Thank you for reading the sermon today. I hope that everyone is doing well and is feeling well. The storms went to the north of my area, and I thank the Lord for that, and I thank you for your prayers in that matter.
For the past several weeks, we've been studying what it means to follow the way of Jesus. The early Christians were known as those who followed the Way. The way that they followed was the way of Jesus. We've been trying to see from the Gospels what that all entails.
In today's message, I want to focus on the fact that following the way of Jesus means living a life that is upright. One of the ways that we know how Jesus wants us to live in this world is by reading what He said in the Gospels. The Sermon on the Mount is one of the most important statements that Jesus made about living a life that is pleasing to God. We can live a life that is pleasing to God when we seek to avoid sin.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told us to avoid several different types of sin. He told us not to be angry with our brothers and sisters. He told us to avoid lustful behavior that could lead to adultery. Jesus told us about when divorce is sinful, and He went on to forbid the taking of oaths. These are just a few of the many things that Jesus taught us about living an upright life.
The Lord Jesus never did anything that was wrong. He was tempted in every manner just as we are, yet He was without sin. If we are to follow the Way of Jesus, we have to make sure that we are striving to live without sin in our lives. We are called to live lives of holiness in imitation of the life lived on this earth by the Lord Jesus.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said that He had not come to abolish the Law. We have been given many things in the Word that we are required to do by the Lord. In both the Old and New Testaments, we are given the information about what the Lord expects of us. We have been given the Ten Commandments to follow. There are many different places in the New Testament were we are told to refrain from specific sins. Jesus told us some of the serious sins that we are to avoid in our lives in Matthew 15:19. Jesus said that sinful behavior includes evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony and slander." As we saw last week, Jesus placed a special emphasis on people not acting in a hypocritical manner.
As those who follow the way of Jesus, it is required of us that we deal with sin in our lives. When we feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit, we need to repent of our sin, and then as the Holy Spirit empowers us, we are to remove that sin from our lives and live in a way that is pleasing to the Lord.
In my life, I've found that the best way to overcome what is wrong in my life is to spend so much time doing what is right, that there isn't enough time to do what is wrong. It isn't always easy to do the right thing, but the Lord will forgive us when we fail. He will give us the strength to live a life of holiness that is pleasing to him if it is truly our desire to serve Him and honor Him in this world. Amen.
Prayer Requests
Please continue to pray for an end to the coronavirus pandemic. Hong Kong is having a great deal of difficulty right now.
Continue to pray for Tonga and Madagascar as they are recovering from natural disasters.
Pray for peace in Ukraine and pray for Ukrainian refugees.
Pray for peace in Syria, Israel, Yemen and others areas where there is conflict. I am thankful to the Lord that a cease fire has been agreed to in Ethiopia.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let's pray for those who live in the nations of Bangladesh and Guinea-Bissau. Pray that many will come to know Jesus.
Next week, we will continue in our current sermon series. I will post the verses on Monday, and I will post a review midweek. May God bless you all.
No comments:
Post a Comment