Out of the Control Room

 

In the book of Daniel there is a scene that portrays God in the throne room in heaven.

 

Daniel Chapter Seven Verses Nine through Fourteen.

 

The Ancient of Days Reigns

 

9“I kept looking

Until thrones were set up,

And the Ancient of Days (God) took His seat;

His garment was white as snow

And the hair of His head like pure wool.

His throne was flames of fire;

Its wheels were a burning fire.

10“A river of fire was flowing

And coming out from before Him;

A thousand thousands were attending Him,

And ten thousand times ten thousand were standing before Him;

The court was seated,

And the books were opened. 11Then I kept looking because of the sound of the great and boastful words which the horn was speaking. I kept looking until the beast was slain, and its body destroyed and given to be burned with fire. 12As for the rest of the beasts, their power was taken away; yet their lives were prolonged [for the length of their lives was fixed] for a predetermined time.

The Son of Man Presented

13“I kept looking in the night visions,

And behold, [c]on the clouds of heaven

One like a Son of Man was coming,

And He came up to the Ancient of Days

And was presented before Him.

14“And to Him (the Messiah) was given dominion (supreme authority),

Glory and a kingdom,

That all the peoples, nations, and speakers of every language

Should serve and worship Him.

His dominion is an everlasting dominion

Which will not pass away;

And His kingdom is one

Which will not be destroyed.

From <https://biblehub.com/amp/daniel/7.htm>

 

This scene is very similar to the scene in the book of Revelation Chapter One Verses Seven through Sixteen. There is a statement in the Revelation verses that Jesus will come on the clouds and all will see Him come and the description of the Father, the Ancient of Days, in Daniel Seven is almost identical to the description of the Messiah in Revelation One. Hence as Jesus said "When you see me you see the Father."

 

However, what I wanted to say today is how when we see Christ Jesus in Heaven. We see Him in a position of power and glory. Whereas, when we see him during the time of His ministry on Earth. He is very definitely out of the control room. He is a simple human being without the trappings of divinity.

His mission was to live a sinless life and to become a divine sacrifice for the sins of human kind. Yes, he had all of the resources of Heaven an instant away but to achieve the mission he could never call on them. His was to be a life of love in the power of the Holy Spirit. A life of humility and poverty. Not for Jesus the comforts of an Earthly kingdom. No, nary a place to lay His poor head.

 

As mere mortals, we can barely understand the heavenly realm. I wonder if being human it was the same for our beloved Lord and Savior. That His vision though much greater than ours was also as limited as our view is in many ways. Did he miss the heavenly control room? Where His divine abilities could change in seconds what would take months of human endeavor on Earth.

 

Imagine the scope of His mission as the resurrected Lord in Heaven now. I know, we have no idea what God and His angels are capable of and what His missions could encompass. 

 

Think Isaiah chapter 55 Verse Six through Seven.

8“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD.

 9“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

So are My ways higher than your ways

And My thoughts higher than your thoughts.

 

 From <https://biblehub.com/amp/isaiah/55.htm>

 

I guess the question that I am asking is this. How hard it must have been for Christ Jesus to go through a human life alone. To resist temptation. To deal with the fleshly needs of a human body. How strong our King, that he walked our road and paid the price of our debt of sin. How bold our Lord that he took our scourging, and on our Cross, He shed His sinless blood. And yet out of the Control Room of Heaven, all on His own. He lived a sinless human life and paid our price for admittance into Eternal Life.

Walking With Jesus: Matthew Chapter Five Verses One to Eleven

 

The Beatitudes

And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then 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 filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain 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.

Well! I am no theologian and not really a bible commentator either. The closest qualification that I hold to a theological degree is my Bachelor of Teaching and Learning. So my five cents worth on the Beatitudes is probably going to be worthless. However, when has that ever stopped me?

Five decades ago when I attended Southwell School in Hamilton. The Principal, Canon Sergal, preached on the Beatitudes a number of times and referred to them often in other sermons that he preached.

Mr Sergal, was a really knowledgable man. During World War One he had been a young military Chaplain attached to the British armed forces. If I understand what he related to us correctly, he had accompanied the contingent that fought to liberate Palestine from the Turks. He told us many wonderful stories about the Holy Land during the many sermons he gave to us on Sundays and during the short daily services on week days. He had a way of making words come to life.

So it was with the Beatitudes. It seemed when he told it, that we were there listening to Jesus amongst the crowds as he shared these profound truths that tell us so much about about the heart of God and the true purposes of men who walk in the paths of righteousness.

So let us begin to look at the Beatitudes and see if we can’t break open at least a few of the Truths that they contain. Firstly then:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

In the common vernacular this means “Blessed are those who realise how broken, lost and far from God the are and how great a need they have for the Spirit of God to fill them to all of the fullness of God.” We have nothing to bring to this party and we need everything that God in His Grace can give us. We believe on Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son, for eternal life. We are baptised in His name for the forgiveness of sins and to receive the Holy Spirit. Jesus justifies us and the Holy Spirit sanctifies us. We have nothing to contribute but ourselves. In the end He will perfect us and we will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.

When you are young you may not really understand this beatitude. As you grow older and lose people, friends even animal friends. You begin to know what is is to mourn the loss of those who have gone before. You grieve for the mistakes you have made during your life. Personally I have cried out to God for forgiveness for the tragedy and wreckage that I have enacted on others in my arrogance and ignorance.

Only God can comfort us in these times and He does comfort us. Carrying us through the worst of times. Helping us to find a new day and to see the shining Sun once more. He will get us through and in the end He will present us, to Himself, triumphant over sin and death in the life to come.

Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.

The meek are gentle and humble in Spirit. They are those who put the well being of others before themselves. The Good Samaritan of Luke 24:33 is an example of a meek person. He was a perfectly normal man in every way. However, when he came across a man in desperate need he gave of his time, his efforts and his resources to see the man cared for and restored to health and well being.

You might say who are the meek in our time. They are people like me and you. People who love the Lord and who devote their lives and wealth to helping those around them. The meek are not the weak they are those who love the Lord and work His righteousness. Be a doer of the Word and you will inherit the Earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.

Those who earnestly desire to do the will of God. Those who are continually obedient to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. They are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. They shall be filled because God knows how valuable they are to society.

The impact of their morality quenches the enemies plan for evil and wickedness. When there are many who seek the righteousness of God with all of their hearts then society is in good shape. They are like a tonic to hearts of those who who do not know God. Even the unbelievers know that God’s righteous moral code is to the benefit of everyone when there are many who love God and hunger for His righteousness.

In our time we need the Church to hunger and thirst for the righteousness of God. If this happened it could well reverse the descent of the World into the darkness and wickedness that we are witnessing day by day. We need to make righteousness our daily prayer.

Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.

As God is merciful to us so we need to show mercy to others. Remember the story Jesus told of the servant who owed much to his employer the King. The servant begged forgiveness of his debts. The King reneged and pardoned servant.

Later the servant came across a person who owed him a debt and had that person thrown in jail without thought of the debt which had been forgiven him. The King called the first servant in and railed against him for not forgiving the other servant when the King had shown mercy to Him. The King had him thrown in jail until all he owed was paid (Matthew 18:32).

We as believers are forgiven much and it behoves us that in turn forgive much. Mercy we receive through God’s grace in Christ Jesus and mercy we are required to show to those around us. The fruit of the Spirit is Love, Joy and Peace and if the love of God is being evidenced by the believer then you will see mercy at the forefront of the Christian walk. Thus as they receive mercy they obtain mercy which they can dispense to others.

Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.

Call it holiness or sanctification, purity in heart is to be without sin. To be completely repentant. To know the fullness of the indwelling of the Holy Spirt and the person of God in your life you must allow God in His grace and Holy Spirit to cleanse you of all unrighteousness.

I John 1:9 says “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” The work of the Holy Spirit is to lead us to a sanctified state where we sin no more. In that state we shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.

As with mercy, peacemaking is an expectation for those who would enter the Kingdom of God. We need to calm things down not stir things up. We need to help those around us to find a resolution. We need to intervene with the wisdom of God. We need to pray and seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

If we cannot help people to make peace then we need to withdraw ourselves from the situation. It has long been my personal concern to seek to stay away rather than interfere. If your assistance would be destructive to the cause of God then it is better to separate yourself from the cause. My opinion for what it is worth.

When considering whether to place your input into a certain circumstance. Remember, that the peacemaker will be blessed and shall be called a son of God. The inverse is that the warmonger will be cursed. Be merciful, be a Peacemaker and be called a son of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Just as the peacemaker is a son of God. So, those who make a stand for the righteousness of God will be persecuted for the stand that they take. In this society which is growing daily ever darker, those who stand in the light become more obvious by the day.

If you preach the gospel or speak to the immorality of this age then you will garner the attention of the world. If you are genuinely of Christ Jesus, then that attention will draw persecution. In this environment, anything that brings the righteousness of God to bare on the hearts of the wicked will burn them to the quick like lava. They will retaliate but that persecution will make the Kingdom of God yours.

The Beatitudes are a guideline for effective Christian living. There is much more to them than there appears to be at first reading. They go to the heart of the teachings of Jesus’ apostles and provide the basis for most New Testament teaching. If you ask the Holy Spirit to apply them to your heart. You will become much more closely aligned to the will and nature of Yahweh Elohim.

Walking with Jesus: Matthew Chapter Four Verses Twelve To Twenty Three

 

 Matthew Chapter 4 verses 12 -23

Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.”

From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.

So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them. And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan. ESV

When Jesus heard that John had been arrested he drew back into Galilee away from Judea. This was the wisest course of action distancing himself from the rulers and Chief Priests as He began His ministry.

Matthew draws a connection to a prophecy from the book of Isaiah chapter nine mentioning that the people of Zebulun and Naphtali by the Sea of Galilee have seen a great light. Jesus now lives in Capernaum where it is said in the prophecy that light had dawned on those dwelling in the region of the Shadow of Death – the way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles.

Jesus began to preach a gospel of repentance as John the Baptist had done. This was controversial because the Pharisees and rulers of Israel had made a litany of laws and sub-laws by which they lived and also enforced upon the people. This did not involve true repentance of sin and humility before Yahweh. In fact, the rulers were extremely proud and were unaware of their arrogance at heart before God.

Jesus began to call those who would become His disciples and eventually His apostles. First, He called Simon and Andrew as he passed them by while they were fishing and casting their nets. He said to them ‘Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” They immediately ceased their work and followed Him.

Next, He passed by James and John as they were fishing in their father Zebedee’s boat. They also ceased their work and began to follow Jesus. He then went throughout Galilee teaching in the Synagogues and proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom. A gospel of repentance from sin in order to receive forgiveness, restoration and peace in Christ Jesus the only begotten Son of God.

Jesus preached and taught a gospel of repentance and also healed as many as were brought to Him. Crowds gathered where ever He was and they brought the sick to him from all over the region and from as far away as Syria across the Jordan to be healed. Thus His ministry was rapidly established and at this point he remained distant from the Chief Priests and rulers of Israel, safely ensconced in Galilee.