Monday, April 7, 2014
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Matthew 5:5
Meek
or Weak?
Like the first two Beatitudes, Jesus’ words in
verse 5 are clearly designed to challenge conventional wisdom. “Blessed are the meek, for they will
inherit the earth” (Matt. 5:5). If
you are like me, when you read this text your first thought is, “What in the
world is He talking about here? Since when is a meek person blessed?” Isn’t it
the meek kid who gets pushed around at school? Isn’t it the meek woman who
finds herself sitting alone at parties? Isn’t it the meek man who gets stuck
with all the worst assignments at the office? This is a prime example of where
the translation of Jesus’ words from Greek to English leaves us at a great
disadvantage. In order to fully understand the depth of what Jesus is saying in
this text, we have to recapture the original meaning of the word meek. Certainly, in our culture today,
this word does not have a positive connotation. According to Pastor Ray
Pritchard, “It suggests many things, none of which are very appealing. If you
tell someone you think they are meek, they probably won’t take it as a
compliment. In fact, they’ll probably assume you are saying something negative
about their character.”[1]
I believe he is absolutely correct in his
assessment. All you have to do is open a thesaurus and look up the word meek, and you will see why we hold it in
such low esteem. If you do, you’ll see words like humble, timid, submissive,
gentle, docile, modest, compliant, and mild. Not exactly a blockbuster list of
power words. And this illustrates our problem in trying to grasp Jesus’
meaning. Try rewording this Beatitude, using some of those words as a
substitute for meek. “Blessed are the
timid, for they will inherit the earth.” It doesn’t sound right, does it? How
about, “Blessed are the docile”? Nothing
about this statement points one in the direction of blessings.
I
think if we are honest, most of us read this text and confuse the word meek with the word weak. And if that’s the case, it’s no wonder we don’t want to be
called meek. However, because Jesus said that meekness would be a
characteristic found in His followers, we need to take the time to understand
what He meant.
Author Philip Keller gives us some helpful
insight through his childhood experience of growing up on a ranch in eastern
Africa. One of his favorite times of year was when his dad would buy the oxen
that were necessary for large-scale farming, before tractors were available.
These large animals, called Brahma bulls, would arrive as wild animals,
fighting and kicking and struggling against the powerful restraints that were
used to harness their great strength. Only after weeks of continual training,
where the animals fought and kicked and struggled to the point of exhaustion,
were these brute beasts finally tamed and ready to be trained for farming. But
once they stopped fighting and began submitting themselves to the work they
were bred to perform, the result was nothing short of miraculous. By harnessing
the power of these large animals to pull plows, to rip out stumps, and to move
large rocks, the farmers of East Africa were able to turn once barren and
useless ground into productive and profitable farmland. Over the years, vast
expanses of land were reclaimed, providing food to feed many thousands of
hungry people. When left to their own wild nature, the power these oxen
possessed made them dangerous and unpredictable. But once that power was under
control and put to good use, their owners could feed and care for the oxen
without any fear of personal harm.[2]
This story is a great illustration of what Jesus
was describing when He used the word meek
in Matthew 5:5. It is not by possessing immense strength and power that we
achieve great things for God’s Kingdom. It’s only when our strength and power
is brought under the control of our Heavenly Father that we become useful
vessels for the work to which God has called us. In the original Greek, the
word translated as meek carries the
idea of power that could be harnessed for good. If you owned a meek horse, it
was not a weak horse, but a powerful horse you were able to control. This has
led many Bible scholars to define meekness
as “power under control.”
Jesus’ Example
A perfect illustration of this principle is
found in Jesus’ behavior on the night in which He was betrayed. As He faced the
horror of death by crucifixion and the unspeakable pain of separation from His
Heavenly Father, Jesus declared, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup
from me; yet not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). Jesus understood
that the fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan was the very purpose for which He
came to earth. This meant that His short-term prospect of pain, as terrible as
it was going to be, would lead to immeasurable eternal glory, both for himself
and for His Heavenly Father. Jesus’ meekness in the face of Roman crucifixion
was the single most powerful act a human has ever accomplished. There is
nothing weak about the godly characteristic of meekness.
