Road Map
The Sermon on the Mount is a road map to the way Jesus walked. Jesus is a gate to salvation, but also a way to greatness in the kingdom.
Matthew 7:13-14 "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. (14) Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
The Sermon on the Mount is all about growing the Beatitudes in your life. The Beatitudes are a progression. They build one upon another. Recognizing my spiritual poverty is what gives me the insight to mourn the lack. The mourning of my lack...The crying out for God to make me more like Jesus...is the invitation to God to fill the lack, and then, as greatness is grown in response to my asking, seeking, and knocking to be more, meekness is required.
The Beatitudes all build upon the one before it...the taste of progression in the Christian walk produces the hunger and thirst. The hunger and thirst drives me to the place where mercy is the only response, for He who is forgiven and given much loves much. To be filled with mercy leads to purity in heart, which leads to peacemaking between men and between God and man, even at great personal cost:
Matthew 5:2-9 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: (3) "Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (4) Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted. (5) Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth. (6) Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. (7) Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy. (8) Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God. (9) Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.
If you progress in the initial Beatitudes, you WILL get the final Beatitudes:
Matthew 5:10-12 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (11) "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. (12) Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
The Beatitudes of reviling, false accusation, and persecution are the GREATEST of the Beatitudes. To share in these is to share in the life of Jesus to an uncommon degree.
When people have to make up things to accuse you of, it means they have run out of honest material. Jesus says "count THAT all joy, because you are counted among the great in heaven."
A tall building must have a foundation that goes deep into the ground. For every prophet and hero...every great man or woman in the Bible...God brought them down at least as low as they were about to be raised up. Because God loves so much, He is unwilling to lay a great work on an unprepared foundation. Don't let the pain of the foundation building process slow you down from drawing near to the one who got you in trouble in the first place!...instead, see the reviling for what it is: validation that you are on the right track.
Not many will get called before boards or councils for being faithful to Jesus...not many will be lied about simply because they refuse to back down. If this happens to you, simply know that you are breathing rare air, and that the accusation of those against you simply demonstrates that your choices agree with the Bible...it is what Jesus promised to EVERYONE who pursues the Sermon on the Mount to the fullest degree. All of His disciples were to expect this:
Luke 21:12-18 But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name's sake. (13) But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony. (14) Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; (15) for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist. (16) You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. (17) And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. (18) But not a hair of your head shall be lost.
This MUST happen in the life of everyone truly zealous for Jesus. Reviling, persecution, and false accusation are the pinnacle of the Beatitudes...offenses MUST come. BUT, your response to those who are the agents of the blessing should be that of pity and mercy...tremble for them...for woe to those who bring the offense to those standing faithfully for the Lord:
Luke 17:1-3 Then He said to the disciples, "It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come! (2) It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. (3) Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.
Matthew 7:13-14 "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. (14) Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
The Sermon on the Mount is all about growing the Beatitudes in your life. The Beatitudes are a progression. They build one upon another. Recognizing my spiritual poverty is what gives me the insight to mourn the lack. The mourning of my lack...The crying out for God to make me more like Jesus...is the invitation to God to fill the lack, and then, as greatness is grown in response to my asking, seeking, and knocking to be more, meekness is required.
The Beatitudes all build upon the one before it...the taste of progression in the Christian walk produces the hunger and thirst. The hunger and thirst drives me to the place where mercy is the only response, for He who is forgiven and given much loves much. To be filled with mercy leads to purity in heart, which leads to peacemaking between men and between God and man, even at great personal cost:
Matthew 5:2-9 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: (3) "Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (4) Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted. (5) Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth. (6) Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. (7) Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy. (8) Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God. (9) Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.
If you progress in the initial Beatitudes, you WILL get the final Beatitudes:
Matthew 5:10-12 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (11) "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. (12) Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
The Beatitudes of reviling, false accusation, and persecution are the GREATEST of the Beatitudes. To share in these is to share in the life of Jesus to an uncommon degree.
When people have to make up things to accuse you of, it means they have run out of honest material. Jesus says "count THAT all joy, because you are counted among the great in heaven."
A tall building must have a foundation that goes deep into the ground. For every prophet and hero...every great man or woman in the Bible...God brought them down at least as low as they were about to be raised up. Because God loves so much, He is unwilling to lay a great work on an unprepared foundation. Don't let the pain of the foundation building process slow you down from drawing near to the one who got you in trouble in the first place!...instead, see the reviling for what it is: validation that you are on the right track.
Not many will get called before boards or councils for being faithful to Jesus...not many will be lied about simply because they refuse to back down. If this happens to you, simply know that you are breathing rare air, and that the accusation of those against you simply demonstrates that your choices agree with the Bible...it is what Jesus promised to EVERYONE who pursues the Sermon on the Mount to the fullest degree. All of His disciples were to expect this:
Luke 21:12-18 But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name's sake. (13) But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony. (14) Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; (15) for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist. (16) You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. (17) And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. (18) But not a hair of your head shall be lost.
This MUST happen in the life of everyone truly zealous for Jesus. Reviling, persecution, and false accusation are the pinnacle of the Beatitudes...offenses MUST come. BUT, your response to those who are the agents of the blessing should be that of pity and mercy...tremble for them...for woe to those who bring the offense to those standing faithfully for the Lord:
Luke 17:1-3 Then He said to the disciples, "It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come! (2) It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. (3) Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.
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