The Red Letters 2 – Promise of Repentance
Jesus asked us to keep His commands. Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). Keeping the commands of Jesus begins with recognizing what they are. Over the next 49 days – you can experience the transforming power of Jesus’ commands.
His commands transform through promise and not onerous, heavy-handed orders.
REPENT
“From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17).
Jesus is not using the kingdom being at hand as a threat, but rather a promise. He wants us to turn our attention to Him so that we can begin seeing the effect of the kingdom in our lives today. Distractions, sin, vices and the power of being busy, all take us off in the wrong direction. He says: “Turn around and see what is right there”. He wants us to change our approach to life because He and His Kingdom and all the blessings and promises that were ever spoken over us are in reach (at hand).
FOLLOW ME
“And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19).
Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ”.
“Follow me” is a request from Jesus for you to be a disciple. Only Jesus, through the power of the Holy Spirit, can make that heart request and guide someone to discipleship. Being a believer and being a disciple that follows Jesus daily are two very different postures. Jesus tells us why. He wants us to be disciples to accomplish something. He doesn’t just want a following. He wants people to be released to a purpose when they follow Him. You have a purpose in your discipleship. He will make you a disciple if you let Him, but He wants you to be a disciple-making disciple. In your own way, in your own strengths, in your own approach, let’s go catch some fish!
REJOICE
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 5:11-12)
Jesus could command us to rejoice and be glad. He knew what He was doing would change our spiritual perspective forever and that when we comprehend what He has done and is doing for us that no matter what our circumstance we can have joy. Based on His divine knowledge He has ground to command joy. Again a command with a promise. Not the promise that we will never have difficulty but a promise that when we have difficulties because we are living according to His righteousness, that we will have a deep-seated divine joy and gladness.
This scripture starts with the word blessed. In the original, the word blessed was makarios and means to be happy, but not in the usual sense of happiness based on positive circumstances. From the Biblical perspective, makarios describes the person who is free from daily cares and worries because their every breath and circumstance is in the hands of their Maker who gives them such an assurance (such a “blessing”).
LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16)
The darkness of this world is not always demonic or spooky. I think that sometimes the darkest recesses of the world are places where people are doing wrong and have no standard to measure their behavior against and so “wrong” becomes the norm.
We are the standard because we present a new aspirational norm for character and morals. That standard (the light) is Jesus and that light should not be hidden but should light up the room. There is no reason that anyone should not be able to tell that you are a Christian. We are constantly seeking ways to let Him shine through us because God’s intent is for the world to see Him by His reflection in His people. Live righteously for God’s sake. Do nothing out of selfish ambition (Phil 2:3). Today hear Jesus command you, in the darkness, to let that light He has placed inside you light up the world. You have been given that light because you have been given His standard and righteousness.
HONOR GODS LAW
“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17).
In the Old Testament, much emphasis was placed on the action of obeying the law. Jesus, in the Sermon of the Mount and in many other places in scripture tried to help us understand that when it comes to the law, it was not about our doing but our being because Jesus did all that was needed. We worship God in spirit and truth. We honor the law in spirit and in truth. We obey in spirit. We honor the spirit of the law. Jesus fulfilled it through His love and we obey it through love. When we try and DO to obey God, we create sets of deeds and habits that can easily become religious repetition. But when we are guided by the spirit to simply love, we are following Jesus’ in honoring and fulfilling the law. Jesus broke the deeds of the law on a number of occasions, but He fulfilled the spirit of the law in its entirety.
BE RECONCILED
“So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God. “When you are on the way to court with your adversary, settle your differences quickly. Otherwise, your accuser may hand you over to the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, and you will be thrown into prison. (Matthew 5:23-25).
The sacrifices of the Old Testament kept individuals in a relationship with God. Jesus came and made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure our relationship with God and then described a life that we would need to lead to maintain that relationship through Him. Today we read that reconciliation with those that we have offended and those who have offended us is a mechanism of clearing the way to a relationship with the Father. Jesus was pretty adamant in his commands when it came to anything that affects our relationship with God.
DO NOT LUST
But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. So if your eye—even your good eye—causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your hand—even your stronger hand—causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. (Matthew 5:28–30)
There is a lot said about our spiritual line of sight in Scripture. Paul tells us to keep our eyes fixed firmly on the goal. Jesus tells us that “if you have seen me you have seen the Father”. Our spiritual sight needs to be fixed on Jesus if we are to have a line of sight to the Father. If our spiritual eye-sight is distracted blurred or we are shooting glances to the things of the flesh (lust) we are going to struggle to focus on the source of life and purpose. Lust is a distraction from our God-oriented purpose. Whatever it is that causes you to be distracted Jesus commands us, for the sake of our lives, to cut it out.