The Christian life is not simply an improvement of your former way of life. As a former atheist, I used to wonder what the hype was all about. My lifestyle (except for not attending church on Sundays), seemed to be similar to those who claimed to be Christians. And yet they would say being a Christian was so much better. Why didn’t they look like it was any better?
After becoming a Christian I can now understand how Christians can get bogged down in the details of living life and forget the real source of their new life. In fact, if one is not careful, you can easily miss out on that which distinguishes a Christian from one who is not.
The difference is not the lifestyle, because even an atheist can be kind, generous, and benevolent. The difference is the presence of God in your life. A Christian is one who has tasted of a life not previously accessible to men or women. The great promise of Jesus was that it was a good thing that He would leave because of the One who would come after Him…the Holy Spirit.
The presence of the Holy Spirit in your life makes all the difference.
When Jesus preached his famous “Sermon on the Mount” in Matthew 5-7, He introduced the sermon with a series of beatitudes. The beatitudes frame the rest of the Sermon with a very important concept. Kingdom living is impossible to experience or live out apart from the supernatural presence of God in your life.
“Makarios” is the greek word used over and over again in the Beatitudes. It is translated either “blessed” or “happy” but means so much more. William Barclay notes that during the time when this was written, the word “makarios” (from the root “makar”) was used in greek literature to describe the bliss that could only belong to and be experienced by the gods.
Jesus now uses the word to introduce Kingdom Living as supernatural living. In other words, it is not the kind of life that can simply be accomplished as a spiritual to-do list that you try to live out in your own strength. It is the kind of life that requires the evidence of and presence of God in your life. The Sermon on the Mount becomes a legalistic document that is destined to cause one great frustration without this understanding.
I encourage you to re-read the beatitudes now with this in mind…as well as the rest of the Sermon on the Mount. I believe it will free you up to live a different kind of life. The power of God is accessible to you when you, by faith, enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ. “Makarios” is the kind of life available to you when that happens. If you want to hear more, listen to my message on May 31, 2009 online at our church website.
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