The Greatest Sermon Ever

And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:

And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after 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 children of God.

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

                                                                       (Matt 5:1-12 KJV)

For many years serving small congregations I used not just the Gospel designated for All Saints Sunday; but, I preached the greatest sermon that is and ever was. No it was not my sermon. It was Jesus' sermon. It is the entire Sermon on the Mount.  I only had a couple people object to my doing that. Of course, some did. LOL

One youth at a correctional facility reported me for saying his mother was going to hell. I did not!  I did not use any of my own words to preach the word. I stood on a hill outside of the correctional facility with the youth sitting around me and just preached the words as they were written. 

The only other time that I heard complaints about not writing my own sermon for All Saints Sunday it was because I did not write my own sermon. Can you imagine that! Critiqued for preaching the words that Jesus preached according to  the Gospel of St. Matthew! SMH

The Holy Spirit extraordinarily opens the ears of those who are listening. The many will hear exactly what they need to hear. Some will not like what they hear and turn away. Others will find peace in the word of God. This is not because the preacher is so good. It is because the word of God is like a two-edged sword. It can strike down or it can bring healing to the wounded soul depending upon what is needed. Sometimes the striking down is necessary so that the word of God which is like a two-edged sword can bring the healing necessary. The preacher doesn't do this. He or she is just a mouthpiece so that Christ can carry on the work of salvation through us. 

Since I am retired from preaching every Sunday and will not be preaching the greatest sermon ever this coming Sunday please click on the link I'm providing and read it for yourself: Sermon on the Mount

Have a blessed week!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

P.S.  Just a reminder that I use the King James Version as there are no copywrites on it and I don't have to count words. 

Blessed Are They...

Matthew 5:1-12 KJV

And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:

And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after 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 children of God.

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

+++

Blessed are the merciful! Blessed are the peacemakers!

May God's grace, mercy, and peace be with you all in these tumultuous times!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

The Word; A Two-Edged Sword

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Heb 4:12 KJV)

For the past twenty plus years I have preached the Sermon on the Mount at least annually. I do not edit it. I do not preach anything other than the exact words according to St. Matthew (usually the NIV). The first year that I did this was at a youth correctional facility. The congregation was made up of teen-age felons mainly from Wayne County, MI. The next day I was called into the head office. It had been reported that I had said that one of the youths' mothers was going to hell. I had said no such thing. 

The Sermon on the Mount for the most part; at least the Beatitudes, has always seemed to me to be comforting. However, there are parts of Jesus' sermon that will strike at a guilty conscience quite severely. It is not as though Jesus pointed a finger at any specific person. He merely points at what is right and at what is wrong. 

The word of God is like a two edged sword. The two edged sword is swift to destroy with both sharp sides. But, the sword can be used for two purposes on the battlefield. The first, most obviously, is to destroy. The second, with today's modern warfare, is not so obvious. When heated, the metal  blade of the sword was used to cicatrize wounds; to seal open blood vessels as well as other wounds. 

On the one-hand the word of God can bring us quickly to our knees as our spirits discern the judgment we have brought upon ourselves by daring to stand against the word of God. But, the word of God has a much more gracious purpose. Once wounded by the word, we are healed by the same word of God who desires nothing less than the good for you.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Blessed

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

                                                                     (Matthew 5:1-12 NRSV)

The Sermon on the Mountain begins with what we know as the Beatitudes. These words of Jesus are a comfort to many in need of emotional or spiritual support. They are genuinely good news and for many reason to rejoice! But, what about those who are not poor in spirit; rejoice rather than mourn when disasters assault other around them? What about those who would do harm to others for their own profit or to lift themselves up rather than hunger after righteousness?  What about those who show no empathy or mercy? What about those who are without remorse as they persecute others so that they might have their own way? 

What about that? How blessed are they? Will they receive empathy? Will they receive mercy when the hour has come to give accountability to God? The hour will come for all of us. No one can know when that day will be. 

The best news is that God our Father has indeed blessed the world by sending His only begotten Son to die as a sacrifice for our sins. That sacrifice has been made so that all who believe in him will be blessed with eternal life in the Kingdom of God now and for all of eternity. 

May God open our ears and our eyes and our hearts to a greater understanding of His Word and His Will for all people so that we might do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God. (Micah 6:8)

God's Peace - Pr. J