Many brothers and sisters have been unwell in the last two weeks, how do you feel coming to church this week? (How wonderful it is to come together to worship God in the house of the Lord). When our bodies are weak and when the church is facing challenges, we pray more and cry out more urgently for God’s mercy and grace. During this period of time, I have also had some thoughts on how to get close to God and how to worship Him. So, today I am sharing with you ” Draw near to the throne of grace ” from the book of Hebrews.

When we say, ” Draw near to the throne of grace “, I wonder what kind of scene comes to your mind. Whether it is worship with hymns, or personal prayer, for many of us coming into the presence of God is what that is about. But when we stop for a second to think about it, these scenes were unimaginable to the Israelites of biblical times. Let’s take our minds off the influence of our cultural and social environment for a moment and see what the Bible reveals to us about coming into God’s presence and being close to Him.

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

1，Why draw near to the throne of grace

First of all, we have to ask, why should we draw near to the throne of grace? Many people will be like “I don’t need to ask, who doesn’t want to receive grace? If there is a throne of grace, then of course I want to go there, wouldn’t I? Some people may say, “Why not go and receive a free gift? Many people believe in the Lord with the same initial intention.

I saw a video earlier that impressed me very much. In the midst of an epidemic, the government or charitable organisations would give out some relief food to those who were living in difficulty because of the epidemic. There was a long queue of people collecting the food, and everyone got a big packet, enough to feed them for a week. Then someone noticed that there was a lot of wasted food in the rubbish bin not far from the relief site. Quite a few people received the relief items, not because they were in hardship, but because they were eligible. Why not claim free food when it is available? Not only do they not give thanks when they receive it, but they pick and choose- which ones they like and which ones they dislike. If they don’t like it, they throw it away. Food that has not yet been opened is also thrown in the trash.

This is what we might call an abuse of grace. So, when we say we draw near to the throne of grace, everyone desires grace. But when we are not truly grateful and do not really understand what grace is, we are actually trampling on grace. We have to ask, what is my own mindset when I come to church to worship God.

Have you noticed? Hebrews says that when we draw near to the throne of grace, we draw near “with confidence”. Why does the writer encourage believers to come to the throne of God’s grace without fear and with confidence? This idea seems foreign to us.

Who comes to church today not “with confidence” and without fear? (Do we encourage each other to have confidence and be fearless before we come to church?) Of course, there are times when we are afraid to come to church because we are afraid of the epidemic. But apart from the epidemic, have we ever thought that we would be afraid to come to God?

There are few pastors today who are strictly rebuking and correcting people’s sins from the pulpit, so what is there to be afraid of? We have never thought about what we have to fear when we come to gather and worship God. Some people come to church thinking, “I’m so busy, it’s great to be able to come to church. Some even think, “God, I’ve come to church again, don’t you forget that I’ve come to visit you again. So why are people not afraid of God? In fact, it is because they do not know God. People are not afraid of God because they do not know their sins

Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!

In the Bible we see that when the prophet Isaiah saw the glory of God appear to him, what was his reaction? He said Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts! Isaiah was already a believer in God at that time, and he was often close to God, but when he actually saw the glory of God and saw the holy God appear to him, his first reaction was real fear.

An unclean man like me appears before such a holy, glorious God. Woe is me, for I am lost, he says.

We also see that Jesus performed a great miracle for the first time in the presence of Peter, who had fished all night and caught nothing. But hearing Jesus’ words to cast his net, he caught a net full of fish. At this time Peter’s first reaction was the same, Peter said, Lord! Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord. (Do we sing this when we worship?)

This is not a reaction we have when we come to the Lord, it is because we have not really faced and experienced this holy, glorious God. It’s not that we don’t know God, as Isaiah and Peter did, they both worshipped God before that. But we have not really faced and truly experienced the glory of God’s holiness, nor have we really realised our sin.

