Fruitful Living

THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT — PART III

• Jesus Christ teaching the sermon on the mount

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. – Matthew 5:16; 6:33.

INTRODUCTION

This week we publish the concluding part of Christ’s Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7:1-29.

Please enjoy and pass it on to others!

JUDGING OTHERS

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

“Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.

ASK, SEEK, KNOCK

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

THE NARROW AND WIDE GATES

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

TRUE AND FALSE PROPHETS

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognise them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

TRUE AND FALSE DISCIPLES

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

THE WISE AND FOOLISH BUILDERS

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at His teaching, because He taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

RELEVANCE OF THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT

The Sermon on the Mount is relevant to modern life because it depicts the behaviour which Jesus expected of each of His disciples then and also of us now because of our citizenship in God’s Kingdom. The Sermon speaks of what ought to be in a disciple’s heart, what should be his motives and what should be in his private and public life.

I agree with the preacher, John Stott when he says that the relevance of the Sermon on the Mount can be seen in the following areas:

• A Christian’s character (Matthew 5: 3-12): The beatitudes emphasise eight principal marks of a Christian’s character and conduct in life.

• A Christian’s influence (Matthew 5: 13-16): Salt and Light indicate the influence for good, which Christians will exert in the community if they maintain their distinctive character as portrayed in the beatitudes.

• A Christian’s righteousness (Matthew 5:17- 48): A Christian’s righteousness denotes what should be that Christian’s attitude to the moral law of God.

• A Christian’s piety (Matthew 6:1-18): This should not be a hypocritical display as in the days of the Pharisees nor should it be the mechanical formalism of unbelievers. A Christian’s piety should be marked by reality and the sincerity of children who always live in the Heavenly Father’s presence.

• A Christian’s ambition (Matthew 6:19-34): A Christian is to live above worldliness and secularism by concentrating on a relationship with the living God which creates contentment and peace. A Christian’s supreme ambition ought to be the glory of God which is what we should seek. – But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well – Matthew 6:33 (NIV)

• A Christian’s relationships (Matthew 7:1-20): Once a Christian is properly related to Christ, all other relationships are positively affected. New relationships are created and old ones are changed for good.

• A Christian’s Commitment (Matthew 7:21-27): A Christian should not merely call Jesus Lord, but to seek to obey Him who is called Lord. Such is the wisdom that drives from being a Christian.

PRACTICALITY OF THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT

Many people wonder how practical the Sermon on the Mount is for today’s everyday living. The truth is, no one can achieve the standards set by the Lord Jesus Christ without being born again. Because it is only in the new nature that comes with our relationship with Christ it gives us the impetus to live to please God. 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV) states categorically “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! It is this new life empowered and enabled by the Holy Spirit that marks out how a Christian is able to live his life.

Jesus spoke the Sermon to those who are citizens of God’s Kingdom and children of God’s family. It is when we attain Christ’s standards that we give evidence of what, by God’s free grace and gift we are.

Stay blessed!

For further inquiries please contact us on Tel Nos. 0243588467 or 0268130615.

Email: saltnlightministries@ gmail.com

Website: saltandlightministriesgh.org

Dr. Joyce Aryee, the author

Fruitful Living

National Chief Imam blesses Muslim Youth in Agriculture project

The National Chief Imam with Mr Mensah at his residence at Fadama

The National Chief Imam, Sheikh (Dr) Osman Nuhu Sharubutu, has urged Ghanaian Muslims to venture into agriculture in order to enhanced food security in the country.

The Chief Imam said this when the Managing Director of Sky Dolphin Limited, Wisdom Mensah, paid a courtesy call on him at his residence at Fadama, a suburb of Accra on Monday.

Mr Mensah presented a gift to the National Chief Imam in support of his planned anniversary of the birth of Prophet Muhammad (Maulid) which comes off today October 5 at Fadama.

The National Chief Imam asked for Allah’s blessing for the success of the Muslim Youth in Agriculture project.

Mr Mensah is supervising the Muslim Youth in Agriculture project, a partnership between the Muslim community and the Sky Dolphin Limited, which involves novel aquaponics project, a mixture of fish farming and crop farming, aimed at creating jobs for the teeming unemployed Muslim youth as well as vulnerable rural Muslim women.

The representatives of the Islamic Community on the Muslim Youth in Agriculture, aquaponics projects are Sheikh Mustapha Ibrahim, the founder and chairman of the Islamic Council for Development and Humanitarian Services in Ghana (ICODEHS) and Special Advisor to the National Chief Imam, Imam Mohammed Awal Alhassan, the Metropolitan Chief Imam of Takoradi and Greater Accra Chief Imam of the Dagomba Community, Sheikh Yusuf Farouk Alhassan Umar Yussifiya, the Imam of Yussifiya Mosque in Kumasi and Acting Chairman of the National Hilal Committee of Ghana and Alhaji Khuzaima Mohammed Osman, Eminent Member and Chairman of the Greater Accra Regional Peace Council of the National Peace Council of Ghana and Executive Secretary of the Tijjaniya

By Spectator Reporter

Fruitful Living

Dealing with the pressure of time (Final part)

Handle situations patiently to avoid pressure

PLANNING

Planning means we must make decisions – choices that determine our activities and priorities. If we do not, we can be sure that someone else will do our planning for us.

