Matthew Archives - Jacque Watkins

~For When You Want to Know How to Really Teach {Week 1}

~For When You Need to Quit Performing to Earn God’s Love {Week 2}

~When You Long to be Satisfied and Supremely Happy {Week 3}

~For When Memorizing is Intimidating and Change is a Challenge {Week 4}

~For When You Don’t Fit in and You’re Not Feeling Accepted {Week 5}

~All Has Been Accomplished! The New Covenant Has Come {Week 8}

~For When You Think It’s Only About Following the Rules {Week 9}

~Because It’s All About the Illustrations & Their Principles {Week 10}

~For When You Encounter Prickly People {Week 11}

~What to Do When Someone is Upset With You {Week 12}

~Holiness is a Matter of the Heart {Week 13}

~Because a Life of Holiness Demands My Soul, My Life, My All {Week 14}

~3 Steps For When Your Heart Faces the Pain of Divorce {Week 15}

~The Thorns Beneath the Smile … Answers Should be Yes or No {Week 16 & 17}

~Selfishness is Sin, But Grace Gives Life {Week 18 & 19}

*Linking with Women Living Well, Do Not Depart, Denise in Bloom

**Photo Credit: Andrew Eadie, Flickr Creative Commons

Filed Under: Bible Memorization, Character, Faith, Sermon on the Mount Tagged With: character, growth, love, Matthew

Selfishness is Sin, But Grace Gives Life :: Sermon on the Mount {Week 18 & 19}

August 14, 2012 by Jacque 3 Comments

I struggle with selfishness.

I often think my way is the best way, and many times I just want what I want.

I am sometimes less than happy for the success of others, because I wish it was mine.

And when I’m hurt by someone, it’s tempting to wish they were hurting too.

But this is all wrong. This is not what Jesus wants for me.

Matthew 5:38-42 (ESV)

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.

Jesus want me to die to my self.

He wants me to get rid of my desire for personal revenge or retaliation.

He wants me to refuse to constantly focus on my wants and desires.

He wants me to go out of my way to serve others and give to those whose needs I can meet.

Willingly. He wants me to die to self willingly.

“We should not be concerned about personal injuries and insults, whether of a physical kind or any other…Our Lord desires to produce in us a spirit that does not take offense easily at such things, that does not seek immediate means of retaliation. He wants us to reach a state in which we are indifferent to self and self-esteem.”

“The most difficult thing is for a man to die to himself, to his own approval or censure of self … but the Christian must reach the stage in which He surmounts even this and realizes that He must not be controlled by it.”

~D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Selfishness is sin. It controls us. It clouds our perspective and strangles our joy. Because when I choose selfishness, I elevate my own way and set myself up to be my own god.

“Any desire to glorify self or safeguard the interests of self is of necessity sin, because I am looking at myself instead of looking at God and seeking His honor and glory … holiness eventually means this, deliverance from this self-centered life… “

~D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

And Jesus modeled this. He came and lived a selfless life. He humbled Himself to the point of death on the cross. And He asks me to follow Him in this attitude of humility.

“He has died for our sins, and our greatest desire should be to die to self…”

~D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Selfishness is sin, but Grace gives Life.

When I am personally “slapped on the cheek”, I am to give grace.

Instead of keeping what’s mine, I’m to give. Whether it’s my things, my time, or my smile–anything to go above and beyond and out of my way to serve another.

And instead of focusing on what I don’t have, I’m to look beyond myself to someone else … someone whose needs I can practically meet.

I’m to lay down my pride, lay down my self, and give Grace … Unmerited favor to others. This is the goal.

And it’s impossible for me to do it in my own power. I need the power of the Holy Spirit working in me, to truly die to my own selfish self.

But when I do, and give grace instead, that grace really does give life.

Do you struggle with selfishness?

Is it hard for you to give grace?

How did giving grace infuse life into your situation?

Continuing on in memorizing the Sermon on the Mount, with Ann and this community. Join us?

