Jesus Knows Heaven - Matthew 5:1-12

 

Matthew 5:1-12 NIV

5 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, ² and he began to teach them.

He said:

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
⁴ Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.
⁵ Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the earth.
⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled.
⁷ Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.
⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart,
    for they will see God.
⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called children of God.
¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹ “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Jesus Knows Heaven

So, here we have it; the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus shows his disciples how to live. Jesus teaches us to live, not by rules, but by a change of heart. Jesus sets before His disciples’ impossible standards to meet through our own works and efforts. Yet, Jesus gives His disciples the power to live up to these standards, by turning this world upside down, in His grace and love. So, if you desire to follow Jesus, hear His words and commands.

Here, in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives His disciples a New Law. And this New Law is for those who inherit the Kingdom of God. Think about that… A New Law… for those who inherit. To inherit something, we don’t deserve it, or have worked for it. To inherit is to receive something free of any personal cost to ourselves.

Here in this Sermon on the Mount, Jesus reinterprets the Old Law and offers a New Law. This is, in a way a contrast of the Future against the Present. And in this presentation of the New Law, we see the character of Jesus disciples taught of those who inherit the Kingdom. This teaching of Jesus’ is opposed to the world’s standards.

You must see and understand this, Jesus knows heaven. Jesus knows and teaches how life in heaven is infinitely greater than the earthly life with which we all are familiar with.  Jesus knows heaven and Jesus knows that to His disciples, heaven is a blessing. Jesus knows heaven and He knows that heaven is a true, loving gift from God to all mankind. Yes, Jesus knows heaven.

Jesus knows heaven is to be Christian life. And here Jesus teaches His disciples the heaven He knows. Heaven is blessings against the opposites of worldly life, where people rule over people. In heaven, this is not so, people do NOT rule over people. There is no need of this. You see, Jesus knows heaven.

Jesus teachings on the Sermon on the Mount are like laser lights in the darkness of this sinful world. And because Jesus knows heaven, He knows that only He can fulfill all of these directions and New Law, that He is now teaching His disciples.

So, let’s look at Jesus’ directions, best we can.

The location that Jesus gives His sermon to His disciples is on a mountain. How many times does God teach, and preach, and direct and lead from a mountain? Recall how God gave Moses the Law on a mountain. The Law was gifts to us, given to Moses while Moses was alone with God. And how could we fail to mention Jesus’ transfiguration before a few of His disciples on a mountain. And then, Jesus gives His disciples His last command on a mountain.

Matthew 28:16-20 NIV

¹⁶ Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Wow! Those mountains! Thin places throughout time, when God seems and is so ever close to all those he loves. Don’t forget the mountains as you read and reflect on Scripture in your daily time.

Remember, Jesus knows heaven. Listen to Jesus. For Jesus’ teaching is what will happen as the rule of heaven is brought to earth.

Huh? Jesus knows heaven, and the Father sent Jesus to earth to show all mankind the way to heaven. Yes, the way to heaven is through Jesus. Jesus knows heaven after all, so listen to Him!

Here, on the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches us the Beatitudes. The Beatitudes are descriptions of those who receive God’s promises. These people, you and me, and neighbor, are people who hand on to God in pure and simple trust. We can do nothing else!

Jesus expects His teachings to be put into practice. These Beatitudes are clear and concise instructions. Yet, we also learn here, that the righteousness of Jesus is so much more than anything we could do or accomplish on our own and with our own efforts.

Disciples, here, in these teachings, aren’t call to perfection. Rather, Jesus calls us to reformation. There’s that word and work from last week. Yes, a word and work that God does on all His disciples.  For Jesus’ disciples are reformed day after day through daily baptism of burial of our sins to forgiveness through Jesus, as the Holy Spirit is poured out on us richly because of God’s grace and love through Jesus’ life, death, resurrection and ascension. Remember? Jesus knows heaven!

The way to heaven is through heaven. What? Yes, Jesus comes down. Jesus pulls us into heaven, into Himself. From heaven to heaven. That’s the life of Jesus. God comes to us from heaven in Jesus, Jesus saves us from sin and death, through becoming our sin, and defeating the power of that sin in His death and resurrection. AND--- Jesus ascends back to heaven till the time that He WILL come again to take us with Him in our own resurrection. You see… Jesus knows heaven.

And here in Jesus’ teaching on the Sermon on the Mount we learn of “Blessing.” The blessings Jesus speaks of here are the highest stage of happiness. How happy!

Jesus’ teaching in the Beatitudes is kind of like a poem. Just look at the form in which it is recorded in text. The first stanza is the rule of heaven. Jesus rights the wrongs to bring justice.

Why? God has not given up on us. Look at the first four…

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
⁴ Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.
⁵ Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the earth.
⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled.

These are NOT rewards, rather they are reversals.

Then we have the second stanza…

⁷ Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.
⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart,
    for they will see God.
⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called children of God.
¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

These are rewards for disciples that join Jesus in the comforting work for the suffering people of this world.

To break each “blessed” down takes a lifetime of each disciple.

Jesus knows heaven and He can sure teach heaven.

The way to heaven is through Jesus.

In the darkness of our mourning, we see the Light of Jesus in the heavens. Even if we think of mourning our sinfulness or our neighbors’ sins against us, we turn to see how Jesus forgives and likewise are taught here to forgive our neighbor.

What about the meek? The “meek” don’t seek pride, rather, the “meek” are happy to follow God.

And if we thirst for Jesus, that is where Joy is found. Why? Because as we thirst for Jesus, we no longer concentrate on ourselves. Our gaze is now on Jesus. So, all through life, as we gaze on Jesus, be sure that we “Point to Jesus.”

How about mercy and sacrifice? As we are aware of our own sins, we don’t have the time to judge our neighbor in their sins.

Oh, and the pure in heart. Purity led by the Holy Spirit consumes the heart and very being of each disciple. The Holy Spirit consumes us from baptism on and into eternity with a lifetime of gifts to use in the call of God in our lives. For in this life, we will see God! How great is that now and in eternity!

Remember that in your baptism, you were marked with the cross of Christ forever!

Revelation 22:4 NIV

⁴ They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.

Face to face! Wow!

And so, now, we have peace. This is a peace that Jesus brings to mankind from God in love. A peace for God and neighbor.

The rule of God WILL come through Jesus, and peace, righteousness and mercy, WILL be realized.

These are the Real “Sons of God,” the Hebrews in the Old Testament and the People of God’s creation. That’s the creation that God has always and will always, love and care for, “Sons of God,” in Jesus disciples throughout time.

Yet, Jesus warns us as well.

As Jesus’ disciples, we expect to become one with those people in the poetic first stanza of reversals.

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
⁴ Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.
⁵ Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the earth.
⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled.

All of this teaching of Jesus, in the Sermon of the Mount, is radical teaching to this sinful world. As we, Jesus’ disciples, live out our lives, walking in this teaching, we can expect worldly pushback and persecution. But you know what? That’s Okay! The outcome of it all is eternity with God. And the reward is unmeasurable salvation. Salvation out of size from any works we could muster up ourselves.

Rest assured, God, the Lamb, is at the Center of it all. We see Jesus as God and praise God together with ALL the Saints… today… tomorrow… and forever! – Thanks be to God!

How could I NOT leave you with this YouTube Music Video

For All the Saints

Truth - John 8:31-36 - Reformation

 

John 8:31-36 NIV

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

³³ They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”

³⁴ Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. ³⁵ Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. ³⁶ So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Truth

Does Truth shake belief?

What is real?

What is false?

Is salvation given in relationship with Abraham, or only available through Jesus?

Just in a few short verses, and a question from Jews that believed in Jesus, many more questions arise, AND, Jesus teaches His followers Truth.

And here in these few words, I find, that when it is God that opens my eyes; He finds me! Sounds a little reversed doesn’t it. You would think that when God opens your eyes, you would see God and find Him. But, no! When God opens your eyes, sure, you see, but what you see, is that He found you.

Likewise, the believing Jews, of this passage, weren’t concerned that they needed freedom. As Abraham’s relatives they assumed they were free. Yet, when Jesus opens their eyes to Truth, they discover that God has found them through Jesus, not that they found God through Abraham.

The Truth we see of God in Jesus, does not bind or enslave any people. The Truth Jesus shows us sets us free. Truth that frees us, comes from God in Jesus.

How’s that?

The sadness of it all, today and in the past, is when people enter God’s Kingdom, or even enter God’s church, and settle in, BUT, don’t grow, yet remain crude underdeveloped children, you have made the Kingdom about yourself and won’t grow.

And again, “How’s that?”

I think of it this way…

Life with Jesus and growing as His disciple is like a hike in the Smoky Mountains. You travel from one peak to the next. You walk through unending peaks and valleys of growth, grace, understanding, and life lessons, following Jesus, IN, His Truth. You travel through life in the Church, and in the Kingdom of God, on a journey that sets you free, with Jesus, of one glorious view after another.

As we see, in this passage, Jesus moves to the outside.

And again, “How’s that?”

The believing Jews had an interpretation of family and loyalty to Abraham, their father in family. Yet, to show the believing Jews, AND us, that the REAL Truth exists in Jesus, not in a man, not even in a good man. Truth is God in Jesus, alone. Sure, Abraham was a good faithful man, a wonderful leader, yet still a sinner and a man, Abraham was not God. And Jesus was both man and God.

But you may say, just as the believing Jews said, “I am not a slave!”

Yes, you are! Open your eyes also to your sin with eyes wide open. See your sins of lust, power prestige, control, and all of the various idols you have formed in your life that you have made or trusted in, that replace God.

Yep! You ARE a slave!

Everyone who sins are a slave to sin, stuck in their own sinful messes.

All of us, are stuck in the stench of our own sins. Yes, we are humiliated and carried away by our sin. Just witness so many of the Old Testament patriarchs, including Abraham. Delve into the lives of people past and present and you will smell the stench of sin. Then, open your nostrils to your own life and smell that stench! Don’t deny it and try to pretend, all is okay, it was just what I couldn’t help myself to avoid!

And then, once you smell that sin, you can’t help yourself but to hate it and to resist it!

But… You can’t free yourself like you want to. That smell just hangs on and you go back to it!

Yet…

There’s another side of your sin.

If… Jesus frees you… You ARE free!

Hear and see the words of Paul to the Corinthians…

2 Corinthians 3:17 NIV

¹⁷ Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus alone, both God and man, makes you free from the power and death of sin.

Yes! Jesus takes us stinky, sinful, children and fashions us, reforms us, peak and valley by peak and valley, that we may stand free from the power and death of sin to LOOK God in the eyes and fall into the arms of Jesus, God in Jesus, makes you free from the power of sin and death. AND, if we stay in God’s Word, following and “Pointing to Jesus,” Jesus’ Truth will make us free.

You see, the slave does not continue in the House forever.

What House?

God’s House. Huh?

Why am I, as a sinner in God’s House, God’s Church, God’s Kingdom?

Well, I’m a descendant of sin. In God’s House, in God’s Church, in God’s Kingdom, I can’t rely on MY self, MY faith, even MY belief.

NO!

Rather, I am in God’s House, Church, Kingdom, to be freed from MY sin in the Truth that ONLY Jesus can set me free, from MY sin and deserved death, TO, live in God’s House, Church, and Kingdom forever.

Now that’s an amazing lifetime of Reformation, for me and you… today… tomorrow… and forever.

So, as a Lutheran layman, sure, I celebrate Reformation Sunday, but in my own personal reformation, I hear an eternal Gospel message, that causes me to still myself, and open my eyes to know God, the Great I AM, who finds me in my sin, to save me, to give me faith, to follow Jesus and to “Point to Jesus.”  Not by anything that I could do or ever do with works of my own, but by what God has already done, since the beginning of time through Jesus.

Thanks be to God.

How could I NOT leave you with this YouTube music video of Martin Luther’s

A Mighty Fortress… Enjoy

A Mighty Fortress IS Our God!

 

Give It Up - Mark 10:23-31

 

Mark 10:23-31 NIV

²³ Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”

²⁴ The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵ It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

²⁶ The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”

²⁷ Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

²⁸ Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!”

²⁹ “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel ³⁰ will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. ³¹ But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

Give It Up

Genesis 18:14 NIV

 

¹⁴ Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”

 

The LORD speaking to Abraham, in the words recorded above. Words that echo through time and space. Words that teach, and words that speak Truth. “Is anything too hard for the LORD?”

 

Think of these words of God and reflect on the passage of this reflection, the impossible notion of a camel passing through the eye of a needle. With God, even this is possible. “Is anything too hard for the LORD?”

 

The riches and power of this world, can put man in a dream. Riches and power and prestige can leave man with a false sense of well-being. Prestige leaves man with the false sense that man alone is important by man’s own efforts.

 

In this false dream of prestige and wealth, man’s center moves from personality to a false sense of personal power. Well, that’s all a dream.

 

Jesus teaches us that entry into the Kingdom of God is NOT a human achievement.

 

These words of Jesus can be hard to take. Jesus turns the prosperity of God favoring the self-righteous person, away from yourself, TO righteousness only in God and by God. Righteous and prosperity do not come from yourself. You just can’t pull yourself up by your own bootstraps and escape to a place of righteousness and power and riches on your own. You may think you’ve made it out of your own environment into something else because of what you have done, but you really have only been dreaming all along.

 

Why can’t man save himself by his own works? Man doesn’t want to “Give It Up”!

