#193561 - 10/17/08 03:16 AM
31 The Sermon on the Mount
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Registered: 03/03/05
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Loc: Northern California
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On the Mountainside After the dedication of the Twelve, Yeh-shuah took them down to the seashore where a crowd was already beginning to assemble. Since there wasn’t enough room between the rocky cliffs and the sea for everyone to be within hearing distance, he led the way back up the mountainside. When they reached a suitable place, Yeh-shuah sat down with his disciples surrounding him, then the crowds of people beyond. Everyone felt that something unusual was about to take place. They were all hoping for an announcement concerning the soon-to-be-established kingdom. Yeh-shuah knew their false hopes and delusions of future grandeur, but patiently worked to undo their misconceptions. Without criticism, he taught the conditions for entrance into the true Kingdom, saying, Blessed are the humble who know their need of Elo-heem, for the Kingdom of the Stars will be theirs.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the gentle of spirit, for the earth will be theirs.
Blessed are those who long for right to prevail, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are those who show mercy, for mercy will be shown to them.
Blessed are those who seek peace, for they shall be called the Sons of Elo-heem.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for being righteous, for the Kingdom of the Stars will be theirs.
Blessed are those who are insulted and persecuted and slandered because of me. Accept it with dignity and be glad, for your reward will be great in Elo-heem’s Land. The prophets of old were treated the same way.
You are the seasoning of the world, but if the seasoning loses its taste, it becomes worthless and will be thrown away. You are Light to the world. Live so that men will praise the Father above.
I haven’t come to abolish the teaching of Mosheh and the Prophets, but to finish them. The Law will stand until its purpose is accomplished, even if earth and sky are destroyed.
Men of old were told, ‘Do not kill,’ but whoever is angry with someone or treats them with contempt will be brought to judgment. It was also said, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ but if a man even looks with lust at a woman, he has committed adultery in his mind. If a man divorces a woman, except for infidelity, he causes her to commit adultery besides the man she marries afterwards.
In the old days it was said, ‘Eye for eye, tooth for tooth,’ but I say, don’t resist the man who wrongs you. Turn the other cheek, and if he sues for your shirt, give him your coat, too. Go the extra mile, give when asked, and lend if someone wants to borrow.
Love your enemies and pray for your persecutors. If you love only those who love you, can you expect a reward? If you greet only your friends, is that anything outstanding? Your goodness must be unlimited, even as your Father’s goodness is unlimited.
Don’t be like the hypocrites who show off their religion, like announcing their gifts to the poor with a trumpet fanfare or praying loudly on the street corners so they can be noticed. Give to the poor in secret, and pray in secret.
This is how to pray:
Our Father in Heaven,
Holy is your name.
May your Kingdom come
And your will be done on Earth,
Like it is in the Kingdom of the Stars.
Give us the bread we need for today,
And forgive our wrongs as we forgive those who wrong us.
Protect us from temptation and save us from the Evil One. Amen.
If you forgive others for their wrongs, your Father will forgive you also. If you don’t, then your wrongs will not be forgiven. When you fast, don’t make a big production out of it like the hypocrites do. Let it be a secret between you and the Father.
Don’t pile up wealth on Earth where it can be ruined or stolen, but rather make for yourselves treasure in Elo-heem’s Kingdom where it won’t be ruined or stolen. Your heart is where your treasures are. Don’t worry about food or drink or clothes. Let the unbelievers go after them. Life is more important than these. Keep your thoughts on Elo-heem’s Kingdom and all your needs will be taken care of.
Don’t criticize people and you won’t be criticized. You will be judged by the way you judge others. Treat others like you want to be treated, for this is the basis of the Law.
Why do you fuss about the minor faults in others when you can’t see your own major faults. Do something about your own faults before you attempt to correct the faults of others.
If you ask, you will receive, if you seek, you will find, if you knock, the door will be opened. Elo-heem will give good things to those who ask.
Don’t take the wide road that leads to destruction. Many are going that way, but take instead the narrow road that leads to life, for the few that find it will live forever. Watch for false prophets who look innocent enough, but are really savage wolves. Their actions will reveal their true nature.
Not everyone who speaks my name will enter the Kingdom, only those who do what my Father asks. Those who hear and follow my instructions are like the man who built a house on a solid foundation. Those who hear and do not follow my instructions are like the foolish man who built a house on the sand. When the rain and the winds and the floods came, the house built on solid rock stood firm, while the house built on sand fell with a great crash.
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#195373 - 10/24/08 03:08 AM
Re: 31 The Sermon on the Mount
[Re: Aliensanctuary]
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Registered: 03/03/05
Posts: 504
Loc: Northern California
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On this day, Jesus presented his Lessons of Truth where he could reach the darkened understanding of the crowds surrounding him and his disciples. It was his work to reach the multitudes who were in ignorance and error. Christ rarely gathered his disciples to speak to them alone. He did not choose for his audience only those who knew the Way of Life. Even though the crowds pressed in on them, the disciples remained close beside Jesus, determined not to miss a single word of his instructions. The air was charged with anticipation. Was this the day he would make an announcement about the soon-to-be established Kingdom? Everyone's hearts were filled with thoughts of future glory and riches. The religious and political leaders hoped to drive the hated Romans from their land and possess the riches and splendor of the world. Only then could Israel catapult to rulership of the whole world with Jerusalem as its capitol. The poor peasants and fishermen hoped to exchange their shacks for mansions of plenty and a life of ease, including closets full of expensive clothes and cupboards full of delicious food. Christ disappointed the hope of worldly greatness. In the Sermon on the Mount he sought to undo the work that had been wrought by False Education. To do this, though, he did not directly attack their misconceptions of his Kingdom. Instead, he taught them of something infinitely better than they had known. When presenting to them the conditions of entrance into the Kingdom of the Stars, he left them to draw their own conclusions about its nature. We, too, may be infected with misconception and error. We, too, must learn the foundation principles of the Kingdom of God.
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#198871 - 11/07/08 03:27 AM
Re: 31 The Sermon on the Mount
[Re: Aliensanctuary]
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Registered: 03/03/05
Posts: 504
Loc: Northern California
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Happy are they who recognize their spiritual poverty, and feel their need of redemption. The Good News is to be shared with the poor, the humble, and the contrite. To the proud and arrogant nothing is revealed, because they already know it all. They are rich and need nothing they don't already have. Only one fountain, the only cure for sin, has been opened, and only the poor in spirit are allowed to drink from it. The LORD can do nothing for man until he is stripped of his self-sufficiency and self-importance and yields himself to the control of God. From the soul that feels his need, nothing is withheld. This soul has unrestricted access to the One who rules the Kingdom of the Stars. It's not a 2-way communication like we think, but we can learn and we can grow ever closer to our Rescuer. Happy will be those who mourn over the effects of evil, in the next life they will be comforted. Mourning alone for sin has no power to remove our guilt. Walking and wailing up and down the streets wearing rags and ashes, tears streaming down our cheeks, will not bring us closer to the Kingdom of God. Every time we break the Law of God, we stab Jesus. The more we sin, the more we hack away. True mourning is when we mourn for the sins that have brought anguish to our Rescuer. Only this will lead us to the renunciation of sin and evil practices. What is sin? Sin is anything that harms others, or ourselves. In the next life, those who are chosen will refuse to harm anyone, including themselves. They will be docile, like sheep, performing their tasks willingly, not looking over at their neighbor to see if he is slacking. They won't want their neighbor's stuff or their job. Sorrow for our sins demonstrates that the Messengers of God are restoring the graces lost through our hardness of heart and our transgressions. The tears of the penitent are only the raindrops that precede the sunshine of holiness. The aftermath of this sorrow for sin is a living fountain of joy. For those who mourn in trial and sorrow there is comfort. Grief and humiliation are better than indulging ourselves in sin. It is through affliction that God reveals the cancerous spots in our characters. Only by his power can we get rid of the cancer and overcome our faults. When we are tested and fail, we should not fret or complain, rebel, or worry ourselves away from Christ. This is just another opportunity to humble ourselves before God. We may pray that we could just die and get it over with, but there is still a great work for us to do. The LORD will not leave us to perish in discouragement, but will open the way for us to ascend to his Throne high above the Earth.
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#199697 - 11/10/08 07:32 PM
Re: 31 The Sermon on the Mount
[Re: Aliensanctuary]
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Registered: 03/03/05
Posts: 504
Loc: Northern California
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Blessed are the meek, for the earth will be theirs. If we possess the humility of our Master, we shall rise above the slights, the rebuffs, the annoyances, to which we are daily exposed, and they will cease to cast a gloom over the spirit. The highest evidence of nobility in a Christian is self-control. If we fail to maintain a calm and trustful spirit, even when subjected to insult, abuse, or cruelty, we rob God of his right to reveal his perfect character in our lives. It's the absence of pride that gives victory to the followers of Christ. It demonstrates their connection to the Kingdom of God. We can grab the microphones or stand in front of TV cameras and prove we are wonderful Christians and know many things, but there will be no place in the Kingdom for us if we think highly of ourselves and lowly of others. The biggest talkers are quite often the biggest liars. Those who reveal the meek and lowly spirit of Christ are tenderly regarded by God. The world may scorn the quiet, gentle, non-aggressive followers of Christ, but these are the very ones he wishes to populate the New Earth with. Those who demand their rights or fair share of stuff, who are disagreeable and unpleasant to others, will not find a place in the Kingdom of the Stars. The wise, the great, the generous, and the busy will be given their passport to the Kingdom of God, but they will be outnumbered by the poor in spirit and the meek, those whose highest ambition is to quietly do God's will. If we think we're better than the lowlifers, hillbillies, rednecks, or the ignorant, the immigrants, or members of other religions or cultures, we can't really expect to get our passport to the Kingdom of the Stars. Once there, we wouldn't be happy working with those we couldn't trust or respect. No fear about that, though. Without humility, we won't be allowed a job in the next life because we would only create discord and ruin the peace of others by our unjustified arrogance.
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#200243 - 11/14/08 03:23 AM
Re: 31 The Sermon on the Mount
[Re: Aliensanctuary]
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Registered: 03/03/05
Posts: 504
Loc: Northern California
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People who are hungry and thirsty for what is right are happy, because, they will be filled.The sense of unworthiness will lead the heart to hunger and thirst for righteousness, and this desire will not be disappointed. Whoever makes room in their heart will experience his love. Whoever longs to have his character will be satisfied. The Spirit of God will never ignore anyone who is tuned in and listening. For those who never stop looking at Christ, the Spirit will never quit until their souls are conformed to his image. The pure element of love will expand the soul, giving it a capacity for higher attainments, for increased knowledge of heavenly things... Love for God, Christ, others, then ourselves will open the door to what lies ahead in the next life. In this life, we will amaze ourselves at what we can do if we deeply care about others, even those who are evil and/or repulsive. We can then focus on important things, decreasing the self-centered trivia cluttering our thinking that robs us of noble thoughts and actions.
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#201228 - 11/20/08 10:30 PM
Re: 31 The Sermon on the Mount
[Re: Aliensanctuary]
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Registered: 03/03/05
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Loc: Northern California
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God blesses those who work for peace,
for they will be called the children of God.The Peace of Christ is born of truth. It's being in harmony with God. God-Haters hate their Maker. They hate his Code of Ethics and the restrictions his laws might impose on their lifestyles. They love the military wars that result in destruction and death, pain and suffering. They love the personal wars that create wounded spirits and discord. If they can verbally demolish their adversaries, all the better, so they can gloat in triumph. Men cannot manufacture peace. Human plans cannot create peace because they fail to reach the heart. The only power that can create or perpetuate true peace is the grace of Christ. When the grace of Christ is implanted in the heart, it will cast out the evil passions that cause strife and dissension. Brainwashed by their church leaders, the people thought that happiness consisted in possessions, fame, and honor. The church leaders liked to be addressed by their titles, and, by having their great knowledge and wisdom and abilities paraded before their admiring subjects. This was the ultimate in human happiness. Before the great crowd surrounding him, Jesus taught that earthly gain and honor were all the reward such persons would ever receive. Most of us like to be treated with respect and dignity. If we choose to follow in the footsteps of Jesus by being teachers of the Way to Life, we may not experience the honor and respect we wish. The God Haters will be sure to make us look stupid or prove we are hypocrites like all the other Christians. Then we must swallow our pride and let anger, insults, and slights blow by us as we step aside to let these arrows pass by us harmlessly.
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#202039 - 11/26/08 03:55 AM
Re: 31 The Sermon on the Mount
[Re: Aliensanctuary]
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Registered: 03/03/05
Posts: 504
Loc: Northern California
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The people who have been persecuted because they were doing right will be happy, because the kingdom of heaven will belong to them.The world loves sin and hates righteousness, and this was the cause of its hostility towards Jesus. Whoever rejects the Infinite Love of God will find Christianity a disturbing and unwelcome element. If, somehow, the darkness is swept aside, we can awaken to our need of reform. Those who engage in the subsequent war, the war against Self, are yielding to the force of the Holy Spirit. Those who refuse to let go of their evil thoughts and practices ultimately wage war against the Truth and its representatives. and the world brands Christians as trouble makers. Not so much in lands where there is religious tolerance, but moreso in socities where only one religion, or none, is permitted. Fellowship with God brings on the world's enmity. Victims of persecution are walking down the same path that Christ walked, and the path his noble followers traveled, also. Each fiery trial is God's agent for their refining. There is nothing quite like a little persecution to help us define our beliefs and establish our level of committment. If practicing our religion results in verbal or physical attacks, if it's a matter of life or death, and we remain faithful to our beliefs, we are indeed colaborers with Christ. Each conflict has its place in the great battle for righteousness and will add to the joy of their final triumph. We must cheerfully accept the tests of our faith and patience rather than dread or avoid them. These are learning experiences we can use to avoid our previous mistakes. Fixing their desire upon the approval of God, his servants are to fulfill every duty, irrespective of the fear or the favor of men. We are the salt of the world, Jesus said. Don't withdraw from the world to avoid persecution. We must live among men so that our salty flavor of holy love will act as a preservative. This will act as a preservative against the corruption of the world. One must taste this salt, not just observe it, maybe from a distance. Once we taste this salt, we don't want to return to the tastelessness of the world. Hearts that respond to the influence of the Holy Spirit are the channels through which God's blessing flows. If those who serve God were suddenly removed from the Earth, if the Holy Spirit were silenced, the world would be left to desolation and destruction. The wicked don't know it, but they owe the blessing of this life to the very people they despise and oppress. If Christians do not travel the Road of Christ, they take the name, but they have lost their salty flavor. Through their misrepresentation of God they are worse than unbleievers. They can have no influence for good in the world.
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#202798 - 12/03/08 02:57 AM
Re: 31 The Sermon on the Mount
[Re: Aliensanctuary]
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Registered: 03/03/05
Posts: 504
Loc: Northern California
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You are the Light of the World.Because of their self-centered pride, the Yeh-oo-dee (Jews) wanted to limit the benefits of their special status with God to their own nation. Christ showed them that salvation is like the sunshine. It belongs to the whole world. The religion of the Bible should not be confined to books or churches. It isn't to be put on a shelf and taken down when needed. The religion of Christ is designed to transform our thinking and is to be displayed in every business transaction and in all of our social relationships. True character is not shaped from without, and put on; it radiates from within. If we wish to direct others down the path of obedience to God, then we must be obedient to God. We can stand in front of microphones and publicly proclaim the theory of religion with many grand and wonderful words, but it's what we do in our daily life that broadcasts the Word of Truth. The consistent life, the holy conversation, the unswerving integrity, the active, benevolent spirit, the godly example, these are the mediums through which Light is conveyed to the world. Jesus spent little time on the nuts-and-bolts specifications of the Law, but he made it clear that we must not ignore the requirements of this Code of Ethics for the Kingdom of the Stars. Like a wall, the traditional requirements and false interpretations of the Jewish laws hemmed themselves in, making them unable to accept reality outside of the box of their own creation. The religious leaders prided themselves on their obedience to the Law of God, but they knew so little of its principles. To them the Savior's words sounded like heresy. As he swept away the rubbish under which the truth had been buried, they thought he was sweeping away the truth itself. Thinking that their man-made interpretations were equal to the Law, they thought he was devaluing the Law itself. It was only their man-made laws that he taught were of no importance to the Kingdom of the Stars. The Code of Ethics of the Kingdom of the Stars stands forever. Its purpose is to teach us how to conduct ourselves so that we can join this Kingdom as worthy citizens. What is this Code of Ethics? We can express it in a nutshell: Love, honor, and obey God at all times, under all circumstances.
Do no harm to others, or yourself.
Practice Self-Sacrifice for the good of others. If we deliberately violate this Code of Ethics, it's a demonstration of our unwillingness to love and obey the LORD, our Master. Observing this basic Code of Ethics protects us from the natural, harmful, unhappy results of disobedience. The law is an expression of the thought of God; when received in Christ, it becomes our thought. When we receive Christ into our life, the Law of God changes our thinking patterns, lifting us above our natural desires and tendencies, above the temptations that lead us into transgression. God wants us to be happy. We can have joy only in observing the basic precepts of God's Law. We can lose that joy if we get sidetracked in endless arguments over details or try to coerce others into believing our interpretation of the details.
