Edna Lister’s Sermons, 1933

The Beatitudes
Edna Lister transcript, January 29, 1933, Tacoma, WA. Clarissa A. Watkins, scribe. Matthew 5:1-12.

  “Seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”–Matthew 5:1-12.
  The Beatitudes are the opening premises of the Sermon on the Mount, which Jesus meant to serve as our basis for daily living. You may interpret scripture in many ways. After the Hebrew Masoretic 1 Bible came the Greek Septuagint Bible, which was diluted over five translations. Then the Roman Church produced the Latin Vulgate. Later, others translated the Authorized King James Version from the original Hebrew and Greek.
  A full interpretation of scripture requires some knowledge of Kabbalah, which is the field of study that examines Hebrew mysticism. Kabbalah is to the whole world of religion what Blackstone 2 is to the world of law. Yet the mysteries of Kabbalah are but poorly understood at best. Jesus was a premier Kabbalist, a master of Hebrew law and mysteries.
  The Beatitudes open the mysteries of the New Testament. Each Beatitude is an opportunity to lift self, which provides a chance to enfold and lift the past. The Beatitudes teach you to be filled with soul illumination, not only in the silence, but in the idea of being open-minded, to become a peacemaker and ascension pacesetter.
  “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”–Matthew 5:3. The word “poor” really means humble, or open-minded. “Spirit” is a gloss, which means addenda or supplement, as in the letter of the law versus the spirit of the law. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.”–Matthew 6:33. When you become a master of life, your family relationships are no longer more important to you than your relationship to God, the Source of all Being.
  A band of twenty wealthy women always traveled with Jesus. Their financial support creatively lifted the burden of paying for his traveling ministry. They were creators. You are also a creator, always creating something. However, your resistance, resentment, opinions, and prejudices may bar you from making perfect creations.
  “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”–Matthew 5:4. To mourn means to hunt for someone or some problem or situation to lift, which drives you to the Source and to further spiritual awakening.
  “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”–Matthew 5:5. The idea of meekness, like humble or poor, is a keynote of the Beatitudes. To be meek means to work in silence within and not talk about it, to remain silent under fire. When the guns are firing and the criticism is flying, work in silence to be the instrument God uses to send forth the healing Power.
  “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.”–Matthew 5:6. When you do hunger and thirst for righteousness, after the right use of Power, you shall be filled. Vicissitudes come to make you hunger and thirst after righteousness. To conquer self, you must declare, “I care not what comes from the outside. This one thing I do. I press on to the mark of my high calling.”
  “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.”–Matthew 5:7. Merciful [mercy-full] means that mercy overflows. Declare, “Every piece of bread I have sent forth is returning to me, spread with butter and jam. No prayer, blessing or thought I have sent forth is lost, but it shall pay me in increased dividends.” What you do will return to you, which explains the golden rule. Only your own hardened crystallized thoughts keep the bread you cast on the waters from returning to you. In other words, your chickens really do come home to roost.
  “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”–Matthew 5:8. The very name of Christ invokes Power. Whatever comes, declare, “In the name of Jesus the Christ, this is the sign that what I am asking for is here now.” You must know that your good is at hand, imminent. Hold onto the big picture of your goal steadfastly and declare it good, even when the situation seems the most barren and bleak.
  “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.”–Matthew 5:9. Love brings peace, and peace is the universal keynote. When you live in peace, your attitude is serenity. You are always releasing Power, in varying degrees. How you use Power in your thoughts, emotions and pictures of imagination determines what the Power you release does in the outer world.
  “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”–Matthew 5:10. If someone persecutes you, pour out love on him. If he persists, thank God for the additional opportunity to pour out more love. Thus, you fill your own form faster and your own good is added to you sooner.
  “Blessed are you, when they revile and persecute you, and shall say all kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake.”–Matthew 5:11. If you are thus driven, if you live amid a great deal of strife, it signals that your headlights are showing. Light stirs all the darkness to the foundations of a soul. Lift the others onto a cloud continent of Light for healing, and thus earn your reward. Declare, “This one thing I do. This is my hour of fulfillment.”

1 The Masoretic text is universally accepted as the authentic Hebrew Bible. Septuagint: The earliest extant Greek translation of the Old Testament from the original Hebrew, presumably made for the use of the Jewish community in Egypt when Greek was spoken throughout the region.

2 Blackstone: The Commentaries on the Laws of England is an influential 18th-century treatise on the common law of England by Sir William Blackstone, published by the Clarendon Press at Oxford, 1765–1769.

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This One Thing I Do
Edna Lister outline, February 12, 1933, Buffalo, NY. Judges 6:11-40 to 7:22.