This is why Jesus was able to accurately
describe himself as meek in the Gospel of Matthew, “Come unto me, all ye that
labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke
upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek
and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30For my
yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:28–30 KJV; italics mine). After
demonstrating the power of meekness to overcome fear and doubt, Jesus now
invites us to share in His victory as we surrender control of our lives to Him.
The picture of taking up His yoke is that of two oxen pulling together to plow
a field. In this illustration, Jesus promises that if we will place our lives
in His yoke, trusting Him to pick the direction we need to go, He will do the
majority of the pulling along the way.
Supernatural
This reminds us that the Christian life is
supernatural in nature. You and I can never achieve meekness on our own. Jesus
makes this clear when he says, “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to
your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not
come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you” (John 16:7 NKJV). He is
reminding us that one of the primary roles
of the Holy Spirit is to take up residence in the heart of believers, providing
the supernatural power we need to live a new life. When you and I finally reach this point in our Christian journey,
the point where we willingly surrender control to our Lord, we exchange the
shackles of self-control and the weight of failed expectations for the joy of
the Holy Spirit’s guidance and direction. What a deal! This is the beauty of
meekness! When understood in this context, it is no wonder that Jesus describes
the person who lives this way as blessed.
For a more in-depth treatment of this topic, see my book entitled "The Cure-prescription for life", available on my website: www.stevebyrens.com - Also available on Amazon and Barnes and Nobles websites
For a more in-depth treatment of this topic, see my book entitled "The Cure-prescription for life", available on my website: www.stevebyrens.com - Also available on Amazon and Barnes and Nobles websites
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Matthew 5:4
Believe it or not, one of the highlights of
my Christian life was attending the funeral of an African-American friend named
Julia. Before I became a pastor, I was a financial planner, and Julia was one
of my clients. She had a deep faith in Jesus Christ, which was reflected in
every area of her life. I loved meeting with Julia, because we talked more
about Jesus than we ever did about money and finances. Over the last six months
of her battle with cancer, I had the privilege of meeting and praying with her several
times. I was a new Christian and I had never seen this type of faith before.
Nothing that the doctors or the disease threw at her seemed to shake her faith
in God. Most of the time, Julia was the one doing the encouraging! After she
died, I was invited to her funeral, and was honored to attend. I was the only
Caucasian in a very large African-American church, and yet I never once felt
out of place. As the service began, I experienced a peace and joy that is
almost indescribable. For almost two hours, I sat there as her friends and
family celebrated both her life and her faith in God. I walked into that
funeral with a heavy heart of sorrow and grief, but I walked out of that
funeral with an unspeakable joy. On the way home I was overwhelmed by a sense
of the goodness and the grace of God! When I look back on that moment of time,
I can’t help but think about what Jesus said,
“Blessed are those who
mourn, for they will be comforted” (Matt. 5:4).
Although it goes against everything we try
to convince ourselves of, as human beings we actually need times of mourning in
our lives. In order to truly appreciate all that we have been given in this
life by God, we actually need times of loss and pain, times when we wonder how
we’re going to be able to hang on. It is these deep feelings of sorrow which
lead to mourning, that force us to get serious about the situation we’re
facing. When we mourn, it reveals that we honestly and truly care in a deep
way. Let me give you a couple of illustrations.
I remember watching a Detroit Lions football
game when one of their offensive linemen got hurt. A hush fell over the crowd
when it became obvious that he wasn’t moving, and likely had no feeling in his
body. Suddenly, thousands of people realized that the person they were watching
being attended to by medical personnel might very well be paralyzed for the
rest of his life. Something changed as he was wheeled out on a cart with his
head fastened down so his neck wouldn’t move. All of a sudden, the outcome of
the game didn’t seem that important.
Here’s another example. Which is more
meaningful: if someone comes to a party celebrating your recent promotion at
work, or if they show up at a gathering to help comfort you because you’re
grieving the loss of a close family member? Although professional advancement
is exciting and provides a great opportunity to celebrate with your close
friends, it is during times of painful loss that you really discover those on
whom you can depend.
