Peacemaking

Posted on April 22, 2024 by russellmckinney

“The Beatitudes” series: (post #7)

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9, N.K.J.V.)

If there was any doubt that the “blessed” who are described in the Beatitudes should be equated to Christians, it is laid to rest with this seventh Beatitude. This Beatitude carries with it the promise: “…they shall be called sons of God.” The fact of Christians being the children of God is a familiar one to students of the Bible. We find it in passages such as John 1:12-13 and Galatians 3:26, which say:

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:12-13, N.K.J.V.)

For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:26, N.K.J.V.)

So, the Christian is to be a peacemaker. But just exactly what does that mean? Clearly, the thought of making peace goes deeper than just keeping peace or loving peace. In order to actually make peace, a Christian must exert himself. As Psalm 34:14, Romans 14:19, and 1 Peter 3:11 put it: “…Seek peace and pursue it” (N.K.J.V., emphasis mine).

I suppose it goes without saying that mending relational fences falls under the category of peacemaking. The way Barnabas brought Saul (Paul) and the disciples together is a beautiful example of this (Acts 9:26-27). Likewise, seeking to prevent wars and end them falls under the category as well. We hear this in David’s words, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem” (Psalm 122:6).

But would you believe that confronting problems can also be labeled as peacemaking if the confronting is done in a manner pleasing to God? As the Old Testament prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel recognized, it is futile to cry “Peace, peace!” when there is no peace (Jeremiah 6:14; Ezekiel 13:10). You see, since true peace can never be found in a compromise with evil, a peacemaker might sometimes have to take part in great conflicts against evil.

We see this even in the life of Jesus. On two separate occasions, He flew into a righteous rage at the site of the greedy, corrupt money-changers defiling the Jewish temple with their unscrupulous practices (John 2:13-17; Matthew 21:12-13). Anyone who witnessed those two scenes after hearing Jesus preach, “Blessed are the peacemakers” might have been quite perplexed by His warlike actions.

Jesus, of course, did know all about peacemaking. What’s the famous quote from the angels in the story of His birth? It is, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2:14, N.K.J.V.). Likewise, Ephesians 2:14-16 explains that Jesus is a Christian’s peace and has reconciled that Christian to God, who is the “God of peace” (Hebrews 13:20). Along the same lines, Romans 5:1 says: “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (N.K.J.V.). Clearly, there are valid reasons why Jesus is called “The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).

It was the comparison between the Christian’s peace and the lost person’s lack of it that prompted some famous words from Jesus. He said:

“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be those of his own household” (Matthew 10:34-36, N.K.J.V.).

With these words, Jesus was letting everybody know that the one who places saving belief in Him becomes at peace with God, and that peace immediately sets that person in conflict with lost people. Why is this so? It’s because lost people, even lost family members, aren’t at peace with God (Isaiah 57:20-21). Just as light and darkness are always going to be in conflict with one another, the same can be said of the Christian and the lost person.

Because of this, a Christian winning a lost person to Christ is the most lasting kind of peacemaking there is because it creates an eternal peace between not only the lost person and God but also the lost person and the Christian. With that in mind, I’ll close this post with two passages which speak of how important it is for Christians to win others to Christ. The first passage is Romans 10:15, and the second one is Ephesians 6:14-16. You’ll notice that both passages specifically call the gospel of Christ “the gospel of peace.” They say:

And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!” (Romans 10:15, N.K.J.V.)

Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. (Ephesians 6:14-16, N.K.J.V.)

Posted in Evangelism, Family, Inner Peace, Salvation, Series: "The Beatitudes", The Sermon On The Mount, Witnessing | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Pureness of Heart

Posted on April 19, 2024 by russellmckinney

“The Beatitudes” series: (post #6)

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8, N.K.J.V.)

The Bible doesn’t use the word “heart” in reference to the bodily organ that pumps blood. Instead, it uses “heart” to refer to the center of one’s being. Therefore, to be pure in “heart” is to be pleasing to God, not just in outer conduct but also in inner motives, attitudes, and desires. As God Himself says in 1 Samuel 16:7:

For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. (N.K.J.V.)

It should be understood, though, that no matter how pure your heart is, that purity cannot produce sinless perfection in either your outward or inward conduct. Ironically, it is actually your heart (the center of your being) that keeps you from living sinlessly. This “heart problem” of yours stems from the fact that you are a member of Adam’s sin-poisoned, fallen race. This is what God is describing when He speaks through the prophet Jeremiah in Jeremiah 17:9 and says:

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked… (K.J.V.)

