Welcome to Prayer Closet Images

Welcome to Prayer Closet Images the home of Joan Dance Paintings. On today, we have for your viewing pleasure the

image, “Marching To Zion”. In the image it can be seen that there are four separate images that make one image when

viewing as a whole. The image shows a man in the process of marching upwards. It is suggested that the man is actually

“Marching To Zion”. This portrays our journey from this world to the next, for when we arrive at the end of this journey, there

lies the next life, and that next life is one that is everlasting.

What Is So Important About The Sermon On The Mount?

It has been said that the Sermon on the Mount contains the most important teachings of Jesus of Nazareth.

These teachings are not a new law or moral teaching, but a guide to the heart of discipleship. These teachings are not

theoretical or theological but quite practical. They are a call to unconditional forgiveness, renunciation of violence,

faithfulness in marriage, and freedom from pride.

More Than These

The sermon on the mount is more than just these above mentioned, it is the communication of the foundation of the

Christian faith. Internalizing this foundation saves us from the storms of life that are sure to materialize.

True Righteousness, True Worship, and True Judgment

The Three Fold division of the Foundation is, True Righteousness, True Worship, and True Judgment.

True Righteousness

True Righteousness is divided into, Righteousness, What it is, how it comes, and how it works in real life.

Righteousness, What It Is

What it is, an Attitude, or more precisely four Attitudes.

Our Attitude about, Our Selves, our Sins, the Lord, and the World.

Our Attitude About Our Selves

What should be our attitude about ourselves ?

Seriously Humble

We should be seriously humble, in our gifts and talents, and in out measure of

faith.

We are to be “poor in spirit”, or humble, since we did not make ourselves, God made us.

Poor in spirit has been mistranslated over the years as simply poor, Poor in spirit is actually the opposite of rich in spirit

which translates as arrogance. We should be humble because we did not make ourselves, the Lord God made us, we are

His children.

Our Gifts And Talents

We are to always be abiding in our Gifts and Talents. Gifts are to be used in the context of the church

and talents are to be used to produce our livelihood. Gifts include, administration, being an Apostle, discernment, evangelism, exhortation, faith, giving, healing, helps, hospitality, knowledge, leadership, mercy, prophecy, serving, tongues, teaching, and wisdom.

Our Measure Of Faith

Our Measure of Faith constitutes the amount of faith that the Good Lord has given us, some more than others, we have our

measure allotted to each of us.

Our Sins

What should be our attitude about our sins ? We should morne over them, confess them to God, turn from them, and turn to

the Lord God.

Our Attitude About The Lord

What should be our attitude about The Lord ? We should love the Lord God with all of our heart and soul and mind and

strength and we should love our neighbor as ourselves. Our Neighbor being the one that has compassion upon us. We are

to be good neighbors and have compassion on others as well.

Our Attitude About The World

What should be our attitude about the World ? We should realize that the world will persecute us for our preference of the

Lord God, We should rejoice and be exceedingly glad for so they also did persecute the holy men of old. The Lord God

Himself will give us a blessing.

How Righteousness comes

Holding these attitudes verified through the scriptures, brought by the Man of God, they work themselves out in real life.

Righteousness comes by the Man of God.

How Righteousness Works In Real Life

Anger Devolves Into Murder

We are allowed to see how Anger devolves into Murder,

Lust Develops Into Adultery

Lust develops into Adultery,

Adultery Works Itself Into Divorce

Adultery works itself
into Divorce.

Our Nae Is Nae

We can see how our nae is nae, we can answer questions put to us with a simple no.

Our Yea Is Yea

Our yea is yea, we can answer questions put to us with a simple yes.

Anything Other Than These Two Are From The Evil One

Anything other than these two are from the evil one. To answer with a creation of the answer constitute a made up answer.

We Turn The Other Cheek

We are allowed to develop a non-violent way of living, and we turn the other cheek as a demonstration that an eye for an

eye leaves the world blind but the application of love never fails. It becomes worthwhile to suffer for saving of a soul.

Love Even Enemies

Lastly we apply love to everything, even our enemies, the application of love encompasses all things, transforming even

bitter enemies into close friends.

True Worship

True worship is Giving, Praying, Fasting, and the use of Wealth.

The division of these are,

Giving

Giving is, simply put, an Offering. In the church the offering is a means of supplying the needs of the church. The other

method of supplying the church is the tithe, or the giving to the church ten percent of one’s income. The idea is to partner

with the Lord and the ten percent is the cost of Partnering with the Ruler of the Universe. An offering can only be given after

the tithe has been received. An offering then is an amount over the tithe.

Praying

Praying is simply communicating with God, with you doing the communicating and then waiting on a response from God.

Jesus gave us the model for this communication called the model prayer. Our Father which art in heaven hallowed be thy

name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven, Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our

trespasses, as we forgive those that trespass against us. And deliver us from all evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the

power, and the glory, forever amen.

Fasting

Fasting is necessary sometimes for there must be payment here in the material for the spiritual things that need to be done. Fasting is a way to pay for those things. We give up something here in the material, and not always food, but always something that we would rather have but we give up for the spiritual thing that we are praying for.

The Use Of Wealth

The use of wealth is the correct use of the tithe. Tithing of the tenth to the church forms a worshipful relationship with the

Lord and the Church. The ten percent is a minimum amount to be given to the church, there is no out-giving God, God is the

owner of the cattle on a thousand hills. He owns it all. The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and all they

that dwell therein. He can pour you out a blessing that you will not have room to receive.

True Judgment

Judge Not

The division of Judgment begins with the admonition to judge not, and be not judged for where with the same judgment that

is judged it shall be judged unto you. Meaning that judging is usually applying the thing that you would have done, or the

things that you have done to the one that is judged. Therefore, the judgment points the finger at the one doing the judging.

Judge Yourself

We are to instead Judge Ourselves. We can judge our self through this foundation to begin with, and then as we go through

the building of the “House of God” we further judge ourselves through the Word of God. The House of God explanations are

the explanations that follow this foundational material.

Judge Others Only To Help

We then are in a position to Judge others but then only to help the other.

The Golden Rule

We are to do unto others as we would have others do unto us.

Pray For Wisdom And Discernment

We are to also pray for wisdom and discernment. The scripture says that when we pray for wisdom then the Lord God will

give us Wisdom in abundance. Discernment is to be able to tell good from evil.

Two Paths

Lastly we are to consider the two paths, the two trees, and the two foundations.

The wide and narrow paths go to different destinations. The straight and narrow although hard, goes to heaven and life,

while the wide path that can hold more things, goes to the place of death.

Two Trees

The two trees show fruitfulness and barrenness. We are to be fruit inspectors, there will be false prophets, you will know

them by their fruit. Examine those that say they are doing the Lord God’s will. Those that are truly doing the work of God will

show fruit from the labor, those that are false prophets will show barrenness from their labors. You will know them by their

fruit.

Two Foundations

The two foundations are sand and rock, with these sayings being rock, and the world being sand.

Jesus has said that the doing of these sayings will cause the disciple to survive the storm that is sure to come upon us all.

Conclusion

These sayings make up our foundation that is then said to be built upon the Rock. Doing these sayings assembles our true

foundation that the storms of life will assail, but will not wash out and allow our house to collapse.