Bible Commentaries
Matthew 5

Verses 1-3

1. Intro:
   1. This sermon of Jesus goes all the way till the end of ch.7.
   2. I really don’t like the title Sermon on the Mnt because it is not descriptive.
      1. It’s like, my message today is...Sermon from my Pulpit?
      2. It’s actually a sermon on a rolling hill.
         1. It’s located near the edge of the shore of the sea of Galilee, in a natural amphitheater.
      3. Maybe, A Mountain of a Sermon; or Sermon of the Monarch; or The Kingdom Manifesto; or The Constitution of His Kingdom; or The Portrait of Jesus.
   3. It's not the do attitudes it's the be attitudes. It’s who we should be, more than we should do.
      1. We also see how they are progressive as they unfold.
   4. When Jesus opens His mouth, we open our ears & hearts.
      Pray: Like Samuel we declare, Speak, Lord, your servant is listening. And in our listening...may we understand. And in that understanding...may we have wisdom to live. Lord, we will go w/You, live w/You, Follow You...wherever You lead.
   5. ​​​​​​​This is not...God’s plan for Salvation. Nor a charter for world peace. Nor is it only applicable for the future in the literal 1000 year millennial kingdom.
      1. If it’s only for the Millennium than what about vs.10,11?
      2. See Jesus’ own ending, in whom He says it’s for. Mt.7:24-27
         1. Not just those that heard His words, but those that’ll hear His sayings. 7:24
      3. It is certain that this Sermon has definite application for us today.
         1. These truths are all repeated in the N.T. epistles for the church today.
   6. This is not...a 2nd Law or a 2nd set of commandments. It goes much deeper than the law because it deals with internal attitudes as well as outward actions.
      1. Note also, the demands of the sermon on the mount are much more difficult than those found in the law of Moses. Only the true believer in Jesus Christ can put the sermon on the mount into practice. See Rom.8:1-8
2. THE BEATITUDES (1,2)
   1. ​​​​​​​Luke gives us Beatitudes also in Luke 6:17-23 but it seems different than Matthew’s.
      1. Contradiction? No. Differences include location/occasion (mount vs. level place). Content (both have diff content, the other doesn’t have). And also listeners (disciples vs. disciples + many others).
   2. If the world wrote these they’d sound more like, Blessed are the healthy. Blessed are the wealthy. Blessed are the beautiful. Blessed are the always tanned. Or something like that.
3. BLESSED (3) Blessed
   1. ​​​​​​​Blessed - happy (because I’m Happy, Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof)
      1. Jesus’ 1st year teaching, probably 1st sermon. So, His 1st word of His
      2. µακάριος(ma-Kar-ios)1st found in the 5th centbc by Pindar ancient Gk Lyric poet/Thebes
      3. At first, it was only used of the GK gods (Homer uses µάκαρ only 8x’s of men).
      4. Slide16 Homer said, it denotes the transcendent happiness of a life beyond care, labour and death. (Theological Dictionary of the NT, Hom. Od., 5, 7.)[It denoted the state of godlike blessedness]
         1. Later it it meant to be rich. It becomes a leading philosophical term for inner happiness. It has nothing with your outward circumstance.
         2. It hast to do with the weather inside. What is the coldest place you’ve been?
            Mine was w/Jeff Thompson in Ukraine. I never remember being colder than that winter there. But in every car & room we were in it was warm, climate controlled.
            1. Good example of the believer in Jesus. It doesn’t matter what the temperature is outside, if it’s controlled on the inside.
   2. Everyone is pursuing Happiness (Even the last Ted Radio Hour show was on Simply Happy)
      1. Our constitution guarantees the pursuit of happiness.
         Jesus’ constitution points out the pathway to happiness, as He describes the attitudes which lead to happiness.
         1. True happiness is our birthright as members of the family of God.
      2. Christians should be the happiest people on earth [NOT the worlds superficial happiness which depends on circumstances]
   3. Let’s look at this 1st step to Happiness. We’ll look at The Role & The Reward on each.
4. THE ROLE (3a) Blessed are the poor in spirit
   1. ​​​​​​​What poor in spirit is not...
      1. He doesn’t start with be Self-assertive. Aggressive. Confident. Esteem yourself. No! but poor in spirit. Not those poor in pocketbook, but those who realize their own spiritual poverty.
      2. Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Luthern Pastor, philosopher, theologian. His opposition of Hiltlerism led to his death by the Gestapo April 9th,1945)
         Dietrich said concerning the disciples, “They have no security, no possessions, no real estate, no earthly society to claim their absolute allegiance, no spiritual power, experience, knowledge, they were unlearned and ignorant, they lost all, everything that could make them rich, they even lost their own selves! They have no other hope but in Him who called them!”
      3. Poor in Spirit is not the attitude of, I’m not worth anything, or I can’t do anything. Nope, that’s False Humility.
         1. Poor in Spirit is the opposite of being prideful in spirit.
         2. King Saul said to Samuel, “...honor me now, please, before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, that I may worship the Lord your God.” His pride made him a slave. He was not the King over Israel, Israel was King over him.
         3. Blessed are the poor in pride. Those who aren’t proud of ancestry (Jews then), aren’t proud of social status, aren’t proud of their nobility, aren’t proud of their class.
   2. This beatitude speaks of emptying, while the rest are a manifestation of a fullness.
      1. We can’t be filled unless we’re emptied. Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones said, This one is first because it is obviously the key to all that follows.
   3. What poor in spirit is... (humility)
      1. ​​​​​​​Poor in spirit is the tax collector who dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ Lk.18:13
   4. How we walk with the broken speaks louder than...how we sit with the great.
      1. See its when I realize I don’t have it in me to make it, to be accepted by God. I don’t have it in me to change this thing I see inside of me. I don’t have the love I need. I don’t have the strength I need. I don’t have the faith I need. And I have calculated everything, and you know what, I come out a zero.
         
