Deeper Dive
The idea of "The Good Life" was unfathomable in the truest sense of the word. Most people couldn't think of (fathom) what The Good Life would even look like. The reality of the Kingdom that Jesus was ushering in was a truth they were not ready for. We all had to see it play out. For most, of the first who heard of The Good Life He offered, life wasn’t good. It just wasn’t. They were under oppressive rulers. They had no bright future. Hopelessness. That may even be true for you. This Is Your Time.
Jesus came promising the good life. It was a sight to take in no doubt. The tumultuous social barriers He was destroying brought the crowds no doubt. He said the most awkward things to the people in charge. The important people who ran the religion of the day pretty much had to take it on the chin as Jesus tore down their fake towers of outward perfection.
There is no greater moment of table turning than Matthew 5:20. Jesus came promising a new and better kind of life. Many people had given up on eternal life. How could they compete? The harshest things Jesus ever said were to a specific group of people that are mentioned in this Core 52 Text today. There are six things that Jesus goes on to in chapter 5 to discuss in a deeper way. This is all a part of Jesus telling people what the Kingdom of Heaven is like and how they need to react and respond to participate in the kingdom of Heaven. It’s clear that Jesus isn’t changing the law, he is in fact helping people understand the that laws in the Old Testament express the will of God. God’s will never changes and Jesus is the living proof of ‘how to live the law perfectly’. Jesus lets us know right away that obedience to the law starts on the inside first. Our hearts matter. The topics that Jesus covers are: Anger, Lust, Divorce, Oaths, Retaliation, and Loving Enemies.
As we look at The Good Life we will pull a few more texts in that help us truly find a way to The Good Life the way God intends.
Here are the Deeper Dive Verses to Look at this week:
Romans 8:5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires
Psalm 40:8 I desire to do your will, my God; your law is within my heart.”
Proverbs 21:4 Haughty eyes and a proud heart-- the unplowed field of the wicked--produce sin.
Romans 10:4 Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.
Romans 8:3-5 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Matthew 18:3-4 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Now Look these up yourself:
Judges 15-16
Luke
Link to Barna Research from weekend sermon:
https://www.barna.com/research/christ...
Read Core 52 Text Chapter 19
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