God’s Expectations, Pt. 3

The prophet Isaiah wrote his prophecies more than seven-hundred years before Jesus came into this world. So, when Jesus speaks of what God expects of his people, He isn’t stating something new. Jesus is reiterating and rejuvenating God’s Word.

God provides a list of things he wants us to do, but it is not a checklist for us as individuals. It is a list of what we, collectively as the church, should seek to do. And we must remember that the church is the worldwide church, not just our local church. We are to be one body, one church.

Yesterday, we saw how God was not happy with the fasting of Jews, largely because their heart was not committed to him. There is nothing wrong with fasting when we are fully committed to God. But God wants more than fasting. He desires that we rid ourselves of injustice. We are to treat people right according to God’s commands. Along with that, we are to set people free, relieve them of oppression. We are not to discriminate.

The list continues with feeding the hungry, taking care of the poor, clothing the naked, and fellowshipping with our relatives. We may do some of this by donating food to soup kitchen, clothing to charities, helping someone with a bill, and having family dinners. But we may not always do all of them. We may have relatives we prefer not to be around. We may not always donate to charities (or the church) who can help those in need.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 22:37-39 that we are to love God and our neighbor, and all the Law and the Prophets hang on those two commands. If we do this, we will inherently do what God tells the Israelites to do through the prophet Isaiah. As we walk through life, a good practice is to try to see the people we interact with as Jesus sees them, and Jesus sees them with the amazing love of God. Each person is a child of God whom God cares for dearly. Therefore, we should see them as we see our own children.

I pray we all choose to love God and love our neighbor. I pray we seek to care for the people we meet. I pray each one of us sees others as Jesus sees them, a child of God whom God loves. Love God. Love your neighbor. Care for others. See people as Jesus sees them. Remember every person is a child of God.

Isaiah 58:5-7

Is not this the fast that I choose: 

to loose the bonds of injustice, 

to undo the straps of the yoke, 

to let the oppressed go free, 

and to break every yoke? 

Is it not to share your bread with the hungry 

and bring the homeless poor into your house; 

when you see the naked, to cover them 

and not to hide yourself from your own kin?

God’s Expectations, Pt. 2

In today’s passage, Israel responds to God’s proclamation of their rebellion. We also see part of God’s counter-response. We will see more of it tomorrow. The Israelites respond as though they are doing what God has demanded but he is not paying attention to them.

Israel is acting like a child caught not doing their homework. Or doing it half-heartedly and complaining the teacher is picking on them when they receive a failing grade. Their reaction is to deflect the blame, act as though they are innocent, and pointing the finger at God.

Unfortunately, their reaction is all too common today. How often do we hear people blame God for something going wrong? How often have we attempted to blame something going wrong on someone else rather than taking responsibility ourselves? Israel was being human with their response. Perhaps they even thought they were doing what they should. However, God goes beyond the actions.

God points out that going through the motions is not enough. They can fast and still be disobedient. Oppressing their workers was not following God’s will. Quarreling and fighting among themselves was not what God desired of them. God was not going to honor their fasting when they were not obeying him. Their fasting was rote behavior and their humility was false.

We must ask ourselves: Are we going through the motions but not carrying out God’s will? We can easily fall into the trap of rote behavior. We attend worship services on Sunday because we always have. We recite words we memorized as a child without thinking about them. We sing hymns without thinking about the words. Doing so is no less offensive to God than what the Israelites were doing. God does not desire rote behavior. He desires our entire heart being given to him.

I pray we all evaluate our attitude and behavior toward God. I pray we choose to give God our heart. I pray each one of us put our heart and soul into worshiping God every day. Evaluate your attitude toward God. Evaluate your behavior. Give your heart to God. Worship God with your whole being.

Isaiah 58:3-4

“Why do we fast, but you do not see? 

Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?” 

Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day 

and oppress all your workers. 

You fast only to quarrel and to fight 

and to strike with a wicked fist.

Such fasting as you do today 

will not make your voice heard on high.

God’s Expectations, Pt. 1

Last week we walked through the Beatitudes. For the next three days, we are going to look at what God expects of us…and has for nearly three thousand years. In Isaiah 58, is a proclamation, response, and counter-response—God, his people, and God.

God tells the prophet to proclaim to Israel their rebellion and false attempts to seek him. The prophet is to proclaim it loudly to everyone. Isaiah was a prophet to the king and spent much of his time in Jerusalem. Therefore, he would have first proclaimed the message from God to the king.