         So since nothings here...I better look up to HIM for everything. Jim Cymbala
         1. Oh how happy is that person. Pre-Jesus I idolized Brian but Brian doesn’t make it in himself. That emptying of ourselves is the only way to get into His kingdom. The kingdom is for those who have gotten tired of themselves, have given up on Slide25a themselves and realized...I need to run to Jesus!
         2. So, this speaks to one who realizes their own spiritual poverty and then puts all their trust in God’s ability to supply their spiritual need.
            1. ​​​​​​​It’s being aware of your spiritual poverty & of your need of divine help.
      2. Maybe we can say, Happy are the beggars (sp) because whatever they need their father is going to give it to them.
         1. We are just one beggar, telling another beggar, where to find bread.
      3. Do you want to have everything heaven has?
         1. God says, What! you’ve come to the end of your rope, end of your wealth, end of your health, end of yourself...and you only have ME? :) I’m going to give you everything you need.
            1. You need wisdom, a job, healing, & you’re going to trust Me for it because you’re at the end...Beautiful!
         2. Remember the Israelites in the wilderness...when they went into the land, God said, I’m going to bless you and your land, and your crops are going to be abundant, you’re going to have milk and honey and a lot more...but please don’t forget...I’m the One who gave you everything. Otherwise the very blessings of God will be come a trap. And you will trust in them instead of Me. You’ll lose poverty of spirit.
         3. When you were in the wilderness you didn’t know where to go...and I brought you through the Red Sea. I led you with a cloud by day, fire by night, you had nothing. And I sent you manna every day. Every morning you woke up with nothing, and you depended on Me and look how I took care of you. And now watch it...because as I give you other things, other blessings...they may become a substitute for Me. And instead of trusting Me and having poverty of spirit, you’re going to walk around saying, look at my farm, look at my land. No, you’re going to say, look at my God, look at my Provider.
            1. ​​​​​​​How many want to live their, every day, at the end of themselves?
5. THE REWARD (3b) For theirs is the kingdom of Heaven
   1. ​​​​​​​This isn’t for salvation...theirs IS the kingdom of heaven. (present tense)
   2. Theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven - We’ll reign as kings when we submit as servants.
      1. ​​​​​​​This is the Paradox of the Christian life: We surrender that we might reign.

