The Kingdom of God

It Is Time the World Recognized Jesus

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Servant Acknowledged

Book of Mark Chapter 8

Most people do not object to the thought of a Messiah, but their downfall is that they are seeking some human leader who will make this place called earth a better place, a utopia.

This will be their downfall, when the Antichrist shows up to claim that he is the long-awaited Messiah.

The people will believe they have the true Messiah, but he will be only the true Deceiver.

People are not looking for the true Messiah who comes in judgment after He has redeemed His family.

God has decided that this earth is not worth saving, even after He makes it new again seven years after the return of Jesus Christ.

No place that has been subject to sin will be considered worthy of God’s children.

Even Heaven will be made new because the Devil and his angels once lived in Heaven.

2Pe 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
2Pe 3:11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
2Pe 3:12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
2Pe 3:13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
2Pe 3:14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.

The Lord Jesus teaches many valuable lessons in Chapter 8 of the Book of Mark.

The most important lesson in Chapter 8 is that Jesus teaches His disciples about the Church and the Church Age.

Who is the true Church? Those who confess the truth about the Lord Jesus Christ!

The Lord Jesus is the Head of the Church and the Church is the Body of Christ!

1Jn_4:15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.

Who is not the true Church?

2Jn_1:7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.

The Lord Jesus Christ is God’s Messiah, not man’s Messiah!

The twelve disciples needed a clear understanding of this.

This is when Judas Iscariot began to have his own doubts about the Lord Jesus.

*Mar 8:27 And Jesus went out, and his disciples, into the towns of Caesarea Philippi: and by the way he asked his disciples, saying unto them, Whom do men say that I am?

Caesarea Philippi was a city with a rich religious history. It had once been the center of Baal worship and there were at least fourteen temples in and around this city.

Remember, a religious history does not mean a Christian history.

It was a place where it was said that the false Greek god Pan was born.

Pan was said to be the god of the shepherds.

In fact, this city was once called Panias.

The name of this city changed after Herod the Great built a temple in honor of Caesar, and his son Philip adorned this new temple making it famous world-wide.

Much of the people began to worship Caesar and many other false gods, but they knew nothing of Jehovah, the One True God.

It was Caesar’s son Philip who caused this to happen, even adding his own name to this city making it Caesarea Philippi.

Caesarea Philippi was a heathen city!

This may be the reason the Lord asked His disciples a very important question.

You see, the world has many gods, but as Christians we know that there is only One True God, and He is Jehovah in the Old Testament and the Lord Jesus Christ of the New Testament both being the same person.

As Jesus and the twelve traveled from Bethsaida and around the town of Caesarea Philippi, He asked the supreme question of this life.

Jesus had taken a moment for solitary prayer and upon ending this prayer, He confronted the disciples with this question.

Luk 9:18 And it came to pass, as he was alone praying, his disciples were with him: and he asked them, saying, Whom say the people that I am?

How did they answer Him?

*Mar 8:28 And they answered, John the Baptist: but some say, Elias; and others, One of the prophets.

Many of those who had seen the Lord Jesus and those who had only heard of the Lord Jesus, saw him as just a great man.

The Lord Jesus was highly respected by many in those days, but it takes much more than this to be saved.

John the Baptist had been murdered by this time and many said that Jesus was the reincarnation of John the Baptist.

Some said that Jesus was a great Spirit of Righteousness, a Spirit that was willing to be martyred for its faith.

Herod and many in government thought this.

Mat 14:1 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus,
Mat 14:2 And said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him

Even some common people thought that this could be true.

The prophet Malichi had written: Mal 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
Mal 4:6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

Some thought that Jesus could even be Elijah reincarnated.

They had said that Jesus was the greatest prophet and rabbi of all time.

Even today the Jews feel that Elijah will return before the Messiah comes.

In fact, when the celebration of Passover, is observed, they always leave a chair vacant for resurrected Elijah to occupy.

The Jews even connect when Jesus was feeding those two great multitudes to Elijah, because of the miracle of the woman and her son.

1Ki 17:14 For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth.
1Ki 17:15 And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.

