Worship Call 0674 Following Jesus to the mount

Robert, learn to trust the giver! James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. As the financial markets are in turmoil, it reminded me of a devotion I wrote a few years ago. F.B. Meyer once said, “The education of our faith is incomplete [till] we learn that God’s providence works through loss…that there’s a ministry to us through the failure and fading of things. The dwindling brook where Elijah sat is a picture of our lives. ‘Sometime later the brook dried up’ (1 Kings 17:7) is the history of our yesterdays and a prophecy of our tomorrows…learn the difference between trusting in the gift and trusting in the Giver. The gift may last for a season but the Giver is eternal. If the Lord had led Elijah directly to the widow at Zarephath, he’d have missed something that helped make him a better man – living by faith. Whenever our earthly resources dry up it’s so we may learn that our hope and help are in God.” When we first moved to Israel just over 20 years ago, we left the United States with just a few thousand dollars and a few suitcases. We honestly didn’t know how we were going to survive financially. But in those first few months, we saw the faithfulness of God as He provided in the most miraculous ways. And it was during that season that we learned how God truly provides for His saints. Over the years, we’ve had to take huge steps of faith which seemed impractical and illogical through earthly eyes – but we took those leaps, and God has always provided – often at the very last minute! But something the Lord taught me early on -- if it’s the Lord’s will – it’s the Lord’s bill! Robert, even though we’re living in this "economy" -- if you are a saint of God then you're in His economy -- and in His economy, the resources are not limited. Let’s keep our focus on the GIVER, instead of the gifts! Your family in the Lord with much agape love, George, Baht Rivka, Elianna & Obadiah Baltimore, Maryland

The Fame of Jesus went out through all the land. His reputation was growing and people from all over the territory both north and South east and west came to be near.

They pursued the one whom they could see, touch, hear audibly him speak. Watch as he healed, and they came with their issues.

Some came because they were curious, some because they had issues and wanted to healed, others may have thought him to be the messiah while others thought him to be Elijah or one of the prophets.

The Kingdom was at hand and they wanted to be near for it.

But as the time came closer to the Cross, there came fewer and fewer until Jesus was alone to face the cross.

Jesus says to Thomas after the resurrection in meeting the resurrected Christ

John 20:29 (NASB95) — 29 Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”

Jesus is no longer close enough to touch his garments. He is now at the right hand of the father and has been so for the last two thousand years. People seem to have lost their interest in the Kingdom and in the Christ with a passing of time.

As we approach the end of the age the crowds are thinning. Surveys from the Barna group reports the lessoning numbers in churches and the increase of those who do not believe that there is a God.

1 Timothy 4:1–2 (NASB95) — 1 But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron,

2 Thessalonians 2:3–7 (NASB95) — 3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. 5 Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things? 6 And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way.

The falling away from the faith is apparent which will make it so much easier to be deceived by the Antichrist that will come with his own brand of signs and wonders that will then attract crowds and multitudes.

Are you still excited about the person of Christ? or are you following the crowd in search of another to hang your loyalties on?

Isaiah 30:18 (NASB95) — 18 Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him.

Mark, now moves into choosing His disciples the inner core whom will follow Jesus even when the crowds in that day turned away from Him.

Luke has a parallel account

Luke 6:12–19 (NASB95) — 12 It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God. 13 And when day came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also named as apostles: 14 Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; and James and John; and Philip and Bartholomew; 15 and Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot; 16 Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. 17 Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place; and there was a large crowd of His disciples, and a great throng of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon, 18 who had come to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were being cured. 19 And all the people were trying to touch Him, for power was coming from Him and healing them all.

These men began a close comradeship with the person of the Lord for the remaining three years of His early ministry. They were intimately associated with Jesus and where Jesus was, they would be. It was Peter who was so often the front and foremost to just about every conversation. In the list of disciples you find his name first, after the ascension of The Lord, Peter would be the one would take the lead, preaching at Antioch and strengthening his brothers.

When it was time for Jesus to leave them, they were of coarse sad, very sad. Yes, they would feel like orphans. But Jesus tells them that He was to send the Holy Spirit as their Helper Comforter, teacher and mentor. He will come and not only be with them but be in them as he is with us.

Our daily walk and closeness with Father and with the Son in these trying times is dependent upon our walk with the Spirit the indwells us.

Now we come Capernaum which is on the northern shore of the Galilee where the crowds followed. And it is here that Jesus is going give one of the greatest sermons in the bible and that is the sermon on the mount.

People were excited at this point to follow Jesus. The Kingdom was at hand. The question would be who was worthy to enter the kingdom. What do we do while we wait for the Kingdom to come?

As Nicodemus pointed out, not all believed that this Jesus was the Messiah but none the less many believed he was a prophet sent by God and would have the answers that they were looking for regarding the Messianic kingdom.

I believe that it is noteworthy that this great sermon was not given in the temple or the Synagogue but up on a high elevation probably overlooking the Sea. Maybe there is some connection with Moses as he would go up to the mountain to speak to God.

Where they heard the message was above the Synagogues and above the temple. Above the activities of the world below. Away from the distractions of life.

It was on a different mount where Jesus was transfigured, and the three Peter James and John stood when Elijah and Moses made their appearance, and they heard the Father speak out of heaven.

Michael Heiser points out that it is the mountains where the god’s would hang out. It was a place where people did not venture so often.

It was the on a holy Hill that Jesus would rule from.

The Garden of Eden where man once communed with God was on a mountain. And those who followed Jesus up on this mount were being taught by the same one that Adam and Isha sat before.

It was the mount by which Abraham took his son to be sacrificed

It was a mountain by which Moses would go to commune with God and from where God spoke to the people and sent down His commandments.

Matthew 5:1–2 (NASB95) — 1 When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. 2 He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,

These were not just his 12, but all who sought after the teaching of Jesus were considered His disciples and at this point there were many of them.

Jesus went up on the mountain and sat down. we have learned when Jesus was in Nazareth as He took the scroll and read from Isaiah standing up and then sat down to teach.

The Rabbi assumes the teaching mode.

Those that wanted to learn came to him to hear.

Jesus instructed them in view of His announcement of the coming kingdom (4:17). Natural questions on the heart of every Jew would have been, “Am I eligible to enter Messiah’s kingdom? Am I righteous enough to qualify for entrance?” The only standard of righteousness the people knew was that laid down by the current religious leaders, the scribes and Pharisees. Would one who followed that standard be acceptable in Messiah’s kingdom? Jesus’ sermon therefore must be understood in the context of His offer of the kingdom to Israel and the need for repentance to enter that kingdom. The sermon did not give a “Constitution” for the kingdom nor did it present the way of salvation. The sermon showed how a person who is in right relationship with God should conduct his life. While the passage must be understood in the light of the offer of the messianic kingdom, the sermon applies to Jesus’ followers today for it demonstrates the standard of righteousness God demands of His people. Some of the standards are general (e.g., “You cannot serve both God and money” [6:24]); some are specific (e.g., “If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles” [5:41]); and some pertain to the future (e.g., “many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name?’ ” [7:22])[1]

[1]Barbieri, L. A., Jr. (1985). Matthew. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 28). Victor Books.

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