Jesus’ Guide to the Ultimate Lifestyle

By Dr. Mark Bailey- Dallas Theological Seminary

How do ordinary people, living ordinary lives, live “in the world, but not of it?” 

Every morning we wake up and go to work. Most of us watch the news and check our email. We care for our families and enjoy our friends. On the surface, we look a lot like our neighbors. But as Christians, God calls us to be different. That difference is for a distinct purpose. Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:16, to “let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”   

As Christ followers, Jesus asks us to pursue a life that’s fundamentally different from the cultures around us, even in the everyday moments. 

In 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12, Paul tells us to “make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders …” 

In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus casts a vision for a fulfilled life that surpasses all others, the ultimate lifestyle. A life that is fundamentally different from those around us. And, who would not want a secure future, to leave a lasting legacy, to enjoy great relationships and possess unusual insight?

Through the Beatitudes, Jesus promises these things and more to those with a mindset to pursue Godly character. But along with the blessings come distinct conditions. Jesus proposes these unique qualities to us in the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:1-12.

A Secure Future

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  

If we want a secure future that extends through this life and into eternity, we need to come to Jesus with a humble heart of faith. This humble approach recognizes our spiritual poverty, which can only be addressed by God’s gracious provision. The assurance of our present possession and future presence in the kingdom of God is only possible by recognizing our spiritual need is total and not partial. Faith is a response to grace that only God can provide.  

A Calm Heart

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”  

If we want to maintain a calm heart and a cleansed conscience in a fallen world, a conscious recognition of sin followed by appropriate repentance is a necessity. Mourning in the Bible is almost always associated with the conviction of the sin. Comfort comes with the promise that God is faithful and just to forgive when that sin is confessed (1 John 1:9).

A Lasting Legacy

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” 

If we want to experience all that God intends us to experience in this world, we need to bring an attitude of gentle restraint, and place whatever power or authority we possess under His control. Meekness is not weakness, but a tender heartedness knowing that the reward for servant-hearted leadership will be rewarded in the future when we co-reign with Christ in His kingdom.

A Deep Sense of Fulfillment

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied

If we want to live a fulfilling life of meaning and purpose, we must come with a teachable spirit to learn God’s definition of what a flourishing life should look like. A biblical worldview means living life “rightly” according to the revealed standards of God. 

Great Relationships

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” 

If we want to enjoy meaningful relationships with other people, we need to reflect the gracious love and forgiveness we have received from God toward others. Corrie ten Boon, survivor of Nazi imprisonment in World War II, said, “To forgive is to set a prisoner free, and then to discover the prisoner was you.” As we see in the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught us to ask for forgiveness while we also extend forgiveness to others.

Unusual Insight

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”  

If we want to gain unusual spiritual insight into the ways and wisdom of God, we will need to live a life of holiness by allowing God to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Like Moses, we should sincerely pray to the Lord: “Show me now your ways that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight” (Exodus 33:13).

A Great Reputation

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” 

If we want to earn a Christ-like reputation before a watching world, we must be known for promoting reconciliation with a spirit of fairness, free from partiality. According to this text, we are most like Christ when we seek to bring people back into harmonious relationships. In fact, Paul summarized the ministry to which he has called all believers as ambassadors for Christ with a single term: “reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18).

Rest in Future Justice

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”  

If we want to faithfully endure hardship, misunderstanding, or slander for the sake of the gospel with the hope of ultimate justice, we will need to come to Jesus with an attitude of patient rejoicing. When we know our heavenly reward is coming, we are in good company in whatever we face. Peter prompts us to remember others suffering around the world by resisting Satan while at the same time standing for the faith (1 Peter 5:9). 

Jesus follows the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:13-14 by teaching, “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? … You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.” Jesus tells us that people of such integrity make an impact for Him in the world. The beatitudes and their prerequisite behaviors are what make God’s people the “salt and light” that counter the decay and darkness of this present world.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us how to establish a credible witness to our neighbors. He tells us how to be different and find fulfillment in Him. Let us not be a people who lose their saltiness. According to Jesus, living with the values of God’s kingdom, while awaiting its consummation, is the ultimate lifestyle.

Can Christians disagree? 

By Karen McNary, Director of Global Cultural Engagement and Community 

Several years ago, I came across a saying:  

“To live above with saints we love, oh that would be glory. To live below with saints we know, well that’s another story.”    

Living with the saints can be hard. Selfishness. Pride. Division. Even believers struggle to find common ground with one another. 

Conflict among God’s people is not isolated to one culture or even one historical era. Jesus himself was born into an extremely complex culture. Israel was under Roman rule, overburdened by taxes and restricted in religious liberties. Some Israelites, including the Zealots, expected a military-style Messiah to restore Israel’s autonomy by force. As politics divided God’s people, religious leaders varied in their interpretation of God’s Word.   

But instead of just stepping into the fray, Christ invited people to rise above it. At the core of His ministry, He intentionally called 12 men with radically different backgrounds and temperaments. Instead of fitting into the world around Him, Jesus built a new community based on God’s Word and His ministry. And He called it the Kingdom of God. 

In this community, the disciples were invited to learn together and participate with Him in sharing the good news of the gospel.  They were united in their call to follow Jesus, but not always from the same perspective, as we’ll see in our upcoming Matthew study. 

The same can be true for believers today. We answer the call to follow Jesus the same way – by grace through faith. Like the disciples, we bring our personalities, experiences, and worldviews into gospel community. We will likely find ourselves studying and serving in community with people who are very different from one another. And if we are honest, that community is not always comfortable. 

Through Jesus’ relationship with the disciples, we learn some key practices in loving one another amid our differences.  

In the cultural chaos of His day, Jesus spoke life-changing truths.  

How can we respond when we disagree? 

In Jesus’ time, as today, some teachings were just hard to understand. For instance, what did Jesus really mean when He said, “Follow me; and let the dead bury their own dead?” Some people read this literally, others figuratively.  

Or how about Jesus’ lessons in Matthew 13? These simple stories with deep spiritual truths prompted the disciples to ask, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” Like the disciples, we are free to bring our questions before the Lord.  

Jesus’ response to their question in Matthew 13:11 is eye-opening. “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.”  

Jesus tells us that truth is revealed to each of us at different times and in different seasons. With this in mind, we can meet our brothers and sisters in Christ with grace as we trust the Lord to reveal truth in His time. There is room for differences of opinion when Christ is our foundation. We don’t have to carry the burden of argument or debate. Instead, we can pray, discuss and enjoy one another as God completes His unique work in His people. 

What can we do with confusion or disappointment? 

We each enter Christian community with expectations. We expect others to act, think, speak, and relate to us in a certain way. When our expectations aren’t met, it can lead to disappointment, discouragement, even doubt. We may question if we’re in the right place with the right people. 

In Matthew 11, we learn a valuable lesson from John the Baptist. While imprisoned, John sent word asking Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”  I’m sure neither he nor his followers expected a prison stay for John the Baptist. In fact, they probably expected Jesus to release him miraculously.    

Like John, we, too, can bring our questions and disappointments to Jesus. But we are called to hold our expectations loosely. God often answers in unexpected ways. When we humble our hearts before the Lord, we must be willing to listen to how He answers, whether He meets our expectations or not.  

What does Jesus expect of us? 

The Sermon on the Mount, which contains “the Beatitudes,” details how gospel community should work. Here we learn that Jesus is more concerned about heart transformation than He is about behavior modification, like when Jesus says, “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.” 

Ultimately, through Christ’s forgiveness on the cross, we have the power to forgive one another. Conflict is inevitable. Opinions will differ. But when we are rooted in the gospel, we are united in purpose.  

In His final words to the disciples in Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus said, “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” 

Through these words, Christ built His Church when 12 men set aside their differences to pursue a common call. Think about that: God changed the course of human history through 12 people who humbly united around His plan and will. 

As you study Matthew in community, will you take time to pray for your new BSF group? Like the disciples who were called to follow Christ, each member of your group has responded to God’s prompting to study His Word within BSF this year. If we commit to learn from our differences and unite in our common call, we can expect God’s Word to change our hearts and grow our obedience. While it won’t always be easy, we have one another. Most importantly, we have His presence. In Matthew 28:20 Jesus promised, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” 

Responding to Our Creator’s Creativity

By Bryan Belknap – BSF Creative Director

When we think of Old Testament heroes of the faith, the usual names come to mind:  

Moses. 

Abraham. 

Ruth. 

David. 

But none of these well-known pillars of faith was the first recorded person in the Bible to receive the Spirit of God. That honor belongs to … (drumroll) …  

Bezalel. 

That’s right. Bezalel — the one so crafty with wood, jewels, and gold — was filled with God’s Spirit in Exodus 31:3 to serve as chief designer and interior decorator of the Tabernacle.  

Wait, what? He received God’s Spirit to do arts and crafts and not write Scripture or lead an army into the Promised Land?! 

Exactly.  

While we might be tempted to think God has more important things to consider than color patterns and furniture arrangements, Scripture reveals He does, indeed, care deeply about artistry and aesthetics. 

Creation

We recently studied God’s orderly creation of the universe in Genesis. Not only did God take great care to put everything in its proper place, He also made our incredible world beautiful. He placed a soothing blue sky over green forests and fields. He did not make vast fiery red or orange oceans, knowing those colors tend to make human beings anxious and angry. It’s doubtful a human would have thought “a vast ocean of gritty sand would be lovely,” but anyone who has watched sunlight and shadows dance across endless waves of desert sand knows our Creator is incredibly creative indeed. 

Romans 1:20 says, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities — his eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” God uses the beauty of creation to draw people to Himself, just like the Tabernacle was artfully designed by God’s Spirit working in Bezalel to point the Israelites to Him. 

Made in the image of God

Genesis 1:27 states: 

“So God created mankind in his own image, 
    in the image of God he created them; 
    male and female he created them.” 

While this glorious, mysterious, incredible truth definitely speaks to our intrinsic value and special place amongst all of creation, it also has practical implications. As image bearers, we share certain qualities with our creator God.  

Human beings are unique in nature in that we can imagine something and then turn that thought into reality. Although we can’t speak something into existence out of nothing like God, He does still call us to use our God-given creativity to reflect His beauty on earth.

Reflections of Christ

As we prepare for our study of Matthew, we see the creativity of the Father embodied in His Son. Paul tells us in Colossians 1:15-16 “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.” 

And we are told in 1 Corinthians 11:1 “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” 

So how can we, as believers, follow Christ’s example in creativity? 

You might be tempted to stop right here with protests of not being creative. “I don’t paint or act or sing!” But consider the creativity our Savior displayed during His ministry on earth; you might recognize some of these in your own life. 

In labor 

While we don’t have any examples of Jesus’ handiwork, Mark 6:3 states Jesus was known in his hometown by his trade, carpentry. (Can you imagine how expensive one of His tables would be at an auction today?!?) This meant He could look at a piece of wood, picture what He wanted the hunk of pine to become, then turn His imagination into a reality. Physical labor, whether its gardening or construction, can be an act of worship and creativity. 

In words

Jesus took deep, unseen spiritual realities and placed them within concrete stories His audience could grasp. Whether it’s the boundless love of God as presented in The Prodigal Son or a vivid picture of our hard-heartedness in the face of God’s lavish forgiveness in The Unforgiving Servant, Jesus created practical methods for presenting the spiritual. No, Jesus doesn’t expect all of His children to be writers, but He does call us to share our personal stories of being transformed by Him. And His gift for storytelling challenges us to try to put the unseen spiritual matters of faith into words a seeker might understand when we have the opportunity. 

In works 

Jesus’ miracles showcase His tremendous creativity. He healed blindness with a word (Luke 18:35), a touch (Matthew 9:29), and mud made from spit (John 9:6-7). The physical actions of His miracles also made spiritual points. So, while you might not be turning water into wine, you mimic the work of our Lord when you minister to the weak, outcast, or suffering. When you point them to the spiritual reality of a loving God who sees and loves them, you are reflecting Christ’s wonderful creativity in His ministry.  

So how will you respond in labor, words, or works? How might God be calling you to creatively use your unique gifts for His glory? 

BSF Art Galleries

Matthew 28

By Ami Ross, USA