The Beatitudes, Part 4

Posted on August 21, 2024 by Don Merritt

Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called children of God.

Matthew 5:9

We have already seen that as Jesus went forth proclaiming the Kingdom, that healing, and restoration of wholeness followed in His wake, for the restoration of wholeness, including the restoration of relationships torn by the hostility of this world is something within the very character of God. A peacemaker is someone who places a high priority on restoring relationships, even with those considered to be enemies; this is what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.

On the other hand, many, maybe even most people of this world are not peacemakers. Look around you, this world is not a peaceful place, for people vie with each other for riches, for position and advantage. Such people are not making peace and restoring relationships, except for personal gain; this is not the behavior of a disciple, and thus the blessing of a restored relationship with God is not present in the here and now, and it is not likely to be found in the hereafter.

For the disciple, blessing in great supply is to be found in restoring wholeness and relationships; it is its own reward, and as a disciple the eternal future is both assured and very bright, for there will be blessing beyond imagination in store.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:10

As a rule, do you expect to see a righteous person persecuting another person because the persecuted person is righteous? My guess is probably not. If this is true, then what sort of person persecutes another because they are righteous? Again, my guess is that it would have to be an unrighteous person; it stands to reason, right?

God does not bless unrighteousness.

Righteousness happens when a person lives in accordance with the will of God, and when a person lives this way, he or she is considered by God to be “righteous”, and relationship between that person and God is in place; thus, in this life such a person is blessed. Theirs is the kingdom of heaven; they are blessed for all eternity and with this, we are back to where we started in 5:3.

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Matthew 5:11-12

In verse 10, Jesus said that those who are persecuted for righteousness are blessed; here He gets personal, for now He isn’t referring to someone else, or some group of individuals, now it is about “you”. People may speak all sorts of evil against us as followers of Jesus; what should our reaction be ― should we pop them right in the mouth?

It wouldn’t seem so; Jesus says we should “rejoice and be glad”, of all things.

Really? We should rejoice and be glad when people are speaking against us because of our faith in Christ?

Yes we should, for great is our reward in heaven.

Jesus didn’t exactly say so here, but our reward here on earth won’t be so bad, since it is a relationship with Him. In the old days, people spoke against the prophets in the same way that they spoke of Jesus’ followers; both were persecuted, sometimes killed in the process, but they seemed to be OK with all that, for they knew that they had a great reward awaiting them, and because they, like Abraham, believed God’s promises.

So now we conclude the Beatitudes, with an implied question dangling: The patriarchs believed God’s promises and endured. The prophets believed God’s promises and endured. The early Christians believed God’s promises and endured. Do we believe God’s promises?

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Fields, Dreams… and Joshua Trees

Posted on August 21, 2024 by Don Merritt
LA Sept 14 045-LR

Most people, when they think of California, think of beaches, palm trees, famous bays, movie stars and glamor, and California has all of those things, but it also has a great deal more… desert for example.  90 miles from downtown Los Angeles is where the Joshua trees live and where I caught up with them a few years back while visiting relatives in the Antelope Valley in northern Los Angeles County.  I grew up in the San Fernando Valley some 50 miles south in the City of Los Angeles, and to be perfectly honest, I never thought much of the Antelope Valley; it was so desolate. On this occasion I came upon a vacant plot of land in an area that is mostly newer housing tracts, and paused for a little walk in the 110+ afternoon to snap a few photos.

It was not a nice lot, filled as it was with dirt, dead grass and nasty creatures. I saw the slither tracks of rattlesnakes, holes in the ground made by tarantulas, more than I’ve ever seen in fact. There we also lots of ant hills, some more than two feet in diameter… oh yes, and Joshua trees.

LA Sept 14 047-LR

When I was a kid growing up not far from here, I always thought Joshua trees were kind of ugly, yet some people planted them in their yards; I don’t think I would ever do that. Even so, they do have a certain exotic look. As I walked around this field, feeling the hot afternoon sun, if I looked in the right direction it seemed as though I was way out in the desert, even though I was surrounded by suburbia. I kept exploring…

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…and I came across the remains of a camp. There were several sleeping bags, quite a bit of clothing and a bunch of trash screened by the brush. Kids? Vagrants? Illegals? I don’t know, I sure wasn’t going to go poking around in the stuff, and if somebody is coming back here, I hope they know better than to climb back into those sleeping bags!

Why would anybody want to camp out here?

Desperation maybe.

That’s been going on out in the desert for a very long time, hasn’t it?

In the old days, they used to film Westerns nearby, I’ll bet you’ve seen some of them, you know, the ones with desert, lots of rock formations and of course… Joshua trees.  Yes, the more I think about it, they do have an exotic element to their appearance. Yes, exotic with a touch of desperation as they struggle to cling to life in a hostile environment. Yet, in a way, their image and haunting shapes are things that dreams are made of. Dreams of wild adventure, danger, and desperation… and old Hollywood epic romances.

LA Sept 14 054-LR

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The Beatitudes, Part 3

Posted on August 20, 2024 by Don Merritt

Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.

Matthew 5:7

In verses 7-10, we see a shift from basic personal and physical circumstances into a set of social principles or values that are the identifying aspect of Jesus’ moral teaching. In this one, we have “mercy” which is the most fundamental aspect of our relationship with God. We only have a relationship with God because of His tremendous mercy, for without it, we are permanently estranged from Him. Thus, Jesus teaches mercy on our parts as a foundational requirement of being His disciple.

We have received His mercy; we are to show mercy to others when the occasion arises. We have received His love; we are to show love to others. How can we show mercy without love, and love without mercy? Yes, this is fundamental.

The person who has received God’s mercy and who shares God’s mercy with others, both through the Gospel and through our own attitudes and actions, will in the end, receive mercy when those who have refused it receive God’s judgment; this is also a fundamental truth.

Now we come to the reversal of this: What kind of person does not show mercy to others?

The ruthless, the cruel, the inhumane, the purely evil…

Will they receive mercy: of course not, they will be judged. Will they be blessed in this life by relationship with God? No, for they live in open rebellion against Him. Will they receive mercy in the end? No, they will receive justice instead.

Blessed are the pure in heart,
    for they will see God.

Matthew 5:8

The expression “pure in heart” refers to a person whose inner most thoughts, motivation and purpose are pure, clean, wholesome and good; this is the one who will see God. To see God is not just to believe in God, they believe God; such a person is blessed indeed.

The person who is not pure in heart will not see God, possibly because he would rather not see Him. The person who is not pure in heart is one whose inner motivations are not wholesome or good, but are more likely centered on self, gain and getting what they want at whatever cost. In short, they are not blessed because there is little room in their lives for a relationship with Him.

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Do We Really Need Jesus?

Posted on August 20, 2024 by Don Merritt

 “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Matthew 9:12-13

In this brief statement Jesus makes an interesting point: God desires that people seek Him and surrender to His mercy; He doesn’t just reward those who follow all of the rules.

That isn’t to say that we should behave badly; far from it.  It is to say that many people become so proud and self-righteous that they forget where they came from and entirely overlook the fact that they too need God’s mercy.  The result is that they forget the idea of forgiveness and repentance because it doesn’t occur to them that they need it.

All of us need forgiveness from God.

In quoting Hosea 6:6 in verse 13 above, Jesus calls our attention to a passage in which God is reminding Israel that their love for Him has been fleeting at best, that they have frequently turned away from Him and gone their own way.  (Just like we might tend to do). He points out that God’s priority is that we repent and depend upon Him rather than on ourselves. Our reliance must not be upon our ability to keep the rules and regulations, for we will inevitably stumble; our reliance must be upon God alone.

As we go through the day today, let’s place our reliance in God.  Let’s be thankful for His mercy and seek His forgiveness, humbling ourselves before Him.  Will this result in a better day?  Very likely, for it will be a better day with eternal results.

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The Beatitudes, Part 2

Posted on August 19, 2024 by Don Merritt

Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the earth.

Matthew 5:5

A person who is “meek” is often thought of as being resigned to their circumstances, even weak, but that really isn’t what is being described here. Those who are “meek” are those who understand that they are dependent upon God, and not upon their own strength or even upon the power of armies, for our own strength is a temporary affair, as is the might of an army; all will perish. Yet God’s strength is eternal, and His might never flags or fails. With this in mind, consider who is not meek: the proud, the loud, and the haughty. These are the ones who must always dominate others, who must always have the last word, and who will trample others to get ahead, for they fear losing control: They are not blessed for their own behavior is their curse.

The meek will inherit the earth, just like the descendants of Abraham would inherit the Land. Once again, Matthew has linked an idea relating to Jesus with Israelite history, and this time, he has done so in a way that leads us to an apocalyptic conclusion, for those who place their full faith and trust in God for their provision will not only enjoy relationship with Him now, but will reign with Him upon His return, thus receiving a double blessing of His grace.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled.

