NRETC 2012 - Sesi 4 PLENO

Pengkhotbah : Ev. Michael Liu

Nats Alkitab : Matius 5:3-11

      Many of us know verse 3-10 are called the Beatitudes. What is beatitudes? In English it’s be + attitude. The words together mean the attitude for the children of God to possess. How do we as children of God may have this so holy attitude from heaven? The Beatitudes, the sermon on the mount is given after the Lord has healed many people’s afflictions. Matt 4:23 to the end, our Lord has healed many people. Christ, our God, the Creator, when He came, He came to bring good news from heaven.

And that good news when He arrived on earth, the people from Israel should realize this is the message that should have been preached even before He arrived. The last prophet from the Old Testament, is John the Baptist. The message of him according to Matthew: “repent for the kingdom of God is at hand.” When Jesus came, at the end of John the Baptist’s ministry, Jesus preached: “repent for the kingdom of God is at hand.” What does it mean that the kingdom of God is at hand? And what does repent mean? For Jewish people this is astonishing but very close to their scripture. From ancient times, they believe when God comes, they will be blessed materially. They’re right in that one aspect. But on the other hand, when prophet Amos came out, he preached to Judah: why do you rejoice because of the day of the Lord? Because you think your selfishness will be satisfied? The day of the Lord is the day of judgment. In the desert when God fed them with manna, Israel complained because it was tasteless, they didn’t like God’s holiness, but only their taste. But when the true bread of life came, they complained and rejected. There was judgment. David, the representative of the kingdom, when he sinned, though he was made king, the presence of the Lord in front of sin means judgment. John the Baptist: repent! For the kingdom of God is at hand. He affirmed what has been told to them. That the law of God is righteous, holy, and good. They should be reminded of their sins. Thousands came to John the Baptist for baptism of repentance. Jesus Christ also came. John the Baptist said: I baptize you with water, but He who comes after me, is greater than me, is also before me, will baptize
you with holy spirit and fire. The Holy Spirit when he comes, many of us today, in the Reformed or evangelical or charistmatical realm, we also believe that when Holy Spirit comes, it’s a sign of blessing. But John the Baptist says he will baptize you with Holy Spirit and fire. He will collect those who belong to him from those who do not. They will end up in fire.
      Jesus affirmed: Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand. Matt 4:23, with Jesus Christ was healing, joy, peace and hope. Later in chapter 5 you read “Blessed . . .” Jesus preached so much about blessings to the people of God. 5:3 blessed are the poor in spirit. If you ever read the gospel of Luke, blessed are the poor. Luke was writing from a different point of view. But both views were trying to express one thing in common: provoke our mind to think how come a poor person is able to be blessed? Let me stress it even more. Our God is righteous, holy and good. What will he do to those who are wicked and bad? He sees their heart and minds and all they think all day long is evil. God is good, is a terrifying truth. Blessed are those who mourn. We have learned the Gospel. We’re in the church. But we do not realize what’s in the Gospel, that’s so deep and profound. We still haven’t solved the problem why is the poor in spirit blessed? Can a person be just hungry and thirsty for righteousness and he will be filled up? I will tell the paradox. And the Lord knows when He told them this, what they would think. Jewish people learned the Old Testament. They know that the law of the Lord is so holy they cannot fulfill it. But here the Lord says, blessed, more, hungry and thirsty for righteousness.
The Jewish people were shocked. Jesus said, I have not come to abolish the laws and the prophets. I have come to fulfill the law. You probably don’t think this is so amazing, after this sermons you will have to come home and read and read and read again of Jesus, His goodness and righteousness and reflect that to yourself, so you know everything about you is not so like Jesus Christ.
      Here’s a man in history who says I can fulfill the law that Moses and the prophets have been preaching about. As for sin, he says, who can find the sins in me? He challenged the scribes and Pharisees around him. You cannot. Jesus so loved God and so loved man. He obeyed God all the way up to the cross. If you have seen His holiness, like Isaiah, you would kneel down and say, how can it be? I deserve hell because I’m sinful. How can it be that the Lord came and obeyed God for my sake? Blessed are all these things, but not because we deserve it. Gal. 3:13-14.
      This event NRETC does not save you. You cannot receive it from an event, from a preacher, the
preacher has no strength at all, but the blessings, the fountain of all blessings is the Lord, Jesus Christ.
      The title of this sermon is Close to Thee. If you examine your life, what is your relationship to your God? Our God is a jealous God. He will not give away His glory for the pagan gods, but when you turn away from Him, He is angry and grieved. Do you long for the love of God? Do you know how helpless you are? Psalm 147:10-11. Man cannot stand if God does not sustain him.
      Take the time to read Psalm 25 and ask Him to show you His steadfast love. Seek Him as the
most precious treasure, you will find what it means to fear Him. As Jacob who will not let Him go.
May the Lord lead you and guide you.