Sermon On The Mount - Session 1 - Introduction

Sermon on the Mount - Painting by Byron Ahn

The Christ Church Wednesday Bible Study Group is conducting an exhaustive study of Jesus Sermon on the Mount, Matthew Chapters 5, 6, and 7.  These are the Leader's notes to the study.  The notes include the full text of the important scriptures of the study.  Join us here  and study along with us these next 10 weeks. 

The first session introduces the historical and scriptural context around Jesus sermon to the multitude that joined Him and His disciples as He presented the Manifesto of His Kingdom, the Kingdom of Heaven.  We start by looking at the historical and cultural setting because we want to understand how those to whom it was originally spoken to by Jesus, and written down for by Matthew, would have understood it. 

Introduction

What we know today as Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount which takes up Matthew chapters 5-7, is considered by many as Jesus’ greatest single sermon on the condition of man and his need for God’s grace. This sermon is concise, yet it fully exposes the heart of man much like a small scalpel can do in the hands of a skilled surgeon. It covers a variety of topics, yet weaves them all intricately together as a weaver does in making a tapestry by blending threads of different colors together into one theme. It begins with promises of God’s blessing and then exposes all that is in man that keeps him from those blessings. It concludes with a call to secure those blessings by following God and a warning about living life based in man’s wisdom.

There are some basic questions we need to ask as we study.

To whom did Jesus preach this Sermon? What was His purpose in preaching it? How did He expect those who heard it to apply it? What is its relevance today and to us?

We need to start by looking at the historical and cultural setting because we want to understand how those to whom it was originally spoken to by Jesus and written down for by Matthew would have understood it. We then look at other Scriptures that  on the same topics within the sermon to find the harmony between them. We interpret Scripture by Scripture instead of our own philosophies and desires.

Historical Context

Many important events had already occurred before Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount. Some of these events set the underlying feelings or influences, that we will see within the sermon. After His baptism and testing in the wilderness in Judea, that’s in Matthew 3 & 4,

Matthew 3:13-17 CEV Jesus left Galilee and went to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. But John kept objecting and said, “I ought to be baptized by you. Why have you come to me?”  Jesus answered, “For now this is how it should be, because we must do all God wants us to do.” Then John agreed.  So Jesus was baptized. And as soon as he came out of the water, the sky opened, and he saw the Spirit of God coming down on him like a dove. Then a voice from heaven said, “This is my own dear Son, and I am pleased with him.”

Matthew 4:1-11 CEV The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the desert, so that the devil could test him. After Jesus had gone without eating for 40 days and nights, he was very hungry. Then the devil came to him and said, “If you are God's Son, tell these stones to turn into bread.”   Jesus answered, “The Scriptures say: ‘No one can live only on food. People need every word that God has spoken.’ ”  Next, the devil took Jesus into the holy city to the highest part of the temple. The devil said, “If you are God's Son, jump off. The Scriptures say: ‘God will give his angels orders about you. They will catch you in their arms, and you won't hurt your feet on the stones.’ ”   Jesus answered, “The Scriptures also say, ‘Don't try to test the Lord your God!’ ”  Finally, the devil took Jesus up on a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms on earth and their power. The devil said to him, “I will give all this to you, if you will bow down and worship me.”   Jesus answered, “Go away Satan! The Scriptures say: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’ ”  Then the devil left Jesus, and angels came to help him.

Jesus called His first disciples, that we find in John 1:35-51;

John 1:35-51 CEV The next day, John was there again, and two of his followers were with him. When he saw Jesus walking by, he said, “Here is the Lamb of God!” John's two followers heard him, and they went with Jesus.  When Jesus turned and saw them, he asked, “What do you want?” They answered, “Rabbi, where do you live?” The Hebrew word “Rabbi” means “Teacher.”  Jesus replied, “Come and see!” It was already about four o'clock in the afternoon when they went with him and saw where he lived. So they stayed on for the rest of the day.  One of the two men who had heard John and had gone with Jesus was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother and tell him, “We have found the Messiah!” The Hebrew word “Messiah” means the same as the Greek word “Christ.”  Andrew brought his brother to Jesus. And when Jesus saw him, he said, “Simon son of John, you will be called Cephas.” This name can be translated as “Peter.”  The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. There he met Philip, who was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter. Jesus said to Philip, “Follow me.”  Philip then found Nathanael and said, “We have found the one that Moses and the Prophets wrote about. He is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.”  Nathanael asked, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Philip answered, “Come and see.”  When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said, “Here is a true descendant of our ancestor Israel. And he isn't deceitful.”  “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.”  Nathanael said, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God and the King of Israel!”  Jesus answered, “Did you believe me just because I said that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see something even greater. I tell you for certain you will see heaven open and God's angels going up and coming down on the Son of Man.”

He performed His first miracle of turning the water in to wine at the wedding in Cana

John 2:1-12 CEV Three days later Mary, the mother of Jesus, was at a wedding feast in the village of Cana in Galilee. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited and were there.  When the wine was all gone, Mary said to Jesus, “They don't have any more wine.”  Jesus replied, “Mother, my time hasn't yet come! You must not tell me what to do.”  Mary then said to the servants, “Do whatever Jesus tells you to do.”  At the feast there were six stone water jars that were used by the people for washing themselves in the way that their religion said they must. Each jar held about 100 liters. Jesus told the servants to fill them to the top with water. Then after the jars had been filled, he said, “Now take some water and give it to the man in charge of the feast.” The servants did as Jesus told them, and the man in charge drank some of the water that had now turned into wine. He did not know where the wine had come from, but the servants did. He called the bridegroom over and said, “The best wine is always served first. Then after the guests have had plenty, the other wine is served. But you have kept the best until last!”  This was Jesus' first miracle, and he did it in the village of Cana in Galilee. There Jesus showed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him. After this, he went with his mother, his brothers, and his disciples to the town of Capernaum, where they stayed for a few days.

Jesus had also already cleansed the Temple during Passover which greatly irritated the Scribes, Pharisees and chief priests.

John 2:13-22 CEV Not long before the Jewish festival of Passover, Jesus went to Jerusalem. There he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves in the temple. He also saw moneychangers sitting at their tables. So he took some rope and made a whip. Then he chased everyone out of the temple, together with their sheep and cattle. He turned over the tables of the moneychangers and scattered their coins.  Jesus said to the people who had been selling doves, “Get those doves out of here! Don't make my Father's house a marketplace.”   The disciples then remembered that the Scriptures say, “My love for your house burns in me like a fire.”  The Jewish leaders asked Jesus, “What miracle will you work to show us why you have done this?”   “Destroy this temple,” Jesus answered, “and in three days I will build it again!”  The leaders replied, “It took 46 years to build this temple. What makes you think you can rebuild it in three days?”  But Jesus was talking about his body as a temple. And when he was raised from death, his disciples remembered what he had told them. Then they believed the Scriptures and the words of Jesus.

So to the religious establishment Jesus was an outsider who did not follow their traditions.  He was upsetting their system, and they thought Him to be a threat to their political and financial future.

Jesus had already talked with Nicodemus explaining that a man must be born again if he is to see the kingdom of heaven.