 

And here Jesus displays a serious sense of humor! Think of a camel passing through the eye of a needle. What a ridiculous thought. And Jesus entertains us with this thought. And, I don’t think He’s speaking about a loaded down camel on it’s knees, unable to pass through a gate called Needle. I take this to be a ridiculous, funny, idea when Jesus has a serious sense of humor about a serious message.

 

The message? Entrance into the Kingdom of God is impossible by man’s own efforts. Entrance into the Kingdom of God is only a gift FROM God.

 

Remember the Old Testament reading from earlier in this reflection…

 

Genesis 18:14 NIV

 

¹⁴ Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”

 

 

 

 

And also, as Jeremiah prays to the LORD in vs 17 and the LORD’s answer in vs 27…

 

Jeremiah 32:17, 27 NIV

 

¹⁷ “Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.

²⁷ “I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?

And then in the New Testament, as the angel of God speaks to Mary about her pregnancy…

Luke 1:37 NIV

³⁷ For no word from God will ever fail.”

So, the question arises…

Who can be saved?

Well… No One! Yet… Every One!

Huh? Now what?

Well, no one can be saved without God’s grace and love. Salvation is a gift from God. It’s only through this Gift that man can be saved. You see, God has His own perspective and His own way of giving and His own way of sharing His grace.

Through the works of man, salvation is impossible. Salvation is THE GIFT of God which nothing from myself can purchase, not my works, not my prestige, not my power, not even my own personal faith can purchase my salvation.

Listen carefully to these words from the letter to the Hebrews…

Hebrews 4:1-8 NIV

4 Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. ² For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they (the Israelites/Hebrews) did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed. ³ Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said,

“So I declared on oath in my anger,
    ‘They shall never enter my rest.’”

And yet his works have been finished since the creation of the world. ⁴ For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: “On the seventh day God rested from all his works.” ⁵ And again in the passage above he says, “They shall never enter my rest.”

⁶ Therefore since it still remains for some to enter that rest, and since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience, ⁷ God again set a certain day, calling it “Today.” This he did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted:

“Today, if you hear his voice,
    do not harden your hearts.”

⁸ For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day.

Did you hear it like I did? Through MY work, salvation is impossible! Salvation is THE Gift of God which nothing from myself can purchase. It’s so subtle in these words of the Letter to the Hebrews. But it’s a BIG WOW!

So, when God rested on the first Sabbath, He rested from ALL His works. Does this mean that in Jesus’, “It is finished!” comes to us, God created this from the get-go?  I think so. It seems to me, that when God rested on the first Sabbath as mentioned in Genesis; God also rested in the plan of salvation through Him in Jesus. That’s a deeply profound thought! This thinking drives home the love of God through Christ Jesus and the action of the Holy Spirit in the lives of all God’s Children throughout all time. God IS God and we are His creation that he loves completely and thoroughly enough to grant us the grace of salvation, before, we even knew we needed to be saved!

And because of this, how could we not, as Jesus’ disciples, give up everything here, for a new forever family.

Remember the “Give Up List?”

²⁹ “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel ³⁰ will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. 

Vs 29 … Give up

Vs 30 … Receive in eternal life

Don’t be trapped into “Prosperity Gospel” thinking. The “Give up” list is not easy. The “Prosperity” comes not from your action of giving up. The “Prosperity” comes in the Gift of God. Notice how I capitalized Gift? That Gift is Jesus who has come and will come again. And notice also, what we receive. Sure, we receive a new family of disciples, but in this life, we also receive the “along with persecutions” part as well.

So, just because you do “Give It Up,” doesn’t mean that you deserve anything. Remember, it’s not your actions that save you. It is the gift of God. We “Give It Up,” due to, and in thanks for, that Sabbath rest that God prepared for us at creation, as His created, as a Gift from God. That’s some really deep love!

Our reward? Our response to God?

Our reward and response is that God makes us into something NEW. We receive a something Larger, and something Expanding to Infinity and Greater … WITH our new family, the Friends of Jesus. This IS the REAL stuff. This IS the Real Church. This IS the catholic Church, the universal Church, the ONLY Church.

And in THIS Church, we have fellowship here and now and forever with God and our NEW family, all planned out from the beginning of time.

Today’s wealth and power and prestige? It all comes from God to begin with, SO, “Give It Up.” Give it to your neighbor in the love of God. Instead… treasure God’s Word in your heart, the very center of your being… today… tomorrow… and forever.

Thanks be to God!

I leave you with this YouTube Music video --- “It’s a fun listen”

Dance

Planetshakers - Dance - (with lyrics) (2014)