Hypocrisy, Duplicity or Integrity

We are presently living through difficult times. In the world we live in today there are wars going on and terrorism creeping up everywhere. In state and federal governments we are dealing with a failing economy and political division. In our communities there’s joblessness and rising crime rates. In the church we are encountering a lack of commitment to the Christian life and a watered down faith. In our homes the divorce rate has sky-rocketed both outside and inside the church and our children are in rebellion.

With all that’s going on in the world around us God has given us an unprecedented opportunity to reach lost and hurting souls with the gospel.

When people are hurting and it seems like things are falling apart in their world, they begin to look for answers to their life’s problems in places they might not normally look. That’s where we come in; we have a message of hope and salvation. We have a message of grace and forgiveness, but, we can’t deliver our message with power and effectiveness without personal and corporate integrity.

If you were asked to describe in one word the present condition of the “church” as you see it, what word would you use?

Revival?  I don’t think so, but I wish it were true. The wind of the Holy Spirit seems very still today. Many church leaders are afraid to release the freedom of God’s Spirit to move in the corporate fellowship; in turn the individual believer is reluctant to seek the filling experience.

Renewal?  Maybe in some individual ministries; but for the most part it’s “business as usual” or even “just going through the motions.” A form of godliness, but there’s no power!

Reassessment?  Yes, a lot of studies are being done, and we hope they well be useful. Recently a new survey of “Americans’ knowledge of religion” found that atheists, agnostics, Jews and Mormons outperformed Protestants in answering correctly, questions about the most basic tenets of their own faith. I fear the church has become a place of feel-good socializing instead of the vehicle God wants to use to raise up strong uncompromising citizens of His kingdom.

Ruin?  No, not as long as God is on the throne and there are people willing to listen and obey. God will always have a remnant, and the church will stand, albeit on shaky ground sometimes, until Jesus return to gather up His bride.

Reproach?  I have a feeling that many feel that this is where the “church” is at today. Let me define this most powerful and descriptive word.

“A cause or occasion of blame, discredit or disgrace; the quality or state so incurred or brought upon oneself; one subjected to scorn.”

One of the church fathers once said “the church was something like Noah’s Ark: if it weren’t for the judgment on the outside, you could never stand the smell on the inside.”

Reproach is the one word that seems to describe other areas of society as well, on the sports fields and in the halls of education, at the Pentagon and on Wall Street, On Capitol Hill and in the White House. We have experienced scandal and disgrace in every area of the public arena. We have had and are having disgraces in our churches and ministries on the local and national level. And you better believe the secular media’s going to jump to publicize those failures long and hard. Time magazine in one of its cover stories asked the question “Whatever Happened to Ethics?” Moral standards are dwindling away, even in many Christian homes.

The crisis the church is facing today cuts to the very heart of its authority and its ministry. A commitment to personal integrity among Christians will have a great impact for the cause of Christ in our world.

Let’s look to God’s Word at just one of many examples of integrity in a time of great temptation and see what we can learn from our brother Joseph.

In Genesis 39, Joseph was an individual whose life story stands in stark contrast to the compromise I have just described. Joseph had a motive for compromising his integrity and an opportunity to do so. And yet, under the heat of temptation, he stood firm and true as a man of unquestionable integrity, a man of God.

Now if anyone had a reason to fall into compromise, into sin, Joseph did:

Motive: Joseph experienced indescribable rejection as his eleven brothers sold him into slavery. Can you even begin to imagine the indignity he must have felt as his brothers watched the slave traders shackle him and drag him off into bondage?

Opportunity: When Joseph arrived in Egypt he was sold into the service of Potiphar, one of Pharaohs officials. While in Potiphar’s home Joseph prospered because of the Lord, and was given much responsibility and freedom. Potiphar’s wife set her eyes upon the young and handsome Joseph. While away on business, Potiphar left Joseph in charge of the household, the perfect setup for Mrs. Potaphar to raise the heat and for Joseph to compromise his integrity without being caught in the act.

The key to understanding the pressure Joseph experienced comes in the form of a short, three word phrase: Gen. 39:10, says “day after day.” Joseph did not experience a one-time seduction. Mrs. Potaphar pursued him day after day in a relentless attempt to erode his convictions. Joseph did not budge. Finally in a last ditch try to conquer her prey, Mrs. Potiphar grabbed Joseph by his coat and tried to forcibly rape him. “Come to bed with me! she demanded (v.12). “But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.”

Before running away from Mrs. Potiphar, Joseph made three significant statements that support the cause of uncompromising integrity. These declarations serve as a blueprint for you and me to help keep our integrity intact.

First: Joseph stated,

“My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife.” (v.9)

In other words, Joseph was saying, “If I go to bed with you, I violate my master, who is counting on me.” Do you realize when you compromise your integrity you violate those who know you? How many people would you take down with you? How many people would call Christianity into question as a result of your actions? You are an ambassador, a representative of Christ!

Second: is also revealing, “How then could I do such a wicked thing?” (v.9)

Joseph in effect says “If I go to bed with you, I violate myself.” No pain can compare to the agony of looking into the mirror and seeing the reflection of a hypocrite. The consequences of sin have a way of catching up with us. God desires that we have a clear conscience before Him at all times.
Third: Joseph finished with four important words; “and sin against God?”

In essence he was saying, “If I go to bed with you, Mrs. Potiphar, I violate God.” Unthinkable, unconscionable, how dare we, through a selfish choice, violate the one who died for us! When we violate our integrity by whatever means, we injure our relationship with God and handicap our ability to respond to his voice and enjoy His presence.

Conclusion;

Integrity involves the whole of the inner person; the heart, the mind, and the will. The person with integrity has a single heart. He doesn’t try to love God and the world at the same time. The person with integrity also has a singleness of mind, a single outlook that keeps life going in the right direction. Jesus said that the person with integrity has a single desire - he seeks to serve but one master.

George Barna in his book “The Frog In The Kettle” wrote;

To the average nonbeliever, Christians act no different than anyone else. Our faith appears to be simply a theoretical construct (a built up theory) (is your faith a theory to you?), an emotional decision that does not have the power to transform who we are and how we behave. We must now forcefully demonstrate, through our actions, that what we believe dictates what we do… Christians should be discernable as people of love and integrity.

The church is God’s main instrument in this world for putting things together, and in order to do the job right, the church itself must have wholeness. If there is one place where the shattered people of our fractured society ought to find integrity, it is in the local church. After all, we Christians are reconciled to God and united to one another, so people have every right to expect to see integrity in the church and her people.

What is integrity? Oxford English dictionary says that the word comes from the Latin “integrites”, which means wholeness, entireness, completeness. The root word is integer, which means untouched, intact, or entire.