God sees their actions and behavior, which opposes their spoken intent. He sees deep in their hearts, which reveals their selfish desires. Though the say the right words, likely what they had learned from childhood, their hearts revealed their contrary motives. Though they performed the rituals they had been taught, their passion was for earthly gain rather than God.

They had been taken captive by Babylon. God had brought them back to rebuild Jerusalem. However, not many years afterward, many of them had turned to idolatry again. Those who continued to adhere to the sacrificial rituals did so out of habit or obligation or for self-seeking reasons. Their rejoicing and gratefulness for being released from captivity did not last long. They returned to their old ways.

Do we go through the motions? Do we attend worship services out of habit? Have we become like the Jews of the seventh century before Christ came, worshiping out of rote behavior? Or are we honestly seeking God? Are we seeking to know him with our all our heart? We cannot fake it until we make it with God. He sees into our hearts. He knows our true motives. He sees every action and our behavior. We need to periodically look deep within ourselves, examining our hearts desire.

I pray we all reflect on our motives for worshiping God. I pray we do not simply go through the motions. I pray each one of us will seek God with all our heart, worshiping him in spirit and truth. Take time to reflect. Evaluate your motives. Seek God only. Worship God truthfully.

Isaiah 58:1-2

Shout out; do not hold back! 

Lift up your voice like a trumpet! 

Announce to my people their rebellion, 

to the house of Jacob their sins.

Yet day after day they seek me 

and delight to know my ways, 

as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness 

and did not forsake the ordinance of their God; 

they ask of me righteous judgments; 

they want God on their side.

Blessed by God

How do you like it when people say evil things about you? Is your immediate reaction to spout evil things about them? Do you believe you are justified in doing so? Do you believe it is the right thing to do? Have you considered how you should react as a follower of Jesus?

It is not uncommon for people to say evil things about other people. We hear it every day. We may hear it in our workplaces. We likely hear it on the news, if we watch the news. We may hear it in our homes. We may even hear it in our churches. But that doesn’t make it right.

Jesus tells us that we are blessed when people say evil things about us when it is on His account. In other words, if we are following His commands and His example and people are saying evil things about us, we are blessed. Jesus says our reward in heaven is great. Why? Because we are following His commands and His example. So, what are His commands and His example?

Jesus told us to love God and love our neighbor (Matthew 22:37-39). He has also demonstrated to us God’s love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness. We are to return God’s love with our love for him. We are to love our neighbor in the same way God loves us. We show God’s love for others by caring for them, putting them before ourselves, and freely giving ourselves for them. We must give up our own preferences to show God’s love.

If we are going to follow Jesus’ example, we must show grace to others. This means we are to bless them, even if they curse us. We must help provide for them when they are in need. We are to show mercy by reducing or eliminating punishment for their actions. We must forgive them when they make false statements or harm us. None of this comes naturally nor is it easy. Yet, to be a committed follower of Jesus, it is our task. We cannot do it alone. We must lean on the Holy Spirit to guide us along this difficult path.

I pray we all choose to obey Jesus. I pray we choose to follow Jesus’ example. I pray we know we are blessed when people speak evil things against because we are following Jesus. Obey Jesus. Follow Jesus. Follow Jesus’ example. Love others. Show grace to others. Know you are blessed.

Matthew 5:11-12 “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Persecuted for Righteousness

Do you believe you are righteous? Do you seek to be righteous? Do you act as though you are righteous? Do you believe your righteousness comes from you? Are you being persecuted because you are righteous or are pursuing righteousness? Have you considered these questions before?

Believing we righteous can be challenging. Feeling self-righteous is absolutely wrong. We are not righteous due to anything we have done. We are only righteous by the grace of God. If we are pursuing righteousness by our own striving and strength, we are going about it all wrong.

So, what does Jesus mean when He says we are blessed for being persecuted for righteousness’ sake? He isn’t speaking of righteousness we have earned on our own. He is pointing to the righteousness we obtain by the grace of God. It is God’s righteousness that he has bestowed on us. There is nothing about it that allows us to be prideful of. We did not earn it. We cannot achieve it on our own. It is God’s free gift to us for putting our faith in him.

The persecution comes from those who do not believe in Jesus. It comes in many forms. We may be slandered, made fun of, discriminated against, and even physically harmed. When these happen, we are to remember that we are blessed by God. We are not to retaliate but trust that God will fight our battles. There are more examples than I can include in this short message of God fighting battles on behalf of his people.

