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On Sunday, the 26th of January, we learned that the poor in spirit are blessed:

Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

We talked about the woman with the issue of blood, and how her faith in Jesus' divine power healed her. And we reflected that those who are poor in spirit are people who are in need of healing — physical, emotional, spiritual.

On Feb. 2nd, we learned that:

Beattitude Two: Matthew 5:4 -- 4 Happy are people who grieve, because they will be made glad.

At its simplest, a beatitude is a declaration of divine blessing. What is a Divine Blessing? Definition: A divine blessing is a gift of God’s favor. It conveys happiness, satisfaction, or pleasure that is based on who God is, not on the contingent circumstances of the person receiving the blessing.

Matthew 5:4, the second of eight beatitudes that Jesus pronounced on God’s people, declares that the grief-stricken are blessed because they will be “comforted” or “made glad.” In reading background Scripture for the 2nd beatitude, we saw Jesus raise a recently deceased man as Jesus and His disciples were entering a city called Nain.

Jesus’ beatitudes in the Gospel of Matthew remain one of the best-known passages in the New Testament. They are not, however, the only beatitudes in the New Testament. Four additional divine blessings are recorded in the Gospel of Luke (6:20, 21 [2x], 22); one in Paul’s letter to the church in Rome (4:7); one in the Epistle of James (1:12); and seven in the Book of Revelation (1:3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7, 14).

When added to the eight beatitudes in Matthew 5, these total to 21 beatitudes in the New Testament.

Isaiah 30:18 is a beatitude. The Psalms have more than two dozen beatitudes, such as Psalm 1:1 and 119:1-2; and Proverbs offers at least eight, such as Proverbs 3:13: “Happy [blessed] are those who find wisdom and those who gain understanding.”

One Sunday in February, we studied the beatitude found in Matthew 5:5 — ⁵Happy are people who are humble, because they will inherit the earth. We read about two people who went up to the temple to pray, one a tax collector who beat his breast at knowing his sin, the other a self-righteous Pharisee.

It’s not that God refused to offer mercy to the Pharisee because of something the man did or did not do. For whatever reason, the Pharisee never asked for mercy. Not having asked for it, he didn’t receive it. The tax collector, on the other hand, aware of his need, asked for mercy and received it.

See how Jesus recaps this lesson on humility: look at Luke 14:11 — ¹¹Luke 14:11 states, "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

In studying Matthew 5:5, we acknowledged that we are prideful and sometimes put our desires ahead of God's desires for us and the world. Our prayer: save us from self-righteousness.

We have studied the 4th beatitude, found in Matthew 5:6 — ⁶"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."

We saw the Pharisees seek to chastise Jesus because His followers didn't follow the rules of the elders that had been handed down. Jesus' response was: ⁷Hypocrites! Isaiah really knew what he was talking about when he prophesied about you, ⁸ This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far away from me. ⁹Their worship of me is empty since they teach instructions that are human rules.”

We've studied the 5th beatitude, found in Matthew 5:7 — ⁷Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

There again, the Pharisees were upset with Jesus and His disciplines — this time because the disciples were not washing their hands before eating.

By the first century, the Pharisees had been around for a couple of centuries and were (as we might put it) definitely gaining political traction. They were still a small sect, but their authority throughout Judea and Galilee had far outstripped their size.

A renewal movement led by laity, they desired to extend the purity codes found in Scripture to all Jews (not just priests). They called their righteousness-focused reinterpretation of Scripture “rules handed down by the elders” (Mark 7:3): ³The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders.**

The sixth beatitude, found in Matthew 5:8, states, ⁸"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God". We read the 6th beatitude last Sunday. Jesus and His followers have finished their last supper together, and have crossed over the Kidron Valley to a garden, where Christ would be betrayed by Judas Iscariot.

We talked about Jesus' foreknowledge of how He would be betrayed, and we saw His power when He confronted the soldiers and they fell down.

Jesus takes control of the confrontation with the temple police and the Roman soldiers, but Peter is spooked, pulls a dagger, and lunges at the nearest assailant, and cuts off his ear. He is brusquely reprimanded by Jesus, who informs him (and the rest of his disciples) that this is His time and His fight, not theirs.

With the benefit of hindsight and two-thousand years gone by, we may shake our heads at Peter going off-script, and cutting off the servant's ear. But perhaps we should, instead, sympathize with him, for we ourselves do not always recognize the will or way of God as it unfolds before us in real time, either.

