the SERMON on the MOUNT

murjahel

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SERMON ON THE MOUNT

 

Matthew chapters 5-6-7

The purpose of this thread is to show the awesome nature of what we call 'the sermon on the mount'. I dare say, none of us can read it, study it, decide to obey it, without drastic changes in our lives. We treat it like some unobtainable goal, but never try to learn how to live from it.


We could all argue on which sermon was the greatest that Jesus preached. This would be a fruitless argument, for His sermons surpass any the rest of us could ever preach, and to measure one as more valuable, more exhilarating, more instructional, than another would be a waste of our finite, simplistic minds.


The sermon on the bread of life was deep, magnificent, and measureless in impact on the world. Yet, the critics there that day all left but the twelve disciples. Thousands had listened the day before to the sermon, and they all ate the bread and fishes at the end of that sermon. They valued that sermon and its accompanying miracle so much that they followed Jesus to hear the next day’s sermon. We do not know what the sermon they valued even was, but the next day, Jesus preached on the ‘bread of life’, and all those adherents and sermon valuers of the day before ‘forsook’ Jesus, and never followed Him again.

So, the human evaluation of sermons seems to be faulty, at best. We do not know how to rate sermons. We need to simply realize that every sermon ever preached by Jesus had divine wisdom, divine importance, and we, in our finite minds, need to spend eternity consuming the messages therein.



The sermon on the mount is a great sermon. It is so complex in information, that scholars are still only tapping the surface of its meaning.

Most will avoid preaching upon many of its passages, for fear of not being able to fully explain all its depth of meaning.

I will attempt to explain what I have found in this sermon, and yet, I know that ‘at best’ this will still be only a meager attempt, and not near a perfect explanation.

I feel like a person given a chest of gold coins, and unable to carry them all to a bank. I will though fill my pockets with the first trip, and carry as many as I can for now. In that way, the understanding of this sermon will have to progress throughout eternity, but for now, I have some great truths that are now apparent, and I will gather more and more as the millennia pass.



This is a sermon on how we are to live as Christians. It surpasses all the teachings of other persons. We find many religions and organizations come up with standards, rules, and guidelines for their followers, but Jesus greatly surpasses their beggarly attempts, with this one sermon.

Some rebel against denominational rules, club rules, church rules... etc... Wait till you see the rules of Jesus in the sermon on the mount.... !

Jesus certainly taught a higher standard than those who held the highest standard of that day, i.e. the scribes and the Pharisees.


Matthew 5:20
"For I say unto you, that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of God."


The scribes and the Pharisees:

...condemned murder
,
but Jesus said that anger and hatred were as wrong as murder.

...separated themselves from their wives
,
but Jesus' teaching said give her two or three times her dowry.

...taught one must keep a binding oath
,
but Jesus said that one must keep his word, even if it was a simple "yes" or "no", and did not have a "binding oath.



The comparison could go on and on, but the sermon on the mount taught that the normal understanding of ‘righteousness’ as seen by the most noble of the day, fell far short in the expectation of God for the people.

Jesus called for people to abandon what the world called wisdom and righteousness, and take on a new set of standards that the world calls "impossible."


No, these things do not save anyone... so do not let this become a debate on 'legalism' for salvation... We are not saved by good works, we are saved by grace. Yet, after being truly saved, the Lord expects to see the change of salvation manifest through us fruits, that prove our salvation was real.

The idea of righteousness today is at an all time low, for what the Bible calls ‘good’, many call ‘evil’. What the world calls ‘evil’ is often what the Bible calls ‘good’.

Abortion, euthanasia, adultery, genetic engineering, etc are often called good in the media, in the college ethics courses, and on the political soap boxes.

Yet, the Bible describes those as evil. Therefore, the understanding of what Jesus presents in the sermon on the mount is seen as outdated, impossible, and stupid to many who ever dare to even read it.



Many have refused these teachings. Even much of Christianity have taken opposite standards, and still call themselves "Christians."

Many preachers today are telling people to be "self confident", "powerful", "satisfied", "self-righteous", "aggressive"... etc. What Jesus called ‘supreme’ in righteousness is often relegated to ‘stupid’ from the mouths of many preachers.


Many are telling saints that they are not spiritual if they "mourn" and not laugh. Weeping for the lost souls of mankind, has been replaced in ‘senseless’ laughing. The altar calls are given for people to come up and have ‘prophetic words’ tell them that they will be blessed a hundred fold for their offering, and no call to repentance was even mentioned as necessary.

 
Matthew 5:3-10
reveals these new standards.

Jesus says:

BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO:

ARE POOR IN SPIRIT
ARE MEEK,
WHO MOURN,
WHO HUNGER AND THIRST FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS,
ARE MERCIFUL,
ARE PURE IN HEART,
ARE PEACEMAKERS,
ARE PERSECUTED FOR THEIR RIGHTEOUSNESS.


The world says:
BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO:
ARE SELF-CONFIDENT, COMPETENT, AND SELF-RELIANT
SEEK PLEASURE
ARE PROUD, POWERFUL, SATISFIED
ARE SELF-RIGHTEOUS
ARE "ADULT", SOPHISTICATED, AND BROAD MINDED
ARE COMPETITIVE, AGGRESSIVE
ARE ADAPTABLE, POPULAR, AND DON'T ROCK THE BOAT...

Who do we believe.
The sermon on the mount has some startling answers,
and they are not presented as an optional choice...
they are shown as the only way.

 

murjahel

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Jesus teaches that
"happy" are those who:



1. HAVE A BROKEN SPIRIT



Matthew 5:3
"Blessed are those who are poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."


God is close with those that have broken spirits, for He knows their agony and pain.

When Jesus asked ‘who do men say that I am’, one of the answers was ‘Jeremiah’, for Jeremiah was the ‘weeping prophet’. Jesus likewise was a ‘weeper’, feeling the pain of the rejection of many, the coming pain of the cross and its perpetrators. God knows what ‘brokenhearted’ means, and has been ‘touched with the feelings of our infirmities.’


Hebrews 4:15-16 (KJV)
15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.


Therefore, the brokenhearted can find help from the Lord when they turn to Him. God is brokenhearted, broken in His spirit for the last state, the sinfulness of those He created to worship Him, but have turned to sin, to follow the devils ways. This breaks the heart of God. When we sense His broken spirit, and are likewise broken in spirit as is He, we will find blessing from Him.


Psalm 34:18 (KJV)
18 The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.


The Lord is ‘nigh’ to the broken of heart. He does save those who come with a humble and contrite heart. His blessing is great on those who empathize with His brokenness.


Psalm 147:3 (KJV)
3 He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.


Jeremiah came to God for healing, for other prophets were speaking harshly to him, and condemning him. He felt pain from that rejection, but kept faithful to speak the words that God gave him. It was heartbreaking to have all the people wanting him to cease. But he called out to God in humility and God was there to comfort and bless him. He had a ‘broken spirit’ due to the rejection toward him, and the rejection of those others for God’s message.


Jeremiah 23:9 (KJV)
9 Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of the LORD, and because of the words of his holiness.


Hosea had to continue to speak God’s words too, despite his broken spirit due to rejection. He had an illustrated lesson in his own life of what God was feeling due to Israel’s unfaithfulness. He felt some of what God felt, and could preach his message to the people of what God felt, due to his illustrated lesson with Gomer.
 
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murjahel

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Jesus teaches that "happy" are those who:


2. HAVE A PENITENT SPIRIT


Matthew 5:4
"Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted..."


Mourning our own sins brings comfort. For REPENTANCE BRINGS FORGIVENESS from our sins, and that brings a comfort that is impossible for those with unconfessed, un-repented failures.

Jesus died so that we could repent, and receive forgiveness.

The ‘sword of the Spirit’, the ‘rhema words of convicting power’ are designed to awaken the soul to the need of surgery on the soul.


Acts 5:30-31 (KJV)
30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.
31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.


John preached ‘repentance’ and those who did found that their sins were ‘remitted’.


Mark 1:3-4 (KJV)
3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
4 John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.


Before sin can be forgiven, it must be repented. Repentance and remission are put together. Comfort is the result of true repentance. So many want to shy away from ‘repentance’, and want to feel that ‘they did it once’ and that should be enough.

If, we have failed God since our initial repentance, we should be even more in regret for later sins, and though we did not lose our salvation due to a later failure, we did injure our fellowship with the holy God we serve. Comfort from the Lord, assurance of His love for us, replaces the guilt and shame of that later sins. Blessed are those who mourn every failure, for then comfort flows from God upon us.


Sinners, who have never come to the Lord, as yet, need to mourn their sins, repent of them, and find ‘remission’ and comfort from the Lord via His grace.


Luke 24:47
"That repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name."


We preach the two to be together. Repentance, i.e. mourning and changing the mind as to sin, is needed so that God will remit the sins, and in grace bestow comforting salvation.

We should never preach as did Jonah to Nineveh, that God is going to judge, regardless of whether we repent or not.

Sin is remitted by repentance. Not that repentance merits forgiveness; but repentance opens the door for the blood of Jesus to mercifully, undeservedly, wash away sins we have repented.

Repentance is the qualification, not the cause. If we, though true repentance, humble ourselves, we value the mercy which is given in remission of the sins.



God will call our sins no more to remembrance. That is comforting to those who mourn sin. When we repent, God ceases to think about our sins.


Jeremiah 31:34 (KJV)
34 ...I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.


Micah 7:19 (KJV)
19 He will turn again, He will have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities; and Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.


The lies of the devil, that we are not guilty, is proven to be untruthful, by the convicting, cutting power of the ‘sword of the Spirit.’

If one repents, they acknowledge the truth of God’s plan of salvation. They can testify, that once they were sinners, but now they have eternal life, for the scalpel of conviction was able to remove the guilt of sin via repentance, and God remembers it no more.


2 Timothy 2:25 (KJV)
25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;


Repentance is not a pretty word, and most avoid it like it was a ‘plague’ itself. Yet, it is repentance that allows the ‘sword of the Spirit’ to become ‘scalpel’ of love, removing a wall of shame in our life.


In the Greek, the word for ‘repentance’ is metanoia. It means ‘a change of mind." This change of mind is often accompanied by contrition for we answer to God Who has made the laws by which we are to live.


In this definition of true righteousness, given by the beatitudes in this sermon, we find that ‘shame for sin’, mourning for our failures to live as the Lord instructed, is key to comfort and peace in the Lord.

more to come...
 
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murjahel

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JESUS PROMISES THAT HAPPY ARE THOSE THAT:

3. HAVE A MILD TEMPERED, GENTLE SPIRIT


Matthew 5:5
"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth..."


Meekness can be defined as carrying a heavy cross lightly due to the value to oneself of that cross. Not all Christians realize this, and many are carrying a styrofoam cross like it was a mountain.


Meekness is bearing a heavy burden lightly. The Lord told us to "Learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly." Christ bore a heavy burden and bore it meekly. He wants us to be like Him.


If we reluctantly resolve to bear the burden only as long as we must, we are not meekly bearing the burden. Anxiousness to not bear your cross makes it heavy. To struggle to get rid of the cross makes it heavy. To scoff, sneer, and scorn the burdens makes them heavy. We need to learn to be content, no matter what state we find ourselves in. When we become happy for the cross, when we rejoice in our sufferings for our Lord, the burdens become light.


I Peter 3:14
"But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye; and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled."


I Peter 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."


Meekness is an unnoticed virtue. It is so quiet that we do not find others praising us for it. Christ bore His burdens so lightly, and happily, that the disciples kept thinking that they were going to Jerusalem to install Him as King and Messiah, but He was on His way to the crucifixion.


Today, while many are on their way to victories, you would think they were on their way to a crucifixion. They fear and dread, complain and scorn the littlest trials. They do not bear the burden lightly, but murmur against God and the burdens.

We are going to inherit the kingdom of God, be joint heirs with Jesus, if we have ‘taken up our cross’ and followed Him. Therefore, the ‘cross’ is light, is not heavy due to its greatness of reward. I want the cross, I want to walk with Jesus, for I know the destination of this walk, is His kingdom.

Some people want others to notice every burden they carry.


They want to talk of every trial, every financial crisis, every persecution. They have a "Pity-Me! Complex". That is not ‘meekness’, that is the same kind of complaint Israel gave all though the wilderness. They forgot the great destination to which they were going, and thought only of the stony, dry pathway to that destination. While they should have been rejoicing over the redemption from slavery, and the destination of a land flowing with milk and honey, they complained. They were not ‘meek’, and they did not inherit the promised land, they died in the desert. Their children went into the land for they were meek.


I Peter 4:12-13,16
"Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you; 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. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God on His behalf."

Do not deny the cross, it is a precious and valuable gift.

II Timothy 2:12
"If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He will also deny us."

The part of that verse, "if we deny Him" really lacks the word "Him" for it was added by the translators. This verse really means: "if we deny the suffering, then He will deny us." It is vital that we learn to bear our cross willingly. We must not seek just the false "prosperity doctrine" that is prevalent today. We must learn to allow ourselves to be mistreated, abused, hated, lied about, plotted against.

II Timothy 1:8
"Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me, His prisoner; but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God."


The cross, that we are asked to bear, is light and easy to carry, when we willingly accept it from the Lord. We can bear it proudly, meekly, for we are suffering for Him. We can know that the Lord will deliver us from all these trials we bear.

II Corinthians 1:9-10
"But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God Who raiseth the dead; Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in Whom we trust that He will yet deliver us."
 
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murjahel

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JESUS PROMISED THAT
HAPPY ARE THOSE THAT:


4. HUNGER AND THIRST AFTER RIGHTEOUSNESS


Matthew 5:6
"Blessed are they which hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled..."

Jesus became man, and lived a righteous life. None of us have, nor will. We need ‘His righteousness’ to clothe us, for all of our own is ‘as filthy rags.

Mankind, including you and me, is sinful.
Matthew 7:20-23
"...out of the heart of men evil thoughts proceed...’

In the Old Testament, God spoke:
Isaiah 52:11
"Cleanse yourselves, ye that bear the vessels of Jehovah."


The Jewish people often thought that this meant to ‘wash their hands. Yet, God was speaking of an inner purity to go along with their normal outward cleansing. Too many of this time, spend much time, effort, and even expense, to be outwardly clean, good smelling, and adorned. Yet, an inner purity is what God, then and now, has wanted. Not many would go to work unwashed, unadorned, smelly. Yet, many come before the Lord, lay hands on the sick, witness about Jesus, with no inner purity.


If we ignore the need for righteousness, or are ignorant of the offered righteousness of Jesus, we limit our usefulness to God.


Our Lord wants to cleanse us, put His purity within us. "We shall be filled’, if we ‘hunger and thirst for righteousness.’ This seeking for righteousness as a hungry and thirsty person seeks for food and drink is the answer to how to be ‘filled’ with righteousness.


Some, in Jesus’ first coming, criticized Jesus for allowing His disciples to eat meat with unwashed hands (Mark 7:3-4).


Jesus worried very little about such kind of things. Many then, as now, have an errant view of what righteousness is. Many Jewish people during Jesus’ first coming, did have a wrong idea of being righteous.


Mark 7:3-4
"All the Jews, except thee, wash their hands diligently, eat not, holding the traditions of the elders; when they came from the market place. Except they bathe themselves, they eat not and many other things there are, which they have received to hold, washing of cups, and pots, and brazen vessels."


Many today have a similar wrong idea. Some go to extremes even beyond those in the time of Jesus’ first coming. They put on gloves to touch a door handle, they spray phones with disinfectant, they wear masks to cover their nose and mouths when near a person with a cold. Some people wash their hands many multiple times. None of these things are evil to do. They may be good and helpful at times. Yet, the extreme they go to in those areas, is not matched in many with any concern for an inner righteousness.


Some think outward things like church attendance, Bible carrying, holy talk, or simply claiming of purity, will be sufficient in spiritual things. In revival times, when God’s presence is present in sufficient measure to do great miracles, there is no toleration of a lack in righteousness. When Ananias and Sapphira lied in the midst of a meeting in the revival of the early church, they dropped dead for that lie. If revival were going on right now in that measure, there would be multiple deaths in most church services, when some go to the vestibule after the sermon and gossip and criticize. Most vestibules, after a sermon, have enough impurity of speech and thought to fill the local morgue with dead bodies before the preacher can get to dinner, if God was now demanding the purity He did then, and will again soon.


What comes out of our mouths shows the inner self, and its purity or lack of it.


Matthew 15:10-20
"And He called the multitude and said unto them, Hear and understand;
Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.
... But those things that proceed out of the mouth, come forth from the heart, and they defile the 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 unwashen hands defileth not a man."


The first part of being filled with the righteousness of Christ Jesus is to repent. Some think repentance long ago was sufficient for past and future sins.

God wants us to repent for every impure thought, word, or deed.

I John 1:9 that tells us ‘if we confess our sins...’ was written to Christians.

We need to often repent, for we often sin and are defiled.

Have we repented as often as we have used hand sanitizer, or as often as we have washed our hands?

Jesus did not care if or how often the disciples washed their hands, but He is concerned about the defiled inner person who bellows out impure words.


I John 1:9
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."


How frustrating it must be to God, Who often has tried to make mankind realize that inner purity is mandatory, and yet mankind still spends far greater effort and concern only on outward cleansing.


Matthew 23:25-26
"Woe unto you, scribes and pharisees, hypocrites! For ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and the platter, that the outside of them may be clean also."


The outside of the cup or bowl may be clean, and those looking at the outward may be impressed. If the inside is filthy, whatever one would eat or drink from it, would be made likewise impure.


God gives power to the righteous. Power outward proceeds when there is righteousness within us. He will fill the thirsty, the hungry, if we hunger and thirst for righteousness.
 
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murjahel

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JESUS SAID, THAT WE WOULD BE HAPPY IF WE:

5. HAVE A COMPASSIONATE AND MERCIFUL SPIRIT


Matthew 5:7
"Blessed are they merciful, for they shall obtain mercy."

Jesus likely spoke that verse in Aramaic. It was translated into Greek by the apostles, to make it understandable to the Gentiles. Yet, the Aramaic/Hebrew word was ‘chesedh’. This word speaks of the ability to ‘get right inside another person, to see with their eyes, hear with their ears, and feel with their person their feelings.


Doing that will bring a ‘mercy’ upon them, for now we understand their motivations, their fears, their hopes. It is a greater than simple sympathy, it is an empathy.