John 3:1-21 CEV There was a man named Nicodemus who was a Pharisee and a Jewish leader. One night he went to Jesus and said, “Rabbi, we know that God has sent you to teach us. You could not work these miracles, unless God were with you.”  Jesus replied, “I tell you for certain that you must be born from above before you can see God's kingdom!”  Nicodemus asked, “How can a grown man ever be born a second time?”  Jesus answered: I tell you for certain that before you can get into God's kingdom, you must be born not only by water, but by the Spirit. Humans give life to their children. Yet only God's Spirit can change you into a child of God. Don't be surprised when I say that you must be born from above. Only God's Spirit gives new life. The Spirit is like the wind that blows wherever it wants to. You can hear the wind, but you don't know where it comes from or where it is going.  “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.  Jesus replied: How can you be a teacher of Israel and not know these things? I tell you for certain we know what we are talking about because we have seen it ourselves. But none of you will accept what we say. If you don't believe when I talk to you about things on earth, how can you possibly believe if I talk to you about things in heaven?   No one has gone up to heaven except the Son of Man, who came down from there. And the Son of Man must be lifted up, just as the metal snake was lifted up by Moses in the desert.  Then everyone who has faith in the Son of Man will have eternal life.  God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn its people. He sent him to save them! No one who has faith in God's Son will be condemned. But everyone who doesn't have faith in him has already been condemned for not having faith in God's only Son.  The light has come into the world, and people who do evil things are judged guilty because they love the dark more than the light. People who do evil hate the light and won't come to the light, because it clearly shows what they have done. But everyone who lives by the truth will come to the light, because they want others to know that God is really the one doing what they do.

Jesus had been in the Jordan valley baptizing those that repented, but after the religious leaders became aware that Jesus was baptizing more people than John the Baptist and John was put into prison, Jesus headed back to Galilee.

Matthew 4:12-13 CEV When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he went to Galilee. But instead of staying in Nazareth, Jesus moved to Capernaum. This town was beside Lake Galilee in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali.

 He was from Nazareth and his ministry headquarters was in Capernaum.   both of which were in Galilee.  Galilee was one of the three provinces of Palestine at the time.  The other two were Judah, which is where Jerusalem was and Samaria.   Along the way, back to Galilee from Jerusalem,  He went through Samaria and had that famous talk with the woman at the well in Sychar resulting in many of the Samaritans there believing that Jesus was the Messiah( John 4:5-42).

John 4:3-5, 25-30, 39-42 CEV ,Jesus left Judea and started for Galilee again. This time he had to go through Samaria, and on his way he came to the town of Sychar. It was near the field that Jacob had long ago given to his son Joseph. The woman said, “I know that the Messiah will come. He is the one we call Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”  “I am that one,” Jesus told her, “and I am speaking to you now.”  The disciples returned about this time and were surprised to find Jesus talking with a woman. But none of them asked him what he wanted or why he was talking with her.  The woman left her water jar and ran back into town, where she said to the people, “Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! Could he be the Messiah?” Everyone in town went out to see Jesus.  A lot of Samaritans in that town put their faith in Jesus because the woman had said, “This man told me everything I have ever done.” They came and asked him to stay in their town, and he stayed on for two days.  Many more Samaritans put their faith in Jesus because of what they heard him say. They told the woman, “We no longer have faith in Jesus just because of what you told us. We have heard him ourselves, and we are certain that he is the Savior of the world!”

Luke 4:16-31 CEV He went up to Nazareth where He was rejected Jesus went back to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and as usual he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath. When he stood up to read from the Scriptures, he was given the book of Isaiah the prophet. He opened it and read,   “The Lord's Spirit has come to me, because he has chosen me to tell the good news to the poor. The Lord has sent me to announce freedom for prisoners, to give sight to the blind, to free everyone who suffers,  and to say, ‘This is the year the Lord has chosen.’ ”  Jesus closed the book, then handed it back to the man in charge and sat down. Everyone in the synagogue looked straight at Jesus.  Then Jesus said to them, “What you have just heard me read has come true today.”  All the people started talking about Jesus and were amazed at the wonderful things he said. They kept on asking, “Isn't he Joseph's son?”  Jesus answered: You will certainly want to tell me this saying, “Doctor, first make yourself well.” You will tell me to do the same things here in my own hometown that you heard I did in Capernaum. But you can be sure that no prophets are liked by the people of their own hometown.   Once during the time of Elijah there was no rain for three and a half years, and people everywhere were starving. There were many widows in Israel, but Elijah was sent only to a widow in the town of Zarephath near the city of Sidon. During the time of the prophet Elisha, many men in Israel had leprosy. But no one was healed, except Naaman who lived in Syria.  When the people in the synagogue heard Jesus say this, they became so angry that they got up and threw him out of town. They dragged him to the edge of the cliff on which the town was built, because they wanted to throw him down from there. But Jesus slipped through the crowd and got away.  Jesus went to the town of Capernaum in Galilee and taught the people on the Sabbath.

after which He settled in Capernaum

Matthew 4:13 (BBE)¹³  And going away from Nazareth, he came and made his living-place in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the country of Zebulun and Naphtali:

With Capernaum as a home base, Jesus went about preaching His message of repentance

Matthew 4:17 (BBE)¹⁷  From that time Jesus went about preaching and saying, Let your hearts be turned from sin, for the kingdom of heaven is near.

During this time He also performed many miracles and called Peter, Andrew, James and John to be His disciples and become fishers of men

Matthew 4:18-22 (BBE)¹⁸  And when he was walking by the sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, whose other name was Peter, and Andrew, his brother, who were putting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.¹⁹  And he said to them, Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.²⁰  And straight away they let go the nets and went after him.²¹  And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and John, his brother, in the boat with their father, stitching up their nets; and he said, Come.²²  And they went straight from the boat and their father and came after him.

Jesus had authenticated His teaching in Capernaum by healing a demoniac

Luke 4:31-37 (BBE)³¹  And he came down to Capernaum, a town of Galilee; and he was giving them teaching on the Sabbath.³²  And they were surprised at his teaching, for his word was with authority.³³  And there was a man in the Synagogue who had an unclean spirit; and he gave a loud cry and said,³⁴  Let us be! what have we to do with you, Jesus of Nazareth? have you come to put an end to us? I have knowledge who you are, the Holy One of God.³⁵  And Jesus said to him, Be quiet, and come out of him. And when the evil spirit had put him down on the earth in the middle of them, he came out of him, having done him no damage.³⁶  And wonder came on them all and they said to one another, What are these words? for with authority and power he gives orders to the evil spirits and they come out.³⁷  And there was much talk about him in all the places round about.

Peter’s mother-in-law,

Luke 4:38-41 (BBE)³⁸  And he got up and went out of the Synagogue and went into the house of Simon. And Simon's wife's mother was very ill with a burning heat; and in answer to their prayers for her³⁹  He went near her, and with a sharp word he gave orders to the disease and it went away from her; and straight away she got up and took care of their needs.⁴⁰  And at sundown all those who had anyone ill with any sort of disease, took them to him, and he put his hands on every one of them and made them well.⁴¹  And evil spirits came out of a number of them, crying out and saying, You are the Son of God. But he gave them sharp orders not to say a word, because they had knowledge that he was the Christ.

and cleansing a leper

Luke 5:12-13 (BBE)¹²  And it came about that while he was in one of the towns, there was a leper there: and when he saw Jesus he went down on his face in prayer to him, saying, Lord, if it is your pleasure, you have power to make me clean.¹³  And he put out his hand to him and said, It is my pleasure; be clean. And straight away his disease went from him.

All these things resulting in a lot of publicity.

Luke 5:14-15 (BBE)¹⁴  And he gave him orders: Say nothing to any man, but let the priest see you and give an offering so that you may be made clean, as the law of Moses says, and for a witness to them.¹⁵  But news of him went out all the more, in every direction, and great numbers of people came together to give hearing to his words and to be made well from their diseases.

