2 Thessalonians 2 (KJV)
³ Let no man deceive you by any means:
for that day shall not come,
except there come a falling away first...
¹⁰ ...because they received
not the love of the truth...
¹² ....believed not the truth,
but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
They didn't believe or receive the Truth because they loved their sin more. 💔
Get a love for the Truth
PRAISE vs. WORSHIP And The Sacrifice of Praise
We often use the terms ‘praise’
and ‘worship’ interchangeably – yet there is a difference between the two.
Praise is mentioned in the Bible numerous
times. The word ‘Praise’ translated from
the Hebrew can have different meanings.
Sometimes.
Praise (H2167 za’mar) can mean – striking with the fingers, to touch the
strings or parts of a musical instrument; to play upon; to make music,
accompanied by the voice; hence to celebrate in song and music.
For this
definition, you will usually find the word ‘sing’ accompanying the word ‘praise’
as in these Psalms….
Psalm 33:2
- Praise the LORD with harp; sing unto Him with the Psaltery
and an instrument of ten strings.
Psalm 147:7
– Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God:
Psalm
149:3 – Let them praise His name in the dance: let them sing praises unto Him
with the timbrel and harp.
God wants
us to not only praise Him by singing songs and playing instruments, He also desires
us to praise Him with a dance.
Most
people think of ‘dance’ as the kind they do on the dancefloor while lustful and
sensual songs are played. Some religions use dance as a form of worship to false
gods. But God originally created a pure
undefiled dance to Him as a means to praise Him.
Miriam
the Prophetess, sister of Aaron and Moses, took a timbrel in her hands and led
the women in dancing to celebrate God triumphing over their enemies and drowning
Pharoah’s army in the sea. (Exodus 15:20)
In other
passages, Praise (H8416 tehillah) may mean – laudation; specifically a hymn.
Nehemiah
12:46 – For in the days of David and Asaph of old there were chief of the
singers, and songs of praise and thanksgiving unto God.
Psalm 22:3
– But Thou art holy, O Thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.
When we begin
to sing hymns that praise our God, He comes down and resides in the midst of
it. It is pleasing to His ears and touches His heart.
Many
times, Praise (H1984 halal) will mean – to boast; be clamorously foolish; to
celebrate; to rave, to make or feign oneself mad.
This is the same word used when
describing David when he was running for his life from King Saul. He came to the King of Gath but was afraid they
would harm him as well or maybe deliver him over to Saul so he pretended to be
insane (he feigned himself mad). It
worked. They let him go and he was able
to escape to a cave. (1 Samuel 21:10-22:1)
Just a
few chapters later, David again acted like a mad man. This time it wasn’t an attempt to save his
life but rather to praise God for bringing the Ark back to Israel. David danced (whirled) before the LORD with
all his might. (2 Samuel 6:14-15) They shouted (H8643 meaning: they made a loud
noise, an acclimation of joy similar to a battle cry). They blew the trumpet. It was a huge celebration.
David did
not look dignified as he leapt and danced before the LORD, but he did not care.
The LORD was worthy to be praised for what He had done.
Praise is
not meant to be quiet. It can be with
instruments. It can be with song. It can be with a shout. It can be with a dance. It can be with leaping for joy, just as David
did.
The world
acts crazy and wild for a ball game or concert and most everyone does not think
anything odd about them. In fact, they applaud them, or join in, and even
proudly post it on social media. BUT… if
anyone gets a little excited and exuberant in Church, they are looked at as
strange and sometimes labeled as being crazy or a cult.
This particular word for Praise
(Halal) is the word that is found throughout Psalm 150. (Halal meaning: to boast;
be clamorously foolish; to celebrate; to rave, to make or feign oneself mad)….
PRAISE (Halal) ye the LORD.
PRAISE God in His Sanctuary.
PRAISE Him in the firmament (expanse) of His power.
PRAISE Him for His mighty acts:
PRAISE Him according to His excellent greatness.
PRAISE Him with the sound of the trumpet.
PRAISE Him with the psaltery and harp.
PRAISE Him with the timbrel AND DANCE.
PRAISE Him with stringed instruments and organs.
PRAISE Him upon the LOUD cymbals:
PRAISE Him upon the HIGH SOUNDING CYMBALS (H8643 – a loud noise, an acclimation
of joy similar to a battle cry. The SHOUT David gave when bringing the Ark back).
LET EVERYTHING THAT HATH BREATH PRAISE THE LORD!
PRAISE ye the LORD!
The type of Praise mentioned here
in Psalm 150 does not sound like quiet praise.
It doesn’t sound like Praise you can fall asleep in the middle of. This sounds like a celebration praise! This sounds like people were on their feet,
leaping, dancing, shouting, and making all sorts of clamorous noise with
instruments and their voice.
God is worthy and deserves this type
of praise!
WORSHIP is far deeper….
Worship (H7812 shachah) means: to depress, to bow, to stoop,
humbly beseech, to prostrate yourself before.
Worship is an act of humility.
It is humbling oneself before God.
Genesis 24:26 – And the man
bowed down his head, and worshipped the LORD.
Genesis 24:52 – …when
Abraham’s servant heard their words, he worshipped the LORD, bowing himself to
the earth.
Nehemiah 8:6 – And Ezra
blessed the LORD, the great God. And all
the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed
their heads, and worshipped the LORD with their face to the ground.
We are to worship (humble
ourself before God) in the beauty (decoration) of holiness. (1 Chron 16:29 +
Psalm 29:2) Holy living is beautiful before God. He is a holy God and requires holiness from
us. (Lev 11:44-45; 20:7)
2 Chronicles 20 - When Moab
and Ammon came to fight against the Israelites, they became fearful and all of
Judah. They asked help from the LORD and began to seek Him. They didn’t know
what to do except turn their eyes to the LORD. He was their only help.
The first thing they did
was FAST. Then, everyone fell before the
LORD and worshipped – they weren’t pleading for help. They were WORSHIPPING. When you are facing a
problem that you don’t see any way out of, WORSHIP and see what God will do.
Next, the Levites stood up
and began to PRAISE the LORD God of Israel with a LOUD voice. They appointed SINGERS that went BEFORE the
army (PRAISE was leading the fight). The
Bible says that WHEN they began to SING and to PRAISE, the LORD set ambushments
against their enemies.
Praise is more of an
outward and exuberant act like a celebration. Praise is something that is easy to give when things
are going good and God is answering prayers.
While worship is more reverent
and an act of humbling and bowing ourselves before God.
And then there is THE
SACRIFICE OF PRAISE….
This is something so much
deeper. This is praise offered up when
you feel like hanging your harp upon the willow because your heart is so heavy,
broken, and grieving.
Hebrews 13:15 - By Him therefore let us offer the SACRIFICE OF
PRAISE to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to
His name.
Have you
ever been through a trial so intense that the night seemed endless and that
your sorrow and trial will never end?
You've
held on tightly to hope but wonder ‘when will morning come?’
You try
to smile despite the pain but it never feels quite genuine.
The Bible says in Psalm
30:5… ...Weeping may endure for a night,
but joy cometh in the morning.
In life, you will go
through things at times that literally knocks the breath out of you.
I liken the things we
experience in life to a roller coaster.
Some people love roller coasters.
Me, personally, I detest them. I
prefer the smooth, safe rides that don’t make me sick and leave me with my head
spinning once it’s over.
But life is a lot like a roller
coaster ride with its ups and downs, twists and jerky curves, hurling you
upside down in loop-the-loops, then plunging you rapidly downward, and then
slowly back up a hill again, only to repeat the unexpected twists, spirals and
turns that send your heart racing and cause you to grip the bars of the roller
coaster more tightly.
You wonder if you will
survive the roller coaster of life or if things will ever get better. But,
you will and they will.
The Bible comforts us in
that same verse with these words….But Joy cometh in the morning!
It may not feel like it at
the moment, but your trial, your sorrow, the darkness of night will only endure
for a little while.
It can't last forever. It may feel like it will just as rain seems
to be endless at times. It rains and
rains and then it rains some more. Then
we have a short reprieve only to have more rain come our way.
We slosh through the mud
and puddles, trying our best not to track it into our cars, our homes, or the
church, but it’s inevitable. The rain
and mud eventually get tracked everywhere despite the best of efforts to stop
it. It can be cleaned up but it’s
another frustration to deal with and can end up affecting our mood.
In the same way, the things
we deal with in life (problems, trials, situations, etc) end up bleeding into
areas of life that we try to prevent it from affecting, especially when the
trial seems to last longer than we want.
As the trial seems to
linger endlessly, you may find yourself becoming more agitated as the things
you’re dealing with seem to grate like sandpaper. You may even find yourself being more
irritable than you normally would.
We need to keep in mind is
that the trials are not meant to make us rougher, but rather to toughen us up so
we can withstand the fiery darts of the enemy and also to smooth out any rough
blemishes that may be in our heart or mind.
We need to pliable as clay
on the potter’s wheel and let God smooth the rough edges out of us. It’s not easy when we’re in a storm and we
fight bitterness and resentment over the situation we may be in….especially if
it’s not from our own doing.
I was in a storm after my
first husband passed. I watched as my
children battled bitterness and anger toward God, not understanding why He took
their dad. I felt helpless as they
drifted further and further away from God and me.
I couldn’t bring myself to
sing. My heart was too heavy. I would raise my hands in Church services,
but I could not seem to open my mouth to sing along with the worship
songs.
I felt like the Israelites
did in Psalm 137 when they were carried away captive to Babylon. They were in prison and didn’t want to sing
either. Instead, they hung their harps
upon the willows.
I prayed but I couldn’t
praise. That’s when praise becomes a
sacrifice.
Merriam-webster’s
definition of sacrifice means: Destruction or surrender of something for the
sake of something else.
I had to learn to surrender
my will and let my worship rise above my sorrow for the sake of my children (so
they could see me worship through my pain and it would be a testimony to them).
During our times of weeping
in the trials and tests of the dark nights, it’s a sacrifice to offer up
praise.
You don’t feel like
praising. You feel more like weeping.
Jeremiah was known as the
‘weeping prophet.’ He wrote both the
books of Jeremiah and Lamentations. Jeremiah was persecuted and imprisoned for
prophesying about the coming captivity because of their idolatry and forsaking
the Lord their God.
He suffered much because
the people and leaders did not want to hear any proclamations of doom and
consequences for their sins (sounds a lot like today), yet Jeremiah wrote….
Jeremiah 33:11 - The voice
of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice
of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, Praise the Lord of hosts: for the Lord is
good; for His mercy endureth for ever: and of them that shall bring the
SACRIFICE OF PRAISE into the House of the Lord. For I will cause to return
the captivity of the land,
as at the first, saith the Lord.
The sacrifice of praise
will turn our captivity!
The devil knows how
powerful our praise can be, especially when it is a sacrifice, so he tries to
silence our worship. But our trials and
tests can be our greatest blessings because it causes us to draw closer to God.
I slowly began to force
myself to sing when I didn’t want to sing and to worship when all I wanted to
do was wallow in sorrow and cry. It was
a sacrifice for me to offer up praise, but the more I praised, the more I would
begin to feel God strengthen me and lift me up out of the ashes.
I found that just as the
night turns into day and the sun always rises in the morning, joy will return….if
we keep our eyes on Jesus!
Paul also knew what it was
like to suffer. He had been beaten many
times, ship wrecked, stoned a couple times, bitten by a venomous snake,
betrayed, lied about, he suffered hunger and cold, but through it all, he
learned the importance of offering up the sacrifice of praise.
Hebrews 13:15 - By Him
therefore let us offer the SACRIFICE OF PRAISE to God continually, that
is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name.
He admonished us to offer
the sacrifice of praise CONTINUALLY.
The sacrifice of praise is
the fruit that comes from our lips as we offer up thanks to the Name of Jesus
for all He’s done and brought us through and will continue to bring us through.
God’s Word promises that
the weeping will only endure for a night (it really is just a short span of
time), but JOY cometh in the morning!
God has also promised that….
We know that ALL things work together for good to them that love God, to them
who are the called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28).
What the devil meant to
destroy you, God can use to bring Him glory....if you allow it.
Your test will become your
testimony! Your trial will become your
victory!
What was meant to destroy
you will only make you stronger in Christ Jesus!
If you keep your eyes on
Jesus, keep offering the sacrifice of praise, and let His perfect will be
formed within you, He will work all things together for good.
So, if you’re in a trial, keep
hanging in there and offering the sacrifice of praise! Joy will return,
and the sun will shine again eventually.
David penned in Psalm
30:11-12 - Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: Thou hast put off
my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; To the end that my glory may sing
praise to Thee, and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto Thee
forever.
David had been through some
intense trials, but He found God to be faithful and that the trials will not
last forever.
For those who are in a
trial, God will take off the sackcloth of sorrow and gird you once again with
gladness. He will turn mourning into dancing and restore joy just as the
morning dawns each day.
So, don’t let your praise
be silent!
In the good times praise
Him! That’s when it’s the easiest. But remember also while in the bad times to
offer to Him the Sacrifice of Praise!
And find a place to worship – prostrate yourself before Him. Worship is where you go deeper in the things of God as you humble yourself before Him and place Him on the throne where He belongs.
THE BEATITUDES ~ Matthew 5:1-6
As Jesus went throughout the regions of Galilee and Samaria healing those that were sick and delivering those that were afflicted, more and more people from all over made long journeys to get to where He was. The Bible says that great multitudes came from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.
The Bible says that when Jesus
saw the multitudes, He went up into a high mountain and began to teach what we
call ‘the Beatitudes.’
I was curious where that term came
from since Beatitudes is not mentioned in the Bible. This word is a Latin word which means ‘blessed.’
Therefore, it is a fitting description since each concept Jesus taught began
with ‘blessed.’
As we read and study the
Beatitudes, we need to understand that Jesus was teaching SPIRITUAL concepts,
not earthly ones. Our understanding will grow as we look at Jesus words from
the spiritual side instead of the natural. Although the natural side can help
us to grasp and understand the spiritual.
THE POOR IN SPIRIT….
Jesus began teaching in Matthew 5
verse 3, “Blessed are the POOR IN SPIRIT: for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven.” Has anyone else wondered what that means?
What does a poor person do? A person who is poor realizes they have a
need. They know that they can not make
it on their own. They know they have to
ask for help....whether it’s for food, clothing, shelter, or some other
need. Sometimes a person may become so
desperate that they resort to begging for help.
A person who is poor in spirit
realizes they have a spiritual poverty – meaning they realize they need Jesus!
They are broken, repentant, and humble before the Savior. They are pleading with Him for His help. They
know they cannot make it without Him.
‘Blessed are the poor in
spirit (those that realize they need Jesus – they realize they are spiritually
impoverished without Him), for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’
THEY THAT MOURN….
The next thing Jesus taught in
verse 4 was, “Blessed are THEY THAT MOURN: for they shall be comforted.”
When we hear this phrase, we
often think about various Scriptures that reference how God will comfort the brokenhearted.
We cry at times because we are
sad. A person who is sad is brokenhearted.
We cry at times because life can
be tough or stressful.
We cry at times because someone
has been hurtful with their words. That old phrase, “sticks and stones may
break my bones but words will never hurt me” is the furthest thing from being
accurate. Words can hurt much much deeper
and leaves a wound at times that is harder to heal than any wound left by
sticks or stones. Therefore, we need to
be careful with our words and never purposely try to hurt someone with them.
God listens to every word we speak and knows the intent in the heart.
We cry at times because we are
grieving over the loss of a family member, a friend, or a well-loved pet.
There are many things that can
make us cry.
It is true that God is near to
the brokenhearted.
Psalms 34:18 comforts us, “The
LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart…”
Psalms 147:3 assures us, “He healeth
the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.”
When Jesus read the Scriptures
from Isaiah 61:1 in the Temple in Nazareth, He said He has come to heal the
brokenhearted. (Luke 4:18)
I can testify that this is true. But Jesus, here in Matthew 5, is referring to
a spiritual mourning. The message that John
the Baptist, Jesus, and many of the prophets went around preaching was a
message of repentance.
Jesus is teaching here about the
need to be sincerely sorry for our sins and repent with real tears, being
broken before God.
This is not the tears that children
cry when they get caught by mom, dad, or Grandma… “I’m sorry, I PROMISE I’ll
NEVER do it again!” Not really meaning it, but they are crying and saying it
because they don’t want to be punished or grounded. Yet, there is no change and they WILL do it again.
You can tell if someone is truly
sorry or not. Actions will speak louder
than their words. Repentance/mourning
over our sins will bring true tears letting God know that we sincerely realize
we have done wrong and are sorry for our sins. And will change.
‘Blessed are those who mourn
(are truly sorry and repent of their sins), for they will be comforted.’
THE MEEK…..
Jesus continued His lessons by
saying in verse 5, “Blessed are THE MEEK: for they shall inherit the earth.”
What does it mean to be
meek? To be humble.
Many today are filled with PRIDE
and vanity, the opposite of meekness and humility.
People like to boast about their
self.
They like to brag about their
accomplishments.
There are those who are proud and
boast about their sinful ways.
The Bible warns about children
thinking they know more than their elders. Isaiah 3:5,12 ….the child shall
behave himself proudly against the ancient…..” “…as for my people, children are
their oppressors….” (meaning children
are talking down to, backtalking, and mistreating adults)
Proverbs 16:18 warns, “Pride
goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
A prideful, haughty attitude will
be that person’s downfall. No one will make it to heaven with pride or
haughtiness in their heart. Pride and haughtiness reveal what is going on in a
person’s heart and spirit.
And while this correlates with
the spiritual, in this teaching, Jesus is again talking about spiritual
things.
There are those who are
spiritually prideful and haughty – these are there are those who feel like they
don’t need Church; they don’t believe they need a Pastor; and they definitely
do not want a Pastor telling them when they are doing something wrong.
There are some who feel they
already know it all even though they do not really know what the Bible says; and
they cannot be instructed even if a preacher or teacher gives them Scripture to
support what they are teaching.
It is difficult to reach those
like this.
A spiritually meek person will be
humble and have a teachable spirit. We
can read the same chapter in the Bible ten times and see something different
from it every time IF we have a teachable spirit.
If we live to be 100 years old, there
will always be something new that we can learn and be taught concerning God’s
Word and our walk with Him. The
spiritually meek will always be open to hear and learn (while still standing
firm for Truth because there are strange doctrines that will come to try to
sway and trip you up.)
Jesus said, ‘Blessed are the meek
(those that are not spiritually prideful but rather humble and have a teachable
spirit), for they will inherit the earth.’
HUNGER AND THIRST
AFTER RIGHTEOUSNESS…..
Jesus next taught, “Blessed are they
which do HUNGER AND THIRST AFTER RIGHTEOUSNESS: for they shall be filled.”
Have you ever been so thirsty,
your mouth is parched, you’re seeking for something cold to refresh you. You walk into a restaurant and ask for an ice
cold glass of water and they point and say, “outside is a mud puddle. Go drink from it.”
Has anyone ever been really
really REALLY hungry? You are so hungry
your stomach is gnawing at your backbone.
You come in the house, searching for something to eat – not just chips
or cookies, but something that will nourish your body and satisfy your hunger.
You are searching through the cupboards
and fridge. A family member hollers from
the other room, “What are you looking for?” You holler back, “I’m hungry!” They
come into the kitchen and hand you a rock and say, “here you go.” Or maybe they
hand you a snake. A SNAKE?! I’d be
running and think they do not love me.
Wouldn’t you?
Jesus taught a parable about that
in Mt 7:9-10. He said, “What man is
there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask
a fish, will he give him a serpent?” No,
someone who cares is going to give you some real food.
Yet, there is a spiritual hunger
inside of each of us. However, instead
of feeding our spiritual man the Bread of Life (reading the Bible), we hand it
a stone. Instead of feeding our
spiritual man spiritual meat, we hand it a serpent.
This is what we are doing each
time we turn on the tv, or browse social media, or listen to music that
promotes ungodliness and things contrary to the Word of God instead of opening
up and reading the Bible, turning on Christian music or preaching that feeds
the spiritual man and gets our minds focused on Jesus and the spiritual rather
than the carnal.
We are filling our hearts, our
eyes, our ears, our minds with stony things and bad things that are like a snake
that will bite and inject its poison into our hearts and minds. (remember the
devil came as a snake in the Garden of Eden injecting his poison of lies and questioning
of God’s Word into Eve’s mind and heart.)
But, when we come to God hungry
and thirsty to know more about His Word and desiring a deeper relationship with
Jesus, He will feed us with good things and He will fill us.