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#203055 - 12/05/08 03:14 AM
Re: 31 The Sermon on the Mount
[Re: Aliensanctuary]
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Registered: 03/03/05
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Loc: Northern California
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When God broadcast his law from Mt. Sinai, he made it plain to the people of Israel how to conduct themselves on Earth in their relationships with God, and with men. Now they could see firsthand the contrast between their behavior and the requirements needed to become worthy servants of the LORD. The Law of God was given to convict them of their transgressions and point out their need to be rescued from the mess they were in. The Law is still an agent in bringing us to Christ. The Law is changeless and eternal. It defines our obligation to God, to others, and ourselves. Those who join his Kingdom will always love, honor, and obey God, they will not harm anyone, including themselves, and they will practice self-sacrifice for others. These are the basic rules that will enable humans to get along with each other, and protect themselves from each other, forever. If we can't get along with people on Earth due to our selfishness and egotism, there's not much chance that we would get along with our fellow servants in the next life. Part of Jesus' mission was to prove that men could indeed keep the Law, just as he did. If we lay down, roll over, and embrace the evils of this world, evil will eat away at us like a cancer. If we exert little effort to fight the disease, we will have little hope of ending up on the right side. If we disobey the Commandments of God, and teach others to do so, we are condemned by Christ. All who break God's commandments are sustaining Satan's claim that the law is unjust, and cannot be obeyed. Those who do this are children of the Wicked One, even though they may be respectable church members. To admit them into heaven would again bring in the elements of discord and rebellion and imperil the well being of the universe. No man who willfully disregards one principle of the law shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The 10 Commandments are not impossible for us to keep. If we are too weak or too lazy to follow God's rule here on Earth, we are disqualifying ourselves from a future life where everyone will happily observe the basic principles of these 10 Simple Rules.
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#203433 - 12/06/08 08:18 PM
Re: 31 The Sermon on the Mount
[Re: Aliensanctuary]
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Registered: 03/03/05
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Loc: Northern California
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Back to the Teachers of Man-Made Religious Rules. The Rabbis counted their righteousness a passport to heaven... Their "righteousness" consisted of external ceremonies and a theoretical knowledge of the truth. This, Jesus, declared, was not enough to qualify anyone to receive their passport to the Kingdom of God. By focusing on their own efforts, these religious teachers and rulers created a disconnect: Law without Love. Their lives were filled with blatant hypocrisy, yet they inspected everyone's fruit for even minor imperfections, determined by their own fruit-inspecting rules. Their own fruit, if they even had any, was moldy, rotten, and filled with maggots. This was the fruit they tried to sell to the people, a deformed and polluted representation of the real thing. The greatest deception of the human mind in Christ's day was that a mere assent to the truth constitutes righteousness. Theoretical knowledge of the truth does not bring forth the fruits of righteousness. Theoretical knowledge cannot alone save the soul from fiery destruction. When one jealously regards their own version of truth and its rules, they often possess a hatred of genuine truth. The darkest chapters of history are burdened with the record of crimes committed by bigoted religionists. Even though the Religious Leaders were descendents of Abraham and possessed the Word of God, this did not keep them from selfishness, malice, greed, and barefaced hypocrisy. They, of course, thought of themselves as the Greatest Show on Earth, but they ended up murdering the Son of God. The same danger still exists. We may think we are Christians because we believe a certain theology and attend a certain church. If we have not brought the truth into practical life, we do not really believe it or love it. Without that, we cannot receive the power and grace that comes through our wholehearted dedication to the truth. Men may profess faith in the truth; but if it does not make them sincere, kind, patient, forbearing, heavenly-minded, it is a curse to its possessors, and through their influence it is a curse to the world. How many have been turned away from the Love of God by misguided Christians lacking the humility and grace they should possess? That's why pimps and prostitutes and boozers and other "sinners" may very well be closer to the Kingdom than some who already think they are honored members. We are all contaminated and anesthetized by transgression. Sinful men can become righteous only as they have faith in God and maintain a vital connection with him. The righteousness which Christ taught is conformity of heart and life to the revealed will of God. True Godliness will elevate our thoughts and make us more noble persons. Only then can our external practice of religion harmonize with internal purity. Only then will the ceremonies, required in the service of God in his Temple, be filled with meaning.
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