Centuries later, Jesus (God the Son) picked up on this same theme when He said:

For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. (Matthew 15:19, N.K.J.V.)

So, if our hearts are such wicked wrecks, who is Jesus referring to in the sixth Beatitude when He talks about “the pure in heart”? He is referring to people who, despite their inborn wickedness of heart, have a burning inner desire to please God. David was a prime example of such a person. Even though his sin-tainted heart caused him to commit many sins (lying, polygamy, lust, covetousness, adultery, murder, and trusting in numbers instead of God) over the course of his life, he nevertheless had a very real desire to please God. This is evidenced by the fact that he cried out to God in the wake of his adulterous affair with Bathsheba and subsequent murder of her husband, Uriah:

Create in me a clean heart, O God… (Psalm 51:10)

Similarly, in Psalm 24:3-4 he spoke of the direct relationship between pureness of heart and godliness of conduct when he wrote:

Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully. (N.K.J.V.)

Furthermore, it seems clear that David taught this same truth to his son, Solomon. How do we know this? We know it because of Solomon’s words from Proverbs 4:23:

Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. (N.K.J.V.)

Getting back to the early life and ministry of Jesus, the Jewish religious elite of that day focused exclusively on the outward appearance and completely disregarded anything involving the heart. They would have had Jesus say, “Blessed are the pure in conduct, for they shall see God.” For example, a Sadducee might have harbored an intense inner hatred for his brother, but that Sadducee wouldn’t have considered that hatred a sin as long as he didn’t actually murder that brother. Likewise, in a Pharisee’s way of classifying sin, he could lust over every woman he met as long as he didn’t have sex with any of them.

You can imagine what an uproar was created, then, when Jesus came preaching a radically different standard. He said, “Sin begins deep inside a person. If you have hatred toward your brother, you need to treat that as murder (Matthew 5:21-26), and if you look at a woman lustfully, that’s nothing less than you committing adultery with her in your heart” (Matthew 5:27-30).

Jesus even reserved His harshest preaching for some of the Jewish religious elite, and that preaching specifically referenced the difference between appearing to be sinless outwardly while being eaten up with sin inwardly. He said:

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. (Matthew 23:25-26, N.K.J.V.)

In regards to not only the sixth Beatitude but also all the other Beatitudes from The Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is referring to saved people when He speaks of “the pure in heart.” The spiritual process isn’t hard to understand. First, the “pure in heart” have a desire to please God. Second, that desire will ultimately lead them to place saving belief in Jesus as Savior. This process makes perfect sense in light of the fact that God wants everyone to get saved (1 Timothy 2:1-6; 2 Peter 3:9).

And what reward does Jesus promise those who are pure in heart enough to believe in Him as Savior? He says, “…they shall see God.” By this, He doesn’t mean, “They will see God in a sunset, a baby’s smile, or a charitable deed.” No, He means, “They will one day literally see God and they will also literally spend eternity with Him. As 1 Peter 1:3-5 says to Christians:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you. (N.K.J.V.)

Isn’t it wonderful that just as the pure in heart have a desire to please God, He has a desire to be around them for all eternity? Yes, Christian, you will get to visibly see God for all the endless eons of the ages to come. Think about that! You’ll see God the Father. You’ll see God the Son. And you’ll see God the Holy Spirit. This promise comes straight from the lips of God the Son, and it’s one that you would do well to meditate upon more often. By doing that, you might just become even more pure in heart for this earthly sojourn.

Posted in Belief, Death, Desires, Eternity, God's Love, Grace, Heaven, Salvation, Series: "The Beatitudes", The Sermon On The Mount | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Got Mercy?

Posted on April 17, 2024 by russellmckinney

“The Beatitudes” series: (post #5)

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” (Matthew 5:7, N.K.J.V.)

The Greek noun our New Testaments translate as “mercy” is eleos. Vine’s Expository Dictionary defines the word as being:

the outward manifestation of pity; it assumes need on the part of him who receives it, and resources adequate to meet the need on the part of him who shows it.

The Old Testament Hebrew’s primary word for “mercy” is checed. William Barclay, in his commentary on Matthew, says of this Hebrew word:

…It is an untranslatable word. It does not mean to sympathize with a person in the popular sense of the term; it does not mean simply to feel sorry for someone in trouble. (It) means the ability to get right inside the other person’s skin until we can see things from his eyes, think things with his mind, and feel things with his feelings.