There’s something about the mourning process
that cuts through the trivial things of life and focuses our hearts and minds
on what is really important. Although my friend Julia suffered physically in
her final days, she soared in her spirit as she turned to God for strength. The
way she found such deep comfort in Christ under such painful circumstances was
a profound reminder to those of us who knew her, that, no matter how difficult
our physical circumstances might be, they don’t change God’s ability to keep
His promises to His children. Promises like these:
"Never will I
leave you; never will I forsake you."– Heb. 13:5
"He gives strength
to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 30 Even youths grow tired and
weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the LORD will
renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and
not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." – Isa. 40:29–31
Sometimes it is when we are the most weary,
the most tired, and the most heartbroken that God becomes the most real! And as
hard as it is for those of us who are obsessed with personal comfort to
comprehend, at Julia’s funeral it was the painful loss of a beloved sister in
Christ that provided the opportunity to experience God’s faithfulness in such a
meaningful way. It was literally as we mourned our loss, that we began to
experience God’s blessings in a deeper way. And this leads us back to one of
the most profound and important paradoxes in the Bible. It is when we mourn and
face death that we find the true blessings and joy of life.
For a more in-depth treatment of this
topic, see my book entitled "The Cure-prescription for life",
available on my website: www.stevebyrens.com - Also available on Amazon
and Barnes and Nobles websites
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Blessed
are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:3
Two thousand years ago, Jesus was born
into a culture that was every bit as broken as the one we live in today. The
nation of Israel was subject to the rule of Rome, a brutal empire that
dominated the Mediterranean world. Because
the Jewish people had rejected God and had lived in apostasy for over four
hundred years, Israel had been
reduced to a mere shadow of the glory it had enjoyed when its leaders walked
closely with God. Men like David and Solomon were not perfect, but their lives
were characterized by an intimate knowledge of their Creator. This knowledge
fueled a love relationship with God, which enabled these great leaders to guide
Israel through a time of unparalleled affluence. But by the time of Jesus’
birth, the religious leaders had lost their way. Instead of seeking intimacy
with God, they focused on empty religious rituals. Holiness was determined by
how closely you followed the letter of the Law, instead of how closely you
walked with God. The Pharisees and Sadducees spent most of their time arguing
over minute details in the Torah, looking for new rules and regulations to
follow, instead of offering hope to the desperate masses buried under the
weight of Roman occupation.
Because
of these conditions, the daily lives of the Jewish people were filled with
drudgery and hardship. The Roman overlords took the best of everything the Jews
worked so hard to produce. Their once great religion had been stripped of its
ability to offer any hope. This was an atmosphere ripe for rebellion and war.
If ever there was time for a dynamic leader to step up and take advantage of
this dissatisfaction, this was the time. The people were desperate for freedom
from Rome and hope for the future!
Into
this chaos stepped a charismatic young rabbi with an unexpected message—a message
that offered both freedom and hope, but not in the way the people were
expecting. While the masses were focused on their external circumstances, Jesus
was focused on the interior of their hearts. And it is here, at this point of
contention, that Jesus chose to share some of the most powerful words ever
spoken, words that hold the cure for what ails the sinful human heart.
“Now when he saw the crowds, he went up
on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2and he
began to teach them, saying: 3‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs
is the kingdom of heaven’” (Matt. 5:1–3).
I
want you to try and imagine this scene as it was unfolding. When we look at the
end of Matthew chapter 4, we see that Jesus had begun His ministry in Galilee
by demonstrating God’s ability to meet the people’s needs.
Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching
in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every
disease and sickness among the people. 24News about him spread all
over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases,
those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and
the paralyzed, and he healed them. 25Large crowds from Galilee, the
Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him. – Matt. 4:23–25
As Jesus began to demonstrate God’s mercy
and grace by healing the sick and delivering those who were demon-possessed, He
became what we would call, in today’s vernacular, a “celebrity”. As a result of
His fame, large crowds wanted to be near Him.
