The Beatitudes and the Sermon on the Mount: what new did Christ say?

Back in Old Testament times, the Lord God told the prophet Moses the Ten Commandments. They are necessary in order to warn people about the danger of sin and protect them from evil.

Having come to earth, Jesus Christ announced that instead of the Old Testament, He would establish a New Testament and give people new commandments.

At the same time, the old commandments must also be observed. The Gospel commandments are spiritual and moral pointers on the path to the Kingdom of God and it is necessary to observe them in order to save a person and receive eternal life.

Jesus Christ gave commandments to humanity during the Sermon on the Mount

The Ten Commandments were given to us by Our Lord Jesus Christ during his delivery of the Sermon on the Mount. Christ preached the Sermon on the Mount around 30 AD.

Chapters 5 - 7 of the Gospel of Matthew testify to this. The text of the sermon itself is contained in the first part of this Gospel.

Sermon on the Mount. N.P. Lomtev. 1841 During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Christ gave people his commandments

Most Christians believe that the Sermon on the Mount is a commentary on the Ten Commandments. In it, Christ becomes the interpreter of the Law of Moses.

The New Testament commandments contain the essence of Christian teaching. Christian pacifism has its origins in them.

Such famous philosophers as Gandhi, Leo Tolstoy and others often turned to them in their work. They especially revered the idea of ​​the need to do good in secret.

None of the philosophers and theologians disputed the position that if you do this, the Lord will clearly reward you.

The commandments of Christ: spiritual life begins with thoughts, not actions

“The lamp for the body is the eye. So, if your eye is clean, then your whole body will be bright; if your eye is evil, then your whole body will be dark.” From the Sermon on the Mount of Jesus Christ

The idea that any action is preceded by a thought seems obvious. First we decide something - then we do it. Even spontaneous actions are preceded by a thought - the only difference is that before impulsive actions the thought is uncontrollable.

Perhaps the Jewish people, having met Christ, understood all this. However, at that time the Jews had Old Testament commandments, in which the truths were quite clearly defined: do not steal, do not kill. They were an indisputable shrine, and by and large they said nothing about thoughts. This situation often gave rise to religious formalism. In the Gospel, this is the image of a Pharisee: a man who fulfills all 600 Old Testament commandments, but inside him there is nothing in common with righteousness. His “baggage” includes only ostentatious adherence to the principles.

The image of the Pharisee (on the right) is one of the most striking in the Gospel. Pharisaism became the personification of religious formalism. The illustration depicts a scene from the parable of the publican and the Pharisee.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Christ gave people a new height: the purity of a person is measured not by actions, but by purity of thought.

• If you think evil about a person in your thoughts, you are already destroying the Divine plan for yourself.
• If you help a person, but you do it only to boast to yourself, this action is of little value.
• If you simply looked with desire at a strange woman, you have already committed adultery.

If a person’s thoughts are full of disharmony and there is no love in them, then his actions will ultimately not lead to anything good - or will not benefit the person himself.

And if a person’s thoughts are pure, then the person himself and his life will be pure.

Love is the basis of the gospel law

The Bible contains the commandments of the Old and New Testaments. The commandments of the Old Testament were given to people by God, who sent the prophet Moses to write them down. The purpose of the commandments is to protect humanity from evil, as well as to warn about the dangers of sin.

Having appeared in the world, Jesus Christ concluded a New Covenant with people and gave them the commandments of the Gospel. The basis of this law is called love. It should be noted that Christ did not abolish the old commandments, but filled them with new content.

Thus humanity was brought to a new level of holiness. The New Testament already talks about how a Christian should live, and does not simply establish prohibitions in order to protect humanity from sin.

Icon. Moses receives the Tablets of the Covenant, Sinai, St. Catherine's Monastery. God gave commandments to people through the prophet Moses

Jesus Christ, having atoned for the sins of mankind, concluded a New Covenant with God and gave him new commandments.

There are two commandments of love in the Old Testament. They are declared in the Gospel to be the basis of the entire Divine Law and determine the content of all other commandments.

In addition, these commandments are declared by Jesus to be the most important in answering the question of the highest human law. Thus, when the Pharisee, who knows the laws, asks Christ which commandment is the most important of all the commandments, He answers like this:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart...

The second one is similar to it:

Love your neighbor as yourself.

On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

(Matt. 22:37-40)

Love for God is the main characteristic of a Christian. Next comes love for your neighbor. At the same time, Christ speaks not only about forgiveness, but also love. For example, by saying “love your enemy,” the Savior goes further than the commandments of the Old Testament. He calls to forgive each other, and not to take revenge for evil deeds.

