4.9-How should we live? What is wrong and right and why?

4.9-
Jesus does not want His followers to carry around in their hearts and minds a feeling of sin, guilt and shame.  He wants them to be free.

Freedom leads to joy in the praise to God for all He has done for us.

His disciples want to invite others to come and join them in good things.  There is a learning and growing experience in the path of the good life and we offer this life to others.  It doesn't matter if you are a person focused on money and power, Jesus wants you in His group.  You might be the most poor person who has compassion on everyone and gives away everything you have and so are continually poor.  He wants you to be with Him.  You could be a very religious person who tries to do everything perfectly to meet the highest standards of approval in your community.  He wants you to turn away from your pride and arrogance and follow Him.  You could be the most rebellious, prodigal person in the world.  He wants you to become a follower of His.

He desires mercy.  He is merciful to you.  Turn to Him and He gives your grace, mercy and peace because this is what flows out from the heart of God to sinful, broken and lost people.

Life with Jesus is the best life possible.  It is referred to as a banquet.  He was criticized for eating and drinking with sinners.  People couldn't understand this and He said, "I desire mercy, not sacrifice."  He wants us to have a joyful life.

He is teaching us to be flexible and able to become able to help our culture to know Him.  We use words in person, but after such things as a printing press was invented, Jesus disciples used it to print thousands of Bibles. Now we have twenty translations on our smart phone in our pocket.  Now there are more people being taught through Facebook in Muslim nations than almost any other way.

We were in need of healing from our broken sinfulness and we heard about Jesus and connected with Him and we were healed of carrying a burden of sin and shame.  We have seen teenagers who were lost in their lives and destroying them that have become the most amazing resource of rescue for teenagers for the rest of their lives.  They were dead and now they are alive and helping others.

We were blind before Jesus.  Spiritually blind. Now through Jesus we can see.

We have been in a feeling of being overpowered by our own bad habits, but we have overcome and been set free.  We surround ourselves with the grace of God in Jesus and He sets us free daily.

Jesus has used some of His brothers and sisters to take the good news of hope to every corner of the world for the last 2,000 years.  His family is a family of teachers by example and other ways.

I've seen Jesus being taught from a homeless shelter in a Salvation Army building in downtown Denver to the inner city of Compton California.  Teens busy serving a church in Portland to old, retired people teaching in Moscow.  Around the world the followers of Jesus teach by service and words.

Those who know Jesus have compassion on those who are lost and without a shepherd in life.  They do what they can to make the good news of Jesus available to all.  We know that there are 100's of people we cross paths with every day who are lost and confused about so many things.

What is a human being?  When does life begin?  What can be done about slander that comes up against us?  How should women and children be treated?  What is cruel punishment and what are the proper limits to cruel treatment of prisoners?  How are humans different from other animals?  How should animals be treated?  Why?  What about ownership of property?  Cars?  Houses? Lands?  Toys?  What is mine and what is yours?  Labor laws?  Treatment of workers?  Marriage?  Does Jesus have anything  to say about marriage and family life?  Treatment of the poor?  Social roles in a society?  Debt?  Bankruptcy?  Different pay for different work?  Fairness?  Economic justice? 

These and many other questions are answered by  following Jesus.  Our young and old need to be rescued from lostness and then taught His way.

Matthew 9.
Larry Wishard