The Values of the Kingdom of God

The motive behind our service to God in ministering to His people in the role of Royal Priests should be based on a willingness to serve people spiritually. Otherwise it might become a form of religious humanism. We need a biblically-based set of spiritual values that determines our responses to the challenges we will face as working priests. We need to respond in the way that our master did. Again, I wish to make it clear that the Royal Priesthood is not an elite group within the Church, but rather one in which every believer has a role.     

The historical Jesus was a Jew who was born just before the beginning of the first century. He is known in the New Testament as “Jesus of Nazareth” (a hill village in the region of Galilee). Christians refer to him as “the Lord Jesus Christ.” I begin this final chapter by defining these three words.

The term “Lord” means Master. “Jesus” (Joshua or, more correctly, Yeshua) is his given name. “Christ” (Messiah or Anointed) refers to his divinely-appointed role on earth. So as to refresh our knowledge of his identity, I will use these valid terms by referring to Jesus as “the Master” and as “the Anointed One” (except when using quotations from the New Testament). These terms belong to the authentic New Age, which began with the descent of the Holy Spirit, as recorded in “The Acts of the Apostles.”

A monarch has not only a regal name and title and a kingdom over which he rules, but also a royal charter which spells out in detail the “manner” of the kingdom: the rules that govern his realm. (1 Samuel 10:25)

The Sermon on the Mount, recorded in the Gospel of Matthew, chapters five to seven, is the greatest sermon ever preached. Yet it is far more than a sermon: it is a proclamation of the charter of the kingdom by the Anointed One, the present and future Monarch of the kingdom. It is the New Testament counterpart of the commandments God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai; but instead of beginning with commandments, it begins with blessings.

There is an obvious contrast between commandments chiseled in stone on a fiery mountain and blessings pronounced over a crowd gathered on a mountain one fine morning. In his gospel Luke records that before Jesus preached “the whole crowd sought to touch him, for power went out of him and healed them all.” (Luke 6:19)

Parts of the Sermon on the Mount are recorded by Luke as taught on a plain one morning after Jesus had spent all night on a mountain in inspired prayer. (Luke 6:20-49) Some scholars think that Jesus taught the message twice. (He wouldn’t be the first preacher to do that.) The main difference between the two accounts, apart from length (Luke’s account is much shorter) is that Matthew’s account is more deeply spiritual, in that it adds “in spirit” to the Beatitudes, and so addresses the motives behind spiritual service. Matthew’s account was written for Jewish readers, and so is more comprehensive.

The word Beatitude, “a declaration of blessedness”, is translated from the ancient Greek word makarios, which refers to an individual blessing. Nine such blessings are listed in Matthew 5:3-11, each of them meaning, “supremely happy.” Together they describe a supremely happy state or condition of “blessedness.” (The Greek word makarismos is also found in Romans 4:6-9 and Galatians 4:15) In his account Luke records four of the “blessings” (Luke 6:20-22) along with four contrasting “woes” (Luke 6:24-26).

In Matthew’s account, the word “blessed” is applied to a believer who is:

1) Poor

2) Mourning

3) Meek

4) Hungry and thirsty

5) Merciful

6) Pure in heart

7) Peaceable

8) Persecuted

9) Falsely accused

However, where Luke dwells on the outward condition – he simply calls the person “blessed” and pronounces “woes” on those in the opposite conditions – Matthew probes deeper, into the inward state of the person. He or she is not only poor but “poor in spirit;” It is “righteousness” that the hungry and thirsty long for. It is the pure “in heart” who shall see God. It is “for righteousness” sake and “for my sake” that many are persecuted.

But although these are future rewards, the supreme happiness is enjoyed as a present experience, despite the heartaches and the losses. We should always remember that in the New Testament the kingdom of God is both present and future. It is not just spoken of in what bible scholars call the Prophetic Perfect, in which future events are anticipated (John 17:11-12), but as a current, powerful (albeit unseen) spiritual kingdom which is to be fully revealed at the return to earth of Jesus the Anointed One. 

The word kingdom (Greek: basileia) indicates a territory or a people ruled over by a sovereign. At times the words kingdom and sovereign seem interchangeable. This is because God’s sovereignty is demonstrated in our Master’s kingdom authority.

Sovereignty touched earth in the authority of Jesus, and when it did, the abstract concept of God’s kingdom – His sovereign rule over His creation – became a concrete reality. Jesus began his ministry by preaching the Good News that God’s kingdom was close at hand, but through the miracles that Jesus did the kingdom actually touched people and changed their lives.