Matthew 5:6

I doubt that I need to discuss what it means to “hunger and thirst for righteousness” so let’s jump directly to what will become of the one who has no such desire. I think we can safely assume that the one who has no such desire will not be blessed, and one who hungers and thirsts for wickedness will not only find what they are looking for, but they will also find God’s curse in His judgment. Such a person will always need to be looking over his shoulder, will be running from the law, and will seldom have a restful night’s sleep; if they are lucky, they’ll live long enough to die from stress related illness, if not they will die by the sword. Anybody want to sign up for that?

As with the other beatitudes, there is an apocalyptic element to this (see Isaiah 61). God’s ultimate gift to Mankind is the gift of righteousness, for when Jesus returns and culminates His Church, all evil will be eliminated and the righteous will abide eternally in His Kingdom without pain, suffering, oppression or death: Blessed indeed!

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Good Friends, Good Cheer

Posted on August 19, 2024 by Don Merritt

Good Monday Morning to You!

A friend like the one in the photo gives love unconditionally, this little guy loves to play and have fun, doesn’t hold a grudge and is always happy to see you.  Everybody ought to have a friend like that!

Of course, human friends require a little more careful care and feeding!

I’ve thought about this quite a lot; why are human friends so much more challenging than four legged ones? The first and most obvious answer is that human friends speak. When we mess up, they can, and probably will, point it out to us. On the other hand, the ability to communicate directly is one of the reasons that human relationships can be much more rewarding than relationships with animals.

Well, communication is something of a two-edged sword, isn’t it?

Thinking in progress…

A dog doesn’t hold a grudge and is always happy to see you. That isn’t always true of human friends, it isn’t always true of “us” either, is it?

Thing some more…

Hold on, I might have an idea.

Jesus taught us to love one another. That sounds nice, but isn’t always so easy to put into practice.

Still thinking…

OK, Jesus also taught that we should forgive one another when they mess up… but that isn’t so easy either. How could Jesus just stand there and tell us we must love one another and forgive one another? Would He order us to do things that cannot be done?

Unless…

To love one another and to forgive one another have nothing to do with feelings or emotions― they are choices we make that don’t necessarily reflect the feelings of the moment, but reflect a standard of godly conduct that we are committed to because we love our Lord who has forgiven us and loved us without condition.

Yes, that’s it. Love and forgiveness are choices we make even when we may not feel like it in the moment, because we love God more than the feeling of the moment.

I know this may sound crazy, but it must be true, because our Lord would not teach us a falsehood, would He?

No, He would not do that!

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Sunday Sermon Notes: August 18, 2024

Posted on August 18, 2024 by Don Merritt

There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,
   a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
    a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
    a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
    a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
   a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
   a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

In the previous verses, 2:24-26, the Teacher has set forth a basic proposition that God is in control and that outside of His will, everything is useless, meaningless, empty, futile; vanity. Yet within His will there is satisfaction and true happiness; in this chapter, he sets forth to prove his point. In this first part, the Teacher reminds us that there is an undeniable pattern to life, a rhythm we might say, which has been established by God.

These vases are so familiar, they were even made into a hit song back in the 1960’s, but do we really grasp their significance?

To ensure that we really “get” this passage, commentators often go into great detail to analyze each of these couplets, to squeeze out every bit of juice from the poem, often engaging in great philosophical dissertations that are quite fascinating to ponder, and you are quite welcome to search these out if you like. If you choose to take this approach, you can join so many other great minds who suddenly find themselves trying to justify killing, tearing things down and hatred, into a Biblical context of love and compassion. It sounds like taking a side trip that involves a whole lot of chasing the wind to me…

I say this because these verses are not eight separate points, this passage does not stand on its own in the context of this book; it is one complete thought set up to demonstrate one part of the demonstration of one point in a series of points that make up the complete message of Ecclesiastes, and as richly rewarding as it may be to analyze this line by line, to do so misses the point entirely. I’m sorry that I have to admit this, but to my strange little mind, and with my oddball little sense of humor, charging off on such an errand would be hilarious and supremely ironic while studying Ecclesiastes, of all books.

The Teacher’s thesis is stated in the beginning of my comments above, and verses 1-8 are supporting point 1 in his attempt to back it up; this is evidence, not a philosophical treatise. What is he really trying to tell us? Simple: (go figure) 

Thesis: Satisfaction in this life and thus true happiness, can only be found when we are within the will of Almighty God.

First supporting point: God, in His infinite wisdom has ordained a season for every purpose of Man.

Ecclesiastes 3:9-15

Mankind lives in the sorry state of rebellion against God. Yes, I’m afraid that is the reality of life under the sun, but that doesn’t mean that God has lost His grip, for He has ordered things in a certain way under the sun; there are seasons that men cannot change, seasons for everything. Within all of this chaos, confusion, rebellion and order, God still has a purpose. Of course, His purpose is significantly clearer in the New Testament than in the Old, but there was Purpose in play even then. In the OT, every person who sprang forth from the seed of Abraham had a choice to make; they could either confine themselves to God’s will (purpose) for them, or they could live in rebellion under the sun. In our day, this choice extends to every single human being.

The Teacher makes this case here in Ecclesiastes 3. In this text, he deals briefly with three aspects of God’s purpose beginning in verses 10-11 where he speaks of our completion of God’s purpose, then in 12-13 he speaks of our enjoyment of God’s blessing and then finally in 14-15, he speaks of our contentment with God’s will. All of this is his answer to the question posed in verse 9:

What do workers gain from their toil?

We are those workers, so what do we get?

I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. (10-11)

When we come to understand that we are put here for God’s purposes rather than our own, we begin to see that everything is beautiful in its time. To put this into Christian terms, we might ask ourselves what could be more beautiful than to see our labors result in someone coming into relationship with Jesus Christ. We might see that a man or woman who is able to be set free from bondage to addiction or poverty or hopelessness and enter into the fullness of His grace is a beautiful thing indeed, and more rewarding than all of the treasure of this world. Yes, He has put eternity into our hearts, for unlike the animals, we have the ability to plan and to think ahead, but what will our plans and thinking be: to serve God or to serve ourselves? With the former we will find beauty that others may miss, while with the latter, the only beauty we will find is that which will perish with us.

The Teacher continues:

I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live.  That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. (12-13)

Those of us who do our toil for God’s purpose have a gift that others do not; real happiness and satisfaction. The Teacher has made great pains, and will continue in this book to take great pains, to document the utter futility of the pursuit of mere human endeavors, but the gift of God for those who labor in His service is a most excellent gift, for it is a gift that will endure and that will satisfy the craving within every man and woman to seek after the eternal things of God.

I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.

Whatever is has already been,
    and what will be has been before;
    and God will call the past to account. (14-15)

The Teacher winds up this thought in these verses in an interesting way as he gives us a contrast of sorts. God’s purposes and accomplishments last forever, we can neither add nor detract from God’s purpose. Where is the contrast?

The contrast is the works of men that are “meaningless” under the sun. Verse 15 makes this clear as the Teacher quotes himself (Ecc. 1:9) where he wailed about the futility of our accomplishments. God is in charge, not us; we can do whatever we want, but if we want our accomplishments to count for something, then we must accomplish things that are within God’s will and purpose for us, not our own flights of fancy. God has ordained this so that we might take notice, for everyone will be called to account.

The rest of this chapter, as you might guess, speaks of the justice of God; His most excellent justice. Before we dive headlong into God’s judgment, let’s pause and get our bearings. I’ve never actually come out and said this before, so lucky you; you get to read it first: God’s judgment is really something of a paradox: God is entirely and completely in control of it, but you decide the outcome.

Oh, I can hear the theologians screaming! Hey, not so fast; think about it. You decide whether your life will be used to advance His purpose or yours, and that decision will result in what becomes of you in judgment. Will you pursue all of those meaningless things as you chase the wind in this life under the sun, or will you labor for His purposes and enjoy His gifts of happiness and satisfaction?

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Proclaim His Praise

Posted on August 17, 2024 by Don Merritt
Arlington 9413 048

It is good to praise the Lord
    and make music to your name, O Most High,
proclaiming your love in the morning
    and your faithfulness at night,
to the music of the ten-stringed lyre
    and the melody of the harp.

Psalm 92:1-3

At first glance, this is a simple Psalm of praise, but a little closer look reveals an interesting approach to the day.  Notice that it says “proclaiming your love in the morning.”  Have you ever tried that?  To begin the day proclaiming God’s love has a way of adjusting a person’s attitude to a place where we are more likely to notice the things that are really important, as opposed to the things that are simply there.  It has a way of helping us to prioritize the right way, so that when the day’s trials come we are better grounded in His love and not simply being tossed to and fro.

Notice also that the Psalm goes on to say “…and your faithfulness at night.”  Faithfulness, is a covenant term that means covenant keeping.  To be reminded at the end of each day that God keeps His promises is a wonderful tonic for our souls.  Whatever the day has brought our way, even if things haven’t gone our way, we need to keep in mind that God is reliable, trustworthy and true.  This is a recipe for a good sound night’s sleep; praising God for his faithfulness.

It is always exciting to see how much the Bible has to say that is practical and helpful in our daily lives, and every time we are reminded of these things, it seems that we walk a little more closely with our Lord the whole day through.

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The Beatitudes, Part 1

Posted on August 16, 2024 by Don Merritt

As mentioned previously, the Beatitudes are divided into three sections, the first two consist of 4 points, and the ninth falls at the end. The first 4 beatitudes deal with our relationship with God,, the second group of four deal with horizontal relationships, and the ninth beatitude expands upon the eighth.

Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:3

The first Beatitude speaks of those who are “poor in spirit”. Much has been made about the difference between Matthew’s language and that of Luke in Luke 6:20, for Luke merely says “the poor”. Does Matthew have more in mind than mere economic circumstances?

I’m happy to let others argue, but it seems to me that Matthew, a Jew, might be aware of the Old Testament idea of poverty not only in literal terms, but as a state of mind as well, for the Hebrew word for “poor” has this additional connotation to it. In those days, a poor person not only had to deal with bad economic circumstances, they also had to contend with the fact that they had fewer rights in society, for then as now, they lacked the resources to enforce their rights; consequently, they were at the mercy of others.

Living in such a state made it clear to anyone who could fathom the notion, that the poor must depend entirely upon God. Most of us today, even those of us who don’t enjoy material abundance, live in circumstances far better than those of a poor person in ancient times, and maybe we too have a hard time seeing what Matthew means; let’s look at it this way: In our world, a person of very limited means is never far from being destitute, while a rich person has a much larger buffer to get through tough times. The poor person knows they live close to the edge; the rich person can convince himself that everything is wonderful, that he is the master of his own life, and in doing so, he only deceives himself, for God is the master of everything. We see time and again in Scripture that a rich person has a great obstacle to overcome in following God, for he thinks he is the one in control, while a poor man has no such delusion to overcome, and no great wealth to hold him back. The poor person is free to follow the Lord, while the rich person carries his wealth as a millstone around his neck; woe is he.

The kingdom of heaven is both a present reality and a future hope, for it is with us today in Christ, and will be fully realized in its ultimate fulfillment when He returns. For the person who recognizes his or her current dependence upon God for everything in life, it is a present reality indeed, and a source of great joy, “for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.

Matthew 5:4

Most of the time, we don’t associate blessing with mourning; maybe we should rethink this… Matthew didn’t actually say what those blessed ones are mourning; it could be the loss of a loved one, it could be the loss of their home or possessions, or it could be the sinful and rebellious state of this world. Maybe it doesn’t matter…

I think it is safe to say that for a person to truly mourn they first had to love; certainly this would be true in the loss of a loved one. It would also be true if a person is mourning the loss of possessions, for if they didn’t love the possession(s) lost, would they actually mourn?

It wouldn’t seem so.

If the person was mourning for the wickedness of this world, wouldn’t that show they loved God a whole lot?

Consider for a moment those who do not mourn; what a terrible and sad life they must lead! Never having enough of a relationship with anyone for love to develop; never being able to mourn? Never having a loving relationship with God so as to mourn for those who rebel against Him?

Never loving― never mourning?

Those who mourn will receive comfort from God, both in the here and now and in the ultimate future when all pain and sorrow will cease. I don’t know about you, but for me, just knowing this is a comfort that brings joy into my life.

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The Dog Days of Summer

Posted on August 16, 2024 by Don Merritt

There are several names for this time of year like “the lazy hazy days of summer” and the “dog days” of summer.  I can understand the lazy and the hazy, but I’ve never quite followed the dog days; what do dogs have to do with it?

My best guess is that it’s another way of saying the lazy thing, but I’m not sure.

Whatever you like to call it, it’s August, and in the Northern Hemisphere it’s summer, and this year has been fairly hot around where I live.

August has its own feel, don’t you think?  It really does feel a little lazy; it’s a great time for a long lazy cookout on a Sunday afternoon; there just isn’t much “Hustle and bustle” to the season… you can almost just relax and hope the next hurricane stays out to sea.

There are times for just about everything in life; even the Bible says so:

There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under heaven:

Ecclesiastes 3:1; full context 3:1-8

This is the beginning of a huge sentence that goes on for 8 whole verses, and it pretty much tells us that everything has its own time.  So, maybe God made August for us to slow down just a bit, to spend time with loved ones, to do a little gardening and sit outside in the evening and listen to the symphony of the cicadas.  Maybe God thought that we run ourselves ragged too much, maybe He thought that we need to get re-focused on what things are really important.  Maybe He thought August would be a good time to start paying attention to the pennant races…  (OK, I just added that one)

The season will change soon, the kids will go back to school and the boss will come back from vacation; isn’t this a great time to “smell the roses” as they like to say?

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