1 John 4:8
God is Love
8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
Matthew 5:1-12
The Beatitudes, A Sermon for the Weak and Humbled
1 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.
He said:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Matthew 19:28-30
The Last Will Be First
28 Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.
Matthew 5:43-48
Love for Enemies
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Luke 23:26-34
Jesus is Forgiving as They Crucify Him
26 As the soldiers led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. 27 A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. 28 Jesus turned and said to them,“Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the childless women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ 30 Then
“‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!”
and to the hills, “Cover us!”’
31 For if people do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
32 Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. 33 When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
Ephesians 2:8-9
We are Save By His Grace
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
Philippians 2:1-8
Imitating Christ’s Humility
1 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Our God is a very humble God...When we listen to His Son's Great Sermon on the Mount, we see that it is a sermon for the suffering, for the weak, for the humbled, and for the outcasts in life...It is not a typical sermon you would hear and believe in...It is both ironic and a paradox to think the Most Powerful Being, is the must humble of all beings...It is also interesting that since He is LOVE, that He would send His very own Son to die on a cross...That too, is a paradox, but His LOVE for all of mankind and each of us, makes His Son our Savior...He sent His Son to earth, to teach us and to be a Servant....Jesus would both live and to die for us...He would die for our sins...Jesus was humble even in His death on a cross...
And we learn much from the cross...Here on the cross we learn about humbleness, and also about the nature of God...He forgives us...He teaches us that the last will be first in His Kingdom...The reward of eternal life in His Kingdom, will be given to those who follow Him all their lives, or just their last few weeks in life...The poor and the ones who mourn will get the same reward as the rich and happy on earth in His Kingdom...
And He gives us the great lesson on forgiving and loving our enemies...While He was minutes away from being crucified Jesus said “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”...Right before He is hung from a cross, in one of the most tortuous of deaths, Jesus is forgiving those who are killing Him...He is forgiving them as they begin to execute Him...
God seems to this Great Paradox for mankind, with this humbleness and the irony of the One who is the Most Almighty ...And He is Pure LOVE...If one believes this humbleness, forgiveness, LOVE and the irony (in all of this), then maybe when we seek Him, we are to be sincerely humbled, forgiving with a gracious and loving attitude...When we think about this scene from the cross we are to see all these things and even to love our enemies, when we are at our weakest...If He is completely humble, LOVING, gracious, and forgiving, then how are we to be any other way when we seek Him and when we pray to Him...
We are saved by His Son, and by our faith in both Him and His Father, because He is full of grace and truth...We are saved by His Grace, and therefore we cannot boast...