However, we must GET A SPIRITUAL
APPETITE. We have to HUNGER and THIRST after RIGHTEOUSNESS – notice Jesus said
to hunger and thirst after RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Jesus instructs us in Matthew
6:33 to seek FIRST the Kingdom of God AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS.
We are to seek not only the
Kingdom of God, but we are to also seek after HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS. These are the FIRST things we are to seek
after.
What is HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS? Righteousness is doing what is right in the
eyes of God. We have to HUNGER (DESIRE)
and not only hunger, but we must also then DO what is RIGHT IN GOD’S EYES.
We have to SEEK for His
Righteousness. How will we know what is right in God’s eyes? By reading and searching the Bible, coming to
Church faithfully, then listening to what the pastor or the teacher teaches is
right according to God’s Word.
Jesus said when you ‘hunger and
thirst for righteousness,’ you will be filled.
You will feast from the Word of God.
We have to DESIRE the Word of
God.
1 Peter 2:2 – as newborn babes,
DESIRE the SINCERE MILK of the WORD, that ye may grow thereby.
Old habits are hard to
break. When a person realizes the need
to nourish the body so they can become healthy, they have to break the habit of
reaching for junk food instead of fruits and vegetables. They have to MAKE their self eat right.
In the same way, to get spiritually
hungry, you have to break old habits and make yourself reach for the Bible. Make yourself turn off the tv or put down the
phone and take time to pray. (Let’s be
honest: it’s not so much that we have to MAKE time, but rather we need to MAKE
OURSELVES TAKE TIME to pray.) Make
yourself turn on Christian music or preaching – things that feed the spiritual
man rather than the carnal.
Get hungry for the things of
God. Get thirsty for the things of
God. Crave them more than your daily
food, more than sleep, more than even life or breath itself.
“Blessed are they which do HUNGER
AND THIRST AFTER RIGHTEOUSNESS: for they shall be filled.”
THE BEATITUDES ~ Matthew 5:7-12
THE MERCIFUL…
‘Blessed are THE MERCIFUL:
for they shall obtain mercy.’
Mercy is forgiveness extended
that is undeserved.
Encyclopedia Brittanica defines
it this way: Kind or forgiving treatment
of someone who could be treated harshly.
It’s easy to want people to
forgive you/to show mercy to you, but it’s more difficult to show mercy and
give forgiveness to others, especially if they are not sorry nor are they
asking for forgiveness.
However, Jesus taught in Matthew
6:14-15…
“…if ye forgive men their
trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: BUT if ye FORGIVE NOT
men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
Trespasses means (G3900)
side-slip (slip-ups) whether an unintentional error or a willful transgression ….whether
it was an accident, maybe they don’t even know they caused you hurt, or maybe
they did and did it on purpose for whatever reason…. we still must forgive them
and show them mercy so that God will forgive and show us mercy.
I know a mother whose son was
killed by a man who was being pursued in a high-speed police chase. That man’s car hit the young man’s car as he
was trying to evade the police and killed him.
The man spent time in jail. Rather than becoming angry and bitter at that
man, the mother forgave him. She even
wrote to him and visited him in prison often.
To this day, she still has
contact with the man who was responsible for the death of her son. She extended
mercy and had compassion on him. She
even calls him her son. That is tough to do as a mother, but she found the strength
to do it with the help of Jesus.
David was being pursued by Saul
without just cause. Jealousy was driving
Saul to hate and want to kill David. One
day, Saul came to the cave where David was hiding, not knowing David was just a
few feet away. David could have easily killed Saul that day. His men believed God had delivered Saul into
his hands.
David did not kill Saul, but he quietly
cut off a piece of his clothing. David wasn’t getting even, but perhaps he was
sending a warning message to Saul? Cutting his garment seems like such a small
thing when he could have taken his life instead.
He was showing mercy whereas Saul
was not. BUT, as soon as David did that, his heart smote him. He felt such conviction that he had dared to
do anything against God’s anointed leader.
David immediately repented. (1
Samuel 24)
Even if someone has maliciously and
purposely done something to cause you harm, we are to forgive.
Forgiveness is not putting your
stamp of approval on their actions.
Forgiveness is not saying you are
ok with what that person did.
Forgiving someone does not mean
that you need to go hang out with and be around them on a regular basis. You can keep your distance – sometimes that
is needed for a person’s safety.
Forgiveness means that you no
longer feel bitterness or anger or ill-will toward that person.
In Acts 7, Stephen forgave those
who were taking his life. As he was
dying, he asked the Lord not to charge them with this sin. I really believe his
mercy and forgiveness even at the point of death touched the heart of Saul
(later called Paul) and stayed on his mind.
We never know who we may touch and affect by extending undeserved mercy
to someone who deserves it least.
‘Blessed are THE MERCIFUL: for
they shall obtain mercy.’
THE PURE IN HEART….
‘Blessed are the PURE IN HEART,
for they shall see God.’
Pure means:
1. free of
any contamination.
2. clean and
not harmful in any way.
This follows hand in hand with the
teaching of being merciful and extending forgiveness.
Those who have a pure heart are
clean (pure) in their feelings and their thoughts. They do not speak evil about others. They do not think wrong thoughts about
others. They do not harbor ill feelings or unforgiveness toward others. The pure in heart extend mercy toward
others. Their heart is pure and clean in
the sight of God.
It’s not easy to have a pure heart.
Life can be tough.
Situations and even people can make your heart become calloused.
It takes work and spiritual
discipline to obtain and maintain a pure heart.
To maintain a pure heart, you
have to fight against allowing negative thoughts and feelings to take root in
your heart and mind.
To maintain a pure heart, don’t
allow anyone to gossip, talk bad about, or sow discord about someone else in your
ears.
To maintain a pure heart, when
thoughts or feelings arise, cast them down and immediately pray – pray for that
person and pray for yourself to love them as Christ loves them.
A pure heart is also one that is
not lifted in pride, vanity, or self-love.
A pure heart is kind, loving, and
charitable – not for what they will gain but for what they will give to others.
A pure heart worships God for
what they can GIVE TO HIM, not what they can get from Him. (notice how many ‘worship’ songs are about
what God will do for us or what we expect Him to do for us instead of just
extolling Him for who He is.)
Everything God does for us is an
added bonus; it’s undeserved. He already
shed His blood – which was undeserved mercy BECAUSE of His great love toward
us. We owe Him everything - He owes us
nothing! Our worship to Him should be
with pure motives and a pure heart.
The pure in heart are focused on
one single thing – that is on doing God’s will and being pleasing to Him. Those who are pure in heart are focused on
keeping their heart, mind, and life pure and free from sin.
It’s those that are pure in heart
that will see God.
‘Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they shall see God.’
THE PEACEMAKERS…
‘Blessed are THE PEACEMAKERS:
for they shall be called the children of God.’
I found it interesting that this
word only appears once in the entire Bible and that is here in Matthew 5:9.
Bickering, fighting, arguing, backtalking,
etc are not characteristics of a peacemaker, nor does it come from God.
A peacemaker will try to avoid
quarrels and arguments.
A peacemaker will try to bring
peaceful solution in a situation.
A peacemaker will usually talk
calmly in an attempt to pour water instead of gas on an already volatile argument.
Being a peacemaker requires a lot
of self-control. It requires maintaining
a pure heart. A peacemaker has a heart
that extends mercy and forgiveness. You
see how many of Jesus’ teachings on the beatitudes seem to flow together and be
connected?
This isn’t easy but: in an
argument, ask yourself how Jesus would respond?
Would He say that? Would He do
that? Or would He walk away as He did
when they tried to throw Him off a cliff?
Just to clarify: Being a
peacemaker does not mean you do not stand firm for Truth. Being a peacemaker
does not mean you stay silent concerning what the Scriptures say we must do in
order to be saved so as to avoid conflict.
People’s eternity depends on us
to reach them with the Gospel. Sometimes
this will make someone mad because many want to go to heaven, but do not want
to live for God. They want to live a life of sin then expect to enter in.
A lady we witnessed to could see she
was not winning as we presented Scripture after Scripture to her. She tried to distract the conversation by asking
how we felt about various topics. We kept bringing the conversation back around
to salvation.
She then tried to deflect us by saying
she lost a friend because she became angry with them over Scripture discussion. We did not let that deter us. We stayed calm and responded that we were not
trying to make her angry. We were only
showing her what JESUS said, taught, and what the Scriptures said. She calmed down and listened after that.
Yes, some people will become
angry, but we are each responsible and commissioned by God to spread the Gospel.
You can present the Gospel with boldness while standing firmly and still be a
peacemaker.
‘Blessed are the peacemakers: for
they shall be called the children of God.’
PERSECUTED FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS’
SAKE….
‘Blessed are they who are PERSECUTED
FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS’ SAKE: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’
The Apostles and early Christians
were hated, beat up, stoned, tortured and killed for believing in and preaching
about Jesus.
There are many in other countries
who still endure and are subjected to torture and threats of death if they do
not deny Jesus.
They are violently assaulted as
they are urged to say they do not serve or love Jesus. However, Jesus said if we deny Him, He will
deny knowing us (Mt 10:33) – that means we will not make it to heaven. So, they endure the persecution and torture
even unto death.
We are so blessed to have the
freedom to worship here in the U.S. yet so many take it for granted. Thankfully, we do not know that kind of
persecution.
There are underground churches in
China where the people sit on their hands to keep for clapping or making noise
so as not to be caught. They wish they
could freely come to Church and worship – the freedom that so many here in the
U.S. do not take advantage of.
‘Blessed are they who are
persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’
Jesus continued…
‘Blessed are ye, when men
(people) shall REVILE (criticize/insult you), and PERSECUTE you
(are hostile toward you), and shall SAY ALL MANNER OF EVIL AGAINST YOU
FALSELY for My sake.’
People can be mean. People can be
hateful – sometimes it’s from jealousy – sometimes it’s because the life you
live will bring conviction on them for the sin they are committing – oft times
it’s because the Holy Ghost in you stirs up the devil within them.
People will criticize and insult
you for living for Jesus – live for Jesus anyway!
People will be hostile toward you
for being a Christian – be Christ-like anyway!
People will talk bad about you
and even lie about you – show them the love of Jesus and keep letting your
Light shine anyway!
Jesus and the early Christians
endured way worse than what we go through now.
The movies like to portray Jesus
as a happy, upbeat man whom crowds flocked to follow. Yet, Scripture reveals that Jesus was despised
and rejected of men. He was a man of
sorrows and acquainted with grief. Isaiah 53:3 mentions twice that He was
despised. He said we hid our faces from Him and did not esteem Him.
Jesus knew what it felt like to be
reviled and to have all manner of evil said against Him falsely.
Jesus warned in Matthew 10:22, “ye
shall be HATED of all men for My Name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end
shall be saved.”
He warned again in Matthew 24:9, “then
shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be
hated of all nations for My Name’s sake.”
Jesus taught in Luke 6:22, “BLESSED
are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their
company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of
man’s sake.”
You are blessed when you are
persecuted for the name and cause of Jesus Christ!
Jesus said in John 15:19, “If ye
were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the
world, but I have chosen you out of the world, THEREFORE the world hateth you.”
Those of this world will hate you
the more like Jesus you become.
Walk like Jesus, talk like Jesus,
love like Jesus regardless of what others may say or do toward you.
‘Blessed are ye, when men (people) shall
revile (criticize/insult you), and persecute you (are hostile toward you), and
shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for My sake.’
REJOICE AND BE EXCEEDING GLAD….
Jesus said the oddest thing to
the human ears after hearing about persecution and hateful treatment. He said, ‘Rejoice and be EXCEEDING glad…’
REJOICE means to be CHEEFUL.
(Strong’s G5463)
Jesus said we should be CHEERFUL
when someone is hateful or hostile toward us?
Not only did He say to Rejoice
(be happy), but He also said to Be EXCEEDING glad?
Exceeding Glad in the Strong’s
Concordance means, “Jump for Joy.” (G21)
It doesn’t make sense when you
are being persecuted, treated with hostility, and hated for believing in Jesus. But Jesus gave the greatest comfort when He
concluded, “GREAT is your reward in Heaven!”
So, when you are persecuted (attacked,
suffer torture, and treated hatefully) for righteousness sake – rejoice and be
exceeding glad!
When you are reviled (criticized
and insulted) for the cause of Christ – rejoice and be exceeding glad!
When your name is slandered and people
say all manner of evil against you falsely for Christ’s name sake – rejoice and
be exceeding glad!
‘REJOICE, and BE EXCEEDING GLAD:
for GREAT is your reward in heaven…..’
