By His grace, what the radical life of Christ should look in an American context!

is thinking, Sarah must have been a knockout, bombshell of a woman to still be getting king’s attention at age 90! Gen 20:1-13 @WeeManWest

is just like Lot’s wife; clings to this life and turns away from God’s will; is unworthy of mercy. Gen 19:26; Luk 17:32-33 @WeeManWest

believes that Jesus is the greater Abraham, interceding for His people and all the nations which He will inherit. Gen 18:22-33 @WeeManWest

Matthew 5:1-12 Jesus lays down the law of His kingdom. The characteristics Jesus describes aren’t bound by a law, nor are they subject to a law, even the OT law. Jesus call is for His followers to be counter-cultural. In basic terms, we should have the opposite of every natural human response.

We aren’t going to be able to manufacture these responses. God’s Spirit works in us to produce them. We will have to rely and depend on God to become a part of His counter-cultural kingdom.

This passage deserves far more time devoted to it than I will devote this morning. Maybe I will return to it soon. When we understand that Christ’s point was to drive home the fact that our acceptance is a heavenly, age to come, kind of thing we will be able to submit to the injustices of this age and the unfairness of this age.

How often do we sound like children? That just isn’t fair! I agree, it’s not fair, but we must wait by faith for God to set things aright in the age to come.

Matthew 5:5 What does it mean to be meek? I found an online hebrew/greek dictionary tied to strong’s numbers and this was an additional note to its definition. I believe this note sums it up very well. See below:

Meekness toward God is that disposition of spirit in which we accept

His dealings with us as good, and therefore without disputing or

resisting. In the OT, the meek are those wholly relying on God rather

than their own strength to defend them against injustice. Thus,

meekness toward evil people means knowing God is permitting the

injuries they inflict, that He is using them to purify His elect, and

that He will deliver His elect in His time. ( Isa 41:17, Lu 18:1-8 )

Gentleness or meekness is the opposite to self-assertiveness and

self-interest. It stems from trust in God’s goodness and control over

the situation. The gentle person is not occupied with self at all.

This is a work of the Holy Spirit, not of the human will. ( Ga 5:23 )

Matthew 5:6 What do we want from this life? What are the things that drive us or have the ability to take away our happiness. The only hunger and thirst that Christ promises to satisfy is for righteousness. We tend to get so angry at God for not giving us all of our desires, yet, according to Christ, those of us who follow Him should have one motivating desire and that is for righteousness.

God alone can replace all your desire with this one desire, but you have to be willing and submissive to allow Him to do so.

Matthew 5:7 One thing I’ve notice in Scripture is that often times lists will have a centerpoint. In other words, this passage has 9 blessings. This places blessing number 5 right in the center. What do we find in the center of Jesus’ discussion on His new law for His kingdom? Mercy!!!

Jesus’ kingdom’s central theme is mercy. Mercy comes from God alone and flow through us by God alone. We have been shown great mercy and should walk in great mercy. Jesus even told parables that focused on the need for us to both receive and give mercy.

Matthew 5:9 I believe this is one is probably one of the most difficult for Americans. We are, almost by nature, a violent and defensive people. We will vehemently fight for the preservation of our rights. Yet the sons of God are to be peacemakers. I’m sorry, but I struggle to see how bombing people into submission makes us “peacemakers”! I realize that only the Holy Spirit can make true peace within as and between us and our fellow man.

We should be more apt and spend more money sending the Gospel of Jesus Christ into the “enemy nations” so they can be converted rather than to send bullets, bombs, and drones to wipe out people who don’t believe like we do. We, as Americans, have so much innocent blood-guilt on our hands…just as the Romans did.

Matthew 5:12 Herein we see the crux of the matter. In order to live in Jesus’ new law we must have faith to believe that our reward is waiting for us in the age to come. In our fleshly mindset that is a tough pill to swallow. We don’t get ours in this life, in this age. We get ours in the age to come. Unfortunately, we are much more satisfied to have ours in the here and now.

If we read Hebrews 11 we find the common theme among the heroes of faith is the common belief that they were not building a kingdom for this age, but for the one to come.

Acts 6:5 We are introduced to the first deacons. Yet, I’m more drawn to the way Scripture draws out a couple of them from the group.

First, Stephen is drawn out by his description as “a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit”. Then the text mentions five others. Second, Nicolaus is drawn out by his description as “a proselyte of Antioch”. As we read further we will see why these two are important.

Stephen will soon be martyred at the feet of Saul, who will become an apostle. Antioch will soon become the central sending church of the era as it sends Paul and Barnabas out on the first mission trip.

Psalm 10:1 Abandonment is a common human emotion, especially when it seems that those who should care and should be actively involved are instead aloof and distant. I’ve felt like this way too often in my relationship with God. Have you?

One thing that is so hard to understand is that sometimes we are victims of evil because God gives us over to the evil to reveal what is in both of our hearts. The righteousness of the righteous will shine in persecution, but the wickedness of the wicked will be exposed in persecution.

We often watch in helpless anticipation as the wicked go seemingly unpunished in this life. Yet, our gaze must be to the age to come and the judgment that is coming in which we trust that God will make things right.

Genesis 18:1-8 Abraham’s hospitality is a testimony to his faith. People of faith will be people of hospitality.

Genesis 18:9-15 Abraham and Sarah learn of their coming child. Sarah laughs, the modern equivalent would be a “yeah, right!”. Maybe she didn’t fully realize whom they were entertaining. I’m certain the realization hit her when the LORD quoted her.

Genesis 18:22-33 Abraham pictures for us what the greater and more perfect Abraham does for us at the right hand of God as Christ sits daily interceding for His people and interceding for the nations. The nations are His inheritance. He prays for them. We should pray for them as well.

Genesis 19:4-10 Note what is pictured here in comparison. Abram was hospitable to these men, Lot was hospitable to these men. The men of Sodom were not but sought rather to have them for their own desires. The sin of Sodom was far greater than a single sin of homosexuality. Sodom piled sin upon sin upon sin. You learn this when you read the prophets as they depict Sodom’s sin Jeremiah 23:14; Amos 4:1-11; Ezekiel 16:49-50 .

Nations/cities/communities/individuals that pile sin upon sin upon sin will eventually reap the harvest of sin.

Genesis 19:14 Lot’s prophetic word was spurned by those he knew. His witness among this people was so damaged that he couldn’t even convince those closest to him to leave. I’m afraid my witness may be closer to that reality than I want to honestly admit.

Genesis 19:16 How often do we, like Lot, try to linger among things that are leading to our own destruction. We play around with sin, walking as close to the edge of the cliff as we can without falling off and then are suprised when our destruction comes.

Genesis 19:18-22 Lot bargains for Zoar, if you recall Zoar was one of the five kings of the first world war (Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Zoar). These five were marked for destruction, yet Lot convinces them only to destroy the four of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim.

Genesis 19:26 Remember Lot’s wife. Jesus said so Luke 17:32-33 . She was a child of Sodom. She wanted to return to Sodom. She wanted to preserve the life she had instead of escaping to the new life she could have. We are so much like this nameless woman in Scripture. Our tendency is to return to the old life. Our tendency is to cling to what we have or have built in this age. God calls us to turn from it and RUN and not look back.

We are collectively and individually so absolutely unworthy of His kingdom.

Genesis 19:30-38 Lot’s daughters engage in a detestable act, brought on by Lot’s fear of Zoar. I only speculating that he left Zoar because he saw the same sin there that he saw prevalent in Sodom. Since he and his daughters were the only survivors of Sodom I would almost deduce that they were persecuted in Zoar.

Moab and Ammon are born from this unfortunate situation.

Genesis 20:1-13 My wife watched the Miss America pageant last night which is a showcase of beautiful women. Yet, I can’t help but wonder what kind of a bombshell Sarah must have been that at the age of 89 she is still so attractive that a young king sought to add her to his herum. WOW!

Genesis 21:4 Abraham makes Isaac the first child of the covenant. The first child circumcised on the 8th day. He is the heir of God’s promises.

Genesis 21:10-14 Herein we see the comparison between Hagar/Ishmael and Sarah/Isaac. Ishmael was the child of a slave woman whereas Isaac was the child of the free woman born fully under the covenant. We see contrasted those who live by law versus those who live by faith according to Paul (Galatians 4:21-31).

Genesis 21:21 Here we see that Ishmael’s descendants are noted to come from his wife, an Egyptian.

Genesis 21:33 We are introduced to God as the Everlasting God. Abraham had seen God’s faithfulness through many years, now in bringing the promised heir.