The person with integrity is not pretending (that’s hypocrisy). We can no longer just go through the motions – people have seen through the lie and are rejecting Christ as Savior because of it.

The person with integrity is not divided (that’s duplicity). We can no longer live as one from this world and claim to be a citizen of heaven as God Word claims for those who belong to Him.

The person with integrity is whole, life is put together, and things are working together harmoniously. People with integrity have nothing to hide and nothing to fear. We must all seek, with all our hearts, to live a whole and complete life in Jesus. One without compromise, in doing this we will *effect our world in a positive way, that is our calling.

*not , affect: which means to stir the emotions of,

*but, effect: which is the power to cause results,

We cannot express the power of God without experiencing the power of God.

And what results are we looking for?

“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16



God Bless and Press On

Larry

"Their Faith"

 A few months back I had the privilege of teaching this message at Desert Reign Church on a Sunday morning and I thought I'd share it here.  It's a call to be know as more than a Christian to those around you.  It's a call to be a friend, one that cares for the hurting, one who sees others through the eyes of Jesus. 

Be the "Jesus" the world has never seen or experienced.
 
Mark 2:1-5, 11, 12
"1. ...He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house.  2. Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door.  And He preached the word to them.  3. Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men.  4. And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was.  So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.  5. When Jesus saw their faith, He said the the paralytic, 'Son, your sins are forgiven you.'

...11." 'I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.'  12. Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God..."

This story from the gospel of Mark is the third telling of the same miracle performed by Jesus.  You can also find it in Matthew 9:1-8, and in Luke 5:17-26.  The same event from three different perspectives, yet one thing is consistent, one thing each gospel writer agreed upon, that was what Jesus Himself attributed this miracle to, and that was 'their faith'. 

We are not specifically told about the paralyzed mans faith.  No, not whether he had no faith, little faith, lost faith, or great faith, the emphasis is on the faith of his friends.  And, I call them friends because it would take great friends with much love and compassion to go through all this trouble for him who could not do it for himself. 

As Christians our deepest desire is to put people in touch with the Master, at least it should be.  God desires to use us, you and me, as His agents of love and hope.  Then we experience again, the joy of our Christian faith, that we can be to others what Jesus has been to us.  To be in Christ means to be in ministry.

So let's paint the entire picture here.  Jesus arrives by boat in Capernaum several days after His sermon on the mount message.  By this time His healing ministry has been made known throughout the land and crowds of people were following him from every village of Galilee, Judea, and from Jerusalem.

He had returned to His home base of ministry and it didn't take long for the people to hear that He was in the house, and gathered to hear Him speak.  So many people gathered in fact, that there was no more room inside the house.  People were standing outside the door and windows listening as Jesus spoke to them The Word.

Now somewhere else in town were four men deciding how they were going to get their paralyzed friend to see the healer.  They each grabbed a corner of his bed and set out to gain an audience with Jesus, believing in their hearts that He would be able to heal their friend - 'their faith' - grew feet.

They walked him through the streets of the town following the crowd and looking for the house that surely would be surrounded with people looking for a healing of some kind.  They found the house but then realized, because the throng of people was so great they would never be able to get their buddy into the house where Jesus was.

They had a few choices, they could turn around and go home, and try again tomorrow or another day, or they could wait outside at the edge of the crowd and hope that Jesus would eventually come out and pass by their way, or they could force their way through the people and make a way in to see Jesus.

I believe it was their great love for this friend coupled with their great faith in Jesus healing power that compelled them to go forward.  I picture in my mind these four determined men, pushing their way through until they reached the door to the house, and then seeing the house completely full they had the idea of going up on the roof, so they did just that.  The scripture tell us "they uncovered the roof where He was,... they had broken through, ...they let down the bed".  Visualize with me, these four men, as they're breaking through the dried mud and thatch roof pulling up the wood stave's that made up the roof to this house.

Did you ever wonder what was going on inside the house at this very moment?  The owner of the house was probably saying "what in the world is going on up there? You know you're going to pay for that roof!!" The gospel said they were above where Jesus was standing.  So again picture with me Jesus standing there as this dust begins to fall on and around Him.  Then the dust turns into dirt, and grass, and leaves, and finally sunlight.  as Jesus looks up He sees these four smiling faces looking down into the room elated that they had found a way in, no made a way in, to see the Master.

Now back on the roof, as they break through and look down into the room, they make sure they're in the right spot and proceed to enlarge the hole so that it's large enough to fit their friend and his bed.  Next problem, how do we get him down there?  "We can't just drop him in there!  I got an idea, lets use our belts, tie one to each corner of the bed and lower him into the room, right smack in front of Jesus, yes, that will work."   So that's what they did, they lowered their paralyzed friend to Jesus feet, and Jesus was moved with compassion.  All three accounts of this incident in the gospels tell us "when Jesus saw their faith"  He healed the man.

This story is an account of a paralyzed man fortunate enough to have four loving, compassionate friends who were also men of great faith.  They acted upon their faith and carried their paralyzed friend to Jesus.  "When Jesus saw their faith" - the faith of the four friends - He acted on "their faith" and healed their crippled friend on the spot.

I believe every miracle in the Bible is there to teach us a concept of the Christian faith.  If we understand the concept behind the teaching of the miracle, then the miracle or concept can take place in our lives too.

The paralytic truly needed his determined friends to carry him and his problem to the feet of Jesus.  The healing took place because of the faith, encouragement and support of the man's four devoted friends.

This particular story deals with physical illness, yet people can be in a state of paralysis for a number of reasons: physical illness, social dysfunction, financial burdens, spiritual turmoil or even emotional illness, and fear.  We need to be prepared for that time when God may call us to lift someones bed, and carry them to Jesus. 

No one wants to suffer alone!  To hurt is bad enough, but to hurt alone destroys people, physically, mentally and spiritually.

Remember also, each one of us at any moment in life can suddenly be put on our backs and feel paralyzed, unable to effectively deal with our problems alone.  In such moments, we will need to have friends, people sharing their gift of encouragement and support with us.  But first, you must be that kind of friend.

So be encouraged church, we have been called to be that friend who carries another to Jesus.  We have been called to be that "stream in the desert", that "flow of refreshing in the wilderness."

And it will be your faith that makes it happen.
We will reach the lost, forgotten, and fatherless.
We will call forth the healing of addictions, afflictions and disease.

And none of it will happen by our own power, no, it will be by our faith and the power of the Holy Spirit.

In Closing:
Mark 2:12b says "...all were amazed and glorified God, saying, 'We never saw anything like this!"

Let God use you in the life of hurting people.  Let Him take you out of your comfort zone and be a friend to those who need a friend.  And let the world be amazed and give God glory for that which He can do through a humble and loving servant. YOU!

