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Sessions 2 & 3 Notes Download

By far, most of the people Jesus spoke to were materially needy, poor. Most people throughout history were and still are impoverished; so, many disciples were substantially underprivileged. However, it is essential to recognize that poverty of itself is not a virtue that leads into the Kingdom of God. Because the needy had no refuge but God, poverty has come to have spiritual overtones and to be identified with humble dependence on God.

In moments of severe peril, when self-reliance was futile, David turned to prayer. Reflecting on his experience, he wrote, “This poor soul cried out, and Yahweh heard him; he saved him from all his troubles” (Psalm 34:6). He was not financially poor; rather, he was humble.

To Jesus, “poor in spirit” equals humble dependence on God. Humility is, first and foremost, the cornerstone of his teaching because all else hinges upon it. The proud or self-reliant reject submission to God striving to navigate life independently. “God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5; James 4:6). God cannot and will not collaborate with the prideful as they adamantly resist listening and obeying. Conversely, God delights in the humble and provides grace to them in

The significance of humility is evident in the frequency of Jesus’ teachings on the subject.

Matthew 18:1-4 Babies seem to understand their limitations and fully expect and even demand for their parents to provide for them completely.

Luke 22:24-27 The greatest is the humble servant. Jesus is the greatest example of humility.

JESUS IS THE EXAMPLE OF HUMILITY

Jesus’ humble dependence on God shines brightly throughout the Gospels, starkly contrasted with the egocentric arrogance of the religious leaders who constantly opposed him.

Jesus’ single concern was to “do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work” (John 4:34).

John 5:19, 30; 6:38; 8:28; 12:49; 14:10; and 17:4

Luke 22:42 Many godly people were humble, but Jesus is the only one who was always humble, even to the point of his suffering and death. He is the perfect example of humility.

Philippians 2:3-8, 13 Be like Jesus.

Psalm 10:17 O Yahweh, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will strengthen their heart, You will incline Your ear.

Psalm 145:14-19 Yahweh sustains all who fall and raises up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food in due time. You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. Yahweh is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His deeds. Yahweh is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them.

Proverbs 8:13 The fear of Yahweh is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverted mouth, I hate.

16:18 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling.

“Haughty” means blatantly and disdainfully proud; having or showing an attitude of superiority and contempt for people or things perceived to be inferior.

18:12 Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, but humility goes before honor.

28:25-26 An arrogant man stirs up strife, but he who trusts in Yahweh will prosper. He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but he who walks wisely will be delivered.

Psalm 107:11-13 This psalm highlights the pattern of human disobedience, suffering, humility, repentance, and God’s mercy. They emphasize that even when people turn away from God, He is always ready to rescue them when they call out to Him.

2 Corinthians 3:4-5 Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are adequate [sufficient] in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy [sufficiency] is from God.

The realization that we need God’s help too often comes when our backs are against the wall. Asa, king of Judah, was “good and right in the sight of Yahweh his God.” When faced with an Ethiopian army boasting a million soldiers and 300 chariots out numbering him by twice the force, he was humble and sought the help of God.

2 Chronicles 14:11 Because Asa humbled himself before God, the Ethiopians were overthrown and destroyed.

2 Chronicles 16:1-13 Rather than seeking God’s help as he did with the Ethiopians many years before, he hired mercenaries to fight for him. He tried to work out his problems on his own, which ended in his demise.

2 Chronicles 32:24 Hezekiah was sick unto death, with humility prayed, mourned his sin, asked forgiveness, and received 15 more years to live.

25-27 He always had the choice to depend on or to ignore God and live life on his own with the corresponding results.

1 Kings 21:25-29 Ahab was a wicked idolater who caused much harm to many people. Yet, when he humbled himself, God responded. For God to respond at all to Ahab gives testimony of how much He honors humility.

2 Chronicles 33:12-13 God’s mercy is so great that when an individual humbles himself, even if he is as evil as Manasseh, God will forgive and deliver.

The first time I watched Chuck counsel a drug addict, I was shocked at his confident straight forwardness. He told the man what was necessary for him to do in order to get free from his addiction. However, the man strongly resisted the suggestions. “I don’t have the time for all that, and I don’t want to go to meetings.” Chuck said, “Ok, keep on using. You haven’t suffered

Micah 6:6-8 God requires that we walk humbly with Him; no humility, no walk with Him.