But instead of soaking in their praise
and encouraging their adulation, Jesus took His disciples and retreated from the
crowd. What could have been His motivation for doing this? Wasn’t His goal to
reach the lost? I believe the answer is very simple. The crowd’s motivation for
following Jesus was wrong. It wasn’t because they were grateful for what God
had done on their behalf. It wasn’t because they were overwhelmed by His
display of mercy and grace. It wasn’t because they desired a personal
relationship with God. And it certainly wasn’t because they now had a
passionate desire to serve God and His Kingdom. The bottom line was they wanted
Jesus to take care of them and make their lives better. They were anticipating
a Messiah who would come and throw off the shackles of Rome. By performing
signs and wonders in their midst, they assumed that Jesus must be the
long-awaited (physical) Savior of the (physical) Jewish nation. You can imagine
what they were thinking after they watched Jesus perform His miracles: “Hey, if
this guy can heal the sick, cast out demons, and provide food for the hungry,
then surely He can destroy the Roman armies and restore Israel to her rightful
place. If we just stay close to this guy, He’ll take care of everything.”
But
this takes us back to what we said in the last post If you don’t understand
the nature of your disease, you won’t understand how to find the cure. Their
problem wasn’t Rome; it was the denial of their need for God. Their problem
wasn’t external, it was internal. It was the condition of their hearts. And so
Jesus came to set them free, not from the tyranny of Rome, but from the tyranny
of self, from the constant pull of selfishness and pride.
Like so much else that Jesus taught, this runs absolutely counter to everything we hear in our culture. And certainly, by what we see in the Gospel accounts about His disciples, it was counter to what they thought as well. Many times during Jesus’ ministry, while He was focused on the inward change necessary for broken individuals to find wholeness, His disciples were busy arguing about which one of them would be the greatest in Jesus’ new kingdom. We find a perfect example in Luke 9. “An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. 47Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him. 48Then he said to them, ‘Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For he who is least among you all—he is the greatest’” (Luke 9:46–48). Jesus obviously had a very different idea than His disciples as to what constitutes greatness. And because of this difference, being poor in spirit was not a characteristic that His followers seemed to value. It’s very much the same for us in our culture. We are raised to believe that everything revolves around us and our personal desires. We’re inundated by television commercials that are designed to foster this belief. Whatever I think I want, I should be able to have, and when this happens, then I will be happy. “If I get the right haircut, the right car, the best house, etc., then I’ll be satisfied!
Like so much else that Jesus taught, this runs absolutely counter to everything we hear in our culture. And certainly, by what we see in the Gospel accounts about His disciples, it was counter to what they thought as well. Many times during Jesus’ ministry, while He was focused on the inward change necessary for broken individuals to find wholeness, His disciples were busy arguing about which one of them would be the greatest in Jesus’ new kingdom. We find a perfect example in Luke 9. “An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. 47Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him. 48Then he said to them, ‘Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For he who is least among you all—he is the greatest’” (Luke 9:46–48). Jesus obviously had a very different idea than His disciples as to what constitutes greatness. And because of this difference, being poor in spirit was not a characteristic that His followers seemed to value. It’s very much the same for us in our culture. We are raised to believe that everything revolves around us and our personal desires. We’re inundated by television commercials that are designed to foster this belief. Whatever I think I want, I should be able to have, and when this happens, then I will be happy. “If I get the right haircut, the right car, the best house, etc., then I’ll be satisfied!
The Kingdom of Heaven is not the
establishment of some earthly kingdom, as the disciples were hoping. It is
instead the establishment of God’s government in the heart of every believer.
It signifies the surrender of our hearts, minds, and souls to the Lordship of
our Savior Jesus Christ. Remember, Jesus said that “the kingdom of God is
within you” (Luke 17:21). In essence, this means surrendering control of our
lives to the Spirit of God as He dwells in our hearts. The Kingdom of God is
any place, including the human heart, where God’s will is recognized as
sovereign.
When
we become poor in spirit, we willingly surrender control of our hearts to the
direction of the Holy Spirit. We give up self-control and selfish ambition in
exchange for God’s will for our lives. Like our Lord on the night He was
betrayed, the cry of our hearts becomes, “Not my will, but yours be done.”