God Bless and Press On!
Larry

JUDGMENT

As I prepared to teach the book of Romans at Church, I thought it critical for those attending my Bible study, to better understand some of the Doctrinal concepts mentioned by the apostle Paul throughout this letter. So I've written a few brief descriptions and explanations of these Biblical teachings to help us to grasp more fully the content of Paul's message. I also thought that maybe others might benefit from them, so as I put them to paper I have included them in my blog, next is this important doctrine:

JUDGMENT

Definitions: Webster’s New American Dictionary;

Judge: 1. To form an authoritative opinion, 2. To decide as a judge, 3. To form an estimate or evaluation about something, 4. A public official authorized to decide questions brought before a court, 5. Umpire, 6. One who gives an authoritative opinion.

Judgment: 1. A decision or opinion given after judging; a formal decision given by a court, 2. The final judgment of mankind by God, 3. The process of forming an opinion by discerning and comparing, 4. The capacity for judging.

Judgment Day: The day of final judging of all human beings by God.

The judgment of God is a reality. God’s judgment of sin shows his righteousness and brings Him glory. His holy character requires that He judge sin. (Rom. 3:5,6).

Unbelievers will be judged for there sin, and believers, who have been freely forgiven of sin because of Christ’s work on the cross (Rom. 3:21-26) will be given degrees of reward in heaven according to their actions in this life. (Matt. 7:21; 16:27; 25:31-46; John 5:28,29; Rom. 2:6; 14:10-12; 1 Cor. 3:10-15; 2 Cor. 5:9,10; 11:15; Gal. 6:7-9; 1 Pet. 1:17; Rev. 2:23; 22:12)

Sinners who are not yet experiencing God’s judgment should not presume that God’s mercy would last even another hour. Judgment is withheld only to give them time to repent (Rom. 2:4).

Definitions: VINE’S Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words

A. Judge, din (deen) (to rule, legislate, govern) Deut. 32:36
B. Judge, shapath or sapat (shah-fhat) (to decide a matter or verdict) Judges2:18
C. Judge, krino (kree-no) (to make an opinion, pass decision) John 18:31
D. Judgment, krisis (kree-sis) (a separating) Matt. 5:22
E. Judgment, krima (kree-mah) (to judge or condemn) Rev. 20:4
F. Judgment, dikaioma (dik-i-oma) (an ordinance, righteous act) Rev. 15:4
G. Judgment, hupodikos (hupo-deek-os) (brought to trial, answer to) Rom. 3:19
H. Judgments, mishpat (meesh-paht) (judgment, rights) Num. 36:13
I. Judgment Seat, bema (bee-mah) (the divine tribunal) Matt. 27:19

A. Judge, din: to plead the cause of someone; contend with someone, contend for something. The noun derived from this word is translated as ‘plea’, ‘judgment’, or ‘cause’. From din comes the word medinah, meaning ‘state’, ‘province’ or ‘government’; it is literally ‘place of judgment or justice.’

B. Judge, shapat: one, who judges, governs, passes down judgment, pronounces sentence, and decides matters. In English both “to judge” and “judgment” have negative associations, but not so in Hebrew. Judgment is the balance, ethics, and wisdom, which if present in the rulers mind, enables him to govern fairly. Judgment when used of God is that divine faculty whereby He runs the universe righteously. Handing down decisions that will maintain or bring about a right state of affairs.

C. Judge, krino: to separate, decide, examine, question, select, choose, resolve, make an opinion, determine, decide favorably or unfavorably, pronounce judgment.
Used in Romans; Rom. 2:27 “to condemn”
Rom. 14:5 “to form an opinion”

D. Judgment, krisis: Carries the idea of a separating, the process of distinguishing and selecting, making a decision. The New Testament uses the word primarily in a forensic sense, especially of the divine judgment. Used in Romans; Rom. 2:5 dikaiokrisia “righteous judgment” combines the adjective dikaios, “righteous”, with krisis “judgment”.

E. Judgment, Krima: A legal term describing the judicial process of deciding guilt or innocence. The word is used chiefly for the verdict itself, reached after an investigation. The Lord forbids fault-finding decisions in Matthew 7:2 while in 1 Cor. 6:7 Paul discourages lawsuits against fellow Christians. Krima is used frequently of the judgment of God against the wrong doings of man. Used in Romans; Rom. 2:2,3; 3:8; 5:16; 11:33; 13:2.

F. Judgment, dikaioma: “an ordinance, a righteous act” is translated judgment. Used in Romans; Rom. 1:32

G. Judgment, under the, hupodikos: “brought to trial, answerable to “(hupo “under”, dike “justice”). Used in Romans; Rom. 3:19 (guilty)

H. Judgment, mishpat: A decision, determination, judgment, a personal cause or right; justice, rectification, correction, punishment. Judgment is that faculty found always in God and sometimes in man, which produces decisions based on justice, righteousness, truth, fairness, and equity. God Himself is called “a God of judgment” (Isa. 30:18).

I. Judgment Seat, bema: from baino, “to go” the word describes a step or a stride (Acts 7:5). Then it was used for a raised platform reached by steps, especially from which orations were made. Later it denoted the tribunal of a ruler where litigates stood trial. In the New Testament it mostly refers to earthly magistrates (Acts 18:12, 16, 17), but twice is used of the divine tribunal before which all believers will stand (2 Cor. 5:10; Rom. 14:10). At this bema believers are to be made manifest, that each may “receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether it be good or bad”. There they will receive rewards for their faithfulness to the Lord. For all that has been contrary in their lives to His will suffer loss (1 Cor. 3:15).

Judgment day will sift out the “gold, silver, costly stones”, and separate it from the “wood, hay or straw” (1 Cor. 3:12-15). It is important not to surrender the great truth that God saves by grace, but it is important also to bear in mind that final judgment is a reality. We are all accountable, the Christian at “The Bema Seat of Christ” and the non-believer at “The Great White Throne Judgment”.

The Great White Throne Judgment of Rev. 20:11-15; closes the millennial period and opens the “Age to Come”. It is the greatest of all judgments because it encompasses all the wicked from the beginning of man’s history. Jesus Christ is the one sitting on the great white throne, fulfilling John 5:22. Those who are judged are lost because they refused God’s salvation in Christ by grace through faith. Their doom is the second death.

Paul shows us that judgment has consequences for everybody, Jew and Gentile alike. If we are saved by grace through faith how does a judgment by our works relate to salvation by grace? A number of suggestions have been offered:

1. Direct Contradiction; Paul is engaged in a sustained argument that all are sinners and need God’s help (Rom. 1:18-3:20). It is not easy to think that he would lose sight of a central tenet in the middle of his argument.