Many said that Jesus was just one of the prophets, whose name was not mentioned in the Old Testament, who came when Israel had a great need.

They said this because it was a fact in the Old Testament and God would send a prophet because this is the way God spoke to Israel, when the people were rebelling against the truth of God.

There are so many of those false accusations that are still said today.

The Lord Jesus is much more than just a great man. In His flesh He was the greatest of all men. In reality He is God!
The Lord Jesus is much more than some great teacher. In His flesh He was the greatest of all teachers. In reality He is Jehovah.
The Lord Jesus is much more than a prophet. He is Lord of lords and King of kings! He is the true Messiah!

1Jn 2:22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
1Jn 2:23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.

Then, the Lord Jesus asked His own disciples who they thought He was.

*Mar 8:29 And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ.

We should clearly understand that the Lord Jesus Christ will hold us accountable for the opinions we have of Him!

The Apostle Peter immediately says “Thou are the Christ” the Messiah.

We should clearly understand that if we do not believe Jesus the Messiah, the things He did and the things He says, then we are calling God a liar.

Jesus is declared to be all that God is, to possess the whole fulness of attributes which make God, God!

If the Lord Jesus was only a man, He could not have died to save this world, but because He is who He says He is, then He is of infinite value and could die in our place, each and every one of us!

Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Joh 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.

Notice John wrote “in the beginning” and not “from the beginning”.

In fact, all the Gospels emphasize the authenticity of His claims as Messiah!

If we put all the Gospels together, we can see that more than half of all the words used, were said by Jesus Himself.

We see them as written in red letters.

When we disagree with the “Gospel” again we are calling God a liar!

Isaiah wrote, the Messiah would give sight to the blind, speech to the dumb, and healing to the lame.

Isa 29:18 And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness.
Isa 29:19 The meek also shall increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

Isa 32:3 And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken.
Isa 32:4 The heart also of the rash shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly.

Isaiah also wrote that there would be a day that vile persons would say that God is a liar and we are in that day right now!

Isa 32:6 For the vile person will speak villany, and his heart will work iniquity, to practise hypocrisy, and to utter error against the LORD, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.
Isa 32:7 The instruments also of the churl are evil: he deviseth wicked devices to destroy the poor with lying words, even when the needy speaketh right.

The Kingdom of God is surely at hand!

All those of this earth that walk around saying important things about God and then, deny the Messiah are the same ones who are destroying the people of this earth.

It is these words of Peter that determine if we get to Heaven or are sent to Hell!

It is these words of Peter that are the foundation of the Church, and this will never change!

The survival of our souls depends upon these words being true!

The Lord Jesus Christ is the only source of life!

The Lord Jesus Christ possesses the source, the energy, and the power of life, within Himself!

There is no other source for life!

At this time, these men who would one day turn the world upside down, were instructed not to say anything about this.

*Mar 8:30 And he charged them that they should tell no man of him.

Why would Jesus say such a thing, if the fact that He is the Messiah was true?

The disciples were just beginning to understand this thing themselves, and they needed to understand what Jesus being the Messiah meant!

Remember that most people of the Jews felt that the Messiah, when He came, would sit on the throne of David as King of the Jews, and push the Romans out of Israel.

It was not this time yet!

This time is still in our future, but this will happen in God’s timing and not man’s timing!

Any false teaching in this day of the Apostles would do much harm to the Church as it began!

We must understand that confessing that Christ Jesus is the Messiah is just the beginning of our Spiritual journey, and there is much to learn on our journey to the true Promised Land.

We must be accurate in our studies! We have already seen how false teaching is affecting the Church and our nation.

We must be accurate in what we share, making sure we share the truth of God!

This means, that we need to take the time to learn these things and it was the same for the Apostle Peter and all the other Apostles.

There is enough false teaching in the world without us adding to it!

*Mar 8:31 And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

Just as all the twelve chosen disciples had just agreed that the Lord Jesus is the true Messiah, the Lord Jesus begins to tell them that He must die to build His Church.

Remember, Jesus is God’s Messiah and not man’s Messiah.

God’s Messiah could not die according to the Scriptures they had been taught.

The Lord Jesus is now in the third year of His ministry and it was time for all of them to learn about our Savior.

1) He would suffer many things.
2) He would be rejected of the elders of Israel, the chief Priests, and the Scribes.
3) He would be killed or murdered.
4) He would rise to live again three days after He was buried.

Nothing like this had ever happened!
Nothing like this would ever happen again!

How could humans ever kill God’s own Son?

It was time for these twelve men to understand that God would not accept any other payment for all the world’s sin, than the sacrifice of His Son.

It is not mentioned, but I wonder if the Lord Jesus told the disciples the story of Abrham and Isaac.

Gen 22:8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.

You see, we will never understand the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, until we understand that the Lord Jesus is God who came down from Heaven to save His children! Immanuel, God with us.

That word “must” means that these things absolutely had to take place!

Remember John 3:16.

Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

God is love, but man is corruptible!

It is because of this great love God has for His created humans, it was absolutely necessary for our Lord Jesus to suffer and die in our place!

It is because of His great love for us that God had to provide salvation for mankind!

God is also just, so this salvation must be done in a way that justice would be done.

It is because of God’s holiness, that His judgement must take place.

The penalty for sin is death and this penalty must be paid!

Death must be carried out!

Some ideal man had to die for mankind, so this penalty could be paid!

There had never been an ideal man upon this earth until the Lord Jesus Christ was born and lived a sin free life.

Heb 5:8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
Heb 5:9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

The Son of God had to become the Son of Man!

Who is this Son of Man?

Dan 7:13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.
Dan 7:14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

The phrase the Son of Man refers to the work the Lord Jesus came to accomplish!

**The deity of the Son of Man.

Joh 5:25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.
Joh 5:26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;
Joh 5:27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.

**The royalty of the Son of Man.

Dan 7:13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.

**The humanity of the Son of Man.

Joh 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
Joh 3:15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

**The glory of the Son of Man.

Joh 1:51 And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

The salvation of the Son of Man.

Joh 6:53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
Joh 6:54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
Joh 6:55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
Joh 6:56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
Joh 6:57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.
Joh 6:58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.

These are things that the Lord Jesus Christ saw in Himself.

The Lord Jesus Christ had to suffer in our place, so that all these things would be true!

These were things that the twelve disciples, chosen by Jesus were having a tough time absorbing.

*Mar 8:32 And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him.
Mar 8:33 But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.

We should be aware that the other disciples were just as confused as Peter, so they encouraged Peter to confront the Lord.

Peter then spoke without hesitation.

The truth is that most of mankind wants another way to get to Heaven, than the cross of Calvary.

They get confused about the death of the Lord Jesus Christ because they see this as a weakness in a God that cannot die.

Most of the world wants some other way to remove their sin and they think they find it in false gods.

The idea of a suffering Savior does not sit well with the lost!

Peter’s attempt to stop the plan of God did not set well with our Lord Jesus Christ.

We must understand that this is God’s plan and we can be a part of His plan or we can just get out of God’s way!

Those who think of God as only our grandfather who we can call upon for great advice, miss the meaning of a true God.

The cross is much more than an emblem of God’s love!

The cross is an emblem of suffering, and sacrifice, and self-denial!

These are the things that the Lord Jesus did for us, because of His great love for us!

Yes, the rebuke of Peter was harsh, but Peter was saying things that were like those of Satan.

Yes, the Lord Jesus had the power to refuse to go to that cross and had He chosen to use that power, there would be no salvation for anyone!

Jesus was being tempted to bypass God’s will for His life!

We are all tempted to bypass God’s will for us from time to time, but the greatest point of God’s will is for us to be saved.

1Ti 2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
1Ti 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
1Ti 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
1Ti 2:6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

Then Jesus gathered all those who were in the reach of His voice.

*Mar 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Who is the leader of the Church? He is the Lord Jesus Christ!

Who is the true Church? Those who deny themselves and follow the Lord Jesus Christ!

To follow the Lord Jesus Christ is to expect hardships.

There will be times of self-denial.

There will be cross bearing.

There will be scorn.

The rewards and eternal rest come later!

We must make a deliberate choice to follow Jesus by doing these three things.

1) We must disregard our own desires (deny self).

This means saying yes to Jesus Christ and let Him rule in our hearts and in our lives.

We must let Jesus Christ completely have His way with us!

2) We must become a follower, a companion, a disciple, of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We must be in union with the Lord Jesus no matter the costs!

3) We must see that His steps led to His death before they lead to glory.

Mat 16:21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.

Why are these things so important?

*Mar 8:35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.

What does this verse really mean?

All those who abandon their lives for the sake of the Lord Jesus, will in the end save their lives.

Those persons who keep to their own lives and seek increasingly more of this life, shall lose that life completely and eternally.

The call of Jesus Christ is just what He says, a life of denying self and takes up the cross of Jesus and follow in His steps.

It is the same for the “Gospel’s sake.”

When we are willing to sacrifice this life and give all we have to the spreading of the Gospel, then we shall save our life eternally.

Then Jesus asked a question.

*Mar 8:36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
Mar 8:37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Mar 8:38 Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

There are two stages of life that we must examine.

There are two beings and two existences to this same life!

1) Fact: Once a person is born into this world he or she will live forever!

The problem is that after this short life is over our being, our soul still lives forever.

Our choices are to be with God or to be without God!

All the power, all the riches, all the pleasure, and all the fame are nothing compared with our soul!

Nothing we gain in this world can we take with us!

What is a life of 60, 70, or 80 and a few with more years than this, compared to eternal life?

Everything in this life just fades and then passes away.

1Ti 6:7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

It is certain that anything we gain in this world stays in this world.

Most people turn these things over to some family member even before their death.

The human soul is eternal; it never dies, never ceases to exist.

Our human souls are more valuable than the entire world!

If we are ashamed of the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ, then we are deciding that our soul will live in a place without God and there is only one such place, it is called Hell.

The Lord Jesus Christ is God’s Messiah.

All prophecy in the Old Testament has been fulfilled in Jesus!

During our time of life in this life, we must decide if we accept the truth of the Lord Jesus or if we accept the falseness of this world.

We must never deny God’s Messiah!

This world we live in makes it very hard on us to accept the truth of Christ.

It seems that fewer and fewer people want to confess the Lord Jesus Christ, because this world is an adulterous and sinful place, full of lies and deceit.

You would have to be locked away in a vacuum to not recognize this.

Most people just want to keep control of their lives even when life is falling apart or is aging out of existence.

Whether we believe the Messiah or not, the fact remains that the Word of God is true and one day soon, the Lord Jesus will return and reveal His glory and the world will see Him as He really is, but it will be too late for them at that time.

He will have already removed those who were not ashamed of Him!

When the Lord returns in His glory to this world, all those who are ashamed of the Messiah will be more ashamed of their own behavior where it really counts, before God Himself, but the Lord will say, “I never knew you”.

Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

How can anyone believe that life is some accident and they live to just die?

Even some animals and insects live more than seventy years.

We are not accidents, but we are the created beings of God and life is our opportunity to choose His magnificence or misery.

To not choose at all is to choose misery forever and ever!

Amen

The Master Teacher

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Jesus Taught Like a King

Book of Matthew Chapter 5 verses 1 through 16

What happened immediately after Jesus was baptized? Jesus tempted of the Devil.

What happened immediately after Jesus was tempted of the Devil? Jesus began His ministry.

Jesus began His ministry with what is now called the Sermon on the Mount also called the “Beatitudes”.

We can understand the “beatitudes” as the blessedness of the saved soul.

We are nothing unless we have accepted the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Psa 32:1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

You are not forgiven by our Holy God until you have accepted the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ, it is just that simple!

We can also understand this sermon of the Lord Jesus Christ as the “qualities” of all those who will be found in the Kingdom of God.

We must begin these qualities once we have accepted the salvation of the Lord, “we must be Born Again”!

Remember John the Baptist preached “repent because the Kingdom of God is at hand”.

Jesus begins by preaching the qualities of those who will be found in the Kingdom of God.