It is amazing to me how many Christians drift through life, making no goals or plans, aimlessly shifting from one place to another.

Emergencies may interrupt their lives for a season, but they soon return to their rudderless ways. All of life and, thus, all of time is a gift from God.

We do not give God a portion of our time; it is all His. We cannot leave God out of any aspect of our existence; we cannot fence Him out of our families or work or play.

SET PRIORITIES

Faithfulness to God begins now in the time dimension. We do not wait until we are with Christ in heaven to become good stewards.

Handling time, therefore, is not so much a matter of time management – finding the right kind of datebook or scheduling format – but of managing ourselves.

That means setting personal priorities. What is more important when you start the day; an extra hour of sleep or an hour alone with the Sovereign Lord of the Universe?

Establishing priorities involves decisions concerning what is most important in light of your relationship to Jesus Christ.

When people are not in church on Sunday, it is not because they do not have transportation. They have prioritised their lives apart from serving and worshipping the living God. Once we consider and arrange our priorities, then we must have the discipline to order our lives according to those guidelines.

DISCIPLINE LIFESTYLE

Discipline is never easy. Time is often wasted because we do not have the discipline to follow our convictions.

If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, then you must cultivate a disciplined lifestyle which is a combination of your genuine hunger for God and a dependence on the power of the Holy Spirit.

He will persevere through us if we give Him our opportunities and our devotion. Our willingness and obedience along with God’s enabling are essential.

The Lord has settled many of our priorities in His Word. We do not have to decide whether to go to church, minister to our family, or serve others, the scriptures clearly underscore their importance.

Once we base our convictions on God’s Word and His principles, the rest of our priorities will come into place in time.

THE EXAMPLE OF JESUS

Think about the life of Jesus. He lived thirty-three years, but thirty of those years were spent growing up and being in a carpenter’s workshop. Ponder that for a moment.

The Son of God, the King of kings, the Prince of Peace quietly, diligently laboured in a small town, hewing, sanding, and shaping pieces of wood. That was His life until the day He laid down His hammer and chisel to begin shaping lives into the image of His Father. Yet that part of His life lasted only three years. During that brief, incredibly short time, He did all the Father asked of Him.

Jesus taught multitudes, but He also had time to have dinner with various people, spending as much time in homes as He did in crowded villages.

He talked with the poor, blind beggars, and hated tax collectors, He visited women at the well and publicans and sinners at meals. What was His secret?

“And in the early morning, while it was still dark, He arose and went out and departed to a lonely place, and was praying there” – Mark 1:35. And after bidding them farewell, He departed to the mountain to pray – Mark 6:46. And it was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God – Luke 6:12. And it came about that while He was praying alone” – Luke 9:18.

TIME ALONE WITH GOD

Jesus had all the pressure of saving a sinful world. He had only three years to fulfill His public ministry; but we never read that Jesus rushed to Bethany or “scurried” to Jerusalem or “dashed” to Nazareth.

His life was always measured to a diving tempo – even in the swirl of a crowd screaming for His crucifixion. The key for Jesus and the key for us to do the will of the Father is spending time alone with Him.

If, for Jesus, prayer could not be substituted, how can we think there will be another route for us? When we get alone with our Father, the peace and quiet of the Holy Spirit settles us and assures us. He saturates our hearts with the Lord’s presence and stills our minds with His calm.

There, in the solitude, God speaks through His Word by His Spirit – changing this attitude, convicting us of that sin, compelling us to this action.

WE HAVE GOD’S WISDOM

As we commit our days and resources to the Lord, we have His sure guidance. As we cast our plans and schedules before Him, we have His wisdom.

We look to Him to order our thoughts and direct our steps, not knowing the twists and turns the day will take. The wisest thing we can do to relieve the pressure of time is to spend time alone with the Lord Jesus Christ.

After all, He is the all-knowing, all-wise One who knows our end from our beginning, who knows all about us and our future, and who can orchestrate our days.

ETERNITY WITH CHRIST

We will all give an account one day of how we invested our time on earth. We will spend eternity in one of two places – heaven or hell. If you have not made that decision to spend eternity with Christ, I encourage you now to trust Him for the forgiveness of your sins, believing in Him as the Son of God who died in your place.

Only then will time take on real meaning. If you are a believer, I encourage you to examine your life and establish godly priorities so that you are ruled by Him, not by others, then commit to spending quality time alone with the Lord Jesus Christ each day.”