When we look back in history, we see that it is definitely not something that is taken for granted that sinners can come into the presence of God. On the contrary, it is a very unusual event. It is entirely by the grace of God that we can worship Him today. Why is this so? Because the natural response of sinners to God is to hide. When Adam and Eve sinned, what was their first response? To hide from God. When the Israelites came out of Egypt, God said I will make a covenant with you on Mount Sinai, telling the Israelites that they would cleanse themselves. When God came to Mount Sinai, there was thunder and the sound of trumpet and the Israelites were greatly afraid

a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest 19 and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. …21 Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.”

This was not the first time they had dealt with God. God sent ten plagues on Egypt and the Bible does not speak of how much the Israelites feared. God parted the Red Sea and the Bible does not say how much the Israelites feared. The Israelites had pillars of cloud and fire all along their journey, showing God’s presence, and they were not seen to be afraid. It was not until they realized that they would be confronted by a holy and glorious God who would come among them that a great fear arose.

A normal reaction of sinners when they face God is fear and trembling, because the guilt deep in man’s heart makes him afraid to face God, and deep in his heart he fears the righteous judgement of God. So it is not natural for sinners to come into the presence of God.

For example, when I am driving, I get nervous if there is a police car next to me. (I wonder if you feel the same way?) If a police car keeps following you, and you turn left and he turns left, and you turn right and he turns right, will you be afraid in your heart? Why? Because we know that he is the law-enforcer, so we worry that we cannot make any mistakes. Take a quick look to see if you are speeding. If you had just got your license and you accidentally exceeded the speed limit, and this police car was following you all the time, would you feel that way?

So, if we think about it, I am a sinner before God, like a driver who is constantly speeding. God is like a policeman who is following me and watching me 24 hours a day, and I am not stopping sinning in front of God’s eyes. Then don’t we come before Him in fear and trembling?

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

The writer of Hebrews prefaces this by speaking of the Israelites, who were rebellious and unbelieving and tempted God for 40 years before they fell dead in the wilderness. Then he added that the word of God is so penetrating that it pierces and cuts through bones, joints and marrow. All the thoughts of man are laid bare and open before the eyes of God. The reader wonders, what about me? How many of the thoughts and ideas of my heart can be displayed before the eyes of men? And how much of it do I dare to put before God? Can I stand when the deepest thoughts of my heart are fully displayed before God? So when we think about it, it is not easy for a sinner to come to God.

After this passage, the writer inspires the believers, saying “Draw near to the throne of God with confidence and without fear. It is entirely because of the grace of God, for it is God’s desire that sinners should be able to come to Him. After Adam and Eve sinned, they hid from God. It was God who came looking for them. God knew that they did not have the ability or the courage to come to Him and confess their sins.

So God would go and seek them out, saying, Adam, where are you? God also gave them a way to be able to come into God’s presence – God killed a beast and made clothes for them from its skin. This was the first time that Adam and Eve had ever seen blood, for at the beginning of creation the good world there was no killing, nor did men eat meat, nor did they ever see blood.

But such a wonderful life that God had made was killed by God’s own hand in the presence of Adam and Eve. It was to give sinners a way to come to God by the blood of a sacrifice, a substitute for the penalty and payment of man’s sin. In fact, the blood of the sacrifice is not sufficient to replace man’s sin, but here it points to the blood and sacrifice of Jesus Christ for us

2, How to draw near to the throne of grace

Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden, and although sinners could no longer live with a holy God, God wanted sinners to come to Him, and He prepared a way for sinners to be able to approach God, to be able to come into His presence, and to have fellowship with Him. In this way, from Noah to Abraham, men came to God through sacrifice. We know that the first thing Noah did when he came out of the ark was to offer a sacrifice.

When the Israelites had been slaves in Egypt for 400 years, Moses brought them out into the wilderness. 400 years in Egypt (about 20 generations), Israel had no life of worship and there were idols and false gods everywhere in Egypt. They had lost their environment of closeness to God, which is why when God actually appeared to them, they were greatly afraid and did not want Him to speak to them.

