Topic: Life in the Kingdom [Sunday March 20, 2016]
Text: Matthew 5:1-16
Key Verse: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
This Sermon by our Lord Jesus on a hillside near Capernaum at the start of His ministry has stood the test of time. Its spiritual profundity not only tore into shreds the legalism of the religion of His day, it also established what was dear to God’s heart.
Simply put, obedience to His rules is the corn stone of an abiding and true relationship with God. Jesus presentation contradicts the philosophy of the world which emphasises position, authority, prestige, worldliness and wealth. He asserts that real and enduring blessedness lies not in material acquisition but in self-abnegation. The kingdom of God, He says, is only for those whose preoccupation is to mourn for sin and thirst for righteousness in expectation of comfort and the arrival of the Kingdom.
His notion of joy – willing to make peace, to be merciful, to love when others hate, to help when others abuse, to give up your own rights in order to serve others means more than ephemeral happiness. The Beatitudes point to a state of rest and peace where the soul experiences a peace that “passeth all understanding. ” It is the manifestation of hope and joy, independent of outward circumstances. The sermon, the longest by our Lord, disavows the aggressive spirit that has led man into a rabid rat race in pursuit of power, position, influence and wealth in the world. This madness has plunged man into wars, conflicts, and the development of weapons of mass destruction. It is obvious then that only a resort to the demands of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount can save mankind.
The Lord urges those who have decided to follow Him and His injunctions to stick to Him and reflect the best which He has imparted to us. We must let our lives influence the world as salt makes a difference in food.
Thought for the day: True blessedness is peace with God.
Bible Reading in one Year: Deuteronomy 1-3
DCLM Daily Manna was written by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.
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