Putting the Vines and Barclay definitions together, we come up with a working application for mercy. First, mercy assumes need on the part of the mercy-receiver. Second, it assumes the mercy-giver has resources adequate to meet the need. Third, to ideally show mercy, the mercy-giver must place himself inside the skin of the mercy-receiver.

It’s been said that justice is getting what you deserve and mercy is not getting it. Speaking for myself, I’d call that an accurate description of mercy. You see, mercy lives on the same street as compassion and pity, and this is a street the Christian should know well because God expects that Christian to make a regular practice of bestowing mercy upon others. How big a deal is this to God? It’s big enough for James 2:13 to say the one who has shown no mercy will experience judgment “without mercy.” That is a very sobering thought.

Not only does God expect Christians to show mercy, He is even interested in the way we do it. According to Romans 12:8, He wants it to be done “with cheerfulness.” That sets the bar even higher, doesn’t it? It’s one thing to be expected to show mercy, but it’s something else entirely to be expected to do it cheerfully!

But what makes God think He has the right to demand such a lofty standard from Christians? Well, putting it simply, He has the right to demand it because He has cheerfully extended mercy to us. As Titus 3:5 says:

not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit. (N.K.J.V., emphasis mine)

Of course, it shouldn’t surprise us that God Himself would extend mercy. After all, Ephesians 2:4 says He is “rich in mercy.” Micah 7:18 says “He delights in mercy.” And Psalm 103:8,11 says: “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy…For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him” (N.K.J.V.)

The good news, Christian, is that if you will meet God’s standard by cheerfully extending mercy to others, you will feel the benefit of that gesture as much as them. As Proverbs 11:17 says: “The merciful man does good for his own soul, but he who is cruel troubles his own flesh” (N.K.J.V.). Similarly, Proverbs 14:21 says: “He who despises his neighbor sins; but he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he” (N.K.J.V.). And then there is Psalm 18:25, which says: “With the merciful, You will show Yourself merciful” (N.K.J.V.). That last reference goes right along with Christ’s words from the fifth Beatitude: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” (N.K.J.V.).

So, Christian, do you want to be pleasing to God in your dealings with others? Do you want to do good for your own soul? Do you want to be happy? Do you want to obtain mercy from God? If your answer to each of these questions is, “Yes,” then cheerfully show mercy to others. Figuratively speaking, when you find yourself in a position of holding a hammer over the head of a person who has sinned, don’t make a nail out of that person’s head. Instead, remember all the past times when you yourself needed mercy, and look ahead to any future times when you might just need it again.

Posted in Forgiveness, Grace, Humility, Mercy, Revenge, Salvation, Series: "The Beatitudes", The Sermon On The Mount | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Righteousness & You

Posted on April 15, 2024 by russellmckinney

“The Beatitudes” series: (post #4)

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” (Matthew 5:6, N.K.J.V.)

I’ve been a pastor a long time, long enough to have learned some things about professing Christians. One thing I’ve learned is that not many of them hunger and thirst after righteousness. How rare are such Christians? They are so rare that when you do come across one, you are actually taken aback by how much he or she stands out from the crowd. Your reaction is, “Wow, now that’s the way this Christianity thing is supposed to work. That’s the kind of person it’s rumored to produce.”

I take no pleasure in reporting that a high percentage of professing Christians are only interested in living righteously enough to keep God from getting too ticked off at them. The time they spend in prayer is minimal. Their Bible study is barely a blip on the radar. They attend church only if all the planets align and the creeks don’t rise. They give sparingly, even begrudgingly (2 Corinthians 9:6-7) of their finances. They’ve never witnessed to anyone.

Even the professing Christians who do better in some of these areas typically fall short when it comes to thoroughly repenting of sins and making needed changes in their lives. I’ve known professing Christians who were at church every time the doors were open, but they were petty, bitter people who refused to forgive any perceived slight. I’ve known others who made prayer a vital part of their lives but didn’t mind engaging in premarital sex or “shacking up.” Others would give some money to the church but spend even more on alcohol or drugs. To all of these people, the idea of hungering and thirsting after righteousness was foreign. They had just enough religion to keep them at peace with themselves and certainly didn’t have a burning desire for anything more.

Imagine that a man who hasn’t eaten for two days gets the opportunity to sit down at a buffet filled with delicious food. The way that man’s eyes dance over that food is the way the Christian’s eyes should dance over righteousness. The way that man craves that food is the way the Christian should crave righteousness.