And oh by the way Jesus also demonstrated that He had the power to forgive sins when He healed the paralytic

Luke 5:17-26 (BBE)¹⁷  And it came about that on one of these days he was teaching; and some Pharisees and teachers of the law were seated there, who had come from every town of Galilee and Judaea and from Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was with him, to make those who were ill free from their diseases.¹⁸  And some men had with them, on a bed, a man who was ill, without power of moving; and they made attempts to get him in and put him before Jesus.¹⁹  And because of the mass of people, there was no way to get him in; so they went up on the top of the house and let him down through the roof, on his bed, into the middle in front of Jesus.²⁰  And seeing their faith he said, Man, you have forgiveness for your sins.²¹  And the scribes and Pharisees were having an argument, saying, Who is this, who has no respect for God? who is able to give forgiveness for sins, but God only?²²  But Jesus, who had knowledge of their thoughts, said to them, Why are you reasoning in your hearts?²³  Which is the simpler: to say, You have forgiveness for your sins; or to say, Get up and go?²⁴  But so that you may see that on earth the Son of man has authority for the forgiveness of sins, (he said to the man who was ill,) I say to you, Get up, and take up your bed, and go into your house.²⁵  And straight away he got up before them, and took up his bed and went away to his house giving praise to God.²⁶  And wonder overcame them all, and they gave glory to God; and they were full of fear, saying, We have seen strange things today. 

 Soon after this, Jesus called Matthew, the man who wrote the book we are studying,  to follow Him, and then the banquet Matthew held so his friends could meet Jesus sparked the Pharisees to question Him.

Luke 5:27-29 (BBE)²⁷  And after these things he went out, and saw Levi, a tax-farmer, seated at the place where taxes were taken, and said to him, Come after me.²⁸  And giving up his business, he got up and went after him.²⁹  And Levi made a great feast for him in his house: and a great number of tax-farmers and others were seated at table with them. 

Jesus went back up to Jerusalem during a feast during which He healed a lame man on the Sabbath which made certain Jews angry and they began to persecute Him. That’s when hen Jesus talked about being equal with God the Father, they became so incensed that they began to seek to kill Him (John 5:1-47). A conflict with the Pharisees began when Jesus’ disciples were picking and eating grain on a Sabbath and then escalated when Jesus proclaimed Himself to be the Lord of the Sabbath and then healed a man with a withered hand (Luke 6:1-11). Jesus then retreated to the Sea of Galilee followed by a great multitude. After a night of secluded prayer, Jesus appointed the twelve, and then gave the Sermon on the Mount

Luke 6:12-19 (BBE)¹²  And it came about in those days that he went out to the mountain for prayer; and he was all night in prayer to God.¹³  And the day came and, turning to his disciples, he made a selection from among them of twelve, to whom he gave the name of Apostles;¹⁴  Simon, to whom he gave the name of Peter, and Andrew, his brother, and James and John and Philip and Bartholomew¹⁵  And Matthew and Thomas and James, the son of Alphaeus, and Simon, who was named the Zealot,¹⁶  And Judas, the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, he who was false to him.¹⁷  And he came down with them to a level place, and a great band of his disciples, and a very great number of people from all Judaea and Jerusalem and from the parts of Tyre and Sidon by the sea, came to give hearing to him, and to be made well from their diseases;¹⁸  And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were made well.¹⁹  And all the people were desiring to be touched by him, for power came from him and made them all well. Luke 6:20 (BBE)²⁰  And turning his eyes to his disciples he said, Happy are you who are poor: for the kingdom of God is yours.

 Scriptural Context

Before I look at the context of this sermon inI want to quickly point out that while there are many parallels between what Luke 6:20-49 records and Matthew 5-7, there are also enough differences that I believe that these are two similar, but separate sermons given to very similar multitudes. In Matthew 5:1-2, Jesus sees the crowds, goes up on the mountain, sits down, and begins teaching after His disciples come to Him. In Luke 6:17-19, Jesus is already on the mountain with the Twelve and comes down to a level place where there was a large crowd of disciples waiting to hear Him and be healed. In addition, Luke states the crowd includes people from the coastal regions of Tyre and Sidon while not mentioning those from Decapolis and beyond the Jordan as is recorded in Matthew. Frankly, it boggles my mind that theologians and commentators tend to insist they are the same sermon. As a pastor, I know from first hand experience that preachers, especially itinerant ones like Jesus was in His ministry, often give similar sermons for similar purposes to similar but different audiences even in close time periods.

The passage in Matthew 4:25 which leads up to this sermon simply describes Jesus as already having a far reaching ministry in the region of Galilee of preaching, healing and casting out demons. That ministry had attracted large crowds to Him from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and beyond the Jordan. It is important to note here that only Jerusalem and Judea were predominantly Jewish. The other areas had Jewish communities, but the regions were actually dominated by Gentiles. There may have been many Gentiles among the crowds of Jews for they would have been just as curious, and any sick among them would also have wanted to be healed of their diseases like anyone else.

Matthew 4:25 (BBE)²⁵  And there went after him great numbers from Galilee and Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and from the other side of Jordan.

The Jews in the crowd would have been wondering, “Could this be the Messiah? And if so, when will His kingdom begin?. Any Gentiles present would have been curious and perplexed by Jesus. If they were familiar with Jewish history and prophecy, their questions may have been the same, but if not, they would have wondered what manner of man Jesus could be? Could he be a god who had come down to dwell among them? If so, for what reason? What is his purpose and message?

It is to this crowd of followers from both near and far that Jesus publicly   declares the intentions, and motives of His kingdom. In this sermon Jesus will answer the questions that would have been on the minds of the multitudes.

Who are you?   In sermon He will answer that He was the one that had come to fulfill the Law (5:17) and show you the way to life and the kingdom of heaven (5:3, 10, 20; 7:13-14).

Who will be in your kingdom? They will be characterized by being poor in spirit, mourning, meek, hungering and thirsting for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers and being persecuted for the sake of righteousness (5:3-10). Their righteousness will surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees (5:20) They will be wise and heed My words (7:24).

But the Scribes teach us and the Pharisees demonstrate righteousness, how can we surpass that? The Scribes teach you false righteousness

