We are continuing this journey–this journey into the heart of Jesus’ message–a message we commonly call “The Sermon on the Mount”. Jesus was preparing his listeners THEN and is preparing us NOW for some very strong teachings; again, I call this “the truth upside down”. If we internalize and apply these “inner truths” to our lives we can’t be defeated.
The reason some people don’t survive spiritually is that they do not pay the price for maturity. I believe that Jesus wants us to take a deep, deep, look at our inner selves. In the Beatitudes He shares with us these simple truths:
— To trust and have dependence on God in our daily life
— To mourn….to care, love others
— To have the strength of character to be meek (not weak)
— To hunger and thirst for doing what is right
— To have a heart to help others and show mercy….grace in action
— And with all these things……Jesus tells us to have a pure heart
— Jesus tells us to make peace with those around us
— And to have the strength of character to endure persecution for loving Him and doing what is right.
These are the secrets–the mysteries–the truth upside down–upon which we can build happy and fulfilled life.
Jesus is calling those who believe in Him to live beyond the commandments and thereby challenge the world to a higher standard of living. God, indeed Jesus, challenges us to live with a pure heart, loving others, showing mercy to others, helping to bring peace on all levels, from peace in our relationships to peace in the world.
Jesus is also calling to live beyond the commandments ethically and morally, to live with a pure heart in our relationships with those around us, at home, at school and at work and everywhere in between.
He tells us that when we live this way, that we will not only find happiness and fulfillment in our lives, but that we will help other find happiness and fulfillment in their lives. We do this by being the light of this world and pushing back the darkness and by being the Salt of the earth. Indeed, as we follow Jesus, we will enhance the flavor of this world by bringing out the very best in life.
God’s mission for us is to be a part of, not only of our own redemption and restoration to a life of fulfillment, but also to be a part of the redemption of this world.
This condition begins by recognizing our absolute dependence upon God. This leads us to a righteousness that exceeds that of the self-righteous who depend upon their laws and ceremonies and spend their time judging others. Unless our righteousness exceeds external religious external practices, we do not belong to the kingdom of God. The real test of a holy and fulfilled life is our relationship to God, our love for God, and our love for each other.
When we truly love God, living up to righteousness that exceeds that of the self-righteous will be no problem for us. As our hearts transform, as we do these things, and apply these principals to our lives, our lives transform. We become citizens of the kingdom that Jesus spoke so often about, the kingdom of heaven/the kingdom of God. The world transforms, redemption is at hand, through us and our interaction with this world.
May YOU internalize and apply these “inner truths” to YOUR life and may you recognize that indeed……Jesus can’t be defeated!