Or imagine a woman who has been stranded in the desert for hours. When she is rescued, a rescue worker hands her a bottle of water. At that moment, there is nothing on earth she wants more than that water. That’s how the Christian should thirst after righteousness.

Christian, when you are obsessively hungering and thirsting after righteousness — when righteousness is what you are chasing in life — you won’t have to be goaded into attending church. You won’t have to be begged to pray. Your pastor won’t have to chide you into Bible study. It won’t take a ten-sermon series on stewardship to get you to give generously. You won’t have to be coerced into telling others about Jesus. All of that will come as naturally to you as breathing. It will flow effortlessly out of your hungering and thirsting for righteousness. 1 John 2:29 describes this as “practicing” righteousness:

If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him (1 John 5:1; John 3:1-8, N.K.J.V.).

Furthermore, in the fourth of the Beatitudes, Jesus promises that your pursuit of righteousness will not be in vain. He says you shall be filled. I see a two-fold meaning in this promise. First, it only makes sense that the more you devote your life to righteousness, the more righteousness will be exhibited in your life. Second, in regards to your eternal standing with God, the moment you realize your life is stained by unrighteousness and you place saving belief in Jesus, God actually imparts His spotless righteousness to you (Romans 1:16-17; 3:21-26; Philippians 3:7-9). That is an even more important filling.

So, Christian, how hungry are you? How thirsty are you? Are you burdened enough about your level of righteousness to do some repenting? Will you commit to practicing more righteousness in your daily life? When you get hungry and thirsty enough to actually make some changes in how you conduct yourself, you’ll find Jesus standing ready to help you. He’ll be right there with a never-ending buffet and a bottomless well. But you’ll never get to enjoy the blessings of that buffet or that well as long as you are satisfied with the amount of righteousness you currently have.

Posted in Alcohol, Backsliding, Belief, Bible Study, Change, Church Attendance, Confession, Discipleship, Doing Good, Drugs, Evangelism, Giving, Money, Obedience, Personal Holiness, Rebellion, Righteousness, Salvation, Sanctification, Series: "The Beatitudes", Stewardship, The Sermon On The Mount, Witnessing | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The True Meaning of Meekness

Posted on April 12, 2024 by russellmckinney

“The Beatitudes” series: (post #3)

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5, N.K.J.V.)

The word “beatitude” is not found anywhere in the Bible, but we use the word in reference to each of the instances where the Bible says “Blessed is…” or “Blessed are…” The word comes from beatus, the Latin word for “blessed.” While beatitudes can be found in both the Old Testament and the New Testament, far and away the most famous list is the one that begins Christ’s Sermon on the Mount.

The Greek word for “blessed” is makarios, a word that carries multiple shades of meaning. It can mean happy, fortunate, to be envied, satisfied, joyful, or spiritually prosperous. Needless to say, the word packs quite a punch. To be “blessed” in this way is no small thing!

Of all the beatitudes, the one that has probably been the most misunderstood is: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” The problem has always stemmed from the false notion that meekness equates to weakness. The fact is, nothing could be further from the truth.

Numbers 12:3 says:

Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth. (K.J.V.)

If you think Moses was a ninety-pound weakling who couldn’t take care of himself, you really need to read Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Moses was a man’s man. He was an outdoorsmen who had a hot temper and could singlehandedly kill an Egyptian.

In addition to Moses being described as meek, would you believe that Jesus described Himself in this same way? In Matthew 11:29, He says:

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest for your souls. (K.J.V.)

This was Jesus, who spent forty days and nights fasting in the Judean wilderness. This was Jesus, who oftentimes slept on the ground. This was Jesus, who lived through a brutal Roman scourging. The idea of Him being weak is preposterous.

In light of Moses and Jesus, it is obvious that meekness means something other than weakness. But what does it mean? It means strength under control. The Greek word translated as “meek” is praus. It’s a word the Greeks used to describe a horse that had been broken. The horse was far from weak, but its strength had been brought under the control of a rider. Transferring this illustration to the life of the Christian, meekness equates to being broken of one’s self-will and being submitted to the Lordship of Jesus.

You see, Jesus wasn’t calling His followers to lay aside their strength and become milquetoast peons. No, He wanted them to be strong, especially in terms of spiritual might. But He challenged them to bring their strength under His control. Just as a rider can’t use a horse that hasn’t been broken, Jesus can’t do much with a person whose strength isn’t under His control.

