Matthew 5:1-17 ~ When He sat down, His disciples came to Him.

My Savior My God - Aaron Shust (with lyrics)

Matthew 5:1-17

1 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.



2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

~  "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

~  "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

~  "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

~  "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

~  "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

~  "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

~  "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

~  "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

~  "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.


12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.



13 "You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.

14 "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.

15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.
16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.


17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

When we are young, we are filled with invincibility. And we add to our joy to have children. Studies say the hardest part in life is when we are truly responsible for the ones we love. And my Psychology class at Texas A & M professor said he looked at the statistics, really put his PhD mind to them and opted out of children.

If you visit a Memory Loss Unit - what remains are the conversations in the Dementia area of raising children - long grown.

Today a man arrested twice for heavy drug usage in the past few months - sat with a Bible Study in Charleston - beautiful, beautiful, gracious Charleston - and killed 3 older people and others - sat with them an hour - and killed an Anglican Priest's wife and five others.  Saying to a mother lying in the blood of her dying son - you will live.

Peacemakers and persecuted for righteousness' sake is a little bit on the same actual side.

The face of the shooter betrays the deep inner turmoil.  Jesus also lived knowing this type of betrayal,
 
JESUS IS THE TRUTH.

In this manifestation of evil - Jesus will still triumph.

Jesus is the destination. Jesus is the bridge. Jesus will be the healer for the grief stricken. The Father never forgets His Children.  Isaiah 49 assures us of this.

Haters will hate. Ephesians 4 tells us God is the size of this Universe. And because of His greatness - Love has an open door policy. And this life tells us - in God's Word - this time is temporary. A life to establish our choices - developing our souls. The eternal life is a choice.

The people who went to this Bible Study - emerged unexpectedly as martyrs.  I am sure some of the people spoke to the deranged shooter of forgiveness. And Love has won again. There is a cost.

When we've been there 10,000 years - Bright Shining as the Son - we've no less days to sing God's Praise - than when we'd first begun.

In Jesus Christ - for this Church, Pastor-less. for these families, for this city, for this state, for this nation - Jesus assures us - there will be a Great Reunion. And parting will never be required again.

The name of the shooter will fade. The Love these people shared will endure. Jesus has overcome the enemy - death. The Victory is still with Jesus The Lord.

Imperfect - you bet. Jesus knows the ways of mankind - intimately and decides to SAVE THE WORLD.

Father God we see too many stories of hate. Yet if we were to continue to follow the lives of the saints left to deal with this destruction - we would find lives will continue to put their Faith in Jesus. We would see the honest time needed to recover. We would find grief, pain and tears. Yet in this endurance and these prayers to be offered, the strong Love for the Father - will create a new path. The doors of this Church will continue to be open to those seeking Jesus. The hearts of those who Love You, will continue to hold out open hands to do the Work of Their Father - who has supreme Joy in healing. We pray for You to uphold their journey in healing. In the Highest Name of Jesus. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †