It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter. Proverbs 25:2

Archive for November, 2022

Beatitudes Matthew 5:9-10

To be blessed, as said before, is to be divinely favored of God, to have been given access to the kingdom of heaven on earth and to be highly exalted of God in this life. Remember it is not some soft, dull or week word, like the world has tried to give it, but it is to have amazing awesome access to God’s divine kindness and goodwill.

Jesus tells us that those who are peacemakers are not only blessed, divinely favored and highly exalted of God but they are also called sons, children of God. They look like their heavenly Father and the world will know them because of their love, which is shown by their actions, their behavior, their performances and deeds. Sons of God will strive to bring peace into any hostile, explosive or volatile situations.  It takes the love of God for a person to risk their own comfort and wellbeing for the purpose of bringing peace to a bad situation. That is why they will not only be blessed but will bear the character of God as sons who reflect the image of their Father. 

Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God. NKJ

John 13:35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. NKJ

Mankind was the enemy of God because of their rebellion against their God and Creator. A Just, Holy and Righteous God could not tolerate or overlook the sins of mankind.  The Righteousness of God required all humanity to walk perfectly before Him, the Holiness of God demanded mankind’s total obedience to Him and a Just God requires justice and punishment for sins. 

The wages of sin is death and blood is required for the payment and the atonement of sin therefore a just and Righteous God required the death of all mankind and demanded a blood payment for sin. The blood of Jesus became the payment and the atonement for all humanity but the choice to accept or reject Jesus’ blood payment is our choice to make.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Leviticus 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.’  

Justice required payment for sin, the death and blood of mankind. But God in His mercy, His great compassion and love for humanity became the Peacemaker between mankind and God. God Himself became the payment and the justifier to bring peace between Himself and humanity. Though we are saved by His Grace through faith in the blood, death and resurrection of Jesus, the payment was at a high cost to God, the life and death of His Son on the cross. 

It is a horrible mistake to think God forgives sin just because He felt sorry for us or for His love only. To be true to Himself, a Holy and Just God, He paid for our sins at a great cost, that is the pain and suffering of His Son.  Jesus the Son of God, paidthe wages for our sin, which is death, He gave His life and His blood to make atonement so that we could be reconciled back to God. 

God’s only requirement for mankind is to believe in the completed work of Christ and to accept His blood and death as the punishment for our sins. To refuse this so great a gift from God is to despise and to treat with disdain the death of the only begotten Son of God.  It was God’s love and great compassion for us that initiated His desire to make peace with humanity. But it was the Holiness and the justice of God that necessitated He become the justifier, even at the greatest expense to Him, which was the death of His Son, 

Romans 3:24-26 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth asa propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. NKJ

Jesus chose to become the peacemaker between man and God, the propitiation and payment for the sins of the world and He took the punishment that was due all mankind to make recompence and restitution to God.  To be a peacemaker is always at the expense of the person who is making peace. They must be willing to give of themselves, to give up their rights or their comfort so that others may obtain peace. It is at the cross that the justice of God and the mercy of God met and came together. 

Justice had to be administered, but the mercy of God could not have been shown without the sacrifice and the payment of Jesus Christ for all humanity. The truth of God’s Holiness had to be satisfied, it was through the blood of Jesus that His mercy was able to meet and coexist with justice.  God has bestowed mercy for mankind at the cross of Christ. The righteousness of God which required a payment of death has kissed and made atonement and peace at the cost of Jesus the Son of God for all humanity through faith in Jesus Christ.

Psalm 85:10-11 Mercy and truth have met together;Righteousness and peace have kissed.
Truth shall spring out of the earth, And righteousness shall look down from heaven.

It is when we become broken bread and poured out wine for the sake of peace for others that we take on the nature and characterof God our Father in heaven as His sons. This is when we reflect His image and bear the fruit of peace as a good tree of God. We then become an example to a lost and dying world and will be called the sons of God.

Matthew 7: 16-18 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?  Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.

When we are persecuted, mistreated, oppressed or victimized because we stand for the righteousness of God, Jesus says we are blessed.  We are divinely favored of God, highly exalted ofGod and have been given access to the kingdom of heaven on earth. 

Matthew 5:10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

Some followers of Christ have a disconnect to the ways and principles of God’s kingdom on earth. They tend to respond to people according to the fads, notions and perspectives of this fallen world ideology, thoughts and beliefs. They evaluate their situation based on the attitude of the world and not on the character of Jesus or the heavenly principles and the ways of God. 

Sometimes when a follower of Christ is persecuted, mistreated or harassed, they want to feel sorry for themselves or they will question God for allowing such things to happen. When we walk in the character of Jesus and are persecuted, God says we are highly favored. That is to say we are exalted and have the authority and access to the kingdom of heaven to help us navigate through these hard times and turmoil. It is the righteousness of God that is being persecuted, it is not about us, but it is about showing a world who we are and whose we are while living under or going through this adversity. 