Engaging in immediate (and successful) damage control, Jesus commanded Peter to “put your sword away.” He then reprimanded him for attempting to interfere with the divine significance of what was taking place: “Am I not to drink the cup the Father has given me?”

Today we turn our attention to the 7th beatitude, found in Matthew 5:9 — ⁹Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

As almost anyone who has experienced a conversion in life (religious or otherwise) can testify, there are almost as many things left to fix in one’s life after conversion as there were prior to conversion. That is not to make light of conversion. It is to highlight a humbling truth about ourselves. Rarely do we understand ourselves so well that we can confess and repent of all our faults in one sitting.

It may be possible to point to a moment in time when we first began the hard work of examining ourselves in light of the truth of Scripture. We are saved by repenting of our sins, believing upon Christ and His resurrection, and admitting our need for a Savior, not just to ourselves but publically. We must profess Christ. That's salvation.

But, sooner or later, it probably dawns on us that conforming ourselves to Christ will remain a lifelong process. It’s not that we are hesitant to address or even to acknowledge our faults; it’s that some (if not many) of our faults don’t even become clear to us until we experience significant spiritual growth &mdash and that can take years, decades.

The older I have gotten, the more in awe I have become of God's graciousness and love in saving me. The older I've become, the more I've come to notice all the flaws and short-comings that Christ overcame for me, at the cross.

The more we grow spiritually, the more certain it is that we will view some of our personal beliefs, characteristics, and acts as problematic, as sinful matters that need to be rooted out.

In our Bible Study this past Wednesday night, among other things we talked about how nowhere in the New Testament are Christians called to be militant, to take up arms, to engage in violence. Christ could have conquered, but He chose to let them nail Him to a cross. As Christians, we are called to peace.

Yet, I can remember growing up playing imaginary “shoot-’em-up” games involving “cowboys and Indians” and never experienced any pangs of conscience about them or even thought twice about what my friends and I were doing. It was only as an adult, when a more enlightened friend wondered aloud to me why I didn’t also play “Nazis and Jews” as a kid, that my inability to think critically about such “innocent games” was exposed and I became capable of thinking differently.

God in Christ calls us to be harmless as doves. Matthew 10:16 says ¹⁶“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves."

The words we speak are to build others up. Ephesians 4:29 reads ²⁹Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Sometimes I fail at this.

As peacemakers, we’re to have nothing to do with malice or envy or slander. 1 Peter 2:1 — ¹Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.

Next Sunday we will conclude our study on the beatitudes from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. The 8th beatitude is found in Matthew 5:10-12, and states "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven".

We haven't yet begun to suffer serious persecution. We've been very blessed and sheltered in our particular location in the world, and at this particular time in history. But at some point, Scripture tells us, that will change. Here is a thought to ponder:

The person “who will endure hardship rather than weakly abandon his convictions is happier than the one who will yield his convictions rather than suffer.”

Blessed are the Peacemakers

Why do you think peacemaking receives so little attention today? (Perhaps it is considered ineffective. Perhaps because it can take such a lengthy investment of time and good will. Perhaps because its goal is not just the cessation of violence but the redemption of all parties.

Last Sunday we studied the third beattitude, and we looked at the continuum running from pride to humility.

We read — in Luke 18:14, Jesus' words: All who lift themselves up will be brought low, and those who make themselves low will be lifted up."

We might summarize it this way: “Blessed are they who recognize they can’t earn God’s favor, for to them Jesus will give the desires of their heart.”

Scripture readings today will be taken from:

• Matthew 5:6
• Matthew 15:1-20

Lesson Purpose: To incorporate Jesus’ definition of righteousness into our conversations.

Matthew 5:6 in the Common English Bible reads like this: 6 Happy are people who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness, because they will be fed until they are full.

Ask Aaron or Okie to read the above verse from the KJV or the NKJV, respectively.