  “And there came an angel of the Lord, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all His miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt? but now the Lord hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites. And the Lord looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee? And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house. And the Lord said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man. And he said unto Him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that Thou talkest with me. Depart not hence, I pray Thee, until I come unto Thee, and bring forth my present, and set it before Thee. And He said, I will tarry until thou come again. And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour: the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out unto him under the oak, and presented it. And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so. Then the angel of the Lord put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the Lord departed out of his sight. And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the Lord, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord God! for because I have seen an angel of the Lord face to face. And the Lord said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die. Then Gideon built an altar there unto the Lord, and called it Jehovahshalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. And it came to pass the same night, that the Lord said unto him, Take thy father’s young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is by it: And build an altar unto the Lord thy God upon the top of this rock, in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut down. Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the Lord had said unto him: and so it was, because he feared his father’s household, and the men of the city, that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night. And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was cast down, and the grove was cut down that was by it, and the second bullock was offered upon the altar that was built. And they said one to another, Who hath done this thing? And when they enquired and asked, they said, Gideon the son of Joash hath done this thing. Then the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out thy son, that he may die: because he hath cast down the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the grove that was by it. And Joash said unto all that stood against him, Will ye plead for Baal? will ye save him? he that will plead for him, let him be put to death whilst it is yet morning: if he be a god, let him plead for himself, because one hath cast down his altar. Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, Let Baal plead against him, because he hath thrown down his altar. Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the east were gathered together, and went over, and pitched in the valley of Jezreel. But the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gathered after him. And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh; who also was gathered after him: and he sent messengers unto Asher, and unto Zebulun, and unto Naphtali; and they came up to meet them. And Gideon said unto God, If Thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as Thou hast said, behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that Thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as Thou hast said. And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water. And Gideon said unto God, Let not Thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray Thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew. And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.”–Judges 6:11-40.
  “Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up early, and pitched beside the well of Harod: so that the host of the Midianites were on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley. And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me. Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand. And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go. So he brought down the people unto the water: and the Lord said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink. And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water. And the Lord said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place. So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets: and he sent all the rest of Israel every man unto his tent, and retained those three hundred men: and the host of Midian was beneath him in the valley. And it came to pass the same night, that the Lord said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host; for I have delivered it into thine hand. But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host: And thou shalt hear what they say; and afterward shall thine hands be strengthened to go down unto the host. Then went he down with Phurah his servant unto the outside of the armed men that were in the host. And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude. And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along. And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: for into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the host. And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and returned into the host of Israel, and said, Arise; for the Lord hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian. And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet in every man’s hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers. And he said unto them, Look on me, and do likewise: and, behold, when I come to the outside of the camp, it shall be that, as I do, so shall ye do. When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon. So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch; and they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers that were in their hands. And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon. And they stood every man in his place round about the camp; and all the host ran, and cried, and fled. And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the Lord set every man’s sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host: and the host fled.”–Judges 7:1-22.
  The story of Gideon enfolds seven major points to consider. Gideon’s story is one of the soul conquering the little self’s fears. First, God chooses His agents from where the strength to endure exists. He does not judge by appearances, as we do. When called, Gideon answered that he was weak, and the least of his father’s sons, yet God chose him anyway.
  Second, Gideon turned his back on the position thus offered and prepared a sacrifice of self, which was a kid, unleavened bread, and a pot of broth. Pleased, God caused his offering to be consumed by fire from heaven.
  Third, the Lord ordered Gideon to tear down the altar of Baal and cut down the pagan grove on his father’s land. By doing so, he greatly angered the neighboring Midianites and the Amalekites. The lesson in this is clear. When you tear down false gods, you offend their worshipers, who turn on you. Today’s false gods are materialistic and hedonistic—money, power, and pleasuring the self.
  Fourth, the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet, calling together the hosts of Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali.
  Fifth, you inevitably face the temptation to turn back at the brink of action. Feeling fear and doubt, you must have signs and proofs. So Gideon asked the Lord to prove His Word with the wet then a dry fleece. When you are sure, you can go ahead. The hosts are encamped around you.
  Then the Lord reduced Gideon’s army to one hundred men. When you think you have done it alone, the Lord takes away what resources you have. The prospect looks bleak and forsaken. You are stripped until no one is left who can hold you up, lest you hold back in your surrender of all remaining self.
  Seventh, when you are ready and willing, the command comes to listen and watch. Then you will see that the undertaking is already finished. All that you need to do is to stand in faith and know the truth. Then walk forward, banners flying, lights bright, and stand together.