Above all else, we will desire to do God’s will and work, regardless of the
cost. We can actually say with sincerity, “Whatever it takes, God, I’m ready!”
Like a cancer patient who will submit his body to the doctor’s knife in order
to get rid of that part of himself that is riddled with disease, a person who
is poor in spirit willingly submits himself to the truth of God’s Word; a truth
that cuts like a knife at the sin and selfishness that riddles the human heart.
For a more detailed study of the Beatitudes, see my book entitled "The Cure -prescription for life"
For a more in-depth treatment of this topic, see my book entitled "The Cure-prescription for life", available on my website: www.stevebyrens.com - Also available on Amazon and Barnes and Nobles websites
For a more in-depth treatment of this topic, see my book entitled "The Cure-prescription for life", available on my website: www.stevebyrens.com - Also available on Amazon and Barnes and Nobles websites
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Every
year in the US, 1.4 million people are given the news that they have cancer. Of
that number, over five hundred thousand of them are told that it is terminal.
Think about the impact of this diagnosis: one day you are living your life
under the illusion that you are invincible; the next day you find out that you
have cancer and that you are likely going to die. I have never been diagnosed
with cancer. I’ve never had to sit in a doctor’s office and have the doctor
tell me that my tumor is malignant. But from talking with people who have, I
know a process takes place in the human heart and mind that forces us to begin
dealing with our own mortality.
Although not always exactly in this
order, the process looks something like this:
1)
denial:
cancer is something that happens to other people;
2)
what
are my options: how can I take care of this problem and make it better?
3)
re-evaluating
priorities: if my time is limited, I want to start focusing on what’s important;
4)
acceptance
and treatment: okay, I admit I can’t handle this on my own, so I’m going to
accept the treatments that are being offered.
Most
of the time this means a complete life change: a new diet, a new set of habits,
and ruthlessly getting rid of anything that might have contributed to the
disease. A transformation takes place in how your priorities shape the way you
live your life. When you boil it all down, you realize an important truth: you
don’t want to die, you want to live! At this point you are now ready and
willing to do whatever takes to find the cure!
As a matter of fact, billions of dollars are
raised every year by all sorts of organizations attempting to find the cure for
cancer and other terminal diseases. The sad reality is that what we can see so
clearly when it comes to our physical health, we reject when it comes to our
spiritual health! We’ll do almost anything to find a cure when we are sick.
We’ll get rid of food. We’ll get rid of products that contain dangerous
chemicals. We’ll stay out of the sun. We’ll submit our bodies to chemotherapy
(actually shooting poison into your body to kill the cancer so that the rest of
the body can live). We’ll do whatever it takes to avoid the things that lead to
cancer and physical death, and yet never give a second thought to the things
all around us that lead to spiritual cancer and spiritual death.
What is very interesting to note is that while
Jesus did much to help people who suffered physically, when it came right down
to it, His main focus was spiritual life. Every time He healed a person, every
time He cast out a demon, every time He provided food, it was always to open the
person’s eyes to their deeper need for God. Let’s look at a couple of examples
from the Bible:
Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this
water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will
never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of
water welling up to eternal life.” – John 4:13–14
Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi,
eat something.” But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing
about.” Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him
food?” “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to
finish his work.” John
4:31–36
In these verses, Jesus makes it clear that God
knows we have physical needs, and that He is more than willing to meet those
needs on our behalf. But His concern is that we spend so much of our time and
energy trying to meet our physical needs, assuming that once we have met them,
we’ll then be happy and satisfied. We somehow convince ourselves that if we
meet our physical appetites, we will also satisfy our spiritual hunger. But
this just doesn’t match up with reality. We live in one of the most wealthy and
affluent cultures to ever exist on earth. A small minority of people in America
are without access to everything they need to meet their basic physical needs.