Matthew 5:21-48 (BBE)²¹  You have knowledge that it was said in old times, You may not put to death; and, Whoever puts to death will be in danger of being judged:²²  But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be in danger of being judged; and he who says to his brother, Raca, will be in danger from the Sanhedrin; and whoever says, You foolish one, will be in danger of the hell of fire.²³  If then you are making an offering at the altar and there it comes to your mind that your brother has something against you,²⁴  While your offering is still before the altar, first go and make peace with your brother, then come and make your offering.²⁵  Come to an agreement quickly with him who has a cause against you at law, while you are with him on the way, for fear that he may give you up to the judge and the judge may give you to the police and you may be put into prison.²⁶  Truly I say to you, You will not come out from there till you have made payment of the very last farthing.²⁷  You have knowledge that it was said, You may not have connection with another man's wife:²⁸  But I say to you that everyone whose eyes are turned on a woman with desire has had connection with her in his heart.²⁹  And if your right eye is a cause of trouble to you, take it out and put it away from you; because it is better to undergo the loss of one part, than for all your body to go into hell.³⁰  And if your right hand is a cause of trouble to you, let it be cut off and put it away from you; because it is better to undergo the loss of one part, than for all your body to go into hell.³¹  Again, it was said, Whoever puts away his wife has to give her a statement in writing for this purpose:³²  But I say to you that everyone who puts away his wife for any other cause but the loss of her virtue, makes her false to her husband; and whoever takes her as his wife after she is put away, is no true husband to her.³³  Again, you have knowledge that it was said in old times, Do not take false oaths, but give effect to your oaths to the Lord:³⁴  But I say to you, Take no oaths at all: not by the heaven, because it is the seat of God;³⁵  Or by the earth, because it is the resting-place for his foot; or by Jerusalem, because it is the town of the great King.³⁶  You may not take an oath by your head, because you are not able to make one hair white or black.³⁷  But let your words be simply, Yes or No: and whatever is more than these is of the Evil One.³⁸  You have knowledge that it was said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:³⁹  But I say to you, Do not make use of force against an evil man; but to him who gives you a blow on the right side of your face let the left be turned.⁴⁰  And if any man goes to law with you and takes away your coat, do not keep back your robe from him.⁴¹  And whoever makes you go one mile, go with him two.⁴²  Give to him who comes with a request, and keep not your property from him who would for a time make use of it.⁴³  You have knowledge that it was said, Have love for your neighbour, and hate for him who is against you:⁴⁴  But I say to you, Have love for those who are against you, and make prayer for those who are cruel to you;⁴⁵  So that you may be the sons of your Father in heaven; for his sun gives light to the evil and to the good, and he sends rain on the upright man and on the sinner.⁴⁶  For if you have love for those who have love for you, what credit is it to you? do not the tax-farmers the same?⁴⁷  And if you say, Good day, to your brothers only, what do you do more than others? do not even the Gentiles the same?⁴⁸  Be then complete in righteousness, even as your Father in heaven is complete. 

 The Pharisees demonstrate false righteousness

Matthew 6:1- 18 (BBE)¹  Take care not to do your good works before men, to be seen by them; or you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.²  When then you give money to the poor, do not make a noise about it, as the false-hearted men do in the Synagogues and in the streets, so that they may have glory from men. Truly, I say to you, They have their reward.³  But when you give money, let not your left hand see what your right hand does:⁴  So that your giving may be in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will give you your reward.⁵  And when you make your prayers, be not like the false-hearted men, who take pleasure in getting up and saying their prayers in the Synagogues and at the street turnings so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, They have their reward.⁶  But when you make your prayer, go into your private room, and, shutting the door, say a prayer to your Father in secret, and your Father, who sees in secret, will give you your reward.⁷  And in your prayer do not make use of the same words again and again, as the Gentiles do: for they have the idea that God will give attention to them because of the number of their words.⁸  So be not like them; because your Father has knowledge of your needs even before you make your requests to him.⁹  Let this then be your prayer: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.¹⁰  Let your kingdom come. Let your pleasure be done, as in heaven, so on earth.¹¹  Give us this day bread for our needs.¹²  And make us free of our debts, as we have made those free who are in debt to us.¹³  And let us not be put to the test, but keep us safe from the Evil One.¹⁴  For if you let men have forgiveness for their sins, you will have forgiveness from your Father in heaven.¹⁵  But if you do not let men have forgiveness for their sins, you will not have forgiveness from your Father for your sins.¹⁶  And when you go without food, be not sad-faced as the false-hearted are. For they go about with changed looks, so that men may see that they are going without food. Truly I say to you, They have their reward.¹⁷  But when you go without food, put oil on your head and make your face clean;¹⁸  So that no one may see that you are going without food, but your Father in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will give you your reward.¹

 Do not be like them

Matthew 6:19-7:5 (BBE)¹⁹  Make no store of wealth for yourselves on earth, where it may be turned to dust by worms and weather, and where thieves may come in by force and take it away.²⁰  But make a store for yourselves in heaven, where it will not be turned to dust and where thieves do not come in to take it away:²¹  For where your wealth is, there will your heart be.²²  The light of the body is the eye; if then your eye is true, all your body will be full of light.²³  But if your eye is evil, all your body will be dark. If then the light which is in you is dark, how dark it will be!²⁴  No man is able to be a servant to two masters: for he will have hate for the one and love for the other, or he will keep to one and have no respect for the other. You may not be servants of God and of wealth.²⁵  So I say to you, Take no thought for your life, about food or drink, or about clothing for your body. Is not life more than food, and the body more than its clothing?²⁶  See the birds of heaven; they do not put seeds in the earth, they do not get in grain, or put it in store-houses; and your Father in heaven gives them food. Are you not of much more value than they?²⁷  And which of you by taking thought is able to make himself a cubit taller?²⁸  And why are you troubled about clothing? See the flowers of the field, how they come up; they do no work, they make no thread:²⁹  But I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.³⁰  But if God gives such clothing to the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is put into the oven, will he not much more give you clothing, O you of little faith?³¹  Then do not be full of care, saying, What are we to have for food or drink? or, With what may we be clothed?³²  Because the Gentiles go in search of all these things: for your Father in heaven has knowledge that you have need of all these things:³³  But let your first care be for his kingdom and his righteousness; and all these other things will be given to you in addition.³⁴  Then have no care for tomorrow: tomorrow will take care of itself. Take the trouble of the day as it comes.  ¹  Be not judges of others, and you will not be judged.²  For as you have been judging, so you will be judged, and with your measure will it be measured to you.³  And why do you take note of the grain of dust in your brother's eye, but take no note of the bit of wood which is in your eye?⁴  Or how will you say to your brother, Let me take out the grain of dust from your eye, when you yourself have a bit of wood in your eye?⁵  You false one, first take out the bit of wood from your eye, then will you see clearly to take out the grain of dust from your brother's eye.

How will we enter the kingdom? You must be poor in spirit . You are to seek, knock and ask and then enter by the narrow gate

Matthew 7:7-12 (BBE)⁷  Make a request, and it will be answered; what you are searching for you will get; give the sign, and the door will be open to you:⁸  Because to everyone who makes a request, it will be given; and he who is searching will get his desire, and to him who gives the sign, the door will be open.⁹  Or which of you, if his son makes a request for bread, will give him a stone?¹⁰  Or if he makes a request for a fish, will give him a snake?¹¹  If you, then, being evil, are able to give good things to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who make requests to him?¹²  All those things, then, which you would have men do to you, even so do you to them: because this is the law and the prophets. 

Beware of false prophets who sound good but will lead you astray

Matthew 7:15-23 (BBE)¹⁵  Be on the watch for false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inside they are cruel wolves.¹⁶  By their fruits you will get knowledge of them. Do men get grapes from thorns or figs from thistles?¹⁷  Even so, every good tree gives good fruit; but the bad tree gives evil fruit.¹⁸  It is not possible for a good tree to give bad fruit, and a bad tree will not give good fruit.¹⁹  Every tree which does not give good fruit is cut down and put in the fire.²⁰  So by their fruits you will get knowledge of them.²¹  Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will go into the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the pleasure of my Father in heaven.²²  A great number will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, were we not prophets in your name, and did we not by your name send out evil spirits, and by your name do works of power?²³  And then will I say to them, I never had knowledge of you: go from me, you workers of evil.

 Follow me and your foundation will be solid and you will not fall

Matthew 7:24-27 (BBE)²⁴  Everyone, then, to whom my words come and who does them, will be like a wise man who made his house on a rock;²⁵  And the rain came down and there was a rush of waters and the winds were driving against that house, but it was not moved; because it was based on the rock.²⁶  And everyone to whom my words come and who does them not, will be like a foolish man who made his house on sand;²⁷  And the rain came down and there was a rush of waters and the winds were driving against that house; and it came down and great was its fall. 

