Month: December 2009

Good Morning Everyone,

Wow! We’re all past Christmas now. 2010 is upon us! I trust you all had a nice time (and are having a nice time) during the holidays. I apologize for not writing an email last week. I was out of town and out of my usual routine. I thought about writing early to send it on time, but I wanted to have my mind cleared of holiday prep and whatnot.

Did you all remember the reason for the season? Good! 😉

Well, this morning I want to conclude our study on the Beatitudes from our Lord’s sermon on the mount. A couple of weeks ago, we looked at the last one. Let’s review the scriptures:

Matthew 5:1-10
Seeing the crowds, He (Jesus) went up on the mountain, and when He sat down, His disciples came to Him. And He opened up His mouth and taught them saying:
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Over the past several weeks, we looked into these beatitudes in greater detail to see how they show us both the progression to God’s kingdom and what kingdom citizens looks like. There is only one proper way into the kingdom of God. Once someone is on the right path, then they progress and exhibit the traits of a kingdom citizen.

Assuming you think about spiritual matters, the first step is recognizing you have nothing to offer God to make peace with Him. You are poor in spirit. In fact we all come into this world alienated from God and are sentenced to eternal damnation. As Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden and forfeited their dominion of the earth to Satan, so we are consequently born into this dominion of Satan and are his subjects. We remain God’s enemies until, by God’s grace, we recognize our hopelessly wicked and sinful condition against the backdrop of His holiness and righteous requirements, and repent and call on the name of Christ for salvation from hell.

John 6:37
All that (God) the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.

When God transfers the punishment of your sins to Christ’s atoning work on the cross, you are justified and become a citizen of God’s kingdom!

Colossians 1:13-14
For He (God) rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Oh how grateful, better yet, joyful a kingdom citizen is to have been redeemed. And the sins that we once loved we now despise, for they are such evil toward our loving Redeemer. With our entrance into the kingdom, we begin the long path of sanctification… full of hope and joy, and yet mourning over our momentary lapses into sin, our succumbing to temptations and their subsequent transgressions.

Ephesians 5:8
… for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light…

Contemplating all that Christ has done for them, kingdom citizens become meek (gentle) toward others, knowing by no merit on their own, it was but the gentle graciousness of God that saved them. These new creatures in Christ have a new nature and perish the thought of being a cause for stumbling in someone else. Those who have been set free from the bondage of sin don’t want to muddy up the waters of their witness, either to offend a new babe in the faith or so as to draw unbelievers to Christ.

1^st Corinthians 8:9
But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.

Part of the new nature is a profound love of Christ. We willingly give everything we are to Him and His purposes and His will. Knowing God’s will becomes top priority in life, for kingdom citizens long to please the Lord. This insatiable desire for righteousness compels us to gladly plumb the depths of God’s word… to know and do His revealed will. Why else are we left on earth rather than taken to heaven?!!!

Ephesians 2:10
For we are His (God’s) workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Growing in spiritual maturity by the working of the Holy Spirit in the kingdom citizen, such lofty qualities as mercy toward others blossom forth. Oh how blessed is mercy, where the pain experienced by others is felt, and love compels us to somehow alleviate that pain. Likewise, retaliation for personal offenses is not pursued, but kindness is given in return. Watch now and see how the believer becomes more like Christ.

Romans 12:15-16
Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.

Growing in spiritual maturity has the net effect of decreasing the frequency of sin in the life of the kingdom citizen. Old sinful habits are forsaken; old wicked thought patterns are cleansed from the mind, and the pursuit of holiness takes its place. A clean and pure conscience is a personal treasure to be guarded at all costs. Though a kingdom citizen is now a foreigner in Satan’s domain on earth, the dust of sin can still collect on their feet as they walk in the world. Frequent and consistent communion and fellowship with Jesus Christ washes away that filth.

1^st John 1:9
If we confess our sins, He (Jesus) is faithful and righteous to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

With such kindness and gentleness, a kingdom citizen walking by the Spirit exemplifies the character of Christ. Being right with God and being right within yourself has the amazing but joyously simple result of being right with others. Pursuing peace in all circumstances comes naturally to the kingdom citizen. Life is too precious and time is too short to commit any time to things that don’t last.

1^st Peter 1:22-23
Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.

Now if the mature kingdom citizen’s life is glorifying God and projecting such a witness for the gospel, that unbelievers may notice and be drawn to Christ, who do you think will take notice and get upset? Who do you think despises true believers? Who wants to trip up the well-walker? The Lord Christ promises persecution to his followers. Why? Never forget that the true Christian has separated from the ways of the world to follow Christ, and thereby becomes an offense to the Prince of the Power of the Air, namely Satan.