2. Purely Hypothetical: Others think that Paul is not speaking of the way things are, but setting out in forthright terms the way things would be apart from grace. But Paul says that God “will render”, not “would render”. His words point to a fact, not a hypothesis.

3. Law, not Gospel; Paul is speaking of a real judgment, and one that applies to everybody.

4. The Entrance and The Life: God demands from the sinner, as the recipient of grace, the fruits of grace. Faith is not the dismal prerogative of being able to sin with impunity. A variant of this position sees the reference to “goodness of life”, not however as meriting God’s favor but as the “expression of faith”.

5. Justification is with Power: When God justifies anyone, it is a work of power (Rom. 1:16); the saved person is a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). When he is judged he is judged for what he is, that is, by his works. Judgment shatters all illusions.

Conclusion:
People are saved by faith alone, but in the life that follows, “works”, as the spontaneous expression of the life of faith (the fruit of the spirit), are no less an integral part of the life which will one day be judged by God. Christians are not to judge each other with reference to the practice of morally neutral issues, since each individual is responsible to God. As Lord, the right of such judgment belongs to Christ. Weak and strong Christians alike shall all stand, not at each other’s judgment seats, but before the judgment seat of Christ. That judgment will be based on what we have done in this life. It will not determine whether or not we enter heaven, but will determine degrees of rewards in heaven.


God Bless and Press On
Larry 

The Law In Romans

As I prepared to teach the book of Romans at Church, I thought it critical for those attending my Bible study, to better understand some of the Doctrinal concepts mentioned by the apostle Paul throughout this letter. So I've written a few brief descriptions and explanations of these Biblical teachings to help us to grasp more fully the content of Paul's message. I also thought that maybe others might benefit from them, so as I put them to paper I have included them in my blog, next is this important doctrine:  

THE LAW IN ROMANS


“The Law” in Romans typically meant the “Law of Moses”, or the “Law of the Old Testament”, but this does not necessarily prevent Paul from using the term in different ways.


It is used in the general sense:

Romans 2:12; both as “law” and “the law” expressing a general principle relating to law, also in the later part of Romans 2:14.

Romans 3:27; “By what law?” or by what sort of principle?

Romans 4:15; “where there is no law”

Romans 5:13; “For until the law sin was in the world,..” referring to the period between Adam’s sin and the giving of the law.

Romans 7:1; “..those who know the law,”



It is used of a force or influence impelling to action:

Romans 7:21; “So I find it to be a law, that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand.”

Romans 7:23; “but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin...”



It is used of the Mosaic law, the law of Sanai:

1. With the definite article in; Romans 2:15, 18, 20, 26, 27 ; 3:19 ; 4:15 ; 7:4, 7, 14, 16, 22 and 8:3, 4 & 7.

2. Without the article, stressing its quality as “law” in; Romans 2:14 ; 5:20 and 7:9 where the stress in the quality lies in this, that which he thought would be a means of life, he found to have the effect of revealing his actual state of death.



“the law of faith”:

Romans 3:27; The principle that demands only faith on mans part to activate justification.


“the law of my mind”:

Romans 7:23; The principle that governs the new nature in view of the new birth.


“the law of sin”:

Romans 7:23; The principle by which sin exerts its influence and power despite the desire to do what is right; “the law of sin and death” death being the effect.


“the law of the Spirit of life”:

Romans 8:2; The principle by which the Holy Spirit acts as the imparter of life.


“the law of righteousness”:

The general principle presenting righteousness as the object and outcome of keeping the law of Moses.


Paul goes on to emphasis that the law does not bring salvation. He repeatedly links sinning to the law. The law came in so that transgressions might abound (Rom. 5:20), and where there is no law there is no transgression (Rom. 4:15; 5:13). The righteousness of God is “apart from the law” (Rom. 3:21, 28), this has always been God’s way: the promise that came to Abraham was “not through law”. The law works wrath, that is, it brings the wrath of God on sinners.


It was not the function of the law to justify, but rather to give knowledge of sin, to make sin obvious, to make more evident the need for redemption. Apart from the law sin was dormant, but the law aroused a desire to do that which it forbad. Sin is responsible for death, not the law. God’s law, reflecting His righteous moral principles, is holy. It simply does not have the power to make us righteous. While the law can enlighten ones conscience, it is powerless to produce holiness in a life because it depends on sinful human nature to carry it out.


The gentiles did not have the law as the Jews did, but by nature they do some of the things that are stipulated in the law. God has given all people a moral instinct. People will be judged according to the revelation they have. The standard for the pagans will be the unwritten law of conscience and nature. To be “under the law” is to be under a system of trying to earn salvation in our own strength by obeying the law. But to be “under grace” is to be justified and to live by the indwelling resurrection power of Christ.


Some interpret Christ to be the end of the law (Rom. 10:4) in the sense that He is the goal of fulfillment of the law. However, “law” here refers to the system of earning righteousness in our own strength. Christ truly is the perfect fulfillment of everything the law requires, but He also put an end to the law as a way of achieving righteousness for everyone who believes. Thus, Paul emphasizes the sufficiency of faith in receiving the righteousness of God because in fulfilling the laws demands, Christ terminated its claim. This verse does not mean that a Christian may ignore God’s moral standards or commandments. It is only when we experience the love of Christ that we come to see the place of the law and find that “love is the fulfillment of the law” (Rom. 13:10).


Freedom from the law does not mean license to sin, but servitude to God. In the newness of the New Covenant, the Holy Spirit gives us the power to obey God, a power the law by itself could never give. The law is good, but it cannot empower us to obey.


Conclusion:

*To have this law is one of the high privileges of Israel. The law is meant for life. It is holy, spiritual and good. It is a source of instruction and of truth. People will be judged by it, so it is important to obey. However, Paul says no one will be justified by the works done in accordance with the law of Moses, but he is probably saying something more, namely that no one is justified by any works of the law, the law of Moses or any other. God’s way has always been the way of grace, and we misunderstand the law if we see it as the way of earning salvation. It is God’s way of showing our shortcomings so that we will turn to Christ for our salvation.


God Bless and Press On
Larry


*Leon Morris

TRUTH

As I prepared to teach the book of Romans at Church, I thought it critical for those attending my Bible study, to better understand some of the Doctrinal concepts mentioned by the apostle Paul throughout this letter. So I've written a few brief descriptions and explanations of these Biblical words and phrases to help us to grasp more fully the content of Paul's message. I also thought that maybe others might benefit from them, so as I put them to paper I have included them in my blog, next is this important doctrine:   TRUTH

What Is Truth?  How can I recognize it?  From where does it originate, and does it change?  Where can we find and whom can we trust to give us the truth we are seeking?  These are just a few questions I will attempt to answer in this essay on truth.

