Moving Forward Through Jesus

Matthew 5:17-20 (KJV): Words of Jesus

17) Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
18) For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
19) Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20) For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus came to fulfill the law, not to destroy it.  It is through Jesus that believers in Him will move forward from the law to surpass the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees to enter the kingdom of heaven.

Our Lord Teaches, Preaches and Heals

Teaching, preaching and healing take place in the presence of the Lord (Matthew 4:23-25).  Today, we can have Jesus to come into our presence through praying, reading His Word and/or worshipping Him.  Recently, He visited me through tears of joy as I humbly praised Him through a version of the above song.  Maybe you have encountered the Lord in the same way.  Glory to God! Amen!

We are the 'salt of the earth'; the 'light of the world'

I believe this song and video are a great representation of Matthew 5:13-16 (KJV):

13) Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
14) Ye are the light of the world.  A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
15) Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
16) Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

The righteousness that we do to serve God through our good works is for the glory of God (Matthew 5:16).  When others persecute us for righteousness' sake, we are blessed by God (Matthew 5:10,11).  We are to rejoice and be glad (v. 12).

When we rejoice as the 'salt of the earth' and 'the light of the world' (vs. 13, 14), we keep our salt savory and our light shining to overcome evil.  God, our Father in heaven, will be glorified.

Blessedness

A number of years ago I worked in an area of the city known as the 'Hilltop.'  Stories were certainly circulating about the criminal activity of the area.  Considering the reputation of drugs and gangs in the area, though, many of the people were 'happy.'  This 'happy' was not the kind of happy you might associate with drugs or drinking, but the kind of 'happy' associated with being blessed by God.  I would ask the people--"How are you?" Some replied--"I am blessed."  Some would respond--"I am blessed.  Blessed means happy."

The peoples' use of 'blessed' in their greeting response was unique to me because where I moved from in Northeast Tennessee, I often heard the phrase "Bless your heart" or the common "Bless you" after a sneeze, but I do not recall anyone saying they were blessed when asked, "How are you?" Most often I had heard the word used in a church setting, not in a retail setting.

Despite all the Hilltop crime that many of the citizens had lived around or were living through, they were set apart in their blessedness.  This was a good thing.  To me, those who were 'blessed' stood out like beacons on the Hilltop.  Their countenance radiated happiness.

In the opening words of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus bestowed happiness and rewards upon His followers who produced the good fruit of His teachings.  These teachings are known as the beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-12:

3) Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4) Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
5) Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
6) Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after 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 the children of God.
10) Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11) Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil agaist you falsely, for my sake.
12) Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

As we are blessed by God, we have the opportunity to bless or praise God in return.  This exchange of blessings is exactly what is shown in the praise song--"Blessed Be Your Name" by Matt Redman.

Praise God through the good times and the bad! Amen!

Jesus' Ministry Begins

When Jesus heard that John the Baptist was imprisoned, He left Nazareth to live on the coast of the Sea of Galilee in Capernaum which was bordered by Zabulon and Nephthalim.  This move by Jesus fulfilled the prophesy of Isaiah--"The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up" (Matthew 4:15,16).  Thus, Jesus' ministry began.  He preached and said, "Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (v.17).

While walking the shores of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus came upon two brothers, Simon called Peter and Andrew, who were 'casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers' (v. 18).  Jesus said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men" (v.19).  "And they [immediately] left their nets, and followed him" (v. 20). 

After calling Simon Peter and Andrew, Jesus called two other brothers, James and John, who he saw in a ship with their father, Zebedee.  James and John were repairing their nets.  "And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed [Jesus]" (v.22).

"And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.  And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.  And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judea, and from beyond Jordan" (vs.23-25).

Ministering Angels

In an attempt to put God to the test, Satan tried to work through Jesus to have Him to intentionally throw Himself off the top of the temple for angels to come to the rescue.  Satan said to Jesus, "If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone" (Matthew 4:6).  Jesus immediately stymied Satan's motive with the Word of God--"Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God" (v. 7).

It turns out that after the confrontation with Satan in the wilderness that, in His humanness, Jesus had 'dash[ed] [His] foot against a stone (v. 6).  It is in this respect that angels came to minister to Jesus.  The angels came to 'bear [Him] up' (v. 6).

We have angels watching over us as well.  Listen carefully to the words of 'Angels Watching Over Me' by Amy Grant.  The above 1984 video depicts the work of angels.

Jesus Tempted in the Wilderness

Matthew 4:1-11 (KJV)

After Jesus was baptized, He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan.  Jesus was hungry for he had fasted forty days and forty nights.

On two occasions, Satan confronted Jesus with the words--"If thou be the Son of God" in an attempt to get Him to prove that He is the Son of God.  Satan wanted miracles from Jesus for proof.  Instead of resorting to performing the miracles that Satan wanted, Jesus turned to the Word of God.

Satan wanted Jesus to command stones to be made into bread.  Jesus said, "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."  Jesus could have given in to temptation so easily since He was hungry; however, He followed His own wise words and lived by the Word of God to ultimately overcome Satan in the wilderness.

Satan took Jesus to Jerusalem to set Him on 'a pinnacle of the temple' (v. 5).  Satan said to Jesus, "...[C]ast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone" (v.6).  Jesus replied, "It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God" (v. 7).

You can see how important it is for us to study and "[l]et the word of Christ dwell in [us] richly..." (Colossians 3:16) because Satan knows the Word also and will attempt to get us to use the Word of God unwisely against God.  From verses six and seven, we realize that we are to never intentionally place ourselves in harm's way to test God.

Satan finally took Jesus to "...an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and glory of them; [Satan said,] All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.... [Jesus said,] Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve" (vs. 8-10).  After these words, the devil departed and angels came to minister unto Jesus.