The essence of the Ten Commandments of Jesus Christ is not to do evil

The commandments of Jesus Christ speak about how a Christian needs to build his life. Since they talk about how to achieve Christian perfection, and therefore the Kingdom of Heaven, they are called the Beatitudes.

Their essence is to bring a person closer to God, since only He contains true joy for a person.

"Commandments of Beatitudes", Orthodox icon. The commandments of Christ say that not only is it not necessary to observe the prohibitions imposed by God, but also to lead a virtuous life

Thus, in contrast to the Old Testament, all the commandments of the New Testament say that a Christian must not only not sin, but also banish even thoughts about it from his soul.

Sins create an invisible wall between man and God. To destroy it, it is not enough to do no evil. It is necessary to do good. Only in this case can you get closer to God. To do this, it is necessary to lead a moral life.

The Ten Commandments given to us by Jesus Christ begin with the word “blessed.”

It must be remembered that these are the Beatitudes. There are nine of them. The commandments of love stand alone. In total, they form the ten commandments that we know.

The first commandment speaks of the blessedness of the poor in spirit

The text of the first commandment of the Beatitudes speaks of the blessedness of the poor in spirit. Saint John Chrysostom says that a person who is poor in spirit is contrite in heart and humble.

His opposite is a proud person who has a great opinion of himself and considers himself spiritually rich.

Miroslav Yotov. Grandfather Dobry. The Bulgarian elder Dobri is an example of a man poor in spirit. He was humble before the Lord, lived the image of a beggar and used the alms he collected to help orphanages

Spiritual poverty implies that a person sees himself in his true light. Just as a beggar wears someone else’s clothes and eats what is given to him, so he understands that he received everything from God. This commandment seems to continue the commandment of love, which says:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart.”

Thus, only those who are humble before the Lord are promised the Kingdom of Heaven, because they understand that everything they have is not their merit, but the gift of God. It must be increased for the salvation of the soul, and not used for enrichment and power.

First commandment

God points to Himself as the one true God and forbids giving divine honor to anyone else. God created man, gave him life, and after death calls him to his heavenly chambers. This commandment took first place for the reason that only God, and no one else, should be the main value of a person’s life.

Sins against the first commandment:

– atheism (denial of the existence of God);

– polytheism (veneration of various deities instead of one God);

– heresy and schism (incorrect and perverted interpretation of true religion);

– despair (when a person ceases to hope for help and salvation from God);

– witchcraft (appeal to demonic forces);

– superstition (supernatural origin and meaning are attributed to ordinary situations and events).

The Second Commandment promises blessedness and comfort to those who mourn

When pronouncing the second commandment, the Savior did not mean every cry, but only a person’s cry for his sins. They are promised bliss because without repentance there is no unity with God. This is prevented by human sins.

Video: Gospel of Matthew: 11. Sermon on the Mount. Blessed are those who mourn.

The Holy Fathers speak of repentance as the second salvation. In addition, tears of compassion for one’s neighbor are called blessed.

Christ calls for forgiveness of people’s sins throughout the Sermon on the Mount.

Everyone has sins, so there is no need to boast of imaginary sinlessness, but to repent.

The neighbor needs to have compassion, and only then can the crying person be comforted by entering the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Father opened the heavens to confirm His Son

God said: “This is My beloved Son.” Twice He did this in a voice that everyone present heard. The second time God called Jesus Beloved on Mount Hermon, at the moment of the Transfiguration of the Lord. Mount Hermon is considered the highest in Israel. And the baptism of Jesus was at the lowest point on Earth (430 m below sea level).

Notice that God called Jesus “the Beloved Son” in the lowest place of Israel and in the highest.

That's how it is with our children: talk to them about love not only during their highest achievements, but also when they are at their lowest point. Even if your children fail you, say, “I still love you!”

Do the same with your husband or wife.

Only by knowing how much God loves us can we give our love to our neighbors. We love because God loved us first.

Peter's denial

When Peter denied Christ for the third time and the rooster crowed, Jesus looked at Peter. In the eyes of the Lord it was read: “Peter, I still love you.” And going out, Peter wept loudly.

This broke Peter's heart. The law cannot do this. Words inscribed on stones cannot break a person's heart, but love can.

Jesus rose from the dead. The students fished that day and did not catch anything. But when they did what Jesus said, they could no longer pull out the nets from the multitude of fish.

(John 21:4-5)

And when morning had already come, Jesus stood on the shore; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus says to them: children! do you have any food? They answered Him: no.

The disciples did not recognize Him. But one of them found out.

(John 21:6-7)

He said to them: cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will catch it.
They cast, and could no longer pull out the nets
from the multitude of fish. Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “This is the Lord.” Simon Peter, hearing that it was the Lord, girded himself with clothing - for he was naked - and threw himself into the sea.

A comment!

The fastest perception is for the one who rests in the Lord’s love for him.

(John 21:9)

When they came to the ground, they saw a fire laid out and fish and bread lying on it.

The meaning of the third commandment is submission to God's will and peace with others

The Savior teaches us to be submissive to the will of the Heavenly Father, as He was submissive. Only those who have taken upon themselves the burden of Christ can find peace in both earthly and heavenly life.

Christians, through meekness and humility, without leading a war, were able to convert the vast Roman Empire to the Christian faith.

An example of submission to God is Saint Seraphim of Sarov. He is revered in Rus' not only for the miracles he performed, but also for his humility.

He did not resist the robbers who were weaker than him and allowed himself to be beaten. The saint simply did not dare to break God’s commandments and thereby fall into sin.

Venerable Seraphim of Sarov. Non-canonical icon

Venerable Seraphim of Sarov. The saint is an example of a meek person. When robbers attacked him in the forest, he could have hacked them to death with an ax, but he did not do this, because he was afraid to break the commandment of God.

Until the end of his life, beatings received from robbers, he walked bent over with a stick.

Meek people should not get angry and make other people angry. Such a person will definitely receive earthly blessings and will be able to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Those who rebel against the will of God and their neighbors will not receive this. The Gospel of Matthew says that one cannot even sacrifice in the temple if a person is in a quarrel with someone:

“...leave your gift there before the altar, and go first and be reconciled to your brother...”

(Matt. 5:23)

Second Commandment

God forbids the veneration of idols and idols (any objects, creatures and phenomena of the surrounding world: the sun, moon, stars, animals, plants), as pagans do, and deification of them.

It is worth noting that icons and the saints depicted on them are not idols. Orthodox Christians respect icons as depictions of the image of God, the Mother of God and saints. We pray not to a material object, a board with a picture, but to the one who is depicted on it. Saints are people who set us an example of how we can preach and profess love for the Creator and our neighbors throughout our lives.

Sins against the second commandment:

– man’s deification of his creations and worship of them as a deity (for example: an artist worships his painting as the highest of creations);

– worship of wealth and raising money to a level above God;

– veneration of the icon as a material object.

In the fourth commandment, Christ promises to satisfy those who seek true knowledge of God

This commandment is not about those who constantly complain, conflict with others, are outraged by the actions of the authorities, etc. Jesus Christ here speaks about those people who desire the Highest Truth, that is, life in God. For such people, God's law is more important than all human laws.

An antique bible from the 16th century. The Bible sets forth Divine teaching. The Lord appointed the Church as the bearer of God’s Truth

The Lord gave us the word of God. This is the Bible. It sets forth the Divine teaching. The bearer of God's Truth is the Church. Every Christian should thirst for this truth like a hungry man.

To do this, you need to visit the Temple, read church literature, the Gospel, and pray. As a result, such people receive saturation from the eternal source - our Savior Lord Jesus Christ.

The merciful are blessed and will have mercy: this is what the fifth commandment of Christ says

Charity refers to good deeds towards others. Christ says:

“For if you forgive people their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you...”

(Matt. 6:14.)

God loves everyone and sends good things to everyone. At the same time, he rejoices if the sinner repents.

Last Judgment. V.M. Vasnetsov. Western wall of Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv. 1885 - 1896. The merciful will be justified by good deeds at the Last Judgment

We must do good to our neighbors without expecting a reward for it.

By doing good, we thereby serve God. He will give us the reward himself according to His Will.

The merciful will be able to be justified by their good deeds at the Last Judgment. Those who do not repeat the good will not be able to justify themselves and will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

The sixth commandment speaks of the pure in heart who will see God

Purity of heart in this commandment means spiritual and mental purity. A person must abstain not only from sinful acts, but also from sinful thoughts. A person may not kill another or steal, but still be absolutely sinful.

Video: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5: - Osipov A.I.

Any dark thoughts will subsequently become dark deeds. Only a person with pure thoughts can become closer to God and see him.

He who is unclean will not see the Lord. You can see the Lord only with the help of a pure heart and a pure soul. If they are clouded by sin, then a person will never see God.

Text of the 10 Commandments of God

1. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; Let you have no other gods before Me.

2. Do not make for yourself an idol or any image of anything that is in the sky above, or that is on the earth below, or that is in the water below the earth.

3. Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave without punishment the one who takes His name in vain.

4. Work six days and do all your work; and the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God.

5. Honor your father and your mother, so that your days on earth may be long.

6. Don't kill.

7. Do not commit adultery.

8. Don't steal.

9. Do not bear false witness against your neighbor.

10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house; You shall not covet your neighbor's wife; neither his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's. (Ex. 20, 2-17).

The Seventh Commandment Praises Peacemakers

The eighth commandment from the New Testament tells us that God loves those people who can live in peace with people and reconcile them. The fact is that we are all God’s children and the Heavenly Father needs to see that we all live in peace.

A person who lives in peace with his family, neighbors, and acquaintances is pleasing to God.

The one who conflicts with everyone and incites quarrels is disgusting to Him.

The Good Shepherd (mosaic image on the facade of the Church of the Intercession of the Virgin Mary of the Butyrka prison). Christ of the Saviors with a sheep on his shoulders

Peacemakers are also pleasing to the Lord because their lives resemble the feat of Christ. Jesus, having come to earth and atoned for the sins of mankind, restored ties with God. It was destroyed due to man’s falling away from Him during the Fall.

Commandments of our Lord and God Jesus Christ

Save your souls with your patience

(Luke 21:19).
He who endures to the end will be saved
(Matthew 24:13).

Unshakable patience consists in the fact that a person not only does not get irritated, does not get angry, does not indulge in cowardly murmuring, but endures everything bitter, sorrowful, painful in his life, with humility and self-condemnation, as if standing before the Most High Judge Himself and accepting torture from Him for your sins.

In patience all Christian deeds and virtues are accomplished and through patience are completed. Without patience, nothing good can be done, especially difficult things, and nothing can be done in ordinary life; Moreover, in Christian life one cannot take a single step without patience.

But how to learn patience? We need, with God's help, to decide - to silently endure and endure everything that happens to us, in anticipation of a change for the better. The experiences of life will teach and show how patience is necessary, useful and beneficial for us in all respects; and having learned this, a person will no longer part with patience, will get used to it, and, finally, will feel that with patience it is easier to endure all the hardships of life, especially Christian deeds, and to achieve a quiet refuge, where there is no illness, no sadness, no sighing

. How freely, how joyfully, how joyfully he will breathe then, having sailed across the stormy and many-poor sea of ​​life - when all his qualities and virtues and complete love for God, and deep humility, and heartfelt submission to the Law of God, and perfect devotion to the will of God, and kind To God, purity of soul and heart, and true love for others, and in general the whole-hearted desire to fulfill the commandments of Christ - will be preserved in him and nurtured by unshakable patience! An example of patience is the Lord Himself and all the saints.

* * *

In addition to the generally binding commandments of Christ, there are also His more specific commandments.

1)
About worshiping God in spirit and truth
(John 4:24).

2)
About keeping the shrine
- the sacrament of faith “from enemies” (Matthew 7:6).

3)
On persistence in prayer
(Matthew 7:7–11).

4)
On caution against false prophets
(Matthew 7:15–23).

5)
About listening to the word of God
(Matt. 12:50; Luke 11:28).

6)
About confession
(Matthew 10:32–33).

7)
About spiritual food
(John 6:27–71).

On the dignity and non-seduction of children
(Matt. 18:3–6, 10; Luke 18:15–17).

9)
About sound judgment and peace among Christians among themselves
(Mark 9:50).

10)
About Christian judgment
(Matthew 18:15–17).

11)
About forgiveness
(Matt. 18:21–35; Luke 17:1–4).

12)
About spiritual thirst
(John 7:37–38).

13)
About the knowledge of the truth, and about freedom from slavery to sin
(John 8:36).

14)
About the divorce of spouses
(Matt. 5:32; Mark 10:2–12).

15)
About virginity
(Matthew 19:11–12).

16)
About not giving temptation to your neighbor
(Luke 17:1–2).

17)
About the power of faith
(Mark 11:23–26).

18)
On keeping the soul for eternal life
(Luke 18:18–22; taken down by John 12:25–26).

19)
Salvation from the deceptions of false teachers
(Matt. 24:4; Mark 13:5–6; Luke 21:8).

20)
About imitation of the example of the Savior
(John 13:15–17).

21)
About the modesty of those who do everything commanded
(Luke 17:10).

22)
About the retribution of Caesar's to Caesar, and God's to God
(Matthew 22:21).

23)
About communion
(Matt. 26:26–29; Mark 14:22–25; Luke 22:19–20).

24)
Love, following the example of Christ the Savior, is the Christian banner
(John 13:34–35).

25)
About abiding in Christ the Savior
.

Abide in Me, and I in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it is in the vine, so neither can you unless you are in Me. I am the vine and you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit, for without Me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in Me will be cast out like a branch and wither; and such branches are gathered and thrown into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father will be glorified, if you bear much fruit and become my disciples. Abide in My love. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. You are My friends if you do what I command you

(John 15:4–14).
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved;
and whoever does not believe will be condemned (Mark 16:16).
Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you.
And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen (Matt. 28:19–20).

Having given His disciples all the above commandments, and in His word and example, our Lord and God Jesus Christ at the last supper with them said to them: I have given you an example, so that you should do the same as I did to you.

(John 13:15), and thus obligated all His faithful and true followers to fulfill all His commandments unswervingly.
It is absolutely necessary for us to fulfill the commandments and commands of our Lord and Savior simply because He is our Lord and Savior. It is necessary to fulfill His commandments in order to know through experience the life-giving power and their Divine meaning for our lives: Whoever wants to do the will of God will learn about this teaching, is it from God?
- said the Lord Himself (John 7:17).
It is absolutely necessary to fulfill the commandments of Christ in order to enter into the spirit of Christ, to cleave to Him with your whole being: “he who cleaves,” it is said, “to the Lord becomes one spirit with the Lord,” and thus becomes a true Christian, and whoever cares little about fulfilling, or and does not fulfill them at all, he can never acquire the Spirit of Christ, and, therefore, it will be in vain to bear the title of Christian: whoever does not have the spirit of Christ is not His, not Christ
(Rom. 8:9), not a Christian. So, my beloved brother in the Lord! Pay all your attention to the commandments of Christ, always have them before your eyes and in your hands until you study them, assimilate them to yourself so that they become your eternal property - turn into your flesh and blood. Then it will be easy for you to fulfill them in all the necessary cases of your life, and by fulfilling them, you will be a true follower of your Savior and will undoubtedly receive salvation.

* * *

"Follow Me."

There is one more commandment of the Lord in the Gospel - brief in expression, but comprehensive in meaning - a commandment calling His followers:
follow me
. In conclusion, let us pay attention to it, according to the explanation of St. Tikhon of Zadonsky.

Follow Me

, - said our Lord Jesus Christ to the Apostle Peter (John 21:19). This word also applies to every follower of Christ. The word is very important and impressive because it came from the lips of our Savior Himself.

The importance and power of this word was revealed by Saint Tikhon in the second part of his “Spiritual Treasures Gathered from the World,” in article 46, entitled: “Follow Me.” It happens, he says, that one person, on various occasions, says to another: “follow me.”

Christian! so Christ the Lord says to each of us: follow Me

.
Read St. Gospel, listen to Him, and you will hear His sweetest voice: follow Me
.
I am your Creator, and you are My creation: follow Me
.
I am your King, and you are My subject: follow Me
.
I am your God, clothed in your servile flesh: follow me
.
I came into the world for your sake: follow Me
.
I came to you and for your sake; I, invisible, appeared on earth for you and everyone: follow Me
.
I, unapproachable to the Cherubim and Seraphim, have become approachable to sinners and to you: follow Me
.
I, the Heavenly King, lived on earth for your sake: follow Me
.
I, the omnipotent and omnipotent, for your sake have become weak: follow me
.
Although I was rich, for your sake I became poor, so that through My poverty you might become rich (2 Cor. 8:9): follow Me
.
I, the Lord of glory, for your sake was mocked and dishonored: follow me
.
I, the eternal and ever-present life, for your sake tasted death, the death of the cross: follow me
.
I, who sit on the throne of glory and am worshiped by the angels, praised and glorified, for your sake I was blasphemed by sinners: follow me
.
I, who alone have immortality and live in the unapproachable light, for your sake was counted among the dead and laid in a dark tomb: follow Me
.
I, your Redeemer, your Deliverer, your Savior, Who, not with silver and gold, but with My Blood, redeemed you from the devil, death and hell: follow Me
.
You see My love for you: show your love for your Lover, and lovingly: follow Me
.
Your love benefits you, not Me; just as your dislike harms you, and not Me: follow Me
.

God! What is man that you have known to him? Or the son of a man, as you impute him

– do you think about him?
Man is like vanity
(Ps. 143:3-4).
“I sing to Thee: by hearing, O Lord, I heard and was horrified. You came before me, looking for the lost one. In this way I glorify Your condescension before me, O Most Merciful One!” My heart is ready, God, my heart is ready
. “Help me, O Lord my God, and save me according to Your mercy!”

What, Christian! Do you want to renounce your Lord and Benefactor, Who calls you to Himself, and not follow Him? This is scary and shameless! fearful, so as not to provoke Him to righteous anger, not to fall under His righteous judgment and thus not to perish. Shamelessly: for He is your highest Lover and Benefactor. Tell me, perhaps, if the king of the earth called you to follow him, would you not rush after him with joy, abandoning everything for the sake of small and temporary honor and self-interest? And here the King of kings and Lord of lords, the Heavenly King calls you to follow Him: follow Me!

and calls not to temporary honor, glory and self-interest, but to an eternal life and kingdom, to eternal honor and glory:
follow Me, follow Me
, and I will lead you to My eternal Kingdom, to My heavenly and eternal Father:
no one else will come to the Father, only by Me
(John 14:6).
Sinner! Will you really not give up everything after this and follow Him?! But, after all, He continues to call all sinners: the fornicator, the adulterer and the lover of uncleanness! listen to the voice of the Lord: repent and follow me
.
Evil avenger and killer! listen to the voice of the Lord: repent and follow me
.
Thief, predator, robber and covetous man! listen to the voice of the Lord: repent and follow me
.
A reproacher, a scolder, a slanderer and every slanderer! listen to the voice of the Lord: repent and follow me
.
Liar, deceiver, deceiver and hypocrite! listen to the voice of the Lord (Matthew 24:13): repent and follow me
.
Every sinner who lives in unrepentance! listen to the voice of the Lord: repent and follow me
.
Listen to the voice calling you, listen to the voice of the One who loved you so much, and such a merciful, humane and wonderful providence for you, listen to His voice: repent and follow Me
.

The Lord calls every person: man is My beloved creation! I came down from heaven to raise you up to heaven: follow Me

.
I lived on earth to make you a resident of heaven: follow Me
.
I did not have where to bow my head to bring you to the house of My Heavenly Father: follow Me
.
I worked to bring you into eternal rest: follow Me
.
I became poor that I might make you rich: follow me
.
I cried, was sick, grieved and grieved in order to give you consolation, joy and gladness: follow Me
.
I was blasphemed, mocked and dishonored, so that you, My dishonored creation, could be honored and glorified: follow Me
.
I was bound to loose you from the bonds of sin: follow me
.
I, the Judge of the living and the dead, was judged and condemned in order to save you from eternal judgment: follow Me
.
I was imputed with the wicked to justify you: follow me
.
I tasted death, the death of the Cross, in order to revive you, My creation, killed by the poison of the snake: follow Me
.
I ascended into heaven so that you too could ascend: follow Me
.
I have sat down at the right hand of God the Father, so that you may be glorified: follow me
.
I have become like you in everything, except sin, so that you too may be like Me: follow Me
.
I have taken upon myself your image, so that you too may be conformed to Me: follow Me
.
I came to you to draw you, My dear fallen creature, to Me: follow Me
.
You see, man, the demonstrated love of My for you; You also see My providence for you; for all this I do not demand anything from you, except that you be grateful to Me and follow Me, and thus receive salvation with eternal glory. I want this from you, so may your desire for this be done. Follow Me
, Who hunger and thirst for your salvation, and I will give you My salvation.

Love My poverty, and you will be truly rich. Love My humility, and you will be truly glorious and great. Love My meekness and patience, and through them you will be truly calm and peaceful. Leave the earth and you will have heaven. Leave the world, and you will have God within you. Deny yourself, and you will truly possess yourself. Leave the joys of the flesh and the world, and you will have true consolation. Leave perishable wealth and you will have incorruptible wealth. Leave earthly honor and glory and you will have heavenly glory. Follow Me

, - and you will have everything that your soul desires, but everything is true, incomparably better than what you leave behind.

So, sinful soul! listen and heed the voice of your Lover and Redeemer Jesus; and follow Him, that you may comprehend. Hurry, beloved, hurry while He calls and the doors are open. The sky is open; and publicans, adulterers, and all repentant sinners enter into it. Hurry there too, poor sinner, so that you too will receive the Kingdom of Heaven. The Apostles, Martyrs, Saints, Reverends and all the Saints of God entered there, and are now installed in the abodes of the Heavenly Father. Many people go there now, and those who come and all who follow their sweet Jesus, by His grace, are infused with eternal peace.

My soul! Listen, too, to the voice of the Lord, and cleave to that holy squad: go with them after the Faithful Leader Jesus, so that at the hour of your departure you will hear His voice: “Those who walked the narrow path of sorrow, all in life who took up the cross as if they were a yoke, and who followed Me in faith, Come and enjoy the honors and heavenly crowns that are in store for you.” Christ suffered for us, leave us an image, so that we may follow His footsteps. If He did not commit sin, neither would flattery be found in His mouth. Whoever we reproach against is not reproached, the suffering is not forgiven, but we hand it over to him who judges righteously

, says St.
ap. Peter (1 Pet. 2:21–23). And the Lord Himself said: If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me, and where I am, he will also be My servant
(John 12:26).
He who does not accept his cross and comes after Me is not worthy of Me
(Matthew 10:38).
I am the light of the world: if you walk in Me, you will not have to walk in darkness, but will have the light of life
(John 8:12).

But it also happens that one calls a person, saying: “follow me”; and the other, calling him back to him, also says to him: “Follow me.” This is what Christ says to every Christian: follow Me.

, as stated above; and Satan, the enemy of the human race, calls a person to himself and whispers in his ears: “follow me.” A person hears his whispering as many times as he feels evil and ungodly thoughts rising in his heart: all this is his vile whispering. Oh man! Who should you listen to? Is it Christ your Lord, Who showed such a wonderful providence for you and wants to save you and bring you into His eternal Kingdom, as you saw above? Or the evil whisperer-devil, who wants to take you away from Christ, your Savior, and plunge you into eternal destruction?

Christ is Light; the devil is darkness. Christ is Life, the devil is death. Christ is the Truth; The devil is a lie and the father of lies. Christ is your Lover; the devil is your enemy. Christ is your Benefactor; the devil is your evildoer. Christ is the true and highest good; the devil is extreme evil. Christ is your Savior; the devil is your destroyer. Christ wants to save you, for this is why he came into the world, for your sake; the devil wants to destroy you forever. Christ wants to give you eternal life; the devil wants to kill you forever. Christ wants to bring you into His eternal Kingdom; the devil wants to lead you with him into eternal torment. Christ wants to enrich you forever; the devil wants to make you poor forever. Christ wants to glorify you forever; the devil wants to shame you. Christ wants to honor you forever; the devil wants to dishonor you forever.

You see that there is Christ and that there is the devil; and - why does he whisper to you, and - recalls you from Christ - your Lord - after himself. He wants to destroy you forever, just as he himself is in destruction. This is his trick! This is his intention against us! renounce, renounce, beloved, this evil whisperer, and spit on him, as you did at holy baptism. And, having turned away from that charming man, turn to Christ your Lord, and follow Him with faith and truth, as you promised Him in baptism. - He is your God, your Lord, your Lover, your Benefactor, your eternal Life, your ever-present Light, your true and eternal bliss, without Whom we cannot be blessed either in this age or in the future. “Come and cleave to your Lord, according to the words: It is good for me to cleave to God!”

(Ps. 72:28).

But, despite the fact that the devil is a destroyer, many listen to him and follow him in great crowds. - Fornicators, adulterers and all lovers of uncleanness are coming. The memory-lovers, the misanthropes, the murderers and those who shed human blood are coming. There come those who oppose their parents, do not honor them, and curse them. Thieves, predators, robbers, bribery judges are coming, withholding the wages of mercenaries and stealing other people's property - with all manner of untruth and flattery. Slanderers, scolders and everyone come, with their tongues like a sword, beating and wounding their neighbors, Drunkards and sensualists are coming. The wicked, the cunning, the deceivers, and all those who deceive their neighbor are coming. All sorts of lawless people are coming, corrupted by their lives, opposing the word of God. Finally, those who have loved this age come, those who philosophize on earth and not on heaven

who love to live in the pride and pomp of this World.
In a word: all those who do not care about God and the word of God go - their hearts cleave to earthly things, and they are negligent about their eternal salvation, acquired by the blood of Christ: all such follow in the footsteps of Satan. This Apostolic word befits all such: behold, some have become corrupted after Satan
(1 Tim. 5:15) For all such are ashamed (disgraced) of the words of Christ and of Christ Himself, - they fear (are terrified) of Him - humble, mocked, dishonored and move away from Him; but they want to be with the famous. They do not want to be with Him here in this world and follow Him; however, they want to be participants in His Kingdom, which is an impossible thing. “Whoever is with us here in the world will be with us in the next century.”

O man who bears the name of Christ, but follows Satan! Remember what denials and vows you made in baptism - how you denied Satan and all his works, and all his pride - how you spat on him - how you walked away from him; and how he came to Christ, - as he promised and swore an oath - to work for Him with faith and truth, - to follow Him - with humility and love, as a bride follows the groom. Where are your denials now? where are the vows? where is the oath? where is the work of Christ? Where is following Him? You lied to God, not to man

. You left God, not man. You left the light and loved the darkness. You left your stomach and loved (chose) death.

Remember this and turn to Christ, your Savior. Flee from the deceiver as Israel did from Pharaoh. And although he will pursue you, because he has lost his prey; but be bold, and from the depths of your heart sigh to the all-powerful Jesus, so that he will not remember your iniquities and help you. He, who died for you, is waiting for you, and with joy - with merciful embraces - will embrace you like the prodigal son (Luke 15:20). And when you are freed from the hard work of your tormentor, you will joyfully sing a victorious song to your Helper: He will be my Helper and Protector for salvation: this is my God, and I will glorify Him, God my Father, and I will exalt Him

(Ex. 15:2).
The angels in heaven will also rejoice over you: for there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents
(Luke 15:10).

The Eighth Commandment speaks of those who were persecuted for the sake of righteousness

Christians know that Truth is the Lord. That is why He is also called the Sun of Truth. For him, for the Truth, Christians accepted and accept suffering.

That is why the path of a Christian is considered the path of a warrior of Christ. Even if there is no persecution or oppression, a Christian is always forced to fight sin.

Ilya Glazunov. Eternal Russia. The period of persecution of Orthodoxy in Russia during the Soviet era is an example of the commandment about those expelled for their faith

Many of those around him do not accept a righteous lifestyle. Therefore, a believer can be subject to ridicule and reproach. That is why the Lord promises the Kingdom of Heaven to those who suffered for the truth.

Third Commandment

It is forbidden to pronounce the name of God without reverence or between words in conversation. In biblical times, God and the names He bore were inextricably linked. And if the Lord is holy, then His name is holy, which must be treated with reverence and reverence.

Sins against the third commandment:

– frivolous use of an oath in ordinary conversations;

– blasphemy and blasphemy (when they talk about God jokingly and mockingly);

- violation of oaths given to God.

The Eighth Commandment Begets the Ninth

The ninth commandment of Jesus Christ is a continuation of the eighth. The fact is that persecution for the truth is usually accompanied by persecution for the faith. The highest manifestation of love for the Lord is the desire to sacrifice life for Him.

This desire is called martyrdom. All martyrs for the faith have a high reward, and the Savior himself showed them the way.

Forty Martyrs of Sebaste XVIII century. Moscow. The Sebastian martyrs are an example of the behavior of a true Christian

There will always be martyrs for the faith. Even if a person lives in a Christian country, he can become a victim of prejudices that the Church has not yet defeated, which is why the Lord promises the martyrs the Kingdom of Heaven.

In addition, when the Antichrist comes to earth, he will persecute Christians and we must be prepared for this.

Other Commandments of Jesus Tell About Christian Morality

During the Sermon on the Mount, the Savior pronounced several more commandments. They form the moral basis of Christianity. Some of the commandments have become catchphrases.

This is how “you can’t see the beam in your own eye” is often said when responding to unfair reproaches. However, many do not even know where this expression came from.

Video: Sermon on the Mount. Interpretation of the Gospel of Luke.

It is best to study the full text of the Sermon on the Mount, rather than individual commandments.

The fact is that if you memorize certain expressions, for example, “they do not destroy rust and where are the thieves” or “when you give alms, do it secretly,” then you cannot always understand the meaning of the other commandments.

The commandments themselves are not subject to judgment and therefore their text cannot be distorted. The New Testament honors everything that was said by the ancients.

If something is unclear, you should contact a priest. He, as by virtue of his rank, sees the secret, will be able to explain the meaning of any commandment of Christ.

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