Matthew 15:1-20

1Then Pharisees and legal experts came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, 2“Why are your disciples breaking the elders’ rules handed down to us? They don’t ritually purify their hands by washing before they eat.” 3Jesus replied, “Why do you break the command of God by keeping the rules handed down to you? 4For God said, Honor your father and your mother, and The person who speaks against father or mother will certainly be put to death. 5But you say, ‘If you tell your father or mother, “Everything I’m expected to contribute to you I’m giving to God as a gift,” then you don’t have to honor your father.’ 6So you do away with God’s Law for the sake of the rules that have been handed down to you. 7Hypocrites! Isaiah really knew what he was talking about when he prophesied about you, 8This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far away from me. 9Their worship of me is empty since they teach instructions that are human rules.” 10Jesus called the crowd near and said to them, “Listen and understand. 11It’s not what goes into the mouth that contaminates a person in God’s sight. It’s what comes out of the mouth that contaminates the person.” 12Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended by what you just said?” 13Jesus replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father didn’t plant will be pulled up. 14Leave the Pharisees alone. They are blind people who are guides to blind people. But if a blind person leads another blind person, they will both fall into a ditch.” 15Then Peter spoke up, “Explain this riddle to us.” 16Jesus said, “Don’t you understand yet? 17Don’t you know that everything that goes into the mouth enters the stomach and goes out into the sewer? 18But what goes out of the mouth comes from the heart. And that’s what contaminates a person in God’s sight. 19Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adultery, sexual sins, thefts, false testimonies, and insults. 20These contaminate a person in God’s sight. But eating without washing hands doesn’t contaminate in God’s sight.”

What passage of scripture was Jesus referencing in Matthew 15:7?

Isaiah 29:13 says, "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me".

Agree or disagree? The Pharisees’ insistence that persons ritually purify their hands before they consumed food had a lot going for it!

• We tell our children to wash their hands before they eat
• We expect food employees to wash their hands before exiting restroom.

But Jesus insisted that such practices—no matter how appropriate—don’t make persons righteous. If the desire behind a set of actions is to display righteous behavior, God has already shared with us a long list of actions that please God, such as “Honor your father and your mother,” “Don’t murder,” “Don’t engage in sexual sin,” “Don’t bear false testimony,” and so on. These are the actions to emphasize.

We must not confuse our assent to or dissent from constantly evolving “human rules” with making us righteousbefore God. Demanding that our ethical code be adopted by all doesn’t make it God-ordained any more than it makes us righteous.

Saying 'yes, sir' or 'yes, ma'am' may be polite, but doesn't make us righteous. Wearing deodorant helps socially, but doesn't make us righteous. Social activism makes us feel good, but it doesn't make us righteous.

On Sept. 25, 2022, I launched a series of lessons about Abraham the patriarch. And lots of Sunday mornings later, I said that perhaps the most important thing we could understand about Abraham was Genesis 15:6 — Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness.

In Matthew 5:6, the fourth of eight beatitudes that Jesus pronounced on God’s people in the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord declares that people who desire righteousness are blessed because they will “be fed until they are full.”

Earlier, we read Matthew 15:1-20. That Gospel story — about a dispute, instigated by some Jerusalem-based Pharisees and scribes with Jesus — also appears in the Gospel of Mark.

Jesus redirected an initial query about the performance of ritual purity acts into a rejection of rituals that contradict what God in Scripture says to do.

We read the first twenty verses from Matthew 15 — that's more than half of the entire chapter. We could subdivide that passage into three parts:

Part 1 — proud ritualists confront Jesus (Matt. 15:1-9)

1Then Pharisees and legal experts came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, 2“Why are your disciples breaking the elders’ rules handed down to us? They don’t ritually purify their hands by washing before they eat.” 3Jesus replied, “Why do you break the command of God by keeping the rules handed down to you? 4For God said, Honor your father and your mother, and The person who speaks against father or mother will certainly be put to death. 5But you say, ‘If you tell your father or mother, “Everything I’m expected to contribute to you I’m giving to God as a gift,” then you don’t have to honor your father.’ 6So you do away with God’s Law for the sake of the rules that have been handed down to you. 7Hypocrites! Isaiah really knew what he was talking about when he prophesied about you, 8This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far away from me. 9Their worship of me is empty since they teach instructions that are human rules.”

Part II — Jesus gives the crowd the correct understanding (Matt 15:10-11)

10Jesus called the crowd near and said to them, “Listen and understand. 11It’s not what goes into the mouth that contaminates a person in God’s sight. It’s what comes out of the mouth that contaminates the person.”

In Part 3 (verses 12-20), Jesus reexplained—this time to his disciples—the point of the dispute between himself and the Pharisees and scribes.

12Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended by what you just said?” 13Jesus replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father didn’t plant will be pulled up. 14Leave the Pharisees alone. They are blind people who are guides to blind people. But if a blind person leads another blind person, they will both fall into a ditch.” 15Then Peter spoke up, “Explain this riddle to us.” 16Jesus said, “Don’t you understand yet? 17Don’t you know that everything that goes into the mouth enters the stomach and goes out into the sewer? 18But what goes out of the mouth comes from the heart. And that’s what contaminates a person in God’s sight. 19Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adultery, sexual sins, thefts, false testimonies, and insults. 20These contaminate a person in God’s sight. But eating without washing hands doesn’t contaminate in God’s sight.”

