Welcome to part four of our series on seeing pictures of Jesus in the Beatitudes. So far we are about half way through, and we have already seen some fascinating and very awesome portraits of Jesus.
And so we will continue today, along the same path, because seeing Jesus is it the very core of our relationship and union with Him, and it benefits us – which is why the pictures are there to begin with. Think about it… Jesus doesn’t share pictures of Himself for His own benefit. God is not a megalomaniac – but rather He shares pictures of Himself with us for our benefit; because as we see more of Him, we can further appreciate and understand what He has accomplished for us, and in doing so, we can further so our new identity in Christ, and our standing in Him.
Welcome back to the third part of our series of studies focusing on seeing Jesus and pictures of Him and His finished work, right there in the first part of His sermon on the mount, known as the Beatitudes.
So far we have just begun to scratch the surface as we began looking at the first three of the Beatitudes; and already we have seen some amazing pictures of Jesus.
Today we will obviously continue with more of the Beatitudes as we see more pictures of Jesus
Last week we began a new series looking at the first part of the Sermon on the Mount, commonly known as the Beatitudes. And as I mentioned before, this teaching of Jesus is often seen from the perspective of goals to strive for, and while that may not seem too dangerous at first, it can very easily lead a person down the road of self-works and a performance-mindset which can be quite damaging and deadly in the end.
So in this series we have been looking at the Beatitudes, but not with the typical self-focused lenses. Instead we have been looking at the Beatitudes, from the perspective of seeing Jesus, and already we have seen some amazing details.
Today we will be continuing from where we paused last week, as we look at more pictures of Jesus in the Beatitudes.
The Beatitudes are one of the most famously well-known parts of the Sermon on the Mount.
This is where Jesus pronounces particular blessings according to certain things, and over the years entire sermons and studies have been conducted based on just these Beatitudes – many of which try to use this list given by Jesus as a “goal post” or “spiritual checklist” of sorts that people must work towards or strive for to obtain extra blessings or favor from God, or to try to be better Christians.
Today, I would like to share with you a different perspective – one not based on mere human behaviors in order to “be better”, but one based on seeing the finished work of Jesus, and truly receiving what He has accomplished.
You see, when Jesus taught, He wasn’t merely upholding the Law, with its rules and regulations (He had to do that because He was under the Law Himself when He walked on the earth) – but more importantly, He was preparing everyone for what He was about to do; the change that was coming. And within the Sermon on the Mount, are some of the most striking pictures of Jesus for us to see, and I am excited to share with you today in this study.
Colossians 3:3 contains one of the most amazing of statements. This statement has so many wonderful implications that it would greatly strengthen and bless our lives if we would allow it to. And in-fact, this particular verse of scripture contains a specific truth that is absolutely vital to our understanding of our identity and how we are supposed to live as new creations in Christ – yet sadly I have seen many people rush passed this truth and latch onto the verses following it, and adopt a self-focused mindset that is destructive, due to not taking the time to consider the truth of verse 3.
So in this study today, we are going to examine, both verse 3, and the verses which follow it; keeping everything in context, and viewing it all in the light of the finished work of Jesus Christ.
The natural reaction when things aren’t going our way and situations look bad, is to work more, try harder, strive more intensely – yet as we examine the scriptures, what we find is a different reaction being demonstrated over and over again. A reaction that is not one of stress, worry, striving or fear, but a reaction of rest.
This is not the kind of reaction that we typically expect, because it is not a worldly reaction; and it is not a worldly type of rest either. It is not “sitting on your hands and doing nothing” as opponents of this rest might imply; but it is a rest that originates in our spirit, as we behold the finished work of Christ and live our new identity in Him.
There is a persistent idea, and ideology among some Christians, that has been around for quite some time actually, which says that as believers, we must maintain a certain level of guilt and shame. That every time we fail in our behaviors or fall short in our performance, that it is right and proper to feel guilty, and be ashamed, and that to not feel these things indicates some level of depravity – or worse that we have a seared conscience, and God has given us over to a carnal mind (whatever term they use, it’s the same underlying idea).
I have heard these ideas over and over again. They often seem as though they are “holy” and “right”, and anyone who doesn’t agree is a heretic.
However is this what the scriptures actually teach? Is the perspective of perpetual guilt and shame based on our behaviors and performance, truly biblical? Is this the abundant life and freedom and peace that Jesus died for us to have? That’s the question that we need to answer – and we will answer it today in this study.
There’s an interesting group of verses in James chapter 1; a stipulation regarding asking God for things, the verses end with the pointed statement that a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. That seems like a fairly serious thing to be… but what exactly does it mean to be double-minded?
If we don’t understand the term, how do we really know if we are double-minded? How can we avoid double-mindedness?
It’s important to understand this, not only for our own peace-of-mind, but also so that we can actually receive things from God… because He truly does want us to receive His gifts, but double-mindedness can stop us.
So today we are going to explore this, and answer these questions… as always in the light of the finished work of Jesus Christ.
Romans chapter 5 verse 11 contains an interesting statement. The verse reads: “And not only so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received reconciliation.” The verse reads: “And not only so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received reconciliation.”
And it led me to this line of thought and question: What does it mean to be reconciled? And do we honestly rejoice in our reconciliation?
Sure, we may hear talk about rejoicing, but how often do we even think about our reconciliation to God through Jesus Christ? If we are honest with ourselves, many times we act and think as if we still have not been reconciled at all!
So today in this study, we are going to explore this topic and answer these questions, because Paul spends quite a bit of time explaining this – not without reason – he clearly wants us to know and understand the precise reason and foundation for why we can truly rejoice in God.