Come to Jesus (Matthew 5:1)

INTRODUCTION
I want to start this blog with a journey through the Sermon on the Mount. I believe that this message encompasses all that we need to know to live the Christian life. I also believe that it has to be approached with an open heart and mind. I find that there are surface truths in this message, and some truths that you have to dig a little deeper to find. I believe that in this message Jesus is not only confronting the religious thought of His day, but religious as well as human thought period. There is a default belief in the human heart that wants to hold on to how we think things should be. The problem with this is it often blocks our ability to see the deeper truths. It is only through a humble approach that we will begin to see the truth.

Scripture
Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.
Matthew 5:1

TAKE AWAYS
  • Jesus attracted people. I believe that there are a variety of reasons for this, depending on what the individual person wanted. (Still true today in my opinion.) Whatever the case, crowds had gathered in one place, and Jesus saw it and responded. Jesus went to them!
  • He went up on the mountain, AND HE THEN SAT DOWN. This is significant, because in Jewish custom, the rabbis stood to read Scripture to show their respect. But if they stood when teaching, it indicated a more casual interaction. If they sat to teach, it was more direct, more authoritative. It seems to me that Jesus is saying that what he is about to say is to be taken seriously, and not as just a casual conversation.

APPLICATION
  • I need to approach this message reverently and not casually. 
  • I need to make sure that I am not bringing my agenda into what I hear. That is difficult because this can be done without even realizing it.
  • I need to recognize that there are some deep teachings to be had, and not just to look at the surface messages. This message is not given for me to justify my beliefs or behaviors, it is for me to find the truth and align myself with the truth.
  • I need to perceive Christianity as Jesus coming to me (redemption) rather than me coming to Him.

PRAYER
I pray for understanding. I pray for the ability to see and to understand the truth. Not the truth that I want to hear, but the truths that Jesus wants me to hear. I pray that my heart will hear the words of Jesus as He intends me to hear them, and that they might have the impact on me that He intends them to have.

Bonus
Create in Me a Clean Heart
Keith Green
Psalm 51:10-12

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