Session 1 Notes Download

The Sermon on the Mount is Jesus’ declaration of what he wants his disciples to think and do. Therein is our value system, ethical standard, spiritual devotion, purpose for life, and destiny. Throughout history, God’s overarching aim has been to have a distinct people for Himself. He wants people who are holy and set apart from the world to belong to Him. These people are to be different from all the rest and are to love God and model holiness to attract others to His family. First, Israel were the chosen ones, God’s special covenant people who were to be different from all others. Leviticus 18:3-4 “You shall not do what is done in the land of Egypt where you lived, nor are you to do what is done in the land of Canaan where I am bringing you; you shall not walk in their statutes. You are to perform My judgments and keep My statutes, to live in accord with them; I am Yahweh your God.”

Exodus 19:5-6 The phrase “kingdom of priests” indicates that the Israelites were to serve as mediators between God and the rest of humanity. They were to live in a way that reflected God’s holiness and goodness, thereby attracting others to Him.

However, they consistently overlooked their distinctiveness as God’s people and basically integrated with other nations adopting their customs, practices, and way of life–“But they mingled with the nations and learned their practices” (Psalm 106:35).

Israel did have brief times when they obeyed and stayed separate as Balaam, the crooked prophet, acknowledged – “As I see him [Israel] from the top of the rocks, and I look at him from the hills; behold, a people who dwells apart, and will not be reckoned among the nations” (Numbers 23:9). However, Balaam devised a plan that seduced Israel into becoming just likethe Moabites.

1 Samuel 8:19-20 During the era of Samuel, Israel once again displayed a desire to emulate worldly customs and abandoned their distinct identity. History reveals that Israel miserably failed to live up to their calling and failed to accomplish God’s desire to bring the world to Him.

Christians are the ones now called to be this distinct, God-centered people who strive to glorify God and attract others to Him. When Jesus taught the Sermon on the Mount, he foresaw that his disciples would soon receive the holy spirit, which would empower them to emulate his way of life. The sermon details the precise thoughts and actions that disciples of Christ embody as they walk by the spirit. True followers of Christ are to be different–different from both the religious and the nonreligious, from the Pharisees (Matthew 6:1-18) and the Gentiles (Matthew 6:24-34). The sermon emphasizes the importance of avoiding the pitfalls of religious hypocrisy, as illustrated by the Pharisees in Matthew 5:20, and steering clear of the behaviors associated with non-believers, as cautioned in Matthew 6:8 with the directive, “Do not be like them.” We are not like everyone else. WE ARE DIFFERENT!

The sermon depicts the lifestyle Jesus expects us to model as we follow his own way of life. He is the golden example of the instruction he provided for us to follow. In the Gospels, we see his heart, thoughts, motives, and character traits by his actions. He lived every aspect of the sermon he taught. With Jesus, there is no double standard or hypocrisy. The sermon establishes a benchmark that he proved was achievable in practice. The ascended Christ sent the holy spirit to each disciple enabling him or her to live in alignment with his teaching and example.

John 14:12-14 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. “Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. “If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.”

John 14:16-18, 26 The spirit of truth enables Jesus to be with us always.

Jesus presents a radical way of life, a genuine counterculture, with a code of ethics opposed to or at variance with the prevailing social norm. Some have said that Jesus’ teachings are a continuation of the Mosaic law and contrary to the Pauline Epistles. Jesus indeed does not contradict the moral code set forth in the Torah. Actually, he deepens our comprehension anddemands even greater adherence to them. However, it is important to note that he does not endorse every aspect of Mosaic law, particularly those pertaining to sacrificial rituals and governances.

After Jesus ascended, he called Paul to be his apostle and gave him the revelation that is now written in the Pauline Epistles (none of which contradicts the Sermon on the Mount).

Luther, Calvin, and others thought that the Sermon on the Mount taught a doctrine of salvation by human merit and good works, which is incompatible with salvation by grace and mercy. However, in this class, we will see that the opposite is true. Jesus’ teachings in the Gospels lay the foundation for his inspired teaching in the rest of the New Testament.

Ephesians 2:1-10

John Nelson Darby in the 1830’s developed a theology called dispensationalism that separates the Gospels from the church Epistles because of the misunderstanding about salvation and Jesus’ Gospel teachings. Darby is considered to be the father of modern dispensationalism, futurism, and pretribulation rapture. His dispensational theology was popularized in the early 20th century by the wide circulation of the Scofield Reference Bible and, later, with the Companion Bible by E.W. Bullinger.

Dispensationalism asserts that the Gospel teachings were primarily intended for the people prior to Jesus’ ascension and are not directly applicable to the contemporary church. Consequently, it places greater emphasis on the Pauline Epistles, often relegating the Sermon on the Mount as not directly relevant to the church today. Ironically, an openminded study of the Sermon of the Mount, without preconceived dispensational views, reveals that adherence to Jesus’ Gospel teachings are impossible without the enablement and direction of the holy spirit that one receives with the new birth. The church Epistles do not contradict the Sermon on the Mount; rather, they augment it.