Not only that, but from a single person and family before, it has now become a nation of about 2 million people, basically the population of Brisbane. How could such a large number of people, and with no habit of worshipping God at all, be restored to the worship of God? So at the time of God’s covenant with them, God set up a system of priesthood.

God first set up the tabernacle as a dwelling place for God to be with Israel so that Israel could come into the presence of God. Let us consider the concept of coming into the presence of God. My children have asked me, “Isn’t God everywhere? What does it mean to come into God’s presence? (How do you answer that?) When the Israelites came out of Egypt, God was with them all the time, a pillar of cloud to guide them by day and a pillar of fire to give them light by night.

the Lord of heaven and earth does not live in temples made by man，

God is everywhere, so do we need to come into the presence of God? But God wants people to realize the circumstances under which sinners can face God, and when and in what way we can approach God. God helped Israel to understand what it meant to come into the presence of God by setting up a tabernacle where people could see. When people came here they realized that they were facing God, that they were worshipping and drawing near to Him. In fact the Lord of heaven and earth does not live in temples made by man, but God set up the tabernacle to teach man how to come into the presence of God.

God first gives us a tangible way to realize that we are coming to God. Some people say, “I just believe in God in my heart, I don’t need to go to church. Or, God doesn’t value formality, so I don’t have to follow Sunday worship. Others say, “Why do I have to close my eyes to pray and why do I have to say it?

Of course, God does not live inside this church building, but when we come to church, we realize that we are coming to God. Even though we have to please God in our daily lives, we are conscious of worshipping God when we worship on Sundays. When we close our eyes and speak out in prayer, we are helping ourselves to realize that we are coming into the presence of God.

How can a man draw near to the throne of God’s grace? God set up the tabernacle and had the priests come to God to offer sacrifices on behalf of the Israelites. What does the tabernacle and the priesthood teach us about how to come before God? Firstly, that God is holy and that it is not natural for sinners to come to God, nor is it possible for everyone to come to God. Because of God’s holiness and man’s sin, for the Israelites only the priests who were set apart were able to enter the tabernacle and had to first offer a sacrifice of atonement for their own sins.

We can come to God today with confidence and without fear because we are all priests, because the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from sin and sets us apart, so we are a set-apart group, and we come to God today as the priests of the Old Testament did. So not everyone who comes to church comes to God, because only the one who truly trusts in Christ, the one whose sins are washed away by the blood of Christ, and the one who has been sanctified – that is, whose life has been sold to God, belongs to God, and ruled by God.

Revelation for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, 这样的人才能来到神的面前。Such are the people who come to God.

So, in what way do we come to God? You notice that it says here that grace is given “before the throne”. What is a throne? A throne is the seat of a king. So when we come before the throne of grace, we are coming into the presence of the King. I don’t know if you have been to Buckingham Palace in England.

When I was in England and made a point of visiting Buckingham Palace, there were always a lot of visitors gathered at the entrance, but the doors were usually locked. Then I was thinking, what about the Forbidden City in China, where people can go in and visit at will. Why is Buckingham Palace not allowed to be visited by tourists? Later I realized that there is no king in the Forbidden City in China, but the Queen of Buckingham Palace in the UK lives there, so people are not allowed to go in and out as they please. If you go to the Queen’s presence, are you allowed to take as many photos as you like, like a tourist? Absolutely not. So when we come to the throne of God, are we allowed to do it our way? Absolutely not, either.

When the priests of Israel entered the tabernacle to serve, they had to first cleanse themselves, they had to put on the proper holy garments, and then they also had to come and offer sacrifices as required. Can we then come to worship God with our sins? Are we to dress and talk appropriately? In particular, the robe of Christ’s righteousness is to be approved. Do we need to worship in a way that is pleasing to God and not to our liking? So we need to realize that sinners coming before the Exalted King is not to be taken lightly.

Not only that, but to offer sacrifices in God’s way, only the high priest, once a year, had access to the Most Holy Place. The original tabernacle was divided into the Holy Place and Holy of Holies. In the Holy of Holies there was the Ark of the Covenant and the Throne of Grace of God. The priests could go to the Holy of Holies to offer sacrifices, but only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies once a year with the blood of the sacrifice, and could draw near to the Throne of Grace.

And, did you notice what was underneath the holy garments of those priests? Bells. What do the golden bells mean? When the high priest was alone in the Holy of Holies, if he was negligent and sinned against God. When the bells stopped ringing, the people outside knew that God had struck him down. So it was never a casual thing to approach God. This was true for the Israelites, and the God we serve today is the same God.

Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, … So why can we come to church today without hanging bells? Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, For we have such a high priest, the Son of God, who has ascended into the high heavens, to the right hand of God, the true Holy of Holies in heaven, that is, to the throne of God. All our sins are bare open before God, so that sinners cannot face God. So Jesus came to earth to bring us into the presence of God. Jesus became a high priest for us, not only to cleanse us from our sins by His blood, but also to intercede for us before the throne of God in the high heavens.

This intercessory High Priest is the same as the earthly priests, who can sympathies with our weaknesses because He has experienced the same temptations as we have. You were weak and feeble in your sickness; Jesus too was once a weak and helpless infant in need of Mary’s help. You were hurt and heartbroken by those you loved; Jesus was also betrayed by those He loved and rejected by people.

You have faced future troubles with anxiety and fear; Jesus has faced the bitter cup of separation from the Father on the cross, crying out in tears and prayer. However, unlike the earthly priests, Jesus did not sin, so He can enter the heavenly holy place and pray for us at the right hand of the Father, and God the Father will certainly hear His prayers.

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

The key to how we come to the throne of God’s grace is whether we truly know grace and whether we truly value it. Because we have such a high priest, how do we come to the throne of grace without fear?

Some people don’t come close to God because they are too busy. There are all sorts of commitments every day, and it seems that there is nothing to get close to God for. This is because there is no real awareness of the fact that our sins are always in the presence of God. If we realize that we are speeding and are caught on camera by a police car following us. Are we going to deal with this immediately? You would not say I am too busy.

When we realize that our sins, every mind and thought that offends Him, are displayed in front of God’s eyes, we will be willing to come to Him for mercy and grace. When Joshua led the Israelites to take the land of Canaan, when they were attacking the hinterland of Canaan, with enemies to the north and south, and before preparing for the decisive battle, they stopped to worship God.

Joshua At that time Joshua built an altar to the LORD, the God of Israel, on Mount Ebal, … And they offered on it burnt offerings to the LORD and sacrificed peace offerings…35 There was not a word of all that Moses commanded that Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, and the women, and the little ones, and the sojourners who lived among them.

So we come to God first of all to be restored to a relationship with God and our sins have to be dealt with before we can move on. We have to make sure that we are right with God before we can move on with the conquest, right? We face a lot of conquests today too. All the more reason why we need to go to the throne of God’s grace to receive God’s mercy and grace so that I can carry on.

Some people are not afraid to approach God, not because they are not aware of their sins, but because they think they have sinned against God and people, and are ashamed to come to God and to the Church. But he does not really recognize what Jesus, our High Priest, has achieved. Not realizing how great the grace of Christ is and how God established Christ as our High Priest in order that we might come to the throne of God’s grace and receive mercy and grace.

When King David sinned, he committed adultery with Bathsheba, and then like all sinners, he wanted to cover up this sin, so he plotted the death of Bathsheba’s husband. But David did not let his sin keep him from coming to God.

For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long…I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. 6 Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him.

So we come to God to take hold of His mercy, His desire for sinners to repent and for them to draw near to Him. We come to God’s throne of grace, relying on the salvation accomplished by Jesus our High Priest, in order to receive mercy and grace.

There are others who come to God only in times of need. When there is peace and stability, there is no need. I don’t bother God, I let Him rest, and I come back to Him when I really need something.

