Tasteful, sunny disposition brings glory to God (Psalm 34:8, Matthew 5:13-16)

Tasteful is defined as "showing good aesthetic judgment or appropriate behavior" and sunny is "(of a person or their temperament) cheery and bright", when we bring these qualities to our disposition it brings glory to God. This is what Jesus talked about in Matthew 5:13-16 (as he alluded to Psalm 34:8 - "Taste and See that the LORD is good"), "Salt and Light together...so that many will see your good works and praise God"

Stickers promoting my friends cafe

Disposition is the power to deal with something as one pleases

The Bible teaches we have 3 enemies, the Eph 2:1-3, the world, the flesh, and the devil
 - a "fleshly" disposition says "I do what I do, because I want what I want" -selfishness

• The Holy Spirit opposes the flesh: Gal. 5:16-7

 - a "worldly" disposition says, "take all you can, no one will give it to you" -godlessness

• The Father opposes the world: I John 2:15-17, the world tries to shape our thinking toward godlessness (John 15:18-25)

 - a "devilish" disposition says, "I do what I do, because I hate myself and others" - wickedness

• The Son opposes the Devil: Luke 4, I John 3:8

Disposition is a person's inherent qualities of mind and character

"By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins. So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away. Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." -2 Peter 1:3‭-‬11 NLT

Disposition is the way in which something is placed or arranged, especially in relation to other things:
Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8 ESV
 - Years ago this became part of my "life verse" (1 Peter 4:7-11). I've said it before but this "love covering a multitude of sins" is preventative. When we share our lives with people, showing the way and blessing them with our gifts, talent and blessing. We change, the world changes and God is glorified.
 - Glorifying God isn't something we add to God, it's pointing out to others that He is glorious, awesome and wonderful.

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Jesus teaches how God blesses people

Matthew 5

AIM: Jesus followers are blessed to bless others, rewarded in heaven

A) Jesus teaches how God’s blessing come and who they come to

(1-2) Jesus, with disciples teaches crowds on mountainside

(3-5) God blesses with heaven, comfort, earth to poor/realize need for him, mourn and humble

(6-7) God blesses with satisfaction and mercy to hunger for justice yet are merciful

(8-10) God blesses with seeing God, named children and heaven to pure hearts, work for peace, persecuted for doing right (verse 6)

(11-12) God blesses persecuted followers of Jesus, heavenly reward - remember scripture

(13-16) You are: Salt earth good flavor or thrown out, light world gives household good deeds seen, result praise heavenly father

Application: Where do I fall on the progressive scale of God’s blessings? Am I still just poor, realizing my need for him or have I mourned my sin looking for comfort from regret? Have I been humbled to receive blessings on earth? Do I hunger and thirst for the righteousness (6) that brings persecution (8-10)? What is the Spirit of God telling me?

B) Jesus teaches the purpose of God’s law and how it’s accomplished

(17-19) Jesus to accomplish purpose of law/prophets/scripture - don’t ignore any commandments but obey and teach others (greatness in heaven)

(20) WARNING! Your righteousness must be better than Pharisees and teachers of religious law or you won’t enter heaven!

Application: Jesus is the one who came to accomplish the law, prophets and scripture. Righteousness is more than knowing it’s believing God in your heart. What is the foundation of my righteousness? Do I understand how Jesus accomplished the law?

C) Jesus explains what was meant by God’s law and how children of God behave

(21-22) You heard.. murder subject to judgement, but also angry and curse words

(23-24) You gift God, remember someone against you, leave, reconcile, return giving to God

(25-26) You with adversary/accuser, settle difference quickly avoid court, judge, officer, prison

(27-28) You heard.. but look with lust = adultery in heart.

(29-30) Throw away parts of yourself that causes sin, rather than lose all of yourself in hell

(31-32) You heard.. but divorce and remarriage causes adultery

(33-37) You heard.. but vows (by heaven, earth, my life) are from evil one - simple yes or no

(38-42) You heard.. eye for eye, but don’t resist evil people or repay evil with evil

(40-42) Give more than asked or required (from adversary, under duress or someone without means)

(43-44) You heard.. Love neighbor, hate enemy but love enemies pray for persecutors

(45-48) Act like true children of God: light, rain to all, perfect love cares for enemies like family

Application: What is my new understanding of righteousness and mercy? How will my reaction to adversity change in light “being a true child of God”? Where do I struggle with sin? Will I ask God to remove the part of me that is causing me to sin?