The great mystery remained concealed until it was unveiled to the Apostle Paul, for had the devil known the outcome of Jesus’ death, he would not have crucified him (1 Corinthians 2:7-10). Hence, the Sermon on the Mount remains silent on the accomplishments of Christ’s death and resurrection. It is in the Pauline Epistles that the full scope of what was accomplished on the cross is made known. The sermon addresses the practical aspects of living after accepting Christ’s work, while Paul’s letters articulate both the doctrine of the new birth and its practical application. Although the Sermon on the Mount does not delve into the doctrine, it aligns with the practical application. It focuses on the transformation that occurs as we walk by thespirit and obey our Lord.

The sermon is not a set of rules and regulations designed to transform oneself without the help of God and Christ. On the contrary, truly understanding and applying the teaching require supernatural intervention, which profoundly deepens the disciple’s relationship and dependence on his or her Father and Lord. When the instruction is faithfully followed, a supernatural transformation takes place.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

Jesus deals with attitudes of the mind. He does not tell us religious rituals or formulas as the Pharisees demanded.

Matthew 5:3-12 “Blessed” in this context describes a divinely bestowed enablement and well-being which provides holiness and happiness. Jeremiah 17:7-8 “Blessed is the man who trusts in Yahweh, whose trust is Yahweh. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” Indeed, we enjoy feelings of happiness and holiness as we live with these virtues, but the greater blessing is stated in the second half of each beatitude. The humble will receive the Kingdom of heaven, mourners are comforted, the hungry are satisfied, the pure in heart will see God. The double blessing lies in our partial experience of the eight blessings both now and in the future when Christ returns.

If you want to alter your life by enhancing your relationship with God and our Lord Jesus Christ, if you want to become a much better person who is supernaturally changed from the inside out, then Jesus’ teaching is for you. Once the true meaning of his instructions has been grasped, it is only necessary to begin putting them faithfully into practice to get immediate results. The magnitude and extent of these results will depend solely upon the sincerity and thoroughness with which they are applied. Personal transformation is a journey that requires commitment, self-reflection, honesty, courage, and continuous effort. If you are afraid to change and unwilling to put forth the effort right now, then perhaps you need more time to experience your need for what is being offered.

As we study the beatitudes, the following will be explored:

Light has always been an interest for humankind. We desire light so that we can see. But one day, we won’t need to search for light as God’s light will fill the whole world.

The Bereans were noble-minded because they searched the Scriptures daily to test the message Paul was preaching. Today, separated by so much time, our only sure bet to understand and practice authentic Christianity is to continually evaluate our beliefs and traditions in light of Scripture. Those who adopt this approach to Christian truth-seeking are Restorationists.

Acts 17:10-12 When Paul visited Berea, he was amazed at how they responded to his message about Jesus. Rather than rejecting or accepting it outright, they searched the Scriptures daily to see if it was true.

Psalm 1:1-3; Jeremiah 15:16 Reading the Bible daily is really good for you, especially your lifestyle.

2 Timothy 3:13-15; 1 John 4:1-3; Revelation 2:2 The Scriptures also help us to discern truth from error. Since we are separated from Christ by twenty centuries, thousands of miles, linguistic and cultural differences, it behooves us to maintain a healthy level of skepticism toward Christian teachers today.

Matthew 7:21-23 Lastly, it’s of paramount importance to avoid getting rejected by Jesus on the last day. Nothing could be worse than blithely thinking you are saved and finding out that you lived out your faith so badly that he says, “I never knew you”!

Notable examples of Restorationists include Martin Luther, Thomas

Restorationism is a movement within Christianity that seeks to restore authentic Christianity and live it out today. King Josiah serves as a premium example of someone who discovered his beliefs and practices diverged significantly from scripture. He initiated reforms to restore true worship. Should we be content with our received traditions and comfortable beliefs or courageously unleash the Bible on them?

Deuteronomy 5:6-10 In the Ten Commandments, God told his people not to worship other gods or carved images. He told them that he desires exclusivity in their relationship.

2 Kings 21:3-7 Over time, God’s people turned to idolatry. Manasseh devoted himself to worshipping these other gods and installing facilities for their worship in Yahweh’s temple.

2 Kings 22:3-10 Manasseh’s grandson, Josiah, began to clean out and repair the temple of God. In the process of restoring Yahweh’s house, the high priest found the book of the law, which probably refers to the book of Deuteronomy.