Therefore, remember that you are blessed when you are persecuted for your faith in Jesus. Humbly submit yourself to God, putting yourself in his hands. Trust him to pull you through whatever persecution you are facing. Hold onto your faith and continue in the righteousness you have received by the grace of God.

I pray we all know our righteousness comes from God. I pray we thank God for his amazing grace. I pray each one of us continue to trust God through any persecution we may face. Your righteousness is from God. God shows you grace. Trust God. Humbly submit to God. Hold onto your faith.

Matthew 5:10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Be A Peacemaker

Are you tired of all the arguing, bickering, finger pointing, and in-fighting we see in our society today? Do you wish it would all end? Do you wish people would simply get along? Are you doing anything about it? Are you helping? Or are you contributing to it?

We can’t go a single day without hearing someone complain about something. We may be doing the complaining. It seems as though we can’t go a week without hearing of or being involved in some type of dispute. There is an argument and perhaps in-fighting going on.

In the seventh Beatitude, Jesus says the peacemakers are blessed. How do we become a peacemaker. We must recognize and accept the peace of God, his shalom. Shalom is the true peace of God that we can experience through our faith in Christ. It includes trusting God is in control, even when things seem out of control. As we accept God’s shalom, we are overcome with the peace that goes beyond understanding. Fear, anxiety, and worry are gone.

It is by our faith that we can accept God’s shalom. Once we have, we can spread that peace to others. We do that by quelling the fear and anxiety of others. We step in to mediate arguments between others. We see beyond the individual circumstances, seeing the bigger picture, and help reduce or eliminate tensions by sharing the peace of God.

Being a peacemaker is not easy. It requires us to step in the middle of tough situations. We may initially be viewed negatively, for to be the peacemaker we must understand both sides. As we seek to bring about reconciliation, we are doing the work of God, one small contribution toward the work Jesus did on the cross. God reconciled the world to him through the cross. Peacemaking reconciles people to people.

I pray we all accept the shalom of God. I pray we experience the peace of God in our lives. I pray each one of us seek reconciliation with others and assist with reconciliation among others. Accept God’s shalom. Experience the peace of God. Seek reconciliation. Be a peacemaker.

Matthew 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”

Merciful and Pure

Do you remember as a child the magic word boys would say if they were ready to give up when wrestling? Do you remember that everyone abided by that unwritten rule? Do you know there is an axiom in the Beatitudes that the unwritten rule was based on?

When I was in elementary school, when we would wrestle, if one boy had gotten another boy pinned, his arm twisted behind his back, or had somehow overpowered the other one, the one on the losing end would say mercy. It was a signal that one was giving up and the other would relent.

Though that is an example of mercy being shown in one instance, Jesus calls us to show mercy continuously. He states in the fifth Beatitude that those who show mercy (continuously) will receive mercy from God, both now and in the future. It is God who gives the reward of mercy. This means we are not to be vengeful or seeking retribution. It also means we are to help others in need. It is not simply donating to a charity but taking action when we see someone in need. How do we address homelessness, feed the hungry, assist someone with childcare, help someone alongside the road with a flat tire?

Jesus follows that with a statement about being pure in heart. If we fully committed to God and morally upright by following his guidance, we will see God. To be pure in heart, we must desire God and be loyal to him at all times. We must serve God by serving others. It is not about rituals or traditions but the heart, loving God with our entire being. Our reward is seeing God, both now and in the future. We will see him at work in our lives and the lives of others now while also seeing him face-to-face in the future.

Though the Beatitudes are not commands, they are statements from Jesus to provide us with guidance for living. They tell us how we can have a better relationship with God and promises us that God will always be with us. We are blessed in many ways when we commit ourselves to him.

I pray we all show mercy to others. I pray we commit ourselves fully to God. I pray each one of us follow the guidance Jesus provides in the Beatitudes and improve our relationship with God. Show mercy continuously. Be pure in heart. Commit yourself to God. Follow Jesus’ guidance. Improve your relationship with God.

Matthew 5:7-8

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. 

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”

Hunger and Thirst

What is your heart’s desire? What is it that you long for more than anything else? What are you striving for every day? What consumes your attention? What are you working toward? What are you focusing on today? Are you progressing toward your goal?

If you are like me, there have been many things you have worked toward during your lifetime. Some of those are short-term goals, perhaps accomplished in a few days or weeks. Others are long-term and you are still working toward them. But they all are only our focus for short periods of time.

