Matthew 5:9 – The Blessed Peacemakers

Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

We live in a contentious society.  The accepted principle for getting your way seems to be forcing someone else into submission.  Yet nowhere in scripture do I read where the Lord says, “blessed are the war makers.”  The most combative people we meet in the course of a day may seem to get an early advantage, but are they really getting ahead?  If you believe Jesus, they are absolutely not getting ahead, and peace is the better way.  The next time you have a score to settle, forgive instead.  The next time you are certain you can win an argument, don’t bother.  Some people may be more receptive than others but remember who Jesus said are blessed- the peacemakers.  Don’t wait for someone else to extend an olive branch, make peace happen.  “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.” (Romans 12:18)

Romans 12:17-21 – Overcome Evil With Good

Romans 12:17-21
17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.
21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

On the surface, verse 21 may sound like victory versus defeat.  That cannot be the case because the Bible teaches God already has the victory and it is ours for the taking.  (1 Corinthians 15:57)  That means verse 21 is actually talking about passive choices versus active choices.  Passive choices involve what happens when we do nothing while active choices involve what happens when we do something.  Being overcome with evil is a passive choice.  If we choose to do nothing, we will sink into evil, and our life will reflect that.  On the other hand, overcoming evil with good is an active choice.  We can’t just sit back and expect it to happen, it requires effort on our part.  The only way we can truly overcome evil with good is by serving the Lord and serving the Lord is never a matter of happenstance, it requires intention and diligence.

Psalm 50:9-11 – Everything is Mine, Says the Lord

Psalm 50:9-11
9 I will take no bullock out of thy house, nor he goats out of thy folds.
10 For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.
11 I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine.

-We may have moved past the Old Testament system of sacrifices and offerings, but there is a truth here that is still very relevant to us.  Many try to “work” their way into Heaven and do good deeds that they hope will outweigh the bad.  A fundamental problem with works-based salvation is that we are attempting to give something to the Lord when the Lord already owns everything.  Just as He reminds the Hebrew people here in Psalm 50, the cattle that they would sacrifice to Him already belong to Him.  With us, our tithes and offerings already belong to Him.  When we “do good deeds”, we use arms and legs that belong to Him.  If we could find something that didn’t already belong to the Lord, we might have room to argue that we are truly giving something to Him; but as it stands, we are trying to use the Lord’s possessions to ‘buy’ the Lord’s favor.  Doesn’t make much sense, does it?

Galatians 6:1 – Be Not Overtaken

Galatians 6:1
1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

In his epistles, Paul was apt to use analogies involving Olympic Games to relate spiritual truths.  Consider such an analogy when reading this verse from Galatians 6.  “Overtaken” is a racing term and describes being caught by someone or something that was behind you.  The sins and temptations that we carry in our hearts are always with us.  Even when we manage to get some distance from them, they are never far behind.  Our flesh is always stalking us and it never slows down or gives up and, as such, we cannot afford to slow down or give up either.  The start of a race is important, but only the end of a race counts. (Ecclesiastes 7:8)  A runner who starts a race strong but gets caught by the competition claims no victory.  That is why it is essential that we “lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” (Hebrews 12:1)

Matthew 5:17-18 – To Fulfill the Law

Matthew 5:17-18
17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

Before the Messiah could fulfill His role as Savior of the world, He first had to live the perfect, sinless life that would satisfy every high standard laid out by God’s Law.  We should all be thankful that Jesus decided to come and fulfill the Law instead of coming to enforce the Law.  Consider that the Lord would have been well within His rights to arrive on Earth and judge everyone according to the Law.  But where God could have manifested justice, He instead showed mercy.  Mercy has only been decreed for a time, though, and the judgment that has been held back for so long is coming. (2 Timothy 4:1)  Even though every sin has been paid for by Jesus Christ, there will still be many who will be cursed to Hell; not for sinning, but for rejecting the only Blood that has ever fulfilled every law and prophecy. (John 3:18)

Acts 16:16-19 – The Most High God

Acts 16:16-19
16 And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:
17 The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.
18 And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.
19 And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers,

-Has you ever been confused by this section of scripture?  Why would someone demon-possessed point to Paul and Silas as knowing the way of salvation?  It’s important to realize that the area of the world Paul and Silas are visiting is the very seat of pagan mythology.  A Jewish ear or a Christian ear would hear “Most High God,” (El-selyon) and identify that as the one true God of the Bible (Genesis 14:20). But to other cultures who worship many gods that are always ranked by power or prominence, there were many “highest gods.”  The title had been attached to Zeus, Isis, and Baal- just to name a few. A pagan hearer would understand the term to refer to whatever deity he or she considered supreme.  This is one of the reasons behind Paul’s rebuke of the woman and the issue that is so prevalent in this age.  In an age where everyone is worshipping something and “god” means two different things to two different people, Satan doesn’t need to convince us that Jesus isn’t the way; he just needs to convince us that Jesus isn’t the only way and that the message of the Bible can be set beside or even blended with some other philosophy.  But do not be deceived.  As the Lord Himself testified in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Genesis 22:11-14 – It Shall Be Seen

Genesis 22:11-14
11 And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.
12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.
14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.