This week and next, on to Matthew 5:43-48 (ESV)…

{WEEK 20}

Matthew 5:43-48 (ESV)

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love only those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.

y h h t i w s y s l y n a h y e b i s t y l y e a p f t w p y s t y m b s o y f w i i h f h m h s r o t e a o t g a s r o t j a o t u f i y l o t w l y w r d y h d n e t t c d t s a i y g o y b w m a y d t o d n e t g d t s y t m b p j a y h f i p

Other posts in this series:

~For When You Want to Know How to Really Teach {Week 1}

~For When You Need to Quit Performing to Earn God’s Love {Week 2}

~When You Long to be Satisfied and Supremely Happy {Week 3}

~For When Memorizing is Intimidating and Change is a Challenge {Week 4}

~For When You Don’t Fit in and You’re Not Feeling Accepted {Week 5}

~All Has Been Accomplished! The New Covenant Has Come {Week 8}

~For When You Think It’s Only About Following the Rules {Week 9}

~Because It’s All About the Illustrations & Their Principles {Week 10}

~For When You Encounter Prickly People {Week 11}

~What to Do When Someone is Upset With You {Week 12}

~Holiness is a Matter of the Heart {Week 13}

~Because a Life of Holiness Demands My Soul, My Life, My All {Week 14}

~3 Steps For When Your Heart Faces the Pain of Divorce {Week 15}

~The Thorns Beneath the Smile … Answers Should be Yes or No {Week 16 & 17}

*Linking with The Better Mom, Do Not Depart, Women Living Well

Filed Under: Bible Memorization, Character, Faith, Inspirational, Sermon on the Mount Tagged With: character, death to self, grace, humility, Matthew, mercy

Because a Life of Holiness Demands My Soul, My Life, My All :: Sermon on the Mount {Week 14}

July 11, 2012 by Jacque 6 Comments

Two summers ago I taught a women’s bible study based on the book Every Woman’s Battle, by Shannon Ethridge. After one of the sessions, I received an email from a woman admitting that in her mind, she had been comparing her husband to other men. She acknowledged how this had created ruts of discontent, and even anger in her heart toward her husband, who knew nothing of her mental gymnastics. She admitted that she never realized how destructive it could be to allow her mind to compare. And she saw how she failed to concentrate on any of his positive qualities at all.

Was this woman committing an outward act of sin? No. She was the only one who knew what was happening in her own mind. And to recognize the admirable qualities in someone else is not usually sinful, but to her it had become sin. Her heart had become corrupted and polluted by disappointment and resentment, and a wedge of separation was quickly developing in her marriage … all without anyone knowing anything at all!

Matthew 5:29-30 (ESV)

If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.

Not one of us is without sin. And here, Jesus is commanding that if something is causing us to stumble–is ensnaring us or tripping us up, we are to get rid of it immediately, without delay! Because it is more expedient to eradicate even a good thing, if it is causing us to sin.

“If the most precious thing you have, in a sense, is the cause of your sin, get rid of it…however valuable a thing may be to you in and of itself, if it is going to trap you and cause you to stumble, get rid of it, throw it away. Such is Jesus’ way of emphasizing the importance of holiness, and the terrible danger which confronts us as the result of sin…it is not just a question of committing certain acts; it is a question of dealing with the pollution of sin in the heart…”

~D. Martyn Lloyd Jones

Whatever comes between us and God pollutes us, and must be set aside, no matter what it is. And that pollutant may be different for each person. Some people can watch certain TV shows, or read certain novels, and there is no problem at all. Whereas for others, it can become the cause of sin.

The goal of a holy life is to see sin for what it is and eradicate it from our lives.

“Our ambition should be to have a heart which never knows bitterness, envy, jealousy, hate or spite, but is ever full of love.”

~D. Martyn Lloyd Jones

And we do this by guarding our hearts.

By never “feeding” our flesh.

By avoiding the unique-to-us situations that trip us up,

And by being careful who we hang out with.

And above all, we must be gut-level honest with our own selves. Searching our own hearts to identify any thing that causes us to stumble.

And we can’t do this alone. We need the help of the Holy Spirit.

Philippians 2:12b-13 (ESV)

…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

He promises to be with us. To will and work in us His good pleasure if we ask Him to.

Because Jesus came and gave His very life that we would be His. He suffered and died for our sin. And holiness begins by seeing sin for what it really is.

True holiness is never concerned with self, but always concerned about pleasing and glorifying God.

And because of His great love we have received mercy, and such love really does demand our soul, our life, our all.

May that be what we give, because of what He gave for us.

When I Survey the Wondrous Cross

When I survey the wondrous cross

on which the Prince of Glory died;

my richest gain I count but loss,

and pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,

save in the death of Christ, my God;

all the vain things that charm me most,

I sacrifice them to his blood.

See, from his head, his hands, his feet,

sorrow and love flow mingled down.

Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,

or thorns compose so rich a crown.

Were the whole realm of nature mine,

that were an offering far too small;

love so amazing, so divine,

demands my soul, my life, my all.

Continuing on in memorizing the Sermon on the Mount, with Ann and this community. Join us?