1^st Peter 4:12-13
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.

And so I ask, (if you read all this) are you a kingdom citizen?

Have you yet realized by your sinful nature, you are poor in spirit? Have you recognized your sins anger God? And knowing this, have you turned from the broad way (the way of the world) to seek the narrow way (faith in Christ) into the kingdom?

How is your relationship to God? Is Jesus precious to you? Do you long not to grieve the Holy Spirit? Or do you want to share stories of God’s blessings? Do you want to talk shop? I love to talk shop. 🙂 Please know I am always available to talk!

In closing, I pray that if you know you’re not a kingdom citizen, you’ll seek God’s mercy and forgiveness. And I pray that if you are a kingdom citizen, you’ll consistently walk by the Spirit, progressing in spiritual maturity, bearing spiritual fruit for God’s glory.

Thank you for considering God’s word. It is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes! (Romans 1:16).

 **Comments/ questions/ testimonies/ objections most encouraged!

Dear Lord, thank you for this time to consider Your word and Your ways. May our thoughts, words, and deeds bring You glory… and glory to You alone. –Amen

Peace,
Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

So let me ask… how’s your Christmas prep going at this time? How about your Christmas budget? In my family, we’ve had to tighten our belt during this economic season of discontent… and presents from our family are more creative this year. When we visit family, we’re going to use the “drawing names” approach for gift-giving. Does anybody else on this email list do this? In our family, we’ve agreed to a dollar amount AND three gift options for that dollar amount. Though we want to ultimately save money, we don’t want to get gypped either, ha!

And of course we all really give gifts to express our joy that the Lord is come… Let earth receive her King! Let every heart prepare Him room, and heaven and nature sing! Right??!! Amen!

Oooh, indulge me to copy additional lyrics from Joy to the World too…

No more let sins and sorrows grow, Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow, Far as the curse is found…

The blessings do flow indeed! And the Apostle Matthew helps me transition on the word blessings by recording our last beatitude from the Lord’s Sermon on the Mount for this week’s thoughts…

Matthew 5:10
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Wow! Right off the bat you may think “Is it a blessing to be persecuted?” It is, but only for the right reasons, namely things concerning righteousness. Let’s dig deeper on this beatitude to see how this plays out…

First consider the word “persecuted”. This is a negative word. Merriam-Webster says:

1 : to harass or punish in a manner designed to injure, grieve, or afflict; specifically : to cause to suffer because of belief 

Such harassments and punishments can take on many and diverse forms. Persecution can be mental, verbal, and/ or physical. I say mental because wicked and sinful thoughts wound a conscience. Verbal persecution is harmful words towards someone, and physical persecution is actual bodily injury. We are not too hard pressed to recall some awful examples of persecution in the past and also now in the present.

But now look to the reason for persecution… “for righteousness’ sake”. Remember, righteousness is being right with God by being one of His own children. A true believer has Christ’s righteousness imputed (given to/ provided for) to them. Christ’s death on the cross paid the penalty of their sins (past, present, future). Subsequently, they are now holy and are considered as children in God’s sight.

So, “for righteousness’ sake” implies all the good things of God. Being persecuted for racial reasons is not the same…  or any other human demographic. Persecution for immoral behaviors is not the same thing either. To be persecuted for being righteous, that is the person who will be blessed.

Let me show you some examples of believers being persecuted, yet being blessed at the same time! This is the beatitude in action…

Acts 7:55-58a
But he (Stephen), being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” Then they (the Council of the high priest) cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears and, ran at him with one accord; and they cast him out of the city and stoned him (to death).

Here you see Stephen being blessed, while being reviled and subsequently murdered! God lets him see where he is about to go. The wonderfulness of heaven captivated him… and even while the pain and skull-shattering blows were sapping his life, he lovingly prays for them that God would forgive them!

Acts 12:17a
But motioning to them (the disciples) with his hand to keep silent, he (Peter) declared to them how the Lord had brought him out of prison.

Peter was in jail… locked up for proclaiming the good news of the gospel. How blessed was he to be jail-broken and set free by God’s messengers!

Acts 16:23-25
And when they (raging mob) had laid many stripes (of bloody lashes) on them (Paul and Silas), they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. Having received such a charge (of troubling the city and teaching unlawful customs), he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the (other) prisoners were listening to them.

Praying and singing to God while laying stretched out and bloodied in stocks in jail!  Wow! God blessed them with such supernatural joy, they burst forth in song! Awesome! Can you see how adverse circumstances have no influence on these men’s spirit? This promise of blessedness extends not just to such heroes of the faith, but to all of The Shepherd’s sheep.