The Sermon’s Purpose

Jesus’ purpose was to explain to the multitudes the nature of kingdom of heaven (literally, “the kingdom of the heavens”). Jesus made a literal offer of the kingdom, but the kingdom described did not seem to match what the people were looking for. Most of them were seeking a material kingdom that would throw off the yoke of Rome and restore Israel to prominence like it had under King David. For that reason, they could only conceive of a political and military kingdom like of their ancient kings. Jesus’ compassion and miracles attracted them to Him, but the kingdom Jesus was talking about would have been confusing to them. How could meekness, mercy and loving your enemies get rid of Rome? The required characteristics of righteousness of refraining from hatred and revenge even to the point of not calling anyone a disparaging name would been seen as unrealistic even it did sound so nice. And could men really restrain themselves from lustful thoughts? The Pharisees were not loved because of their pride and arrogance, but the people commonly considered them the standard of righteous living. Could they really be that far off in their practices of giving alms, prayer and fasting? The final straw for many would have been Jesus’ prohibition on laying up treasures on earth for their hearts were set on the here and now, not heaven. The vast majority of them were happy to serve mammon instead of God. When Jesus finished the sermon, they were astonished at His teaching because He taught with authority and they, like those in Nazareth, may have been wondering at the gracious words from His lips (Luke 4:22), but only a few would actually be wise and take the sermon to heart.

None of this would have discouraged Jesus, because like what had occurred at an earlier time in Jerusalem when many became excited by Jesus’ miracles and teaching, as John 2:24 states, “Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men.” Jesus knew that most of the people would drift back to their normal daily life over time. The miracles would become less and less exciting to them, and once they had been healed or delivered from a demon, then it was time for them to resume the pursuit of what was important to them without those hindrances bothering them. Perhaps very grateful, but still self-centered.

Jesus did not give this sermon to rally the multitudes into becoming His committed followers. It was not a persuasive speech meant to sway the uncertain into believing in Him. Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount to set out His kingdom program and make a divide between those who would be part of it and those who would not. It is in this mystery of the kingdom, the church which is currently the kingdom of heaven spiritually, in which we find ourselves today. Jesus’ purpose for this sermon when He first preached it coincides with its continued purpose for everyone who has ever read it since Matthew wrote it down. Its theme still makes a division between those who will be part of Jesus’ kingdom and those who will not.

The Sermon’s Theme

The sermon’s theme is found in 5:17-20.

Jesus did not come to end or to abolish the law. He came to fulfill it and establish true righteousness. The system of the scribes and Pharisees promoted a legalistic self-righteousness, but those who would enter the kingdom of heaven must have a righteousness that exceeds that. They tried to gain it by an outward bending to man made rules and regulations, but true righteousness is a matter of a changed inner life which cannot be lived out on human abilities alone. This is demonstrated by the character qualities Jesus describes that develop in those who are truly righteousness – Being poor in spirit, mourning, meekness, hungering and thirsting for righteousness, mercy, purity of heart, being a peacemaker and rejoicing in the midst of unjust persecution

True righteousness will also demonstrate itself is striving to live to a higher internal standard and not just an outward legal one. This includes:

●     Refraining from verbal expressions of hatred – not just murder

●      Refraining from lust – not just adultery

●     Refraining from divorce itself, not just making sure the paper work was done properly

●      Being true to one’s word and keeping every vow, not just certain ones

●     Not seeking revenge at all instead of seeking it to the law’s limits

●     Loving your enemy as well as your neighbor

●     Doing all acts of righteousness such as alms, prayer and fasting to please God – not man.

●     Laying up treasure in heaven, not on earth and having no worry because you trust God for the future

●     Critical Self-examination before criticizing another

●     Treating that which is holy properly

●     Seeking from God and treating others graciously

●     Entering by the narrow gate and being so discerning that you can recognize the false prophet even when they sound so good

●     Following the teachings of Christ

Matthew 7:24-27 (BBE)²⁴  Everyone, then, to whom my words come and who does them, will be like a wise man who made his house on a rock;²⁵  And the rain came down and there was a rush of waters and the winds were driving against that house, but it was not moved; because it was based on the rock.²⁶  And everyone to whom my words come and who does them not, will be like a foolish man who made his house on sand;²⁷  And the rain came down and there was a rush of waters and the winds were driving against that house; and it came down and great was its fall. 

 Conclusions

Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount exposes self-righteousness and makes a clear division between it and the true righteousness needed to enter the kingdom of heaven. Righteousness cannot be earned based on what you do and what you refrain from doing, for man absolutely cannot meet God’s standards on his own. He must become a humble follower of Jesus Christ who places his trust in God, not himself. This is the result of the new birth that Jesus’ talked to Nicodemus about. True righteousness comes from the heart and out of love for God seeks to do whatever pleases Him.

This sermon also reveals that man can live a blessed life only when his character is changed and he lives according to God’s design. The life lived in obedience to God is the life that is pleasing to God.

Excessive Mourning

These are the notes for my presentation to the Church of Divine Guidance Thursday Night Prayerline in our study of the spirit of heaviness.  Tonight's presentation on excessive mourning acknowledges that we all grieve and mourn the loss of a loved one.  However we can grieve or mourn to the extent that it affects our ability to function and in some cases affects both our physical and mental health.  When that happens we can turn to the Scripture which offers us so much comfort, encouragement and victory.  When necessary we should also seek professional help when our reactions to loss result in a complicated grieving process.   Complicated grief is a chronic, heightened state of mourning.  This is called complicated grief (CG). Pre-existing mental health conditions, multiple stressors, emotional dependency, or substance abuse issues complicate the grieving process and increase the likelihood of a complicated bereavement disorder that may necessitate professional treatment.

Tonight I will be talking about mourning the loss of a loved one tonight but this can also apply to the loss of a relationship, employment, even material things.

mourning - the expression of deep sorrow for someone who has died, typically involving following certain conventions such as wearing black clothes.

synonyms for the word mourn : grieve for, sorrow over, lament for, weep for

One of the scriptures Minister Brenda gave me was;

Isaiah 61:3 (NLT 2)³  To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the LORD has planted for his own glory.

I want to read it again starting with verse one.

Isaiah 61:1-3 NLT The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord's favor has come, and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies. To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory.

In this scripture which is really prophetic about Jesus the Messiah

Jesus is the he in this scripture and is represented as empowered by the Spirit to preach the liberating and life-transforming Gospel, which is good news” especially intended for the meek, the humble, and the brokenhearted. Now it's talking about believers because He will do this for the righteous because it says “In their righteousness they will…..”

This is the same message of deliverance that Jesus  gave in the second scripture that Minister Brenda gave me for the topic of excessive mourning.

Luke 4:18-21 (NLT 2)¹⁸  “The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free,¹⁹  and that the time of the LORD’s favor has come.” ²⁰  He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently.²¹  Then he began to speak to them. “The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!”

Keeping in mind that Jesus said that he has come to liberate or set free the brokenhearted or those who are burdened with grief;

There is no easy or "right" way to mourn a loved one. Grief is a process, not an event with a set beginning or end, and each individual experiences it in his or her own way. The grief process takes a considerable amount of time and is revisited continuously over the course of a lifetime.

Grief requires the mourner to manage and diminish the pain but never to totally eliminate it and to accomplish the seemingly impossible task of holding the deceased close always while at the same time letting them go.  After all if the deceased was saved they are now with the Lord and wouldn't come back even if it was possible and no matter how much you loved them or they loved you. 

However we can grieve or mourn to the extent that it affects our ability to function and in some cases affects both our physical and mental health.

Too Much Grief

The general guideline when assessing if a problematic behavior is developmentally normal or if it requires professional intervention is to consider the duration and intensity of the symptoms. How long have the symptoms been persisting? Are they disruptive enough that they interfere with the individual’s daily functioning? If so, to what extent?

There are few experiences that generate a more uncomfortable and powerless feeling than witnessing a loved one mourn. I’ve been there several times.  Where there is real concern that the mourner’s grief is interfering with their ability to function on a long-term basis, it is important to proceed with caution in expressing this concern to the mourner. Doing so can create distance and a feeling by the mourner that those around them just don’t understand what he is going through. Sometimes it can be less threatening and more effective to center a discussion around the needs of family members or children rather than around the mourner himself

Many people who have experienced a loss can demonstrate great resilience even without outside intervention or professional help. In these instances it is essential that those surrounding the mourner allow them to experience the full range of emotions that accompany grief and to do so for as long as they need to.

Complicated or Excessive Grief: Risk and Symptoms

Approximately 10 to 20% of bereaved persons have severe enough, unremitting reactions to loss that result in a complicated grieving process that may require treatment that includes prescription medication and counseling. A history of clinical depression and anxiety, emotionally dependent relationship on the deceased, and alcohol and drug addiction are often in the background of people who have complicated grief.  Complicated grief is a chronic, heightened state of mourning. Its symptoms can include:

●     Extreme focus on the loss and reminders of the loved one

●     Intense longing or pining for the deceased

●     Problems accepting the death

●     Numbness or detachment

●     Preoccupation with your sorrow

●     Bitterness about your loss

●     Inability to enjoy life

●     Depression or deep sadness

●     Trouble carrying out normal routines

●     Withdrawing from social activities

●     Feeling that life holds no meaning or purpose

●     Irritability or agitation

●     Lack of trust in others

These things  often requires professional intervention.

At a time time when we feel such heartache, pain, and loss, Scripture, offers us so much comfort, encouragement and victory.  

A Different Reaction:

Paul tells us that we, Christians should have a different reaction to death than those who have no hope. 

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (BBE)¹³  But it is our desire, brothers, that you may be certain about those who are sleeping; so that you may have no need for sorrow, as others have who are without hope.¹⁴  For if we have faith that Jesus underwent death and came back again, even so those who are sleeping will come again with him by God's power.¹⁵  For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are still living at the coming of the Lord, will not go before those who are sleeping.¹⁶  Because the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a word of authority, with the voice of the chief angel, with the sound of a horn: and the dead in Christ will come to life first;¹⁷  Then we who are still living will be taken up together with them into the clouds to see the Lord in the air: and so will we be forever with the Lord.¹⁸  So then, give comfort to one another with these words. 

There are two things to keep in mind;

1.    The fact that we are sad or grieving is natural.  In fact God experiences it with you. 

Psalm 116:15 (NKJV)¹⁵  Precious in the sight of the LORD Is the death of His saints.

Do you remember the story about Lazarus death? 

Jesus knew that He would raise Lazarus from the dead.  But when he saw  the sad faces, approached the sealed tomb, and felt the loss of a loved one the Bible said that He wept. 

John 11:32-35 NLT When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled. “Where have you put him?” he asked them. They told him, “Lord, come and see.” Then Jesus wept.

Now we know that believers will be resurrected, but being apart from them causes natural pain and grief. 

 2.  The second thing that I want you  to keep in mind is that while mourning is natural, our rejoicing is supernatural.

Although we mourn and grieve, the Lord is with us through it all.  As believers, we have comfort and hope in the future:  we know that our  loved ones, if they accepted Jesus as Lord  and Savior, are with the Lord.

 2 Corinthians 5:8 NLT Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.

Scripture even calls those who are now with the Lord blessed.

Revelation 14:13 NLT And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this down: Blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, they are blessed indeed, for they will rest from their hard work; for their good deeds follow them!”

An Important Reality

Here’s the reality.  The Apostle Paul reminds us that if we believe in the gospel, we also believe in the Second Coming of Christ!  Nothing is more comforting to us in our loss than that of the resurrection  it’s the true hope that only we as Christians have. 

The scene of Jesus’ Second Coming causes us to pause in our grief to anticipate the future.

When Christ returns, He will bring those believers who have preceded us in death to earth with Him! 

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 NLT For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words.

While we grieve their loss, surely THEY  rejoice and anticipate the day when they will be the first to see the resurrected Christ return for His people.

Audio

Do You Have A Victim Mentality

Photo Credit El Centro Network

These are the notes to the Tuesday Night Bible Study at Church of Divine Guidance.  It is the third in my series of studies on stress, anxiety, worry, and depression.  The audio recording of the study is included at the end of the notes.

In the last couple of months I’ve talked about what the Bible says about stress, anxiety, worry, depression and discouragement.  Like I said I am not a physiatrist, psychologist, or trained counselor.  I am merely giving you what the Bible says along with information from things I read from healthcare professionals. 

I recently read some excerpts from a book, ”Victory Over Depression With and Without Medicines” written by a Christian, Psychiatrist, Dr. Bergina Isbell, who has trained at The Mayo Clinic and John Hopkins.

The World Health Organization estimates 350 million people suffer from depression globally, and depression knows no religious, racial, gender, or economic boundaries. But, depression does have boundaries in terms of how it affects your life!

But before that I want to talk about something that often comes with anxiety, stress, and depression, and that is the feeling that everything you touch falls apart, and everything and everyone is against you.  You feel that you're a victim rather than the conqueror that the Bible says you are and that you are constantly affirming. 

Romans 8:37-39 NASB But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

If you remember from an earlier Bible Study and a sermon I mentioned some signs that you may be headed for a crash. 

Unrealistic Expectations of Others

When we are depressed we often put the blame on  others and are angry at them for the way we feel.

An Unrealistic View on Life

We think that now that we are Christians everything should be perfect.

An Unrealistic Desire to Be Liked by Everyone

Well everybody is not going to like you so don’t sweat it.  Everybody didn’t like Jesus and we can’t let what others think about us dominate our lives we should be seeking the approval of God and not man. 

We'll when those things don’t happen we can become depressed and in danger of developing a victim mentality.

Do You Have A Victim Mentality?

●     Do you feel that you're living with an impossibility?

●     An insurmountable challenge that you’re powerless to change?

●     Maybe it's a life long dream that has never come true. 

●     Maybe it’s a chronic pain, maybe a wall you’ve slammed into in your career.

Whatever it is, you’ve run out of options. No pastor, no professional, no friend—not even you, yourself—can bring the change that’s needed. You’re stuck.  You feel like you're a victim of all the bad that can happen in life.  Be careful you may be developing a victim mentality.

Let's read that Romans scripture again this time starting at the 31st verse.

Romans 8:31-39 NIV  What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

When we allow the Victim Mentality to take over our mind, we only notice that things just keep getting bad and going wrong. We see bad things happening so many times, that we let negativity get in our head and highlight the difficult times. We start to think that no matter what happens, it's eventually going to go bad, even if it's good right now. That's the worst thing about a victim’s mentality: it's so powerfully negative that it's like a wall that doesn't allow any positive thoughts to get in. Even if something positive happens, the victim’s mentality just says, “give it a minute… bad things are coming to steal that away.  It’s just a matter of time; it always goes bad.”

The victim mentality will suck the life out of you, the joy out of you, the peace out of you, and the hope out of you. It will leave you in despair and in depression.

When we see even Christians that have allowed the Victim Mentality to get in their head, and it has stolen their joy and their peace. They will start doing things you never thought they would do.  The extreme would be taking their own life, but they will have affairs, cheat, and steal all sorts of things you never thought they would

Depression and despair make you feel like everything goes bad and you feel like there's never going to be anything good. You kind of throw your hands up and say, “Well, forget it… there is no hope!” Then people move into substance abuse, self-medication, pornography and you can think, “Hey, maybe this is going to help me.”

The Victim Mentality will take you down the road of self-destruction. God  wants to rip out the victim mentality, those lies which the enemy wants you to believe and make you think doomsday negative victim thoughts. God wants you to be free from that.

Philippians 4:12-13 NIV I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord , “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

You Can Survive Your Crisis

We have all gone through a number of crisis in our lives. At the time it was the absolute worst thing that ever happened.  Remember when that first elementary school crush dumped you, then that middle school crush, then the love of your life high school sweetheart. At the time you felt that your heart would break and you would never recover. 

What about that time you lost your job and you had tons of debt.  That time you learned that your spouse was cheating.  When you got the news that your mother or father has gone to be with the Lord, or your spouse had a terminal illness, your child has just had a serious accident.  I could go on and on and the crisis could get even more serious.

No matter how much we say that we love the Lord and know that He will never leave or forsake us, no matter how much we read the Bible and pray, at those times we don’t think we’re to get through this. Whether you want to admit it or not that’s doubt.  For some the feeling passes quickly, for others of us it takes a lot longer and some of us may never get over it.

Having gone through all the examples that I gave you I can tell you it’s not easy but you can and will survive.  The key for me was realizing that no matter how bad the situation or how long it lasted that God was in control even if it meant that the crisis may not end in this lifetime.

4 Secrets to Surviving Anything

Secret 1. You shouldn’t try to face the crisis alone. Jesus knew we would face difficult times. “In this world there will be many trials, but take heart for I have overcome the world.” Jesus has provided for us in our most difficult times. Allow people to minister to you by accepting their offers to help. Often we don’t want to impose or be thought weak. Many years ago a Pastor said something that many of you have heard me say.“You are robbing people of a blessing when you don’t allow them to help you.” Christians are to act as the body of Christ, reaching out to those in need. Allowing others to help you will bring you comfort and give them the chance to minister.

Secret 2. Allowing others to help allows you to take care of yourself. "The hour to hour, day in day out struggle of recovering from a crisis puts an incredible burden on the victim and their family. There is little time for rest during the recovery process. Limited rest results in your brain being on overload. It’s difficult to think things through when you are tired. Allowing others to help lets you take a break, a chance to recharge.

Secret 3. Seek God in Honest Communication. In times of crisis God is there to listen to our deepest fears, our anger, our frustration, and our questions. He is never offended by our honest communication with Him. God would rather you be engaged and mad at Him than ignore Him. While dealing with crisis you can be completely honest with God. He never fails to answer. That answer may be yes, no, wait, or I have something better. He loves you and knows what’s best.  Many have found a new, fresh, fulfilling relationship with God during their most trying times

Secret 4. Don’t Second Guess Yourself.  After a crisis the tendency is to ask “What if_____?” It is normal for humans to wish bad things hadn’t happened. But during a time of crisis you can’t waste time wondering ‘what if?’ you have to spend your energy on the recovery.

Good News

If you have a victim mentality I’ve got great news.

The answer is truth

“You have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him”(Ephesians 4:21 NLT).

The secret to personal change is not willpower. The secret is to know and face the truth. You must know and face the truth about yourself and your nature if you want to change.

Nothing will change in your life until you know and face the truth about your weaknesses, your relationships, your successes and failures, and your past and future.

Nothing changes until you know and face the truth. And that truth is found in Jesus Christ.

Why is it necessary to learn the truth before anything can change in your life? Here’s why: Behind every self-defeating habit in your life is a lie that you believe.

What about the things you say to yourself about yourself? Is the way you think about your past or about some event the truth, or is the truth what God says about it?

The Bible teaches that personal change starts with truth. It is the truth that sets you free. Who is the truth? It’s Jesus, and because Jesus is the truth, he will always tell you the truth. His word is the truth.

John 8:31-32 NIV To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

The Bible is His Word, and that means the Bible is truth.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

What you hear on television or read in books isn’t always going to help you, because it’s not always the truth. Have you learned that? But what God tells you is always going to be the truth. God’s Word shows you how to get back to the life you were created to live, and then it shows you how to stay on God’s path.

This is why it is so important for you to have a daily quiet time in the Word of God. Nothing will change until you get the truth into your heart. As long as you build your life on a foundation of lies, misconceptions, deceptions, or half-truths, you will never change. But when you face the truth and respond to the truth, you will begin to see change in your life.

The way you think determines the way you feel, and the way you feel determines the way you act. If you want to change the way you act, start by changing the way you think. In addition, if you want to change the way you feel, you must start with the way you think.

You can’t fight your way into a feeling. You must change the way you think. That will change the way you feel, which will then change the way you act. The Bible says,

Ephesians 4:20-24 NIV That, however, is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Romans 12:2 NIV Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

 The renewal of your mind is related to the word “repentance.” I know repentance is a dirty word for a lot of people. They think it means something bad, something they don’t really want to do, something painful. They think of a guy standing on a street corner with a sign that says, “Repent! The world’s about to end!”

Repentance is about more than changing your behavior. It is about changing your mind and learning to think differently. “Repent” simply means to make a mental U-turn.

You turn from guilt to forgiveness. You turn from frustration to freedom, from darkness to light, from hatred and bitterness to love.

You may also need to change the way you think about God. He’s not mad at you; he’s mad about you! You’re deeply flawed, but you’re deeply loved.

Start with your mind, and change the way you think about your relationships, the economy, the world, and your past, present, and future.

Philippians 4:8 NIV Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (emphasis mine)

Too often our thoughts take on a life of their own, wandering freely and sometimes landing in dark places. Changing the way you think will then affect your emotions and your behavior.  If that sounds daunting or even impossible, remember that when God calls us to do something, He enables us to do it.

Philippians 4:12-13 NIV I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Iving.

Now back to what I read from by Dr. Bergina Isbell from ”Victory Over Depression With and Without Medicines”

Healing

When a wound is first inflicted, touching it can be very painful. As the wound heals, it becomes no longer painful, though a scar may remain. Healing from wounds inflicted by depression is possible. Focusing on positive and encouraging material actively changes your mind and your brain over time. As believers we know that the Bible promises healing of all sickness, illness, and disease. We are told to ask in prayer for healing and then give thanksgiving in faith for what we asked (1 Thessalonians 5:18). King David did this often. He began many songs, or Psalms, with an honest account of his feelings, but then he seems to abruptly turn the focus from himself to his God, offering praise for things that God had already done and for the future things he had faith that He would do. Many have noticed benefit from turning their hurting hearts towards helping others. Again, this takes the focus off of you, ultimately helping with your healing process and that of others. For some, you will experience healing swiftly. For others, the process may take longer and a medicine or other intervention is helpful.

The story is told of a man who needed surgery to repair a badly injured knee. The man asked the surgeon “how long would it take the knee to be completely healed after the surgery?” The surgeon replied, “I will do the surgery, but it’s up to God to do the healing.” I think that was a wise response. There is a limit to modern medicine. Providers do the very best we can by our patients, but we do not have all of the answers. I believe that where we end in our abilities, that is where God begins. There are a host of scriptures on healing of illnesses recorded in the Bible, including wise sayings about depression.

