Russell Mckinney's Blog

Straight Talk About God and Life

Follow Up To “Church Or YBOA Basketball?”

In March of last year, I wrote a post entitled “Church Or YBOA Basketball?” In that post, I explained how my son Ryan’s participation in Youth Basketball of America was causing him to miss some of our Sunday morning church services. I concluded the piece by saying that I had made the decision that Ryan would no longer miss any church services over scheduling conflicts with his YBOA team.

Well, so far this year Ryan’s team has played in two tournaments. In the first one, we played three games on Saturday and one at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday. Since our church services begin at 10:30 a.m. and end at roughly 11:45 a.m., Ryan was able to attend church and still be at his game on time. So far, so good.

But things didn’t work out so convienently this past weekend. Ryan’s team played two games on Saturday and was scheduled again for 12:00 p.m. Sunday. Now I had to put my money where my blog was. It wasn’t an easy decision, and I did reexamine the whole issue before making it, but when the dust settled I stuck to my guns. Ryan missed the game, but we had an excellent church service.

On Thursday of last week, I wanted to talk to Jeff, Ryan’s coach, after practice. My plan was to hand him a printout of the blog post, ask him to read it, and then call me. But Jeff was too busy talking to other folks for me to have such a moment with him. So, I just left the printout in the seat of his truck with a little note asking him to read it. I called him later that night but couldn’t get in touch with him. He got my message, though, and called me the next day.

Jeff and I had a good ten-minute talk in which I explained that my decision to sit Ryan out had nothing to do with him as a coach. I said, “This is between me, Ryan, and the Lord.” Jeff understood completely and we even talked about ways in which the situation could be prevented from happening again. He said he is going to think about asking the tournament directors to let our team just play three or four games per Saturday and not come back on Sunday. That plan has my vote, but we’ll see what comes of it.

For the record, our team lost that Sunday game. That’s the bad news. The good news (at least for me) is that we lost by a wide enough margin so that no one could say, “If Ryan had been there, we would have won.” Since he is a starter, I figure that his presence could have helped some. But when you get beat by 23 points, I’m not sure Kobe Bryant could save you. 

There was one thing that surprised me about my decision not to let Ryan play. I had two different people make a point of saying that they didn’t expect Ryan to play because they had read the blog post and remembered it. When I found that out, I was glad that I hadn’t waffled on my decision. That would have caused me to lose some credibility.  

In the end, I don’t know how the rest of our season is going to play out. All I know is that I’m going to do my best to continue to honor the commitment I felt the Lord led me to make last March. Hopefully, we either won’t be scheduled for any more Sunday games or they will tip off late enough for us to get Ryan there after church.

Again, the idea of playing all Saturday games is very appealing to me. Of course, since Sunday is always the day the tournament champions are crowned, we wouldn’t be able to actually win a tournament. To me, though, that is a small price to pay to give nine boys and their parents the opportunity to build their Sunday around church instead of YBOA basketball.

February 24, 2010 Posted by russellmckinney | Character, Children, Choices, Church attendance, Parenting, Personal, Priorities, Sports, church | , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

Leaping For Joy About Being Persecuted

“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 5:10-12

Up until this last Beatitude, Christ’s opening words from the Sermon on the Mount had been quite comforting. The poor in spirit would gain the kingdom of heaven. Those who mourned would be comforted. The meek would inherit the earth. Those who had a hunger and thirst for righteousness would be filled. The merciful would obtain mercy. The pure in heart would see God. The peacemakers would be called the children of God. What’s not to like about all of that?

But then Jesus launched into a word about persecution. To make matters worse, this was the only Beatitude in which He stated the Beatitude and then followed it up with some extra commentary. You’ll notice that the actual Beatitude ends with the promise about the kingdom of God. (Interestingly, the first and last Beatitude end with exactly the same promise.) Then come two more verses on the subject of persecution. 

Of all the Beatitudes, did Jesus have to linger a bit longer on the most bothersome one? Come on, who wants to hear about being persecuted? All the previous Beatitudes were matters the believer could control. They were things the Christian could do or become. Persecution, however, strikes from the outside. The believer doesn’t persecute himself; somebody else does it. It’s the one Beatitude over which the believer has no control whatsoever.

