17 And he came down with them, and stood in the plain, and the company of his disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases;
18 And they that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed.
19 And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all.
20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.
21 Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.
22 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake.
23 Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.
24 But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation.
25 Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep.
26 Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.
27 But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,
28 Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.
29 And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also.
30 Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.
31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.
32 For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.
33 And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same.
34 And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.
35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
39 And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?
40 The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master.
41 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
42 Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother’s eye.
43 For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
44 For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.
45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
47 Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:
48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.
49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great. – From Luke 6
Also See Matthew 5.
There is a deep, wide, and swiftly moving stream that comes for all of us in this world, and it would pull us under into the depths of man’s foolishness if it were not for the teachings of Jesus Christ.
There are many things that are fit to be devoured, including many things within the Christian faith, but we can trust in Jesus: the Rock of our salvation.
Though we should trust in the mercy of Jesus, we should also trust that He is not to be trifled with. Jesus has a lot to say. His disciples and apostles had a lot to say. To the degree we are able according to our measure of faith and the grace of God towards us, we should pay attention to the lessons we received and seek Jesus and the Holy Spirit so that we can understand and apply these teachings to our lives.
It is an unfortunate reality that many will profess to know Jesus, but their lack of care for the things of the faith become a damnable testimony against them, and their heart is revealed to have no faith: when the greatest trials of this life come, they are “taken” away by great temptations and deceptions, turning those who once professed Jesus as their Lord into servants of the enemy and persecutors of the brethren in Christ. Once it goes that far, can they return? Will they? Probably not.
This harsh reality has always existed, and one day we will see the fulness of it. The “swiftly moving stream,” also called in the book of Matthew version of this parable, “the rains, floods, and winds,” take many forms—even among the household of the faith as mentioned in this article: The Judgments We Have Judged Will Be Judged.
How do these saying of Jesus keep us grounded in the faith so that we are not carried away into the spiritual captivity and service of false christs?
I want to spend some time looking at all the Parables of Jesus. First, I want to consider the teachings Jesus gave during His Sermon on the Mount. How do these teachings provide us with a rock foundation? How does failing to keep these teachings provide us with a sand foundation?
Feel free to leave your thought in the comments below, and Lord willing, we will begin looking at the above teachings—also found in Matthew 5-7—tomorrow
Articles on the Sermon on the Mount:
Blessed are They That Hunger and Thirst After Righteousness
Blessed Are Those Who Are Persecuted for Righteousness’ Sake: Part 1
Blessed Are Those Who Are Persecuted for Righteousness’ Sake: Part 2
You Are the Salt of the Earth…Nevertheless I Have Somewhat Against Thee
You Are the Light of the World
For the Glory of the Father in Heaven
On These Contain all the Law and the Prophets
The Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees
Murder As Defined By Jesus: Part 1
Murder As Defined By Jesus: Part 2
Murder As Defined By Jesus: Part 3
Adultery As Defined By Jesus: Part 1
Adultery As Defined By Jesus: Part 2
Adultery As Defined By Jesus: Part 3
Think of Others Before Yourself
Do Not Sound a Trumpet Before You (Virtue Signal)
Where Your Treasure is, Your Heart Will Be Also (Part 1)
Where Your Treasure is, Your Heart Will Be Also (Part 2)
Take No Thought for Your Life. Sufficient to the Day is the Evil Thereof.
Judge Not, That Ye Be Not Judged (Part 1) — What is Judgment?
Judge Not, That Ye Be Not Judged (Part 2) — Knowledge of Good and Evil
Judge Not, That Ye Be Not Judged (Part 3) — Reward Her Even As She Rewarded You
Don’t Cast Your Pearls Before Swine
Jesus Alone 