Mercy is much easier said than done. But as we leave ‘self-centeredness’, we need to learn an empathy, and a ‘merciful love’ for others. We are not to simply feel sorry for them, but extend in mercy the love to them. The world is self-centered, and is not merciful, rather it is unmerciful. The Christ-like ones are to be merciful, and thereby continue in the mercy of the Lord to ourselves.


Matthew 18:23-35 (KJV)
23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.
24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.
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.
26 The servant therefore fell down, and worshiped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.
28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellow servants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.
29 And his fellow servant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
30 And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.
31 So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.
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:
33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee?
34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.


That sounds like it is very wise for us to not be ‘self-centered’ but to be ‘compassion-centered.’

The Lord had pity on us, and our duty is to go forth and in love extend pity, mercy, and concern for others.


When we experience and appreciate the mercy that God has shown to us, we can then show mercy to others.

As we extend mercy to others, we find this promise from the Lord, that He will give mercy continually to us.

That puts us in the constant flow of mercy.

We may often fail, we often repent, but the mercy keeps flowing down upon us. I need mercy often, so to receive it, I must be merciful.
 
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murjahel

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Jesus says, happy are those who:

6. HAVE A PURE SPIRIT


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


Ephesians 4:22-24
"That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt ...be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness."


God has placed within the mind of mankind - both a soul and a spirit.

The soul has the evil tendencies and lusts. It is the part that is polluted due to original sin.

The spirit is the part of man, that before the fall was "hand in hand" with God. When sin came that grasp to God was broken. Since then, the spirit of mankind reaches out for God. It is never satisfied until it finds God.

The soul is reaching out for self, and in self-seeking battles the spirit for control. The soul of man wars against the idea of turning control over to the spirit to seek, find, and worship God.

The flesh and the soul battle the spirit. The fleshly desires can overcome one's spirit, if allowed, and lead one to a wicked life. The battle is on this side of the grave. Our lusts and sinful desires hate our spirit that wants to serve God. If we feed the mind, the lusts of the soul, it will thrive and grow strong. The things of sin and lasciviousness make our polluted mind to be strong in that pollution.


If we feed our spirit - the things of God, the Word of God, Christian fellowship, prayer, worship, etc. - then the spirit will grow strong, the part of us that would want to yield to sin will be weak. The part of you who will win is the strongest side -- which side are you feeding???


The main thing that caused all the impurity in heart (mind) is the carnal thinking that has overtaken the spiritual understanding that we are to have.

There are few ‘pure’ in mind, and too many who are ‘carnal’ in mind. We need to change that.


The word for "carnal" is the Greek word "sarkikos" which literally translated means: "meathead."

We have a "meathead" mind in far too many Christians. This has engendered a "meathead" church. They fought this tendency even in the early church. In our age, we find many churches, many in those churches to have impurity of mind.


The meathead mentality is that impure mind, we are told not to have.

Romans 8:6, 10-13
"For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. ... And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you. ...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..."


In Christianity, there are many who have allowed a "meathead" mind to re-emerge. It has led many to false doctrines, wrong emphasis, and mistaken ideas. Many in Christianity have wrongly emphasized the carnal life. Many teach how to have carnal riches, how to have physical prosperity, but neglect the many Scriptures about spiritual blessings, riches in heaven, and eternal rewards. When the early church was in revival, they emphasized the spiritual, and mostly, they ignored the fleshly.


Most in the early church (Ananias and Sapphira being notable exceptions) did not seek earthly riches, but forsook all and served the Lord. Many of the early church could be put into prison, sacrifice their earthly wealth to give to the poorer saints in Jerusalem. They saw the world as dead souls needing life from the Lord.


Today, many are seeking to be carnally rich, and spend more time counting their monetary wealth than enjoying their spiritual wealth. There are gifts of the Spirit that many are satisfied to not have. There is the fruit of the Spirit that can be totally absent, and yet, un-missed.


We need to cleanse out, with repentance, the carnal, meat headed mind. Many saints today have not asked of the Lord for spiritual things. They get too taken up with their physical and monetary needs to see the spiritual victories that God wants us to have. To pray in the "name of Jesus" means more than to tack that to the end of prayers. It means to pray according to what He desires for us, and we must therefore get the "meathead mentality" out of control and the spiritual mind into control, so that we can think as Jesus thinks, desire what He desires for us.


We must keep the impure "meathead" mentality out of our thoughts, as did Paul, and keep the spiritual mind in control..

The "meathead mentality", the impure heart (mind), has devastated the most of the church today.
 
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murjahel

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Jesus said we will be HAPPY when we:

7. HAVE A SPIRIT OF WISDOM AND MEDIATION


Matthew 5:9
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God..."


Peacemaking is the restoration of the body of Christ, restoring harmony and peace between its members. We are called ‘the children of God’ when we are at peace amidst the church.


John 13:35 (KJV)
35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.


Therefore, as we ‘perfect’ the relationships within the church body, we become known as the ‘children of God.’

There are many conflicts in the body of believers.



I Corinthians 12:15-20
If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? And if the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now are they many members, yet one body."


The total work of the offices within the "body of Christ" is to "perfect" the saints.


Ephesians 4:12
"for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ."
The word "perfecting" is from the Greek word, "katartismos".


This is the same root as the word ‘catharsis’. This is a cleansing healing, a mending of the broken, a restoration to usefulness.


Sometimes in that day, this word was used to refers to the "mending of fishing nets." If a fishing net has holes, it loses many of the catch. In the same way, there are problems within the church that cause many to backslide, apostatize, and/or leave the church.


God places all of us in the church to "mending the nets." This is a ‘peacemaking’ role. It is a very difficult task. The work of the church is to be like a fishing net. We are to bring in a catch of fish for our Lord. We need the various ministries to work together at mending the holes that allow some to slip away from the church. We need to straighten out the problems within the "body of Christ." The mission of the church is to evangelize the world with the good news of the redemption through Jesus Christ. The church is to also glorify God, and to edify one another. The destiny of the church is to be resurrected and/or raptured by Jesus. Then we will rule and reign with Christ for all eternity.


In peacemaking, we build up the body of Christ.


Ephesians 4:12
"... build up the body of Christ."


When there is sickness in a body church, (such as prejudice, hypocrisies, spiritual abuse, grudges, bitterness, etc.) the congregation is made unfit for the work of the Lord. These sins, and many others, afflict many congregations. They struggle to survive as a body, like a sick patient in intensive care. It will be a wonder and miraculous, if this kind of congregation can just survive till the rapture.


The sickly, anemic, body churches will never see sustained growth, revival, and ministry development. They may try programs, contests, crusades, and other outward programs, but the church will always go from crisis to crisis. They may seek someone to blame for the crisis, but the reality of the problem is the anemic, sickly condition of the congregation.


The congregations face the same kind of problems today that they faced in the early church. There are still church cliques. Immorality is still rampant in the congregations. There is immaturity, doctrinal error, marriage troubles, abuse of spiritual gifts, misused liberty, rule adding, judgmentalism, hypocrisy, etc.

The admission of these kinds of problems in the church congregations of today bring embarrassment, discouragement, misunderstanding, and opposition from the ones who suppose to lead the congregations.


The Lord is more embarrassed than any of us. He has made it possible and easy for the church to function properly, but we as a church have failed to heed His way, and have attempted to create dogmas, rituals, and denominational structure to accomplish what they can never accomplish. The congregations will never become healthy by neglecting the path that Lord has directed us to take to find spiritual fitness.


Physical health is shown by measuring blood pressure, heart rate, amount of weight lifted, speed, endurance, etc. Spiritual health in a congregation can be measured by the peace amidst its congregation. This is the fellowship, close intimate friendships, the bearing of the burdens of others, the confessing of faults, the intercession (not gossip and judgmentalism), the exhorting, ministering, loving and caring of the cell churches for each other. This is the measurement of spiritual health of a body church.

Peace in the congregation is the test of a healthy church, in the same way that a physical exam is the measurement of the conditioning of an athlete.


This peace amidst Christians makes the world marvel. They stand in awe when they see a loving church body at work.


The love is so evident, and so different from the love they see on the soap operas, at work, or in their own homes. Jesus is the divine example and prototype for this kind of love. The Holy Spirit deposits this same kind of love into the hearts of believers. Believers can either allow the love to develop and shared with others, or can allow it to be self consumed. It is so vital to the church, to have this love in operation, that the Lord Jesus made it a commandment.


Galatians 6:2
"Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ."


John 13:34
"A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another."


In some congregations, the love is replaced with judgmentalism, rule adding, critical appraisals of each other.

When wardrobe and other outward manifestations of culture become the judging standard of congregations, the love, acceptance, and burden bearing of others' hurts is pushed aside. These congregations may feel superior to others, by reason of their "holy" standards, but in truth are the weak and sickly congregations who are in need of a transfusion of love from the Lord. The cancer of judgmentalism, and hypocritical living will kill many in the congregation. This kind of church then needs peacemaking.


Many such congregations cannot admit to their need of peacemaking. This is why the Word of God so emphasizes the confessing of weaknesses. The Bible also encourages the intercession of one saint for another. This fault confession with intercession will bring a sickly church into a healthy condition of love and koinonia.


James 5:16
"Confess your sins one to another, and pray one for another that ye may be healed."


