Christmas Greetings to All of Good Will
Recently, while re-reading Christ's Sermon on the Mount in
Matthew 5, I was struck by the simplicity of it. Each of His admonitions were
simple, but profound and if followed would transform any society into a
prosperous and free one. Here are the main points:
- Blessed are the poor in spirit - for there's is
the kingdom of heaven.
The poor in spirit according to Strong's concordance, are those destitute of
wealth, learning, and intellectual culture which schools afford. This does not
mean learning is wrong but, that reliance on it instead of on God is wrong. In
today's society this could be described as liberal humanism which causes us to
rely on man rather than on God. If today's churches were teaching this
principle there would be more God reliance and less reliance on government
hand-out programs. They would be teaching that there is nothing wrong with
being poor but, there is something wrong about laziness. After all, the Bible
teaches "if a man not work, let him not eat."
- Blessed are those who mourn - for they shall be
comforted.
This is not describing 'crybabies' but rather those who see the wickedness and
decay of society around them and care enough to intercede and pray to God for
help. As 2 Peter 2.7 records, God "delivered righteous Lot, who was
oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked." As Ezekiel reveals, God
looks for those who will stand in the gap and pray for a nation so, He will
not have to destroy it because of its wickedness. Abortion of innocent life,
homosexual life styles, intentional lying by government leaders, and denying
the Almighty God of the Bible His rightful credit for the success of this
nation are all wickedness that will bring His judgment on this nation. Yet,
the ACLU and liberal cadre of political electrets and appointees not only do
these things but, openly glory in them!
- Blessed are the meek - for they shall inherit
the earth.
The word translated as meek is the same Greek word that is most often
translated as pray. In other words, the 'meek' are those who
wholeheartedly rely on God rather than their own strength to defend against
injustice. They are not 'milksops'. Consider Moses, who was called the meekest
man of all. At the well of Midian he drove away the Amalakites who were
bullying their way to the head of the line. When the situation called for it,
he and God took up the staff! Or consider David, a mere boy, who confronted
Goliath in the Name of the Lord.
Today, those driven by an anti-Christ spirit, such as the atheistic ACLU,
Hollywood liberals, and false religions would not be having the success they
are having in suppressing Christianity if Christians had the kind of meekness
Moses and David had to stand against wicked oppression.
- Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for
righteousness - for they shall be filled.
Righteousness means 'right standing with God.' Scripture is full of
teaching on how to please God. But, it is not enough to know what God wants,
we must also do it. As Samuel told King Saul, "Obedience is better than
sacrifice." Following the paths of righteousness has great rewards for
individuals and for nations. Consider the following:
- it delivers from death - Proverbs 10:2
- it exalts a nation - Proverbs 14:34
- it will bring peace and assurance - Isaiah 32:17
- it will be as a breastplate (in other words, military
protection) - Isaiah 59:17
- the Lord will be our righteousness - Jeremiah 23:6
- faithfulness to God will be accounted to us as
righteousness - Romans 4:22
- Jesus bore our sins so that we could become righteous in
Him - 2 Cor. 5:21
- it is our armor - Ephesians 6:14
How much our nation would be blessed if its leaders were hungering and
thirsting after righteousness! It is to our great detriment if we vote only
for Republican, Democrat, or Independent candidates. Rather, we should vote
for those seek righteousness.
- Blessed are those who are merciful - for they
shall obtain mercy.
True mercy extends a helping hand that offers salvation. It does not overlook
sin, but it offers a way out of sin. This is why Scripture declares that mercy
triumphs over judgment. We are to judge between right and wrong,
between good and evil, but we are not to condemn, that is God's job.
Can a person in politics today be merciful? Not if the current political
climate is the standard. Today, it seems that the goal is to burry your
opponent, even with lies and half-truths, if necessary. Where are the leaders
who can fairly evaluate the problems and come up with plans to remedy them
without all the casting of blame on the previous administration? Where are the
leaders who can seek and speak the truth, rather than descend to the level of
buying votes with favors or accumulating power to themselves.
- Blessed are the pure in heart - for they shall
see God.
The pure in heart are those who do not act with guile (craftiness or deceit).
Boy, that would eliminate most of the politicians and many church leaders
today as well. The pure in heart act on behalf of what they believe. Proverbs
15:1-3 describes the 'pure in heart' : "He who walks uprightly and works
righteousness, and speaks truth in his heart."
- Blessed are the peacemakers - for they shall be
called the sons of God.
When the angels announced the birth of Jesus, they said, "Peace on earth
toward man of good will." Psalm 133:1 declares, "How good and how
pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity." Unity can be a
blessing to families, towns, and nations. But, unity is not the same as
compromise. We cannot be in unity with that which is evil. When the angels
announced peace to men of good will, they meant something different than just
'peace for the sake of peace'. Men of good will are those who follow God's
will, because He alone is good! When people like that come into unity - there
is great peace. True peacemakers are therefore those who promote the doing of
God's will.
- Blessed are those who are persecuted for
righteousness sake - for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
If one is true to the other seven beatitudes, this one will become a reality
as well. Jesus said, "If they persecute the Master, they will persecute the
servant as well." This true today all over the world as more Christians
have died for their faith than at any other time in history. Persecution, in
one form or another, is ongoing in nearly every nation. Some believers are
dying for their faith, others are being imprisoned, some are discriminated
against in their employment, and some have their freedom of speech curtailed
when they talk about Jesus. Under the hypocritical guise of 'hate speech',
Christians can no longer speak what the Bible says openly without the threat
of punishment. Even in Israel, which you would think would never persecute
religious belief, believers in Jeshua (Jesus) are threatened and even attacked
with impunity.
But, Isaiah 8:12-13 declares, "Do not be afraid of their threats nor be
troubled. The Lord of Hosts, Him you shall hallow. Let Him be your fear, and
let Him be your dread." The name Lord of Hosts is a reference to the
armies of heaven, whom the Lord leads. He is coming and all who persecute
believers will be made to answer for their crimes. That is the hope of
Isaiah's word. Jesus taught the persecuted for righteousness sake are in good
company because, so they persecuted the prophets. He said we are the salt of
the earth but, we must realize that salt on an open wound stings. Sin is like
an open, festering wound and while salt will purify, it stings. Some will
react with persecution rather than be cleansed. Jesus also taught that we are
the light of the world, but, we must know that light exposes the hidden things
of the darkness. To those who want freedom from sin, they will rejoice in
light. But, some like their hidden sins and they will react with persecution.
We will overcome and silence the persecutors by our good works. Good works are
the ones that God directs us to do. In Revelation 12:11 we are told we will "overcome
him (the antichrist) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our
testimony, and we don't love our lives to the death." In other words, we
overcome Satan by the word of our mouth giving testimony to what we have in
the blood of the Lamb!
Our nation is in trouble. The reason is we have rejected
the common sense teachings that Jesus gave us in the Sermon on the Mount. Our
personal lives and our national life can be placed back on a hopeful track only
by repenting and following these teachings. Any person, business, political
party, or church that neglects them, neglects them to his or her own hurt. This
last election much was made out of the words Hope and Change. But, I can tell
you that the only hope is in Jesus Christ and the only change that will bring
true freedom is change back to His principles.
Pastor Charles Cooley