October 2 - Mark 3:7-19, Luke 6:12-16, Matthew 5:1-12, Luke 6:17-26, Matthew 5:13-48, Luke 6:27-36, Matthew 6:1-4

Good morning everyone,

Today we begin with Jesus going out to a mountainside where he would appoint twelve of his peeps to be disciples, men he would send out to preach and give the authority to drive out demons. Please take note that before Jesus made that commission He spent the night praying to God. Yet another great example for us to follow, all of our important, and not so important, decisions should be totally prayed up first and only acted on when we are sure God has given the green light. Right?

Matthew chapter five is arguably the greatest sermon ever given. It is called the Sermon on the Mount because when Jesus saw the “great multitudes”, which some estimate to be 20,000 plus, he went up and sat down on a hillside above the Sea of Galilee near Capernaum. It begs the question; How could so many hear Jesus' sermon on the mount? Since Jesus gave his sermon long before the microphone was invented, did he have to yell at the top his lungs? Obviously not. The Sea of Galilee is shaped like a bowl and has strong winds that would provide a natural amphitheater. Any voice spoken downwind will carry a good distance. 

I think we are all familiar with the Beatitudes, right? In Latin, Beatitude means “happy” but the meaning here is so much more than happiness. The Beatitudes suggest a truth for those whose heart’s have been committed to the kingdom of God. They are not there to promise you an easy, grief free, super awesome life, no. More importantly they are to offer you, to offer me the experience of hope and joy through a loving God. How great is that?! 

Jesus has given us some guidelines, what He is looking for in those who choose to follow Him. The best example we have in life is Jesus himself. If we would have radical obedience to the standards he has laid out in the Beatitudes our walk with the Lord would be off the charts amazing. Peter once asked Jesus, "We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?" Paraphrased: “Yo, we’ve given up a lot to be here. Is it really going to be worth it?” In a word … “Oh! Yes!” (okay, so that is two words) What God has in store for us is truly beyond our ability to imagine. In this life, the love of God is beyond our ability to understand. The peace of God is beyond our comprehension, and his joy is beyond our ability to put into words. So, how much more, then, is it impossible to describe how good it will be to live with God forever? It is beyond us, we just can’t get it. Make sense? It would be good for us to remember that this is, our life on earth, but a weigh station, friends. A blip in time. Heaven is for eternity, but while we are waiting to move home we can enjoy being as close to Jesus as we possibly can be by living the guidelines set out in the Sermon on the Mount. Amen?

Have a great day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all …..