LIKE OUR KING: ‘Be’ Attitudes

          LIKE OUR KING by David Guzik    EnduringWord.com
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.“ vs. 5:9.

The Beatitudes begin the famous Sermon on the Mount recorded in the Gospel of Matthew. These 8 statements of blessing describe for us the character of true citizens of the Kingdom Jesus preached – the Kingdom of His reign.

So far we have seen that when Jesus is King in our life there will be:

– Poverty of spirit, recognizing our need for God vs. 5:3

– Mourning over our sinful condition and that of this lost world vs. 5:4

– A meek, gentle attitude that trusts God more than self vs. 5:5

– Hunger and thirst after righteousness, both received from God and 

  seen in our life vs. 5:6

– Mercy to others, remembering mercy received vs. 5:7

– Purity of heart, leading to greater relationship with God vs.5:8

Next Jesus announced a blessing, describing another aspect of being a citizen of His kingdom: “Blessed are the peacemakers.” 

 

This does not describe those who live in peace, but those who actually bring about peace, overcoming evil with good.  One way we accomplish this is through spreading the Good News of what Jesus did for mankind at the cross, because God has entrusted to us the ministry of reconciliation 2 Cor. 5:18.  In evangelism we make peace between people and the God whom they have rejected and offended.

 

This blessing for making peace comes after the blessing for purity.  This is the order of spiritual life:  first purity, then peace.  It isn’t making peace with sin or evil; the citizen of Jesus’ kingdom sets their face against all that goes against God and His purity.  Yet once this is received through faith, then peace grows forth. 

 

We commonly think of this peacemaking work as being the job of one person who stands between two fighting parties.  This may be one way this is fulfilled; but one can also end a conflict and be a peacemaker when they are party to a conflict; when they are the injured or the offended party.  It is the attitude that says, “I have been hurt and offended.  But I chose to forgive and forget, thereby making peace.”  This is very much consistent with the heart of God.  After all, it is the devil who stirs up trouble and hatred between men.  In contrast, God loves reconciliation and longs to make peace. 

 

Notice the reward fo rthe peacemakers:  “For they shall be called sons of God.”  Their reward is that they are recognized as true children of God.  They share His passion for peace and reconciliation, the breaking down of walls between people. 

 

Indeed, God does bless the peacemakers; though people may treat them badly, they are blessed by God.  They are blessed to be among the children of God, adopted into His family, surrounded by brothers and sisters through the ages. 

 

For the most part being a peacemaker is a thankless job, at least among men.  To take the iniative to reconcile or to bring two parties in conflict may be quite unappreciated.  Yet in Jesus’ kingdom we do this for God’s sake, not for the applause of man.  Perhaps unappreciated by man, God welcomes them as sons and daughters. 

 

If anyone knew that blessedness of the peacemaker, it was Jesus Himself.  He set Himself between two un-reconciled parties, and in doing so was afflicted by both sides.  Think of Jesus on the cross: afflicted by man, who beat Him, nailed Him there, and mocked Him; and afflicted by God the Father Himself, Who put upon Him the guilt and judgment our sin deserved.  Yet in enduring this suffering from both sides, Jesus made peace between man and God. 

 

King Jesus was the greatest peacemaker ever; no wonder that the citizens of His kingdom who also make peace shall also “be called sons of God.”  It’s worth thinking about:  Where does God want me to make peace today?  There is a blessing in it for you.

Set Free in Christ! ~ Sin Separated as Far as the East is From the West

Psalm 146:1-10

Praise the LORD.

Praise the LORD, O my soul.

I will praise the LORD all my life;

I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

Do not put your trust in princes,

in mortal men, who cannot save.

When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;

On that very day their plans come to nothing.

Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,

whose hope is in the LORD his God,

the Maker of heaven and earth,

the sea and everything in them:

the LORD, who remains faithful forever.

He upholds the cause of the oppressed

and gives food to the hungry.

The LORD sets prisoners free,

the LORD gives sight to the blind,

the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down,

the LORD loves the righteous.

The LORD watches over the alien

and sustains the fatherless and the widow,

but He frustrates the ways of the wicked.

The LORD reigns forever,

your God, O Zion, for all generations.

Praise the LORD.

Psalm 103:12

“As far as the east is from the west,

so far has He [Christ Jesus, our Savior and Lord] removed our transgressions from us.”

How Can i Keep my Way Pure? – Psalm 119:9-16

Psalm 119:9-16

“How can a young man keep his way pure? 

By living according to Your Word.

I seek You with all my heart,

do not let me stray from Your commands.

I have hidden Your Word in my heart

that I might NOT SIN  AGAINST YOU.

Praise be to You, O LORD;

Teach me Your decrees.

With my lips I recount all the laws

that come from Your mouth.

