John 6:69

Jesus Christ is a fact of history.  All secular historians who have an merit admit that regardless of what they believe about Him, Jesus lived!  There's no way to explain that the Christian Church exists apart from the fact that Jesus Christ was here.

What did the early church preach?  Not only that Jesus was here, but that He walked out of the grave.  How do you explain that?  Somebody said, "Well, they must have made up the story.  They just said they touched Him, they said they ate with Him."

Oh?  We're talking about men who died for their faith.  Do you think they would willingly, knowingly die for a lie?

Are you willing to die for the cause of Christ?  This man who died for you--are you willing to die for Him?

.......We believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the son of the living God."

Psalm 63:1

The devil tempted Jesus to turn stones into bread.  In Palestine some stones look amazingly like little loaves of bread.  I can just see the devil looking on the ground and knowing Jesus had been fasting for 40 days and he said, "Well, look here.  Just turn this into bread!"

Now, there's nothing wrong with eating bread.  In fact, Jesus taught us to pray for our daily bread.  Yet, Jesus had been led into the wilderness to fast and pray and seek the face of God.  The devil was trying to put the bread above the will of God, saying "Pamper your flesh."  But, what he was really saying was, "Commit spiritual suicide."  Jesus overcame the flesh, and you can, too.

Next time you start to think something that God would disapprove of, watch the second hand of a clock--you'll never get that time back, so why keep throwing it away?

"O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee:  my soul thirsteth you thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is."

Ephesians 4:27

Have you ever gotten into an argument with a family member on the way to church?  Every preacher knows the devil will try to attack God's children right before and after church.  There is a spiritual principle here we need to learn.  It is what I call "the devil after the dove" principle.  When Jesus was baptized and a dove descended, right after that He was led into the wilderness and tempted.

When God does something great, or when you get the approval of God about something, you can expect the attack of the enemy.  Leonard Ravenhill said, "When God opens the windows of heaven to bless us, the devil is going to open the doors of hell to blast us."

Have you had a wonderful spiritual experience recently?  Then, you better not start coasting.  If the devil tempted Jesus, be sure he will temp you, as well.  Ask God to give you strength to overcome temptation this week.

"Neither give place to the devil."

Matthew 5:9

Many years ago, you were somebody if you joined the Peace Corps.  But, how much peace has been established between brothers and sisters around the world as a result?

Do you know how to bring peace to earth and goodwill to all men?  Introduce men, women, boys, and girls to the Lord Jesus.  That is the only way.  Churches are filled every Sunday and yet where do people go during the week?  Are they sharing God's salvation story with the lost?  It's not your faithful attendance to church that is going to bring peace to earth.

Are you living like a child of God and telling others about Jesus?  Ask God to give you a holy boldness to ask your neighbors how you can pray for them.  Ask God to give you courage to ask about their lives, and while doing so to discover their needs.  Then do what you can through Christ to help meet those needs to the glory of God.

Blessed are the peacemakers:  for they shall be called the children of God. 

Matthew 5:7

Those who have received mercy, are those who show mercy.  And only those who show mercy will be those who continue to receive mercy.  And this mercy isn't just sentiment or softness.  It is sympathy that serves.

Jesus doesn't merely save us from something.  He saves us for something.  He wants to express His life through us as we serve others.  I thank God for our beautiful churches, but i believe the thing that is going to touch the lives of our communities are not our buildings, but our merciful acts of kindness.

One by one, we can make a change as we go out and show the love of Christ to our neighbors.  People do not care how much we know, until they know how much we care.

"Blessed are the mereciful:  for they shall obtain mercy."

Matthew 5:5

Meekness is one of the most confused adjectives in all of the Beatitudes because most people confuse meekness with weakness.  Jesus said He was meek and lowly, but He certainly wasn't weak. 

The word "meek" means "strength that is brought under control."  When horse trainers "break" horses, they describe what they do as "making them meek."  They do not intend to cripple the horses or take away their strength.  They train them to use their strength in control. 

In the same way, God doesn't come into your life to cripple you.  He wants us to be teachable and coachable.  "Blessed are the meek:  For they shall inherit the earth."

Psalm 1:1-2

Tge Beatitudes teach us the heart of the way we are to live, just like the Old Testament's Ten Commandments teach us how we are to live.  Now, there is a key word in what I just said, and that word is "are."

You see, the world is more interested in the word "have."  If you have things, then you are considered blessed by the world's interpretation of that word.  The world thinks happiness comes from your ability, money, cleverness, possessions, good looks, power, or fame.  But I think we both know people who have a lot and they are perfectly miserable.

Happiness does not come from what a man has, but from what a man is. 

"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.  But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night."

1 Corinthians 15:4

One of the greatest blessings in the Bible is often missed and over looked by believers.  It is the burial of Jesus Christ!  The burial of Jesus is a blessing to you.  Because not only have you died with Him, you have been buried with Him. 

When Jewish people died in Bible times, they were immediately embalmed with special oils and wrapped in linen.  The body was hidden and buried in a tomb.  That is what Jesus has done with your old body of sin.  Not only have you been crucified with Christ, you have been buried with Christ.

Why the emphasis?  So that you will not be haunted by the ghost of guilt.  The devil will try to remind you what you were.  Don't let him do it!  Don't go prowling around in the dead bones of your old life.  It is gone by the GRACE of GOD!

"And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures."