October 9, 2012 … Jesus’ Walk-off Home Run Sermon

Chronological Bible Reading Plan - Day 283

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Matthew, Chapter 5-7 To study these chapters, go to this link -
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Highlight Passage: Matthew 5: [Please use the link above to mediate on ALL of Jesus’ words in this chapter of Matthew’s Gospel.] : [NLT] … 
{Jesus delivers a sermon – probably a summary from Matthew of His teachings from a hillside near Capernaum for several days. The focus of the sermon was directed to His inner core of disciples, but His message was for all “disciples,”… all who would desire to live as God, the Father, desired His followers to live … just as Jesus was to model and just as living would one day be God’s Kingdom in Heaven. And the sermon begins with some direct contradictions, which we call “The Beattitudes,” showing the difference between Jesus’ stated “kingdom living” and our implied “worldly living.” } …  
1 One day as the crowds were gathering, Jesus went up the mountainside with his disciples and sat down to teach them. … 2This is what He taught them: … {Verses 3-12 are what we know of as “The Beattitudes.” Matthew likely captured what Jesus was teaching the inner core of disciples in these passages in Matthew, chapters 5-7, because Jesus’ teachings would not have been heard by the large numbers gathered to follow after Him on that hillside near Capernaum. Some speculate that He wandered through the crowds on that hillside for several days, teaching the crowds these lessons, which were first directed to Jesus’ inner core of Disciples. Following the Beattitudes, in Verses 13-48, Jesus gives several homilies about living life God’s way as opposed to how our sin-nature and Satan would desire for us to live in human default.} …  
15 Don’t hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. … {Christ-like living as salt and light.} …  
20 “But I warn you—unless you obey God better than the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees do, you can’t enter the Kingdom of Heaven at all! … {Christ came to fulfill The Law, not to abolish it, which shows us it is impossible to live under God’s Law without Christ.} …  
21 “You have heard that the law of Moses says, ‘Do not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ 22 But I say, if you are angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! …” … { On dealing with human anger.} …  
27 “You have heard that the law of Moses says, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust in his eye has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” … … { On dealing with lust.} …  
32 But I say that a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” … … { On dealing with divorce – God’s way.} …  
34 But I say, don’t make any vows! If you say, ‘By heaven!’ it is a sacred vow because heaven is God’s throne. … 37 Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Your word is enough. To strengthen your promise with a vow shows that something is wrong..” … … { On making vows to others. } …  
39 But I say, don’t resist an evil person! If you are slapped on the right cheek, turn the other, too. 40 If you are ordered to court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too.  … { On dealing with revenge for offenses against us.} …  
44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! …
{ How we are to deal with our enemies in life. … And we see from verses 13-48 that it’s impossible to live as Jesus commanded or taught or lived Himself because Jesus’ way goes way beyond God’s written Law, which is impossible to fulfill in our humanity. So, Jesus makes the point that we need power way beyond self to live as He was teaching. And we know that we need a Savior, a Redeemer, to live like Jesus was teaching in Matthew 5.}
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Highlight Passage: Matthew 6: [Use the link above to study the chapter] : [NLT] … {Chapter Six of Matthew gives us seven reasons not to worry – good advice for our living today. My Parson’s Commentary CD Rom presents these seven reasons not to worry, documented in Chapter 6} … 6:25 … The same God who created life in you can be trusted with the details of your life. 
6:26 … Worrying about the future hampers your efforts for today. 
6:27 … Worrying is more harmful than helpful 
6:28-30 … God does not ignore those who depend on him. 
6:31, 32 … Worrying shows a lack of faith in and understanding of God. 
6:33 … Worrying keeps us from real challenges God wants us to pursue. 
6:34 … Living one day at a time keeps us from being consumed with worry.  
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Highlight Passage: Matthew 7: [Again use the link above to study this chapter. A few passages are copied below from verses 1-2; 7; 12-13; 15-16; 21; 24; 28] : [NLT] … 
{Matthew, Chapter 7presents more lessons for living, lessons which put the mirror of truth directly in front of us for us to see ourselves, and in doing so – just as we do when we look into the mirror of God’s Law - if we’re honest, we have to admit that we can’t live without what only Jesus can give us – redemption from our sinfulness and reconciliation with a Holy God.} …
1 “Stop judging others, and you will not be judged. 2 For others will treat you as you treat them. Whatever measure you use in judging others, it will be used to measure how you are judged. … 
7 “Keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened. … 
12 “Do for others what you would like them to do for you. This is a summary of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.…” 13 “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell£ is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose the easy way. 14 But the gateway to life is small, and the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it.” … 
15 “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep, but are really wolves that will tear you apart. 16 You can detect them by the way they act, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit. … “ 
21 “Not all people who sound religious are really godly. They may refer to me as ‘Lord,’ but they still won’t enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The decisive issue is whether they obey my Father in heaven. … 24 Anyone who listens to my teaching and obeys me is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.” … 
28 After Jesus finished speaking, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 for he taught as one who had real authority—quite unlike the teachers of religious law. 

My Journal for Today: Talk about a big gulp from God’s fire-hydrant of truth, … how does one journal in one morning on Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount? It would be just about as impossible to journal, in one setting, what one learns from Jesus’ most famous teaching episode as it is to live what He teaches.

So, I’m going to cop out to reality and not even try to write any more here than I have added above in bold; and I’m going to exhort any reader to do what I did today; i.e., … to go back over Jesus’ famous sermon. And, if you do, I think you’ll discover what I did … that this may be God’s clearest mirror of truth ever put in front of the eyes of mankind as to how to live life God’s way. And when we look into this mirror, it becomes eminently clear that we cannot live this way without what only Jesus can give us through His grace … and that is salvation and justification and sanctification.

On April 13th, 1983, I looked into this mirror and saw myself clearly; and I recognized that I needed what only Jesus could give me to live life the way He demanded. And I surrendered my life to His grace; and though I still struggle to live the way Jesus tells me I must in His Sermon on the Mount, I know that He will always be there to give me what I need so that I can target my life to be reshaped in His image … the image He portrayed in His sermon from the hillside near Capernaum that day.

My Prayer Today: … Lord, thank You for Your mirror of truth in Your Sermon. Amen