The Luke version of the Sermon on the Mount doesn’t water the Beatitude down any either. In it, Jesus says, “Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man’s sake. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, for in like manner their fathers did to the prophets” (Luke 6:22-23). The New Testament offers us several examples of Christians being persecuted, even to the point of death. We don’t find one instance, though, where the Christian says to the persecutor, “Could you let me have a quick moment here to leap for joy about what’s happening?”

There is one thing that needs to be understood about this persecution. It must be brought about for “righteousness’ sake.” Your bad behavior can cause you to have trouble with others, but that’s not persecution. For there to be true persecution, your stance or actions must be in the godly right. The evil that is spoken against you must be spoken “falsely.” If it’s no more than legitimate criticism, it’s not persecution. 

There’s certainly no denying that the early church experienced intense persecution. The apostles were arrested (Acts 4:1-22; 5:17-42). Stephen was stoned to death (Acts 7:54-60). James was killed (Acts 12:1-4). Paul was stoned (Acts 14:19-20). Paul and Silas were whipped and imprisoned (Acts 16:16-34). Paul was arrested again and ultimately brought before Caesar (Acts chapters 21-28). It wasn’t until the emperor Constantine “Christianized” the Roman empire that the persecution of Christians ceased. 

This isn’t to say, though, that persecution doesn’t exist today. The fact is, it does. Certainly it exists in China and other far off lands, but it also exists right here in everyday America. Anytime you take a stand for Christ, and someone else makes you suffer somewhat for it, that’s persecution.

The Christian girl who won’t consent to pre-martial sex, only to have the boy tell lies about her at school, experiences persecution. The Christian office worker who gets called names because he won’t join the guys when they hit the bars after work experiences persecution. The Christian pastor who loses some church members over a God-sanctioned sermon that he preached experiences persecution. You see, persecution can take on many different shapes and appearances.

But the great news is that experiencing persecution, as unpleasant and even deadly as it can be, carries with it tremendous eternal rewards. Jesus said, ”Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven.” Since every Christian will enjoy some reward in heaven, Christ’s words must mean that being persecuted brings extra special heavenly reward. The harder a thing is to endure for Christ, the greater the eternal reward. That is only fair.

So, Christian, try to do some remembering whenever you are persecuted for righteousness’ sake. Remember that you are standing in a long line of believers that runs back through the early Christians, back through the Old Testament prophets, all the way back to Abel (Genesis 4:1-8). Remember that Jesus, your Savior, was persecuted unto death. And remember that experiencing persecution allows you to earn heavenly rewards that you otherwise couldn’t earn. As a matter of fact, if you can, it would even be good if you would literally leap for joy about the persecution. (Okay, that last one will be tough, but you get the idea.)

February 23, 2010 Posted by russellmckinney | Doing Good, Heaven, Holiness, Persecution, Reward, Righteousness, The Sermon On The Mount | , , , , | Leave a Comment

Peacemaking

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” Matthew 5:9

If there was any lingering doubt that Jesus meant for the “blessed” described in the Beatitudes to be equated with Christians, it is laid to rest with this Beatitude. This time the promise is, they shall be called “sons (children) of God.” The term is a familiar one to students of the Bible. It reminds us of John 1:12-13, which says of Jesus: “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” It also takes us to Galatians 3:26: “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.”

And so the Christian is to be a “peacemaker.” But just exactly what does that mean? Clearly, the thought of ”making” peace goes deeper than just keeping it or even loving it. To “make” peace a Christian must exert himself. Intentional activity is involved. As Psalm 34:14 puts it: “Seek peace and pursue it.” Paul referenced this idea in Romans 14:19 and Peter referenced it in 1 Peter 3:11.   

Certainly, mending relational fences falls under the category of peacemaking. The way Barnabas brought Saul (Paul) and the disciples together is a beautiful example of this (Acts 9:26-27). So does seeking to prevent wars and end them. We hear this in David’s words, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem” (Psalm 122:6). 

But let me point out that confronting problems can also be placed in the category, assuming the confronting is done in a manner pleasing to God. The Old Testament prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel recognized the futility of crying ”Peace, peace!” when there is no peace (Jeremiah 6:14; Ezekiel 13:10). Since true peace can never be found in a compromise with evil, a peacemaker might rightly be involved in great conflicts.

We see this even in the life of Jesus. On two separate occasions, He flew into a righteous rage at the site of the greedy, corrupt money-changers defiling the Jewish temple with their unscrupulous practices (John 2:13-17; Matthew 21:12-13). Anyone who witnessed these two scenes after hearing Jesus preach the Beatitudes might have been tempted to ask, “Jesus, what was that word about how blessed are the peacemakers?” 

Of course, Jesus did know all about peacemaking. The famous quote from the angels of the story of His birth is, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2:14). Furthermore, Ephesians 2:14-16 explains that Jesus is the Christian’s peace and has reconciled him to God, who is the “God of peace” (Hebrews 13:20). Likewise, Romans 5:1 says: “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” You see, there are valid reasons why Jesus is called “The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).  

It was the idea of the conflict between the peace the Christian has and the lost person’s lack of it that prompted some famous words from Jesus. He said, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be those of his own household” (Matthew 10:34-36). Jesus was letting everybody know that the one who believes in Him becomes at peace with God, and that immediately sets that person in conflict with lost people, even lost family members, because they aren’t at peace with God (Isaiah 57:20-21).

The truth is, winning a lost person to Christ is the most lasting kind of peacemaking because it creates an eternal peace between the lost person and God. So, I’ll close with two verses of scripture which speak of how important it is for Christians to win others to Christ. First, there is Romans 10:15: “And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!” And, second, there is Ephesians 6:15: “and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace.”

February 20, 2010 Posted by russellmckinney | Evangelism, The Sermon On The Mount, Witnessing, salvation | , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

Pureness Of Heart

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Matthew 5:8

The Bible doesn’t use the word “heart” in reference to the organ that sits in the chest and pumps blood. It uses “heart” to refer to the center of one’s being. So, to be pure in heart is to be pleasing to God, not just in outer conduct but also in inner motives, attitudes, and desires. And God is able to do true heart exams. He says in 1 Samuel 16:7, “For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”  

But purity of heart does not mean sinlessness of life. Actually, it is the heart that keeps one from being sinless. Jeremiah 17:9 describes the situation this way: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. Who can know it?” Jesus agreed in Matthew 15:19 by saying, “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.” 

So, if our hearts are such wrecks, who was Jesus referring to when He talked about “the pure in heart”? The answer is, He was referring to people who, despite the inborn wickedness of their heart, still have a burning inner desire to please God. David was a prime example of such a person. Even though his sin-tainted heart caused him to commit the sins of lust, covetousness, adultery, and murder, he still had a very real desire to please God. This is evidenced by the fact that he cried out to God, “Create in me a clean heart, O God” (Psalm 51:10).     

The Pharisees and scribes of Christ’s day focused exclusively on the outward appearance and completely disregarded anything involving the heart. They would have had Jesus say, “Blessed are the pure in conduct, for they shall see God.” A Pharisee could harbor an intense inner hatred for his brother, but that was alright as long as he didn’t actually murder him. He could go around lusting over every woman he met as long as he didn’t have sex with any of them. But Jesus came with a different teaching. He said, “Let’s focus on the inside. If you have hatred toward your brother, we need to treat that as murder (Matthew 5:21-26), and if you look at a woman lustifully, that’s adultery” (Matthew 5:27-30).

Jesus even reserved His harshest preaching for the Pharisees and scribes. He said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.” He was saying, “You men seem to look so good on the outside, so devout and holy, but you are rotten to the core on the inside. Only when you become clean on the inside can you truly be clean on the outside.”

In Psalm 24:3-4, David wrote about the direct relationship between pureness of heart and godliness of conduct. He wrote: “Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully.” You see, idolatry and deceitful swearing are merely outward evidences of an internal problem. If a person’s heart is pure, he won’t be committing those public sins. This explains why Proverbs 4:23 adamently says: “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”    

As with each of the beatitudes of Matthew 5:1-12, Jesus was referring to saved people when he spoke of “the pure in heart.” The “pure in heart” have a desire to please God, and that desire will ultimately lead them to believe in Christ as Savior. This only makes sense because God desires that every person get saved by believing in Christ as Savior (1 Timothy 2:1-6; 2 Peter 3:9). It’s simply impossible for someone to be pleasing to God without knowing Christ as Savior.