In a Los Angeles church some years ago I ministered on Matthew 12:28 – “But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you.” As I concluded, the minister of the church challenged my message by saying to everyone present: “We’ve heard about this kingdom, now let’s see the power of it!” After praying for a young man at his request, I turned to a young woman standing nearby, and caught a glimpse of something in her eyes. “May I pray for you?” I asked. “Yes,” she replied, very slowly. There was a note in her voice that indicated to me that her problem was a spiritual one.

No sooner had my hand gently touched her forehead than she was thrown through the air and landed between seats on the other side of the aisle. As I ministered to her, a voice screamed at me through her. I rebuked the evil spirit, and when I did she was set free. I later learned she had suffered from bulimia, an eating disorder, but was instantly healed when the evil spirit left her.

Months later I heard that she was still thanking God for her healing. The kingdom of God – His authoritative rule – had come upon her! (It was the impact of the Holy Spirit’s power on the evil spirit that had caused her to be thrown across the aisle.) My point is that the kingdom of God is not merely a concept or an ideal – it is a powerful reality!   

Some Christians have erred in postponing the kingdom of God until the return of Jesus. In stripping their theology of his present-day authority and power, and in postponing spiritual gifts until the future arrival of the kingdom, they have clouded the world’s perception of God’s sovereignty over this earth.

The inspired apostle Paul writes of the kingdom of God not only as righteousness and peace, but also as joy in the Holy Spirit. (Romans 14:17) Joy is a sign of the kingdom in our midst. But although we now rejoice in the Holy Spirit, how many of us look forward to inheriting the kingdom in its complete expression here on earth, at our Master’s return? On the other hand, do we expect our prayer, “Your kingdom come!” to be answered only in a future event? In the Bible the kingdom is a present experience, as well as a promised inheritance.

God’s sovereign rule through our Master’s absolute authority “in heaven and in earth” (Matthew 28:19) is acknowledged by observers when we do the wonderful works that Jesus did – despite our human weaknesses and shortcomings.

The values contained in the Beatitudes are essential to the well-being of those who are submissive to the rule of their Master, because the practice of these values governs their conduct throughout the trials they endure in this life. Moreover, the values are spiritual benchmarks against which rewards will be assessed when our ruling Master in heaven becomes the reigning King over the whole world. God’s blessings rest upon those who exhibit these values.     

Blessing Number One: “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3}

How to define “poor in spirit”? It is the dark cloud that blots out the warm sun on a bitterly cold day. It is the high tide of discouragement that threatens to overwhelm us when we are at our lowest point. The Hebrew and Greek words for “spirit” are also translated “breath.” The phrase “poor in spirit” refers to a person who is disheartened, one who is at a very low point in life. To those who are disheartened the news that God’s kingdom is theirs seems almost beyond belief. “Theirs is” indicates that the kingdom belongs to the poor in spirit now (or Jesus would have said, “The kingdom will be theirs”).

On Borneo and in the Philippines I have found the “poor in spirit” to be rich in the blessings of God. Their contentment in God and absolute faith in Jesus the Anointed One is their most precious possession. Filipinos depend on cooperative family relationships to help them during rice harvests. It’s then that the aged grandmother minds the small children and prepares and cooks food for the family. Individualism arises only when Western values intrude, and cooperation in the community then suffers accordingly.

Filipinos seem to cultivate their values more than other people. It’s not that they are content to regard poverty as a virtue and not have a desire to raise their standard of living; it’s just that they are not prepared to adopt the Western lifestyle at the expense of their strongly-held values (although many city-dwellers are, and sadly do). In the more rural provinces, relationships are important, and villagers respect and co-operate with one another. Christians in the Western world would do well to adopt the Filipino values system as their model for local church fellowship, because it’s very biblically based.            

The Apostle Paul experienced poverty, but nowhere do we read of him being disheartened. He describes himself as “poor, yet making many rich.” Paul supported himself and his co-workers by his skill in tent-making. Yet his knowledge of the scriptures and close walk with God enriched the lives of those around him. We tend to forget that the spiritual riches we enjoy in the epistles of Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians were mined from God’s revelations to Paul during his years of imprisonment in Rome.

Instead of dismaying him, the state in which he found himself caused him to become increasingly dependent on God for support. (Philippians 4:13) We may think of Paul as focused and very intense: the characteristics of a choleric. But from the moment of his vision of Jesus on the road to Damascus he was dependent of his Master for support and protection.  

