This week's Bible Study - October 7, 2007
Quality Is Job One
 Background Scripture:
Matthew 5:1-12
Quote of the Week:
“Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of intelligent effort.”
-- John Ruskin
Quality is Job One. This was the slogan for Ford for many years. Although other auto manufacturers stressed quality for a number of years, it would appear that quality has not been as high of a priority as they would have us believe. There have been numerous recalls of automobiles with problems. The slogan was dropped, as it was likely assumed that the public knew that quality was expected. However, the focus over the years tended to shift towards cost and away from quality. It's not just in cars, but in clothes or other purchases. You get the big deal, you often get the big problem.
How important is quality in life? We hear about quality of life. We've all heard of people who have lost their quality of life. It may due to disease or something else. However, I know of others who have appeared to be very successful, yet their quality of life seems at a loss. How does quality relate to human life? Our world tells us that we need to get more, more, more and have the perfect job or the perfect relationship or the perfect house or whatever. However, you and I have both known people who seemed to have everything, yet their quality of life was very much lacking. God's view of quality does not align with man's view.
This lesson looks at the Beatitudes. It speaks of true blessing and the outcome. This is what the world might tell you about happiness
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Happy are the rich and famous, for everybody wants to be like them.
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Happy are those who party, for they have no worries in the world.
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Happy are the aggressive, for they will get the jobs and promotions.
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Happy are those who do their own thing, for they will be satisfied.
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Happy are those who take care of number one, for they are not troubled by other's problems.
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Happy are the wheelers and dealers, for they will make the bucks.
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Happy are those who don't get involved in other's problems, for they won't be in the middle.
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Happy are those who don't rock the boat, for everyone will like them.
If the driving goal of your life is happiness, you find it elusive. You will make decisions that seem right at the time, but it is always a moving target.
At this point, Jesus had had only begun his ministry. He had been baptized by John the Baptist and had been tempted in the wilderness. He had begun to call his disciples and then he began his public ministry. He taught in the synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, healing disease and sickness among the people. There was no internet or wire service or regional newspaper, but news spread all over Syria. Can you imagine the excitement that this brought people? People saw that there was an opportunity to have their loved ones cured - so they brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures and the paralyzed. Jesus was legitimate and the people knew it.
In this day of modern medicine, we have many cures for diseases that the people of this time didn't have. However, there are diseases that continue to baffle medical science. If there was a cure for these diseases, people would follow that trail. People look for hope, wherever hope can be found. In Jesus' day, there were large crowds from all over the region that followed him. They were looking for healing, but they listened to his words, as they knew there was something about this man. Jesus saw the crowd and then he went on a mountainside and taught his disciples.
Jesus knew that his disciples needed to learn. He had called them, but they were not to be stagnant. This is a point that we need to remember - our Christian life is about learning and living. Although Jesus healed many people, the primary goal of his ministry was to teach. He found many occasions to teach - the setting mattered little. He would teach on a mountain or in a field or on a lake or in a temple. We should learn from this - the setting of our Bible Study does not have to be in a church room. It can be in your house or at a park or in your workplace or in a gym or anywhere. The key is that we all need to learn.
This teaching gives us a picture of the attitudes in life that we should have to have a quality life. These are contrary to the attitudes that the world teaches. Jesus began each statement with an attitude that a believer should have and then he gave the outcomes of that attitude in the believer's life. He spoke of how we could be blessed, in a way that is not based on outward and changing conditions. Our outward circumstances may provide some level of happiness, but being blessed is much deeper.