And what reward does Jesus promise for those who are pure in heart enough to want to please God enough to believe in Christ as Savior? He says, “For they shall see God.” Let’s not be so quick to explain away this promise. Let’s not make it little more than, “They will see God in a sunset, a baby’s smile, or a charitable deed.” No, the Bible clearly and consistently teaches that Christians will not only one day see God but spend all eternity with Him. 1 Peter 1:3-5 tells us that Christians have an incorruptible, undefiled inheritance reserved for us in heaven, one that doesn’t fade away. Just as the pure in heart have a desire to please God, He has a desire to be around them for all eternity. What a promise this was to all those commoners who served as the audience for Christ’s Sermon on the Mount, and what a promise it still is to every Christian today.

February 17, 2010 Posted by russellmckinney | Belief, Desires, Eternal Security, Heaven, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment

Got Mercy?

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” Matthew 5:7

The Greek noun our New Testaments translate as “mercy” is eleos. Vine’s Expository Dictionary defines it as: “the outward manifestation of pity; it assumes need on the part of him who receives it, and resources adequate to meet the need on the part of him who shows it.”

The Old Testament’s primary Hebrew word for “mercy” is checed. William Barclay, in his commentary on Matthew, says of this Hebrew word: “…It is an untranslatable word. It does not mean to sympathize with a person in the popular sense of the term; it does not mean simply to feel sorry for someone in trouble. (It) means the ability to get right inside the other person’s skin until we can see things from his eyes, think things with his mind, and feel things with his feelings.”

Putting the Vines and Barclay thoughts together, we come up with a very high standard for mercy. First, mercy assumes need on the part of the mercy-receiver. Second, it assumes the mercy-giver has resources adequate to meet the need. And, third, to ideally show it, the mercy-giver must place himself inside the skin of the mercy-receiver. 

It’s been said that justice is getting what you deserve and mercy is not getting it. Certainly, mercy lives on the same street as compassion and pity. Just as certainly, the person who follows Christ must know this street well. How big a deal is this to God? It’s big enough for James 2:13 to say the one who has shown no mercy will experience judgment “without mercy.” That’s a very sobering thought.

Not only does God expect Christians to show mercy, He is even interested in the way we do it. According to Romans 12:8, He wants it to be done “with cheerfulness.” That sets the bar much higher, doesn’t it? It’s one thing to be expected to show mercy, but it’s something else entirely to be expected to do it cheerfully! 

But what makes God think He has the right to demand such a lofty standard from Christians? Putting it simply, He has the right to demand it because He has cheerfully extended mercy to us. As Titus 2:5 says: “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.”

Of course, it shouldn’t be at all surprising that God Himself would extend mercy. Ephesians 2:4 says He is “rich in mercy.” Micah 7:18 says “He delights in mercy.” Psalm 103:8,11 says: “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy…For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him.”

The good news, Christian, is that if you will meet God’s standard by cheerfully extending mercy to others, you will feel the benefit of it as much as them. Proverbs 11:17 says: “The merciful man does good for his own soul, but he who is cruel troubles his own flesh.” Proverbs 14:21 says: “He who despises his neighbor sins; but he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he.” Psalm 18:25 says: “With the merciful, You will show Yourself merciful.” That goes right along with Christ’s words, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.”

So, Christian, do you want to be pleasing to God in your dealings with others? Do you want to do good for your own soul? Do you want to be happy? Do you want to obtain mercy from God? If your answer is yes, then cheerfully show mercy to others. Just because you have a hammer, doesn’t mean you have to drop it. Just because you are in a superior position, doesn’t mean you have to lord it. And just because you don’t need mercy at the present moment doesn’t mean that you didn’t once need it or won’t one day need it again.

