Matthew Chapter 5 verses 1-16
Posted on July 23rd, 2007 by Reformed Pope into the Reading Matthew categoryMatthew 5:1-12 - The Beatitudes
I've already blogged about The Beatitudes (one of my personal favorites), but I want to take another look…what does Jesus actually say here? Lets make a list.
Blessed Are:
…the Poor in Spirit
…those who Mourn
…the Meek
…those who Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness
…the Merciful
…the Pure in Heart
…the Peacemakers
…those who are Persecuted because of Righteousness
…you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me
It doesn't sound like Jesus is promoting a Prosperous Life here…It's NOT a sermon titled "9 ways to your best life now"…instead it says, blessed are "the poor in Spirit" (In contrast to the spiritually proud and self-sufficient), blessed are those who Mourn and are Meek. I would say this scripture teaches the exact opposite of those Prosperity Teachers we so dislike here at City Business Church.
Mathew 5:13-16 - Salt & Light
"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men."
That's fairly harsh, and I'm not exactly sure what it means by "if the salt loses its saltiness", but if by chance it means "stops preaching the Gospel and starts teaching prosperity" then I'd say this website is on to something.
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden"
I do believe City Bible Church uses this scripture to talk about their Rocky Butte campus…a city set on a hill. Of course, based on the fact they recently removed ¼ of all the seats and brought in dividers to "make the sanctuary appear more full", I'd say they may not be hidden but they certainly aren't all that visible. Anyway, You (we) are the light of the world…
"let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."
This scripture seems to go against the "not letting your left hand know what your right is doing"…but if we combine the "let your light shine before all men" with "The Beatitudes" we get a picture of someone doing good deeds but not in a proud, self serving way. That sounds good to me.
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July 23rd, 2007 at 10:47 am
Amen to this post. I think you bring up the reason why they don’t preach too many sermons just about Jesus and what He said, they just pick and choose the scriptures He said that appear to support their prosperity claims.
I think it is called “another gospel”…it has lost its saltiness and picked up a lot of sugar.
July 23rd, 2007 at 5:26 pm
Good post. I must confess, I wept for hours a few weeks back after reading “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.” I couldn’t shake the sense that I have lost my saltiness in that I do not live differently than sinners in many respects (career-oriented, materialistic, often a poor steward of the time/money/talents the Lord gives me, etc.), and am good for nothing now. I panicked about what this verse says and the prospect that the Lord couldn’t restore saltiness to my life. I even doubted my own salvation. The emotion of a few weeks back has faded, and I KNOW that my salvation is secure because of my faith in Christ’s work on the cross, but I still yearn for saltiness, to exude that “thing” that people crave (Christ, of course). I’m sick of myself and my absorption in things other than the Gospel and in people other than Christ. I need the Lord to restore the saltiness to my life, and I believe he can (though still fear that he won’t given this verse in Matthew).
I agree that most churches, especially CBC, do not emphasize the character traits and behavior that Jesus calls “blessed” in His Semon on the Mount. I confess that I need to emphasize this in my own life. I definitely cannot throw a stone on this one.
July 23rd, 2007 at 9:26 pm
Matthew 5 & 6 are dear to me. When the Holy Spirit began to open my eyes, I spent a lot of time going over them. I was astounded by how revolutionary His words are! I decided to list out what He said to do, and what He said not to do, and begin to put it into practice. In Matthew 5 alone, Christ uses “I say to you” 10 times. I have never heard a sermon/teaching on these, and it doesn’t suprise me! I should never have taken an oath pledging obedience to eldership, or ‘faith pledges’ about money I would give…see Matt. 5:34-37. My so called leaders led me to disobey Christ!
The Lord’s prayer in Matthew 6/Luke 11 is the only place in the scripture where God Himself teaches us how to pray. It is almost certain to me that this was at least part of what was prayed in the upper room in Acts 2. It isn’t called the “Prayer of Fire” for nothing! Again, however I cannot recall hearing any teaching on this whatsoever in PBC or CBC. In fact, SPFD’s latest series devotes 2 sermons to prayer….and leaves this central teaching of Christ out completely!
Anyway RP, keep reading, I’m listening!
July 24th, 2007 at 2:07 am
(whatHEsaid said: “Anyway RP, keep reading, I’m listening!
“)
Me too. I enjoy reading Pope’s take on Scripture.
joe
July 24th, 2007 at 7:12 am
I’m with you guys. Loving these thoughts and the threads they create. Good food for the soul!
Free_Indeed: very touching. Thanks for sharing. I feel (or have felt) much of that same pain. Keep up the fight. We’ll get there!
July 26th, 2007 at 4:06 am
Reformed Pope –
As is my sometime habit, I was reading back through various posts made by different individuals with whom I am currently having discussions, in order to get a feel from where they are coming, to perhaps find out what’s going on inside of them, and to attempt to understand their point of view, past hurts, etc., so I, hopefully, can better relate to them.
In the midst of doing that, it occurred to me that in one of my first comments from a coupla months ago — a response under the post “Seminary/Scheminary”— I made a reply to you, Pope, which, at the time, was not meant to come out sounding arrogant, but which I nevertheless succeeding in doing. I think you were merely trying to raise some hypothetical questions, and the way I responded, I have to admit, sounded pretty much like a condescending, over-educated, pompous arse
In re-reading what I had said, I had to laugh at my own self-important tone — sheesh!
In reading the various things you have to say, I am becoming more familiar with your wit, which I suppose, I was mistaking for something else at that time. Sometimes, I get so into what I am writing, and my mind is moving so fast, that I forget the way it will all sound when it comes out. I do wish we had the ability on this blog to somehow edit our posts/comments
Anyway, I would like to apologize to you for that, and on the chance I even may have offended you (which I hope I didn’t, and that you just shined it on), to ask your forgiveness.
Thanks, and blessings to you JohnPaul.
joebib
P.S. I am enjoying these comments on Matthew. Please do continue with your take on what the Lord is saying to you.
July 26th, 2007 at 1:39 pm
Thanks for the thoughts. It takes a bit more than that to offend me, so carry on.
July 26th, 2007 at 2:31 pm
That’s what I’ve always imagined it to be. Someone doing good deeds, but not out of a desire to be praised by other people, but in meekness and love for their neighbor. Like the story of the Good Samaritan. He took care of that guy even though he’d never met him and there was a good chance he wouldn’t see him again, yet he still held him in just as high of regard as he would his own brother. I’m no electrician, but that sounds like someone’s light shining via their good deeds.
July 29th, 2007 at 8:35 pm
I thought you all might enjoy this website: http://www.spreadshirt.com/shop.php?sid=121777
July 30th, 2007 at 3:28 pm
Loved it!
$50 to the first person with the cojones to wear the “Pimp My Christianity” one on a Sunday morning service at CBC.
Another $50 if you sit in the first row.
Bonus: Additional $100 if you’re asked to take it off (proof, of course, will be required).
joe
P.S. So, what kind of deal do you think I can get if I order one of each?
July 31st, 2007 at 7:56 pm
Anyone remember sitting at CBC when Frank and the elders so proudly showed a video clip of them standing in front of Mayor Katz giving her (the City of Portland) a gift to the homeless/poor? Parading this in front of us and having us all clap for the money that came in and for the gift that the church gave to the city. That scripture about not letting your right hand know what your left hand has done - came to my husband and I right at the same time, we looked at eachother and said in disgust “how embarrassing that is, don’t they know how this looks?” And to make matters worse, it was only about $5,000, from CBC and other churches in the city. Mayor Katz was not impressed….
August 7th, 2007 at 10:22 am
Where is written, pray in closet? supposed to be part of Mathew
August 8th, 2007 at 12:15 am
Matthew 6:6, KJV