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Jesus’ celebrity entrance in Jerusalem and Temple interrupts everyone (Matt 21)

 Matthew 21

AIM: Jesus interrupts everyone’s life

God want to get our attention he might do it with a traffic jam, interrupting our business or showing us miracles of healing. My close friend has said, why the parables, why doesn't Jesus speak plainly? In this passage Jesus does everything but bend over backward for the religious priest and elders to understand God - they even give the right answer but not understanding it's implications. This is the popular story of "Palm Sunday", but take a fresh look at how Jesus returns the next day after kicking over the tables, returning to compassionately teach the religious leaders about God's love and expectations of them. 

A) Jesus welcomed as celebrity prophet from God

(21:1) Jesus & disciples Bethpage, Mount of Olives approached Jerusalem

(2-3) “take donkey and colt, Lord needs them”

(4-5) fulfills prophecy Savior/King is coming Isaiah 62:11, Zech 9:9, righteous and victorious

(6-7) two disciples did as Jesus commanded put their garments over cot –Jesus sat on colt

(8-9) Most of crowd spread their garments on the road, others cut branches Jesus was center of procession shouting praise God!

(10-11) entire city of Jerusalem in uproar – crowds replied Jesus prophet from Nazareth, Galilee

Application: Traffic jam, why is the road full of clothes and branches, what happened to your colt and donkey? Have you ever heard of Christmas or Easter, you and everyone else have probably heard something about Jesus. Who is God placing on your heart to speak about who Jesus said he is?

B) Jesus knocks ‘business’ away from ministry

(12-13) Jesus enters Temple, drives out people buying/selling animals for sacrifice and knocked over tables saying scriptures declare My Temple house of prayer, you turned it into a den of thieves!

(14) Jesus healed blind, lame who came to him in Temple

(15) Leading priest, teachers of religious law saw miracles, heard children shouting “Praise God for the Son of David” but they were indignant

(16-17) Haven’t you read scriptures ‘You taught children/infants to give you praise’, Jesus returned to Bethany

Application: God doesn’t care about our money, he heals, causes people to see, causes lame to walk. Children get it and see value – what is praise worthy. Don’t let money get above  God or people in your life. Ask God if anything needs to be reordered in your life. Jesus’ greatest commandment is to love God, then people – this fulfils the law and all the prophets.

C) Jesus returns to the Temple compassionately teaching the priest and elders

(18-20) Jesus curses fig tree and it withered up immediately – disciples amazed how

(21-22) faith without doubt, pray for anything – with faith you will receive it

(23-24) Jesus returns to Temple teaching, leading priest/elders demanded by what authority/right?

(25-26) Jesus answers with a question, did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven or man? If heaven, why didn’t we believe – if man we’ll be mobbed by because people said he’s a prophet

 (27) “we don’t know”, “then I won’t tell you”

(28-30) Parable of two sons, older – go to work in vineyard/no but later went: other /yes but didn’t go

(31a) who obeyed? – the first.

(31b-32)  bad people get to heaven because they believe, repent of sins while others won’t even when they see miracles

(33) Parable of landowner and tenant farmers. He planted vineyard, built wall, dug pit for pressing juice, lookout tower. Then leased it.

(34-36) harvest time sent servants to collect but farmers beat, killed first servant, second group of servants

(37-39) Finally owner sent his son, plotted and kill him to get the estate

(40) Jesus still talking with religious leaders, “what do you think the owner will do to the farmers?”

(41-42) “horrible death to them, then lease to others who will give his share after each harvest” Psalm 118:22-23, “stone builders reject has become cornerstone, Lord’s doing, wonderful to see”

(43-46) Kingdom of God taken from you given to nation produce proper fruit – stumble broken, crush on anyone it falls on. They wanted to arrest him but were afraid of crowds

Application: Go back and continue to conversationally teach stubborn and hard hearted people – because you love them - because you were them and are them. After his resurrection, Jesus’ great commission is to go, make disciples teaching them to obey everything he commanded.  

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