We come to the throne of grace in order to be a ready help. This is not to say that God, here, is a 24-hour hotline that you call when you need it and hang up when you don’t. Rather, it means that we come to him to receive mercy and grace. With our sins resolved and our relationship with God restored, God’s grace and mercy can be there to help us at any time.

THE BEATITUDES

What we have learned so far: 3“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. (Matthew 5:3,4)

Jesus began His ministry on earth by calling all sinners to repent for the kingdom of God has come. We could only come to repentance when we recognise that we are “poor in spirit” – that have nothing good in us that qualifies us to enter the kingdom of God. This leads us to mourn over our sins when we come before God to confess and repent of our sins. God responds to our confession and repentance with forgiveness. He then imparts on us His righteousness.

Today’s beatitude: Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.(Matthew 5L5, NIV)

1. If you attend any management course or courses on positive thinking, you will know this motto: “Carpe diem” – seize the day! Only the strong and the brave will succeed! So say all motivational speakers.

2. Who will inherit the earth? According to the world, only those who seize the day and don’t waste opportunities. Only those who are strong and brave. These will inherit the earth. But, listen to what Jesus says: “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”

3. The Jews were waiting for the arrival of the Messiah to rescue them from Roman occupation and oppression. They expected their Messiah to come as their leader who would lead them to overthrow the Roman rulers and then establish a spiritual kingdom on earth where they, the Jews, will rule alongside their Messiah. So, they kept themselves faithful to the Laws of Moses, they followed strictly their traditions and religious ceremonies in preparation for the day their Messiah would come to free them and to establish his kingdom on earth.

4. When Messiah came, they expected him to commend them for their faithfulness in keeping the laws and in keeping all their religious traditions and ceremonies and to say to them, “God is pleased with you and you can now all enter into His kingdom.”

5. Instead, when Jesus came, He announced:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Not those who think they are righteous, but those who are sinners. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Not those who are happy and satisfied with themselves, but those who are sad about their sins. Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth. Not those who are strong, proud and brave, but those who are humble.

6. We live in a society that has always taught that victory is only for those who are strong and brave and proud. But look at Jesus: >>>

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. (Matthew 5:4)

1. Mourning

a. Many of us have experienced periods of grief over the loss of a loved one or over disappointments in friendships. b. Some of us may even be mourning now because we have been betrayed by the person we love – a husband, a wife, a friend. c. Like David, we long to run away and hide: 4 My heart is in pain within me. The fears of death have come upon me. 5 I have begun shaking with fear. Fear has power over me.6 And I say, “If only I had wings like a dove, I would fly away and be at rest. 7 Yes, I would go far away. I would live in the desert.8 I would hurry to my safe place, away from the wild wind and storm.” (Psalms 55:4-8, NLV) d. We all long for comfort in the midst of our mourning. e. In this beatitude, Jesus says, in effect, “Happy are you when you are sad.” How can it be? How can the sad be happy?”

2. We live in an ‘entertainment-mentality’ age. People are looking for ways to entertain themselves. Consumers spend big money on entertainment. In 2010, consumers spent US$745 billion (that’s US$745 million million!). (source: “The Sky is Rising” report 2012 published by “Techdirt”). Despite this, the world is not a happier place. In fact, it has become more miserable.

3. Jesus says: “Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.” >(Luke 6:25, NIV) But “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4)

4. It is proper for us to mourn over the loss of a loved one or when our loved ones get sick. It is also normal that we mourn over the loss of a job or over our loneliness. However, Jesus was not referring to this kind of mourning. The Bible in fact says that this kind of mourning does not lead to eternal life: Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. (2 Cor. 7:10, NIV) Jesus was referring to “godly sorrow”. Only godly sorrow brings life. Godly sorrow brings you to repentance and God responds to repentance with forgiveness, and forgiveness brings life.

