciple of Jesus. Christ has destroyed the barriers people build between themselves. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people, in his own body on the cross. He united people with barriers that can divide us from each other: age, appearance, preferences, intelligence, political persuasion, economic status, race, theological perspective. One of the best ways to stifle Christ’s love is to be friendly with only those people that we like. Fortunately, Christ has knocked down the barriers and has unified all believers in one family. Calls us to be in community with one another to love one another. His cross should be the focus of our unity. The Holy Spirit helps us look beyond the barriers to the unity we are called to enjoy. Jesus ended the system of law and commandments By his death, The Jews at that time thought they needed to follow the laws to earn favor with God and so they tried to put that on the Gentile Christians at the time. Christ ended the angry resentment between Jews and Gentiles, caused by the Jewish laws that favored the Jews and excluded the Gentiles. Christ died to abolish that whole system of Jewish laws. Because these walls were removed, the Jews and Gentiles could have real unity with people who are not like each other. This is true reconciliation. Because of Christ’s death, the hostility against each other has been put to death. We can all have access to the Father by the Holy Spirit. We are no longer strangers or foreigners to God and we are all being built into a holy temple with Christ as our chief cornerstone Then he took the two groups that had been opposed to each other and made them parts of himself. “One new people” means that Christ made a single entity out of the two. Thus, he fused all believers together to become one in himself. That his God purpose through his death to bring people together. To not use his law as measuring stick but as means of how to love one another. His law does have purpose. We will always fall short and sin but we help each other to live a life worthy of God. The Jews were near to God because they already knew of him through the Scriptures and worshiped him in their religious ceremonies. The Gentiles were far away because they knew little or nothing about God. Because neither group could be saved by good deeds, knowledge, or sincerity, both needed to hear about the salvation available through Jesus Christ. Both Jews and Gentiles are now free to come to God through Christ. If you're a believer you have been brought near to him. So lets us as Christians who are near to him, who worship him, bring the news of his salvation to others. There are people in all of our lives who are far from God just as Gentiles at the time were. People who are living a life apart from God that need God. We are to tell of his great love for all people, to not use his commandments as burdens on people but a means of his grace to follow. Let us rely on the Holy Spirit to tell others of what he has done for Us. That we were once far apart from him, sinful and separated. But because of God’s love for us he came down lived a life we couldn't, sacrificed for us through his death on the cross and by believing in that we can be set free from sin in our lives through forgiveness and have certainty that we will have eternal life because of this. |
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