This week on to Matthew 5:31-32 (ESV)…

{WEEK 15}

Matthew 5:31-32 (ESV)

“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

i w a s w d h w l h g h a c o d b i s t y t e w d h w e o t g o s i m h c a a w m a d w c a

Other posts in this series:

~For When You Want to Know How to Really Teach {Week 1}

~For When You Need to Quit Performing to Earn God’s Love {Week 2}

~When You Long to be Satisfied and Supremely Happy {Week 3}

~For When Memorizing is Intimidating and Change is a Challenge {Week 4}

~For When You Don’t Fit in and You’re Not Feeling Accepted {Week 5}

~All Has Been Accomplished! The New Covenant Has Come {Week 8}

~For When You Think It’s Only About Following the Rules {Week 9}

~Because It’s All About the Illustrations & Their Principles {Week 10}

~For When You Encounter Prickly People {Week 11}

~What to Do When Someone is Upset With You {Week 12}

~Holiness is a Matter of the Heart {Week 13}

*Linking with Women Living Well, Do Not Depart, Good Morning Girls, Denise in Bloom

Filed Under: Bible Memorization, Character, Faith, Sermon on the Mount Tagged With: character, holiness, Matthew

For When You Encounter Prickly People :: Sermon on the Mount {Week 11}

June 19, 2012 by Jacque 15 Comments

Some people are like a cactus, mostly prickly with an occasional flower blooming amidst their thorns.

And those kind of people challenge me, because I’m a people pleaser. It’s pretty much guaranteed that if I know there’s a problem between you and me, I will pursue you, no matter whose fault it is. In fact “harmony” is one of my top five Strengthsfinder 2.0 strengths, and I’m crazy about those kind of tests!

And while being hypersensitive to the acceptance of others can become a prison, failing to reconcile with someone can hinder our praise.

Matthew 5:23-24 (ESV)

So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

Jesus says, not only should we not murder someone or be angry at them without a cause, we should seek to reconcile with them before we offer our gifts to Him…

Before we pray

Before we worship

Before we give

And before we serve

And you know what else?

We should pursue peace even if the conflict is not our fault. Even if their cactus spikes have poked us and there’s no flower to be found on them at all.

Jesus says if there anyone who has a problem with you, you must seek peace, and you’re to do it now.

Don’t wait.

Don’t let bitterness grow.

Don’t let weeks and months and years go by.

Because it’s that important to God for us to love one another.

God is a personal God. He wants our worship and our praise. He desires us to pray and surrender the best of our hearts, and He wants to receive the gifts we offer Him.

But this issue of reconciling with one another is so important, that Jesus says we should interrupt our worship and any gift we are presenting, and we should go. We should seek peace first and then come give to God.

Now that’s pretty important!

So let me ask you something…

Is there someone you need to call today?

Is there a letter you need to write?

Is there someone you should drive to go see?

Is there something you can do, somehow, someway, to make things right with someone in your life?

Are you willing to obey God, set your offering down and go?

Because maybe, although they seem like a prickly cactus, they may surprise you. You may see a view of a glorious flower blooming amidst their thorns. And maybe God’s purpose for you is more about you seeing the flower in them, instead of focusing on their prickly spines?

I hope you’ll go…

Who knows what amazing things may be in store?

Who do you need to pursue today?

How can I pray for you?

Continuing on in memorizing the Sermon on the Mount, with Ann and this community. Join us?

This week on to Matthew 5:25-26 (ESV)…

{WEEK 12}

Matthew 5:25-26 (ESV)

Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.

c t t q w y a w y a g w h t c l y a h y o t t j a t j t t g a y b p i p t i s t y y w n g o u y h p t l p

Other posts in this series:

~For When You Want to Know How to Really Teach {Week 1}

~For When You Need to Quit Performing to Earn God’s Love & Blessing {Week 2}

~When You Long to be Satisfied and Supremely Happy {Week 3}

~For When Memorizing is Intimidating and Change is a Challenge {Week 4}

~For When You Don’t Fit in and You’re Not Feeling Accepted {Week 5}

~All Has Been Accomplished! The New Covenant Has Come {Week 8}

~For When You Think It’s Only About Following the Rules {Week 9}

~Because It’s All About the Illustrations & Their Principles {Week 10}

*Linking with Do Not Depart, Women Living Well, Good Morning Girls, A Holy Experience

Filed Under: Bible Memorization, Character, Inspirational, Sermon on the Mount Tagged With: character, forgiveness, grace, growth, humility, Matthew, mercy

For When It Is a Challenge to Love

June 13, 2012 by Jacque 12 Comments

I wear it hoping that it will become true of me … LOVE Jn 13:35.

That somehow the feel of it around my neck will make me mindful and aware.

That the clanking of the pearl against the metal will help me remember.

And it isn’t even 10am and I glance over to see one child hitting another and the other fighting back. Have I been such a poor model that their instinctual reaction is to just cave to anger and go with their flesh? Did it not matter? The words from Matthew 5 that they’ve hidden in their hearts over these weeks, the words we’ve been learning together?

And the crazy thing is, when I ask, they can recite them. They haven’t forgotten…

Blessed are the peacemakers…

Blessed are you when others revile you…

…everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment…

Yet though they can say the words, it’s obvious they haven’t sunk in–haven’t soaked the soil of their hearts.

And my choice is right here before me, because their actions beg for correction.

And it’s the biggest test of all when no one is watching. When it’s just me and them—these children who are part of me, who’ve inherited more than just skin and flesh.

And inside, my heart sinks, and I feel defeat because their actions remind me how I fail too. Even the chain around my neck doesn’t prevent my failure.

It is my daily battle to love.

I bend to eye level and we discuss their fight. They know they were wrong and hang their heads as I talk, and their eyes show me they’ve heard it before, that they already know.

I explain and teach how it’s not natural to return kindness when wronged, not easy to be slow to anger, not instinctual to just love.

But He has called us to love. When we deserved death, He died in our place. And when we were unlovable, He loved us first.

This. This is the daily hill I climb…

To administer justice with wisdom.

To provide instruction with kindness.

To give grace in the right moments and extend mercy too.

And most of all, in the midst of it all, to love as He loves.

John 13:35 (ESV)

By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

I’ve been given these mama moments to practice loving. And oh how many chances I have every single day! Times to practice cultivating a love like His … a love that will mark me as His.

Oh how I want to grow. To seize my flesh, to halt my nature, to pause and consider and love instead. Because I want to be known as His disciple, and I want my children to be known as His disciples too.

May this chain I wear remind me to what I am called. To love.

To simply love one another.

And because of that, to be known as His.

John 15:12 (ESV)

This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

In which circumstance are you most challenged to love?

How do you overcome?

**Linking with Denise in Bloom, Women Living Well, Grace at Home, Thought Provoking Thursday

Filed Under: Character, Discipleship, Family, Motherhood Tagged With: character, failing, grace, growth, John, love, Matthew, paid it all

Because It’s All About the Illustrations & Their Principles :: Sermon on the Mount {Week 10}

June 10, 2012 by Jacque 9 Comments

Jesus was clear that He came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets, and because He accomplished all He said He would, we are no longer bound to the Old Covenant–no longer obligated to law, but freed to live by the Spirit. We have been given a New Covenant, one that moves us from death, and gives us life.

But sometimes in our human nature, we prefer to have things laid out for us in detail. We like things clear-cut and black and white, and we restrict ourselves from experiencing the life we’ve been given to live and walk in the Spirit.

I’ve been reading the book, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. His words have been informative, challenging, and inspiring all at the same time. And he teaches and firmly believes that what follows in Matthew 5:21-22 and on, is Jesus giving illustrations and expanding on principles that we should apply in every situation of our Christian lives. Not Jesus simply giving a new list of detailed rules to follow.

“The Sermon on the Mount is not meant to be a detailed code of ethics; it is not a new kind of moral law which was given by Him … He is out to delineate a certain order and quality of life … so we must hold on to the principle without turning the particular illustration into a law … the gospel of Jesus Christ is not another law, but something which gives us life. It lays down certain principles and asks us to apply them.”

~D. Martin Lloyd-Jones

And because it’s our tendency, we often regress and look at the words of Jesus as a new list of rules … more definitions of do’s and don’ts … more for us to keep track of … more for us to get right, but also more for us to feel guilty about when we get it wrong.

But that wasn’t His intention at all.

Here in the rest of Matthew 5, Jesus communicates principles that He wants us to apply to every situation…

Jesus wants us to understand the spirit of the principles and illustrations He gives.

For example, in this week’s passage, He doesn’t want us to simply avoid killing someone or being angry with someone, but in every situation He wants us to have an attitude of grace and love toward our brother. He doesn’t want us to build contempt and bitterness in our hearts at all. Ever.

He wants us to realize that it’s not ever just our actions that matter, but our thoughts and motives too.

He wants us to be motivated to actively do right, not just avoid doing wrong.

He wants His directives to open our eyes to the joy-filled life that comes by following His way, not for them to oppress or restrict us.

Jesus never meant for His directives to be an end in themselves, but always a process, a new chance to come to know Him more, and be becoming more and more like Him each and every day.

And so as we continue to learn and meditate and memorize His words, may it be so for us all, is my prayer.

P.S. My recitation of Matthew 5:1-22 (ESV)…

Continuing on in memorizing the Sermon on the Mount, with Ann and this community. Join us?

This week on to Matthew 5:23-24 (ESV)…

{WEEK 11}

Matthew 5:23-24 (ESV)

So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

s i y a o y g a t a a t r t y b h s a y l y g t b t a a g f b r t y b a t c a o y g

Other posts in this series:

~For When You Want to Know How to Really Teach {Week 1}

~For When You Need to Quit Performing to Earn God’s Love and Blessing {Week 2}

~When You Long to be Satisfied and Supremely Happy {Week 3}

~For When Memorizing is Intimidating and Change is a Challenge {Week 4}

~For When You Don’t Fit in and You’re Not Feeling Accepted {Week 5}

~All Has Been Accomplished! The New Covenant Has Come {Week 8}

~For When You Think It’s Only About Following the Rules {Week 9}

*Photo Credit: Martyn @ Negaro, Flickr Creative Commons

**Linking with Do Not Depart, The Wellspring Playdates, Soli Deo Gloria, A Holy Experience, Good Morning Girls

Filed Under: Bible Memorization, Character, Discipleship, Faith, Inspirational, Sermon on the Mount Tagged With: character, Matthew

For When You Think It’s Only About Following the Rules :: Sermon on the Mount {Week 9}

June 6, 2012 by Jacque 15 Comments

There are some people you never forget—people who leave an impression that’s hard to shake, and growing up I do remember her. She was my mother’s age. Always opinionated and outspoken, and never for a lack of words, and she went out of her way to make you aware of your wayward ways. She grew up in this local church of ours and her family was integral in establishing the congregation years ago … and this heritage drove her passion all the more.

She loved following rules and always insisted others do the same—and there were so many rules! She was careful to arrive early at every single service wearing her Sunday best, and stood as a greeter in the foyer shaking hands with those who arrived. She coordinated meals for funerals and organized women’s events—quick to volunteer for any task, because that’s what a good Christian woman does.

And while it seemed respectable from afar, those who knew her, well … we knew better.

It’s true she was the wife of one husband–one who was Caucasian just like her, because being “unequally yoked” to a different race would be outside of God’s blessing. She did not work outside the home, no matter their financial struggles, because a woman “working” would definitely be outside of God’s directive. Her children went to private school, because children should be trained in “the ways of God”, and not left to the “vultures” and “heathens” of the public system.

This woman insulted her husband in passive-aggressive ways with derogatory and condescending attitudes. She berated her children by default, by failing to praise them and making sure they knew how they could’ve done each thing better. And she was disgruntled with her friends, who according to her standard, never seemed to care or do enough for her.

She feigned piety while living as a silent judge of the world around her. No one could ever meet her expectations and many spun their wheels trying.

She was a technical rule-follower who failed miserably with the intent of her heart. And she missed the point altogether.

And this is exactly what Jesus was addressing in regard to the Scribes and Pharisees.

“The trouble with the Pharisees was that they were interested in details rather than principles, that they were interested in actions rather than in motives, and that they were interested in doing rather than in being…”

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Jesus was born was born into multi-lingual culture. Many learned Hebrew and were able to study the law. Many spoke Aramaic, a remnant of the language learned during the exiles, and some spoke Greek, the official language of the Roman government.

Those who weren’t fluent in Hebrew depended on the Scribes and Pharisees and the oral tradition of the day in order to follow the law. They relied on interpretation, which although technically accurate, became corrupted with a precedent of impure motives and intentions.

And as a result, while observing the technicalities of the law, many missed the intent of the law altogether.

Matthew 5:19-20 (ESV)

Therefore, whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

As followers of Christ, we are to follow the spirit of God’s directives, not simply perform the technicalities.

Jesus doesn’t give us guidelines to restrict or oppress us. Neither is a rule to be an end in itself. Honoring God’s directives is not simply about avoiding doing wrong, and if people think it is, they’ve missed the whole point. We are to observe the principle behind the directives. It is our thoughts and heart-motives that matter too, not simply our actions alone.

Jesus fulfilled the law and because of that we live in freedom.

Freedom to obey,

To show our gratitude for all He’s done for us,

To bring Him glory through the obedience of our lives,

To honor and revere Him as Lord,

And to ultimately experience joy.

As we follow the directives of scripture and seek to align our hearts and actions to its purpose, we begin to live the blessed life—the makarios life that is ours in Christ. And our lives become full of His joy.

As you obey may you find blessing and joy, is my prayer.

Have you ever known someone who technically followed the rule but missed the point?

Continuing on in memorizing the Sermon on the Mount, with Ann and this community. Join us?

This week on to Matthew 5:21-22 (ESV)…

{WEEK 10}

Matthew 5:21-22 (ESV)

You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.

y h h t i w s t t o o y s n m a w m w b l t j b i s t y t e w i a w h b w b l t j w i h b w b l t t c a w s y f w b l t t h o f

Other posts in this series:

~For When You Want to Know How to Really Teach {Week 1}

~For When You Need to Quit Performing to Earn God’s Love and Blessing {Week 2}

~When You Long to be Satisfied and Supremely Happy {Week 3}

~For When Memorizing is Intimidating and Change is a Challenge {Week 4}

~For When You Don’t Fit in and You’re Not Feeling Accepted {Week 5}

~All Has Been Accomplished! The New Covenant Has Come {Week 8}

Filed Under: Bible Memorization, Faith, Inspirational, Sermon on the Mount Tagged With: joy, Matthew

All Has Been Accomplished! The New Covenant Has Come :: Sermon on the Mount {Week 8}

May 30, 2012 by Jacque 8 Comments

As a junior in college I almost failed my Cell & Molecular Biology Lab. We were learning about histology and the assignment was to make slides of different types of tissue. But the problem was in order to make slides, the tissue had to be fresh. And you should have seen our faces when the Professor entered the lab carrying a cage with two big rats inside! He plopped it on the black table along with two pot-holder-type mitts and a guillotine, leaving us to slaughter the rats and harvest the tissue all by ourselves. And if it hadn’t been for the deal we made with the guys in the class, I would have certainly failed.

I’m not so good at blood and guts, at least when it comes to killing things. I can handle the sight when it involves saving a life or helping someone, but to slaughter an animal to kill it, I’m no good.

So it’s a good thing I wasn’t a Levite in the days of Moses and Joshua, because I would have failed at that too.

You see, back then, the Levites were responsible for all the law-keeping. And God made a covenant with the Israelites that was packed full of requirements—things the people had to do to be in right relationship with God. There were over 600 laws they had to keep, many of which involved sacrificing animals.

I know, it sounds gross … I would agree! But it’s important for us to understand why God had them do it so we can fully appreciate His entire plan.

Back in Genesis, when Adam and Eve sinned, man died spiritually and separated himself from a direct relationship with God. But God didn’t give up, He initiated a plan and decided to pursue one group of people, the Israelites, and make them His own. And it is through them, He wanted to bless all the people of the world.

The problem was His people were lame! They struggled to obey God and follow the laws of the covenant (which wasn’t surprising because there were so many) but honestly they blew it on some of the most simple points!

They would follow the law for awhile and then they’d get lax and worship other gods. And they vascillated in their faithfulness for years. So God sent prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah (and many others) to prophesy about the future–to warn the Israelites of what would happen to them if they didn’t turn from their evil ways. But over time, they refused to listen.

So the people’s disobedience made them guilty in the sight of God. And that guilt just remained and couldn’t be removed. So God set up a means to teach the Israelites about the importance of obedience by having them sacrifice an animal, one which was free of defect–one that represented something pure and innocent – exactly what God wanted them to be.

And even though it was the people who deserved punishment for their sin, they sacrificed an innocent animal on their own behalf, which provided a means for the forgiveness of their sin. The blood of the animal didn’t remove their guilt, but covered it, and served as a symbol setting the stage for the moment in time when God would provide the final sacrifice—the one whose blood would permanently cover our sin once and for all time … His Son, Jesus.

And Jesus came. And in Matthew 5, as He sat on that mountain, He told His disciples…

Matthew 5:17-18 (ESV)

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I say to you, unless heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot shall pass from the law until all is accomplished.

And you know what?

He did it. He accomplished it all.

Jesus verified and fulfilled the Law and the Prophets. And as followers of Christ today, we’ve been released from the Law of the Old Covenant.

And a New Covenant has come–a covenant of the Spirit of life, not of the law of the flesh.

Jesus came to write His law on the tablets of our human hearts–on our spirits, instead of on tablets of stone (like the ones on which Moses wrote the law). And this is good news … we no longer have to sacrifice animals in order to have a right relationship with God!

Because of God’s great love for us, because of the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross, because of His resurrection and His judgment which destroyed the temple … because Jesus did all He said He would do, when He said He would…

A New Covenant has come.

We have eternal life.

We are free.

No longer are we clothed through the process of obeying the letter of the law. Instead, we stand clothed in the righteousness of Christ, forever reconciled with God, because through Christ, all has been accomplished.

