SDCCM Blog

James 1:9-10 – The brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position; and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away.

Here we read of the wisdom of God. The Lord always sees both sides of the coin. On the one hand, the person who does not possess a lot of this world’s goods should recognize in Christ that he has been highly exalted. He is the son of a King and everything his Father would choose for him to have is his for the asking. On the other hand, the one who has been blessed with this world’s goods should walk in humility. He only has what he has by God’s goodness. Life is a fleeting journey that will end in death for both the rich and the poor. Possessions and pursuits will all fade away like the grass. The Holy Spirit wants us to focus on those things that will remain, which principally have eternal substance attached to them. The question for each believer remains, “Is this God’s will?” The transforming power of Holy Spirit in a believer’s life is to help us live for God’s pleasure and not our own. This is good proof of a more complete restoration to God’s plan and purposes.

If I am poor, I am not to dwell on my poverty, but rather embrace my wealth which is found in Christ Jesus. If I am poor because of laziness or misuse of funds, I need to repent and ask for the Holy Spirit to help me. But if I am poor because of my plight in life, I am to rejoice, as James states, “in my high position” as a son of God, “blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). If I am rich, then I am to make the riches secondary. My rejoicing is to be in the saving grace of God. I am to rejoice that the riches did not stop me from humbling myself before almighty God and confessing my absolute poverty and my hopeless condition without God’s saving work. The Scriptures are so incredible when made alive by their author, the Holy Spirit. He helps us to apply their eternal truths in this temporal life.

Whatever your situation may be, take the appropriate position. By the power of the Holy Spirit, claim your portion in the Lord Jesus for your daily need. Remember your high state in Christ. Glory in your absolute poverty without Him and give thanks in the midst of plenty. Always remember, He saved you in spite of your temporal position.

Matthew 7:28 – When Jesus finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority and not as their scribes.

One of the most amazing aspects of Jesus’ ministry was the authority from which He taught. People’s amazement is recorded a number of times in the gospels. What good is teaching if it does not have weight behind it? The Holy Spirit is the one who gives weight to the teachings and works of the Lord Jesus Christ.

There are many in the body of Christ who can teach the Bible, but lack the anointing of the Holy Spirit to teach with authority. Consequently, those teachings are delivered as words and opinions. This is what the people in Jesus’ time were accustomed, words that did not carry Heaven’s authority. It helps us to understand what Paul meant when he said, “My message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God” (1 Corinthians 2:4). Authority is associated with power. The words of Jesus and the words of Paul were both filled with power because the Holy Spirit anointed their words.

The same Holy Spirit is at work in the Lord’s church today. He is speaking too many outside the body of Christ, inviting them to become a part of God’s family. Many ministers of the gospel do not see converts to the faith because they are not speaking by the power of God found in the Holy Spirit. Many depend on their intellect rather than waiting on the Lord for His guidance. Many simply preach other men’s messages rather than waiting on the Lord for His Word to be revealed to them. When the Word is preached with power, some are converted. Through the power of God, many find salvation and some receive healing. Others experience judgment because of their rejection of God’s provisions. All of this is the power of God manifested by His Holy Spirit. There are times when God’s power is manifested in “signs and wonders” – things happening outside of the rational which can only be explained by the power of God. He delights to act in power on behalf of an individual or group of people hearing His Word.

The Holy Spirit wants to cause your words to be those of authority as you represent the Lord and His purposes. Ask the Holy Spirit for revelation and understanding given by Him, and see if your words do not have a divine effect on others.

Matthew 7:24 Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.

Building is an ethical issue. God is a builder, from the time He spun off universes to building a church that the gates of hell will not prevail against! If we find ourselves going through life without purpose or productivity, the Bible considers it to be unethical. The Book of Proverbs speaks of two kinds of men, those that are building on solid ground and those that are carelessly drifting along, whose lives are headed for destruction. Jesus teaches it is in the hearing and acting on His words that one receives wisdom. Too many of God’s people go week after week hearing God’s Word, but not applying what was taught. We must chose to act upon what is biblically taught. By not acting upon God’s Word one is being unethical. In effect, one is building on sand and this will prove to be unwise and devastating. One example is found in Christian marriages that are in trouble. Many go for counseling, but they do not act upon the word given to them. Thus, nothing changes and many times the marriage relationship becomes worse.

The Holy Spirit is waiting for believers to act upon the Word of God. As we act upon the word given, He, the Holy Spirit, goes into action to help us understand and apply God’s Word. The net result becomes wisdom to build a life which becomes more and more Christ centered. In our lessons, beginning in Matthew 5, we read of Jesus speaking of those who will be blessed through their action. We learn of being salt and light in the world. We learn of a righteousness that exceeded that of the religious leaders. We also learn in Matthew 5 of the correct relationships that begin in the heart as well as the outward actions that follow. We learn how our forgiving others releases God to forgive us. We also have learned the correct response concerning money, anxiety, and seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness, with the promise that everything else will be added to us. Finally, we learned that the way we judge others is in turn the same way we will be judged. Furthermore, we should ask and expect to receive the promise of the Father, the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is bringing forth a good tree that produces good fruit.

