I recently finished a series preaching through the Sermon on the Mount. This section in Matthew’s Gospel has some of the highest standards Christians are supposed to live up to. While much of it seems impossible to accomplish, I believe Jesus would expect us as his disciples to at least try. Of course, I don’t have the space in this brief article here to expound on the entire Sermon on the Mount.
The problem with forgiveness is that it puts Satan’s empire out of business. That’s why, since Calvary, Satan and his corporate goons have been feverishly rebranding violence, revenge, addictions, murder, adultery and idolatry, sometimes in packaging that, from sufficient distance and distraction, looks Christian. They’ve even tried to strip “love” of its true meaning, selling us the lie that love is no more than a feeling, or an activity. When we buy into his rebranding campaign, Satan knows we won’t stop to listen to God’s still, small voice. We’ll be too busy, suspending both common sense and compassion, which leads to a gradual descent into savagery and isolation. He’s done it before, and once again, the rebranding seems to be working like a charm.
At First Christian Church one year, we used a string of Prayer Beads to help us meditate upon the events of Holy Week. Each day we had a Scripture passage and a colored bead that we could hold to make the time of meditation more tangible. Unfortunately, I can’t send the prayer beads through the newspaper with this article. But I share with you the Scripture and the color of the bead for each day in case you want to make your own prayer bead string. I hope you will at least meditate on the Scripture each day through Holy Week.
[Jesus says,] “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” - John 10:11
“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” The author of Hebrews makes this statement (11:1 NIV) just before giving us a Who’s Who list of the faithful of the Old Testament. We cannot see God, but we can see what God has created. Of course, believing that everything around us was created by God is an act of faith itself.
Arrogance. Pride. Self-righteousness. Self-centeredness. Narcissism.
Many don’t understand why God could come as He did to save us. I came across the following story a few years ago, I don’t know the source, but it is certainly worth sharing.
The book of Matthew ends with what we call “The Great Commission.” Jesus has already risen from the dead and he is on a mountain in Gallilee with his disciples when he tells them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” It is time that we who call ourselves Jesus’ disciples take that charge seriously.
“Now [Jesus] was praying in a certain place, and when He finished, one of His disciples said to Him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.’” - Luke 11:1
Within most of us, there is the desire to help one another. Within most, there is a sense of gratitude when someone helps us out.