December 14, 2023
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in our Advent readings from “The Life of Jesus”? Here’s today’s reading:
Day 14 in the Book: “The Life of Jesus“
The Year of Popularity
Read Sections 3.17 through 3.20 (pages 43-44)
This book is an account of Jesus’ life and teachings told through in chronological order from the four Gospels to create one continuous story.
*If you do not have a copy of the book please contact the church at (401)667-0775 and we can get you a copy.
I have always loved the salt and light analogy Jesus used in His sermon. Salt was something so essential and important to the people and a good example that we can still see today. Salt preserves and adds flavor and He was showing people their role in this life. To prevent moral decay and to bring the Gospel good news into the lives of everyone they meet.
In the same way light is so important for us to see clearly just further reinforcing our need to help others find their way to Jesus! Such simple items that we may take for granted but so important!
3:17 – Great comments, Kelly! I love how Jesus makes it clear that as Christians we are to be out there in world, doing good works…but that in doing these works, which we know God prepared beforehand that we would walk in them…Jesus says that the world will see our good works and glorify our Father who is in heaven! In a world so focused on getting credit or being noticed or gaining influence…Jesus says obey me and the world will notice, and God will be glorified in that!
3:18 – Hearing “unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” must have come as a shock to many of the people listening to Jesus here. But, as we will see later in Matthew…the righteousness of the Pharisees was not righteousness at all, because their hearts were wrong. Jesus makes it clear that it is the one who obeys his commandments that loves Him, so we know that obedience is important…but we also know that we cannot hope to be righteous enough on our own to ever enter the kingdom of heaven. That is why “for our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Cor 5:21) It is God’s righteousness that we need in order to be reconciled to Him…and we only receive that through the gift of our faith in Jesus Christ!
3:19/20 – Jesus continues to elevate the standard here, getting to the heart of the issue. Both in murder and in adultery, Jesus makes it clear that it is our hearts that condemn us, for sin starts in the heart…not necessarily only the actual, outward action. As we say back on Day 7, Jesus knows what is in man, and He knows that while we may refrain from outward expressions of sin, our hearts can be full of corruption and secret sins that creates a distance and separation from God. He encourages us here to get radical about sin in our lives, taking extreme action to the point of gouging out our eye or cutting off our hand! Does He mean for us to actually do this? I do not think so…but He is using very challenging language and imagery to drive home the point that as His followers, we need to be serious about our sin and take action to be free from it! But He does not leave us alone to do this on our own…He sends us the Helper, indeed the Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit, to live in us, dwell with us, and give us access to the divine nature! Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus and the Father come and make their home with us…how amazing is that? And we know that if we walk by the Spirit, we will not gratify the desires of the flesh…but we must walk together! “Confess your sins to one another so that you may pray for one another and be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” (James 5:16) Jesus has made us righteous, and has given us His very Spirit to dwell with us…God is so good and merciful!
Advent Day 14
The Life of Jesus 3.17-3.20; 1 Chronicles 10-16
What a great picture salt and light are to describe the effect we should have on the world. Even for us to recognize that others should be positively impacted by our presence in their lives is important to remember. Our lives should be seen as valuable, enlightening and convicting which is sometimes a hard balance to strike. It will certainly mean being in the world but not of it, and living by the Word and the Spirit are essential. So much of that too will be how we deal with anger and lust. As we control our passions and find their appropriate expression and not have them spill over into other areas, we will be salt and light to people who find little control over them. And yes Sean, we do not literally gouge out eyes or sever hands, but what a shocking and graphic way for Jesus to express what it takes to overcome such things. If we are ever to be the salt and light we must take seriously the power of sin that corrupts our effect. To be crucified with Christ and then have the privilege of having Him live His life through us is the key….and talk about another graphic way to depict the nature of the sacrifice of dying to the flesh….and yet in the end, in living for God to see that it is really no sacrifice at all.
Sermon on the mount large crowds following Jesus. Once agsin the message is not about. Power. Prestige or authority. It’s all about obedience from the heart. The opposite of legalistic observance of the law that leads to pride. The largest opposition/enemy to true Christianity today. Do more harm to a church than any other disease easy today to show a light yo the world Just open a door. Let someone go before you on the road. At the airport Monday. An elderly lady in a wheelchair trying to push it herself to get in line for a flight. Over 200 people watching. I hesitated to see if any would help. Someone smiled and was so glad to help with everyone in the airport watching. No one moved but all watching. Opportunities are all around us daily. Easy to shine
Advent Day 15
Jesus wants us to be salt and light to this dying world. Special thanks to those who shared their gifts and talents tonight and also for those who served in the program. Melodye and I were still to sick to come but we listened on line. It was quite a blessing. We also had all of you in our prayers. Thanks again for being salt and light. The song It is well with my soul is one of my favorites hymns and was used to bring both Mel and myself back to the Lord after our daughter got cat fished years ago and brought us to attend Living Hope. It was like two weeks before Christmas years ago. It is also the song that we would like most at our funeral whenever that would be. Anyways thanks again for all who took part in the program tonight.
Great comments from each of you that shared your comments tonight. Well said and well thought out. Not sure what I could add but only that God wants our light to shine brightly and not be diminished. To not let the cares of this world bring us down but rather glorify God through it all. Philippians 3;10 [ That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death.] May the Lord bless.
Advent 2023 – Day 14
I believe the sermon on the mount is Jesus’ “pre-death” message to those that follow Him. He could have established His Kingdom on earth at that point, but God had plans for the whole world. When Jesus was here, he preached the law, and upped the ante – the law wasn’t just about legalistic obedience but heart obedience….faith. Even under the law, man’s relationship with God was all about faith. Each of Jesus’ teachings about the law – anger, adultery, divorce, promises, vengeance, etc. emphasize man’s inability to obey perfectly…and when He goes to the cross, He will take on all our sins and be our righteousness when we come before His throne.