There are at least two different perspectives of this word truth, first, is man's, or the natural perspective and second is God's, or the spiritual perspective.  These don't necessarily have to oppose each other but in many respects they do.

The New American Encyclopedia tell us that a philosophical concept of truth is understood by philosophers according to three main theories:

1. Correspondence: This theory holds that a statement is true if it corresponds to the 'facts' of experience.

2. Coherence: This theory says that 'facts' are themselves statements of a kind, whose truth cannot be tested by looking for further correspondence, but by considering there logical coherence with other statement about supposed reality.

3. Pragmatic: This theory of truth stresses that the only usefully testable truths are those that enable us to anticipate or control the course of events.

How arrogant is man, to think that he, in himself, can declare what is truth and what is not, that he can establish it based on his own experiences.  The finite mind of man is truly unable, by himself, even to begin to understand what is truth no matter what kind of testable 'facts' he has before him, unless God reveals it to him.

The question, "what is truth?" then, can be best answered by first answering the question, "what is God?" 

The Westminster Shorter Catechism says:

"God is spirit, finite, eternal, and unchangeable in His being, He is wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth."

God Is Truth;  The Psalmist says:

 "Into thy hand I commit my spirit, Thou has ransomed me, O Lord, God is truth."  Psalm 31:5
 Truth is God's essence; it is an integral element of His character.

"Because he who is blessed in the earth shall be blessed by the God of truth."  Isaiah 65:16a

Truth is inseparably connected with God and God's truth does not change.  Men at times say things and call them truth, only to later change their minds because their views  have changed.  They find themselves unable to stand on what they had previously spoken as truth.  The words of men are unstable.  But not so with God, God's words are truth, they stand forever as unchangeable expressions of His mind, thought, and will.

 "Forever, O Lord, Thy word is settles in heaven."  Psalm 119:89

 Jesus Is Truth; He has the attributes and character of the Father, we see real truth in Him.

"I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me."  John 14:6

"And the Word became flesh, and dwells among us, and we beheld His glory, as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth."  John 1:4

 "For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth are realized through Jesus Christ."  John 1:17

The Holy Spirit Is Truth; 

"And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth,"  John 14:16,17a

 "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth;"  John 16:13a

 "And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is the truth."  1 John 5:7

 The Word of God Is Truth; Paul connects the Gospels and the truth, which must be understood in relation to God.  The truth is seen in a special way in the Gospel.

 "Because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel, which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth."  Colossians 1:5,6

 We are sanctified by the truth.  Jesus recognized the cleansing power of the word when He said:

 "You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you."  John 15:3

 And He prayed that His own would be sanctified in the truth.

 "Sanctify them in the truth, Thy word is truth."  John 17:17

 This word translated truth here gives us the idea of stability, so when we read our Bibles we must remember that God still holds to all His promises, demands, statements of purpose, and words of warnings that He has addressed to New Testament believers.  They are eternally valid revelations of the mind of God; nothing can erase God's eternal truth.

 "Thou art near, O Lord, and all Thy commandments are truth."  Psalm 119:151


 Conclusion;
 Truth in the Bible is a quality of people first and foremost, and a proposition only after that; it means stability, reliability, and firmness, trustworthiness, the quality of a person who is sincere, realistic and undeceived.  God is such a person.  Truth in this sense is His nature, He can be nothing else.  That is why His words to us are true, and cannot be other than true.  They are the standard of reality, the standard of truth.


God Bless and Press On
Larry

Justification

As I studied and prepared to teach the book of Romans at Church on Thursday nights, I thought it critical for those attending my Bible study, to better understand some of the Doctrinal concepts mentioned by the apostle Paul throughout this letter. So I've written a few brief descriptions and explanations of these Biblical words and phrases to help us to grasp more fully the content of Paul's message. I also thought that maybe others out there might benefit from them, so as I put them to paper I have included them in my blog, next is this important doctrine:  Justification

What Does Justification Mean? 
The word is a legal term with the meaning "to acquit".  It is the normal word to use when the accused is declared "not guilty".

The word does not mean to make righteous as some may think.  This word and its meaning stand in opposition to condemnation.  To "condemn" does not mean to "make guilty", but to "declare guilty", similarly then, to justify means to "declare just".

1. To be justified according to the Bible means to be declared righteous in    God's sight.  Romans 8:33; "Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies:"

2. Man is justified when God imputes to him righteousness.  Romans 4:2,3; 
"For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about: but not before God.  For what does the scripture say?  And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteous."

3. The Hebrew word is naqah; to be guiltless, declared innocent or acquitted.  The Greek word is dikaioo; to deem to be right, to declare to be righteous.

How Are We Justified?
Paul is quite definite that:

"no one will be justified in God's sight by works of the Law"   Romans 3:20a

Justification through observing laws and codes is impossible.

"For we maintain that a man is justified by faith, apart from works of the law."  Roman 3:28

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

Paul links justification with faith, making it quite clear that it is only by believing that anyone can appropriate this gift of God.

"But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness."  Romans 4:5

"even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe."  Romans 3:22

Justification is God's good gift: we are "Justified freely by His grace."

"being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus."  Romans 3:24

The cross of Christ plays a necessary part in justification for:

"Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him."  Romans 5:9

Justification by way of the cross means that God saves us in a way that accords with righteousness.  Sin does not go unpunished; it's just that Jesus bore our punishment.  When we speak of justification by way of the cross, we are saying that it has been dealt with.

"He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."  2 Corinthians 5:21

By Whom Are We Justified?
Justification has been brought about from God by grace through faith.

"because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus."  Romans 3:25b-26

Christ's resurrection brings to us our justification.

"He who was delivered up because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification."  Romans 4:25

Adams sin resulted in condemnation and death, whereas Christ's deed of grace brought justification and life.

"But the free gift is not like the transgressions.  For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound to many.  And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification."  Romans 5:15,16

In Adam by birth we are condemned and die, but because of Christ's redemptive work on the cross we can be justified and live if we are in Him by faith.

Conclusion:
Justification makes no actual change in us; it is a declaration by God concerning us.  What characterizes Christianity is that its answer centers on the cross.  Justification does not take place because people in some way work out a means with dealing with sin.  They can neither overcome it so that for the future they will live without it, nor blot it out from their past.  But God can and does.

"Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ.  So we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith in Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law no flesh will be justified."  Galatians 2:16

God Bless and Press On
Larry

The Righteousness of God

As I studied and prepared to teach the book of Romans at Church on Thursday nights, I thought it critical for those attending my Bible study, to better understand some of the Doctrinal concepts mentioned by the apostle Paul throughout this letter.  So I've written a few brief descriptions and explanations of these Biblical words and phrases to help us to grasp more fully the content of Paul's message.  I also thought that maybe others out there might benefit from them, so as I put them to paper I will include them in my blog starting with This important doctrine:

The Righteousness of God is that righteousness of which He is the source and owner.  It is a quality or attribute of God, or that of a right standing, which only God can give.  In the gospel it is revealed that God is a righteous God (John 17:25) and that man gets a right standing or a status of being right from Him and Him alone.

We should also notice that the righteousness of God,is said to be "revealed" in the gospel (Romans 1:17).  It is not something that people know about naturally or can find for themselves.  Unless God makes it known to them they will never understand it.

The righteousness of God is in a real sense divine in quality and character.  It is also towards men, from God, it is reckoned unto man on the grounds of Christ's finished work (Romans 4:5).  Further, the righteousness of God is not to be confused with legal righteousness by the perfect law-keeping or even obedience to Christ, for if by vicarious obedience of Christ to the law we are declared righteous, then clearly His death was in vain (Galatians 2:21).

God's righteousness is shown in the gospel, that same gospel which tells us that people must come to God by faith, this righteousness or right standing before God, is ours by faith (Romans 3:26).  Righteousness is the necessary basis of God's dealing with saint and sinner.

There are a number of ways we could look at this important phrase.  I would like to emphasis two aspects of it here, first, as it relates to God Himself and then as it relates to man.

The Righteousness of God as a Quality or Attribute of God:

In the gospel it is revealed that God is a righteous God.  God is righteous, and as such demands righteousness, for without it there can be no fellowship between the creator and His creatures (Hebrews 12:14).  Righteousness can not have fellowship with unrighteousness (2 Corinthians 6:14), God always acts rightly in perfect harmony with His nature in all His actions.  He is consistent with His own nature and character in freely and perfectly judging a sinner who rejects Jesus as well as justifying a sinner who has believed in Jesus.

This divine action of imparting righteousness is not the placing of a quality of righteousness in man, it is simply holding, or regarding as righteous or just, one who is not so, either in nature or in practice.  This brings me to the second aspect.

The Righteousness of God as a Quality of a Right Standing Which God Gives:

In the gospel it is revealed that people get a right standing or the status of being right, from God.  Man has no righteousness of his own with which he may meet the righteous demands of God.  God rejects all that we pride ourselves in.  All our righteousness is but filthy rags in God's sight (Isaiah 64:6).  It is futile to try to work out, even under the law, a character in which God can or will approve.  The human heart is corrupt, deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked and cannot produce righteousness out of rottenness (Jeremiah 17:9).

The sinner, through believing, is given the righteousness of God in Christ, the sinless righteous one.  Christ on the cross was made sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21).  Now on the throne He is the righteousness of God, that is, the perfect expression of it.  He is the "Lord of Righteousness" (Jeremiah 23:6), in Him we have a marvelous exhibition of the righteousness of God, and in Him we have become the righteousness of God.

Righteousness is imputed to us when we believe.  To impute means to reckon or account to a person, something that he does not have on his own.  "Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness" (James 2:23).  With God, imputation is His gracious act by which He accounts righteousness to the believer in Christ.  Imputation however, does not change a man's character.

Our righteousness then, is not something, but someone, even Him who possessed Lordship.  Righteousness is put to the account of a guilty sinner accepting God's terms for salvation, namely Jesus Christ (Romans 3:21-23).


God Bless and Press On
Larry

GREATER LOVE!

In essentials, unity
In non-essentials, liberty
In all things, charity (love)

As believers and followers of Jesus Christ, love should be the over-riding character trait evident in our lives.

Many things have happened in recent years politically and otherwise, that can be perceived as a direct affront to our Christian faith.  Things that could cause us to become angry at, and/or distrustful of our own government.  We are gradually watching every vestige of our Judeo Christian belief system being challenged and removed from American society, the most recent being the striking down of Proposition 8 in California , determined, by a single judge, to be unconstitutional. 

My initial reaction was one of anger and frustration.  However, upon further thought I came to realize that it's just part of the overall battle being waged against the things of God.  Without a doubt, there's a spiritual battle going on in our country and around the world.  It's a battle for the souls of the lost, It's a battle for the hearts and minds of the youth of this generation.  

There is a not-so gradual moral slide taking place right before our very eyes, and it saddens me that even many within the church don't recognize it for it's deceptive danger.  They want to overlook it in the name of tolerance and they choose to be silent for fear of being perceived as unaccepting or hateful.

WHAT ARE WE TO DO?
Herein is a simple plan I choose to follow, maybe it will assist you in these troubled times:

RECOGNIZE
DO WHAT YOU CAN DO
PRAY
TRUST GOD
LOVE ALL!

Recognize: "As Christians, we need to have our spiritual eyes open."
Understand the times that we live in.  Know that the fight is not in the natural, so we should have no conflict with another person because of what they believe or the lifestyle they choose to live.  Our battle is spiritual, and the fight must be in that realm, if we lose sight of that fact we become angry at our fellow man and we lose the ability to love them.  How can we win the lost if we have no love for them?  Love the sinner, hate the sin.  Sin is a spiritual concept that the natural or worldly man does not understand.

Do What You Can Do: So the question is asked, "do we just do nothing in the natural as we watch the decline?"  Absolutely not!  We are required, no, commanded to occupy.  The scripture compels us to stand up for what is righteous.  Starting with our own self, and how we live our life, don't be a contradiction.  At home, teach your children and family members what is God's truth and what he requires of us.  Educate yourself on the issues of the day and know where they are contrary to God's word.  Try to see the far reaching effects of such moral laxity's, even though they may not be evident on the surface today.  And speak up, educate others also.  Speak the truth in love.

We have an obligation to select and elect leaders that share our beliefs if possible, or as close to them as we can.  To vote according to the leading of the Holy Spirit on all issues that will effect our society, not merely along party lines.  Do not abdicate your responsibility to have your voice heard, simply because you don't totally, 100%, agree with any candidate of proposition.  However, we should do this without becoming so emotionally invested that the other side becomes our enemies, remember, it's a spiritual battle and ultimately our God wins.  Love is the attitude of greatest power and influence.

Pray: "Pray without ceasing!"
There are so many issues  today that we should be praying about, and so many people we should be praying for, people in positions of leadership and influence.  Pray and ask the Lord exactly what you should be doing.  Pray for our Pastors, pray for our churches, pray for fellow believers that they would have a love for the lost and an opportunity to minister to them in truth and with compassion.  Pray that your own attitude will reflect that of Jesus.

Trust God: "The end has already been written, Amen."
God has a definite plan and ultimately it will be fulfilled.  So we do our best and trust God for the rest.  He is by no means being caught unaware, he is not in the dark as to where man is headed - He saw our history while it was yet our future, so he knows.