Blinded by the light, he was led by the hand to the house in Damascus, where he was welcomed as “Brother Saul” by a disciple of Jesus named Ananias. When a plot to murder him was overheard, he was lowered down the wall of the city in a wicker basket. Years later, he was brought from Tarsus to Jerusalem by Barnabas, who introduced to the skeptical apostles. From the very beginning, dependency was the word that best described Paul’s ministry lifestyle. 

Paul writes of himself as “unknown, and yet well known…” There had been a time when as Saul of Tarsus he was well known. As a descendant of Benjamin, as a Hebrew scholar, and as a strict Pharisee, his name and reputation would have been well known. But when he forsook his Hebrew name Saul and his status among the Jews, adopted the Latin name Paul, and began ministering to the Greeks, he lost all that he had held dear in life, Jewish leaders despised him for teaching that Jesus was the Anointed One. But because of his apostolic leadership and his letters to churches, the name Paul (by which he was known from the time of his appointment as an apostle in Antioch) soon became known worldwide.

Paul writes that for Jesus, he had “suffered the loss of all things” (Philippians 3:8); The Greek word for “possessing” implies holding firmly in possession. Through their faith, believers hold both present and future things in firm possession. (1 Corinthians 3:21-22) These things are ours by faith now, and will become ours by inheritance when Jesus returns. 

In Mark 10:29-30 these things are listed, and to them is added the promise of a worldwide spiritual family.

“Very truly I say to you: there is no man who has left house, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake and the gospel’s sake, that shall not receive a hundredfold now, in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.”

This is the kingdom language! (In the parallel texts of Matthew 19:29 and Luke 18:29, the words, “for my sake,” “for my name’s sake,” and “for the Kingdom of God’s sake,” are synonymous.) These texts impart measureless meaning to the word “blessed”! During our travels around the world my wife and I have enjoyed the rich fellowship of believers who have opened their hearts and their homes to us. On one occasion we left for three weeks of ministry in the UK with just $130 dollars. A “brother” who came to the airport to see us off gave us another $50 dollars.

After ministering for three weeks in the UK we changed our pounds sterling into Australian dollars at Heathrow Airport, and found that it amounted to $180. The same “brother” met us on our arrival at Brisbane International Airport, and we gave him back his $50. Three weeks in the UK for $180 would beat the budget of any backpacker – and we had stayed in lovely homes with wonderful people and had enjoyed delicious meals! 

I remember reading Mark 10:29-30 to a group of believers gathered in a house in Somerset. When I said, “This house and everything in it belongs to me,” those present sucked in their collective breath and held it until I added, “But only if you believe that I am God’s servant, and only for as long you believe that he would have me stay here.” 

We should not see our new spiritual family as merely a substitute for the family we were born into, but rather as one that will continue beyond this life into “the world to come.” Of course, we should urge members of the family we were born into to turn to God, accept the Master’s rule, and join us in our new spiritual family. We should pray that they will do so very soon, while there is yet time.

We see then that “the poor in spirit” hold the kingdom of heaven as both a future and present possession. (“Theirs is” indicates possession.) At present we receive “a hundredfold” more in the wider, spiritual family than what we had in the family we lost. (Mark 10:30). Hebrews 12:28 tells us that we are “receiving” a kingdom that cannot be shaken. (The word “receiving” is translated from the Greek word paralambano, which describes the act of reaching out and receiving a gift from someone.) We are not passively waiting for the kingdom to come to us, but are actively receiving and possessing it by faith, every day. Meantime, God is shaking “all things” so that, in the end, only His kingdom will remain intact. 

The poor have the gospel preached to them (Matthew 11:5), and this makes them spiritually rich. I should mention that more members of our spiritual family live in thatched huts in Asia than thatched homes in England. But whether seated with crossed legs on the floor of a hut in Borneo or seated in style in the finest restaurant in Europe, we have found the quality of fellowship equally enjoyable.

We haven’t yet experienced the “with persecutions” bit included by Mark, but on our return it is always the precious fellowship of our overseas family that we most remember. No doubt we will feel the same about our fellowship with our family’s persecuted members, when we get to meet them. 

These nine beatitudes – we’ll call them “double blessings” (a link toPsalm 1:1, where the Hebrew word “blessed” is plural) prove that the inward state of those who are spiritual has nothing at all to do with their outward circumstances. Happiness may be found in the midst of strange and even hostile situations.

Those who are doubly happy say, “Why should I allow my external condition to affect my internal state? The kingdom is mine. Not only am I rich spiritually but I also possess the kingdom, which means that all things are mine.”