The world teaches that one should reject or ignore one's faults. Jesus wants us to work at making peace between Christians, and to do so, we need to confess our estrangements amidst the body. Some Christians have also taught to only confess the positive, and never admit a fault.


This is nearly as un-Scriptural as one can get. Some of these, who won't admit their own faults, will try to blame others for the problems. This creates bickering, anger, and grudges.


Some of them will try silence, and think that if the sins are not admitted, they will go away. They will "put on airs", and hide their faults.


Problems are quickly solved in body churches once admission starts and peacemaking continues.


Galatians 6:1
"Brethren, if a man is overtaken in a fault, you who are spiritual restore him in a spirit of gentleness."


The ‘peacemaking’ is often done in the pulpit, sometimes done in counseling, and often, done in private conversations. God’s goal is a body of believers all so much in tune with Him, that they are in tune with each other.


Colossians 1:28
"Him, we proclaim, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man mature in Christ."
 
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murjahel

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Jesus said we would be HAPPY when we:

8. HAVE A LONGSUFFERING AND FORGIVING SPIRIT


Matthew 5:10-12
"Blessed are they who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven; for so persecuted they the prophets who were before you..."


All of us who have been persecuted, hope it will be ended ‘yesterday’. We would like to hurry God to do what we want and need immediately. We have little, if any, patience. All of creation groans, travails in various kinds of pain. We, as Christians, have the first fruits of the Spirit, that is the salvation and redemption of our spirit. The body is still under the effects of the curse. We yet are living in a world that hates us, and amidst Christians who often misjudge us. We have faith and hope for the redemption of the body, the rapture; but it is yet to come.


Paul speaks of this patience we need to wait for this redemption of the body.


Romans 8:22-25 (KJV)
22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.


Needing to ‘wait’ for God to work His miracles is not a sign of lack of faith, it is a key part of faith. We need to abound in patience, we need to cease being so hurried to receive, and realize the best part of the receiving is the learning we do as we await the suffering to end.


2 Thessalonians 1:3-5 (KJV)
3 We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth;
4 So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure:
5 Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:


We do suffer awhile, we do need to await the time of victory. It is a ‘manifest token’ of God’s plan for us. The word for ‘manifest token’ is the ‘. word ‘en-deig-ma’ meaning ‘a concrete indication.’ We know we are really and truly living in faith of our Lord, when we can unhurriedly, patiently await the answer to our sufferings to come.


Jesus learned by the things He suffered. He learned by and through those ‘sufferings’. Obedience was learned, even by our Lord, by sufferings. Yet, we find many today, who want to skip the sufferings, want to bypass the troubles of life, want to have all persecutions stopped. We cannot be matured, we cannot grow in the faith, if all troubles immediately are removed.


Hebrews 5:8-9 (KJV)
8 Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered;
9 And being made perfect, He became the Author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him;


We are told we will be ‘blessed’ when persecutions come, so we are to ‘rejoice’ in them, knowing they mean we have blessings on the way.
 
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murjahel

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HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO LIVE
AS THE BEATITUDES TEACH?


Matthew 5:13
"Ye are the salt of the earth, but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted, it is henceforth good for nothing."


SALT:
is pure and preserves against corruption...
gives flavor to food...
helps fertilize land...
arrests and prevents the process of putrefaction in food...


Like salt, Christians are a necessary element to this world...


If the Christians do not live as the beatitudes teach, they are like salt that has lost its savour, and are "good for nothing"!!!


LIGHT:
Matthew 5:14
"Ye are the light of the world... neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel... let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father Who is in heaven."


Living as the beatitudes teach, is like a shining light to the world, that brings glory to our God... and has great effect on the others in this world.
 

We all have a natural desire to be popular, successful, un-persecuted, and happy in our wealth and health. Jesus says that to be that way makes us as worthless salt, and a light under a bushel.


THE RIGHT WAY VS THE WRONG WAY


Jesus taught that there are only two ways to live.

One is the right way, the other is the wrong way.

We must choose to build our life and home on the rock, or on the sand (Matthew 7:24-27).


You cannot choose to live different from the beatitudes and be happy or Godly.

Christ taught the beatitudes with authority. He was not making suggestions. He was direct and authoritative. He said that we must live this way, no options!

Many have neglected to even consider these as mandatory.

That is why we have so much of Christianity that live no better than those of the world. There are too many hypocrites, too many abusers within church ranks, and the name of Christians, the testimony of the life changing experience we should have had, the God-glorifying life-style that God wants --is far too absent in congregations.

The beatitudes are mandatory according to Jesus, and to not have them makes us 'un-HAPPY'... To have them makes us the salt of the earth, the light to the world.

They may seem hard, difficult to employ into our lives, and they do need the Holy Spirit working in us, as He wants to, to bring us into living the beatitudes.

More to come on this sermon on the mount, to show how Jesus said to have the 'happy' way of life...
 
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The sermon on the mount is the final and completed OT sermon. It is intended to condemn everyone. Bottom line, if you are unsaved (all the listeners were) then they could never achieve: "be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect."
If this sermon does not bring you to the cross then nothing would. It is the law brought to the extreme in spirit and truth. It is the fulfillment of Roman 3:

Romans 3:19-22 KJV
19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

The sole reason for the law, and the sermon on the mount is the apex expression of that law, is to bring us all to the cross.
This was being presented, not as a way to live, but as a proof of spiritual death.

Peace
Dids
 
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murjahel

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The sermon on the mount is the final and completed OT sermon. It is intended to condemn everyone. Bottom line, if you are unsaved (all the listeners were) then they could never achieve: "be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect."
If this sermon does not bring you to the cross then nothing would. It is the law brought to the extreme in spirit and truth. It is the fulfillment of Roman 3:

Romans 3:19-22 KJV
19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

The sole reason for the law, and the sermon on the mount is the apex expression of that law, is to bring us all to the cross.
This was being presented, not as a way to live, but as a proof of spiritual death.

Peace
Dids
laughing with a sad laughter... but your way does allow you to say how bad sin is, then do the same sins, and say how good you are...

we are saved unto good works, and the Lord does make us able and willing to do the beatitudes...

we are 'transformed by the renewing of our mind, to not be condemned by the not being able to keep the law,... but be forgiven for past sins, and be transformed into being able to love so much that these things all become easy, normal, possible...
when we slip and fall, we can repent and continue on...

God did not change the definition of sin, and allow murder now to be righteousness... sin is still sin... the forgiving of it is made easy, the possibility of being righteous is made real...

more on the sermon on the mount to come... you are excused from class though...
 
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murjahel

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WE ARE TO BE THE 'SALT'


The sermon on the mount, one of Jesus’ few sermons included in the Word, addresses what is true righteousness. Mankind has tried to water down what God really asks of His children, we want to make it simple, easy, and normal. Yet, God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, nor are His ways the same as ours. We find that, as children, He has a plan for us to be pure and special, peculiar to the world, but like unto His person.


The beatitudes illustrated the enormity of the plan of God for us, and now the Lord begins some explanations of specifics.


Those of the early church heard live, or later read this great sermon.

Disciples preached the sermon details in their messages.

We, today, have too often ignored, or decided it was just ‘ideals’ that Jesus described, not things He truly expected.

It is time we re-adjust our thinking, and see that He is giving detailed account of His expectations.


The early church was so different from many and most churches of our day.


The sermon content differed, since they had not had time, as we, to find rationalizations for not paying attention to the true necessity of truly obeying the instructions of Jesus’ sermons.


We, if we had been there, would have not had nerve to tell Jesus what we tell each other about why we do not feel obligated to be as He told us to be.


The power of the church today is so much different and less than the early church demonstrated to the world.

Why? It is because we do not follow the directions of our Lord.


If we ever do, the power of the church will surpass its current anemic state.


Can we search the Scriptures and find the key to their revival?


Has the church compromised doctrine and teaching so much that they have forfeited revival? Of course, we are NOT beyond redemption to Jesus’ true plan for the church. We need to find in the teachings of Jesus, and in the message of the early church, the truths that can re-ignite revival.


These teachings, when we find them, will surpass all the teachings of the Laodicean church of today, the modernist church that has so adulterated the true gospel that it is simply now a "form of godliness denying the power thereof."
Jesus and the early church taught and preached a higher standard than those who held the highest standard of that day, i.e. the scribes and the Pharisees.


Matthew 5:20 (KJV)
20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.


Does our righteousness exceed theirs? Do we live to a high moral and ethical standard? Are we known as ‘good’ people, or are we avoided as being unrighteous.


Matthew 16:12 (KJV)
12 Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.


There are attitudes, and life styles in the church today, that resemble more the pharisees than they do reflect the example of Jesus. We need to ‘beware the leaven’ of the pharisees.


Romans 10:1-3 (KJV)
1 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.
2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.
3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.


Many today have not ‘submitted themselves to the righteousness of God’. It is a ‘submission’, not an impossible task. The Lord never asks for the impossible, and only requires a willing subject. It is not that we ‘cannot’, it is that many ‘will not’ submit to His righteousness.


Matthew 7:29 (KJV)
29 For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.


Jesus taught the sermon on the mount, as one with ‘authority’. He truly does have ‘authority’ for He is ‘King of kings’ and ‘Lord of lords’. We are to be subject to Him, submitting ourselves to His plan.


IN DOING THIS,
WE ARE TO BE AS
‘SALT OF THE EARTH’


Matthew 5:13 (KJV)
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.


This is a metaphor: "Ye are the salt of the earth..." and then the rest is a parable on salt. Jesus is teaching that we are to be like "salt" in some ways. This teaching is vital, and is a continuation of a type given of salt in the Old Testament.


Salt is a necessary food, and was used in the Old Testament as a necessary ingredient to the food offerings given in thanksgiving to God.


Leviticus 2:13 (KJV)
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.


The word for "meat" in the above verse actually means "food".
These offerings were mostly unleavened cakes baked or fried and anointed with oil and frankincense, and offered to God as a praise offering.


There were five kinds of "food" offerings,
each to be salted:


1. Fine flour, oil and frankincense offered uncooked, but then cooked on the fires of the burnt altar...

2. Unleavened baked cakes of bread...

3. Unleavened cakes of bread done on a griddle on a fire...

4. Unleavened cakes fried in a pan...

5. The first fruits of the crops, beaten to a fine flour and mixed with oil and frankincense...



All these offerings had oil and frankincense added to them, but along with this, they were to be salted. There was no "food" offering to be offered to God without salt.


The bread was salted as a type. The salt was to be put thereon as a reminder of the "covenant of salt." Since every cake of bread offered to God was to have been salted, this shows that God wants us to constantly reminded of His covenant. He wants us to be preservative to the world, and a constant reminder to them that we are the pledge of God that He still wants to be loyal to the covenant.


Luke 14:34 (KJV)
34 Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned?

Mark 9:49-50 (KJV)
49 For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.
50 Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.


So, since Luke 14:34 and Mark 9:50 begin with "Salt is good..." and the Bible is truth, I do resist the talk of the world’s so called wise ones, when they tell us that ‘salt is bad’.


Though the world treats salt as something to be shunned, and removed from the diet, the truth is that only 10 per cent of the population do not automatically expel all excess salt taken into the body. For those, who are salt sensitive, the same way diabetics are sugar sensitive, they can be sensitive to too much salt. Yet, salt is a necessary food, for it will expel poisons within the system that can otherwise build up.


There are many good uses
and purposes of salt.


SALT:
purifies and preserves against corruption...
gives flavor to food...
eliminates poison from the body...
helps fertilize land...
arrests and prevents the process of putrefaction in food...



The people of the Bible days appreciated salt, and it value, unlike many of today. Salt had a significance that few today understand. Salt was considered "good", and valued, used on sacrifices, and used as a covenant between those pledging loyalty and friendship.


We are the "salt of the earth." We are to be an offer to the world of loyalty and friendship from God Himself. Like salt, Christians are a necessary element to this world. If the Christians do not live as the Lord teaches us, they are like salt that has lost its savor, and are "good for nothing"!!! The Lord teaches us that we are "the salt of the earth."


If we do not heed and become like the beatitudes describe, we are savorless salt in this world. Only if we measure up to that standard given in the beatitudes, will we be ‘salt’, and beneficial to this work of the Lord.


We are not "salt" of the "world" as we are the "light" of the "world". The word for "world" is "kosmos" meaning the world system, referring to the souls of the humans that are the population of the earth.


We are "light" to them, but to the "earth" we are "salt". The word for "earth" is "ga". This word refers to the planet as a whole. To this planet, we are like the "salt" that was placed upon the sacrifices (Lev. 2:13). So as the salt was added to a sacrifice to indicate the preservative power, and preservative nature of salt. So Christians are to be upon this earth to preserve it from the wrath of God, to keep God from destroying it.


 
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murjahel

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we are to be salt, part 2


If this salt (the Christians) "becomes worthless" how can this earth be preserved from judgment? The word for "becomes worthless" in the Greek is "morontha".


Salt is a chemical, and cannot lose its chemical properties, and still be salt. Yet, it can be adulterated. However, the word used actually means "becomes foolish", "becomes as a moron", and is therefore referring to the Christians,
that the "salt" was only a type.


Many Christians have become like this - moronic, stupid, adulterated with false, worthless, damaging, and sometimes damning doctrines - salt!!!


With false doctrines today, many Christians are of no value to the Lord, no value to the earth as a preservative from God's judgment. The Lord says that Christians with false, stupid, and harmful doctrines are good only for people to walk on.


The word for "walked on" is "katapateo" and denotes disdain and judgment.


Being "salty" is not optional... it is demanded, and needed by us today. We are either salty or not. The presence of "salty" Christians in the world, preserves the world from the corruption of the devil. When Christians lose the truth, the true gospel, corruption of the world progresses rapidly.


In II Thessalonians, we are told that "He that hinders will hinder until he be taken out of the way." Paul likely had this teaching of Jesus in mind as he taught the Thessalonians. We are to be a hindered to the plan of the devil, and to the revelation of the Antichrist. When we are removed by the rapture, the plan of the devil and the judgments of the tribulation will proceed rapidly.

If God could have found ten righteous in Sodom, God would have spared it. The ten righteous would have been enough "salt" that God would not have in that way judged the perverts of Sodom. When Moses stood before God in intercession, one righteous man saved the nation of Israel from destruction.
A "salty" saint can make a difference. God wants such "salty" saints.


Salt in the body cleanses out poisons.

Saints speaking rhema word, truth of the Spirit of truth, will bring purification to the body of Christ. When the body of Christ is too "unsalted" or begins speaking "moronic" ideas, stupid doctrines of devils, there is an evil that grows in the body of Christ. We need saints of salt, preserving earth from judgment, purifying the body of Christ from poisons, adding taste to the blandness of the earth.


Therefore, the Lord tells us:
Mark 9:50 (KJV)
Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.
The Lord is commanding that we are to have purification of saintly people in the church, not debating, not arguing, not attacking each other. We are to be in "peace" speaking, preaching, teaching the true gospel, the message of the Lord. When we find the church to be "salt" to the earth, it will be preserving it from judgment. Being ‘salt’ will also remove poisons from the body of Christ. If we are salt, we will do a work. You will change the body of Christ, or be expelled from the body.


Since salt is a preservative, it is symbolic of an enduring covenant. We are to have a "covenant of salt forever before Jehovah." (Numbers 18:19) David received his kingdom forever from Jehovah by a "covenant of salt."
(II Chronicles 13:5).


The term "covenant of salt" referred to the solemnizing of any inviolable covenant. Salt is meant to be used as a type of endurance, everlasting honesty and truth.


Still today, in the Arab and orthodox Jewish world, salt is meaningful and contractual. If such persons share food with salt on it, they must become friends, even if enemies before.
The Arabs have expressions: There is salt between us" and "He has eaten my salt..." both indicating a covenant made by such partaking of salt.


When people accept the salt of the earth, i.e. the Christians of truth, a covenant of peace, salvation, and protection is made with the Lord.


God wants us here to be "salty", to stand for truth, to proclaim what the Lord wants proclaimed. We are to "have salt" in the body.
 
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murjahel

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WE ARE ‘LIGHT’ TO THE WORLD
 

Matthew 5:14-16 (KJV)
14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
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.
16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.



The whole of the sermon on the mount is a challenge to Christians. We are not given these standards as optional, or as impossible goals, we are told to let the Lord change our nature so these become true of us.

We are to be 'salt' to the earth. Not garbage of the byways. We are now told we are to be 'lights' to the world. Is that too hard? It is for some for some have not lighted the way to Jesus any more than by putting a welcome mat on the front step of the church. No, Jesus wants more. He wants us to be LIGHTS to this dark world. He demands it.


II Corinthians 6:14-16
"Be not equally yoked together, for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness, and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God (us) with idols? For ye are the temple of God, as God hath said, I will dwell in them and walk in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people."


Too many, through the ages, have tried to walk in part darkness and part light.

This ‘twilight’ walk has never pleased God. God took Enoch via rapture to heaven, for he ‘walked with God’, and of course, walking there, was walking in the light.

Yet, down through the ages, some have wanted to mix ‘light with darkness’. What is righteous cannot be mixed with the unrighteous. What is evil should not come into the church.

When I was growing up, I remember most churches would have halloween parties for the children. I would see children dressed up as witches and devils, angels and saints, ghosts and good shepherds. The church thought this was cute and good. The Lord began shining light upon this, and many churches saw that we do not celebrate the devil’s holidays, any more than he would celebrate Resurrection day. The walking in the twilight was being recognized for the evil it was. We do not mix heathenism with Christianity.


The twilight is to disappear.


We, the church, cannot walk in twilight and do the work that God wants done.

When Jesus came, He came as the LIGHT OF THE WORLD.

Before His coming, many believers in God were awaiting a Messiah, but they were in a twilight of understanding of it. Jesus had to come the first time, to bring LIGHT, so that they could see that it was not their nationality or ancestors that made them God’s, but it was a righteous heart. Jesus came, as had John the Baptist, beginning with the message ‘repent’. The LIGHT had begun to dispel the twilight.


When Jesus came, mankind began to choose between the light or darkness. There was no more twilight on the subject. Judas eventually chose darkness. Jesus sent him away at the end, to be exiled to darkness. Even the kiss of Judas upon Jesus in the garden showed how dark it had become for him. He could betray his potential Savior for the price of a slave. His eternal doom was chosen while in that darkness.


The world is approaching the time of the second coming of Jesus, and as John the Baptist was a forerunner to the Lord’s first coming, we are to be forerunners of the second coming.

We are the first wave of such, and soon, we will be removed by the rapture of the church, and 144,000 Jewish forerunners will carry on this ‘LIGHT’ bearing to the Jewish remnant.

When they are gone, the two witnesses will come and finish shining forth the LIGHT’ to the final part of the tribulation.

Finally, Jesus will come, with all of His saints behind Him, at Armageddon.
 
The LIGHT is beginning to dispel darkness more and more, and is affecting the ‘twilight’ that has crept into the church.


The church first must choose to step further into the LIGHT, and escape the twilight.

We are to bear that message of LIGHT to the church.
 
To the church of Laodicea, which is representative of many of the churches of the last days, we see Jesus said they were not ’hot or cold’ but were ‘lukewarm’ and that condition would soon cause Him to ‘spue them’. The twilight is the same condition, and those who remain in the twilight, will soon be extinguished, and put into darkness or judgment.


The coming of more LIGHT will make the church
to not be tolerated as much as it has been.


Matthew 24:9
"Ye shall be hated of all nations, for My name’s sake."


The revival of the last days, will bring more and more LIGHT into the darkness of the world, and into the twilight of the church. We should be, as Jesus points out in the sermon on the mount, in the forefront of LIGHT BEARING. And therefore, we will be in the forefront of those hated by others.


The Muslim religion teaches that Christians are ‘infidels’ worthy only of death. Some believe what they are taught, we are sad to say. Media and government laws are often designed to discriminate against Christians. In many countries, Christians are hated and abused. We find in families, the saved one, the new Christian is shunned, mocked, hated, and sometimes divorced. This will become more and more pronounced in the last days, for the LIGHT of the Christians will become brighter, and the darkness of the sinners will become darker. The twilight will soon disappear, for the church will be judged. And we will be left with LIGHT versus DARKNESS.


The world will soon note a marvel and wonder. There will be LIGHT amidst DARKNESS, with no twilight. Of course, I am speaking in a spiritual sense. This lack of twilight will make the world more adamant and hateful toward the LIGHT. The twilight of many in churches has made the world more tolerant of Christianity. The lack of a broad difference between them and the saints, have made them accept what few differences they saw from their own lives and the lives of the saints. Too often, there has been little noticeable difference between those in the church and those good, moral people of the world. There will become more and more noticeable difference.


God began His work of re-creating this world, with the words ‘LET THERE BE LIGHT.’ First the Spirit brooded upon the waters, and the Spirit has been ‘brooding’ and warming up the cold and dark church in the first days of LIGHT coming to it.


John spoke that ‘God is Light’.
(I John 1:5).


Paul spoke that God is ‘dwelling in light unapproachable.’
(I Timothy 6:16)

Paul had met Jesus on the road to Damascus, and there saw a ‘great light’. (Acts 22:6, Acts 9:3)


Psalms 119:130
"The opening of Thy words giveth light.’

Proverbs 6:23
"The law is light.’

Proverbs 27:1
"Jehovah is my light and salvation.’

John 1:4
"The life was the light of men."

Isaiah records in Isaiah 42:6 and 49:6 that the Messiah was to come ‘for a light to the Gentiles.’

Ephesians 5:14
‘Christ shall give thee light’.

John the Baptist was called by Jesus, a ‘burning and shining light.’
(John 5:25)


The disciples of the church age are called ‘the light of the world’.
(Matthew 5:14)


Christians are called the ‘children of light’
(Luke 16:8, John 12:16, and Ephesians 5:18)


Therefore, we see that LIGHT is in God, in His Word, in His followers. We, now, are to receive a great revelation of light, and having been given that, we will be greater LIGHT before a darker world.


When Moses came down off the mountain, after having stood before God, his face ‘shown’ with the glory of God. Having been in God’s presence, Moses’ face was also aglow with the LIGHT.


When Stephen was being stoned, and he looked up to see Jesus at the Father’s right hand, his face shown, and was enlightened by the LIGHT from God.


We, the church of the last days, need that encounter with the Lord, and need to receive many encounters with Him, so the Spirit of Truth will give a new LIGHT to us.

more to come.... on being the 'light' of the Lord God to this dark sinful world....
 
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murjahel

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Some Christians will rebel
and go into darkness.


Psalms 107:10
"Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death (Mawveth).. Because they rebelled against the words of God.’
Many sit in darkness, many Christians are in no better than twilight. Many still disgrace God by their language, their thoughts, their actions. Notice what starts the darkness, is the ‘rebelling against the words of God.’ Some want to pick and choose what words of God to read, do not want to interpret all verses so they harmonize with the rest of the Word, but want to take verses out of context, so as to twist them to fit their own ideas. This brings a darkness, and once the darkness is chosen over the light, their darkness grows darker and darker.


THE ARMOR OF LIGHT


What are we to do? The ‘armor of light’ needs to be put on, and the ‘works of darkness’ need to be ‘cast off’.


Romans 13:12
"The night is far spent, and the day is at hand, Let us therefore, cast off the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light


Why is the ‘light’ called ‘armor’ here? We are not putting on light to just glow, but putting on LIGHT for the current battle against wicked spirits of the age. Some are afraid of terrorism, of thieves in the night, of homicidal maniacs. Yet, the spiritual warfare involves greater danger than all of that.

We need spiritual armor.


Do you hate ‘darkness’? Too many ‘love’ darkness. There is a lure of the sins that are darkness.


John 3:19
"And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil."


Halloween time often shows the lure of darkness. People do not want to disappoint their children from being able to go door to door to collect candy. So, the pleasure of the children, the lure of free candy, the funniness of a child dressed up as a devil, all are alluring enough that they let their children participate in a celebration of evil, a holiday of the devils. The night that is the highest unholy day of devil worshipers and witches is celebrated by some Christians for ‘darkness’ has a bit of allurement.


To those who continue to mix darkness in with the light they have received, the day will come when they will face total darkness. God is not going to tolerate the lukewarmness that is part of the twilight spiritual existence. God is currently forcing mankind to choose darkness or light. Those that choose darkness, will face darkness.


Matthew 8:12
"...cast into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth...’


Hell is a place of fire, but the place is also a place of darkness, representing the darkness, and absence of LIGHT that took them there.


Relationships are vital to keep the LIGHT. Even family will turn against the Christians who are in LIGHT. Sons, daughters, mates, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. will find it difficult to have relationship with a child of God who is not in twilight, but is in the LIGHT.


Yet, we should continue to love, intercede for them. For maintaining the LIGHT in which we walk, means to be loving of the unloving, caring for those who do not care, and interceding for those who have rejected the Lord.


I John 2:11
"He that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth because darkness hath blinded his eyes."


Darkness perverts minds.
Light reveals and gives knowledge.


What is good will look bad to the one in darkness. What is bitter will taste sweet. The mind becomes more and more perverted and warped, becomes reprobate. Spiritual understanding will not be possible to one walking in darkness. The things that are spiritually discerned will not be discernible to the one in darkness.


Isaiah 5:20
"Woe unto them that call evil good and good evil; that put darkness for light and light for darkness, that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter."


Paul met Jesus, and saw His glory and presence amidst great light.


Acts 9:1-22
‘And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus, and suddenly, there shoned round about him light from heaven...


Suddenly, there shined from heaven a great light round about me.. When I could not see for the glory of that great light, being led by the hand."


The revelation of that great light, made Paul to become one who would be a great light to others.


Acts 13:47 (speaking of Paul and Barnabas)
"For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.’


Paul said that ‘now we see through a glass darkly.’ Yet, the day has now come, when the LIGHT will shine brighter and brighter, dispelling the twilight. The LIGHT came and suffered and died for us, and soon He will come back for us. We are walking more and more close to that time, and the LIGHT is getting brighter and brighter.


II Peter 3:19
"We have also a more sure word of prophecy, whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arises in your heart."


As we walk and serve in the church, we need to abide in LIGHT. This life will take on new dimensions, new horizons, new revelations, as we abide in the LIGHT.


I John 2:10
"He that loveth his brother, abideth in light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.’


A new zeal will accompany this LIGHT bestowment from God. Sometimes, the revelation of new LIGHT, will bring some side effects, and one of them is misguided zeal.


The story is told of a mother who asked her child where she had been, and the child said ‘in the garden, helping God’. The mother was a bit perplexed by the answer. She asked how she had helped God. The daughter replied, ‘I found a rose that was almost blossomed, so I blossomed it.’


In the same way, when we receive light, we need to beware trying to take the role of God. The girl who helped God blossom the rose, ruined the rose. And we can ruin God’s plan by getting ahead of Him, trying to take charge of His projects, and by thinking the light that we received, making us able to see more things, means we are to charge into those situations without further instruction.


Peter had misguided zeal when he took a sword and cut off the ear of Malchus’ servant. He thought he had ‘light’ for now he realized that these were the ones coming to do as the LIGHT, i.e. Jesus, had told him, to crucify his Lord. But with that light, Peter should have also waited and heeded instruction before taking it upon himself to act.


Moses knew from ‘light’ that he had received that he was to deliver his people from Egypt. So one day, he sees an

Egyptian beating an Israelite slave. Moses kills that Egyptian.