In the fourth Beatitude, Jesus uses a word that can have two meanings. They are related yet are a little different. The word often translated as righteousness can also mean justice. In the context of what Jesus is stating, righteousness appears to make the most sense. Pursuing righteousness is to attempt to do what is right in the sight of God. It means we strive to continually obey God’s commands, follow his guidance, and be a good representative of his.

Justice can also fit and may also be intended by Jesus. For God is just. Including justice with righteousness means we include treating everyone justly and seek justice for everyone. We might even say that justice is one piece of righteousness.

Whether we interpret it as righteousness or justice or include both meanings, Jesus says we will be filled. To be filled is to be completely full. In John 10:10, Jesus says He came to give us abundant life, sometimes translated as life to the full. A full life, one filled with Jesus is available to us, if we are pursuing right conduct in the eyes of God. We will be completely filled by God.

I pray we all hunger and thirst for righteousness. I pray we seek right conduct before God. I pray each one of us seek justice and righteousness and trust God will fill us completely. Hunger for righteousness. Thirst for righteousness. Seek right conduct. Seek justice. Be filled by God.

Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”

Mourning and Meekness

Are there things you are sorry for? Have you done things you wish you hadn’t? Have you faced persecution? Do you struggle to make ends meet? Do you feel as though you are invisible? Does it seem as though people walk on you? Are you seeking relief? Do you desire being noticed?

We all have done things we shouldn’t have done. We can all look back over our lives and wish we had made better decisions. Most of us have struggled financially at one point or another and may be struggling now. Some of us may feel as though no one is listening to us.

Jesus promising blessings for those who are in these situations. When He speaks of those who mourn, there are several meanings for that word. It means those who are sorry for their sin, anyone who is groaning due to persecution, or someone struggling financially. In all these cases, we cry out to God. We experience sorrow, depression, grief, frustration, or guilt. All of this is wrapped up in the word translated as mourn. Yet Jesus says we will be comforted when we find ourselves in these situations.

When Jesus states the meek will be blessed, He is also referring to multiple meanings. The word means to be poor, oppressed, humble, or gentle. It refers to those who are financially poor and forced into relying on God. It means those who are oppressed by others, whether by an overpowering person or a government. It means those who do not stand up for themselves, who are walked on by others. Jesus says they will inherit the earth. They will reign with Him when He returns.

We can all take comfort in Jesus’ promises and be confident that He will fulfill them. He may fulfill them through others during this lifetime. He may fulfill them quickly. He may not fulfill them until He returns. We need to hold onto them and trust Him. We may need to endure for a time, but we can be sure that our time of mourning and struggle will come to an end.

I pray we all trust Jesus’ promises. I pray we cry out to God during our times of struggle. I pray each one of us continue to look forward to Jesus fulfilling His promises and to His return. Trust Jesus. Cry out to God. Jesus will fulfill His promises. Jesus will return. Hold onto your faith.

Matthew 5:4-5

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”

Seeking Understanding

Are you looking for advice? Are you seeking insights for living your life to the full? How are you going about getting the advice you are seeking? Is it from self-help books? Are you reading professional journals? Do you have a mentor or someone you specifically seek for advice?

We can all continue to learn and continue to improve our lives. Many professions provide mentors for people new to them. Some companies provide a sponsor for the first thirty days to help someone learn the business culture. We can attend conferences to learn new techniques.

Our Christian walk is no different than our professional walk. We can all continue to learn. In fact, scholars continue to uncover new understandings of God’s Word. How so? Archeology provides insights into the culture and meaning of words and phrases from the time Scripture was written. Extra biblical writings provide deeper understanding of the meaning of specific words. Why is it important? Language changes over time and meanings are lost.

Jesus’ early disciples followed Him to gain understanding. Just as it is for us two-thousand years after Jesus walked this earth, so it was for them. The Israelites had not been given any prophecy for four-hundred years. Some prophecies were a thousand years old. The disciples sought out Jesus to gain a better understanding of God’s Word. They saw in Him authority and wisdom.

We, too, can go to Jesus to better understand God’s Word. We can go to Him to gain insight into how we should live our life to the full. Though Jesus does not give us advice regarding which job we should accept or house to buy, He does tell us how we are to view life. He instructs us to love, show grace, show mercy, forgive, serve, and care for one another. Living by Jesus’ guidance helps us live an abundant life.

I pray we all go to Jesus for life advice. I pray we seek to better understand God’s Word. I pray each one of us lives the abundant life as we follow the teachings of Jesus. Seek an abundant life. Follow Jesus’ guidance. Seek to understand God’s Word. Love and care for one another.

Matthew 5:1 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he sat down, his disciples came to him.