Previous beatitudes spoke surprisingly of divine blessing being shared with persons whom the general culture would have said were clearly deficient:

• the poor in spirit
• the grief-stricken
• the humble

This beatitude is no different. It declares strikingly that God blesses those who are hungry and thirsty. Matthew 5:6 Happy are people who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness, because they will be fed until they are full.

I told you three Sundays ago that the first two beatitudes were likely based on Isaiah 61:2-3; today's beatitude (the 4th) may be based on Psalm 107:9. For He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.

Being hungry and thirsty for righteousness is a poetic metaphor. Hungering and thirsting are suggestive of very deeply desiring something that is needed.

In her Magnificat, Mary says the following, in Luke 1:53:

He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.

This is sometimes known as the Song of Mary or the Canticle of Mary. Let's read it in full in Luke 1:46-55

And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for God has looked with favor on the lowliness of the Almighty’s servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is God’s name. God’s mercy is for those who fear God from generation to generation. God has shown strength with God’s arm; God has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. God has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; God has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. God has helped servant Israel, in remembrance of God’s mercy, according to the promise God made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.

More than once, the psalmist spoke of his deep yearning for God in terms of thirst: “Just like a deer that craves streams of water, my whole being craves you, God. My whole being thirsts for God” (Psalm 42:1-2). This may sound more familiar as it reads from the King James: As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. 2 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?

The prophet Amos spoke similarly. “The time is coming [says God] when . . . people will be hungry, but not for bread; they will be thirsty, but not for water. They will hunger and thirst for a message from the Lord” (Amos 8:11, Good News Translation).

Simply put, “righteousness” is the will of God for us. It is doing and being what God desires of us and longs to share with us.

Specific details regarding what actions or characteristics constitute righteousness can be found throughout Scripture:

• Genesis 15:6
• Deuteronomy 10:12-13
• Micah 6:8
• Psalm 15:2-5
• Isaiah 56:1
• 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22

Beatitude #4: Matthew 5:6 6 Happy are people who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness, because they will be fed until they are full.

A helpful paraphrase of Jesus’ beatitude would read, “Blessed are those who long to live as God desires them to live, for God will enable them to do so.”

Jesus wasn't against handwashing. Instead, he severed the connection between righteousness and the ritual in question by declaring that defiled food has no effect on one’s personal righteousness. Since there is no connection between the two, the ritual is a wasted exercise. Performing it isn’t harmful, but neither is it beneficial. The ritual is—quite simply—immaterial.

These Pharisees (with whom Jesus had just spoken) weren’t interested in the promotion of God’s righteousness. They were merely campaigning for a ritual that, contrary to their claims, didn’t safeguard righteousness at all; it only offered the illusion that it was doing so.

Unlike what the Pharisees suggested, sin is not a minor issue we can eliminate from our lives simply by washing our hands before we eat. Sin is far more serious than that.

Long years later, the hymn writer¹ would again ask the question, “What can wash away my sin?” The answer, then, would be clearer. “Nothing but the blood of Jesus.”

¹Robert Lowry was an American preacher who became a popular writer of gospel music in the mid-to-late 19th century. His best-known hymns include "Shall We Gather at the River", "Christ Arose!", "How Can I Keep from Singing?" and "Nothing But The Blood Of Jesus".