Verses 1-3

1. Intro:
   1. This sermon of Jesus goes all the way till the end of ch.7.
   2. I really don’t like the title Sermon on the Mnt because it is not descriptive.
      1. It’s like, my message today is...Sermon from my Pulpit?
      2. It’s actually a sermon on a rolling hill.
         1. It’s located near the edge of the shore of the sea of Galilee, in a natural amphitheater.
      3. Maybe, A Mountain of a Sermon; or Sermon of the Monarch; or The Kingdom Manifesto; or The Constitution of His Kingdom; or The Portrait of Jesus.
   3. It's not the do attitudes it's the be attitudes. It’s who we should be, more than we should do.
      1. We also see how they are progressive as they unfold.
   4. When Jesus opens His mouth, we open our ears & hearts.
      Pray: Like Samuel we declare, Speak, Lord, your servant is listening. And in our listening...may we understand. And in that understanding...may we have wisdom to live. Lord, we will go w/You, live w/You, Follow You...wherever You lead.
   5. ​​​​​​​This is not...God’s plan for Salvation. Nor a charter for world peace. Nor is it only applicable for the future in the literal 1000 year millennial kingdom.
      1. If it’s only for the Millennium than what about vs.10,11?
      2. See Jesus’ own ending, in whom He says it’s for. Mt.7:24-27
         1. Not just those that heard His words, but those that’ll hear His sayings. 7:24
      3. It is certain that this Sermon has definite application for us today.
         1. These truths are all repeated in the N.T. epistles for the church today.
   6. This is not...a 2nd Law or a 2nd set of commandments. It goes much deeper than the law because it deals with internal attitudes as well as outward actions.
      1. Note also, the demands of the sermon on the mount are much more difficult than those found in the law of Moses. Only the true believer in Jesus Christ can put the sermon on the mount into practice. See Rom.8:1-8
2. THE BEATITUDES (1,2)
   1. ​​​​​​​Luke gives us Beatitudes also in Luke 6:17-23 but it seems different than Matthew’s.
      1. Contradiction? No. Differences include location/occasion (mount vs. level place). Content (both have diff content, the other doesn’t have). And also listeners (disciples vs. disciples + many others).
   2. If the world wrote these they’d sound more like, Blessed are the healthy. Blessed are the wealthy. Blessed are the beautiful. Blessed are the always tanned. Or something like that.
3. BLESSED (3) Blessed
   1. ​​​​​​​Blessed - happy (because I’m Happy, Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof)
      1. Jesus’ 1st year teaching, probably 1st sermon. So, His 1st word of His
      2. µακάριος(ma-Kar-ios)1st found in the 5th centbc by Pindar ancient Gk Lyric poet/Thebes
      3. At first, it was only used of the GK gods (Homer uses µάκαρ only 8x’s of men).
      4. Slide16 Homer said, it denotes the transcendent happiness of a life beyond care, labour and death. (Theological Dictionary of the NT, Hom. Od., 5, 7.)[It denoted the state of godlike blessedness]
         1. Later it it meant to be rich. It becomes a leading philosophical term for inner happiness. It has nothing with your outward circumstance.
         2. It hast to do with the weather inside. What is the coldest place you’ve been?
            Mine was w/Jeff Thompson in Ukraine. I never remember being colder than that winter there. But in every car & room we were in it was warm, climate controlled.
            1. Good example of the believer in Jesus. It doesn’t matter what the temperature is outside, if it’s controlled on the inside.
   2. Everyone is pursuing Happiness (Even the last Ted Radio Hour show was on Simply Happy)
      1. Our constitution guarantees the pursuit of happiness.
         Jesus’ constitution points out the pathway to happiness, as He describes the attitudes which lead to happiness.
         1. True happiness is our birthright as members of the family of God.
      2. Christians should be the happiest people on earth [NOT the worlds superficial happiness which depends on circumstances]
   3. Let’s look at this 1st step to Happiness. We’ll look at The Role & The Reward on each.
4. THE ROLE (3a) Blessed are the poor in spirit
   1. ​​​​​​​What poor in spirit is not...
      1. He doesn’t start with be Self-assertive. Aggressive. Confident. Esteem yourself. No! but poor in spirit. Not those poor in pocketbook, but those who realize their own spiritual poverty.
      2. Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Luthern Pastor, philosopher, theologian. His opposition of Hiltlerism led to his death by the Gestapo April 9th,1945)
         Dietrich said concerning the disciples, “They have no security, no possessions, no real estate, no earthly society to claim their absolute allegiance, no spiritual power, experience, knowledge, they were unlearned and ignorant, they lost all, everything that could make them rich, they even lost their own selves! They have no other hope but in Him who called them!”
      3. Poor in Spirit is not the attitude of, I’m not worth anything, or I can’t do anything. Nope, that’s False Humility.
         1. Poor in Spirit is the opposite of being prideful in spirit.
         2. King Saul said to Samuel, “...honor me now, please, before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, that I may worship the Lord your God.” His pride made him a slave. He was not the King over Israel, Israel was King over him.
         3. Blessed are the poor in pride. Those who aren’t proud of ancestry (Jews then), aren’t proud of social status, aren’t proud of their nobility, aren’t proud of their class.
   2. This beatitude speaks of emptying, while the rest are a manifestation of a fullness.
      1. We can’t be filled unless we’re emptied. Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones said, This one is first because it is obviously the key to all that follows.
   3. What poor in spirit is... (humility)
      1. ​​​​​​​Poor in spirit is the tax collector who dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ Lk.18:13
   4. How we walk with the broken speaks louder than...how we sit with the great.
      1. See its when I realize I don’t have it in me to make it, to be accepted by God. I don’t have it in me to change this thing I see inside of me. I don’t have the love I need. I don’t have the strength I need. I don’t have the faith I need. And I have calculated everything, and you know what, I come out a zero.
         
