Essentials!

April 27, 2023

Essentials!

Over the last couple of weeks, I have made some time each morning to read a short paragraph from Jesus’ teaching on the essentials of being a Christ-follower.  The text is found in Matthew 5-7.  Many of the points in Jesus’ message are familiar even to those who do not profess to be a person of faith.

Living with a God-honoring perspective (the Beatitudes), devoting one’s life to making a difference (letting the light of Jesus shine through us), and seeking lasting greatness (living and loving like Jesus) are just the beginning of these essential teachings.

Jesus continues with several more dimensions of a life of holiness.  Jesus speaks about the work of reconciliation when we hurt another person (forgiveness), the seduction and deception of lust (it touches the body and the heart, mind, soul), and the devastation caused by divorce.

As I make my way through Jesus’ teaching, the thing that has caught my attention is the importance Jesus places on it.  The first thing Jesus does after recruiting His first 12 disciples is to lay out the essentials of being a Christ-follower. 

Jesus is straightforward, uncompromising, and clear.  The way things have been and the way in which most people approach life does not match up with life in the Kingdom of God.

Before Jesus leads the disciples into several moments of unimaginable joy as well as into some moments of great distress, Jesus wants them to know the essentials of being a Christ-follower.  Over and over Jesus challenges the disciples to make a significant paradigm shift.

In Matthew 5:21 Jesus says; “You have heard that it was said…”  There is similar language in Matthew 5:27, 31, 33 38, 43; Matthew 6:1, 5, 16, 35; and Matthew 7:15.  Jesus is clear that things are changing.  The way you have been taught, the way you have always thought, and the way you are approaching life is not necessarily the way to a life of holiness.

At the end of Jesus’ teaching, Matthew reports the reaction of the crowd (Matthew 7:28).  Matthew writes; “Now when Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astounded at his teaching…”  A God-honoring life will look different!

A God-honoring life will be amazing and surprising.

A God-honoring life will bring deep peace and great joy.

A God-honoring life will be astonishing and startling.

A God-honoring life will confuse the world and inspire those who are seeking more of God.

A God-honoring life will be wonderful and mystifying.

A God-honoring life will bring the assurance of Jesus’ love and forgiveness.

For the original group of disciples, the change of heart, mind, and soul Jesus invited them to make on the side of the mountain that day was worth whatever sacrifice they might have to make.  There is no better way to see their commitment to Jesus than to consider the way each faces death.  It is clear, the first disciples did not die while sitting in their recliner watching “Wheel Of Fortune.”

Because of their commitment to the essential teachings of Jesus found in Matthew 5-7, each of the first disciples met a violent death.  Tradition says Paul was beheaded and Peter was crucified up-side down.  Other apostles died by stoning and clubbing, some died by stabbing with a knife or a spear, and others were burned to death.  More than one may have been beheaded and, of course, there was crucifixion.

The willingness of the first disciples to endure anything and everything to know and follow and obey Jesus is amazing.  That willingness all began with an openness to change the way they thought about life, about other people, and about God.

Jesus used a brief teaching on the side of a mountain to change a group of hard-working and hard-living people.  Their lives were transformed by Jesus’ love and by the truth of His Word. 

I imagine there were countless moments when delight filled each of the first disciples’ hearts.  I imagine there were just as many moments when delight filled the heart of Jesus when He watched them live a life of holiness.

I invite you to read Jesus’ teaching on the essentials of being a Christ-follower in Matthew 5-7.  Let the Holy Spirit teach you and encourage you so your heart may be filled with strength and courage and resolve…and delight!

Take Delight In The Lord!

Doug