March 2024 Daily Caloric Intake

Date	Daily Total kCal	Foods
31st	1,255	naked keto (250), creamer (35), half-bagel (130), lunch Mamaw's (650), ham sandwich (140), nuts (50)
30th	1,785	naked keto (375), ham sandwich with miracle whip (300), dry cereal (150), brownie (60), Mamaw supper (700), banana pudding (200)
29th	1,275	naked keto (250), pizza (250), glo bar (190), chocolate egg (100), hot dog (210), fruit (50), pizza (225)
28th	1,690	naked keto (250), ham sandwiches (550), glo bar (190), pizza (700)
27th	1,285	naked keto (250), ham sandwiches (440), soup (150), glo bar (190), yogurt (80), dry cereal (175)
26th	1,020	naked keto (250), ham sandwiches (440), roasted red pepper & tomato soup (140), glo bar (190)
25th	1,110	naked keto (250), ham sandwiches (440), tomato soup (130), glo bar (190), ham (100)
24th	1,200	naked keto (250), half-bagel (130), cookie (75), roast beef manhattan (450), ham foldover (150), soup (150)
23rd	1,250	coffee creamer (60), omelet (320), half bagel (130), cereal (50), raisin bran & milk (250), soup (140), cereal (100), grilled cheese (200)
22nd	1,230	naked keto (250), club (500),glo bar (190), soup (140), fries (150)
21st	1,210	naked keto (250), ham sandwich (270), ham sandwich (240), glo bar (190), bagel (260)
20th	1,270	naked keto (125), ham sandwich (220), glo bar (190), coffee creamer (60), pizza sliver (75), pizza (400), naked keto (200)
19th	1,050	naked keto (250), glo bar (190), palm of cereal (25), pizza sliver (75), pizza slice (450), coffee creamer (60)
18th	1,140	naked keto (250), sub (350), sub (350), glo bar (190)
17th	1,040	naked keto (125), sucker (40), half-sub (325), chip (175), naked keto (125), pizza (250)
16th	1,470	naked keto (125), ham & egg (225), quesadilla (350), cake (175), nuts (75), pasta (300), breadstick (140), salad (80)
15th	1,000	naked keto (250), glo bar (190), three Triscuits (60), salads, beans (500)
14th	1,010	naked keto (250), glo bar (190), cajun turkey (180), roasted red pepper & tomato soup (140), dessert (250)
13th	1,015	naked keto (125), glo bar (190), sliver of pizza (80), naked keto (250), turkey sandwich (180), glo bar (190)
12th	1,300	naked keto (250), Wendy's large chili (340), crackers (60), corn chowder (400), dessert (250)
11th	1340	V8 Energy orange/pineapple (50), turkey sandwich (260), crackers (210), raisin bran & milk (250), cottage cheese (80), toasted red pepper & tomato soup (140), mamaw's dessert (350)
10th	965	naked keto (125), Werther's original (25), sucker (50), crackers (140), baked potato and toppings (500), dessert (125)
9th	590	half-bagel (130), chocolate-covered cherry (50), tomato & sweet basic soup (150), hot cocoa (120), crackers (140)
8th	80	yogurt (80)
7th	1,445	Raw Rev Glo bar (190), naked keto (250), eggs (140), ham (150), 1.5 a blueberry streusel muffin (525), raw rev glo bar (190)
6th	1,740	Raw Rev Glo bar (190), corn chowder (350), blueberry streusel muffin (350), naked keto (250), quesadilla (600)
5th	1,455	naked keto (125), half-struesel muffin (175), Raw Rev Glo bar (190), half-bagel with PB (275), Raw Rev Glob bar (190), raisin bran & milk (500)
4th	1,555	sausage-egg-cheese croissant (350), ham sandwich (210), Raw Rev Glo bar (190), naked keto (125), half-bagel with PB (300), Raw Rev Glo bar (190), ham (90)
3rd	1,650	naked keto (250), corn chowder (400), cookies (280), Raw Rev Glo bar x 2 (380), naked keto (250), ham (90)
2nd	2,010	sausage-egg-cheese croissant (350), V8 Plus Energy Orange & Pineapple (50), blueberry streusel muffin (350), Raw Rev Glo bar x 2 (380), eggs (210), ham (180), cheese (50), naked keto (250), Raw Rev Glo bar (190)
1st	1,680	sausage-egg-cheese croissant (350), pizza (950), Raw Rev Glo bar x 2 (380)

This will be Christmas number six without dad, bless his heart. But I sure am comforted knowing that his faith was solid, his eternity secure. Yes, I miss him. It's wistful, melancholic. But I know he is with the Lord, and therefore he is in perfect delight and security.

So while I'll be getting together with family and celebrating the Reason for the Season, dad is actually with Him. What a comfort and joy that is to know, and I'm thankful.

I'm going through old photos, optimizing, and blogging them. Here's one I found. I think it's when my nephew was born. This would have been in March 2018.

Here's a pic of our church more than ten years ago, taken in March of 2009:

This morning, I need to finish the last 12K words in Blackout Rogue then submit to JS for conveyance to the author. She and I had a FB Messenger discussion about the novel last night.

Later, when it warms to a bearable 40+°F, I'll go to Bobo's and clean her geothermal filter and visit a bit.