There are ways that seem right to a person but is rooted in deceit, treachery and darkness. The righteousness of God will always go against the grain of this world system, which is embedded and established in deception, trickery and lies. Instead of falling for Satan’s lie and giving in to feelingshopelessness and depression we should understand this life is about the journey God has set before us. 

We are to show a dying world how to live in the midst of darkness because we have access to the light and the kingdom of God here on the earth. When we activate God’s principles and spiritual truths in our lives we can rise above the persecution and allow the light of Christ to shine in dark places.

Proverbs 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.

As followers of Christ, we must understand our life is a journey and we are on a rode of discovery with continuousmovements and encounters. Things may appear to be disruptions but are actually are divine appointments of God. Just as Jesus walked through life being persecuted by some, while healing others and then having a mountain top experience with God only to descend into a demon oppressed valley. 

We too will meet different challenges in life that will disrupt our plans, but are God’s divine appointments. The question is how will we respond? Will we respond in peace with the authority and understanding of God’s heavenly kingdom and spiritual principles on earth, or according to the context and whims of this fallen world system.

 

Proverbs 19: 21 Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails. NIV

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Beatitudes Matthew 5:6-8

Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled. NKJ

To be blessed is not some soft creampuff state of being, as the world has tried to define it, so to confuse people that they would fail to understand the true meaning of God’s word. To be blessed according to the Biblical reference is to be fortunate,divinely favored of God, to be given access to the kingdom of heaven on earth and to be highly exalted of God. It is a great thing to be blessed of God and also a great privilege for us to be able to bless and exalt God as being the true and living God.

Psalms 103:1-5 Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits:Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Jesus said blessed are those who hunger and thirst, that is those whose souls are in a painful state of drought for the lack of seeing God’s righteousness. This righteousness is shown in the quality and honesty of right living, which is to do justly and justice to all mankind, and to live decently, morally and humbly in a fallen and corrupt world.

Micah 6:8 He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God? NKJ

Not many people in most modern affluent countries have experienced true hunger or thirst where they have gone without food or water for days. To hunger is when the body is in a painful or weaken state, caused by the need for food and this causes a strong desire or craving to be satisfied. To thirst is a physical condition caused by the lack of water or fluids, which causes dryness of the mouth and throat, again causing a strong craving and desire for fluids or water.

To hunger and to thirst is hard, strenuous and tough on the body. Some people’s bodies will be in such pain that they become irritable and bad-tempered and some will use that as an excuse to be mean or cross with people. Those who are longing for God to make things right and have a strong craving or desire to see righteousness in their live, homes and communities, Jesus calls them blessed and they will one day be filled. God has promised to satisfy the yearning of those who have that strong passion for righteousness and one day they will live free from a world of sin, disgrace and degradation.

Revelation 7:16-17 They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat;for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Matthew 5: 7 Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.

To be merciful is to act in the character of God. It is God’s mercy that saved us. It was God’s compassion that saw our need and not just our failures. It was His mercy and love that provided salvation for all humanity, though they were loss because of their rebellion and sin against their God and Creator.Blessed are the merciful, those who show forgiveness when forgiveness is not merited or earned. Blessed are those who are kind, thoughtful and generous to those who are meanspirited. Blessed are those who give compassion, kindness and concern to those who have wronged them, and blessed are they who freely give to those who are in need though they do not merit it. God has promised they will obtain and receive this mercythemselves.

Psalms 136:1, 23-26 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever Who remembered us in our lowly state, For His mercy endures forever; And rescued us from our enemies, For His mercy endures forever; Who gives food to all flesh, For His mercy endures forever. Oh give thanks to the God of heaven! For His mercy endures forever.

God is a merciful God and He expects His children to look like Him and to reflect His character, countenance and glory in a dark and perverse world through the life they live.

Matthew 5: 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.

When the Bible speaks of the heart it is speaking of the true essence of the person’s soul, their very being, as to who they are internally and not just the façade, disguise or smokescreen they present to others. To be pure in heart is to be free from this fallen world’s ways that are filthy, poisonous and contaminating, the things that will pollute the heart and soulwhen they are practiced.

The Bible tells us what defiles, ruins and corrupts a person, it is when there are evil thoughts, judgements and feelings toward others. It is when a person lies or gives false information regarding someone; or they plan to steal or have thoughts of betrayal, treachery or lewdness toward others and also to speak profanities, curses or wickedly to others. All these acts can produce uncleanness in the heart of mankind.

Matthew 15: 18-20 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.”

The pure in heart is a person whose heart is free from these contaminating things, whose heart is focused on God and thinks on the things that are pure. This can only be done by the power of the Holy Spirit. Those who are without the love of Christ in their hearts are prone to the dangers of having their hearts poisoned, contaminated and ruined by the darkness of this fallen world. It takes the love of God and the Holy Spirit dwelling in us to give us the ability to die to self and the wrongs that have been done to us. He gives us the ability to let hate goso we can forgive others and thereby, we are able to think on the things that are pure, lovely and praiseworthy.

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

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