If we consider that blessedness is happiness, then we can understand the preaching of the Apostle Peter:

1Pe 4:14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: “on their part he is evil spoken of”, but on your part he is glorified.
1Pe 4:15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters.
1Pe 4:16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, “let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf”.

Or James the half-brother of our Lord and Savior:

Jas 1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: “for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him”.

We can consider blessedness and happiness to be almost equal in this first sermon of our Lord Jesus.

*Mat 5:1 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:

We first see the compassion Jesus had for the people.

His disciples came to Him. As disciples we should always be seeking Jesus!

These Jews were seeking King Jesus!

The Lord Jesus chose this place on a mount because it was big enough to accommodate those multitudes who were following Him.

It was also a place His voice would carry. We can just imagine these people being quiet because they wanted to hear what Jesus had to say.

If you are a human being then it behooves you to hear what the Lord Jesus Christ has to say!

The Lord Jesus Christ was a great preacher who was always full of the Holy Spirit:

Joh 3:33 He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true.
Joh 3:34 “For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him”.
Joh 3:35 The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.
Joh 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

We can understand these words of Christ Jesus as a proclamation of the Kingdom of God “by the King of His coming Kingdom”.

Jesus is teaching His disciples.
Jesus is showing His authority over the Scriptures. His authority was within Himself.
Jesus taught as the Jewish Messiah. The Messiah who would be King of His Kingdom.

Mat 7:28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:
Mat 7:29 For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. (A scribe could only read the Word of God)

We will see that the way to be saved is not given in this Sermon!

But we should not forget all Scripture is written for us to learn!

2Ti 3:16 “All scripture” is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

This includes all the Old Testament and all the New Testament. (This does not include the acrophobia books not inspired by the Holy Spirit)

So let us begin:

*Mat 5:2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
Mat 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

What will we be like as “Subjects” in God’s Kingdom?

Notice Jesus did not start by passing out copies of the Old Testament. Jesus sat down and taught with the Words of His mouth.

Jesus teaches us as the fulfillment of all the Scriptures. Jesus taught with authority!

To be blessed is to be “happy”.

To be blessed is a spiritual joy and satisfaction regardless of the conditions we face.

The Apostle Paul understood this to mean:

Php_4:11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

This is the thing carries us through times of pain, and sorrow, and loss and grief.

Everyone wants to be blessed, but most of the world seeks that blessedness in the things of this world and it cannot be found in the things of this world!

1Jn 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
1Jn 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

Those who are blessed are those who choose the Lord because He first chose them!

Psa 65:4 Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.

Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
Eph 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Eph 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Eph 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

We cannot associate these poor in Spirit with those who are poor in worldly things.
We cannot associate those who are mean spirited with those who are poor in Spirit.
We should not understand that the poor in Spirit are poor in spirituality.

Poorness of spirit, in a godly sense, is true humility or true contrition of heart, because we acknowledge that we are sinners in need of a Savior.

We are poor in spirit when we acknowledge we are nothing without the Lord Jesus Christ and then Jesus Christ will take us into His Kingdom!

*Mat 5:4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

To mourn is the condition of all those who are brokenhearted because of their own sin or of the sin of others or the sin of this world.

It can be somewhat compared to mourning over the death of a loved one.

Isa 53:3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Isa 53:4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
Isa 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

It can be that brokenness when we read the things Christ Jesus went through on the cross, while realizing it was our sin that put Him there!

2Co 7:10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

It is the Lord Jesus Christ who can only provide that comfort!

Joh 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

You know, it is the Lord Jesus Christ who will wipe away all those tears of mourning!

*Mat 5:5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

It is all those who have humbled themselves before Christ who can enjoy the remainder of their days upon this earth!

They are teachable in the ways of the Lord.
They have nothing to prove to this world.
They have a renewed purpose and meaning and a significance in this life knowing it will end in the glory world, in the Father’s House!

As Christians we learn to control our circumstances by not allowing our circumstances to control us!

We know we are on the winning side and we act like it!

*Mat 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

When we hunger for righteousness it means we have put to death the sin in our lives!