Jesus did, however, promise an awesome reward for the Christian who lives his or her life this way. The world is still awaiting the fulfillment of this promise, but that fulfillment will occur when Jesus returns to this earth (Revelation 19:11-21) and establishes His 1,000-year kingdom upon it (Revelation 20:1-4). At that time, Christians will indeed inherit the earth and reign over it with Jesus as His bride (Revelation 2:26-27; 5:8-10; 19:6-9).

I feel safe in saying that those who literally heard Jesus make that promise didn’t truly grasp the ultimate meaning of it. That meaning was just too far off in the future. That isn’t to say, though, that they didn’t like the sounds of it. Could there really be a time when Christ’s followers would inherit the earth? Couldn’t there really be a time when the Romans wouldn’t rule the known world? Who else but Jesus would have preached such a radical idea in the midst of that culture? And who else but Him would have the power to one day make it a reality?

Posted in Brokenness, Christ's Second Coming, Dying To Self, Obedience, Prosperity, Reward, Series: "The Beatitudes", Submission, The Sermon On The Mount | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Those Who Mourn

Posted on April 10, 2024 by russellmckinney

“The Beatitudes” series: (post #2)

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4, N.K.J.V.)

The Greek word for “mourn” in this verse is pentheo. It’s a word that specifically refers to the strongest, most intensive kind of mourning. In the Septuagint (the Greek version of the Old Testament) this same word is used to describe Jacob’s grief when he thought his beloved son, Joseph, was dead (Genesis 37:34).

Okay, so how can anyone who is doing such mourning be blessed? The average commentator’s explanation is to make the mourning a mourning over one’s sins. In other words, the person who is under extreme conviction over his sinful condition, to the point of experiencing this type of gut-wrenching mourning, will find forgiveness and comfort by placing saving belief in Jesus.

However, even though this is certainly a doctrinally sound interpretation, I can’t help but wonder if we should be so quick to explain away the literalness of Christ’s words. Would His disciples really have understood the mourning to be mourning over one’s sins? I doubt it.

That’s why I lean toward thinking that Jesus was emphasizing that He was the answer for death. Mourning does typically walk hand in hand with death, doesn’t it? So, maybe Jesus was saying, “I am now on the scene, and through Me the greatest comfort can potentially be provided for those who are mourning the loss of loved ones.”

As I mentioned in the previous post, the New Testament gives us two versions of the Sermon on the Mount, indicating that Jesus preached the sermon (or parts of it) on at least two occasions in different settings to different audiences. Interestingly, in the Luke version, Jesus doesn’t say anything about those who mourn. Instead, He says:

“…Blessed are you who weep now, For you shall laugh.” (Luke 6:21, N.K.J.V.)

Of course, just as mourning walks hand in hand with death, weeping walks hand in hand with mourning. Therefore, it isn’t hard to see the close similarity between “Blessed are those who mourn” and “Blessed are you who weep now.” As for the fact that Jesus got more individually specific in the Luke version by using the word “you,” that might just have been a case of Him tailoring the sermon to fit that day’s audience.

In Revelation 1:18, Jesus says, “I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and Death” (N.K.J.V.). Since Hades was the Greek word for the general realm of the dead both for saved believers and lost unbelievers, Jesus was pointing out that He has complete charge over the afterlife. That means that if a person knew Him as Savior in life, that relationship continues in death. As Paul wrote to the Christians of Corinth:

For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens…So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord…We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:1,6,8, N.K.J.V.)

Speaking for myself, it brings me great comfort to know that the souls of my loved ones who died in Christ went to heaven to be with Him. For them, death was a promotion and a call home. Rather than mourn a Christian’s passing, we should celebrate it. As Paul said in another passage:

For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. (Philippians 1:21-23, N.K.J.V.)

I’ve preached more funerals than I can remember, and in each one I tried to bring some comfort to the family. I have to say, though, that the greatest comfort I ever gave any family came from assuring them that the soul of their Christian loved one was with the Lord in heaven. Such funerals preach themselves. And it is because of these experiences that I can say with certainty that Jesus really does provide comfort for the blessed (the saved) who mourn the deaths of their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, even if that mourning manifests itself by way of intense weeping.

Posted in Comfort, Death, Eternity, Family, Heaven, Pastors, Personal, Salvation, Series: "The Beatitudes", The Sermon On The Mount | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The Poor in Spirit

Posted on April 8, 2024 by russellmckinney

“The Beatitudes” series: (post #1)

And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:1-3, N.K.J.V.)