Deuteronomy 13:1-18 God explicitly and repeatedly forbade his people from worshipping other gods. In fact, he instituted the death penalty for those who attempted to persuade others to join them in worshipping idols.

2 Kings 22:11-20 After learning how far from the correct belief and practice the people had veered, Josiah tore his clothes and inquired what to do from Huldah, a prophetess of Yahweh. She told him that destruction was coming, but not in his lifetime.

2 Kings 23:4-15 Not content to rest on his laurels, Josiah initiated wide sweeping reforms throughout the land, including destroying the high places and cleaning out foreign worship elements from Yahweh’s house.

2 Kings 23:25 The author of the book of Kings remembered Josiah for his efforts as one of the best kings of all time.

The Bread of Life

The Light of the world

The Gate to the Sheepfold

The Good Shepherd

The Resurrection and the Life

The True and Living Way to God

The True Vine

The Advocate with the Father

The Alpha & Omega, the First & the Last, the Beginning & the End

The Author and Finisher of the Faith

The Bright and Morning Star

The Chief Cornerstone

The Son of the Most High

Emmanuel

The First Fruit from the Dead

The Head of the Body

The Image of God

The Judge of the Living and the Dead

The Lamb of God

The Lion of Judah

The Root of David

The Living One who has died and now lives

The Lord of Glory

The Mediator between God and Humanity

The One whose name is above all names

The Only Way to the Father

The Mediator of the New Covenant

Our Hope

The Passover Lamb

The First-born from the Dead

THE High Priest

THE Apostle

THE King

THE Lord

THE Priest

THE Prophet

THE Redeemer

THE Rock

THE Savior

The Second Adam

The Seed of the Woman

The Seed of Abraham

The Seed of David

The Son of David

The Son of Man

The Son of God

The Soon-returning Lord of lords and King of kings

YHWH’s Anointed

John 14:25-15:11 

After Last Supper

Israel as a vine

Psalm 80:7-19  

Psalm 80 goes on to hint at this great messianic hope when it declares that in the face of Israel’s tragic, lamentable state, their hope is that God would “rest on the man at your right hand, the son of man you have raised up for yourself” (Psalm 80:17). Even the great kings of Israel who represented God’s “right hand” in the world failed. It would be great David’s greater Son, Jesus Christ, who would stand as God’s man at His right hand, the “son of man” who would represent all of humanity in the incarnation. He becomes God’s great victor who exercises God’s kingly rule in the world.1

Israel is the “son of man”; yet, it is Messiah who fulfils what Israel could not.

MacArthur NKJV Study Bible note: son of man. In this context, this phrase is primarily a reference to Israel. In a secondary sense, the “son of man” may allude to the Davidic dynasty and even extend to the Messiah, since he is so frequently called by that title in the NT.

Isaiah 5:1-7; Jeremiah 2:21; Hosea 10:1-2

Jesus as the genuine vine, accomplishes what Israel did not.

Exodus 19:5-6a; Hosea 11:1; Matthew 2:14-15

Vinedresser: geōrgos – “worker of the soil”

What does the pruning:  “the word which I have spoken to you”

John 15:4. Abide: to dwell, live in; literally to abide in a city or a house

The connectedness of the believer with Jesus

I in you  à relationship

Jesus abides in us when his words abide in us.

Fruit: external demonstration of the internal qualities and characteristics that define a person

Ephesians 5:8-9

Philippians 1:11. Filled with the fruit of righteousness

Gal 5:22-23. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

1. Dr. Timothy Tennent: Seeing Jesus in Psalm 80, Published Date: October 5, 2018

before acting, considers the consequences, anticipates potential needs, and prepares him or herself for what lies ahead. The result is managing one’s affairs well.

Genesis 41:33-46. Pharaoh selected Joseph not only because he interpreted his dream, but also because of his foresight to plan a course of action to maximize benefit and minimize suffering.

Proverbs 6:6-11. As opposed to the lazy person who rolls over in the bed and seeks another comfortable position to prolong sleep, the ant illustrates prudence by preparing food in the summer and gathering in the time of harvest.

Matthew 25:1-13. In the Parable of the Ten Virgins, Jesus teaches his disciples about the catastrophe that a lack of preparation can bring. The five foolish virgins ended up scrambling at the last minute and were locked out of the feast.

Sometimes, it’s not best to be prudent. Sometimes walking by faith requires spontaneity and improvisation. Even so, living prudently will best prepare you for the times when God calls you to step out of the norm and walk by the spirit.