Rom_8:13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

Jesus Christ died to remove sin and the control that sin had over our lives.

It is righteousness that will fill that gap where the sin is gone forever!

Eph 3:19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

Being filled with our Righteous Savior!

*Mat 5:7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

To be merciful is to be compassionate!

Fourteen times in the Gospels, the word compassion is used where 10 of those times Jesus used the word compassion Himself.

The other 4 times it said Jesus had compassion or that Jesus was moved with compassion.

This verse states emphatically, that if we are merciful to all others showing compassion, then God will show mercy to us and He proved this on the cross!

The modern Church have removed the importance of the cross because they would rather cling to their sin calling it the modernization of the Word of God. God is not old fashioned!

The Lord gives us an example.

Mat 18:22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
Mat 18:23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.
Mat 18:24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.
Mat 18:25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.
Mat 18:26 The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
Mat 18:27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.
Mat 18:28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.
Mat 18:29 And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
Mat 18:30 And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.
Mat 18:31 So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.
Mat 18:32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:
Mat 18:33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?
Mat 18:34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
Mat 18:35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

Every believer can be merciful and therefore “must be merciful”!

When we understand the blessings of God, then we should understand that it is certainly more important to give than to receive!

The Lord will deal with us just as we deal with other people. We had better keep this in mind!

So, whatever mercy we desire from God, then we had better show that mercy to our brothers and sisters in Christ!

A merciful heart is a pure heart!

*Mat 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

A pure heart is “clean”, it is unsoiled from the things of this world. It is unpolluted, “a pure heart is Holy”!

Remember no one can see God and live, yet here we read that those with a Holy heart shall see God, in fact they are the only ones who will ever see God face to face!

Of all the other traits of the Christian, none of those traits can be true if our heart is not pure and like the heart of the Lord Jesus Christ!

How do we see God now?

1Co 13:12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
1Co 13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Perfect charity comes from a pure heart! Charity is a “giving love”!

Our pure heart will become a reality when we meet the Lord in the air!

1Jn 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, “we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is”.
1Jn 3:3 And every man that hath this hope in him “purifieth himself”, even as he is pure.

All the qualities of the true Christian come together with a pure heart which leads us to righteousness!

Psa 17:15 As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.

Only then can we become a true peacemaker, a true child of God.

*Mat 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

The Lord has left us upon this earth after our salvation “to become peacemakers”.

It is our job to prepare the highway to the Lord for individuals who are lost, just as did John the Baptist begin preparations for Jesus to build the “Highway to Heaven”!

It is our job to make peace between the lost and the Lord!

We are to solve disputes and never be the cause of them!

We must find ways to explain the truth of God to those who do not understand it, without compromising the Word of God.

We must take our faith, with a pure heart, full of mercy and love, and show these things to the unbeliever.

Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Rom 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

We must remember we can only get close to Christ Jesus because of the blood He shed for us.

Eph 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
Eph 2:14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
Eph 2:15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
Eph 2:16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

We are reconciled to God by His “grace” and we must show “that same grace” to all we meet, even to our enemies.

When we do these things, we will be persecuted by those who are sold out to Satan.

*Mat 5:10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 5:11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Mat 5:12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

There are many people in this world who are persecuted for one evil reason or another, only the Church is persecuted for doing good.

The Church is persecuted simply because most of the leadership of the world hates the Lord Jesus Christ and the principles that He teaches through His disciples!

The teachings of Jesus Christ reveal the wickedness and immorality that is approved by the world, even though the queer movement represents only a small fraction of the world’s people, less than ten percent.

The teachings of Christ Jesus go against abortion, when it is those two people who decide to commit a sinful act, neglecting the responsibility of their actions!

Why is the everyday taxpayer held responsible for the acts of two people who should be held accountable?

It is not the child who is at fault, so why is the child punished with death?

Abortion is now used, not just to murder an innocent living child, but also to choose the sex of the baby, to check for traits that are unwanted, and many other reasons and then aborted child is not treated with any respect but is sold for its body parts. “True wickedness”.

When we are persecuted for doing what is right, it shows how low our world has become!

2Ti 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

I accept the fact that I may be persecuted just because I love the Lord Jesus Christ, but it does not make it easier, it is just like all the other Word of God, I just accept it as the truth and move on.

It just shows that I serve an all-knowing God!

Whoever thought people would be treated so bad just because they were trying to do good for all people.

Our government has already decided that we are too ignorant to know right from wrong!

Today you can do all manner of evil and much of the world will stand up in your defense, even come to your rescue, but if you try to do the things the Lord Jesus Christ did or try to live your life according to the Word of God, you are treated as less than a human being.

In fact the world will say you are mentally unfit.

But it does not matter because we have a Savior and if you reject that Savior you are only causing harm to yourself and to those you love.

Just because you persecute God’s people, you cannot rob them of God’s blessings!

Jesus speaking here just says, I can be happy that I am seen to be like Him.

In fact Jesus says to rejoice! Be exceeding glad! For our rewards are just piling up in Heaven!

Persecution is just a test of true discipleship!

1Pe 4:13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
1Pe 4:14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.
1Pe 4:15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters.

The world may try to protect the murderer, and the thief, and the evildoer, and all those who are busybodies in other people’s matters, but “Heaven is not open to the world”.

Jesus is not preparing a home for the world He is preparing a home only for those who love Him!

Joh 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
Joh 14:2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

I will not worry about what this world can do to me, because I have a Living Savior who cannot be touched by the ways of the world and I want to be like Him!

The Church exists for the sake of the world to try to change the evil ways of the world, but most of the world have sold their souls to the Devil and they are not looking to change!

*Mat 5:13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

At one time salt was so valuable in this world that Roman soldiers were paid with salt because it could be used to meet their needs in any nation they traveled and was more valuable than gold.

Salt makes many foods acceptable because it changes the flavor of the food.

Job 6:6 Can that which is unsavoury be eaten without salt? or is there any taste in the white of an egg?

Salt was a preservative especially for edible meats and fishes and is still used today for this reason.

Salt can also be used for destruction of the land not allowing it ever again to produce life, such as the land that was once Sodom and Gomorrah.

Zep 2:9 Therefore as I live, saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, even the breeding of nettles, and saltpits, and a perpetual desolation: the residue of my people shall spoil them, and the remnant of my people shall possess them.

Psa 107:34 A fruitful land into barrenness, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein.

Salt is also used in blessings.

Lev 2:13 And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt.

It is the Christian life that can change the evil ways of Sodom and Gomorrah in our world today.
It is the Christian life that can show the world the beauty of living for Christ Jesus before it is too late.

It is the quality of Christian salt and not the quantity of Christian salt, that can make a difference in this world!

The flavor of evil can be changed by salt of God’s people!

Remember God’s people are salted and preserved forever more!

But much of the Church has lost its saltiness and it has no more value than the soil we walk upon.

In fact, as the false church gains in popularity, the world becomes a barren wilderness of sin!

The true Church is also the Light of this world.

*Mat 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
Mat 5:15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
Mat 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

The Christian who stays true to the Word of God cannot be hidden any more than the Sun can be blocked from its light.

God is Light, darkness is sin:

1Jn 1:5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

Every Christian being filled with the Holy Spirit has the Light of God living within them, glowing with the Light of Life.

Joh 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Joh 9:5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

Now that our Lord Jesus Christ is in Heaven, then the Church is the Light of the World.

Eph 5:8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
Eph 5:9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
Eph 5:10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.

Light is clear and pure.
Light penetrates darkness.
Light enlightens, it enlarges our vision.
Light reveals, it opens up the truth of darkness.
Light guides us down the right path.
Light strips away darkness.
Light protects us from the ways of darkness.

Our own Christian Light will grow dim if it is not used!

The more we confess the Lord Jesus Christ, the brighter we will shine, and no amount of persecution can change that.

There is no other light in this world that can benefit this world, we cannot allow our Christian Light to become dim and go out!

Light only has one purpose and that purpose is “to shine”!

After God created Heaven and the void of Earth, He next made “Light”!

Amen