Christ’s most famous sermon is the one we call The Sermon on the Mount. That word “Mount” comes from the fact that Jesus was on a mountain when He gave this teaching to His disciples (Matthew 5:1). It seems clear, though, that He preached either the entire sermon or selected parts of it at least twice. I say this because Luke 6:17-49 gives us the record of a shortened version of the sermon, a version Jesus preached “on a level place” (N.K.J.V.) or “a plain” (K.J.V.) with not only His disciples in attendance but also a great multitude of people.

Furthermore, there are slight differences in the two accounts of the sermon. For example, in the Matthew version, Jesus promises the kingdom “of heaven,” but in the Luke account He promises the kingdom “of God.” While it’s true that both descriptions refer to the same kingdom (compare Matthew 5:19-20 with Matthew 6:33), it’s also true that the word “heaven” brings a different image to mind than the word “God.”

Another example of certain differences in the accounts is found in the sermon’s opening. Whereas the Matthew version quotes Jesus as saying, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (N.K.J.V.), the Luke version omits the words “in spirit” and cites the quote as, “Blessed are you poor, For yours is the kingdom of God” (N.K.J.V.). It is from the word “Blessed” that we get the word “Beatitude,” which refers to a state of blessedness.

Evidently, Jesus changed the wording of the first Beatitude in order to accommodate the two different audiences for the two occasions He preached this sermon. Up on the mountain, it was just Him and His disciples in attendance. Down on the level place, they were joined by “…a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon” (Luke 6:17, N.K.J.V.).

And why had that multitude sought out Jesus? They had come “…to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits” (Luke 6:17-18, N.K.J.V.). It isn’t hard to understand that people who were either diseased or demon possessed were poor. Just as diseased people had trouble holding steady jobs and had to spend large amounts of money on doctors (Luke 8:43-44), demon possession could also take a major toll on a person’s finances.

Of course, the fact that Jesus would say to a crowd of such people, “Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God” offers us a glimpse into why He was so popular with the common people. In large part, the Jewish people still lived under the Old Testament mindset that wealth was evidence of the blessing and favor of God. Poverty, therefore, was considered akin to being under God’s judgment, disfavor, or curse. Jesus, though, was a teacher who flipped that mindset completely on its head. According to Him, the kingdom of God belonged to the poor rather than the rich. That was mind-blowing news if you were a poor person in that culture!

Even before preaching the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus had preached a sermon at Nazareth in which He had referenced Isaiah 61:1-2 in saying, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor” (Luke 4:18, N.K.J.V., emphasis mine). Later, He would have word sent to the imprisoned John the Baptist, telling John, “…the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them” (Luke 7:22, N.K.J.V., emphasis mine). Clearly, Jesus wanted poor people to realize that the kingdom of God wasn’t just for the rich.

Still, we must understand that the Sermon on the Mount is not the gospel. No one goes to heaven just because he or she is monetarily poor. One must be spiritually born again by believing in Jesus as Savior and thereby becoming indwelt by God the Holy Spirit (John 3:1-18, Romans 3:10-26). Even those who were in attendance to hear Jesus preach were not saved simply by virtue of their poverty. No, they had to place saving belief in Him as Savior.

To apply this first Beatitude correctly to yourself, think of being “poor in spirit” as being a deliberate choice you make rather than being a natural personality trait you either innately have or don’t have. To be “poor in spirit” is to walk in a constant realization of your utter spiritual helplessness without God. It is to abandon any and all attempts at creating self-righteousness for yourself and throw yourself completely upon the divine righteousness (Titus 2:5-6, Ephesians 2:8-9) God imputes to the one who places saving belief in Jesus (Romans 4:1-8; Galatians 3:6-9). It is to truly grasp the teaching of Isaiah 64:6 — that all your supposed works of righteousness are, in reality, like “filthy rags” in the sight of an infinitely holy God.

Furthermore, to be “poor in spirit” is to be humble in nature. It is to approach God as a lowly servant (Matthew 8:5-8), a respectful child (Matthew 18:4), or even a pitiful beggar (Matthew 15:21-28). The person who struts toward God and thinks, “He’s lucky to get me” isn’t “poor in spirit.” Neither is the person who says, “I’m going to allow God into my life, but I’ll be bringing as much to the relationship as He does.” The Greek word translated as “poor” is ptochos and it refers to abject poverty. The one who is this “poor in spirit” knows that he brings nothing to God because, frankly, he doesn’t have anything to bring.

