Friday, January 3, 2014

Sister Sunny Sunday Evening 12_29_13



Sister Sunny Sunday Evening 12_29_13
Mat 5:13  Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
Mat 5:14  Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
Mat 5:15  Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
Mat 5:16  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Without the saints in the world, it would be a bland, dark place.  Those that are serving God, and have the grace of God within, have a relish and a flavor to them that is not found in the world.  They brighten up their place of work and show forth the savor of the knowledge of Christ. 

2Co 2:14  Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.
2Co 2:15  For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:
2Co 2:16  To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?
2Co 2:17  For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.

We not only teach but also live the doctrines of Christ.  His doctrines are so far different from what man thinks of as important that it puts forth a distinct flavor separate from anything else in the world. 

With Christ in us there is a sincerity, a trueness, a different spirit, a newness of life, a separate flavor.  It is a sweet savor of Christ.  It is a savor of death, death to sin, death to self and ugliness, death to our own way which is selfishness.  It is a savor of life, newness of life, blessed, happy life, abundant life.

Col 4:6  Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

It is the grace of God that yields the seasoning.  It is nothing that we have in our self.  It is His divine influence upon our heart and its reflection out into our life.  It is walking in the steps of righteousness that Christ left for us to follow.

Psa 85:13  Righteousness shall go before him; and shall set us in the way of his steps.

La justice marchera devant lui, Et imprimera ses pas sur le chemin.  (Righteousness walks before Him and will imprint His steps on the path.) 

When we walk in paths of righteousness, we are walking in the steps of the Savior. 

Speaking of Wisdom which is Christ and His Word:

Pro 8:19  My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver.
Pro 8:20  I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment:
Pro 8:21  That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.

What the world holds as valuable is pleasure, covetousness (desire for possessions: he who has the most toys wins), worldly honor (esteem of people, recognition for goodness and good deeds or recognition for wealth and popularity): the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes, and the pride of life. 

Jesus came and brought a new gospel: unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the Scribes and the Pharisees you will not enter His kingdom.  The Scribes and Pharisees were concerned with making the outward clean and looking good to others but were not concerned with inward righteousness. 

Mat 5:18  For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Mat 5:19  Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 5:20  For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

This is what Jesus taught was important and this is what will give us a different savor than is in the world.   The focus of blessedness is on what will bring happiness and it is exactly opposite to what the world believes will bring happiness.

Mat 5:1  And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:
Mat 5:2  And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
Mat 5:3  Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

The poor in spirit are those that recognize that they are needy.  They need God, His help, His direction and guidance.  They are easily entreated and open to direction and correction.  We must be this way in order to be happy and ours will be the kingdom of heaven: righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.

Mat 5:4  Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

Those that mourn are blessed.  We need to recognize the needy condition of the souls about us, recognize the sorry condition that our nation is in, recognize our own needs and the importance of making heaven; recognize and be serious in heart and mind. 

Neh 2:2-5 Nehemiah was sad because of the condition of Jerusalem.  When asked by the king why his countenance was sad he said, “Why should not my countenance be sad when the place of my father’s sepulchers lies waste and the gates are consumed with fire?”

Isaiah 53:3-4 Jesus is prophesied to be a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. 

Ecc 7:2  It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart.
Ecc 7:3  Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.
Ecc 7:4  The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.
Ecc 7:5  It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.

How is the heart made better?  By considering and thinking, there is an end to every man. 

Eze 9:4-6 (paraphrase) Mark the forehead of those that sigh for the abominations done in Jerusalem.  Then slay all that don’t have the mark on their forehead. 

It shows how opposite what Jesus taught is from what the world seeks in this one fact:  Those that mourn and recognize the true condition of things are happy while those whose main purpose is to seek pleasure miss it. 

Mat 5:5  Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

Happy are the meek, the humble, those that have rule over their own spirits.

Matthew Henry - The meek are those who quietly submit themselves to God, to his word and to his rod, who follow his directions, and comply with his designs, and are gentle towards all men (Tit_3:2); who can bear provocation without being inflamed by it; are either silent, or return a soft answer; and who can show their displeasure when there is occasion for it, without being transported into any indecencies; who can be cool when others are hot; and in their patience keep possession of their own souls.  They are blessed, for they have the most comfortable, undisturbed enjoyment of themselves, their friends, their God; they are fit for any relation, and condition, any company; fit to live, and fit to die.
Mat 5:6  Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Mat 5:7  Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Mat 5:8  Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Mat 5:9  Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

Hunger and thirst after righteousness, be merciful: as our father in heaven has forgiven us so we should forgive others, the pure in heart will see God, and the peacemakers are the children of God.

Mat 5:10  Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 5:11  Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Mat 5:12  Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Jesus Himself was persecuted. 

Mat 10:24  The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.
Mat 10:25  It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?

Living this way, seeking not what the world is seeking after, but following in the steps of our savior will cause us to be the sweet savor of Christ to the saved, the sinner and to God.

2Co 2:14  Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.
2Co 2:15  For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:

We want to be a sweet savor to God, the salt of the earth, and the light of the world.  We can only do this if we are full of the grace of God and are walking in the steps of righteousness printed on the path by Jesus.   We do this by obeying His Word, and by walking in all the light that He shines on our pathway. 

2Pe 1:3  According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
2Pe 1:4  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Thank God we can be a savor of the divine nature.  It is completely different than the savor of the corruption that is in the world.  Thank God He has made us the salt of the earth that we could show forth the savor of Christ in our life and actions.


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