That was misguided and carnal zeal.

Romans 10:2 talks of a ‘zeal without knowledge’. So, we must be careful to get a word of wisdom and a word of knowledge to know what to do with the light we receive.


Many a church has been ruined by someone with zeal. Their zeal has made the color of carpet, the kind of curtain on the window to be so important. The fights that result from their zeal to improve the building of worship, that they have split churches, and damned souls in the process.


We are not to just drift, take down our sail, and drift to wherever. We have a course to follow, we need the light to get on our way, but we need to beware that we do not have misguided zeal.


John Wesley had zeal. He traveled 250,000 miles on horseback. He averaged 20 miles a day for 40 years. He preached 40,000 sermons. He wrote 400 books. He knew 10 languages. At 80, he complained in his diary, that he had a hard time writing more than 15 hours a day without hurting his eyes. At 86 years of age, John Wesley was ashamed that he could not preach more than twice a day. He complained in his diary that there was an increasing tendency to lie in bed until 5:30 in the morning. That is a zeal for the Lord, and rightly guided zeal. It took him far beyond natural works, normal expectancies of humans.


Zeal is good, if it is not misguided. The world will oppose a zealous Christian. They will oppose the zealous Christians. They will not oppose the zealous running back on the football team. They will cheer as he breaks tackles and strives for the goal. Yet, for the saint, they will oppose any exercise of energy to reach a goal that they do not understand.
Jesus faced antagonism for is zeal. The world hated Him, and it will hate us too as we push toward victory and revival. The world hated Him for the light that He brought, and the light of the church will be hated also. We must suffer antagonism, misunderstanding, mocking. Yet, despite that all, there will be victories to talk about for all eternity.


Zeal will grab the positive side and run with it. Zeal will make it seem worth it all, no matter what the cost. We must have zeal, for the Lord will send others to the fox holes, and take only the most zealous, as He did with the 300 chosen in the time of Gideon.
 
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murjahel

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THE LAW IS FULFILLED IN JESUS


Sermon on the Mount


Matthew 5:17-22 (KJV)
17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.


This is a heavy teaching of Jesus.
All of the sermon on the mount is very heavy teaching.

Many avoid the passage for that reason, others read it quickly, and assume it is a high standard, and pass on to other simpler, easier to understand passages.


This one deals with the law. The ‘law’ was a dispensation in preparation for the fulfillment in Jesus. Some still try to live by the law, some take parts of it, and want to obey only those parts.


The early church originally recognized that they were part of a ‘new covenant’. Yet, there were some who soon began to incorporate law back into the gospel message.


Acts 15:1-2, 5-14, 19,20
"And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved. When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question. ... But there rose up a certain sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses. And the apostles and the elders came together for to consider this matter. And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, Who knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Spirit, even as He did unto us... Why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?... Wherefore my sentence is that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollution of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood."


That particular debate on the need to keep the law of the Old Covenant was settled, but still there were more debates, more division amidst the early church.

Some called the ‘Ebionites’ took the original Hebrew gospel written by Matthew and the disciples (called the Logia), and ‘adulterated’ it, to make it sound as though one had to obey the laws to be saved.

The adulterated forms of this original gospel are called the Gospel of the Hebrews, and the Gospel of the Ebionites. The Ebionite heretics of the early church age debased the Logia, making their gospel by adding, changing, and omitting portions of the Logia.

Epiphanius says that they had the Gospel of Matthew in the most complete form in the Hebrew (Aramaic), and that they had "falsified and mutilated" it.

This group is the one started in the time of Acts 15. Paul wrote to some being tempted to go that same route in doctrine in Galatians. The book of Hebrews is a thematic book written to counter some of these same false doctrines they were accepting


The whole law of God and Moses, including the ten commandments, and all the civil and ceremonial laws based upon the ten commandments, was done away with and abolished in Christ on the cross and the new covenant now takes the place of the old one.

This is plainly stated in:
2 Corinthians 3:6-15 (KJV)
6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. 7 But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones (the 10 commandments), was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:
8 How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?
9 For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.
10 For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.
11 For if that which is done away (the old covenant of the law) was glorious, much more that which remaineth (the new covenant of grace) is glorious.
12 Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech:
13 And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished (the covenant of the law):
14 But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.
15 But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart.


It is clear that the old covenant, written in stone, was to be ‘done away’, "abolished’. A new, more glorious covenant was to take its place. The commandments were written stone, and Christ fulfilled the commandments of the Old Testament, and accomplished their purpose.


Notice that there is a great contrast between the old and new covenants in this passage:

the first brought "death",
the second brings "life";

the first was "glorious",
the second is "much more glorious";

the first brought "condemnation",
the second brings "righteousness";

the first was of "the letter",
the second is of "the Spirit";

the first was "done away" and "abolished",
the second "remaineth";

the first came by "Moses",
the second came by Jesus Christ;

the first required a vail to hide the glory because it was "the ministration of death",
the second can be viewed with "open face" for it is "the spirit that giveth life";

and the first brought blindness and bondage,
the second brings liberty.
 



Ephesians 2:15 (KJV)
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;


JESUS, IN THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT,
EXPLAINS HOW HE FULFILLED THE LAW

Matt 5:17
Think not that I am come to destroy
the law, or the prophets:
I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.


The word ‘destroy’ is the Greek word ‘katalyo’.

Of the seventeen times in the New Testament, it is translated ‘destroy’ nine times. It is from two words, ‘kata’ and ‘luo’, meaning to ‘loosen down’. It means here "to bring to completion, throw down, make to halt."

The Lord Jesus, in making the law to halt, rather did what is translated ‘fulfil’ the law.
This is the Greek word pleroo (4137) meaning ‘to satisfy, to fulfil, as when a prophecy is fulfilled, completed, it is seen and evident as to what it truly meant.


The Bible shows this ‘fulfilment’ of prophecy truth is what is referred to here, for Paul refers to this in Galatians.

Galatians 3:22-25 (KJV)
22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.


The law was a shadow of things to come, just as when you see a ‘shadow’ as you look toward a corner, you know the shadow will be followed by what or who made the shadow, and the reality is to follow. The shadow is no longer needed to know the reality of it, for the fulfilment is evident.
 

Colossians 2:14-17 (KJV)
14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances (the law) that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross;
15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.




MORE TO COME ON JESUS TEACHING ON THE LAW... AND ON GRACE... STAY TUNED 
 
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murjahel

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Part 2...
the law is fulfilled...


THE LAW DID NOT PASS,
IT WAS FULFILLED

Matt. 5:18
For verily I say unto you,
Till heaven and earth pass,
one jot or one tittle
shall in no wise pass from the law,
till all be fulfilled.


The word ‘pass’ is the Greek word: parerchomai (G3928), meaning to pass away, be changed, or pass from one condition to another. They did not pass, or change from one condition to another, till all was fulfilled. Jesus said He came to ‘fulfil’ the law. They never have passed out of existence, but they have been purified, becoming renewed again.


The law is part of the eternal Word of God. They remain forever. They will never pass away in the sense of non-existence.

It will always be wrong to murder, to steal, etc. yet, they have passed away in the sense of when one becomes a new creation.


2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV)
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.


‘Not one jot or tittle’ refers to the ‘jot’, the smallest letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and the ‘tittle’ is the smallest ornament placed upon some Hebrew letters. Like the dot on the alphabet I, this tittle will never pass away, at least not until, all has been fulfilled.

We all need to be free from the ‘letter of the law.’
That written law that tells us what to do or not do, and that inner urge to do it, but still knowing our flesh is weak, and bound to fail. That is a heavy burden, it guarantees ‘death’ for we are all ‘sinners’, failures of keeping the law.

That was fulfilled, when Jesus took our death on the cross, and the penalty of sin was paid. Jesus came and made it possible for us to take, by grace, the love He gives, and shares.

This love of God and love for our fellow man, makes us not need to force ourselves to not kill, we will not want to steal, etc.

Rather, the law of love replaces the ‘law’, for it is fulfilled in the redemption of our spirit from the curse of sin.


Every jot and tittle of the whole law or contract at Sinai was fulfilled, ended, and abolished in Christ and "done away" by Him when He made the new covenant, which is far more glorious.

Romans 10:4 (KJV)
4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.


THE LAWS OF THE NEW COVENANT
ARE STILL AS BINDING,
BUT NO LONGER ARE WE TO FORCED TO OBEY
LAWS THAT ARE UNNATURAL,

RATHER, WE HAVE A NEW NATURE OF LOVE
THAT PRODUCES A DESIRE TO LOVE,
SO OBEDIENCE TO THE LAWS IS EASY.

Matt 5:19
Whosoever therefore shall break
one of these least commandments,
and shall teach men so,
he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven:
but whosoever shall do and teach them,
the same shall be called great
in the kingdom of heaven.


The laws and commandments of the new covenant are just as binding as those in the old covenant. Our nature is changed, so that we obey, not by force, but by love. There are over 1,050 commands in the new covenant, plus many others not shown in the form of commands. We are told to ‘love our neighbor’, we are told not only not to kill, but also not to be angry. The laws are not done away, but our nature is changed, so that our love keeps us from hating, killing, stealing, etc.


stay tuned for part 3 of 'the law fulfilled'
 
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murjahel

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part 3 of the law fulfilled

RIGHTEOUSNESS, HOLINESS,
UNDER THE NEW COVENANT
IS FAR GREATER
THAN RIGHTEOUSNESS UNDER THE LAW

 


Matt 5:20
For I say unto you, That except your righteousness
shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.


The scribes and pharisees were ‘self righteous’, but not ‘righteous.’ They had the clean clothes, the bathed bodies, the proper offerings, the words of scholars. Yet, inside, in their hearts, they were hateful, jealous, bitter, angry, wicked in thought. Jesus wants us to have far more righteousness than they.


Romans 10:1-3 (KJV)
1 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.
2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.
3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.


RIGHTEOUSNESS IS DEFINED SIMILARLY
IN BOTH COVENANTS.

THE NEW COVENANT DOES NOT CONDONE
UNRIGHTEOUSNESS.

THE INNER MOTIVATION IS NOT FORCING
UNNATURAL DEEDS,
BUT IT BECOMES OUR NATURE
TO LOVE AND TO BE RIGHTEOUS.


Matt 5:21-22
Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time,
Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment:
and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say,
Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.


 
Jesus speaks with authority, He is One of the Trinity, He is Lord, King of kings. He makes laws and can issue commands, and we are to obey. Some think that once saved, there is no need for obedience. That is heresy and there is no such teaching in the Word. The old covenant was glorious, but it was the ‘letter of the law’ that was the impetus to obey. Now, when Jesus gives a command, we are to obey, only now it is due to our love for Him, for our fellow man. So, with this new impulse of love flowing through our being, we love so much, there is no desire to break these commands of Jesus.


John 1:17 (KJV)
17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.


If we get angry without cause, we fail Jesus. Our tempers need to be under the control of the love of God. We may blame ourselves, and of course, we have failed, but the blame needs not just directed inward to condemn, but we need to blame our lack of having the love of God flow through us. The fruit of the Spirit, which we received at salvation, needs to flow. Fruit keeps us from breaking the new law of Jesus. It is not our ‘efforts’ we need to work on, we are not under the old covenant. It is our ‘fruit’ that needs to flow again.


Ephesians 4:24-26 (KJV)
24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.
26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:


The fruit of the Spirit has ‘no law’ against them. They are constantly to be the motivating impetus to our actions. We are to never have any lack in these. We are never to replace these fruit and allow a ‘work of the flesh’ to replace it. Jesus deals in the sermon on the mount with ‘anger’ in the passage under discussion. Anger, without cause, is due to impatience, unlove, short suffering, lack of peace, loss of joy, etc. In other words, ‘anger’ that is without cause, proves that the fruit of the Spirit, given at salvation, is no longer flowing through us.



Galatians 5:22-23 (KJV)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance
: against such there is no law.


The word ‘raca’ is an Aramaic word of utter contempt, such as "scoundrel," "bastard", ‘s.o.b.’, etc. (I hate to use those words even here, but the idea of what Jesus was saying needs to be understood.) Someone using such words against another in anger, could be taken to the ‘council’ in that day.

In our day, the abusive word is suffered, or more anger, more words come flowing. The ‘council’ was the Sanhedrin, who were the 71 judges who worked with the high priest. In the other communities away from Jerusalem, there was a local council in each synagogue of 3 or more men. These men would handle the ‘anger’ words spoken, and seek to correct the awfulness of that situation.

The word ‘fool’ that Jesus then refers to was the Greek word ‘moros’ from which we get the word ‘moron’, and then it meant a wicked reprobate, destitute of all spirituality. Some use the word ‘heretic’, ‘false prophet’, ‘devil’, or ‘witch’ with the same thought in this day.


To speak such name, without truth, of another puts one in grave danger of ‘hell’, says the ever truthful Lord Jesus. That word ‘hell’ is the Greek word ‘gehenna’. This was literally a place near Jerusalem, where perpetual fires burnt for all refuse of the city. It is used 12 Times of hell, the place of eternal punishment of the wicked (Matthew. 5:22,29,30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15,33; Mark 9:43-47; Luke 12:5; James. 3:6). It is the same place as "the lake of fire", the "furnace of fire", and the "fire and brimstone" that are often mentioned in the Bible.

Therefore, Jesus was threatening quite a punishment for ceasing the ‘fruit of the Spirit’ flow that He commanded. The anger, without cause, that indicates one is not living the beatitudes, not letting the love flow, is in great jeopardy.


Does this mean that every ‘anger moment’ makes us cease to be a Christian?
No, I do not believe that. It says ‘one is in danger of’.

That means it allows one to be on a path of less fellowship with our Lord, and we are heading the wrong direction. It may take long to get one from those beginning moments to where they will finally choose to reject Jesus and cease their salvation. God never takes anyone to heaven by force, and that time of rejection of Jesus is not likely for any Christian to ever choose to do, but the loss of fellowship with the Lord is something we should dread. We are not lost from salvation, we are losing blessings we could have.


Living in fellowship with Jesus, free from the ‘letter of the law’ being our motivation, we have the love of Jesus keeping our living to be righteous.


Romans 10:4 (KJV)
4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.


If we relied on the works of the law for our salvation, we are cursed.

Galatians 3:10-13 (KJV)
10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.
13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:


All the handwriting of laws was contrary to our salvation, for none of us could ever completely fulfill that law. Jesus has taken that out of the way, and nailed it to His cross, paid the price for our failures of keeping the law.


Colossians 2:14 (KJV)
14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

stay tuned for part 4... more on the law fulfilled to come, Jesus had much more to explain on this...
 
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murjahel

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part 4 of the 'law fulfilled'

THE LAW OF CIRCUMCISION
WAS FULFILLED BY JESUS’ COMING



The apostles did away with all keeping the law of circumcision and stated that Gentiles were not bound to keep the law of Moses. Even the ‘sabbath’ law was deleted from the new covenant. The Old Testament law had some commands that were a ‘shadow’ of what was to come. Circumcision spoke of a spiritual happening in the New Testament life of a believer. The sabbath law was a type of Jesus Who is our ‘rest from working for salvation’.


Circumcision was required as a sign of the covenant of God with Abraham. The new covenant does not require it to be done literally, for it was fulfilled by Jesus’ coming.


Abraham was justified by faith, before ‘circumcision’ even began. His faith was not measured by ‘circumcision’.


The circumcision was a ‘seal of righteousness of his faith.’ Now, in Jesus, we are ‘circumcised’ spiritually by our righteousness in the new covenant. The keeping of the letter of the law of the past was impossible, so the circumcision marked those who were trying, were sacrificing for failures, were God’s children, though far from perfect. In our day, there are Christians, who are also far from perfect, but have circumcised hearts, dedicated to the Lord, living a life for Him.


Romans 4:9-13 (KJV)
9 Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.
10 How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.
11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:
12 And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised.
13 For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.


The spiritual circumcision is of the heart, not an outward physical symbol, as it was in the Old Testament time.


Romans 2:25-29 (KJV)
25 For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision.
26 Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision?
27 And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?
28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.


In this covenant, the ‘faith we have, working in and by love’ is the circumcision that God requires of us. If we have that ‘love’, that ‘faith in the Lord’, we will keep all the commands of Jesus.


Galatians 5:6 (KJV)
6 For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.


THE LAW OF SABBATHS
WAS FULFILLED IN JESUS



Romans 14:5-6 (KJV)
5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
6 He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it.


Romans 14:12-13 (KJV)
12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.
 

Galatians 4:9-11 (KJV)
9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?
10 Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.
11 I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.


Colossians 2:16-17 (KJV)
16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.


In the law of Moses, the law of honoring the sabbath days was mandatory. Jesus came and became the ‘rest’ of which the sabbath day was but a ‘shadow’.


In the law, one kept certain rules, as a child in a school obeyed the ‘schoolmaster’. Yet, the purpose of that schoolmaster, was to bring us to Jesus. Now that Jesus has come, He has fulfilled the lessons taught in the law, and replaces their ‘shadow’ with the reality.


Galatians 3:23-27 (KJV)
23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.


Not being "under" law brings us out from under its authority. The letter of the law, telling us we ‘must’ do or not do, is gone.

Now, we do and not do out of the motivation of love and of faith.


The ‘sabbath’ day was instituted as a type of Jesus. Jesus did the work for us to obtain salvation. We enter into Jesus, Who is our Sabbath, our rest from our works. The seventh day prefigured the time when we would enter into Jesus and be able to cease from ‘working’ to be good. We are now ‘worthy’ of salvation, by His work that He did for us.


Hebrews 4:3-11 (KJV)
3 For we which have believed do enter into rest, as He said, As I have sworn in My wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
4 For He spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all His works.
5 And in this place again, If they shall enter into My rest.
6 Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:
7 Again, He limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts.
8 For if Jesus had given them rest, then would He not afterward have spoken of another day.
9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
10 For he that is entered into His rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His.
11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.


The law is not abolished, it is fulfilled in Jesus. We have far more than the shadow, we have the Reality in the Lord. We have ceased from laboring to earn salvation, we enter into Rest, into our life in the Lord. There, we have an eternity of sabbath days, for we live and abide in the Sabbath. So, when the Bible said the ‘sabbath’ celebrations were to be without end, this is how they are eternal, they are representative of our abiding in Jesus, our Rest.

more to come
 
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