One Degree to Another
At our church right now, we are working through the Gospel of Matthew. I’ve enjoyed preaching through this moving narrative of the life of Jesus the last six months. A few months ago we came to the Beatitudes, which I was glad to do because there is so much good literature out there to survey. While I was looking forward to pulling out some classics like Thomas Watson and Martyn Lloyd-Jones, I gained a lot of help, encouragement, and perspective from Collin Smith’s new book Momentum: Pursuing God’s Blessing through the Beatitudes. His work digs into what Jesus meant in each statement and provides rich insight into how his words should change and shape our lives.
While I have five pages of quotes copied down from this incredible work, these were my favorite quotes from Momentum.
“According to Jesus, the greatest blessings are not found in the places where we normally look, but rather in places that, at first, we may not be inclined to explore.” (12)
“A Christian is known by the distinguishing marks set out by Jesus. But these marks are the evidence of new life in Christ, not its cause.” (15)
“Whenever you see your own need or feel your own failure, use that moment of insight to cling more tightly, more gratefully, and more joyfully to Jesus Christ and all that He has accomplished on the cross for you. And then be thankful that the reason you see your sins and failings so clearly, and even painfully, is that the Holy Spirit lives in you and that He is calling you to step forward in the path of progress.” (19)
“Pride is always self-seeking and it is easily provoked.” (42)
“Christians know their own poverty. They look to Jesus for what they do not have, and find in Him all that they need.” (47)
“If a particular sin has become habitual for you or you would describe yourself as addicted to a certain form of behavior, you need to learn all that you can about spiritual mourning.” (51)
“A form of faith that leaves a person essentially unchanged is not worthy of the name of our Lord.” (52)
“No Christian could bear to know the full extent of his or her sin if all were revealed at the same time.” (55)
“How can you obey the command of God in Ephesians 5:21 if you have not committed yourself clearly and publicly to a gathered community of believers?” (76)
“Seeing your own sins clearly will make you kinder and gentler toward the sins and faults of others. Remembering how often you have been mistaken will keep you from insisting on your own way and lead you to listen to others, giving weight to what they say.” (84)
“You never know the strength of another person’s temptation. If you were able to stand in the shoes of a brother, and feel the strength of a particular temptation as he experiences it in his life, you might come to the conclusion that he is doing better in the battle than you would have done.” (85)
“The purpose of the passion of Jesus is that we should have a passion for the pursuit of righteousness. Christ died to redeem a people who no longer live for themselves but who live with a deep desire to pursue holiness, which is a distinguishing mark of every Christian.” (97)
“Christians are fully righteous and hungry for righteousness–and there is no contradiction between these two realities.” (98)
“Choose the wrong thirsts and you will never be satisfied.” (102)
“If we think more about the heavy burdens others may carry and the strong temptations they may face, we will grow in mercy. Always remember that if you were carrying your brother’s burden or facing your sister’s temptation, you might struggle and fail more than they do.” (119)
“When you are in the presence of Jesus, there won’t be a trace of sin in you, on you, or around you. You will reflect the purity of your Savior, but you will do it as the moon reflects the light of the sun. Holiness is God’s alone, and the purity that you will enjoy forever comes in its entirety from him.” (135)
“Your enemy the devil will always try to remind you of who you were, but Christ tells you who you are.” (152)
“Satan stirs up strife, quarreling, conflict, and division in the hearts of men and once he gets the flames going, he warms himself at the contention that burns in the human heart.” (157)
“Don’t let small resentments take root because, if you do, they will grow.” (165)
“Those who follow Christ will be blessed by God and hated by the world. There don’t seem to be any exceptions.” (177)
Related Posts:
“The Best Quotes from The Meaning of Marriage“
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