Queen Mary (Bloody Mary) was a Catholic monarch who burned many Reformers at the stake in the mid 1500s. Two believers, Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley were burned together for their faith in Christ. While buried in bales of wood, knowing painful death was imminent, hear Hugh Latimer’s blessing of supernatural joy in his final comforting words to his “burn-buddy” …

Hugh Latimer, October 16^th, 1555
“Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man; we shall this day light such a candle, by God’s grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out.”

Later on in the Apostles lives, with many years and experiences of maturity, they remained unwavering in their convictions. Look what dear Peter wrote many years after his supernatural release from jail…

1^st Peter 4:14
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 (the persecutors) part He (God) is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.

And look what Paul wrote with years of horrible treatment from Christ-haters…

Romans 8:18
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time (on earth) are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us (in heaven).

In closing, the Lord is a promise keeper… and if you are faithful to Him and share your faith with others, but receive ill treatment and even are persecuted, such pain and distress will sting at first. But… inexplicable joy will flood your souls that your loving reactions to a watchful audience will glorify God! As Christ suffered and was glorified, so shall His own suffer for His name’s sake and ultimately be glorified in His kingdom.

**Comments/ questions/ testimonies/ objections most encouraged!

Dear Lord, thank you for this time to consider Your word and Your ways. May our thoughts, words, and deeds bring You glory… and glory to You alone. –Amen

Peace,
Jim

Hello Fellow Humans,

With Jack Frost nipping at our noses, with the airwaves filled with Holiday music, and with our thoughts on Christmas, let us not forget to consider the Man-God Jesus, (AKA: The Reason for the Season) and (for our purposes also) His Sermon on the Mount some two millennia ago. Yo Gee, you dig?

We’ve been looking at the Beatitudes one by one and this next one springs forth from a merciful and holy character…

As scissors to the ribbon, let’s cut to the chase…

Matthew 5:9
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

In this beatitude (attitudes that characterize the true believer) the Lord Christ tells us that His spiritual children are marked as makers of peace. Interesting. You can tell a real Christian from a fake one in that they have a bent, a habitual lifestyle, as one who desires to make peace with others.

Several years ago, there was a SyFy Channel show called “Farscape”. In this show, one group of bad guys was called the “Peacekeepers”. They kept the peace with a heavy oppressive hand. Yet keeping is preserving something that already is. They didn’t make peace. Contrast blessed are the peacemakers, they are the makers of peace.

Let’s look closer at peace. Well, a Hebrew word for peace is “shalom” (שָׁלוֺם). Perhaps you’ve heard someone greet someone else with a “Shalom!” A Greek word for peace is “eirene” (εἰρήνη) from which we get “irenic”.  Peace is wonderful thing.

Peace is like a state of being… whole, sound, complete, tranquil, content, secure, etc. Peace can be between nations, groups, and individual people. There can be peace in the home, peace at work, or just in regular everyday circumstances. Just think of all the effort exerted toward achieving peace. Peace is definitely a desirable commodity, wouldn’t you agree?

Another state of peace that tops everything else is peace with God. (You knew I would go there, right? Ha!)

So… How can someone get this real, bona fide, 100% genuine, and lasting peace?

Lemme ask you this: When you think of a real Christian, they are some of the most well-contented people you know. They are stable and joyful even in difficult circumstances. How so?

Romans 5:1
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Those real Christians have secured peace with the Eternal God of the Universe by the forgiveness of their sins through the Lord Jesus Christ. They have been declared “Not guilty”, and are rescued from their previous sentence of eternal damnation by putting their faith in Christ’s sacrifice of Himself on the cross. His death paid the due penalty of the sins of His followers.

This kind of peace is worth pursuing. It is crazy (and perilous) not to. When you are right with God and have peace with Him, frankly, nothing else matters! An amazing contentment and security (read: peace) engulfs you as willingly become a slave of Christ…

Philippians 4:7
…the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your heart and minds through Jesus Christ.

Now with that said… watch this most interesting process in the life of a true Christian: When they obtain peace with God, it is so good and special that they want others to have it too…

1^st Corinthians 9:19
For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more.

1^st Peter 3:8-9
Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.

How nice it is to be around a compassionate, tenderhearted, and courteous person. There is an attraction about them. Blessed are the peacemakers…

These people have real peace and desire others to have it too. It is only fitting, for who else wants you to have it?

Matthew 11:28-29
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

**Comments/ questions/ testimonies/ objections most encouraged!

Dear Lord, thank you for this time to consider Your word and Your ways. May our thoughts, words, and deeds bring You glory… and glory to You alone. –Amen

Peace,
Jim