ENCOUNTERING CHRIST

Good Morning Loving Church,

Today is Thursday, June 23rd, 2016. Today is the 175^th Day of 2016.

There are only 191 days left in this year; and, there ONLY 24 DAYS left until VBS BEGINS; and, only 185 days left until CHRISTMAS…

Today is my sister Donna’s 70^th Birthday

ON THIS DAY IN 1914: “J. Gresham Machen, Presbyterian educator and defender of orthodoxy is ordained at Plainsboro, N.J.”

Machen’s writings, especially “Christianity vs. Liberalism” are among the best and most important theological books of the 20^th Century.

ENCOUNTERING CHRIST IN THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT

Matthew 5:16

Glorifying the Father

¹⁶ “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

This is an amazing sentence.

Believers are commanded to let OUR light shine before others, so that they may see OUR good works… yet, we must do this in such a way that they will… “give glory to your Father Who is in heaven.”

We do the work; God gets the glory. Simple.

Not really.

Pride is one of the greatest of sins and one of the most potent foes faced by the believer. When we do “good works” it is all too easy for US to accept the praise brought by them.

We must humbly do our good works “before men” but we must do them in such a way as to give all of the glory to GOD.

Sometimes that is as easy as doing these things quietly and anonymously. When that is not possible, we need to be quick to explain that our changed life through Jesus is the source of any human “goodness” that we appear to have.

So, we do the works and God gets the glory.

One of the ways I have found to begin a gospel conversation – or at least attempt to – is to give the glory to God whenever I do something honorable that surprises a person.

For example: I have had occasion to return money to a person who gave me too much change. I sometimes remember to tell them, “Don’t thank me; thank Jesus. If HE had not changed my life, I would be more than happy to take advantage of people.”

That way I am not the hero… Jesus is.

That is the point of this passage.

The Midweek Bible Study Lesson for next Wednesday, 6/29, is “The Judgment Seat of Christ”.

Each Wednesday will feature a stand-alone lesson, so even if you can’t make them all; be sure you catch as many of these lessons as you can.

Carpe Diem!