The Teachings of Christ

Religion had come to be little more than a round of ceremonies among many of the
people in Jesus time. As they forgot how to truly worship God, they lost the spiritual power of
His Word. They had tried to make up for it through ceremonies and traditions of their own.

Only the blood of Christ can cleanse from sin. Only His power can keep us from sinning.
But many of the people depended upon their own efforts and the ceremonies of their religion to
earn salvation. They

Because of their zeal for these ceremonies, they thought themselves worthy of a place in
God's kingdom.

But they had set their hopes on worldly greatness. They expected riches and power the
reward for their pretended piety.

The people thought that the Messiah would set up His kingdom on this earth and rule as a
mighty prince. At His and coming they hoped to receive every worldly blessing.

Jesus knew that they would be disappointed. He had come to teach them about something
far better.

Christ had come to restore the true worship of God. He would bring in a pure religion of
the heart that would reveal itself in a pure life and a holy character.

SERMON ON THE MOUNT

In the beautiful Sermon on the Mount He explained what would give people real
happiness.

The teachings of the rabbis had influenced Jesus disciples. It was to them, first of all, that
Christ presented His lessons. But they are for us, also. We need to learn the same things.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit," Christ said (Matthew 5:3). The poor in spirit are those
who know their own sinfulness and need. They realize that they can do nothing good without
God's help. Now they desire help from God, and to them He gives His blessing.

For thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell
in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of
the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones" (Isaiah 57:15).

"Blessed are those who mourn" (Matthew 5:4). This does not mean those who complain
and murmur, who go about with a sour expression. It means those who are truly sorry for their
sins and who ask God for forgiveness.
 He will freely forgive every such person. He says, "I will turn their mourning to joy, will
comfort them, and make them rejoice rather than sorrow (Jeremiah 31:13). "Blessed are the
meek"' Christ said (Matthew 5:5). "Learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart" (Matthew
11:29). When others did bad things to Him, Jesus responded only with good. He set an example
of what we should do.

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness" (Matthew 5:6).
Righteousness is right- doing. It is obeying God's law. God's law teaches us the principles of
righteousness. The Bible tells us that all Your commandments are righteousness" (Psalm
119:172).

That law Christ, by His example, taught us how to obey. We see the righteousness of the
law in His life. We hunger and thirst after righteousness when we want to have all our thoughts,
our words, and our actions like those of Christ.

And we may be like Christ if we really desire to be. We may have our lives like His life,
our actions in harmony with God's law. The Holy Spirit will bring God's love into our hearts so
that we shall do His will with delight.

God is more willing to give us His Spirit than parents are to give good things to their
children. His promise is: "Ask, and it will be given to you" (Luke 11:9; Matthew 7:7). All those
who hunger and thirst after righteousness "shall be filled" (Matthew 5:6).

"Blessed are the merciful (Matthew 5:7). To be merciful is to treat others better than they
deserve. That is the way God does with us. He delights to show mercy. God is kind even to
unthankful and evil persons.

So He teaches us to treat one another the same way that He does. He says, "Be kind to
one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you"
(Ephesians 4:32).

"Blessed are the pure in heart" (Matthew 5:8). God cares more for what we really are than
for what we claim to be. He wants our hearts to be pure. Then all our words and actions will be
right.

King David prayed, "Create in me a clean heart, O God' (Psalm 51:10). "Let the words of
my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and
my Redeemer" (Psalm 19:14). This should be our prayer.

"Blessed are the peacemakers" (Matthew 5:9). He who has the meek and lowly spirit of
Christ will be a peacemaker. Such a spirit does not start quarrels or respond in anger. It makes
the home happy and brings a sweet peace that blesses all around.
 "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake" (Matthew 5:10). Christ
knew that for His sake many of His disciples would be put in prison and many would be killed.
But He told them not to get upset because of this.

Nothing can harm those who love and follow Christ. He will be with them no matter
where they are. They may be put to death, but He will give them a life that will never end.

And from them others will learn about the Savior. Christ said to His disciples: "You are
the light of the world (Matthew 5:14). Jesus would return to His heavenly home. But the
disciples were to teach the people of His love. They were to be as lights among the human race.

The lamp in the lighthouse, shining out in the darkness, guides the ship safely to the
harbor. In the same way, Christs followers are to shine in this dark world, to guide others to
Christ and the heavenly home. This is what all the followers of Christ are to do. He calls them to
work with Him in saving others.

Love: THE FOUNDATION

OF THE LAW

Such lessons were strange and new to Christ's hearers. He had to repeat them many times.

Once a religious leader came to Him with this question: "Teacher, what shall I do to
inherit eternal life?" (Luke 10:25).

Jesus "said to him, 'What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?'

"So he answered and said, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all
your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and 'your neighbor as yourself."

"And He said to him, You have answered And rightly: do this and you will live'" (verses
26-28).

But the religious leader had not done this. He knew that he had not loved others as
himself. Instead of repenting, he tried to find an excuse for his selfishness. So he asked Jesus,
"Who is my neighbor?" (verse 29).

The priests and rabbis often argued about this question. They did not consider the poor
and uneducated as their neighbors and would show them no kindness.

Christ took no part in their disputes, but He did answer the question by a story about
something that had happened a short time before.
 A certain man, He said, traveled from Jerusalem to Jericho. The road was steep and rocky
and passed through a wild, lonely region. Robbers attacked the man and stripped him of all that
he had. After beating him up, they left him for dead.

As he lay there, a priest and then a Levite from the Temple in Jerusalem went by. But
instead of helping the poor man, they walked around him.

God had chosen these men to serve in His Temple. They ought to have been like Him,
full of mercy and kindness. But their hearts were cold and unfeeling.

After a while a Samaritan came by. The Jews hated and despised the Samaritans. They
would not give them so much as a drink of water or a bite of bread. But the Samaritan did not
stop to think of this. He did not even stop to think about the robbers who might be waiting for
him.

There lay the stranger, bleeding and ready to die. The Samaritan took off his own cloak
and wrapped it about the man.

He gave the robbery victim his own wine to drink and poured olive oil on his wounds.
Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn, and took care of him all night.

The next morning before going on his way, he paid the innkeeper to care for the injured
man till he should be strong again. After Jesus told the story, He turned to the religious leader.

"So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?"
(verse 36).

The leader answered, "He who showed mercy on him" (verse 37).

Then Jesus said, "Go and do likewise" (verse 37). So Jesus taught that every person who
needs our help is our neighbor. We are to treat them just as we ourselves would like to be treated.

The priest and the Levite pretended to keep God's commandments, but it was the
Samaritan who really obeyed them. His heart was kind and loving.

By taking care of the wounded stranger, he was showing love to God as well as to his
fellow human beings. It pleases God to have us do good to one another. We show our love for
Him by being kind to those around us.

A kind, loving heart is worth more than all the riches in the world. Those who live to do
good show that they are God's children. They are the ones who will dwell with Christ in His
kingdom.