The Sermon on the Mount - No. 6

Key Lessons

 

Matthew 5:8 - “God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.”

                  A person who is ‘pure’ has no unwanted elements in their character.  They have no moral failings.  So it means a believer in Christ should have an inner moral purity as opposed to only having external piety. It also means that individual is single-minded; having a heart that is free from deceit.

I would say it would be quite impossible to have one without the other. That singlemindedness should be towards God’s Kingdom and nothing else. Deceit and moral filth can never coexist with such singlemindedness, for it would negate the benefit of any godly traits you might have.

                  Those with a pure heart will not only see God thru eyes of faith now but will see him in all his majesty and dazzling brilliance when we go to be with him in heaven.  If we have spiritual eyes to see, we can see God throughout his creation that is around us. Some may see visions; some may have dreams. There are various ways of seeing God if our heart is pure and we have spiritual eyes to see him. 

                  Those without the benefit of a pure and morally right heart become conniving and deceitful. They seek every illegitimate means of gaining an advantage in this world. They either scoff at the notion of God or try to fake their way into God’s family, being Christians in name only (CINO). Other believers may not pick up on that, but God sure does, for he knows all that can be known. Nothing is hidden from him. 

In the end what it all truly comes down to is to be legitimate when it comes to the things of God or don’t bother because you’re fooling no one. Having said that there is always hope of redemption for any soul, no matter how poorly they may have acted in the past. It involves relinquishing self in favor of an intimate relationship with the One who created you.  Strive for the purity that God speaks of. Your reward is seeing God himself. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

In his name & for his glory,

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

 

1 John 3:1-3

 

Psalm 24:3-4

New Living Translation

3 Who may climb the mountain of the Lord?

    Who may stand in his holy place?

4 Only those whose hands and hearts are pure,

    who do not worship idols

    and never tell lies.

 

Psalm 51:10

New Living Translation

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God.

    Renew a loyal spirit within me.

Word for the Day

"We are secured not because we hold tightly to Jesus, but because he holds tightly to us."        RC Sproul

** My internet was down for much of the day ... sorry for the late post. **

The Sermon on the Mount - No.5

Key Lessons

 

Matthew 5:7- “God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”

 

            God is merciful … if he weren’t there would be no salvation. Sinners would be made to suffer the consequences of their actions without hope of forgiveness. So what Jesus is speaking of here is for us to be merciful even as he is merciful. The reality is that we were shown mercy first. Scripture tells us that God loved us before we even knew him ^{(1 John 4:19)}. That is mercy being displayed right there.  

            These teachings were meant to be shared to the world by his disciples. We, being his ambassadors, are charged with the responsibility of practicing these character traits as well. The world seeks strength without feeling or compassion. That isn’t what God is all about. Silent strength, with no boasting or arrogance, shown in humility with mercy and compassion is the example Jesus is portraying here.

            Ephesians 5:1 states the following: “Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do … “. Our reward is far greater than that which we are called to do. Show mercy to others, especially those who sin against you. That’s being Christ-like, and you never know what kind of effect your actions will cause in another person. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

In his name & for his glory,

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

The Sermon on the Mount - No. 4

Key Lessons

 

Matthew 5:6 - “God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied.”

 

            Believers in Christ seek justice both for themselves and in a global sense. They long to see honesty, integrity and justice fulfilled in society and look for holiness in the church. It would appear that our longing for satisfaction in this regard will only come when we are ushered into Christ’s kingdom. It is there that righteousness will reign supreme and corruption and injustice will give way to the highest moral and ethical standards as established by Almighty God himself.

            Isaiah 11:4 states that God will “give justice to the poor and make fair decisions for the exploited.” Isaiah 42:1-4 says in summary that God will bring justice to the nations and to all who have been wronged. Finally, the Lord proclaims that he will not stop until justice prevails throughout the entire earth.

            Justice is defined as fairness, the principle and/or attitude of moral rightness and decency. There must be a well-defined standard that is universally inclusive and fair for all. It must be set up by the only one who knows all that can be known and has the power and authority to enforce it. That would have to be Almighty God, the creator of all things.  No mortal man fits that definition, for man is fraught with selfish ideals and motives as to make such standards stilted, favoring one individual or group of individuals over another. 

To hunger and thirst for justice / righteousness is like panting for a cool drink in the middle of the desert. God will provide said justice / righteousness to those who earnestly seek it. The new world that will descend from the heavens will be built on such a standard. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

In his name & for his glory,

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Resources:  Believer’s Bible Commentary (2016), Expositor’s Bible Commentary: New Testament (2004).

Word for the Day

"Don't be dependent on man because they change like the wind. Depend on the Lord and know that He is faithful to keep His Word." 

Matthew Hagee

The Sermon on the Mount - No. 3

Key Lessons

 

Matthew 5:5 - “God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth.”

            Some translations replace the word “humble” with the word “meek”.  Either way Jesus is speaking of a gentle, selfless, submissive spirit. This is not something man acquires naturally in most cases. It is part of the maturation process of a Christian. 

                  One of the first things we need to understand about Christianity is that it isn’t a religion, but rather a personal, very intimate relationship with the Triune God. We are to cultivate this relationship, allowing the Holy Spirit within us to lead us into all truth regarding the Father and the Son.  I don’t believe it is the natural tendency of man to be submissive to a power they cannot see or touch. The world desires for us to submit to no one, which is why some struggle so much as baby believers to defer to the Spirit’s leading. The enemy tries to disrupt our growth any way he can.

                  Verse 5 may very well be based on Psalm 37:11 which says: “The lowly will possess the land and will live in peace and prosperity.” Jesus was the epitome of meekness when he was led away by the Roman soldiers in the garden. We are not to fight our battles, but submit to God with an attitude of humility, just as Jesus submits to the will of His Father. 

                  That which the meek or humble will inherit is not this current world, but rather the Kingdom of God, the world to come. That is something worth inheriting. This world is the devil’s playground. We’ll be given a brand-new world to enjoy. That is what we shall inherit from the Lord because of our gentile and humble spirit. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

In his name & for his glory,

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Resources: The Reformation Study Bible - Ligonier Ministries; Grace & peace study bible -Zondervan (2021).

Word for the Day