The fact that they are ours as believers does not, of course, mean that we should continue to be influenced by the sinful nature that governed us before we were converted. (2 Corinthians 5:17) Nor can we abuse our spiritual family’s possessions (“I’ll borrow your car today!”) or trade on our spiritual relationships in an effort to evade work. (“How can you say we are “brothers” when you won’t lend me money?”)

Blessing Number Two: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4)

The second doubly happy group is comprised of those who mourn. “They shall be comforted,” Jesus promised. Again, we encounter what has been called “the now and the not yet” aspects of God’s kingdom. It is present in the spiritual dimension but is yet to appear in the fullest sense.

An important lesson we learn from this beatitude is that comfort comes only when loss is experienced. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)Mourning is usually associated with bereavement: the loss of a loved one. But it is also possible to mourn over a lost relationship. Divorcees experience a kind of mourning after the “death” of the marriage relationship. We mourn, in fact, over many things: chances we never had; opportunities we had but never took; rock-solid friendships that crumbled under pressure; businesses that were destroyed by bad debt; happy times that we thought would last forever, but didn’t.

“You are doubly happy,” promised Jesus, “for you shall be comforted.”He said; “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” (John 14:18) The Greek word translated “comfortless” is one from which the word “orphans” is derived, and it means “left in the dark.” Jesus promised his disciples that he would not leave them out beyond the light in the darkness of the night. To us “left in the dark” is a familiar figure of speech for not being told something, but to mourners it is the fear of being left alone. The promise of Jesus is that we will be sought out and brought into the light of God’s family.

The Holy Spirit is “the Comforter” which was sent to take the place of Jesus in the lives of believers. In 2 Corinthians 1:3 the Apostle Paul writes of “the God of all comfort”; and from the following verses we learn that God’s Spirit comforts us to the point that we are able to comfort others. Comfort cannot come until loss is experienced, and when it is, a ministry of comfort may result.

The doubly happy person says, “I lost someone who meant a lot to me, but God came to me in my time of loss. He did not leave me in the dark. And now I am doing for others what He did for me. I am now a light in their darkness.God has turned my personal loss into their profit.” This is authentic New Age living!

Of course, the time will come when God will “wipe away all tears” from our eyes; but until then we have the comfort of this precious beatitude to help us through our times of loss.

Blessing Number Three: “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5)

This beatitude is clearly a future promise: whenever the kingdom of God is spoken of as an “inheritance” it is a promise that can only be fulfilled at our Master’s return.Yet meekness is a strong, if little understood, virtue in a believer.It is a pity that simply because the two words rhyme, “meekness” is all too often associated with “weakness.” (Strangely no one equates “mild” with “wild.”) The fact is that meekness is not just despised because it rhymes with weakness, but because people rightly suspect that meekness really does mean weakness.

A meek man is a gentle man. But although meekness is seen as a desirable character trait in women, men seem to despise it in other men. They view a meek man with suspicion. (Underneath it all, is he really a coward?)

Most men would see this third beatitude or “double blessing” as a potential threat to their masculinity. A man doesn’t easily accept a promise of an earthly inheritance that relies upon a virtue which is totally foreign to him. Even spiritual men tend to explain meekness to other men in a way that will make it more acceptable. They prefer to define it as “bridled strength.”

This redefined “meekness” is often portrayed as the Quiet Hero type. Sure pilgrim, he’s meek, he’s real meek. But when pushed too far he explodes in violence! Of course, we knew that would happen, didn’t we? In fact we were waiting for the real man to emerge! Shucks, he’s meek, and many think he’s weak, but we know differently! But didn’t the hero in the white hat come good in the end?

Well, no; because the tall, silent stranger who rode into town wasn’t meek at all. Although outwardly mild, he was inwardly wild. It was just that he controlled his anger until he could no longer do so. Men who are really meek don’t blast into oblivion those who push them too far.

So let’s be honest, and call meekness what it really is: weakness in the eyes of men but strength in the eyes of God.

“The man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.” (Numbers 12:3) A study of the context reveals that Moses was “under fire” from his brother and his sister because of his marriage to a foreigner. Being “family” they claimed equal decision-making authority with Moses.

Moses did not react; he did not defend himself. He didn’t have to defend his leadership – God looked after that! (Numbers 12:4-9) And when, as the result of her rebelliousness, Miriam became leprous, her meek brother Moses interceded to God on her behalf. Now that’s meekness!

The meek remain happy even when they are misunderstood. They know that they have been promised the earth, so they can afford to give ground.

