The Beatitudes -Matthew 5

Beatitude #1 Matthew 5:3

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Blessed just means happy.  Happy are the poor in spirit.

“Poor in Spirit” is the first beatitude we must examine. 

Poor here means “reduced to begging, destitute of wealth, position or honor.  Lowly, helpless, poor and needy”

(http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G4434&t=NASB)

Are you a spiritual beggar at Christ’s feet with no position or honor to cling to?  No merit of your own to lean on? No amount of religious works to lean on… are you DESTITUTE?  Then be happy!  Only the broken man or woman with NOTHING left to lean on can inherit the kingdom of heaven.  Why?  Because having any merit of your own is to say Christ’s work on the Cross was not full and complete payment for your sins.  You must trust in Christ’s death alone.

Tidbits from Tozer

I’m reading one of my favorite books again A.W. Tozer’s Knowledge of the Holy

Here’s a few tidbits I like:

“Natural man is a sinner because and only because he challenges God’s selfhood in relation to his own.”

Here’s one SO applicable today:

“The Christian has to do with God and man, but it’s focal point is God, not man.”

“May you be ground up between the millstones of hope and fear!”

"Until we have seen ourselves as God see us, we are not likely to be much disturbed over conditions around us as long as they do not get so far out of hand as to threaten our comfortable way of life. We have learned to live with unholiness and have come to look upon it as the natural and expected thing"

Is the path to Heaven Wide or Narrow?

My sister Beth and I were recently talking and I was telling her if I was still Catholic I would definitely be a Vatican I guy. Vatican II contradicts the teachings of Vatican I. Vatican II and MANY Protestant churches alike teach a "Wider Mercy" theology.

So is the path to Heaven wide or narrow according to scripture?

Well let's let the scriptures speak on it. Here's a video from Dr John MacArthur on the topic.

Motives and Intentions

Driving to work this morning I was thinking there are two pretty important elements to life to consider.

Motives and Intent

First motives. What are your motives behind the things you do? Are your motives good or bad? Like G.I. Joe used to tell me on Saturday mornings "Now you know and knowing is half the battle." What's G.I. Joe have to do with this? I simply mean, examine your motives. How often do we even think about WHY we do what we do? Once you see if the pattern of your motives are good or bad, you begin to develop a new insight to the condition of your heart. Are you good or bad? (Roman's 3:10) Do your best to operate with good motives.

Second intent. This is more for the people around you. Do you work to show your intentions to the people your are working or living with? Showing your intent is a revealing of your personal motive in the matter. When we don't do that we end up with "miscommunication". People may assume you have wrong motives and make a leap to also assume your intent.

If you operate from pure motives you can be fully transparent to others and gladly reveal your intentions in matters. This will help smooth out some of the bumps in life.

(By the way my motive is simply to share what I am learning in life with the intent of tossing something out there that may be useful to others)

:-) Have a great day!

The Christian Tom Cruise's of the World

Yesterday I was talking about how manic and crazy Cruise is. If you missed his strange ramblings, (Click HERE) for the YouTube video.

OK, you know the saying "When you point a finger, three are pointing back."

As I considered that, I knew right away that some Christians in the circles I run in are very similar to Tom Cruise... I have sounded Tom Cruise crazy before. (Let me explain)

In the video above, Tom is very passionate. His ferver is almost disturbing. Kind of scary!

Christian's can sometimes be so passionate about their message their behavior is somewhat disturbing to the innocent bystander who is suddenly "Bible Blasted"

Another thing Tom does is use special Scientology lingo. Jargon like "SP's" and "KSW" I have NO CLUE what he is talking about without the information in the side bar of the video.

Christians do the same thing! We use big words that people have no clue what we are talking about. Special terms are fine if you are in a setting where people understand and commonly use the terms. If you are sharing with an average person, use words and terms anyone can understand.

Finally, I noticed Tom talking about how he has the answers and the world needs to hear the message he has to share. Oh, please Tom! Share your almighty secrets with us!!!!

Wait! Christians talk the same way! I considered how arrogant he sounded and I understand why people think WE sound arrogant. We claim to see while we call the listener blind. We claim to have understanding while saying people are blind, dead, deaf and dumb.

OH, how much we think of ourselves! I understand why people see us that way!

If you talked to me 9 years ago I would have said "When sharing your faith, please... I don't really want to hear about your personal faith and what God has done in your life or a church's teachings or the doctrines of men or councils."

Filled with love, be a friend and share "The Bible says..."

What the BIBLE says has changed my life!

Don't worry, the BIBLE is authoritative and doesn't need you. Sorry to say it that way.

God is sovereign and doesn't need YOU and ME!

So why do we share? Because we are commanded to. Because we can't help ourselves!

My concern is are you sharing Christ crucified for the forgiveness of sins through the sharing of Scripture? Or are you sharing the Gospel according to you?

Know your Bible, cling to your Bible and share the Bible.

Who are we that God should save us from our sins?! Be humble and thankful and share with love and gratitude not pride and arrogance. Talk up to people as if they are above you not talk down to people as if they are below you.

The Holy Spirit will do His work. You just be humble and faithful to Christ and His Word.

(I say these things to myself. If they are any benefit to you I am glad.)

Leave any thoughts or comments. I want to work through this for myself and not miss anything. Feel free to question me or challenge me. I have no high horse to come down from.

State of the Nation 2

Dr Ken Ham from the Creation Museum
(http://answersingenesis.org )

Who is a Christian?

Q:  I would like a way to tell if someone is a Christian, but at the same time I don’t want to “judge” them.  Is there a way I can tell?

A:  Well I would just point you to the answer that Christ gave in Matthew chapter 7.

Mat 7:16
"You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn {bushes} nor figs from thistles, are they?

Mat 7:17
"So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.

Mat 7:18
"A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.

Mat 7:19
"Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

Mat 7:20
"So then, you will know them by their fruits.

Mat 7:21
"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven {will enter.}

Mat 7:22
"Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?'

Mat 7:23
"And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'

Mat 7:24
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.

Mat 7:25
"And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and {yet} it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.

Mat 7:26
"Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.

Mat 7:27
"The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell--and great was its fall."

Mat 7:28
When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching;

 

Obviously we all fail at times, but look at the pattern of their life and speech.  What a man lives is what he really believes in his heart.

More importantly I use this verse to examine myself.  Look at Matthew 7:23  is that you?  Do you practice sin as a pattern of life?  OR do you need to turn from sin and submit to Jesus as the LORD of your life?  That’s right!  He is to be the MASTER of your life! 

Time to crawl off that throne in your heart and seat Christ on it where He belongs.