-Two popular interpretations for “Jehovah-Jireh” are “The Lord shall provide” and “The Lord shall appear.” Essentially, when Genesis 22:14 says “it shall be seen”, the “it” could refer to either the Lord’s provision or the Lord Himself.  Both of these are ultimately true because only when the Lord appears can we ever expect to be provided anything.  The Lord appeared to Moses on Mount Sinai and the people were provided with the law. (Exodus 20) The Lord appeared on the Mount of the Beatitudes and provided us with the greatest sermon in history. (Matthew 5-7)  The Lord appeared in His glory on the Mount of Transfiguration and His disciples were provided a glimpse of what awaits the redeemed in Heaven. (Matthew 17)  The Lord appeared on Calvary and Salvation was provided for us all. (Luke 23)  But, the Lord has yet to make His final appearance.  The Bible teaches that one day the Lord will appear on the Mount of Olives and will provide not only a way of escape for His people but also an end to sin and corruption in the universe. (Zechariah 14)  “As it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.” (Genesis 22:14)

1 Corinthians 6:18 – Flee Fornication

1 Corinthians 6:18
18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
 
Romans 1:26-27
26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
 
-The word fornication in the original Greek is the word “porneia” and literally means, “surrendering of purity.”  This is where the English word “pornography” originates.  In the beginning, there was the pure love of God, designed to be shared between God and the human race as well as among the human race.  However, once we rebelled against God and fell, everything changed.  Like light splintered through a Prism, the pure love inside of us was fractured and broken only to manifest itself in different aspects no longer resembling God’s love.  All of these different aspects can be summed up with one word, fornication, and they affect each of us in different ways.  Some desire a sexual relationship outside of God’s marriage covenant, men desire other men, women lust after women; some lust after objects or animals or all sorts of other things.  Psychology textbooks go on at length describing various paraphilia and deviations but these are all just fancy ways of saying that our concept of love has been twisted and skewed.  If you are struggling with one or more of these, the good news is that nothing is wrong with you that is not also wrong with the rest of us.  The remedy is the same for all of us as well: God can shed His pure love abroad in our hearts and help us to see that all of these other desires are not of Him and also are not worthy to be compared with the true love that can only come from Him.

2 Corinthians 12:7-9 – The Grace of God

2 Corinthians 12:7-9
7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
 
-The wonderful, matchless grace of God.  Songs have been written about it, lives have been forever changed by it. (including mine, praise God!)  Think about how big a thing God’s grace truly is; its only limitation is the very power and character of God Himself.  God’s grace cannot be exceeded by anything- good or bad.  That means there is nothing we can do, no sin we can commit, that can overpower the Grace of God.  There are no ‘good’ things we can do to merit God’s grace.  It can never be earned and must always be freely given.  But He does freely give it to those who ask, and we won’t find anything else in the universe that will ever treat us better than the Grace of God.  The Lord is waiting for each of us, and although He does have judgment and condemnation, He stands ready to offer Grace first to “whosoever will.”  (Revelation 22:17)

Genesis 18:20-32 – For the Sake of the Righteous

Genesis 18:20-32
20 And the Lord said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;
21 I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.
22 And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the Lord.
23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
24 Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?
25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?
26 And the Lord said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.
27 And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes:
28 Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it.
29 And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty’s sake.
30 And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there.
31 And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty’s sake.
32 And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake.
 
-I’m sure you’re familiar with this story, the Lord had determined to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because of their grievous sin and Abraham begins to plead on behalf of any righteous people left in the cities.  Ultimately, the Lord assures him that He would spare both cities for the sake of even 10 people.  Consider that Sodom and Gomorrah are major metropolitan areas in Abraham’s time.  That would be like the Lord saying that He would spare cities the size of Los Angeles and San Francisco on behalf of 10 people; that’s a lot of people who have a chance at mercy for the sake of very few.  How many times has each of us been that wicked person who was spared much-deserved judgment because of a righteous person around us?  No matter who you are or what your circumstances are, we are all products of God’s mercy.  Remember that whenever you think of the Lord.