But satisfying physical needs can never take the place of satisfying our deeper
spiritual hunger. If you don’t believe me, watch one episode of True Hollywood Story. Do a little research
on the average life expectancy of a childhood star. Even scarier, simply take a
look at the deterioration of the families in your own community. Everywhere we
look we see brokenness and despair. The rate of suicide among teenagers is
skyrocketing. Drug and alcohol abuse are rampant. Traditional families are
disintegrating. And large numbers of people are simply checking out of life! As
one person described to me recently, concerning her attempts to minister to
some of the broken people who frequent the bank where she works, “Sometimes it
feels like being in a movie, surrounded by zombies.”
When our God-given spiritual needs go unmet, the result is a spiritual cancer—a disease of the soul that is just as fatal and just as deadly as any form of physical cancer. Proverbs 17:22 says, “A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.” We may not want to admit it, but we are all spiritually sick. There is a cancer spreading rapidly through our culture and we’re all being directly affected!
People
were no different two thousand years ago in the Middle East. Jesus walked into
a culture full of people who suffered from the same problems we face in our
culture; the people of Israel were just as broken and empty as we are today. Just
like us, they had seen the failure of education, economics, government, and
science to bring peace to broken human hearts. They had witnessed some of the
greatest advances in human history (made by the Babylonians, the Greeks, and
the Romans), yet their everyday lives still seemed meaningless and empty. They
were trapped under the iron fist of Rome, a ruthless enemy who didn’t believe
in their God. And so the first century Jews became convinced that if they could
just get a new king, a king who believed in the God of Israel, everything would
get better. All they needed was a king who would punish Rome and restore Israel
to her rightful place as God’s Kingdom here on earth. In human terms it makes
sense, doesn’t it? We usually look for physical answers to our spiritual
problems. But Jesus came with a very different message—a message that included the
cure. But in order to embrace this cure we have to first understand the nature
of our disease.
The Beatitudes
In Matthew chapter 5, Jesus begins what is
known as the Sermon on the Mount (which is, without a doubt, the greatest
sermon ever given) with a group of sayings that have become known as the
Beatitudes, a phrase that means “the Blessings.” Throughout the remainder of
this series of blogs on the Beatitudes we will carefully study our Lord’s words, that include His cure for
what ails the human heart. Jesus is going to teach us some unexpected and life-changing
truths. For example, He will reveal to us that:
1) Often, the way up can only be found when we’re willing to bow down.
2) We have to deal with our sorrow before we can find true joy.
3) We will probably have to endure persecution, if we want to experience
God’s power.
4) Dying
to self is actually the way to feel the most alive.
When we finish this amazing section of Scripture,
we’ll see that Jesus wants us to understand an essential truth—because our
problem isn’t physical, the cure won’t be physical either. Until we understand
the depth and nature of our disease, we will never understand the nature of the
cure. It wasn’t a new king the people of Israel needed in order to get right
with God. It was a new understanding of their brokenness and sin, that
separated them from their Heavenly Father. They felt empty and alone because
they were not in proper relationship to the One who had created them.
What they needed most of all was the humility
to recognize their sin and to accept God’s grace (instead of their own efforts)
as the solution to overcoming their problems. As much as I might want to see a
change in the leadership of this my country, true spiritual revival won’t come
from our political leaders. As much as I would love to see science solve all of
our medical problems, true health won’t come from research. As much as I would
love to see every child receive a great education, true knowledge and wisdom
won’t come from our schools.
As we will learn from the words of Jesus in
Matthew chapter 5, transformation must start in the hearts of God’s people—a
people who humbly bow down and receive God’s grace; a people who surrender
control and stop trying to be God; a people who are willing to accept what God
has to offer. Only then will we find healing for our broken hearts, forgiveness
to bind up our wounds, and unrelenting love to give our lives meaning and
purpose.
Jesus describes the people who are transformed
by God in this manner as salt and light. “You are the salt of the earth
. . . You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be
hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put
it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way,
let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise
your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:13a,
14–16).