So we trust Him, trust Him with your life and family, trust Him with your future and your dreams, in all things trust Him.  Our God has it all planned out for those who belong to Him.  We can only see the here and now, but our Father sees from everlasting to everlasting.

Love: "but the greatest of these is love."
Regardless of how you feel in the flesh about the things that are going on around you in this world we live in today, we cannot lose sight of the mandate we have received to love others, just as we have been loved and just as we love ourselves.  Let your love for people be without hypocrisy, understanding fully the nature of the battle.  It is not against flesh and blood as the enemy would like for us to believe.  Satan wants to steal your love and thus still the authority of your witness.  By causing you to be caught up in anger and fall into sin, he will accomplish just that. 

God calls us to pursue love, in other words to go after it.  His word also tells us to put on love, which means to choose to adorn ourselves with it.  It's by this powerful fruit of the Spirit that we will be recognized as one of His. And when recognized as such we can't help but change the world around us.

Love Divine, All Loves Excelling
Love Divine, all loves excelling,
Joy of heaven, to earth come down,
Fix in us Thy humble dwelling,
All Thy faithful mercies crown!
Jesus, Thou art all compassion,
Pure unbounded Love Thou art;
Visit us with Thy salvation
Enter every trembling heart...

         by Henry Wotton


Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.  1 John 4:7

May God fill you to overflowing with His supernatural agape love!


God Bless and Press On
Larry

Compelled

I love you Lord, and I lift my voice, to worship you, oh my soul rejoice.  Take joy my king, In what you hear, let it be a sweet sweet sound in your ear. 

In preparation for my Bible study on the book of Romans I spent some time looking at the life of the apostle Paul.  Man was he a committed warrior for the Lord!

He was a well educated Jew, a Pharisee, and a Roman citizen.  He had the highest credentials in the society of his day.  He had a zealousness for God that was matched by few, in fact he said of himself I was "a Hebrew of Hebrews"  (Gal. 1:13-14).

Saul hated with a passion anyone that did not follow the laws of God that he had been taught since he was a boy.  The way to God had seemed clear to him, thus he hated the people of "The Way," those followers of this person named Jesus, whom they called the Christ.  For they were blasphemers and heretics, with teachings which were contrary to the laws that his teachers had taught him to follow.

After receiving permission from the religious leaders to gather up as many adherents to this heretical group as possible and in chains bring them back to Jerusalem, Saul set out for Damascus.  While on the road there, he had an encounter with God.  He asked of the voice"Who are you, Lord?"  and he heard in response, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting."  From that moment on Saul, who would later become known as Paul, was changed, and never the same again.

"Now get up and stand on your feet.  I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you.  I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles.  I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light," (Acts 26:16-18)

From the beginning of his conversion he began to proclaim Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah, the "Anointed One,"  Why?  Because he had a genuine life changing encounter with Him.  There was no doubt in his mind who this Jesus truly was.  The zealousness that he had for the Law was now committed to the Lord.

If you follow his life and ministry from the point of conversion on, you will be amazed at the things he had to endure, yet he continued to preach the message of hope and salvation, the gospel of righteousness. His former brethren, the Pharisee's and religious leaders sought to kill him, as did other Jews everywhere he went.  He was repeatedly arrested and imprisoned, once stoned and left for dead, many times beaten within and inch of his life with rods, five times receive from the Jews thirty-nine lashes, three times shipwrecked and left at sea for a day and a night, abandoned by friends, bit by a deadly poisonous snake, danger to his life from the Gentiles, from his countrymen and from false brethren (2 Cor. 11:23-27).  

Why would he continue to follow Christ and proclaim His gospel after all this trouble?  Let me tell you why; he was consumed with the message of hope and eternal life, the message of grace and mercy, the message of forgiveness and salvation, the message of God's love.

After meeting the Lord that day on the road to Damascus he understood his own personal shortcomings and the sinful and murderous way he had been living.  He now understood that he was in need of forgiveness, not only for the murder of Stephen, and the arrest and imprisonment of many other "Christians," but because of mans sinful nature in general, he was in need of a savior.  He realized that without Jesus he faced eternal doom.  

Paul was grateful for God's love and forgiveness, so much so that he willingly became a servant (doulos), for life.  In his letter to the Romans, he begins with; "Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus," and in Galatians 1:10b he says "If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ," as well as in Titus 1:1 where he refers to himself as "Paul, a bond-servant of God,"  This man was consumed with the gospel message and the person that introduced him to it, Jesus.  He surrendered his all and he did it willingly.

"Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel."  1 Corinthians 9:16

Now let's bring it home: Who are you, and where did you come from?  Have you had a personal encounter with Jesus?  If so, how has your life changed?  Has it changed as dramatically as Saul's did?  Do you feel the need to let others know what God has done in your life?  Don't be afraid nor ashamed, but instead, be obedient to the call of the Lord on your life, that is, to be a witness for your savior.

If you've been reading my blog posts this year you probably have a little bit of an idea of where I've come from. The Lord got my attention 26 years ago, maybe not as radically as he did the apostle Paul, but he got my attention non-the-less, and He has done some tremendous things in and through my life. I am so grateful for the Holy Spirit's work in me that I must tell anyone who will listen, and even those who don't really want to.  If they don't hear the good news from us where are the going to hear it? "How beautiful are the feet of those bring good news!"

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes,..." (Romans 1:16)

Brothers and Sisters, Don't hide your light, instead shout your message from the rooftops!

God Bless and Press On

Larry

Be Blessed - The Beatitudes

Blessings in Disguise

We all want happiness and dread the thought of rain.

When the sun fails to shine, we worry and complain.

We forget that God above is infinitely wise,

and sometimes or ails are blessings in disguise.

For if we're always happy, filled with sunshine and cheer,

our hearts would hold no mercy for others who shed tears.

So when trouble comes knocking, remember to stay strong.

Rainbows always follow the storm and dark clouds never stay long.

The Sermon On The Mount has been long hailed as the sum of all Jesus ethical teachings telling us how to live our Christian lives.  It is often, and properly referred to as the "Declaration of the Kingdom."

The American revolutionaries had their Declaration of Independence; Karl Marx had his Communist Manifesto; and this is Jesus statement or teaching regarding His kingdom.

It presents a radically different manifesto than what the nation of Israel was expecting; it does not present the political or material blessings of the Messiah's reign which the Jews were looking for, Instead, it expresses the spiritual implications of Jesus' rule in our lives: how we are to live when Jesus is our Lord.

 The Character of Kingdom Citizens

Matthew 5:1-2

"And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.  Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:"

We notice first, that Jesus is speaking to His disciples; His sermon is directed towards His followers, though others may (and should) hear it.

The first portion of the Sermon On The Mount is know as the Beatitudes, which means "The Blessings" but can also be understood as giving the believer his "be- attitudes" or the attitudes he should "be."

1. Jesus is setting forth both the nature and the aspirations of citizens of His kingdom; they have and are to be learning these character traits.

2. All of these are both marks and goals of all Christians; it is not as if we can major in one to the exclusion of the others.

3. There is no escape from our responsibility to covet every one of these attributes!

The Foundation: Poverty of Spirit

Matthew 5:3

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

1. To be poor in spirit is a man's confession that he is sinful and rebellious and utterly without any moral virtues that are adequate enough to commend him to God.

I'm going to ask you a question and I want you to be totally honest:
Do you think more highly of yourself than you ought to?
Do you consider yourself better looking than most?
Do you consider yourself more athletic than most?
Do you consider yourself more intelligent than most?
Do you consider yourself more spiritual than most?
or Do you live your life in a spirit of humility?

2. The poor in spirit are those who recognize that they are devoid of spiritual "assets", they know they are spiritually bankrupt.  Those who are poor in spirit are rewarded: they receive the kingdom of heaven and poverty of spirit is an absolute prerequisite for receiving the kingdom of heaven, because as long as we harbor illusions about our own spiritual resources, we will never receive from God what we absolutely need to be saved.

3. Poverty of spirit is brought about by the Holy Spirit and our response to His working in our hearts.

4. Jesus says that the poor in spirit would be blessed: the idea behind the word is happy, but in the truest, Godly sense of the word, not in our modern sense of merely being comfortable at the moment.

5. Poverty of spirit is placed first for a reason, because it puts the following commands into perspective: they cannot be fulfilled by one's own strength, but only by a reliance on God's power.

The Godly Reaction To Poverty of Spirit - Mourning

Matthew 5:4

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

1. Jesus is not speaking of casual sorrow for the consequences of our sin, but a deep grief over our fallenness before God.

2. Blessed are they that mourn, for what?  Not just anything, but mourning over sin.  Primarily, we mourn for our own ruin and estrangement from God that's a result of our sin.  But also, we mourn the separation sin brings, far beyond the personal consequences.

3. Those who mourn over their sin and sinful condition are promised comfort by God; He brings this grief into our lives as a means, not an end.

The Next Step: Meekness

Matthew 5:5

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

1. In the words Jesus originally used, the meek person was not passive or easily pushed around; the main idea behind the word was strength under control - like a strong stallion who was trained to do a job instead of running wild.

2. To be meek is to show a willingness to submit and work under the proper authority; it also shows a willingness to disregard one's own "rights" and privileges.  It is one thing for me to admit my own spiritual failures, but what if someone else does it for me? Do I react meekly?

3. We can only be meek, willing to relinquish our own rights and privileges because we are confident that God is watching out for us, He will protect our cause - the promise they shall inherit the earth, promises that God will not allow His meek ones to end up on the short end of the deal. This truly is a measure of our trust in Him.

4. Through the first three beatitudes we notice that the natural man finds no happiness or blessedness in spiritual poverty, mourning or meekness; these are only a blessing for those who are new creatures in Christ.

The Desire Of The One Who Has Poverty Of Spirit, Mourning For Sin, And Meekness: Righteousness

Matthew 5:6

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

1. Jesus is speaking of profound hunger, a longing that endures and is never completely satisfied on this side of eternity.

2. We see Christians hungering for many things: power, authority, success, comfort, happiness - but how many hunger and thirst for righteousness?

What Jesus is talking about is a hungering for complete righteousness, not just enough to soothe a guilty conscience. 

3. The promise to those who hunger and thirst in such a way is that they shall be filled; yet it is a strange filling, which both satisfies us as well as keeps us longing for more.

How The Previous Mentioned Character Traits Display Themselves Among Men.

Matthew 5:7-9

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

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

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

1. Mercy: Caring and reaching out to help those that are in need, without demanding that they deserve such help.  And if you would obtain mercy - from others, but especially from God - take care to show mercy to others.

2. Pure In Heart: The thought is of straightness, honesty, and clarity; these are people not given to all the world's little stains.
a. The pure in heart receive the most wonderful reward; they shall see God; they shall enjoy greater intimacy with God than they could have imagined.
b. Ultimately, this intimate relationship with God must become our greatest motivation for purity.

3. Peacemakers: This does not describe those who live in peace, but those who actually bring about peace, overcoming evil with good.
a. We accomplish this in one sense, through the spreading of the gospel; God has entrusted to us the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18).
b. The reward of peacemakers is that they are recognized as true children of God; they share His passion for peace and reconciliation, the breaking down of walls between people.

4. If anything can be said about the character traits described in the Beatitudes is that there is a lack of them in the world today; but if they do not describe the character prized by our culture, we understand that they do describe the character of the citizens of God's kingdom.

The World's Reception Of These Kind Of People: Persecution.

Matthew 5:10-12

"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

1. For what sake are these blessed ones persecuted? For righteousness sake - not for their own stupidity or fanaticism.

2. Jesus brings insults and spoken malice into the sphere of persecution; we cannot limit our idea of persecution to only physical opposition or torture.

3. The response of the persecuted is literally, that they should "leap for joy!"  Why?  Because the persecuted will have a great reward in heaven; and because the persecuted are in good company: The prophets before them were also persecuted.

4. Why will the world persecute them? Because the values and character expressed in these Beatitudes are so opposite to the world's manner of thinking.  The life that is blessed under the Beatitudes isn't assertive or self-interested enough for today. Our persecution may not be much compared to others, but if no one speaks evil of you, are these Beatitudes traits of your life?

Those who are poor in spirit are those who recognize their own poverty, in light of who Jesus is.  Poverty of spirit is the opposite of pride.  It causes us to mourn and be meek. When we realize our poverty and weep over it, we begin to hunger and thirst after righteousness.  This leads us to be more merciful. As we recognize our own need for mercy, we begin to show more mercy. This has a cleansing effect on our lives, making us pure.  This enables us to be peacemakers, but some will resent and persecute us for it. 

The Beatitudes demonstrate that the way to heavenly blessedness is directly opposed to the worldly path normally followed in pursuit of happiness. The worldly idea is that happiness is found in riches, parties, material things, leisure, and such. The real truth is the very opposite. The Beatitudes give Jesus' description of the character of true faith.  Where are you at today?

The Best Things In Life Are Free

When we count our many blessings; it isn't hard to see

that life's most valued treasures are the treasures that are free.

For it isn't what we own or buy that signifies our wealth.

It's the special gifts that have no price; our family, friends and health.

God Bless and Press On
Larry