LEARNING TO GROW IN HIS PRESENCE
Matthew 5:1,2
The
last Old Testament prophet, Malachi, spoke 400 years before the advent of Jesus
Christ. It was His coming that broke the inter-testament period of silence
between the books of Malachi and Matthew, between the close of the Old
Testament and the opening of the New Testament. He came to reveal God’s Word
and will to man. He came to save and to lead us into the fullness that we can
have in God. He is the Saviour, Lord and Teacher. His teaching brought spiritual
life and growth to His hearers. Prior to this chapter, Jesus Christ had been
calling people to repentance and discipleship; and many people had responded to
His call (Matthew 4:17-25).
Until
a sinner repents, there is nothing Christ can teach him because he is dead in
sins and trespasses. When the sinner answers Christ’s call and comes out of
darkness into the light, out of sin unto the Saviour, out of spiritual death
unto eternal life, then he could be taught by the Lord. When the Lord calls
anyone, He makes the individual to forsake his past to follow Him wherever He
leads. During His earthly ministry, He taught the people, preached to them and
healed those who were sick among them. He enlightened them and showed them the
way of the Lord. Multitudes were attracted to His ministry. He taught three
categories of people – His disciples, the multitudes and the people (Matthew
5:1,2; 7:28,29). Disciples are learners who can become apostles; none can be an
apostle overnight; you must first be born again, go through discipleship before
becoming an apostle – the sent out ones. In His presence, we learn all that we
need to live and to grow into Him.
1. LEARNING
IN HIS PRESENCE
Matthew 5:1,2; John 3:2; Matthew 22:16; John 8:2,28;
Matthew 26:55; Acts 3:22-26; 22:14,15; Matthew 11:29; Isaiah 50:4-7.
There is no secret meaning about Jesus’ going to the
mountain to teach the people. Seeing the audience was a large crowd, teaching
on the plain like the rest of the people would not afford the listeners the
opportunity to see Him. He needed to stay on an elevated plain so that everyone
could see Him just like we use platforms today. There was orderliness in His
congregation: He was set, settled, well-placed. He had His disciples as well as
the multitudes in His audience but His disciples came out of the multitudes to
the Lord because they wanted to learn.
Jesus is not only a Saviour and Lord, He is also a
Teacher. People in His time knew Him to be a Teacher of a higher level: “Master,
we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither
carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men”. What
kind of teacher can draw you closer to God, link you with God and channel your
faith to God but a teacher come from God? He was a Teacher come from God
because He was teachable before the Father. Likewise, we cannot be effective
teachers unless we are teachable. Jesus taught so much in His three years of
ministry because He did not limit His teachings to a day of the week but He
made it a daily affair. He taught daily “in the temple”
in the power of God. Any day not given to teaching was considered lost.
From the ministry of Jesus, we learn that (i) He taught
without fear, without favour (ii) He taught with focus and freshness (iii) He
taught with firmness and finality (iv) He taught with faith and forbearance (v)
He taught freely and fully (vi) He taught frequently and fervently (Luke 23:5)
(vii) He taught faithfully and fearlessly.
2. LEANING
ON HIS PROMISE
Matthew
5:1,2; Deuteronomy 31:12; Philippians 4:9; John 13:17; 15:4,5; Philippians
4:13; Romans 8:3,4; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; Ephesians 3:20.
Christ is “a teacher come from God”
indeed. The difference between Him (Christ, the great Teacher) and
other teachers like Moses, David and Daniel was that His Words proceed with
transforming power to accomplish in His hearers His good purpose. These Old
Testament saints could not transform the people they taught but Christ had the
power to teach and transform His hearers. While the audience of these Old
Testament teachers could not find grace to obey the truth they were taught, the
audience He taught received enabling grace to obey His Words. This happened as they listened and leaned
upon the Lord for grace to obey Him. As they relied on Him, they received the
power to practise what Christ taught them. Thus, they received the fulfilment
of His promises in their lives. We also need to lean on the promise of God to
be able to practise the Word of God. The purpose of teaching or listening to
the teaching of the Word of God is not just to acquire head knowledge.
It is so that the Word can bear fruit in our lives and characters. It is so
that the Word we hear can become principles in our hearts by which we live. “Those
things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me,
do: and the God of peace shall be with you” (Philippians 4:9). What we
know must correspond with our practice because knowledge is a means to an end.
“If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them” (John
13:17).
Believers must endeavour to receive grace from God to be
able to obey His Word. This is because Christ’s teachings are supernatural; and
we need supernatural power to be able to do them. People are not able to
practise the Word of God when they do not rely on Him. They find certain truths
in the Word of God too hard to obey. But the truth is, believers can obey every
Word of God because it is through it that He strengthens us. The indwelling
Christ enables us to obey the Word of God. It is possible to obey every Word of
the Lord. Against rising doubts, every believer must in faith reassure himself
that: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians
4:13). The power of the Word of God works in our hearts by faith to activate us
to do His will. The purpose of learning is doing and the power for doing is
Christ in us.
3. LIVING
BY HIS PRECEPTS
Matthew 5:1,2; 7:24-27; John 8:30-32; Luke 8:15; John
14:21; Revelation 22:14; Matthew 7:21-23; James 1:21-25.
We know what, when and where Christ taught. But why did He
teach them? Christ taught His audience so that they will live by His teachings.
Why do you teach the Word of God or listen to the teaching of God’s Word? We teach people so they can practise the
Word. We attend church services to listen to the Word of God to be able to
practise, grow and live by His precepts.“Therefore whosoever heareth
these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which
built his house upon a rock … and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock”
(Matthew 7:24,25). Those who live by the Word of God are blessed because
they receive the grace to do them through earnest prayer to God. The second
group listens to Christ’s Word but is “foolish” and
porous because they hear and would not do it. Christ “likened
[them] unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain
descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house;
and it fell: and great was the fall of it” (Matthew 7:26,27).
It is he who keeps Christ’s commandments that truly loves
Him. If the Lord is precious and dear to us, His Word will be precious to us.
Commitment to continuously obey His precepts guarantees, not only abundance of
blessings on earth, but also entrance into heaven. It is our Christian
lifestyle (not signs and wonders in ministry) that qualifies us for heaven. We
must first enter heaven through obedience and holy lifestyle before we can be
rewarded for service.
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