I rejoice in following Your statutes

as one rejoices in great riches.

I meditate on Your precepts

and consider Your ways.

I delight in Your decrees;

I will not neglect Your Word.”

 

The Shame of Sexual Sin and How To Be Set Free

http://www.settingcaptivesfree.com/course/

 

The way of Purity – How to break away from pornography

 

Setting Captives Free offers ‘The Way of Purity’ course – a 60-Day interactive course that will teach you to enjoy a newfound relationship with the Lord and how to find freedom from sexual impurity.  It is possible, and you can learn how.

 

Setting Captives Free is a non-denominational ministry which teaches the biblical principles of freedom in Jesus Christ. Founder and President, Mike Cleveland, was captive to habitual sins for many years. He finally began to seek help and learned the Biblical solution to his sin problem: repentance, forgiveness, and the newness of life that comes through the gospel. In January, 1999, Mike found forgiveness of sins in Jesus Christ and God changed his heart. Since that time, he has been completely free from all forms of habitual sin, by God’s grace.

 

The following year after Mike found freedom, he wrote an interactive course to teach the biblical principles of freedom in Christ. He placed the course on the Internet, and more than 800 people visited the website that first day.

Since that time, God has brought many men and women to freedom and victory through the gospel of Jesus Christ and the truth of Scripture. A mentorship program was developed to teach these freed captives how to help free other captives, by God’s grace. Focus Publishing soon began publishing the material in book format.

In the years to follow, many miracles of grace have been recounted, for God has been at work giving grace to those in the grip of sin, turning them from sin and to Christ. To date, nearly a quarter of a million people have gone through the biblical material either online or in book form. God continues to purify His church and free captives, to bring honor and glory to Himself.

 

Mike is pastor of preaching and vision at Ohio Valley Church. He is also an airline pilot with Continental Airlines and he and his wife, Jody, have six children. Mike has written seven books, is the speaker on “Setting Captives Free Radio,” and is currently working on the “Olford Fellowship Program” at the Stephen Olford Center for Expository Preaching.

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; Isaiah 61:1

SCRIPTURES OF ENCOURAGEMENT:

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.  And God is faithful: He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.    1 Corinthians 10:13

 

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him. When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.”  For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempted anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away an enticed.  Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.  Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers.  James 1:12-16

 

TEMPTATION:

Satan wants to undermine our faith by using various deceptive schemes to entice us to sin, sowing within us the seeds of doubt, unbelief and rebellion.  Tow of his very powerful temptations were those of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, in which he achieved his purposes, and of Jesus in the wilderness, in which he failed.  These two instances who that Satan’s favorite device is to tamper with the word of God. The Bible encourages Christians to stand firm in the faith and to watch out for temptation. God promises to help us resist temptation, and He assures us that He will not allow temptation beyond what we can endure.  As our compassionate and sympathetic High Priest, Jesus, who has experienced human temptation, is ready to bring our prayers for strength in times of temptation before the Father.   Temptation must not be confused with God’s testing of our faith as a way of strengthening it, for God never entices us to sin against Him.

 

TESTING:

While Satan attempts to undermine our faith and entice us to sin, God at times tests our faith to strengthen it.  The Bible cites various examples of such testing.  This testing may, and often does, involve pain and suffering, but God wants us to reach out to Him and trust that His working for our good. As comparisons of 2 Daniel 24:1 with 1 Chronicles 21:1 and Job 1:6-12 and Job 23:10 indicate, it is often difficult to tell whether the trials we experience are from Satan.  Be that as it may, the Bible makes it plain that Satan and evil are under the control of God.

 

God tests our faith: Genesis 22:1,12 – Abraham with obedience to God by the offering of his precious son Isaac to God on the altar – to show that he feared God.

 

Deuteronomy 8:1-2 God tested the Israelites and told them, “Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land that the LORD promised on oath to your forefathers.  Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commands.”

 

GOD IS IN CONTROL OF EVIL:

Genesis 50:20 – Joseph forgives his brothers who sold him into slavery – “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

 

Calvary Chapel Pastor Brian Broderson – 2 Corinthians 2:10-11 on Spiritual Warfare

The work and ministry of sermonindex can be encapsulated in this one word: REVIVAL. sermonindex is not a organisation, business, or any attempt by man to build something for God. It is rather a expression of a heart burden to see the Church revived and brought back to holiness, purity, and power with God. “The mission of SermonIndex is the preservation and propogation of classical vintage preaching and the promotion of genuine biblical revival to this generation.” To download more sermons visit SermonIndex at: http://www.sermonindex.net

Preaching the Truth (Brian Broderson)- Repent of Your Sin And Turn to God

Charlo Broderson – “In The Shadow Of Your Wings”

 

The Battle Belongs To The LORD! ~ Rejoice In The LORD! ~ Spiritual Warfare