JanMary
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1)Both sections have to do with quenching the Spirit of God.
2)The light I have is His light. If I hide it, all one sees is my flesh, and that will never bring Him glory. He is glorified when others see Him shining through me.
3)We war not with flesh and blood, but with powers and principalities, and Satan hates The Light. If he can't seduce us into hiding The Light, he seems to delight in persecuting those who let it shine. Suffering for the Lord's sake, brings Him glory.
4 & 5)Yes, to both. Hebrews 5:8 & 9 tells us that "Although He was a Son, He learned active, special obedience through what He suffered and, His (completed experience) making Him perfectly equipped, He became the Author and Source of eternal salvation to all those who give heed and obey Him. (see Is. 45:17) Romans 8:17: "And if we are His children, then we are His heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ (sharing His inheritance with Him); only we must share His suffering if we are to share His glory."
5) Quenching the Spirit of God IS being conformed to this world. He calls us to be transformed, changed into His Image, by the renewing of our minds, so that eventually, we will no longer think and act like the world, but like our Savior.
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Q4. (Matthew 5:13-15) How do verses 13-16 relate to verses 10-12? How does hiding our light affect the glory of God? Why must glory and suffering go hand in hand? Was Jesus' suffering necessary? Is ours? What does this have to do with Romans 12:2?
1)Both sections have to do with quenching the Spirit of God.
2)The light I have is His light. If I hide it, all one sees is my flesh, and that will never bring Him glory. He is glorified when others see Him shining through me.
3)We war not with flesh and blood, but with powers and principalities, and Satan hates The Light. If he can't seduce us into hiding The Light, he seems to delight in persecuting those who let it shine. Suffering for the Lord's sake, brings Him glory.
4 & 5)Yes, to both. Hebrews 5:8 & 9 tells us that "Although He was a Son, He learned active, special obedience through what He suffered and, His (completed experience) making Him perfectly equipped, He became the Author and Source of eternal salvation to all those who give heed and obey Him. (see Is. 45:17) We are not above our Master, and will suffer too.
5) Quenching the Spirit of God IS being conformed to this world. He calls us to be transformed, changed into His Image, by the renewing of our minds, so that eventually, we will no longer think and act like the world, but like our Savior.
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Q3. (Matthew 5:14-15) In the parable of "the light of the world," Jesus notes the stupidity of lights being hidden under bowls. Concerning what danger in the life of a Christian disciple does Jesus warn us in this parable?
I think the danger Jesus was talking about was what Paul exhorted us about in I Thess:5:19, "Do not quench, suppress or subdue the Holy spirit". That was a sobering thought when I realized I had the potential to do such a wicked thing.
The oil is a symbol for the Holy Spirit. The lamps would go out when the oil ran out, so they had to be filled on a regular basis and the wicks trimmed. God's promise is that He will not quench a smoldering wick. As long as there is His life in me, He will do His part to fan it into flame. My part is to be filled with the "oil" of the Holy Spirit, and to let Him shine....rather than quenching His work and His Light in my life.
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Q2. (Matthew 5:13) What might be the symptoms of a Christian who has lost his "saltiness"? Is it possible for a believer to detect such symptoms in himself or herself? What do secular people notice about a "de-saltified" Christian? What do other Christians notice about you? Is it possible to "resaltify" your life?
1) The symptoms I experienced, were lifelessness, and trying to live in the "in between" realm...not really fully in the world, but not living for Christ either...no fruitfulness. I was convicted, but trying to ignore it, I had no peace.
2) Yes, I was in this place once...and I was miserable. Knew that willful sin and disobedience had "neutralized" me, and I no longer felt like I could share Christ or be a witness for Him...didn't feel like I belonged anyplace any more. My Dad was violent and abusive, and I was really rebelling against him, because I had mixed his attributes into my idea of who God is.
3) I don't know what people noticed about me, but in others, I notice a facade or fakeness has taken over their demeanor. They may still speak "christianese", but it doesn't ring true anymore. Because I was there once, it's easy to recognize the lack of zeal. The passion for Christ has been diminished. They are "flat" and conflicted, and seem half alive.
4) Thank God I don't "live on that street" anymore. Never want to be in that place of torment again. Feedback I get, is that I'm radical in my faith, stable, an evangelist, approachable, non judgmental, spontaneous and fun, honest, trustworthy, and an encourager to others......I thank God He has given me those gifts, and I live with a new appreciation and zest for life...after being a prodigal daughter who has returned and been welcomed home.
5)YES!!! Thank God. He brought me back to saltiness, through pursuing me with conviction, and wooing me back with His love. I don't regret that time because of all that I learned about the Father He is....He has none of my Dad's negative qualities, and the time in the pig pen caused me to search out who God truly is. I never want to leave the safety of His arms again.
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Q1. (Matthew 5:13) In what sense are Christians the "salt of the earth" using the preservation analogy? In what sense are Christians the "salt of the earth" using the seasoning analogy?
Individuals come to Christ one at a time, and each generation must hear the Gospel of Jesus in order to be saved. Using the preservation analogy, Christians "hold the ground" or "stand in the gap"preserving what the Lord has gained so that the next sinner can be saved, and the next generation can as well.
I think the seasoning analogy, is that salt is truth, the spark which brings light and life into the darkness of fallen human nature. The woman who was salt to me when I was seeking to find Truth, was just an ordinary Mom of a kindergartener who walked her daughter to school with my daughter and I. But her conversation always had that spark of life, and hope, and truth, not preaching, but a calm confidence in the Lord. When I totalled my car in an rollover accident on an icy road, she literally brought delicious food to sustain us when I was in bed, and yes, it was seasoned with salt, but again, her encouragement and words of comfort, were the salt which led me to receive Jesus as my Lord and Savior, when I accompanied her to a Bible study later on. I have thanked her for being salt to me....and for not "staying safely in the salt shaker", but for sharing truth with me....so that my life was preserved from destruction and hell.
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Q6. (Matthew 5:10-11) Why should we rejoice when we are persecuted? What keeps this from being some kind of sick masochism, or finding pleasure in pain? Why is the blessing "for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" appropriate for the persecuted?
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I have no idea what I did yesterday which printed my response twice...I'm just learning computers in my old age....I'm sorry!
Someone said"If you were on trial for being a Christian, is there enough evidence to convict you?"...I've thought about that over the years, and when persecuted have seen it as validation that there is enough evidence! I rejoice in that....that the Lord's Presence is seen and felt and for the privilege of entering into a tiny bit of His suffering. Jesus said "The servant is not above the Master and as they persecuted Me they will also persecute you"
Oddly, some of the most painful persecution has come from believers in the church, in the form of slander and false accusations....at the time I was devastated, but years later with better perspective, have been able to thank God for the most powerful time of spiritual growth and learning to depend upon Him which was the result of that time. Clearly, these were people being used by Satan, whose ploy was to drive me away from the church, as he has done with so many. He was unsuccessful, and I have forgiven them. Another victory was in not retaliating or seeking vengeance, which my flesh wanted very much. I can rejoice in the good He brought out of the pain....I didn't rejoice IN THE PAIN, but in the fact that He is bigger than the pain, and can enable us to praise Him through the pain, and for the pleasure of experiencing His comfort and vindication.
And while I very much wanted to get even, and didn't act upon it, (by His strength), when these folks reaped what they had sown and the Lord dealt with them, I was surprised to feel sadness for them, instead of the pleasure I expected to feel....That is another good result....my flesh had been subdued...and my reward is His promise that the Kingdom of Heaven is mine, both in the future as well as seeing and experienceing His kingdom here on earth.
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Q5. (Matthew 5:8) Why can people with a pure heart see, know, and discern God? Why can't "chronic" sinners see God? How do we obtain the pure or clean heart that Jesus describes?
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Chronic sinners, live in darkness, wearing blinders which shut out the "Light". That was the street I lived on, until I began to hunger & thirst after God. Suddenly, when I met my Savior, the blinders came off, and I blinked in the brightness of His Love and wondered how I could have lived for 30 years, blind to His creation and His work all around me! Suddenly, a sunset or baby or beautiful deer would move me to tears, or take my breath away. Not only was I a new creature, I had new eyes to see Him and His creation.
When His blood had cleansed my heart of hardness and sin, It was as if the "receptors" had rusted over,and were suddenly resurfaced and I was able to perceive and discern Him...like the laser eye on my stereo which has gotten dusty, and is unable to "read" the C.D.'s I try to play....That's my analogy at the moment. (I'm a visual learner, so I love analogies I can visualize)
Until the laser eye is cleaned, I won't be able to hear any music. His blood is the cleaner, which purified me at salvation, and which continues to cleanse and purify me every day as I confess my sin and receive His forgivess.
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Q5. (Matthew 5:8) Why can people with a pure heart see, know, and discern God? Why can't "chronic" sinners see God? How do we obtain the pure or clean heart that Jesus describes?
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Chronic sinners, live in darkness, wearing blinders which shut out the "Light". That was the street I lived on, until I began to hunger & thirst after God. Suddenly, when I met my Savior, the blinders came off, and I blinked in the brightness of His Love and wondered how I could have lived for 30 years, blind to His creation and His work all around me! Suddenly, a sunset or baby or beautiful deer would move me to tears, or take my breath away. Not only was I a new creature, I had new eyes to see Him and His creation.
When His blood had cleansed my heart of hardness and sin, It was as if the "receptors" had rusted over,and were suddenly resurfaced and I was able to perceive and discern Him...like the laser eye on my stereo which has gotten dusty, and is unable to "read" the C.D.'s I try to play....That's my analogy at the moment. (I'm a visual learner, so I love analogies I can visualize)
Until the laser eye is cleaned, I won't be able to hear any music. His blood is the cleaner, which purified me at salvation, and which continues to cleanse and purify me every day as I confess my sin and receive His forgivess.
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Q4. (Matthew 5:6) How can an intense desire for righteousness put you at odds with the world? What sort of righteousness is Jesus talking about, do you think? What promise are we given in this Beatitude?
It's the upside down pyramid principle again....God's kindom is just the opposite of the world's values. In the world view, the strongest, most powerful reigns at the top; In God's kingdom it's the greatest servants, and the least, in the world's eyes who "are first". To pursue righteousness is like a salmon swimming against the flow of the world-view stream. The world, or the "go along to get along" mentality, grates against the idea of true spiritual seekers. It helps me to remember that we are in a spiritual battle....not against the flesh but with "powers and principalities" who are at war with Jesus and His disciples.
I liked this question because it reminds me to stop expecting to be eased along in my search for righteousness, by those who have no interest in true spirituality. The upstream swim is supposed to make me strong. Someone said a few years ago that they'd never seen a flabby salmon...
I think He is speaking of the heart attitude which longs for Christ to be supreme in my life, so that He lives His life through me. Corrie Ten Boom expressed the idea that she was striving to be the glove Jesus filled. Mother Theresa said she was the pencil in God's hand. When we live in that realm of surrender, we are promised to be completely satisfied and fulfilled...filled with Him.
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QUOTE (Pastor Ralph @ Dec 20 2007, 02:40 AM) Q3. (Matthew 5:5) How does this sort of gentleness contrast with the world's ideal? How is humility important to Christlikeness?
When I thought about this, the Lord brought to mind a beautiful stallion, with powerful muscles, flaring nostrils, rearing on his magnificent hind legs...That's how the world sees strength..unbridled and wild. Conversely, that same stallion, who has been tamed, and bridled, and is now under his masters control, will allow children to ride upon his back, is I think, Biblical meekness....Strength under control. Jesus on earth was always under the control of The Holy Spirit, and gentle enough to draw babies to Himself, yet when confronted with the evil in the temple, used whips of cords and overturned the money changers tables...strength under the control of the Holy Spirit, always without sin.