And as a challenged-animal-sacrificer, I’m so thankful for that!

How has the accomplishment of Christ changed you?

From what have you been set free?

Continuing on in memorizing the Sermon on the Mount, with Ann and this community. Join us?

This week on to Matthew 5:19-20 (ESV)…

{WEEK 9}

Matthew 5:19-20 (ESV)

Therefore, whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

t w r o o t l o t c a t o t d t s w b c l i t k o h b w d t a t t w b c g i t k o h f i t y u y r e t o t s a p y w n e t k o h

Other posts in this series:

~For When You Want to Know How to Really Teach {Week 1}

~For When You Need to Quit Performing to Earn God’s Love and Blessing {Week 2}

~When You Long to be Satisfied and Supremely Happy {Week 3}

~For When Memorizing is Intimidating and Change is a Challenge {Week 4}

~For When You Don’t Fit in and You’re Not Feeling Accepted {Week 5}

Continuing on, in the counting of One Thousand Gifts {#1446-1465} with Ann and this community, and the Joy Dare of 2012…with May’s printable.

#1446 Children running and playing on a warm evening

#1447 Breathtaking clouds in the sky

#1448 A Friday afternoon run with the wind and the view

#1449 Online friends who mean so much to me

#1450 A job I love that is so meaningful to me

#1451 The near-end of my first homeschooling year

#1452 A brave 4 yr old who got her “fighter-warriors” (vaccinations) for school

#1453 Beginning to teach my youngest to read

#1454 Evening little league games with family

#1455 Help with laundry

#1456 Having a mentor

#1457 An answer to an earnest prayer

#1458 My good morning girls emails

#1459 Reading my Bible every day…today #650 and counting…

#1460 The anticipation of She Speaks

#1461 Chewing on the Sermon on the Mount every day

#1462 Reciting with my 2nd & 4th grader…us all memorizing together

#1463 Podcasts helping me know lemonade and that I’m not going “nuts”

#1464 The gift of eternal life and the fact that all is accomplished

#1465 How I’m clothed by the righteousness of Christ, by His Grace…because Mercy Found Me…

Linking with:

*Photo Credit: Nottingham Vet School, flickr creative commons

Filed Under: Bible Memorization, Faith, Gratitude, Inspirational, One Thousand Gifts, Sermon on the Mount Tagged With: grateful, hope, Matthew, One Thousand Gifts, paid it all, thanks

We ARE the Light of the World :: Sermon on the Mount {Week 7}

May 21, 2012 by Jacque 16 Comments

Matthew 5:19-20 (ESV)

Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

When I was nine, I was afraid of the dark. I can remember the closet in my bedroom…how it had sliding doors, and how I would walk over and shut them tightly before turning off the light. In fact I had a bedside lamp and I would turn that on first. Then I would inspect the inside of my closet thoroughly and check around the room and underneath the bed. Then I’d turn off the overhead light, get in my covers, and only then, after getting all situated, when all was clear, would I turn off the light.

It’s hard to explain the irrationality of a child’s fear, but I can assure you it was real. And I have become more sympathetic to others who have that fear, especially my own children.

But one thing I did know, even at 9 years old, was that light dispels darkness. As soon as I turned the light on, the darkness would leave, and everything became clear. I could see. I could find the things I was looking for and confirm the absence of the things I was afraid of, and what a comfort it was to have light.

John 8:12 (ESV)

Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

When Jesus came to this earth, He was the light of the world. And He said if we follow Him, we will have the light. As representatives of Him we become the light of the world as we actively live out our faith and follow in His example. We become like a city situated on a hill, light that cannot be hidden. Our very presence brings hope and a chance for others to see goodness and notice love … a love they may have been longing for but hadn’t been able to see.

The love of Christ and the light of His truth shine through us and their rays penetrate out into the world.

And Jesus says, let your light shine!

Don’t be ashamed.

Don’t be intimidated.

Don’t cover your light to avoid others discovering it.

Let it shine.

Let it penetrate and dispel the darkness around you.

Let them see your good works.

Let them see how you love even when you’re treated unfairly.

How you’re kind and generous in situations of favoritism and injustice.

How you’re patient and self-controlled in the midst of irritation and inefficiency.

It is our choices that will ultimately be an example of Christ to the world and ultimately bring glory to God. And as our very lives reflect His light, He is glorified through us.

We live to bring Him glory.

This week may you be the light, reflecting that light to others, and bringing glory to God in the process.

We ARE the light of the world, to the glory of God the Father!