Philippians 4:6 NIV Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Isaiah 53:5 NIV But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.

Psalm 147:3 NIV He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

Jeremiah 30:7 NIV How awful that day will be! No other will be like it. It will be a time of trouble for Jacob, but he will be saved out of it.

Psalm 107:19-20 NIV Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.  He sent out his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave.

Matthew 15:30-31 NIV Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.

Audio

The Daniel Prayer - Session 9 - Prevailing In Prayer...Answered Ultimately

The Church of Divine Guidance Sunday Morning Adult Bible Study Group studying the book The Daniel Prayer:  Prayer That Moves Heaven And Changes Nations By Anne Graham-Lotz.  


James 5:16 (NLT2) ¹⁶  Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. 

The Daniel Prayer is born deep within your soul, erupts through your heart, and pours out on your lips, words created by and infused with the Spirit of God quivering with spiritual electricity. It’s really not an everyday type of prayer. It’s a prayer birthed under pressure. Heartache. Grief. Desperation. It can be triggered by a sudden revelation of hope. An answer to prayer, a promise freshly received, a miracle that lies just over the horizon.

Study along with us by getting a copy of the book by clicking this LINK or the image of the book in the study notes. 

In last week's session we learned that Daniel's prayer was answered immediately.

Daniel 9:20-23 NIV While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the Lord my God for his holy hill— while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. He instructed me and said to me, “Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding. As soon as you began to pray, a word went out, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Therefore, consider the word and understand the vision:

In this session we’ll see that Daniel got an immediate answer but it wasn't the ultimate answer. 

Daniel prayed that God answer Jeremiah's prophecy.

Jeremiah 29:10-11 NIV This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord , “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

But he never saw the ultimate answer.  Yes they would go back to Israel and Jerusalem but the ultimate answer wouldn't come until after a bunch of sevens and seventies. 

Daniel 9:24-27 NIV “Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place.  “Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him. ”

We went through the weeks thing in our study of Daniel in 2014, The Prophecies of Daniel - Is The End Near - Session 5 (http://faiththeevidence.blogspot.com/2014/10/the-prophecies-of-daniel-is-end-near_5.html).

As we learned in our Daniel study that prophecy came to pass before Jesus’ birth.

Because the Daniel Prayer is a cry for freedom. Anne is certain that the ultimate answer is Jesus.

Galatians 5:1 NIV It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

2 Corinthians 3:17 NIV Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

John 8:32 NIV Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

As the people in Daniel’s day were enslaved by the Babylonians. People today are enslaved.  The devil has bound them in chains of sin and selfishness and lust and greed. Everybody's enslaved  men and women, old and young, every nationality, language, and culture, So we should, like Anne be compelled to pray that all people everywhere would be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth.

Jesus announced His ministry to the world, not just the Jews, when He read from the scroll on the Sabbath in Nazareth. 

Photo by Joshua Earle on Unsplash

Luke 4:16-18, 20-21 NIV He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:   “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,  because he has anointed me  to proclaim good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners  and recovery of sight for the blind,  to set the oppressed free,  Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Then He told them that if they didn't believe Him others, Gentiles, world.

Luke 4:22-27 NIV All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked.  Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ And you will tell me, ‘Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.’ ”   “Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown.  I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land.  Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon.  And there were many in Israel with leprosy  in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.”

And they wanted to kill Him.

Jesus died to break our shackles of bondage to sin.  He rose from the dead to open prison doors that we might enter into the real freedom of abundant, eternal life in His Name. He ascended to God’s right hand of authority and power where even now He is praying, His own High Priestly Prayer over us.

Romans 8:34 NIV Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.

At this moment, He is working to build the New Jerusalem for us as a Heavenly Home where we will dwell with Him forever.

 John 14:1-4 NIV“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God   ; believe also in me.  My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.  You know the way to the place where I am going.”

And one glorious day He will return to judge and rule the world. One day the nations of the world will become the Kingdom of our God and of His Christ!

 Revelation 11:15 NIV The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.”

Anne’s profound statement “The Daniel Prayer moves Heaven and changes a nation as one person at a time fully embraces Jesus . . .” goes to the heart of what we talked about in our study “Prayer Does It Make A Difference”. We agreed that quite often prayer energizes us to act.

Shadow of the Almighty and Through Gates of Splendor—about Jim Elliot ,a man who wanted to be part of the ministry that points to the ultimate answer, who died on a mission to deliver the gospel to natives in Equator. These two biographies expanded his ministry by challenging a new generation to take the Gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth.  And in 2006 a movie was released, End of the Spear, that chronicled the successful, continuing effort to reach the natives of Ecuador. Heaven was moved and the Aucas, as well as many others in remote areas of the world were radically, eternally changed. 

Let's talk about what I think is an amazing story.

Azzam had been born and raised a Muslim but had been having dreams of Jesus. He had sought out his Imam for answers, but the man had violently berated and beaten him. When his mother discovered he was having Jesus dreams, she commanded him to leave the home for his own protection and never come back. He did. He walked miles and miles, quite sure his father would be unable to find him.
     
 But he was wrong. His father was a powerful warlord who located him quickly, and sent Azzam a package. When Azzam opened it, he was shocked and sickened to find his mother, cut up into small pieces. A photograph had been included inside the plastic bag. It was a picture of his mother kneeling in front of two men who had their knives raised over her. The day Azzam opened the “package” is the day he embraced the Ultimate Answer as he committed his life to Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.
     
This is where the story gets even more incredible. Because Azzam sought out the two men who had butchered his mother. He told them that he forgave them. He told them that Jesus loved them and that He could forgive murderers. The two men, Mahdi andYasin, embraced the Ultimate Answer and claimed Jesus as their Savior. Then they confided to Azzam, “As we killed your mother, her last words were, ‘Jesus, Jesus, I love You.’
        
Without a doubt, Heaven has been and is being moved by these radical followers of Jesus. And while Somalia has yet to be changed, it will be. One heart at a time. Because the Ultimate Answer to the Daniel Prayer . . . the Ultimate Answer that moves Heaven and changes a nation is not politics . . .
     
Or education.
Or a strong military.

Or nuclear weapons.
Or religion.

Or a particular denomination.

Or better organization.
Or capitalism.
Or socialism.
Or radicalism.
 Or more jobs.
 Or more money.
     
 The Ultimate Answer is Jesus!

ANSWERED SPECIFICALLY

When we believe that we are being led by God to do something that we believe is impossible we want to make sure we pray about it often asking for a sign.  Now we have to make sure that the sign is from God so we need to get bery specific, like Gideon.  We know the story of the angel, who some say was a theophany or a pre-incarnation appearance of Jesus told Gideon he would save his people.  

So Gideon prayed specifically by laying out a fleece...twice.

Judges 6:36-40 NIV Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised— look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said.” And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew—a bowlful of water.  Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece, but this time make the fleece dry and let the ground be covered with dew.” That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew.

We have talked about being specific in prayer so we know that we should always be specific and persistent . 

Have you ever had an experience similar to Anne in laying out a fleece.

What difference does the prayer of one person make? You will never know until you pray. So . . . pray! Now!

So don’t just pray the Daniel Prayer. Become part of the Ultimate Answer to it by embracing Jesus fully. Then give Him to someone else by sharing the Gospel. Heaven will be moved. Our nation and world will be changed. One person at a time. For the glory of His Name!

Bible Study Audio