MOUNTAIN TOP TEACHING
OR
AMONG THE BLESSED
SUNDAY APRIL 28, 2019
Scripture To Consider:
“And seeing the multitudes, Jesus went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.’”
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons [and daughters] of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
“Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5.1-12
Something To Consider:
Many in religious circles have debated as to whether this Sermon on the Mount or mountain top teaching of Jesus was directed to the multitudes, or simply Jesus’ closest early disciples. Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 3.16-17; “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man [or woman or young person] of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
The man of God mentioned here is all encompassing, meaning men, women, and young people; anyone considered a part of the true family of God by present tense believing in Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Therefore, whether Jesus spoke these words to the multitudes or disciples only, they have universal purpose and spiritual profit for all followers of Jesus. Every Word of God is relative and applicable to those seeking to live righteous and spiritually meaningful lives in Jesus, while looking for the kingdom of heaven to come.
More recent religious teachers prefer to proclaim that the Sermon on the Mount was directed to Jesus’ early disciples so as to in some way attempt to shift the responsibility of living righteous and holy lives away from the present-day population of Christendom. But any attempt to shift biblical responsibility to live as the Scriptures declare is wrong and eternally dangerously altering the Word of God. The in your face evidence of this recent shift in thinking is revealed in the compromising condition of the so-called church today!
This recent religious phenomenon is further evidenced by the apostle Paul writing in 2 Timothy 3.5; “…having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!” And what is important is that Paul was addressing end times as can be seen a few verses before as Paul declared, “But know this, that in the last days [end times] perilous times will come.”
Therefore, we need to be among the blessed by observing all things Jesus taught, whether the Sermon on the Mount was taught to the masses or to the early disciples. The bottom line is that all Scripture is inspired as if mountain top teaching and should be observed as truthful and biblical instruction of Jesus! Otherwise we risk merely having a form of godliness and refusing to believe in the power of the Word of God and especially the Word of Jesus.
Something Else To Consider:
These Christian character traits revealed in our Scripture to consider today, that of being poor in spirit, mourning over our sin, being meek, being merciful, and hungering and thirsting after righteousness, are considered non-essential by most of secular society and irrelevant by many within Christendom. The world and carnal religious but not spiritual individuals think little of the consequences of reviling, persecuting, and saying all manner of evil against those who attempt to live a life as presented by Jesus in this mountain top teaching.
Our call as present tense 21st century disciples is to stand fast and firm in our faith which thereby allows each of us to be and to remain among the blessed. And yet, being among the blessed means we also may be among the persecuted for righteousness sake. But, rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is our reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before us!
Our being among the blessed means others may say all manner of evil against us falsely for Christ’s sake. But according to Jesus, our reward so very much supersedes any and all persecution these last days may muster against us. And along with being persecuted, reviled, and spoken evil of, we are in the most excellent company of Old Testament prophets and New Testament holy men and women of God who were not ashamed of the true gospel of God that included these mountain top teachings of Jesus.
Something More To Consider:
The key component of concern for every true Christian is found in verse 10 and 11 of Jesus’ teaching in our Scripture to consider. Our being blessed rests on whether the persecution that comes our way is for righteousness’ sake. That is, our being blessed must be due to others saying all kinds of evil against us falsely for Christ’s sake. If we are persecuted or spoken evil of because of our being foolish, then we must reap what it is that we have foolishly sown.
And yet, if we are persecuted strictly for righteousness’ sake or if falsely offended for Christ, great is our reward in heaven. Great is our treasure and increased are our eternal returns in heaven! And after all is said and done, as among the blessed observing all mountain top teaching, we are promised eternal blessing far beyond our earthly imaginations.
A Few Final Words:
The alternative to being among the blessed, is to be among the last days abounding lawlessness and know biblically that it will never get any better in all of eternity as an unbeliever or individual who refused to endure to the end. We either desire to live godly in Christ Jesus while upon planet earth, or we choose to live ungodly on earth and forever among abounding lawlessness. It is a free will choice God has given to each of us. Let us be wise in our choice!
The apostle Paul proclaims of the perilous last days in 2 Timothy 3 in these very descriptive words, “For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers [of God], disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.”
And in chapter 4 Paul gives all true Christian leaders and leaders in training their marching orders by instructing, “Preach the Word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they [one-time believers in Christ] will not endure sound [biblical] doctrine, but according to their itching ears, they will heap up [provide] for themselves teachers; and they [one-time believers] will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.”
These are the ones that Paul earlier warned of by stating, “…having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!” Will we remain open to Jesus’ mountain top teaching of which we should always observe? And if so, then we also remain among the eternally blessed. Otherwise, we become as those Paul has warned of as becoming lovers of ourselves and lovers of pleasure more so than lovers of God. And that should never be the case among the blessed!
Prayer:
Our Father in heaven, give us this day a divine desire to hunger and thirst after Your righteousness with a pure peace seeking heart. In Him Always, Amen!
According to Jesus 