Every secret, every shame, Every fear, every pain

Live inside the dark, But that’s not who we are,

We are children of the day

So wake up sleeper, lift your head

We were meant for more than this

Fight the shadows conquer death

Make the most of the time we have left

We are the light of the world

We are the city on a hill

We are the light of the world

We gotta, we gotta, we gotta let the light shine

We are called to spread the news

Tell the world the simple truth

Jesus came to save, there’s freedom in His Name

So let it all break through

We are the light of the world

We are the city on a hill

We are the light of the world

We gotta, we gotta, we gotta let the light shine

We are the light of the world

We are the city on a hill

We are the light of the world

We gotta, we gotta, we gotta let the light shine

Bridge:

We are the light

we are the light

we are the light

So let your light shine brighter.

We are the light

we are the light

we are the light

Continuing on in memorizing the Sermon on the Mount, with Ann and this community. Join us?

This week on to Matthew 5:17-18 (ESV)…

{WEEK 8}

Matthew 5:17-18 (ESV)

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

d n t t i h c t a t l o t p i h n c t a t b t f t f t i s t y u h a e p a n a i n a d w p f t l u a i a

Other posts in this series:

~For When You Want to Know How to Really Teach {Week 1}

~For When You Need to Quit Performing to Earn God’s Love and Blessing {Week 2}

~When You Long to be Satisfied and Supremely Happy {Week 3}

~For When Memorizing is Intimidating and Change is a Challenge {Week 4}

~For When You Don’t Fit in and You’re Not Feeling Accepted {Week 5}

Filed Under: Faith, Inspirational, Sermon on the Mount Tagged With: character, hope, Matthew

Because You Are Meant to BE the Flavor :: Sermon on the Mount {Week 6}

May 16, 2012 by Jacque 10 Comments

Matthew 5:13-14 (ESV)

You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.

There’s almost nothing better than food full of flavor … like pizza loaded with savory sauce and chunks of melted cheese, or a full plate of Mexican food, complete with rice, refried beans, guacamole, salsa and chips.

Yet those same foods can be unappealing altogether if the salt is omitted. They remain bland and aren’t very delicious at all. Salt, even in minute amounts, can turn an otherwise unappealing food into one that is irresistible.

But salt actually has many roles besides simply adding seasoning to otherwise tasteless foods…

Salt cuts the bitterness in foods.

It is used as a preservative in the curing of meats and fish.

It acts as an anti-microbial, preventing microbial activity by restricting the free water available to the microorganisms.

It is used to enhance the natural flavors that are already present in food.

It intensifies the underlying sweetness of foods like caramel, taffy, watermelon, or other desserts.

It relaxes the texture of foods, making them more palatable and adding to the ease of swallowing.

It toughens wheat gluten to make dough less sticky and more manageable.

And it decreases the fermentation rate of yeast, preventing sourness and poor texture in bread.

And as followers of Christ, Jesus says WE are the salt of the entire earth.

We take an otherwise bland world and make it full of flavor.

We cut through the bitterness and preserve and protect that which is right.

We fight against the deterioration and decay of our world by being representatives of Him, making the world a more delicious and palatable planet.

We enhance the goodness that is already growing, and we make what is sweet, even sweeter, by the displaying the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.

And we make the world more manageable and the texture of life more smooth, by being a giving and loving people–reflecting Christ to all who are near.

Yet if we lose our tastiness, we are rendered ineffective and useless.

In the days of Jesus, there was unrefined earth-salt that was used for flavoring and preservation. And when the salt portion of the earth-salt was used up, the resulting substance was a limestone powder that was thrown out as waste–thrown out into the streets where people would trample it under their feet. It was a leftover part that was not capable of flavoring or preserving anything, and therefore no longer of any use to anyone.

And if we lose the flavor of Christ, we are not rejected by Him, but become like that useless leftover limestone … ineffective because of our failure to reflect Him to those around us.

What a privilege to be called the salt of the earth. And as salt, what varied influences we have as we follow hard after Jesus–as we desire to become more like Him. And what an honor to impact the world in so many ways by all He empowers us to do.

May we in our everyday interactions bring more flavor and goodness to those around us. And may we all press in close to follow after Him, becoming more like Him each and every day, that He may be glorified in us!

Continuing on in memorizing the Sermon on the Mount, with Ann and this community. Join us?

This week on to Matthew 5:15-16 (ESV)…

{WEEK 7}

Matthew 5:15-16 (ESV)

Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

n d p l a l a p i u a b b o a s a i g l t a i t h i t s w l y l s b o s t t m s y g w a g g t y f w i i h

Other posts in this series: