Found in the Gospel of Matthew is the greatest sermon that Jesus preached, a sermon we call “The Sermon on the Mount”. I believe that as followers of Christ, as we look closely at the Scriptures, we must look first through the lens of the teachings of Jesus, our risen Savior, indeed, God Himself. ALL other Scriptures, the Old Testament as well as the teachings of Paul and the disciples/apostles affirm the reality of God, indeed, the reality of JESUS in our world and our lives.
I believe that to fully understand Jesus’ teachings, we must first be humble enough to accept them and then ultimately to APPLY them to our lives. This is not always easy to do (hello!) However, as we live life and ask God to help us understand and apply these timeless truths, we get a glimpse here on earth of the kingdom of heaven which will be full realized when Jesus comes again. Indeed, we start living in that kingdom with Jesus as Lord in our lives.
In the Christian sense, being humble, or living a life of humility, is simply living a life in which we realize that God is in control and that we want to live in God’s will rather than our own, realizing that we are not self-made–but that we are God-made. Relying on God and trusting Him with our life. Psalm 46:10 tells us: “Be still and know that I am God….”
Look closely at the Scriptures below–a multitude of people from all over the region were there to listen to what Jesus had to say. It must be important! As is so often the case, Jesus was about to deliver “The Truth upside-down”. A truth that is often full of paradox–the opposite of what the world would have us think–a truth that grabs us and shakes us up. A man once described the truth Jesus preached as, “truth standing on its head calling for attention,” and boy is it true here!
Matthew 5:1 (TNIV)
Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him,Luke 6:12-3 & 17-18 (TNIV)
12 One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. [this mountainside is just to the west of the Sea of Galilee] 13 When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles……………….17 He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coastal region around Tyre and Sidon, 18 who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases.
Join me on an amazing journey of the most profound teachings of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, as we listen to and ponder each and every thought and teaching in the greatest discourse ever to be shared with humanity. Why? Because God, indeed, Jesus wants us to live a life of fulfillment that comes only from applying the timeless truths shared by our creator, our Father….God. Indeed, our greatest fulfillmnent comes only from a relationship with Jesus!