So, tell me, is this you? Do you think of yourself as such a spiritual beggar? Or do you pull back from having such a degrading opinion of yourself? Since Jesus (God the Son) thought you were valuable enough to die for in payment for your sins, it’s obvious that God places immeasurable value upon you. But with that understood, He expects you to see yourself as nothing in comparison to Him.

You see, God doesn’t necessarily want you to be monetarily poor as you live upon this earth — even though He doesn’t promise that you will be rich, either — but He does want you to be “poor in spirit.” This will allow you to have the attitude that will make it easy for you to not only experience salvation by believing in Jesus but also to look to Him each day to meet all your needs. That is, after all, what beggars do. They look to someone else to take care of them. And Jesus will be that person to you in regards to not only your eternal existence but also your earthly one if you will allow Him to be.

Posted in Attitude, Belief, Brokenness, Depravity, God's Holiness, Humility, Needs, Pride, Salvation, Series: "The Beatitudes", The Sermon On The Mount, Trusting In God | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Will God Meet My Need?

Posted on April 6, 2024 by russellmckinney

In the mid-19th century, poverty characterized the people of the northeast Highlands of Scotland. During those days a man named John Murray was praying for guidance by a riverside. Many of his neighbors were immigrating to America, and he was wondering if he should join them. As he was praying, he heard a loud thud on the grass behind him. A salmon had leaped right out of the water and was lying there for him! Murray took it as an answer that the Lord could provide for him in Scotland.

Philippians 4:19 says: “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (N.K.J.V.). This verse is very well known, for good reason. However, I would like to point out one important fact about the verse’s application.

That fact is: The verse was written by a Christian (the apostle Paul) to other Christians (the Christians of Philippi). You see, it’s not just anyone who can rightly say, “God has promised to supply all my need according to His riches in glory.” Technically, God isn’t obligated to provide for those who do not know Jesus as Savior. Pay careful attention to the closing words of the verse: “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

I’m not saying that God won’t supply the need of a lost person. The truth is, He typically does supply those needs. As Jesus said, “He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45, N.K.J.V.). I’m simply pointing out the vast difference between knowing God as one’s heavenly Father and merely knowing Him as “the man upstairs.”

When our two sons were little fellows, Tonya and I used to frequently take them shopping with us. With that scene in mind, imagine us all inside a shopping mall one afternoon. It’s 6:00 p.m. and the boys haven’t had supper. They look at me and say, “Dad, we’re hungry.” At that point, a trip to the mall’s food court will be in order because I’m the father of those two boys and that means I’m obligated to provide for their needs. Well, that is how God responds to the genuine needs of a Christian. He meets them because of His fatherly obligation.

Now imagine another boy, a total stranger, coming up to me in the mall that day and saying, “Mister, I’m hungry. Will you buy me something to eat?” Based upon my assessment of the situation, if I sense a genuine need in the child, I might very well buy him something to eat. But I’m not obligated to do it, am I? Do you see the difference? I meet my boys’ need out of parental obligation, but I meet the other boy’s need out of something else, call it love, mercy, pity, charity, kindness, or compassion.

So, I’ll leave you with two thoughts. First, if you do not know Jesus as your Savior, you are not a child of God. You are loved by God and desired by Him, but you are not His child. You must believe in Christ as Savior to actually join the family (John 1:12). And then, second, if you do know Jesus as Savior, you really shouldn’t worry about the meeting of your needs. Remember that your heavenly Father has inexhaustible “riches” and is obligated to take care of you, even if he has to drop a salmon on your bank to do it.

Posted in Adversity, Children, Faith, Family, Fatherhood, God's Love, God's Provision, Needs, Parenting, Personal, Prayer Requests, Problems, Trusting In God, Worry | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Burned Spot

Posted on April 4, 2024 by russellmckinney

In the days when America’s west was being settled, prairie fires were one of the scourges of the land. The very thought of these fires struck terror into the hearts of the people. With dry grass standing high, sometimes as high as a horse’s head, the fires could sweep across vast acreages and not lack for fuel. To get caught out in the open in the midst of such a fire meant certain death.

Over the course of time, though, people figured out an odd way to remain alive during such a typically fatal time. First, you used water or dirt to create a large circular pattern in the grass surrounding you. Second, you used a match to start a fire inside that circle. Third, once all the grass inside the circle was burned, you laid down inside the circle and covered your face to avoid smoke inhalation. The prairie fire would rage all around the burned circle but not come inside it. It couldn’t come inside it because the grass to fuel it there had already been consumed.

When God looks down upon the earth, He still sees a certain spot just outside the old city of Jerusalem. It is a burned spot (think of it as a circular area) the fires of His holy wrath consumed some two thousand years ago. The spot goes by different names: Calvary (Luke 23:33), Golgotha (John 19:17), and the Place of a Skull (Matthew 27:33). Scholars debate its precise location, but God knows exactly where it is. It was at this spot that Jesus died on a Roman cross for the sins of the world. The burning of the spot reached its climax when Jesus cried out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46)

The fact is, the fire of God’s wrath must sweep through the life of each sinner. His indescribable holiness demands it. Those who have believed in Jesus as Savior are granted the privilege of standing inside the burned spot of the cross because Jesus has already taken God’s wrath for us. This allows us to watch in safety as God’s wrath rages all around us. On the other hand, those who have not believed in Jesus as Savior must face the fire of God’s wrath out in the open, on their own. As John 3:16-18 and 36 put it:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God…..He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. (N.K.J.V.)

Posted in Assurance of Salvation, Belief, Christ's Death, Coming Judgment, Crucifixion, Eternal Security, Forgiveness, God's Wrath, God's Judgment, Good Friday, Grace, Salvation | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Learning From Rhododendrons

Posted on April 1, 2024 by russellmckinney

When the calendar page rolls over to April and the weather turns noticeably warmer, my thoughts drift toward yardwork. Trust me when I say that I don’t eagerly embrace that drift. The way I see it, I’m an apartment or condo guy who just happens to live in a brick house that features a sizable yard. Unfortunately for me, that yard must be maintained and I don’t have a professional gardener on staff. My gardener looks back at me when I shave.

I really don’t mind dragging out the lawnmower and mowing the grass. It’s a little more work to fire up the weed eater and do the detail trimming, but even that isn’t unbearable. What I truly loathe, though, is dealing with my rhododendrons. Oh, sure, I know how beautiful they are when they are in full bloom. The problem is, I also know how finicky they are. On the one hand, if they don’t get enough water, they turn dry and brittle. On the other hand, if they get too much water, they develop spots on the leaves.

The problem of proper hydration is minor, however, compared to the damage that gets done when a dog or some other animal gets into a rhododendron and breaks some of that plant’s branches. Those broken branches have to be cut out, and that leaves a big hole in the overall look of the plant. (Ask me how I know that). You get the same problem when a little boy, in the heat of a front-yard football game, crashes into a plant. (Ask me how I know that, too).

I guess we can say that rhododendrons are like Christians. When they are ideally full, healthy, and in perfect bloom, nothing is more pleasing to the eye. They brighten up their surroundings and make the world a better place to be. But when sin gets into a Christian’s branches and breaks off some of them, a noticeable hole is created in that Christian’s life. No matter how nice the other parts of the life may look, our attention will always be drawn to the hole.

It’s similar to what happened to David in the days of the Old Testament. Even as he lived his life for God, right in the middle of it he had his adulterous affair with Bathsheba and subsequently orchestrated the murder of her husband, Uriah. To David’s credit, he did eventually confess his sins and repent of them. That didn’t mean, though, that he got out from under their earthly stigma. The Bible bears this out in 1 Kings 15:5 by saying:

David did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and had not turned aside from anything that He commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. (N.K.J.V., emphasis mine)

Please understand that I’m not trying to be mean or unforgiving. I know full well that God can take a life’s broken eggs and make great omelets. He’s done that in my life. I’m simply pointing out the obvious fact that sin damages a person’s life in a very real way. Some of that damage can be minor, but some of it can be catastrophic.

The good news is that forgiveness of all sin is available in Jesus. The bad news is that Jesus won’t bring crop failure to bad seeds you have sown. He’ll help you face up to those tough harvests, and He’ll even bring great good out of them, but the unpleasant crops will nevertheless have to be harvested.

That’s why it’s so much better if you don’t sow the seeds of sin in the first place. Instead, do your best to keep your life looking like a perfectly shaped, beautiful rhododendron. You do that by embracing Jesus as your personal Savior, submitting your life fully to Him, and resisting the temptation to run off to some Bathsheba of sin that looks good to you. Remember, you’ll never be able to bloom to your fullest if you’ve got a sin-shaped hole somewhere in your plant.

Posted in Backsliding, Confession, Conviction, Faithfulness, God's Will, Personal, Rebellion, Repentance, Sanctification, Sin, Sowing and Reaping, Temptation | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment