TEXT - Matthew 7:28-29
"And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes."
These words are written to record the feeling of the multitude of people who had been drawn together to hear from Christ what is known as 'The Sermon on the Mount'. It did not just happen that way; it was God's plan to give the people of all future generations His commandments and guidance, that if they followed and obeyed His words, then they would be blessed during this life and into Eternity. We find this promise in C. 7:24-27. Matthew Chapters 5, 6 and 7 record these commandments. God had, 1500 years before, also chosen to give His people of that time His commandments from Mt. Sinai, when He called Moses to receive from Him His instructions for His people. God's commandments are binding for all times, but as Christ was sent as the Living Word of God for all people throughout the world, it was necessary for Him to explain how the world should mould their lives, and how they would be blessed.
Often we should take these three chapters and read and meditate on them, to be sure we are building on the firm foundation. We will firstly read of how we can be blessed, both in this life and after. These promises are referred to as the "Beatitudes" of Christ.
As we go through these chapters we will find explained how we can fall into sin, equal to our deeds, by thoughts and words C5:21-22 and 27-28; how we should handle disputes, C5:38-39; to whom we should show blessings and love if we are to be rewarded, C5:43-47; how we should be truly charitable, C6: 1-4; how we should pray to our Lord, C6:5-8; what we should pray daily, and try to live to this prayer, C6:9-13; how we should approach our battles for the Lord in this life, C6:16-18; how we should regard, and the approach to, our natural blessings, C6:19-32; what our first obligation in life should be, C6;33-34; how we should treat our bretheren, C7: 1-5; how we should treat our faith, C7:6; where we should turn for help, C7:7-13; where we should set our pathways, C7: 13-14; the things we should be careful of, and how we can recognise them, C7: 15-20; the group of people we must be if we are to be rewarded, C7:21-23.
Christ's words on that day were very clear and easy to understand, because He was speaking to a large cross-section of ordinary people - the same kind of people who make up His Church today. As we read these over and over we will find something new each time to help strengthen our Christian lives. His promise and warning in Chapter 7:24-27 should inspire us to build our house on the rock of Jesus Christ as our sure foundation, remembering that Apostle John saw in Revelation C21 the Holy City that had survived all the storms and now had the Glory of God, and around the city was a wall as in Rev.21: 14, "And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb." Those who bear the office of Apostle are committed under Christ's instruction to them as found in Acts 1: 8, to lead the people to Christ through his words, and to urge them to fulfil them.
APOSTLE CLIFF FLOR
NORTH QUEENSLAND
TEXT - John 1:14.
"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth".
Man is blind to the glory of God and just as blind to his own sins. Who could recognize the glory of God in the Baby Jesus in the stable? Who recognized God's glory in Jesus on the cross? Devout Christians perceive therein the glory of God revealed. We have heard often enough and Scripture confirms it, but have we grasped the full magnitude of the glory of God? To get the answer observe the reactions of those who witnessed God's glory.
"Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, 0 Lord" Peter recognizes Jesus' glory together with His holiness, which tolerates no sin. Peter then realizes the unbearable burden of his sins. (Luke 5:1-11) After Peter had denied his Master, he felt ashamed and returned to his old occupation as fisherman, but the Master searched him out. He did not rebuke him as expected but asked him three times. "Lovest thou me?" Peter, the solid rock, broke down when he recognized the sacred burning love of his Saviour. (John 21:1-19)
Saul, an educated person, persecuted the first Christians under the conviction that he was fighting for God. Then he encountered Jesus near Damascus. "Saul , Saul, why persecutest thou me?" Saul fell to the ground. In the blinding light of Jesus' glory he recognized himself as a murderer and enemy of God and that his idea of God was completely wrong. (Acts (9:1-6)
The goaler was a conscientious man, to whom doing ones duty was the main thing, but he realized there was a greater power than the Roman Emperor and his chains, and that he was helpless before God's power. "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" (Acts 16:19-34)
From these examples we realize that we have never been struck by the glory of our God in such a manner. Perhaps we say, "If I had experienced such wonders, then . .... " Many have seen greater things than those mentioned here: Healings, rising from the dead, casting out of evil spirits, the feeding of the 5,000 with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes, even the Resurrection of Jesus and still they did not see God's glory. Other people recognized the glory of Jesus in His preaching.
We answer the question posed at the beginning. Have I already seen God's glory? If no, implore Him to open our eyes even though we run the risk of falling into despair. This is the precious moment when we may look upon Jesus as the central figure in our lives. He will free us from ourselves.
This Word of Life from Switzerland.
Under the care of APOSTLE WALTER BALTISBERGER.
TEXT - Proverbs 11-1.
"A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight."
In the modern day of electronic scales, many have not even seen a set of scales that had a place on one side to put the weights and a container on the other into which the product being measured was placed until both sides balanced out equally.
Now it was not uncommon for dishonest traders to hollow out their weights so as to reduce the amount of product that was being purchased. To safe-guard people, inspectors were appointed as weights and measures inspectors, with power to check the weights and issue fines to those found doing this. No doubt if caught, the trader also lost face as people found out he was a false trader.
Our text also teaches us that a false balance become an abomination to God and no doubt also looses face with God. We in our lives, have to as it were, put our lives on the scales and test ourselves' against a just weight. King Solomon tells us "A just weight and balance are the Lord's: all the weights of the bag are his work." We see that as the just weight is provided by God and that giving is His word, and we know that God gave us Jesus Christ as His living word and His life and teachings became that just weight by which we must constantly test ourselves and keep our life in balance with His ways. If we find we do not measure up or balance, we have His Grace to call upon and He can add the good and take away the excess and balance us each and every Sunday.
Now if we do not follow this way, but wish to use our own devises, seek to cheat or defraud those around us, then we as the false trader, show an outward appearance that looks to all like a true balance, but within us has been taken away the true weight, and we are filled with emptiness or even worse our own pride, deceit, envy, jealousy etc. When we are like this, we may think we fool those around us, but if put on the scales, we then face the words of the Prophet Micah 6:11 "Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances, and with the bag of deceitful weights?" As the false trader is caught out if put to the test, so will we if we deliberately begin to justify our wrong ways and lose the right to keep ourselves in balance by this justification.
We must all remember that all of us have to face that Chief Inspector at least once, let us rather take our lives to him each Sunday and voluntary give ourselves to be measured and corrected.
APOSTLE CLIFF FLOR
NORTH QUEENSLAND
TEXT - John 15:9-17.
"As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. These things I command you, that ye love one another".
The love which God has for His Son, cannot be explained in words.
No greater love was there before, and never shall be.
We should stay in this love!
This is however easier said than done.
Our Lord wants to see His joy in us, this He promises will be complete in us.
Surely He loves His Sunday-school children with precisely the same love as that with which He loves us.
Should the case be that we do not have children attending Sunday-school, our duty is still, according to the law of love, to bring a thanksgiving for them.
Is that not what the Biblical word means; it is more blessed to give than to receive.
What do we say about underprivileged children and orphans? Is this not in fact a deed of love when we reach into our pockets on this special day?
This shall be so, if we keep these three requirements.
We are no more servants who do not know. We are the Lord's friends!
He has chosen us, we did not choose ourselves, therefore we stand directly under His love.
Now we should bear fruits in His work. Mind our conduct in life. Less doubting. More faith.
More and more by our deeds, demonstrate to others by example, not words, we live as friends of Christ. We keep to His commandments. We love each other.
WE DO WHATSOEVER HE COMMANDS US!
1 Corinthians 14:7-12 "And even things without life giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped? For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle? So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? For ye shall speak into the air. There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification. Therefore if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me. Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, see that ye may excel to the edifying of the church".
APOSTLE PHILIP ERASMUS
SOUTH AFRICA.
TEXT - Galatians 6:2.
"Bear ye one another's burdons, and so fulfil the law of Christ."
To fulfil the law of Christ we must know what that law is. Our Lord told us in simple terms that we can all understand (Matt. 22:37-40) "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love, thy neighbour as thy self. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." These words are easy for us to speak but not always as easy to fulfil, both in our spiritual and our natural lives.
In the spiritual sense we bear a burden when we are not at peace one with another, and because of that, not with God. Often someone holds something against us and considers we have harmed them in some way by something done, or not done, said, or not said, and we are often not aware, except we see and notice an uneasiness in our relationship. This is then a burden and according to our text, we then must bear this one of another.
Our Lord told the people while He walked on this earth, that what you loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven. We see from this, that we have that power to ask Christ to loose others from something that they may be doing against us, which is building up a burden on their soul in the sight of God and He will loose that from them and hold it no more against them. They may never know until judgment day, but at that time, then to know they have been relieved from that burden and that does not count against them, will certainly bring to light what Christ meant by the word love. A great example of this power is recorded in Acts 7:60 by Stephen when he was being stoned to death. "And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge." All those burdens were born by Stephen and no doubt taken away from those stoning. It is a wonderful gift given us that we should all be cultivating. To bear one another’s burdens in the natural life is so much easier for us to relate to.
APOSTLE CLIFF FLOR
NORTH QUEENSLAND
TEXT - Hebrews 11:1-3.
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear".
It is but the belief, a strong confidence in what one hopes and not doubting in what one cannot see. This is the explanation which the Bible itself gives, to comprehend the Christian's belief. A turning and anchor point. Surely, this verse would have been an ofttime reason for a Sermon. In "the hope for all" - the Bible translation of this verse means: FAITH IS THE STRONG ASSURANCE, THAT WHAT GOD HAS PROMISED WILL COME TO PASS. HE IS THE DEEP CONVICTION THAT THE UNSEEN WORLD GOD'S REALITY IS, even if we can't see it yet.
Through this faith the ancestors received God's witness! What mystery must be contained in the description of this faith, what treasure, if that is the Way in which God does verify Himself to us! He loves undoubting expectation and unshaken certainty - He searches for this in us - He wants to witness Himself to us as He did to the ancestors of faith.
The 11 th chapter of Hebrews invites us to consider, as it prescribes faith in pictures which speak for themselves;
- this faith lets us recognize(v.3)
recognize = recognition, notice, discernment.
- this faith gives the right sacrifice intention(v.4)
Effectiveness: love, thankfulness, faithfulness, obedience
- this faith can preserve from death (v.5)
in every case from spiritual death.
- this faith expects the fulfilment of the Word of God(v.7)
against the advise of contemporaries to trust God's Word.
- this faith inspires obedience (v.8)
go! - do! - speak! --- I do want to be with you! I want to do it! (1 Thess. 5:24)
- this faith receives(v.lla)
our days, our lives cannot stay empty
- this faith judges Him faithful who has promised (v.llb)
how many things has He promised .
- this faith thinks: God can (v.19)
renewed thinking can be learned.
- this faith clings to Him who it can't see, as if it can(v.27)
living, as if He were here.
- this faith overcomes obstacles (v.29a & 30)
not: no more obstacles! and: believe instead own strength!
- which without faith are impossible to master (v.29b)
not only the Egyptians have tried this.
No wonder: without faith it is impossible to please God: for he that wants to come to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of them that seek Him.
APOSTLE DETLEF LIEBERTH
GERMANY.
TEXT – Genesis 3:20
“And Adam called his wife’s name Eve: because she was the mother of all living.”
So began the role of all future mothers in the world. I recently read a short story from an unknown author called ‘A Mothers Path’ which shows what our text really means in Gods sight.
A Mother’s Path
The young mother set her foot on the path of life. "Is this the long way?" asked the young mother as she set her foot on the path of life. And the Guide said: "Yes, and the way is hard, and you will be old before you reach the end of it. But the end will be better than the beginning."
The young mother was happy, and she would not believe that anything could be better than these years. So she played with her children, she fed them and bathed them, taught them how to tie their shoes and ride a bike, and reminded them to feed the dog and do their homework and brush their teeth, took them to Sunday School and Church. The sun shone on them and the young mother cried "Nothing will ever be lovelier than this.”
Then the nights came, and the storms, and the path was sometimes dark, and the children shook with fear and cold, and the mother drew them close and covered them with her arms. The children said, "Mother, we are not afraid, for you are near, and no harm can come."
And the morning, came, and there was a hill ahead, and the children climbed and grew weary, and the mother was weary. But at all times she said to the children, “A little patience and we are there.” So the children climbed and as they climbed they learned to weather the storms. And with this, she gave them strength to face the world. Year after year she showed them compassion, understanding, hope, but most of all unconditional love. And when they reached the top they said, “Mother, we could not have done it without you.”
The days went on, and the weeks and the months and the years. The mother grew old and she became little and bent. But her children were tall and strong, and walked with courage. And the mother, when she lay down at night, looked to Heaven and said: “This is a better day than the last, for my children have learned so much and are now passing these traits on to their children.”
And when the way became rough for her, they lifted her, and gave her strength, just as she had given them hers. One day they came to a hill, and beyond the hill they could see a shining road and golden gates flung wide. And Mother said, “I have reached the end of my journey. And now I know the end is better than the beginning, for my children can walk with dignity and faith, with their heads held high, and so can their children after them.”
And the children said, “You will always walk with us, Mother, even when you have gone through the gates.”
And they stood and watched her as she went on alone, and the gates closed after her. And they said, “We cannot see her, but she is with us still. A mother like ours is more than a memory. She is a living presence.”
Psalm 103:2. “Bless the Lord, O my Soul, and forget not all His benefits.
APOSTLE CLIFF FLOR
NORTH QUEENSLAND
TEXT – Matthew 6:10
“Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”
During every Sunday Service the whole community joins in saying the LORD'S Prayer and thus the short sentence with the three words "THY KINGDOM COME."
It is often the case that we just say the LORD'S Prayer automatically without really thinking about the true meaning? Even Martin Luther in his days remarked: "The LORD'S Prayer is the greatest martyr." It is of great importance that this all-embracing prayer of all Christians is filled with life and serious reflection.
And especially during these contradictory and crises filled times, we should focus all our attention on the second petition in the LORD'S Prayer.
So far all previous kingdoms, forms of state and ideologies in this world failed to provide mankind with comprehensive and permanent happiness, true peace and accountable justice, let alone salvation. And they will never be capable of it because they are kingdoms and ideologies of this world which have turned from GOD and are steeped in sin. And to this day many of them are still causing great and indescribable pain and suffering.
The history of mankind teaches us that the kingdoms and power blocks of this world come and go as do their political leaders. But despite this, time and time again we are blinded by them and we trust their empty promises in order to soon be disappointed again. That raises the question:what gives us solid permanence for the future,who can we trust completely? Which kingdom provides true happiness, constant justice, genuine freedom and all-embracing peace, surpassing all reason and proving that love is the fulfilling of the law (ROMANS l3:l0). For Christians there can only be one answer:the heavenly kingdom which JESUS CHRIST Himself testified-is not of this world (JOHN l8:36)! But this kingdom has been promised and what GOD promises HE will certainly keep (PSALM 33:4)!
Surely as long as our civilised world exists it needs law and order for all forms of government and biblically speaking for authorities. And blessed is the country with a government which is GOD-oriented and is led by the joyful gospel of JESUS CHRIST. Then we can already feel a little slice of GOD'S Kingdom. And where the children of GOD congregate in the name of the LORD in peace and harmony, the Spirit of CHRIST will be in their midst (MATTHEW 18:20) tasting the living proof of GOD’S Kingdom.
But despite all our well-meant intentions many things are unanswered, imperfect and most of all in an unredeemed state because in our era the devil, murderers and liars from the beginning (JOHN 8:44 respectively GENESIS 3:4-5) are still free wreaking scary havoc in this world today.
Sorrow, fear, sickness, poverty and finally death are still holding the human race captive: murder by the millions of unborn children, increasing violent tendencies in people at school and in the general public, incomprehensible child abuse, increasingly perverse sexuality as well as propagated abnormalities, blasphemous statements about the sacrifice of JESUS CHRIST even from theological directions, as well as fanatic religiously motivated suicide terrorists.
Persecution of Christians in the Near and Far East, incomprehensive egotistical and unsavoury management in the financial and economical sectors as well as the hunger and the poverty in the Third World and much more are horrific testimonies of our times as already indicated in the bible (e.g. MATTHEW 24, MARK 13 and LUKE 21: 5-36) heralding the return of CHRIST.
Consciously or subconsciously the people are motivated by the "paradisiacal" longing for an existence which at the beginning of creation was very good and forever will be (according to GENESIS 1 :31). And this longing for the holy Advent of the LORD is intensified by our fervent petition: "THY KINGDOM COME. "
When the Son of GOD, our Saviour and Redeemer returns - and HE will certainly return - HE will restore His redeeming Kingdom of Peace by gathering all the faithful souls of the followers of CHRIST from the realms of the dead and the living congregating in the light of JESUS CHRIST (ISAIAH 35:10). And this should always be the joyful Advent anticipation and our motivation for the fervent petition: "THY KINGDOM COME. THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN (Matthew 6:10)".
Maybe some of these thoughts are unrealistic and illusory for many. But which kingdom, which country, which political power or which ideology can promise and guarantee:
This is promised and guaranteed by JESUS CHRIST alone with His Kingdom for which we are praying fervently.
That is why the mission of CHRIST in the spiritual constitution of the Sermon on the Mount has first priority: "But seek ye first the kingdom of GOD, and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you (Matthew 6:33). "
APOSTLE FRANK VOLKMER (Since Retired)
EAST GERMANY.