The meek are blessed with a double portion of happiness, because they are free from the need to prove anything to anyone. Their meekness is not of itself a virtue: it is just that when they are weak they are strong because God’s strength is made perfect in their weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9) God’s anointing on them is at its strongest when they are at their weakest. If you are accustomed to doing things in your own strength you might find this hard to accept, but it’s the truth. You and I can glory in our weaknesses, because when we are weak the power of the Anointed One rests upon us. We can’t all be caught up to the Third heaven, as Paul was, but when we dwell under the canopy of his power we live in the Paradise of his presence.

This enables us to be free from the desire to have a macho image (and from the manipulative advertising that exploits that desire). We don’t have to prove a thing. It is God, not our desire for self-fulfillment, who is behind all that we do, and we should not allow anyone to pressure us to perform. We approach “difficult” people in love, and in a spirit of meekness, but when necessary we use words of authority to correct them. (1 Corinthians 4:21)

How does this relate to New Age values? Well, just as the poor in spirit possess the kingdom and the mourners comfort them, in the same way the meek have God as their Justifier, Defender and Avenger. Because they don’t have to prove anything, they are free to do what is right in every situation –whether others approve or not.

Are they misunderstood? Of course they are! But they are so “blessed” that their promised inheritance – “the earth” – will be simply an extension of their present rule. After all, if you can rule yourself, you can rule anything.

Are you beginning to “see” the kingdom? Yes, it will be Future in the full sense when Jesus returns; but it is Present in his rule over our lives. Yes, we shall be rewarded then; and, yes, we are blessed now!

(Further study: Psalm 22:26; 25:9; 37:11; 76:9; 147:6; 149:4; Isaiah 11:4; 29:19; 61:1; Zephaniah 2:3; Matthew 11:29; 21:5 2 Corinthians 10:1; Galatians 5:23; 6:1; Ephesians 4:2; Colossians 3:12; 1 Timothy 6:11; 2 Timothy 2:25; Titus 3:2; James 1:21; 3:13; 1 Peter 3:4,15)

Blessing Number Four: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” (Matthew 5:6)

This beatitude ought to dismiss any doubts we may have entertained as to whether the kingdom is future only, for if it were then righteousness could not be ours in this life.

But “God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might be made the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21) Grace reigns through righteousness. (Romans 5:21) The members of our body – arms, legs, tongue – are “instruments of righteousness.” (Romans 6:13)

The New Testament texts which state the fact of our present good standing in Jesus are too numerous to list here.Paul lists them in his letterto theRomans. In 2 Corinthians 9:10, he states that our righteousness bears fruit in this life.

As to the future fulfillment of this beatitude: one can only wonder. Jeremiah prophesied that God would one day be known as “The LORD Our Righteousness.” (Jeremiah 23:6) Paul wrote of the believers at Philippi being “filled with the fruits of righteousness,” which, he said, were “by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.” (Philippians 1:11) “Filled with the fruit of righteousness”? It goes without saying that to have the fullness of the fruit of righteousness they must first have had the righteousness that produced it.

Of course, there’s also the opposite: “Being filled with all unrighteousness…” (Romans 1:29) In the following verses, Paul lists the sins which the human race is full of (verses 30-32).Being “filled with the fruits of righteousness” is the very opposite of being “filled will all unrighteousness.” Filled” means, “no part left empty.”

The “righteousness” we received through Justification, produces fruit as a result of Sanctification – the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Without doubt, the greatest enemy of God’s righteousness is self-righteousness: to be filled with one it is necessary that we be emptied of the other.

Many do not “hunger and thirst” after righteousness because they are quite satisfied with their own righteousness. So what’s it to be: self-righteousness and a degree of satisfaction, or God’s righteousness and the complete satisfaction that results? “He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.” (Luke 1:53) We can be blessed by God to the full, or we can live a semi-satisfied life – the choice is ours.

That there is a present, spiritual aspect to the Kingdom of God is very clear. That the Kingdom is yet to come in the fullest sense at the return of Jesus is equally clear.

There are some verses that apply to us now (and any honest bible teacher must include them), and there are some verses – perhaps the majority – that can only apply to us in the future (and these must also be included).Those verses that apply now include John 3:3,6; 1 Corinthians 4:30; Romans 14:17 and Colossians 1:13.

Jesus said to Pontius Pilate: “My kingdom is not of this world.” (John 18:36) The word “of” refers to origin. Jesus was not saying that his kingdom would never be an earthly one. He was simply saying that “this world” was not its origin. “But now [at this time] my kingdom is not from here.”

Jesus was saying that his kingdom was from heaven; its source, its origin, was “not of this world [order].” The inclusion of the word “now” is very important. The Greek word translated “now” means, “at this time” (as in Romans 3:26). Although Jesus stated that at that time his kingdom was not an earthly one, the qualifying word “now” indicated that a day would come when it would be.   

The conflict at the time was between the spiritual kingdoms of God and Satan. Jesus the Anointed One faced and won the spiritual battle alone. The field of battle was the Garden of Gethsemane, where he prayed while his disciples slept; Pilate’s judgement hall, where he testified while Peter denied him and the others fled; and the hill of Calvary, where passers-by mocked him as he bled and died.

The final conflict after our Master’s return to earth will be decisive. Jesus now rules his church from heaven, but he will then rule as “King of kings and Lord of lords”!

Blessing Number Five: “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.” (Matthew 5:7)

In the Apostle Paul’s letters to Timothy and Titus, and in the Apostle John’s second letter, “mercy” is placed between grace and peace in the opening greeting. This is because mercy cannot be experienced until grace is obtained, and peace results from the experience of mercy.

Christians approach the throne of grace confidently so as to obtain mercy. (Hebrews 4:16) Because of the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross, and his role as our High Priest since sitting down at God’s right hand, God’s throne is a throne of grace. (1 Timothy 2:5)

“After the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us…that being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:4-7) 

But mercy must not stop where it is received: the person who has received mercy must in turn be merciful. Who better to show mercy than one who has received it? This is the point of the fifth beatitude.

The Dead Sea is so named because water flows into it and there it stops. The life that flows into it cannot flow through it and beyond it, so it dies. Although rich in chemicals, the water of the Dead Sea is unfit for drinking or irrigation. It is the lowest point on earth below sea level.

So it is also with the merciless: those who obtain mercy but refuse to show mercy to others. But the merciful will obtain mercy, not only at the return of Christ (2 Timothy 1:16:18) but also in this present life.

“For there will be no mercy to those who have shown no mercy. But if you have been merciful, then God’s mercy toward you will win out over His judgement against you.” (James 2:13 – The Living Bible)

King David sinned greatly in the matter of Uriah, not only in that he committed adultery with Uriah’s wife, but also in that he committed premeditated murder in arranging the loyal soldier’s death. But David repented greatly. The depth of his repentance is seen in Psalm 51, which records David’s desperate plea for mercy.

David’s cry was heard and he was forgiven. The child born of his adultery died, but the fact that the next child was not only permitted to live but also to inherit David’s throne, speaks volumes of God’s grace and mercy. The “sure mercies of David” are unfailing.

Psalm 136 is more than a history of Israel: it is a recital of the history of God’s mercy and loving care for His people, verse by verse, followed by their grateful responses. We should read it often and respond to it likewise. God’s mercy cannot be obtained as a result of religious effort or self-humiliation. Nor can it be earned, for mercy, by definition, is compassion shown to one in trouble, even if that trouble results from one’s own foolishness.

The Jewish religious leaders in the time of Jesus were preoccupied with sacrifices and ritual. But Jesus directed them to what God really wanted: “mercy, not sacrifice.” (Hosea 6:6) Mercy deals with the heart of the giver as well as the need of the receiver.

That’s why Paul linked cheerfulness to showing mercy. (Romans 12:8) It is impossible to truly minister mercy while at the same time begrudging it. Cheerfulness indicates acceptance rather than judgement of the person, despite his or her mistake. 

Jesus likened sinners to “those who are sick” and in need of a physician. (Matthew 9:12) They may be sinners but your love of mercy must triumph over your inclination to judge them. Are their family problems directly related to money shortages attributable to gambling or heavy drinking? Perhaps so, but instead of judging them, show mercy on them by helping them! When you do, you may find them more willing to listen to you.

Authentic (by which I mean scriptural) New Age values deal with internals more than externals. The moment we judge a person as unworthy, we withhold mercy from that person and place ourselves under God’s judgement. We will reap what we sow, and the judgement we receive may be that others repay us in kind.

But if we show mercy cheerfully, then mercy may open the way for them to join us in the kingdom. Of course, they must first be “reborn” spiritually to see the kingdom; but whereas judgement would have repelled them, mercy will attract them.

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink,” the Apostle Paul wrote; “for in so doing you shall heap coals of fire upon his head.” (Romans 12:20) The “coals of fire” are not your judgements but the person’s own sense of shame. He may have been able to resist your vengeance, but he will be unable to resist your mercy.

The alternative to our showing mercy is not promising. In Matthew 18:23-35, in a “kingdom of heaven” parable, Jesus plainly links any unwillingness to forgive to future punishment. (The words “compassion” and “pity” in verse 33 of the King James Version are elsewhere translated “mercy.”)

Mercy is not only tomorrow’s reward but also today’s blessing! “Have mercy on us!” is the cry of millions of people worldwide. The difference between judgement and mercy is that judgement reacts and punishes, whereas mercy responds and forgives.

Blessing Number Six: “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8)

The search for personal purity is a long, and, at times, agonizing one. We live in a spiritually and morally unclean world. A great number of people have become familiar with Ouija boards and other occult practices. Television flashes evil images into our homes, and pornography can be found on computers and handheld devices with a click. Glossy magazines promote the decadent lifestyles of the ungodly as glamorous. The temptation to lower our standards is presented as a reasonable alternative to “narrow-minded thinking.”

The Master’s statement that the pure in heart shall see God clearly implies that the impure shall not. The question, then, is how in the world can you and I become that pure?

Three Greek words are translated “pure” in the King James Version. According to W E Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words (Zondervan), they are hagnos – “pure from defilement”; eilikrines – “pure, as being tested (and found unmixed)”; and katharos – “pure, as being cleansed.”

The word hagnos has its root in the word hagios – “holy” – and is related to modesty and innocence. In 2 Corinthians 7:11 it is translated “clear”; in 2 Corinthians 11:2, Titus 2:5 and 1 Peter 3:2 it is translated “chaste”; and in Philippians 4:8, 1 Timothy 5:22 and James 3:17 it is translated “pure.”

“And every man that has this hope in him purifies himself, even as He is pure.” (1 John 3:3) This refers to the hope of being “like” God and seeing Him “as He is” in the Resurrection. This kind of purity has holiness as its source.

The word eilikrines, which is translated “pure” in 2 Peter 3:1, is elsewhere translated “sincere” and means “tested by sunlight.” It is associated with the ancient practice of placing sculpted works in the heat of the sun, so that any cracks or defects filled with wax would become apparent when the wax melted.

The word katharos is translated “pure” in this sixth beatitude: “Blessed are the pure in heart.” Now that we know that it refers to a purity that comes from cleansing, we can relate it to John 15:3 – “You are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.” It is also found in John 13:10-11; Acts 18:6; Acts 20:26; Romans 14:20; Titus 1:15; Hebrews 10:22-23; and in 18 other New Testament texts.

The English word “catharsis,” which describes a purging, is derived from this Greek word. The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle believed that artistic performances which caused “highs” and “lows” in audiences were useful in relieving people of their unhealthy, bottled-up emotions. We now call this kind of performance a Tear-jerker or Soap Opera. A confession of one’s sins or crimes is known as “a cathartic revelation”: a cleansing of the soul. Luke 11:41, and Titus 1:15, both deal with thebeliever’sfreedom from external Jewish ceremonial washings. It’s clear that being clean on the inside is what matters most.

The first miracle that Jesus did was to change common washing water into fine wine. Through this miracle Jesus introduced the change from ritualism to enjoyment that he would bring. When he contrasted the careful washing of hands before eating with the unclean thoughts of the heart, Jesus was not dismissing the need for basic hygiene but was pointing out the need of a cleansing that would be more than superficial. (Matthew 15:1-20)  

So the “pure in heart” are those who have been cleansed; and since their sincere hope is to see God in the Resurrection and to be changed into His image, they take care to keep themselves clean. (1 John 3:3)

But by what kingdom principle are those who are “pure in heart” certain to be “blessed” in this life – a principle that brings an increase in personal purity that will enable believers to “see His face”? (Revelation 22:4)

The principle is that our actions towards God determine His actions toward us. This principle works both positively and negatively: for our benefit or to our disadvantage. It works not only in regard to personal purity but in regard to other aspects of our character.

Psalm 18 is also found, with minor changes, in 2 Samuel 22. In verses 24-26 of the Psalm are words which may well have been the basis of the Master’s beatitudes.

“Therefore has the LORD repaid me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanliness of my hands in His sight. With the merciful you will show yourself merciful; with an upright man you will show yourself upright. With the pure you will show yourself pure; and with the crooked you will show yourself subtle.”

Before being renamed Israel by the Almighty, Jacob was seriously “twisted”! The name Jacob means “usurper” – “One who seizes power or position without right.” (Webster’s Dictionary) He was a human corkscrew!

How did God change Jacob the unprincipled into Israel the prince? He simply allowed him to go into business with Laban, his uncle, who was more crooked than Jacob. Laban was so crooked that he switched his nephew’s wife on his wedding night! Over the twenty years that followed, he changedJacob’swages ten times. God alone enabled Jacob to extricate himself from financial and familial bondage!

Finally, God wrestled with Jacob at Jabbok. The word translated “froward” in the King James Version of Psalm 18:26 is translated “wrestle” in a marginal reference. “With the crooked (twisted, distorted) you will wrestle.” Jacob’s actions towards God determined God’s actions towards Jacob.

The same goes for mercy, righteousness, and pureness of heart. “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” Our attitude towards God determines His attitude toward us.

Every Christian is “pure in heart” in that every one of us has been cleansed. “Pure in heart” means pure in attitude, in integrity. The pure see purity where the impure see only filth.

Personal purity enables us to see God in His people, who are “new creations” in the Anointed One. (2 Corinthians 5:17) We see the Father in the Son. (John 14:7, 9) We see purity because we purify ourselves: our desires, our minds, our social and personal relationships.

Blessing Number Seven: “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” (Matthew 5:9)

The Greek word translated “peacemaker” (eirenopoios) is an adjective that signifies peace-making. Its verb form is used in Colossians 1:20 – “And having made peace through the blood of his cross…”

The aim of the peacemaker is reconciliation. In spiritual terms, reconciliation was expressed very well in the bumper sticker of a few years ago that read: “IF YOU’RE NOT CLOSE TO GOD, GUESS WHO MOVED?” God did not need to be reconciled to us – we needed to be reconciled to Him! The blood of Jesus made this possible. God wanted His enemies to take hold of His strength: to come to Him for refuge, and to make peace with Him. (Isaiah 27:5) Reconciliation is at the heart of all God’s actions – including His judgements. (Amos 4)

Peace-making is risky business! The peacemaker is usually the “meat in the sandwich” – compressed between two opposites. For this reason, and because peacemakers are often viewed as meddling do-gooders, even those who are spiritual shy away from their role as God’s peacemakers.

Again we see that the world’s perception of what is essentially a God-given (and therefore life-giving) principle has moulded our thinking. Why are peacemakers so often regarded as meddlers? For much the same reason that the meek are usually viewed as weak – misinformation! Jesus set our agenda, the world changed it, and we accepted the change.

Sam Colt’s “Peacemaker” pistol was an example of the thinking of his day. It didn’t bring people together but blew them apart! “How terrible,” you say. But it was just an early example of today’s “quick fix – peace at the price of one of the two parties. Peace by elimination! Many of the world’s problems are still “solved” this way.It’s not the Master’s way. The ability to shoot straight (in the literal sense) was never a New Age Christian value.

There is a difference between being children of God and being called or identified as the children of God. We are children of God by the new birth. But children are known by their relationship to their parents. Thus, people observe that so-and-so is “just like his father!” The child’s behaviour is a pointer to his parentage.

The peacemakers are called “the children of God” because their actions point people to God. These actions are remarkable. They differ from the actions of the ungodly. Their ways are in sharp contrast to the accepted ways of the world.

“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you, that you may be the children of your Father, which is in heaven…” (Matthew 5:44,45)

What makes our divine parentage apparent is the fact that our behaviour is the opposite of what most people expect.

“He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you receive? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? If you are friendly only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even the heathen does that. So be perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:45-48)

Reactive, negative behaviour is sinful. It shows clearly that the person who is reacting is imperfect, and so is not responding as God would. There is nothing about the reactive person that would lead onlookers to remark on his godly nature.In the previous beatitude, we learned the principle of “action and reaction”: that God behaves toward us as we behave toward Him. But in this beatitude we see a principle of non-reaction! We do not act toward others as they act toward us. We do not react negatively but respond positively!

Luke puts the same message this way: “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and you shall be called the children of the Highest: for He is kind to the unthankful and to the evil. (Luke 6:35)

Note that Luke does not say (as Matthew does): “Be perfect, therefore as your Father in heaven is perfect.” He says, “Be merciful, therefore, as your Father also is merciful.” (Luke 6:36)

Why the difference? No difference, really, because God’s perfection is seen in His mercy. And our parentage is seen in the mercy we show others, even if they have shown us none.

Jesus said to the Jews who sought to kill Him: “I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and you do that which you have seen with your father.” (John 8:38)