For a more in-depth treatment of this topic, see my book entitled "The Cure-prescription for life", available on my website: www.stevebyrens.com - Also available on Amazon and Barnes and Nobles websites
Thursday, January 9, 2014
For
many Christians, the decision to follow Jesus Christ begins with the
Gospel promise of new life and abundant living. We become aware of our
sin, understand that Jesus' death on the cross paid the penalty for that
sin, and learn about His resurrection from the dead, which provides
great hope through the promise of eternal life. Verses like John 3:16,
John 1:12, and John 10:10 describe some of the incredible blessings that
God pours out through His grace for those who believe in Jesus Christ.
These blessings include: the forgiveness of sins, being made into
children of God, and an abundant life in Christ. When we start to
contemplate these things, the gift of grace seems overwhelming.
However, at some point in our Christian walks we must start reading the rest of the Bible in order to grow and mature in our faith. And if you're like many of the Christians I've studied the Scriptures with over the years, it is sections of the Bible like Mathew 5:1-16 that cause you great confusion, What in the world is Jesus talking about when He says "blessed are the poor in spirit?" How could he be serious when He says, "blessed are those who mourn?" Why would He try to convince us that being "meek" or facing "persecution" could lead to a life of blessings? In fact, this section of Scripture known as the Beatitudes (which means the blessings) is the beginning of powerful oration, know as the "Sermon on the Mount", in which Jesus seems to completely redefine what it means to live a righteous life in God's eyes. At first glance, Jesus' message almost seems designed to lower our expectations of ever being able to successfully live out the Christian life. If we just quickly skim through the text, not taking time to carefully study what Jesus is truly teaching, we could easily miss the beauty of His message, coming instead to the tragic conclusion that the life he is promising to His followers is not the kind of life we would want for ourselves. After all, where is the Gospel promise of new life and abundant living to be found in Jesus' words here in Matthew 5?
If you have struggled with biblical texts like the Beatitudes, trying to square the message with what you understand about the Gospel, the next several blogs are designed for you. It is my prayer that as we uncover the beauty of Jesus' message in the Beatitudes, it will deepen you love for your Savior and empower you to walk in the light of His truth!
Matthew 5:1-16 (NIV), "Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.
14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."
For a more in-depth treatment of this topic, see my book entitled "The Cure-prescription for life", available on my website: www.stevebyrens.com - Also available on Amazon and Barnes and Nobles websites
However, at some point in our Christian walks we must start reading the rest of the Bible in order to grow and mature in our faith. And if you're like many of the Christians I've studied the Scriptures with over the years, it is sections of the Bible like Mathew 5:1-16 that cause you great confusion, What in the world is Jesus talking about when He says "blessed are the poor in spirit?" How could he be serious when He says, "blessed are those who mourn?" Why would He try to convince us that being "meek" or facing "persecution" could lead to a life of blessings? In fact, this section of Scripture known as the Beatitudes (which means the blessings) is the beginning of powerful oration, know as the "Sermon on the Mount", in which Jesus seems to completely redefine what it means to live a righteous life in God's eyes. At first glance, Jesus' message almost seems designed to lower our expectations of ever being able to successfully live out the Christian life. If we just quickly skim through the text, not taking time to carefully study what Jesus is truly teaching, we could easily miss the beauty of His message, coming instead to the tragic conclusion that the life he is promising to His followers is not the kind of life we would want for ourselves. After all, where is the Gospel promise of new life and abundant living to be found in Jesus' words here in Matthew 5?
If you have struggled with biblical texts like the Beatitudes, trying to square the message with what you understand about the Gospel, the next several blogs are designed for you. It is my prayer that as we uncover the beauty of Jesus' message in the Beatitudes, it will deepen you love for your Savior and empower you to walk in the light of His truth!
Matthew 5:1-16 (NIV), "Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.
The Beatitudes
He said:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Salt and Light
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."
For a more in-depth treatment of this topic, see my book entitled "The Cure-prescription for life", available on my website: www.stevebyrens.com - Also available on Amazon and Barnes and Nobles websites
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- Blessed are the Meek
- Encountering Jesus
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- John 11:38-46
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- Luke 17:11-19
- Matthew 5:1-16
- Matthew 5:3
- Matthew 5:4
- Matthew 5:5
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