February 15, 2010 Posted by russellmckinney | Mercy, The Sermon On The Mount, salvation | , , , , , | Leave a Comment

Righteousness & You

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” Matthew 5:6

I’ve been a pastor a long time, long enough to have learned some things about professing Christians. One of those things is: not many of them hunger and thirst after righteousness. When you do come across such a person, you are actually taken aback by how much he or she stands out from the crowd. Your reaction is, “Wow, now that’s the way this Christianity thing is supposed to work. That’s the kind of person it’s set up to produce.”  

I take no pleasure in reporting that a high percentage of professing Christians are only interested in living righteously enough to keep God from getting too ticked off at them. The time they spend in prayer is minimal. Their Bible study is barely a blip on the radar. They attend church only if all the planets align and nothing else comes up. They give sparingly and many times even begrudge that (2 Corinthians 9:6-7). They’ve never witnessed to anyone in their lives.

Even those who do better in some of these areas typically fall short when it comes to actually repenting of sins and making needed changes in their lives. I’ve known professing Christians who were at church every time the doors were open, but they were petty, bitter people who refused to forgive any perceived slight. I’ve known others who made prayer a vital part of their lives but didn’t mind engaging in pre-marital sex or “shacking up.” Others would give generously to the church but spend even more on alcohol or drugs. To all of these people, the idea of hungering and thirsting after righteousness was foreign. They had just enough religion to keep them at peace with themselves and certainly didn’t have a burning desire for anything more than that.

Imagine a man who hasn’t eaten for two days. He gets the opportunity to sit down at a buffet filled with delicious food. The way that man’s eyes dance over that food is the way the Christian’s eyes should dance over righteousness. The way he craves that food is the way the Christian should crave righteousness.

Imagine a woman who has been stranded in the desert for hours. When she is rescued, a rescue worker hands her a bottle of water. At that moment, there is nothing on earth she wants more. That’s how the Christian should thirst after righteousness.

Christian, when you are obsessively hungering and thirsting after righteousness, when righteousness is what you are chasing in life, you won’t have to be goaded into coming to church. You won’t have to be begged to pray. Your pastor won’t have to chide you into Bible study. It won’t take a ten-sermon series on stewardship to get you to give generously. You won’t have to be coerced into telling others about Jesus and inviting them to church. All of that will come as naturally to you as breathing. It will flow effortlessly out of your hungering and thirsting for righteousness. 1 John 2:29 describes this as “practicing” righteousness: “If you know that He (God) is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him” (1 John 5:1; John 3:1-8). 

And, furthermore, Jesus promises that your pursuit of righteousness will not be in vain. He says you shall be filled. I see a two-fold meaning in this promise. First, it only makes the sense that the more you devote your life to righteousness, the more righteousness will be exhibited in your life. Second, as for your eternal standing with God, the moment you realize that your life is stained by unrighteousness and you place your belief (faith) in Jesus as Savior, God actually imparts to you His spotless righteousness (Romans 1:16-17; 3:21-26; Philippians 3:7-9). That is an even more important filling.

So, Christian, how hungry are you? How thirsty? Are you burdened enough about righteousness to do some repenting? Will you commit to moving up to a higher level of practicing righteousness in your daily life? When you get hungry and thirsty enough to actually make some changes in how you conduct yourself, you’ll find Jesus standing ready to help you. He’ll be right there with the never-ending buffet and bottomless well. You will be filled, no doubt about that. But never forget that no one can be filled who is already full enough to suit them.

February 11, 2010 Posted by russellmckinney | Belief, Bible Study, Change, Choices, Church attendance, Discipleship, Doing Good, Evangelism, Holiness, Money, Personal Holiness, Righteousness, The Sermon On The Mount, Witnessing, faith, giving, obedience, salvation, stewardship | Leave a Comment

The True Meaning Of Meakness

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5

The word “beatitude” is not found anywhere in the Bible, but it is used in reference to each of the instances where the Bible says ”Blessed is…” or “Blessed are…” The word comes from beatus, which is the Latin word for “blessed.” While beatitudes can be found in both the Old Testament and the New Testament, far and away the most famous list is the one that begins Christ’s Sermon on the Mount.

The Greek word for “blessed” is makarios. The word carries with it multiple shades of meaning. It can mean happy, fortunate, to be envied, satisfied, joyful, or spiritually prosperous. Needless to say, the word packs quite a punch. To be “blessed” in this way is no small thing!

Of all the beatitudes, perhaps the one that has historically been the worst understood is: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” The problem has always stemmed from the false notion that meekness equates to weakness. The fact is, nothing could be further from the truth.

In the K.J.V., Numbers 12:3 says: “Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.” If you think Moses was a ninety-pound weakling who couldn’t take care of himself, you really need to read Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Moses was a man’s man, an outdoorsmen who had a hot temper and could single-handedly kill an Egyptian.

In addition to Moses being described as meek, would you believe that Jesus described Himself in the same way? In the K.J.V. of Matthew 11:29, He says, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest for your souls.” This was Jesus, who spent forty days and nights fasting in the Judean wilderness. This was Jesus, who oftentimes slept on the ground. This was Jesus, who lived through a brutal Roman scourging. The idea of Him being weak is preposterous.

In light of Moses and Jesus, it is obvious that meekness means something other than weakness. But what does it mean? I’ll tell you. It means strength under control. The Greek word that is translated as “meek” is praus. It is the word the Greeks used to describe a horse that had been broken. The horse was far from weak, but its strength had been brought under the control of a rider.     

You see, Jesus wasn’t calling His followers to lay aside their strength and become milquetoast peons. He wanted them to be strong, especially in spiritual might. But He challenged them to inwardly harness their power and bring it under self-control. Just as a rider can’t use a horse that hasn’t been broken, Jesus can’t do much with a person whose strength isn’t under control.

He did, however, promise an awesome reward for the meek Christian. That promise would be a long time in fulfilling. As a matter of fact, the world still awaits the fulfillment. One day, though, after Christ has returned to this earth (Revelation 19:11-21) and established His 1,000-year kingdom upon it (Revelation 20:1-4), Christians will indeed inherit the earth and reign with Christ as His bride (Revelation 2:26-27; 5:8-10; 19:6-9).

I feel safe in saying that those who heard Jesus make that promise didn’t truly grasp the correct meaning of it. It was just too far off in the future. But how they must have liked the sound of it! Think of it, a time when the Romans didn’t rule the known world. Dare they dream of such a time? Oh, yes. The time wouldn’t be brought in with military might, though. Yes, strength would be involved, but it would be strength under control. Who else but Jesus would preach such a radical idea? And who else but Him has the power to make it reality?

February 10, 2010 Posted by russellmckinney | Christ's Second Coming, Prophecy, Reward, The Sermon On The Mount | , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

Those Who Mourn

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Matthew 5:4

The Greek word for “mourn” in this verse is pentheo, which specifically refers to the strongest, most intensive kind of mourning. In the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Old Testament, this word is used to describe Jacob’s grief when he thought his beloved son Joseph was dead (Genesis 37:34). 

Still, the question is, how can such mourning equate to blessedness? The typical commentator’s explanation is to make the mourning a mourning over one’s sins. The person who is under extreme conviction over his sinful condition, to the point of gut-wreching mourning over it, will find forgiveness and comfort in Christ.

Certainly this is a doctrinally sound thought, but I can’t help but wonder if we should be so quick to explain away the literalness of Christ’s words. Would His disciples really have understood the mourning to be mourning over one’s sins? I have to question that.

I lean toward thinking that Jesus was emphasizing that He was the answer for death. Mourning has always walked hand in hand with death. Perhaps then Jesus was saying, “There’s now One on the scene who can provide the greatest comfort to those who have lost loved ones.”

In the Luke version of the sermon, Jesus says nothing about those who mourn. Instead, He says, “Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh” (Luke 6:21). But just as mourning walks hand in hand with death, weeping walks hand in hand with mourning. Therefore, it isn’t hard to link ”Blessed are those who mourn” and “Blessed are you who weep now” together. The fact that Jesus got more individually specific in the Luke version by using the word “you” seems to be a case of tailoring a sermon to fit an audience.    

In Revelation 1:18, Jesus says, “I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and Death.” Since Hades was the general realm of the dead, Jesus was pointing out that He has complete charge over the afterlife. If a person knew Him as Savior in life, that relationship would continue in death. As Paul wrote to the Christians of Corinth, “For we know that if our earthly house, this tent (body), is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens…So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord…We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:1,6,8).

Speaking for myself, it brings me indescribable comfort to know that the souls of my loved ones who died in Christ went to heaven to be with Him. For them, death was a promotion and a call home. Rather than mourn a Christian’s passing, we should celebrate it. After all, as Paul said in another passage, “To live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better” (Philippians 1:21,23).

I’ve preached more funerals than I can remember, and in each one I tried to bring some comfort to the family. I have to say, though, that the greatest comfort I ever gave anybody came from assuring them that the soul of their Christian loved one was with the Lord in heaven. Such funerals preach themselves. And it is because of these experiences that I can say with certainty that Jesus really does provide comfort for the blessed (the saved) who mourn the deaths of their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

February 8, 2010 Posted by russellmckinney | Heaven, death, salvation | 2 Comments

The Poor In Spirit

And seeing the multitudes, He 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.” (Matthew 5:1-3)

Christ’s most famous sermon is the so-called Sermon on the Mount. The word “Mount” comes from the fact that Jesus gave this teaching to His disciples while up on a mountain (Matthew 5:1). It seems clear, though, that He preached either the entire sermon or selected parts of it at least twice. I say this because Luke 6:17-49 gives us the record of a shortened version of the sermon, a version that Jesus preached “on a level place” (N.K.J.V.) (“a plain” K.J.V.) with not only His disciples in attendance but also a great multitude of people.

Furthermore, there are slight differences in the two accounts of the sermon. In the Matthew version, Jesus promises the kingdom of heaven, while in the Luke account He promises the kingdom of God. While it’s true that both descriptions refer to the same kingdom (see Matthew 6:33), it’s also true that the word heaven brings a different image to mind than the word God.

Another example of certain differences in the accounts is found in the sermon’s opening. Whereas the Matthew version quotes Christ as saying, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” the Luke version omits the words ”in spirit” and cites the quote as, “Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.”

It seems that Jesus changed the wording a bit to accomodate His two different audiences. Up on the mountain, it was just Him and His disciples. But down on the level place they were joined by “a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon” (Luke 6:17).  

And why had that multitude sought out Jesus? They had come “to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits” (Luke 6:17-18). It doesn’t take much of a stretch of imagination to figure that diseased and demon-possessed people were poor. Diseased people couldn’t work and spent what money they had on doctors (Luke 8:43-44). Demon-possessed people certainly couldn’t hold down jobs either (Luke 8:26-39). 

Of course, the fact that Jesus would say to a crowd of such people, “Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God” offers us a glimpse into why He was so popular with the common people of the land. In large part, the Jewish people still lived under the Old Testament mindset that wealth was evidence of the blessing and favor of God. To be poor, then, was to be under God’s judgment, disfavor, or curse. But here was a teacher who flipped that mindset completely on its head. According to him, the kingdom of God belonged to the poor, not the rich. That was mind-blowing news if you were a poor person!

Even before preaching the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus had preached a sermon at Nazareth in which He had referenced Isaiah 61:1-2 in saying, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor” (Luke 4:18). Later on, He would have word sent to the imprisoned John the Baptist that “the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them” (Luke 7:22). Clearly, Jesus wanted poor people to realize that the kingdom of God wasn’t just for the rich.     

Still, we must understand that the Sermon on the Mount is not the gospel. No one goes to heaven just because they are monetarily poor. One must be spiritually born again by believing in Christ as Savior and thereby becoming indwelt by God the Holy Spirit (John 3:1-18; Romans 3:10-26). Merely standing there listening to Jesus and being poor didn’t provide salvation. Those people had to believe in Him as Savior.

Also, it will help you to better apply the term “poor in spirit” if you will think of it as a deliberate choice rather than a natural personality trait. To be poor in spirit is to make yourself walk in a constant realization of your utter spiritual helplessness without God. It is to abandon any and all attempts at self-righteousness and throw yourself completely upon divine-righteousness (Titus 2:5-6; Ephesians 2:8-9). It is to truly grasp the teaching of Isaiah 64:6, that all your supposed works of righteousness are, in reality, like “filthy rags” in the sight of an infinitely holy God.  

Also, to be poor in spirit is to be humble in nature. It is to approach God as a lowly servant (Matthew 8:5-8), a respectful child (Matthew 18:4), or even a pititful beggar (Matthew 15:21-28). The person who struts toward God and thinks, “He’s lucky to get me” isn’t poor in spirit. Neither is the person who says, “I’m going to allow God into my life, but I’ll be bringing as much to the relationship as He does.” The Greek word translated here as “poor” is ptochos, and it refers to abject poverty. The one who is this poor in spirit knows that he brings nothing to God because, frankly, he doesn’t have anything to bring.

So, tell me, is this you? Do you think of yourself as such a spiritual beggar? Or do you pull back from having such a degrading opinion of yourself? Since Jesus (God the Son) thought you were valuable enough to die for, I’m certainly not saying that God sees you as nothing in His eyes. But the truth is, He wants you to see yourself as nothing in comparison to Him.

He doesn’t necessarily want you to be poor in life (even though He doesn’t want everybody to rich either), but He does want you to be poor in spirit. This will allow you to have the attitude and perspective that will make it easy for you to not only experience salvation by believing in Jesus but also to look to Him each day to meet all your needs. After all, that’s what beggars do. They look to someone else to take care of them. Jesus will be that person to you if you will let Him.

February 5, 2010 Posted by russellmckinney | Attitude, Belief, God's Holiness, Humility, The Holy Spirit, The Sermon On The Mount, Trusting In God, faith, needs, salvation | , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

Will God Meet My Need?

In the mid-nineteenth century, poverty characterized the people of the northeast Highlands of Scotland. During those days, a man named John Murray was praying for guidance by a riverside. Many of his neighbors were imigrating to America, and he was wondering if he should join them. As he was praying, he heard a loud thud on the grass behind him. A salmon had leaped right out of the water and was lying there for him! Murray took it as an answer that the Lord could provide for him in Scotland. 

Philippians 4:19 says: “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” This verse is very well known, for good reason. However, I would like to point out one important fact about the verse’s application.

That fact is: The verse was written by a Christian (the apostle Paul) to other Christians (the Christians of Philippi). You see, it’s not just anyone who can rightly say, “I know that God will supply all my need according to His riches in glory.” The verse doesn’t obligate God to provide for those who do not know Jesus as Savior. Pay careful attention to the wording: God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

I’m not saying that God won’t supply the need of a lost person. The truth is, He usually does. As Jesus said, “He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45). I’m simply pointing out the vast difference between knowing God as one’s heavenly Father and merely knowing Him as “the man upstairs.”

Imagine me walking around the mall with my two boys. It’s 6:00 p.m. and they haven’t had supper. They look at me and say, “Daddy, we’re hungry. Will you buy us something to eat?” I will buy them something because I’m their father, a fact which obligates me to provide for their needs. That is how God responds to the Christian’s needs. He meets them out of a fatherly obligation.

But now imagine another boy, a total stranger, coming up to me in the mall and saying, “Mister, I’m hungry. Will you buy me something to eat?” Based upon my assessment of the situation, if I sense a genuine need in the child, I will buy him something to eat. But I’m not obligated to do it, am I? Do you see the difference? I meet my boys’ need out of parental obligation, but I meet the other boy’s need out of something else, call it mercy, pity, charity, kindness, or compassion.

So, I’ll leave you with two thoughts. First, if you do not know Jesus as your Savior, you are not a child of God. You are loved by Him and you are desired by Him, but you are not His child. You must believe in Christ as Savior to actually join the family (John 1:12). And then, second, if you do know Jesus as Savior, you really shouldn’t worry about the meeting of your needs. Remember that your heavenly Father has inexhaustible “riches” and is obligated to take care of you, even if he has to drop a salmon on your bank to do it.

February 2, 2010 Posted by russellmckinney | God's Love, God's Provision, Trusting In God, Worry, faith, needs | , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

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