Skip to main content

bible reading day 5



Today's reading: Genesis 5; Matthew 5.

 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:1-3 ESV)

 The Gospel of Matthew contains several large sections of Jesus' teachings.  Chapters 5 through 7 are called "the Sermon on the Mount."  His teaching is direct, powerful, convicting, and beautiful. We should not rush through our reading of it. 

 We tend to fall into one of two errors concerning the Sermon on the Mount: 

 First, we may dismiss it as not applicable nor very practical for today's believer since we are under grace and some of these teachings seem unattainable or could be taken in a legalistic, or perhaps ascetic, way.  We may think it applies to some future state of the Kingdom. But there's really nothing in his teaching that would seem to indicate that it is not intended for his followers today.  

 Secondly, we may make the Sermon to be a kind of self-improvement plan, a sort of new law for people who want to be like Jesus.  I think this viewpoint does not take into account the high and exalted nature of these teachings.  To try to justify oneself as a good person by "trying to live out the teachings of Jesus" will inevitably result in despair at the end, if one is honest.  Or, if he is not honest, he will end up proud and deceived, thinking that merely trying to live like Jesus would be sufficient enough for God's acceptance.     

 I believe the best way to think of this sermon is to understand that Jesus is the only One who in himself could fulfill these truths.  These passages are a kind of portrait of his own holy mind and character.  Life in the Kingdom follows the character of the King.  By the gracious working of his Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 3:18), this portrait is also the image into which we are being transformed!  It is practical and applicable, though impossible to fulfill by the flesh.  Later, when talking with his disciples about salvation, he would say, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible" (Matt 19:26). 

 Thus the Sermon on the Mount reveals a beautiful gracious character and a mindset that belongs to every citizen of Christ's Kingdom because it reflects the heart and life of our King.  Today, as believers we may live this out imperfectly, but one day we will fulfill it perfectly: 

 "Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we will be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure." (1 John 3:2-3 ESV) 

 Photo above: a view of the Sea of Galilee. 
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

clement quotes hebrews

Clement of Rome wrote to the church in Corinth around AD 90.  This is perhaps the same Clement, companion of Paul, mentioned in Philippians 4:3.  Many hold him to be the first bishop / pope in Rome, aka St. Clement I.   Clement quotes from the letter to the Hebrews.  Origin suggested that Clement was in fact the writer (as transcriber or amanuensis) of Hebrews.  Perhaps this letter began as a "word of exhortation" given by Paul at the synagogue (Heb 13:22; cf Acts 13:15) which then became a circular letter for the churches.  Other possible authors of Hebrews include Luke, Barnabas, or Apollos.  The theology is Pauline, but the transcriber is obviously second-generation (Heb. 2:3-4). At any rate, this early church leader in Rome, is already quoting Hebrews in his letter in AD 90:    CHAPTER 36  ALL BLESSINGS ARE GIVEN TO US THROUGH CHRIST This is the way, beloved, in which we find our Savior, even Jesus Christ,  the High Prie...
Post a Comment
Read more

a brief history of bcf

Blacksburg Christian Fellowship, or BCF as it is popularly known, was founded in November 1969. Prior to this time several families had been meeting for Bible study and prayer, with a particular concern that the Lord raise up an effective biblical ministry to the students of the Virginia Tech campus. Growing from these meetings, the Lord led them to begin a public ministry on Sunday mornings. The Wesley Foundation agreed to the rental of their facilities, and the first meeting was held in November 1969, with about 30 people in attendance. Since the first meeting BCF has been greatly blessed by the Lord and has seen a steady growth in ministry and in numbers. Two other local churches were formed in part from BCF. In 1974 the Lord led Houston Couch, who at that time was an Elder in BCF, to leave and start Dayspring Christian Fellowship. In 1980 Max Harris, who was a regular attender at BCF, was encouraged by the Elders and members to start a ministry which has now become Grace Cov...
2 comments
Read more

evangelicalism over the next decade

I've been contemplating Michael Spencer's blogs on the future of evangelical churches in America ( iMonk blog ). His three articles on his predicted collapse of evangelicalism are found here . It is important, I believe, to read all three articles. I find myself in agreement with much he has to say. Here are a few quotes... The determination to follow in the methodological steps of numerically successful churches will be greater than ever. The result will be, in the main, a departure from doctrine to more and more emphasis on relevance, motivation and personal success….with the result being churches further compromised and weakened in their ability to pass on the faith. ... For some time, we’ve been at a point that the decision to visit a particular evangelical church contained a fairly high risk of not hearing the Biblical Gospel. That experience will be multiplied and expanded in the years to come. Core beliefs will become less and less normative and necessary in evangelic...
6 comments
Read more