Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
- Matthew 5:3-4
The theme of the Sermon on the Mount is “kingdom living.” In this great sermon, preached by Jesus Christ Himself, we are taught what it looks like to be a child of God, a kingdom dweller. Jesus begins this powerful sermon with a list of blessings, the beatitudes, which describes and honors those who are citizens of His Kingdom.
The first two beatitudes reveal the attitude of a kingdom dweller’s heart: “blessed are the poor in spirit,” and “blessed are those who mourn.” The kingdom dweller recognizes his position before the Righteous King. He humbly understands his unworthiness to stand before a holy God due to his sinful condition. Pride has been stripped away and he is totally dependent on the righteousness of God and not of himself; he is poor in spirit.
Next, the kingdom dweller is broken and contrite over his sin. Sin is not taken lightly, but instead the true believer grieves over his offense to the God Who created him and redeemed him through the sacrifice of His Son. He mourns because of his sin.
The heart that is poor and spirit and that mourns over sin is the one acceptable to God as the psalmist explains, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise” (Ps 51:17). This is the attitude that best describes a true child of God. We must then ask ourselves, “What is my attitude before a Righteous God?” and “What is my attitude toward my sin?” These attitudes may very well reveal our citizenship.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
High Places
1 Kings 22:43 And he walked in all the ways of his father Asa. He did not turn aside from them, doing what was right in the eyes of the Lord. Nevertheless the high places were not taken away, for the people offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places. NKJV
The spiritual valuation of every king of Judah in the post David era includes reference of whether the high places were removed or not. The question did not end with whether the king of Judah did right in the eyes of the Lord or evil, but also whether or not he removed the high places.
High places were historically elevated areas where worshippers would erect idols and build altars to worship their gods. It was Solomon whose heart was turned from Jehovah by his pagan wives and as a result built up the high places in Judah for the worship of their pagan gods . Every king thereafter would be judged by what he did with the high places. Even kings such as Jehoshaphat whom the LORD admittedly said did what was right in His eyes but yet also said about him, “Nevertheless the high places were not taken away, for the people offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places. 1 Kings 22:43 NKJV. All kings that followed Solomon, whether they did right in the eyes of the Lord or evil kept the high places until Hezekiah.
Why was this so important to the LORD? One cannot fully serve the LORD until all the high places are removed out of his/her life. Not only must the idols be destroyed but the very places where the idols are kept must be removed to avoid any temptation to return. Sadly, most Christians filling our churches today are like Jehoshaphat. They love the Lord and seek to do what is right. They are not evil, but they have not removed all the high places and thus have robbed themselves of the full blessings of Christ
The spiritual valuation of every king of Judah in the post David era includes reference of whether the high places were removed or not. The question did not end with whether the king of Judah did right in the eyes of the Lord or evil, but also whether or not he removed the high places.
High places were historically elevated areas where worshippers would erect idols and build altars to worship their gods. It was Solomon whose heart was turned from Jehovah by his pagan wives and as a result built up the high places in Judah for the worship of their pagan gods . Every king thereafter would be judged by what he did with the high places. Even kings such as Jehoshaphat whom the LORD admittedly said did what was right in His eyes but yet also said about him, “Nevertheless the high places were not taken away, for the people offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places. 1 Kings 22:43 NKJV. All kings that followed Solomon, whether they did right in the eyes of the Lord or evil kept the high places until Hezekiah.
Why was this so important to the LORD? One cannot fully serve the LORD until all the high places are removed out of his/her life. Not only must the idols be destroyed but the very places where the idols are kept must be removed to avoid any temptation to return. Sadly, most Christians filling our churches today are like Jehoshaphat. They love the Lord and seek to do what is right. They are not evil, but they have not removed all the high places and thus have robbed themselves of the full blessings of Christ
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