Matthew 5. I'm familiar with it. I've read Beautiful Offering by Angela Thomas, facilitated the study more than once.
It's easy to rush over the verses, we know them by heart. But do we really know what it means? Do we look at it like a laundry list of things to be.
Angela has a great theology on it.
Angela Thomas thought of the Beatitudes as a list of "Gotta be's"... Gotta be meek. Gotta be merciful. But, when she compared her life to the standard the "gotta be's" set, she always felt that she came up short. Now, through God's great mercy, she has come to see this passage as a roster of "When You Are's." When you are meek, there is a spiritual inheritance. When you are merciful, you will be shown mercy.
This shift in thinking has led Angela to understand that God does not require perfection, but rather, our gracious obedience. In His eyes, our lives (complete with mistakes, blemishes, and imperfections) are a beautiful offering.
In other research on the word during this time I found a great commentary on the word Blessed. There are a few things to point out in regard to this.
1. The beatitudes declare an objective reality as the result of a divine act, not subjective feelings, and thus should be translated with the objective "blessed" instead of the subjective "happy." The opposite of "blessed" is not "unhappy," but "cursed" (cf. Matt 25:31-46; Luke 6:24-26).
2. The beatitudes are written in unconditional performative language. They do not merely describe something that already is, but bring into being the reality they declare. ... As eschatological blessings, the beatitudes are not "entrance requirements" for outsiders, but a declaration about insiders.
3. The nine pronouncements are thus not statements about general human virtues -- most appear exactly the opposite to common wisdom. Rather, they pronounce blessing on authentic disciples in the Christian community All the beatitudes apply to one group of people, the real Christians of Matthew's community. They do not describe nine different kinds of good people who get to go to heaven, but are nine declarations about the blessedness, contrary to all appearances, of the eschatological community living in anticipation of God's reign. Like all else in Matthew, they are oriented to life together in the community of discipleship, not to individualistic ethics.
Therefore, "Blessed" is your position, not your attitude, or circumstances, or appearance. It's your position. Yes things are falling apart around you, your position is Blessed. Start there.
Because that is your starting point, remain steadfast!
Steadfast or Persevere.
Constancy. Endurance. The characteristic of a man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose.
Full Effect - brought to it's end. Wanting nothing necessary to complete.
Greek: hypomeno - verb - to remain.
Hypo - by or under
Meno - to continue to be present. to be held up, kept, continually
to remain as one, not to become another or different.
From Noah Webster:
From Latin Persevero or Severo:
the radical sense of set, fixed, continued. to stand. constant and continued.
In light of your position, stand up, fight the good fight. God "brought you forth by the word of truth".
Be reminded that what is birthed of the flesh is physical, maintained by the flesh, but what is birthed by the Spirit is maintained by the Spirit. (John 3)
By Him all things (whosoever) were created.... in Him all things (whosoever) are held together. (Colossians 1:16-18)
Continue where you are, be present, you are held up, kept, in your position.... blessed. Regardless of todays trials, the season you're in. Yes they look terrible, unbearable. But God.... is holding you together. Rest in that today! Take a deep breath. Be Blessed. Claim it. Your Position.
Day 5
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
Noah Webster:
Doer:
Doer: poietes Noun.
I find it interesting this word is a noun. It's who you are. Your Position.
It comes from a root word meaning "to make" "to act rightly" "to carry out, to execute"
Deceive: paralogizomai. Verb. To Reckon wrong, to miscount.
This particular word for deceive is used twice in the bible.
This verse and Col 2:4.
James gets straight to the point. Be A Does. Don't be wrong in kidding yourself.
Day 6:
The Gap is the distance between the Word we read and the Word we live.
we can't skim passages
it has to be planted in us
we can't forget who we are in Him
we forget who are in the Word
who we are in Him
the Gap gets wider and wider.
But It Doesn't Have To!
Close The Gap!
Quick to hear (akous): attend to, consider, understand
Slow to speak (laleo): Not ready, not prompt, or quick. utter a voice, to speak, to use the tongue, to use words to declare one's mind.
Slow to anger (orge): Anger. A natural disposition, temper, character, agitation of the soul.
Orego: To stretch ones self out in order to grasp something. to reach after, to desire something.
Airo: To take upon one's self & carry what has been raised up. To bear.
Noah Webster:
From Latin: To Choke, to strain, to press, to squeeze, to make narrow.
A violent passion of the mind excited by real or supposed injury.
Wow.... I love to drill down into the meanings from the greek and to look back at what our ancestors knew about the bible.
It's interesting to me that the Greek describes anger as our natural disposition, our character. Even more so that it's stretching one's self out. I know when I am over committed, stressed and busy, when I'm stretched out thin.... I'm angry. I'm taken too much upon myself. Bearing burdens that aren't my own.... and are they really?
Excited by real or supposed injury... isn't it mostly supposed. A misunderstanding? A failure to "attend to, consider, understand"
Implated: (emphytos) a word whose property it is to root itself like a seed in the heart.
Phyo: to beget. to spring up, to shoot forth.
used in Luke regarding the seed (word) and the soil (heart)
Noah Webster: Fixed in the mind.
It all starts there, right?
Romans 12: 2 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Transformed: Present, Passive, Imperative.
Present.... happening now
Passive... happening to you, you are receiving the action.
Imperative... not an invitation and absolute.
Metamorphoo - sound familiar? Brings thoughts of butterflies?
The transformation is an action happening to the caterpillar the result is a butterfly. The caterpillar is present. The caterpillar is passive. The caterpillar absolutely will become a butterfly.
Onto the vs 26:
26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
Religious: Fear or Worshipping God.
Bridle: (chalinagōgeō) Verb. To lead by a bridle.
Chalivos - Noun - A Bridle
Chalao - Verb - to loosen, slack, relax
Chasma - Noun - a gaping opening, a chasm (to gape, to yawn)
Talk about Closing the Gap!
Deceived: (apataō) Verb. to cheat.
A different word from vs. 22.
The take away for me is.
Faith comes by hearing the Word. In order to stand, and continue in my position which is Blessed, and be steadfast under trail. I have to be transformed, a process that is happening, by the renewing of my mind. The only way to Close The Gap is to Fill The Gap with the Word.
Matthew 12:34 Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
I have to ask myself... what is the abundance of my heart? Am I really living as Blessed, a declaration? Embracing that "when I am meek.... I receive.." "when I am hungry and thirsty.... I receive...." "when I am merciful.... I receive...."
Yes Lord.... Transform me.... I receive....
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