The first few statements deal with our relationships with God. To be approved and accepted by God and having a right relationship with him is the key to your Christian existence. Blessed are the poor in spirit. We can only have a right relationship with God if are able to see ourselves as in need. We tend to want to think of ourselves as having our lives together. However, when we have nowhere else to turn to, we see the kingdom of heaven. You may recall the prayer of the Pharisee and the prayer of the beggar (Luke 18:9-14). One spoke of how thankful they are of how good they were, while the other saw themselves as one in need. The prayer of the beggar was heard.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. When do you think of mourning? Most of us would think of a loss of a loved one. When we mourn, there is really no way that another person can solve that grief. We are called to grieve over our sin. Sometimes, we know of an area of our life that is wrong, but we don't show the mourning that is needed to break the addiction. Until we see our sin as God sees it, we will allow it to remain in our lives, never really allowing us to be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. What do you think of when you hear about meekness? Some think that means a person is lame, a sissy or a coward. This is not what Jesus intended. In fact, Jesus was nowhere near being a coward. He showed incredible restraint. For us, meekness implies a teachable person. As Christians, we need to remain moldable throughout our lives. This is truly what is needed in all avenues of life. Once a person begins to think that they are the superstar, beyond any need of improvement or learning, they begin a cancer and poison to a team.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. What is it about hunger and thirst? On one hand, we all deal with hunger and thirst - every day. We are in need of water and food, but on the other hand - have you ever really dealt with hunger and thirst? Have you been to the point where your body craved it? We live in a culture where we can find food to eat easily. However, when you eat, eventually you'll need it again. Do you hunger and thirst for righteousness? Do you seek it like you seek nourishment or do you only seek righteousness every once in a while?
God really wants to work in your life, but he wants to meet you at the point of your need. When you realize your need, you will begin to see God.
The next few deal with relationships with people. God wants us to establish a vertical relationship with him, but we will find that it is also tied to our horizontal relationships with others. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. It can be very difficult for us to show mercy and forgive others. Sometimes, those who forgive are taken advantage of. However, forgiveness and mercy are like doors - they are either open or shut. As Christians, we have been forgiven beyond belief, yet so many have problems forgiving others. Some people look at others with disbelief - how could they make that decision - how could they fall so far? Have we forgotten how far apart from God we are? By our attitudes towards others, we can either encourage them in their walk or we can thwart them. Are you merciful towards other - have you realized the mercy that has been shown to you?
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. If you have ever driven a vehicle, you probably understand how difficult it is to drive with dirt on your windshield. Sometimes, you get so used to the dirt on your windshield that it is simply amazing when it has been cleaned. Purity in our lives allows us to see God. When we have dirt that we allow to become part of our lives, our relationship with God is impacted.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. In any church, peacemakers are essential. Churches tend to be dysfunctional in many areas, as some people are more in tune with their own goals and aspirations. There are those who push their own agendas. Some are more focused on their ministries and not so concerned about others. This tends to lead towards problems. In the past several years, the issue of worship styles has caused many problems in churches. Peacemakers help promote oneness in the body of believers.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. In America, we know little of persecution for any reason. We may not be the most popular as believers, but we are far from persecuted. However, faith may make life more difficult, as we take stands for what we believe. It can cost someone their job, or the loss of a friendship or many other things. However, when we stick with God, regardless, the kingdom of heaven is ours.
Is it really worth it to live as a believer? As stated before, living by faith can become hard - and to be honest, it is probably harder to 'sorta' live by faith as opposed to full out. My son has been playing high school football this year. One thing I've noticed in this process, as well as in other sporting endeavors, is that it is harder to act as if you are trying than it is to try hard.
When we live for Christ, we are likely to be insulted. We may be persecuted and others may say all sorts of falsehood about us. However, rather than focusing on these things, we need to remember that we do this all for Christ. Our reward does not come from those around us, but from God. Just as the many prophets who came before us have great rewards in heaven, so do we as we live for Christ. We can have confidence as we walk in the steps of the faithful who have been before us.
Being a Christian is not easy. You may be seen as an outsider to others. We may receive strife from those we try to help. We shoot for high standards, which may often go against our grain. We experience failures - and we see others fail. At times, you and I may be tended to question why we continue, but we know the reward.
God's encouragement to you and to me is that we need to be much more than churchgoers. It is great to find your place at a church each week - to have Christian friends and to hear Biblical teaching and to worship God. It doesn't stop there. We need to be warriors in the daily battle, knowing that the reward we have waiting for us is more than worth the struggle we face. Our game face is not to be aggressive and shooting down the competition as we go through the day, but learning to live daily as Christ has shown us and ultimately reaping the reward he has prepared for us.
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