Week 1 - A Different Code
Here we go, finally! Blogger has had server problems all day.
Matthew 5:3-12
"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
"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."
Pretty tough set of words, isn't it? You would think that being set free from the rigours of the Torah Law might be easier, but the challenged just changed its focus.
With each statement, Jesus moves farther from Jewish expectations of His Messianic mission. As a result, He moves further and further away from people's conventional understanding of Faith and Religion. The world He offers looks more obscure, less stringent. But there's safety in rules, there's comfort in codes. The problem is when we put more faith in our rules and codes than in Christ's grace.
The hope of grace begins when we realize how poor in spirit we really are. Being poor in spirit has nothing to do with hating ourselves or not being "good enough," but everything to do with what we have to earn favor with God. Nothing.
Garce begins when we admit that we cannot earn God's love and freedom, but that it is freely offered to those who have nothing else. I wonder if the times when it is difficult for me to receive grace are the times when I feel I have other things to help me: talent, family, wisdom, money. God's grace seems most abundant when it's the only option. Perhaps we could start to put grace as the first option and really start depending on God. Just a thought.
Questions to ask yourself (or someone else):
Matthew 5:3-12
"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
"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."
Pretty tough set of words, isn't it? You would think that being set free from the rigours of the Torah Law might be easier, but the challenged just changed its focus.
With each statement, Jesus moves farther from Jewish expectations of His Messianic mission. As a result, He moves further and further away from people's conventional understanding of Faith and Religion. The world He offers looks more obscure, less stringent. But there's safety in rules, there's comfort in codes. The problem is when we put more faith in our rules and codes than in Christ's grace.
The hope of grace begins when we realize how poor in spirit we really are. Being poor in spirit has nothing to do with hating ourselves or not being "good enough," but everything to do with what we have to earn favor with God. Nothing.
Garce begins when we admit that we cannot earn God's love and freedom, but that it is freely offered to those who have nothing else. I wonder if the times when it is difficult for me to receive grace are the times when I feel I have other things to help me: talent, family, wisdom, money. God's grace seems most abundant when it's the only option. Perhaps we could start to put grace as the first option and really start depending on God. Just a thought.
Questions to ask yourself (or someone else):
- How much is dependence on God part of my daily reality?
- Why does it seem to be difficult to truly depend on God?
- According to Jesus, what are the hallmarks of a God-dependent life?
- Why are the Beatitudes so contradictory to cultural values?
- What hope is there for me if I live the way Jesus asks me to?
Have a great week. I hope to read some comments!
posted by Brian Jenkins at 1:15 PM
7 Comments:
3 cheers for Week 1!!! I especially liked God is not interested in what's in your cart. He in interested in your heart. My cart has a sunroof but I am pursuing a full life. Thank you for making a difference on June 4, 2006.
This message is really timely in my opiniion! I have been sensing God dealing with me in where my reality dimmension is! Temporal vs Eternal. He is showing me that by trusing in God really is a challenge to let go of my "right now" expectations of answered prayer. God always answers prayer but often the answer is so different in manifestation from my "preconceived idea" of what it should look like. I have been saved for 33 years and know a lot of the scripture. I feel like I am just now getting a real grip on what faith is. When I read the sermon on the mount I see that Jesus is introducing "now behavior" for the benefit of both now and eternal. This really ties in with the definition of faith in Hebrews chapt eleven. The evidence of things not seen!
I am finding my struggle is in letting go of my personal control over my life, and relaxing by letting Christ have it!
I can say this for sure, that I am greatfull to God that he continues to work in my life in spite of me!
I thank God for you Brian, for your ministry at SLC!
Great one! I just started attending Sound Life and already the message was exactly what I needed. I'm young and have been reading my bible and learning things on my own through prayer. What is being taught this summer is exactly what I've been "teaching" myself. I had friends from a church I attended before but they were trying to say I had it all wrong and I wasn't praying right so the "devil" probably had me all confused. I couldn't explain to them how I feel except by saying "I'm free! Just have faith in God. He knows my purpose." Now I'm an open person, and I know some people live with strong convictions and need to have that wall up when the waves come. But I've been through alot in life and though I haven't always made the right decisions, I remember praying to God. I wasn't in the church so I never understood how God was helping me but through it all I never ceased to talk to Him. Now that I've learned so much, I believe God's been with me all my life because I never let my personal relat
sorry about that. i come on here everyday and always type something but i always delete it. my computer sent it this time in the middle of me typing it. lost my train of thought and everything now.
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