Let the Sermon on the Mount become a well-known portion of Scripture. Allow the Holy Spirit to build into your life these principles in an ever-deepening way. These chapters reveal the Laws of the kingdom of God which guide the new man born of God’s Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name, pray daily for the Father to give to you His plans for building and ask the Holy Spirit to empower you in the application.

Matthew 7:24 – Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.

A rock represents a solid foundation, which does not move easily. Jesus teaches truths that are the foundation of the kingdom He came to establish in the earth. Note, Jesus says that the one who “hears and acts” upon His words is wise. There are many of God’s people who hear the Word of God regularly, but do not act on the Word consistently. What good is a solid foundation if we do not build upon it? The truths contained in the Sermon on the Mount are the Foundation on which the Holy Spirit builds us into Christ and His kingdom. The Holy Spirit soon was to be given to all those putting their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. He brings to the believer power to transform his natural life into a Christ-like life. The foundation laid by Jesus on the Mount becomes the expected foundation of practice for each one trusting in the Lord. Power to live out the life which Jesus is teaching in this magnificent sermon is realized through a daily fellowship with the Holy Spirit and the word of God He reveals to us.

“So faith comes from hearing and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). Hearing God’s Word produces one level of faith which includes an expectation. Another type of hearing is when the Lord makes a scripture alive to us personally. Both types of hearing God’s Word require the Holy Spirit’s leading. He creates an expectation in our spirit and soul. Faith begins to develop, first in our spirit man, and then in our thinking. As one hears a personal word from the Lord, faith demands an action, not just a mental assent. In order to obey the Sermon on the Mount, it requires faith, which produces power to live a kingdom life and testify to others what it is like to live under the government of King Jesus.

In summary, hear and act on the Words of our Lord. Ask the Holy Spirit, in Jesus’ name, to help you walk in the faith of expectation and the faith of acting on the words of Christ.

Matthew 7:21 – Not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.

Many associate the kingdom of God with Israel. Some actually teach that Jesus failed to establish the kingdom on earth because of Israel’s rejection of Jesus as their Messiah. This is a wrong understanding of God’s kingdom. The kingdom is in the Holy Spirit. Many in Jesus’ day called Him Lord, but never submitted to him as Lord. It is not simply in the words, but in the actions. In Matthew 7:21, Jesus is speaking about the future judgment day. In that day, there will be an accounting for things said and done. On that day, Jesus says there will be those who will declare what they have done in His name, but Jesus will tell them to be gone because He never knew them. He calls them “workers of iniquity” (Matthew 7:23 KJV). The word iniquity means “lawless” as translated in the NASB. This means they did a lot of things in Jesus’ name, but not by His authority.

Today, much is done in the name of the Lord, but not all is done as a directive from Him. In my own life, I have both done things that He directed through the Holy Spirit and I have done those things that turned out to be by my own directive in His name. When He revealed to me my error, I quickly repented. It is so important to wait on the Holy Spirit, allowing Him to direct and lead us. Only what the Spirit does will last and be accepted by the Lord Jesus Christ. Often, our human pride causes us to think, “I am doing this for Jesus.” Maybe we are, but if He did not direct us, it is just a good idea at best. It is good to question our motives; it is good to receive approval from godly authority and let the Lord confirm our decisions as we wait upon Him for direction. As the old adage says, “haste makes waste.” The Lord is never in a hurry.

Invite the Holy Spirit to be in control of all your plans. Know that as you wait upon the Lord, He will bring it to pass. “Wait for the Lord, and keep His way, and He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you will see it” (Psalm 37:34).

Matthew 7:16 – You will know them by their fruits.

The context of Jesus’ teaching is “be aware of false prophets, who come in sheep’s clothing.” They look and sound good on the outside, but inwardly are “ravenous wolves.” We are to be fruit-checkers. If a person claims to be an authority on some subject, it is important to examine what has been produced in their life. Words are cheap, but godly fruit comes with a price tag. Any prophetic voice that has not been through the fire is suspect. Anyone who claims to be an apostle and has not known rejection is not being truthful. Growth, most of the time, is frustrating and painful. Paul instructs, “Know those who labor among you” (1 Thessalonians 5:12). In the context of Matthew 7:15-23, Jesus uses the understanding that a tree can be either good or bad. The proof is in the fruit it produces.

Jesus likens Himself to a vine in John 15. He makes it clear that this vine is fruit bearing. The Holy Spirit has made us a part of that vine as branches which are to bear fruit. If the branch bears good fruit it is pruned so it might bear more good fruit. If the fruit is bad or the branch is fruitless, it is removed. If the branch is no longer receiving the life of the tree it shrivels up and dies. Jesus declares, “apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Our life is derived from Him. He is the vine and we are the branches. The Holy Spirit made the connection and the Holy Spirit supplies the life that flows from the vine to the branches. It is the Holy Spirit who anoints us to be fruitful.

I want the fruit of my life to be known as “good.” I want that fruit to be a product of the vine, the Lord Jesus Christ. Ask the Holy Spirit to make you fruitful for Jesus’ sake and in Jesus’ name.