Christ’s Message to the World 
Matthew 5:1-7:28
Jim Davis
Jesus entered a beleaguered religious world. Jesus was born into a world where the Caesars claimed to be gods. Temples were erected to promote worship to the Caesars. Just to make sure they had all their bases covered an altar was erected to the unknown god (Acts 17:23). The Jews endless religious debates compounded the confusion. Jesus’ strongest rebuke was against the teachers of the law and the Pharisees.

Matthew 23:15-16
15 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are. 

16 "Woe to you, blind guides! NIV
It is shocking. Those seeking to lead souls to God were blinded by their own ignorance. It is scary to think the religious atmosphere in the Jewish temple where Jesus worshipped left people so confused. They had no clue the Messiah was in attendance. 
It is hard to fathom. John the Baptist heralds Christ as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:22-31). And this makes John’s last question just before he was beheaded mind boggling. 
Matthew 11:2-3
When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" NIV 

Imagine! God sends John to prepare the way for Christ. And John asks this question in the final hours of his life. It would seem the one preparing the way for Christ would have a clearer picture. He is as confused as anyone. It is the direct result of the religious and political turmoil surrounding Christ. Looking back today it seems to be an ongoing never ending confusion throughout the ages. 
Today religious confusion leaves us questioning the very nature and purpose of Christianity—the very nature of God. How can we clear up the mass confusion? It would be helpful to start where Jesus began. He began dealing with the issues of the heart as he revealed God through his humanity (John 14:9-14). 
Understanding the Confusion
Christ began his ministry seeking to establish the kingdom of God in the hearts of men and women. He went out preaching the kingdom of heaven is near. Yet, there was as much confusion about the kingdom of God in his day as there is about churches today. It is hard to speak of the kingdom of heaven or kingdom of God or the church without throwing us into confusion. 
The Jews were expecting the kingdom of God to come as a neo-political world order. They were expecting a Messiah who would set up an earthly kingdom to overrule the political order. They were looking for signs to signal its coming, but it was already present.  
Luke 17:20-21
20 Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, 21 nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you."  NIV

John the Baptist was as confused about the kingdom as we are about the church. It is all because we fail to understand the nature of God’s kingdom. We refer to the assembly of believers in a given locale in New Testament times as a church. We translate the Greek word for assembly (ekklesia) with the word church. In New Testament times the word simply referred to an assembly of people. Yet, we spend our time seeking to recreate and redefine the characteristics of the church/assembly.

The word kingdom has to do with the rule of God in the hearts of those assembled to worship God. Jesus doesn’t begin his teaching seeking to describe the characteristics of an assembly or church. He begins his ministry describing the nature of God’s rule in the hearts of those seeking God. He begins with a vision of a new world order. It begins with God ruling in one heart at a time. Jesus’ teaching challenges the heart issues of those assembled to worship God. This is where the confusion lies. 

The kingdom of God was never more than the rule of God in the hearts of men and women. Whenever and wherever God rules our hearts his kingdom reigns. The kingdom of God was already spreading as Jesus spoke to those in search of the kingdom. God was working as silently in the hearts of men and women as salt that spreads its influence through a pot of stew. 

Too often our focus never goes beyond the church. We may end up only worshipping a way of doing church. We may spend our time building churches while missing the message of Christ altogether. In essence we may only worship our ideas of what we think the church should be. Sadly, we spend our days looking for a place to worship and fail to focus on the one who is seeking to establish his abode in our hearts. 

The Samaritan woman was concerned about where to worship. Jesus seeks to change her focus from a place to worship. He points her to the One who is to be worshipped. He sought to focus her on the true nature of worship.

John 4:19-24
19 "Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem." 

21 Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."  NIV 

This woman reminds us of our quest. Where should we worship? Jesus doesn’t encourage the woman to run from one mountain to another to worship. He did tell her she didn’t know what she worshipped. He told her a day was coming when worship would not be done in either place. What if Jesus told us that we didn’t know what we worshipped? What if I told you that a day may be coming when worship will not be done in the church building where you are worshipping or in the church across the street? You may get upset. But there are a lot of empty church buildings and cathedrals. 

This is why Jesus wasted no time focusing her on the true nature of worship. True worshippers will worship God in spirit and in truth. Jesus changes her focus from the place to worship to the matter of the heart. We might ask, what does it mean to worship God in spirit? Do I look for a church service to create a spiritual mood for me? 

Those first Christians were always reminded that they themselves made up the temple of God. They were the living temple of God in whom God dwelled. 

1 Corinthians 3:16-17
16 Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? 17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple. NIV

1 Peter 2:4-6
4 As you come to him, the living Stone — rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 
NIV

God is not trying to get us into a place of worship; he is seeking to carve out a place in our hearts as his dwelling place. Believers make up a holy priesthood through whom God, Christ and the Holy Spirit rein. Christians are God’s temple. That is where true worship begins. Christians are a kingdom of priest (Revelation 1:6; 5:10). The beautiful thing about God is he is always present in the heart of a Christian. 

It will take more than reimaging the church to change hearts. God desires to recreate his image in my heart.

Worshipping God in Spirit

Matthew’s gospel reveals how Jesus began his ministry in the midst of all the confusion. It is really where we must begin. 

In Matthew 4:17 Jesus began preaching the kingdom of God is at hand. In the next three chapters of Matthew’s gospel, Matthew gives us a firsthand view of Jesus’ description of the kingdom of God. Matthew chapter five through chapter seven is actually Jesus’ condensed version of the entire biblical teaching on the nature of God’s rule in the hearts of humanity. It is a summation of all the law and the prophets. In reality it is a clear description of the nature of God. It is the life Christ desires to bring to life in each of his followers. It is the only way to salvage life on planet earth and eternally. 

It was on this mountainside that Jesus revealed how God is sought in spirit and in truth. Jesus describes for us the spirit of those entering his kingdom and the truth designed to create this spirit as we are led into God’s kingdom by the truth. 

Matthew 5:1-12
5:1 Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them, saying: 

3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, 
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 
4 Blessed are those who mourn, 
for they will be comforted. 
5 Blessed are the meek, 
for they will inherit the earth. 
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, 
for they will be filled. 
7 Blessed are the merciful, 
for they will be shown mercy. 
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, 
for they will see God. 
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, 
for they will be called sons of God. 
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, 
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

11 "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. NIV
Jesus has just described the spirit with which we must seek God. Those who come to God with this spirit are in a perfect mindset to be led by God’s truth. The kingdom of God is prepared and made possible for those who humbly mourn over their spiritual poverty as they hunger and thirst after God’s justice to be as merciful and as pure in heart as God. These individuals will inherit the kingdom of God and all the comfort it affords. They will truly inherit the earth as they enjoy the greatest spiritual blessings God has to offer. They will be called the children of God. They shall see God. 
Jesus assures us that if we begin seeking God with this spirit we will find him (Matthew 7:7-8).  If we seek God’s truth with the spirit Jesus describes we can be reborn by the power of Almighty God as a child of God. 

Seeking God in spirit has to do with a spiritual hunger for God? If we lack this hunger, simply read the remainder of Jesus’ teaching on the mountainside. The truth he reveals is designed to reveal our spiritual poverty. Truth is designed to create the spiritual thirst needed to seek God. Just listen to God’s truth in the remainder of Jesus Sermon in the next couple of chapters. Allow his truth to create this spirit within your heart. 
Most of us already have a deep gnawing hunger. We just haven’t recognized it as a spiritual hunger. We have a hunger that cannot be filled with anything this world has to offer. We seek one pursuit after another and continually come up empty. Seeking to fill it with anything but God leaves our lives in a constant state of upheaval. This hunger is usually misdirected. We are in constant pursuit of a higher standard of living economically. We find little or no satisfaction as it is attained. We pursue one interest after another and cry out with Solomon, all is vanity as we become tired and bored. Just look around in the world—spiritual hunger is pervasive. It is just not recognized as spiritual hunger.   
Seeking God brings us face to face with our spiritual poverty. The truth Jesus reveals allows us to see our deepest need. The truth he reveals has the power to influence and change the world. Responding to Jesus’ teaching allows us to reflect God’s presence in a dark world.
Matthew 5:13-16
13 "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. 

14 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. NIV

Read the remainder of Christ’s teaching on the mountainside and draw your own conclusions about the life God desires to give you. As you do this, think about how Jesus’ teaching has the potential of not only salvaging your life but also life as we know it on planet earth. It succinctly sums up the nature of Christianity.
As we read Jesus’ sermon we will probably see a stark contrast in how we live and how Jesus says we should live. We shouldn’t run and hide from the truth. We must allow the truth to create in us the very spiritual hunger necessary for worship. Jesus simply endeavors to reveal the truth in order for us to see our spiritual poverty. 
If we look at the remainder of what Jesus says in the sermon and realize our lives are out of sync with God, don’t panic. God already knows more about you than you will ever know about yourself. Be sure you don’t try coming to God by searching for a new mountain on which to worship God. Simply come to God just as you are from where you are. To do otherwise would only divert your attention away from the really important stuff. Humbly ask God to forgive you for whatever is lacking. Christ died to assure us safe passage into the arms of God. Ask God to open your heart to real change that would allow him to rule your life as Lord. Accept God’s forgiveness for what is lacking in your life. Accept God’s forgiveness for all the bad choices you have made. You are more important to God than the sum of all the mistakes you have made. You are more important to God than all the problems you have created. Begin seeking his will. God will begin revealing himself to you through his Spirit as he reins in your heart to establish his kingdom on earth. 
Where Does It All Begin?
Recognizing and accepting our spiritual poverty begins with respect for God’s law. Jesus didn’t seek to do away with the Law of Moses; he came revealing the living precepts of the law. Jesus’ sermon was directed to those who thought they knew the law of God, but didn’t know God. Jesus tried to assure them he wasn’t abolishing the law—in essence he reveals the law in this sermon simply and clearly. It is here that he challenges the religious and nonreligious alike.  
Matthew 5:17-20
17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. NIV
Matthew describes how Jesus reveals the very heart of God’s law. He doesn’t just reveal the rules of the law. He reveals the precepts of the law in living splendor. These precepts give birth to the rule of law. To violate the precepts is to violate the very basis of every law of God. These precepts reveal the very heart of God—the nature of God. They reveal the life that must spring up in every heart. It gives us a firsthand view of the spirit with which we must come to God.
It is the very spirit of God’s law Jesus describes in Matthew chapter five through chapter seven that gives rise to Christianity as it is revealed through the remainder of the New Testament. Take these precepts out of the New Testament and everything collapses. It may define why so many churches are collapsing. 
The law of God is about honoring God and man. The Ten Commandments revolve around two major precepts—honoring God and honoring those made in God’s image. The first part of the law is about giving God priority. Matthew 5:3-12 reveal how we do this as we hunger and thirst for God above all else. The remainder of Jesus’ teaching in this sermon is about how we honor and worship God through our relationships with others.
It Begins with Personal Relationships
It begins with understanding our need to control our anger through forgiveness. When I begin to control my anger through forgiveness, I experience the very nature of God’s forgiveness toward me. 
Matthew 5:21-26
21 "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca,' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell. 

23 "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. 

25 "Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 26 I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. NIV
It begins with honoring our sexuality through marriage. 
Matthew 5:27-32
27 "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.'   28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell. 

31 "It has been said, 'Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.'   32 But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery. NIV
It begins with speaking the truth.
Matthew 5:33-37
33 "Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.' 34 But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. 
It begins with a merciful attitude toward the unmerciful.
Matthew 5:38-42
38 "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.'   39 But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41 If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. NIV

It begins with love for our enemies.

Matthew 5:43-48
43 "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. NIV

Are you beginning to feel as though you may not be measuring up? Don’t run and hide. Jesus didn’t speak these things to make you run and hide. DON”T PANIC read on—there is a solution.

It begins in privacy with God. 

Matthew 6:1-4
6:1 "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 

2 "So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. NIV

Matthew 6:5-8
5 "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 

It begins with God’s desires becoming my desires as I seek the rule of God’s kingdom to come into the world through my heart. 

Matthew 6:9-18
9 "This, then, is how you should pray: 

"'Our Father in heaven, 
hallowed be your name, 
10 your kingdom come, 
your will be done 
on earth as it is in heaven. 
11 Give us today our daily bread. 
12 Forgive us our debts, 
as we also have forgiven our debtors. 
13 And lead us not into temptation, 
but deliver us from the evil one.' 

14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. 

16 "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. NIV

We are to pray for God’s kingdom to come, but it begins with forgiving as we are forgiven as we seek to overcome our temptations. 
It begins with seeking the rule of God in my heart as my first priority.
Matthew 6:19-34
19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 

22 "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! 

24 "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. 

25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 

28 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. NIV
It begins by being as merciful in my judgments against others as I want God to be to me. 
Matthew 7:1-6
7:1 "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 

3 "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. 

6 "Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces. NIV

It begins with trusting God to reveal his truth to me one precept at a time.  

Matthew 7:7-11
7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. 

9 "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! NIV
It begins and ends by living by the Golden Rule
Matthew 7:12
12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. NIV

If you have trouble understanding God’s law, it is here that Jesus sums up the entire purpose of God’s law. This Golden Rule allows me to make sense of the entire scope of biblical teaching. We all want to be on the receiving end of everything taught in this sermon. We want people to be truthful to us, we want to be honored in our marriages, we want others to forgive us, we want others to be merciful to us, etc. Now turn all this around and seek to do for others the very things you want them to do for you. This sums up man’s responsibility to man. It sums up how I truly worship God. It sums up my spiritual poverty.

This is where we begin to make sense of all of God’s laws. It is where we begin to understand what salvation is about. It is the only way to salvage life for now and eternally. The difference in living like this and not living like this is—the difference between creating a hellish environment in which to live—and salvaging life presently and eternally. 
It begins with making a deliberate choice about life. 
Matthew 7:13-20
13 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. 

15 "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. 

Conclusion:

Jesus’ conclusion is this:

Matthew 7:21-29
21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23 Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' 

24 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."  

28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law. NIV

Jesus succinctly sums up God’s law as he defines the nature of Christianity. He seeks to clear up any confusion we might have about what it means to become a Christian. I don’t have to look beyond the golden rule to understand my spiritual poverty—my need to be led by the truth Jesus reveals is unmistakable. 

We Must Come to Christ 

Jesus teaching in Matthew 5-7 reveals how we can come to Christ. We must come to God spiritually hungering for God as we are led by his truth. It may require dying to everything we once held as sacred. 

John 12:24-26
24 I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25 The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me. NIV

We have a choice.

Deuteronomy 10:12-13
12 And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to observe the LORD's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good? NIV

Deuteronomy 30:19-20
Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. 

Matthew 11:28
28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and [spiritually] burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." 

We must accept Christ’s forgiveness for our spiritual poverty as we trust God to establish his rule in our hearts. Our sins were as much a part of nailing Christ to the cross as those who drove the nails into his hand.

Acts 2:36-47
36 "Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah." 
    37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" 
    38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call." 
    40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. 
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. NIV