11 minute read
Pulpit Message notes
from TT 139
by TIMES TODAY
Growing in Character
My Pulpit Message Notes are extracted from the sermon preached at the Nairobi Baptist Church (NBC) Ngong Road on Sunday 6th February 2022. Preacher: Reverend Majid Ochieng NBC Deputy Senior Pastor. Topic: Growing in Character . Matthew 5:1-16
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- We Christians have an identity. We are known for certain things as individual. - The gist of Jesus’ teaching on the sermon on the Mount is to remind his disciples / we as Christians who we truly are especially in the eyes of God. - The message is true for us today. Who we are in the eyes of God. Identity in the eyes of God.
The Christian life as outlined in the Sermon on the Mount is a coherent and an all embracing life.
- We are called to put God first in our motives/ actions/ businesses / the way we speak / in our families / in our priorities. - All life comes under the control of God. That is the true identity of who Christians are.
There are at least seven main sections of the sermon on the Mount, but today we look at two:
1: The blessedness of the believers Matthew 5:1-12.
2. The influence of the believer Matthew 5:13-16
- The true identity of a believer / child of God in this particular context is the blessedness and the influence.
- It is as if Jesus is saying the life of the kingdom of God, with Him is a life of profound joy that no person or circumstances can take away. The blessedness is not reserved for some distant future, but also in our time today, one that theologians say ‘here and not yet’. There are some things we can realise here as the children of God and some that we will realise the future as the children of God.
- It is the mark for those who have fully surrendered to the King and tested His grace although of course there is a future to rejoice to.
- Jesus singles out at least eight aspects of that character / conduct of being blessed.
- In these verses Jesus gives eight beatitudes that
show the true character of those who are the children of God.
- ‘Beatitude’ is essentially from Latin which means a blessing.
- The beatitudes are not given in a random order, but they overflow into each other providing a complete picture of a kingdom citizen.
- The first and the last contained some promise; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, “ Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven,…”
- All eight beatitudes state a condition and provide a promise
When does the believer experience these blessings?
- In eternity they will be experienced in their fullness. However there is a true sense in which they can be experienced now.
- Those who see themselves as spiritually empty before God.
- They see that without God there is absolutely nothing good that can come out of them.
- This brings the desperate nature of all mankind that there is a vacuum in each of us that when God has not occupied that vacuum there is a lot of emptiness in the life of every human being.
- This condition is the opposite of pride and self sufficiency.
- Recognising one’s spiritual poverty and looking to God for mercy.
- Their reward is the kingdom of heaven which means they are going to be believers.
- The phrase ‘Poor in spirit’ has a long history in the Old Testament particularly in the Psalms and refers to those who have their full confidence and trust in God only.
- Describes the believers grief over his / her own 1: sinful condition. That we have come to the realisation that I am so lost and that causes me to pity my loss and to seek God so that He can bring a remedy in my life. This is the natural response of the recognition of spiritual poverty. - The outcome of this kind of mourning is comfort which is provided for in the gospel. It is to be aware of our desperate state in the absence of God.
- Biblical meekness refers to those who are able to harness their command and conviction. -The meek believer demonstrates power and complete control. A life that is fully surrendered to God. The promise is that they will inherit the earth. -- In our humility God will allow us to prosper even on earth. In future they will reign with Jesus Christ as He will have dominion over all things. - Nothing good comes out of us unless we are enabled by God.
- This means blessed are those who hunger and thirst and desire to be right with God, in right standing / position with God. - This is a description of believer’s internal longing for righteousness because this can only be found in the LORD. It is the believer’s desire to conform to this. - The promise for this is a true and lasting satisfaction.
- Empathy. As a believer longs for the righteousness of God, it is only natural that they be merciful like the same God Who is so rich in mercy. - The promise here is the provision of matched mercy. - This can be a twofold provision, that when you extend mercy to others, by God’s grace they also extend empathy to you at your very point of need. Ultimately God sees that when man fails to recognise, in His own wisdom He does recognise.
- To have our minds and emotions set upon God. It is an unwavering commitment in worshipping Him from deep within. - The promise here is to see God because we serve a holy God. God is so holy and for us to be able to worship Him He wants us to worship Him with a pure and clean heart. This we are not able to obtain by ourselves and therefore He sent Jesus Christ so that in Him we have justification so that by His grace we are able to worship Him.
- Our God is a God of peace. Jesus Christ is referred to as the Prince of Peace.
- The believers are not enemies with God because Jesus Christ made peace possible.
- Romans 5:1, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through Whom we have gained access by faith into His grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.
- The mark of a child of God, because God has extended His grace peace and we are reconciled back to Him, we should be in the place that we understand so that we are known as peacemakers, in our families, societies, communities, wherever we are and when peacemakers are seen, the Bible says they will be called the sons of God.
- Peacemaking occurs through the sharing and application of the gospel. - The promise to be called ‘Sons of God’ means that the believer will reflect God Who is the peacemaker.
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
- John 15:18 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.
- Jesus told His disciples that what He went through, they will go through it as well, but take heart because ultimately victory will come and yours will be the kingdom of God, especially when that persecution comes because you are standing for the right things.
- Go and stand and do that which is expected of you and by His grace, the kingdom of heaven will be ours. - To live as Jesus lived will inevitable lead to persecution and hardship in varying levels.
2. The influence of the believer / children of God Matthew 5:13-16
We are meant to influence the society and we shall be if the characteristics of the blessedness is in our lives.
Jesus expounds on the final beatitude by reminding us of the reality and expectation of persecution. Though hardship may be experience now it has been an ongoing assault on God’s people in the past ages.
For this reason we are to hold on to the hope of the final reward in heaven.
How does a Christian provide a faithful witness to the world?
1. Salt 2. Light
- Salt is for seasoning. Adds some taste to food. If we are the children of God, where we are we should be able to season the earth.
- Salt was also used for preservation and so where there is a child of God there is a preservation expectation that the LORD has put on us.
- The salt is able to heal. The world that we live in is in so much sickness that needs to be healed and that can come from the children of God. So Jesus says, we are supposed to influence the world and one of the analogies that He uses is the salt.
- Salt dissolves and spreads. Wherever we are, the saltiness will be able to spread in the societies and communities that the LORD has given us.
2. Light: “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.’
- Good deeds is not what leads us to God, but because we are in God, what comes out of us is the good deeds and that becomes the light that Jesus is talking. - As a light the Christian’s witness exposes society’s sin and reflects the holiness of Christ.
- Light can be used as a warning e.g. siren. It also attracts, e.g.. termites. It guides e.g.. wherever there is light you cannot hide it. It ought to be visible.
- The influence as Jesus is teaching us He gives us the two examples of salt and light. - Our examples will always leave an impression on others.
-My prayer of each of us is that the impression we will be leaving will be is the impression that we are the children of God, that we are walking with God, that we are close to God and the transformation that we have is because Jesus Christ came into our lives, saved us and therefore by His grace we can be the salt and light influencing the society around us, our families, our businesses, our politics in this nation, our workplaces. Why? Because we have received the grace of God.
-The identity of a Christian is 1. The blessedness 2. To influence the world.