Humility IS Christ likeness. The fruit of the Spirit is His nature, and I'm exhorted in Scripture to allow His nature to indwell me, and to allow His Spirit to produce His fruit in and through me. My Amplified Bible, uses meekness and humility as synonyms for Gentleness. I like that! I love that Jesus is gentle and humble, able to quiet my fears and speak tenderly to me, yet has the power to hold the Universe together!
To be Christ like, I don't have to be a wuss. I can rely on His Spirit to give me strength and courage when in my own strength I would cower in a corner or under the bed, then in humility, give Him the glory for the victory instead of claiming it for myself.
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Q2. (Matthew 5:3-4) Why is it necessary to be aware of your spiritual poverty before you can become a Christian? What kind of mourning is necessary for a person to become a Christian? What kind of mourning is a common experience of Christians? (See Isaiah 61:2-3; Ezekiel 9:4.)
In my life, I had to come to the end of myself...my plans, resources, experiences, before I even knew I was poverty stricken spiritually, and needed a Savior.
I couldn't ask for Him until I realized I wasn't enough, then I sought Him with all my heart, and He sent people to share with me how to receive Him.
The mourning I did was for my past sins, and for the years spent living in darkness apart from my precious Lord and Savior. I grieved for the injuries I'd done to others, and for choices I'd made which took me down paths I wished I hadn't taken. (Although as the years have gone by, I see how He has used all of those things for good and for His glory in that I feel compassion for sinners instead of self righteousness, and are a platform to share about His love and forgiveness)
I've wept over evil committed in our world, over the lostness of souls around me, or that I've read about in the newspaper. I live near San Francisco, and I've mourned over the degradation and darkness in that gorgeous city. As I've grown in Christ and in forgiveness, I've mourned over the sins committed against me as a child...death threats by my parents, physical, sexual, and emotional abuse.....the mourning brought release to forgive the abusers, and eventually, I mourned for their brokenness and lostness, and that they didn't know Jesus as Lord and Savior.
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The first part is the heart attitude He desires , and second part is the reward or promise for the Godly attitude.
I think He wants us to see that His kingdom is upside down from the world's point of view. In the world, the greatest, is the most powerful, and sits at the pinnacle of a pyramid, if you will. His kingdom turns the pyramid paradigm upside down, and the least, most humble, greatest servants are at the top and the most gifted in the worlds eyes are at the bottom. His method seemed to be to jolt us into completely new thought patterns, and to start thinking about what He values rather than what the world values....almost always opposites.
I loved the fruit of the Spirit part of the question, and will be thinking about that all week. Thank you to those who responded so eloquently on this.
I'm really looking forward to studying with all of you, and know that I'll be enriched and challenged by your input. I'm new to computers, and it's taken me an hour to figure out how to post my response.....
Q1. Fulfilling the Old Testament Law
in 3. The Spirit of the Law and Reconciliation (5:17-26)
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1) Not in our church, but I've read that this is becoming quite common, along with no longer talking about sin, and the Blood of Jesus, because "it offends people". I've heard it said that because Jesus fulfilled the law and the prophets, they are no longer relevent in some churches, especially some of the seeker churches.
2) Legalism is focusing on outward conformity to rules of man. ie: I was told once years ago, that it's a sin for a woman to wear pants, especially to church. When a church is devoid of the Holy Spirit's leadership, this kind of bondage creeps in. We didn't stay long in that church....rigid, cold, lifeless place, BUT EVERY WOMAN WORE DRESSES, and looked critically at the few who didn't.
3)I'm not sure how to answer the last question....I was thinking of the other extreme of legalism, which is lawlessness, but I'm not sure what Pastor Ralph was looking for. I'll look forward to reading other's input on this. Maybe conformity to attendance, or "the way we do things here".