5. Last week we learned “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 5:3). When we recognise that we nothing good lives in us, and that we are spiritually bankrupt and helpless, only then can we enter the kingdom of God. Realising that we are poor in spirit leads us to “mourn”. We mourn over our sins. We are poor in spirit because we are sinful. Now that we know, we mourn because of the sins in our lives.

6. When king David was convicted of his sins of adultery and murder, he went into mourning over his sins and confessed to God: 1Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; 7Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. 9 Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. 10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. (Psalm 51:1-12, NIV)

a. David mourned deeply over his sins and threw himself at the mercy of God because He knew that God is full of compassion. b. In his mourning, David repented of his sins and asked God to “create in me a clean heart”. He asked God to “renew a steadfast spirit” within him. He asked God to clean him from inside and make him new again. c. When we truly repent, God responds: 1Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 2 Blessed is the one whose sin the LORD does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit. (Psalm 32:1,2, NIV)

7. This is what Jesus meant when He said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

8. The blessing is in the forgiveness we receive from God when we mourn over our sins and come to God asking for forgiveness.

9. However, if you refuse to confess your sins and refuse to repent, then you will live in misery. 3When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. (Psalm 32:3-4, NIV) The guilt of your sins will be heavy on you and it will eventually destroy you.

10. But, when you confess your sins to God, you will receive His forgiveness and a lifting of that heavy burden: 5Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin. (Psalm 32:5, NIV)

11. Then, like king David, we can sing: 7You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. (Psalm 32:7, NIV) >>>

INTRODUCTION

1. We begin a series of lessons today based on the teachings of Jesus found in Matthew 5 – 7 commonly called “The Sermon on the Mount”.

2. When Jesus came to earth, He announced that the Kingdom of Heaven (or the Kingdom of God) was near and that people should repent and turn from their sins. (Matthew 4:17)

3. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave a brief explanation of the meaning of the kingdom of God and the qualities of lives of the people who are in this kingdom. People who belong in the kingdom of God live lives that are God-centered and not self-centered. People in the kingdom of God have taken God as their king.

4. The Jewish religious leaders at that time were teaching that people should follow strictly the Laws given by Moses. Jesus, however, taught that obeying God’s law is not just a show to impress others that you are religious. Obeying God’s laws must come from the heart.

5. The world teaches that happiness and satisfaction in life is found in wealth and status. Religious leaders teach that we can only find blessings when we do our religious duties. Jesus, on the other hand, taught that happiness could not be attained by being religious (following the laws) or by being rich or by having high social status.

6. The key to true happiness and true blessedness in life is to live a life with God being at the center.

7. People should seek deeper, spiritual qualities such as compassion, endurance and humility.

8. When we allow God to be at the center of our lives and we seek deeper qualities, we will become the salt and light of the world. (Matthew 5:13-15)

Salt brings out the flavour of food. Salt is also a preservative – it prevents food from turning bad. We are to be salt of the world by bringing out the flavor of God to others so that they can “taste and see that God is good” We are also salt of the world – by our witness, we contribute in preserving and preventing our friends and family members from destruction because of their sins. People in God’s kingdom are light of the world – we shine the truth of God’s word in people’s lives so that they can see their own sin and rebellion against God. Then, by our testimony, we shine our light and point them to Jesus.

9. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus emphasized that He did not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it. He taught that we should not just try to be religious on the outside, but the people of the kingdom of God should be concerned about the real meaning and purpose of God’s Law. Jesus wants us to practice what He preached

10. He reminded us that the path to the kingdom of God is narrow and few will travel on it. This is in contrast to what many religious leaders teach today that the road to God is broad and that there are many ways to the kingdom of God.

11. We need to also remember that Jesus did not come to earth to be our teacher. He came to be our Saviour. If Jesus Christ is only your teacher, you will find that His teachings are impossible to follow. His teachings will only lead you to frustration.

12. Jesus did not come to give us a set of ideals to follow, but He came to live His life in our lives so that we can have God’s righteousness through Him. >>>