All things become new
Yesterday we started with the first three Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount. The people had been following Jesus mainly for the things He was physically doing in their midst, from healing to feeding. They, his disciples or followers, not necessarily all believers, followed Him up the mountain where He began to teach them. Let me ask you something: Why do you follow Jesus? What does following Jesus mean to you? Is it coming to church, wearing a cross or t-shirt, or not doing certain things? Do you follow Jesus for what He does for you?
Jesus knew why each of those that came up the mountain were there, and He knows exactly why you follow Him, too.
This is part of the importance of the Beatitudes for the people then, and us today. They help us calibrate the why and how of following Jesus. We cannot come to Jesus expecting Him to take us as we are without changing and transforming us. Otherwise, there would be no need for a Savior. Only the hopeless, helpless and lost need someone to save them.
Yesterday we looked at the poor in spirit (destitute),who are without resource or hope of survival or living without a Savior are those who inherit the kingdom of heaven. Also, those who follow Jesus will mourn the sin that has separated them from God instead of excusing or minimizing it was not a big deal. Instead, we will grieve more deeply about the lostness sin brings into our lives than about the separation from any loved one. For our lostness separates us from the One who loves us and created us, thereby separating us from all that comes by being in the presence of God. Lastly, we see that meekness is something to be sought rather than avoided. It is the manner of Jesus and should be of His true followers. A gentle strength in the face of adversity and persecution because we realize that the kingdom of heaven is our home, not our present location. We represent the King and Lord and as such only engage with the weapons of the Spirit of God, not the tools or devices of the enemy. We respond and react not to win a battle, but the hearts of men by the gospel of Christ.
If we heard these yesterday as hallmarks that signify the kingdom of heaven, do they describe our lives today? Or has the reason we follow Jesus be revealed to be something else? 2 Corinthians 5:17 is an appropriate end to this blog: “If anyone be in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, behold all things are become new.” Has there been change — and an ongoing change — because you follow Jesus, making you more like Him and less like you were?
Pressing on…
Ron Tipton, Senior Pastor