         So since nothings here...I better look up to HIM for everything. Jim Cymbala
         1. Oh how happy is that person. Pre-Jesus I idolized Brian but Brian doesn’t make it in himself. That emptying of ourselves is the only way to get into His kingdom. The kingdom is for those who have gotten tired of themselves, have given up on Slide25a themselves and realized...I need to run to Jesus!
         2. So, this speaks to one who realizes their own spiritual poverty and then puts all their trust in God’s ability to supply their spiritual need.
            1. ​​​​​​​It’s being aware of your spiritual poverty & of your need of divine help.
      2. Maybe we can say, Happy are the beggars (sp) because whatever they need their father is going to give it to them.
         1. We are just one beggar, telling another beggar, where to find bread.
      3. Do you want to have everything heaven has?
         1. God says, What! you’ve come to the end of your rope, end of your wealth, end of your health, end of yourself...and you only have ME? :) I’m going to give you everything you need.
            1. You need wisdom, a job, healing, & you’re going to trust Me for it because you’re at the end...Beautiful!
         2. Remember the Israelites in the wilderness...when they went into the land, God said, I’m going to bless you and your land, and your crops are going to be abundant, you’re going to have milk and honey and a lot more...but please don’t forget...I’m the One who gave you everything. Otherwise the very blessings of God will be come a trap. And you will trust in them instead of Me. You’ll lose poverty of spirit.
         3. When you were in the wilderness you didn’t know where to go...and I brought you through the Red Sea. I led you with a cloud by day, fire by night, you had nothing. And I sent you manna every day. Every morning you woke up with nothing, and you depended on Me and look how I took care of you. And now watch it...because as I give you other things, other blessings...they may become a substitute for Me. And instead of trusting Me and having poverty of spirit, you’re going to walk around saying, look at my farm, look at my land. No, you’re going to say, look at my God, look at my Provider.
            1. ​​​​​​​How many want to live their, every day, at the end of themselves?
5. THE REWARD (3b) For theirs is the kingdom of Heaven
   1. ​​​​​​​This isn’t for salvation...theirs IS the kingdom of heaven. (present tense)
   2. Theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven - We’ll reign as kings when we submit as servants.
      1. ​​​​​​​This is the Paradox of the Christian life: We surrender that we might reign.

Verses 4-7

2. Slide5 Intro:

1. 1. Last week we looked at the overview of Jesus’ 1st sermon on the mount/hill top (from ch.5-7)

1. 1. 1. It's not the do attitudes it's the be attitudes.

1. 2. We looked at the 1st beatitude Blessed are the poor in spirit For theirs is the kingdom of heaven

1. 1. 1. Or, blessings (a godlike happiness) upon the one who realizes their own spiritual

poverty/emptiness & then puts all their trust in God’s ability to supply their spiritual need.

1. 1. 2. You must enter the kingdom of heaven...lowly, poor, bankrupt (sp)

1. 1. 1. 1. If you send a sinner to school, you’ll have an educated sinner.

1. 1. 1. 2. If you send a sinner to a psychologist, you’ll have a well adjusted sinner.

1. 1. 1. 3. If you give a sinner money, you’ll have a wealthy sinner.

1. 1. 1. 4. If you give a sinner religion, you’ll have a religious sinner.

1. 1. 1. 5. But send a sinner repentant of his sins to the cross, and you'll have a forgiven sinner. [Nothing in my hand I bring, Simply to the cross I cling] Rock of Ages

1. 3. Slide6 The Sermon on the Mount describes the way in which we are free to live when we commit ourselves to the kingship of Jesus.

2

1. 1. 1. When we realize that in Jesus the kingdom is near to us, we are free to abandon ourselves totally to God’s will, confident that, as we obey, He will act to shape events.

1. 1. 2. Note: 1st, these are 8 character traits that identify true servanthood. 2nd, these traits open the door to inner happiness.

3rd, attached to each character trait is a corresponding promise.

1. 4. Slide7 Msg vs.3,4 You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule. You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.

3. Slide8 HAPPY ARE THE SAD (4) Title

1. 1. Blessed are those who mourn - What a strange paradox!

1. 1. 1. Who wants to congratulate someone because they carry a heavy burden, or an aching heart? What has been your deepest darkest grief?

1. 2. Blessed are they who mourn someone they’ve lost recently. Blessed are they who mourn a previous marriage. Blessed are they who mourn a wayward son/daughter that hasn’t come back yet. Blessed are they who mourn a dream that is fading quickly.

1. 1. 1. We need to mourn over the absence of holiness in our lives/world. We need to mourn when we don’t even blush at evil.

1. 3. Someone said, If you want to know someone’s character, find out what makes him laugh & what makes him weep.

1. 1. 1. What we laugh at & what we weep over indicates our values of life & values are a part of maturity.

IV. Slide9 BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO MOURN (4a)

1. What is it to Mourn? πενθέω (pen-theh-o) To lament, to grieve, to mourn for the dead.

1. 1. Slide10 Trench, To grieve w/a grief which so takes possession of the whole being that it cannot be hid.

1. 2. Kittels, In most instances it is a sorrow which is outwardly expressed in some way. By tears, by laments, or that which is at least associated w/such expressions.

3

1. 3. Augustine, Mourning is sadness at the loss of things held dear.

1. 1. 1. When pain is kept inside it poisons the emotional system in the same way an infection spreads thru the bloodstream.

2. The main thrust of this Beatitude is a supernatural sorrow.

1. 1. Jesus is talking about repentance of sin. 2 Cor,7:10nlt For the kind of sorrow

God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation.

1. 1. 1. This is the logical response to the 1st beatitude.

3. Slide11 When a person sees his spiritual bankruptcy he can respond 1 of 4 ways:

1. 1. He can deny his sp bankruptcy exists, like the Pharisees, & put up a front.

1. 2. He can admit his sp bankruptcy & try to change things himself.

1. 3. He can admit his need & so despair over it that he gives up completely.

1. 1. 1. eg. Judas, when he saw he was a sinner, committed suicide.

1. 4. The logical thing is to admit your own spiritual needs & turn to God for what that need is.

1. 1. 1. A person truly poor in sp will mourn over himself & his sin, & thru this mourning, experience the comfort of God.

4. Slide12 We must distinguish between regret, remorse, & repentance:

1. 1. Regret is when my conscience of sin rests only in my mind, Then its’ regret.

1. 2. Remorse is when it affects my mind & heart, it is remorse. And remorse left here is dangerous.

1. 3. Repentance is when that concern for my sin brings me to the place where I am willing to turn from it & obey God. When my concern affects my will as well as my mind & heart...then I have experienced true repentance.

1. 4. Slide13 eg. In the Prodigal Son story, he involved his mind, heart, & will.

1. 1. 1. His Mind told him his fathers servants were better off than he was.

1. 1. 2. His Heart made him sick of his situation, I perish w/hunger.

1. 1. 3. His Will motivated him to arise & go to his Father. (He didn’t stay sitting in the pig pen)

5. Slide14a MOURN FOR WHAT? Mourn over Sin & Despise it.

4

1. 1. 1. What’s your attitude toward sin? Do you see it the way God does & seek to treat it the way God does?

1. 1. 1. 1. If you try to cover sin or defend it...you certainly have the wrong attitude.

1. 6. Slide14b Mourn for Himself in what he HAS DONE

1. 1. 1. Are you able to say, O, wretched man that I am. Who will deliver me from this body of death?
      2. Ps.38:18 For I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin.

1. 7. Slide14c Mourn for Himself in what he DOES

1. 1. 1. Ask yourself, What is it in me that makes me behave like that? Why should I be Irritable? Why should I be bad tempered? Why am I not able to control myself? Why do I harbor that unkind, jealous & envious thought? What is it in me?
         1. Blessed is the man who is not only conscious of his failure, but who grieves over it, who takes it to heart.
         2. Blessed is the man who is so grieved over his moral and spiritual lack that he turns his face towards Him was able to supply his need.

1. 8. Slide14d Mourn for the sins of OTHERS

1. 1. 1. Like Jeremiah (Israel's captivity). Jesus (Jerusalem). Paul (churches he ministered to)

1. 1. 2. Mourn over the wife who left her husband for another. For the man who has bailed on his responsibilities. For your friends child who is so rude to his parents. Mourn over your backslidden friends.

1. 1. 1. 1. Blessed, therefore, is the believer that shares with Jesus the pain and anguish of a world gone wrong. Blessed is the believer who enters into the fellowship of His suffering. Blessed is he that fills up that which is lacking of the suffering of Christ his own body. Blessed is he who struggles under the weight of a friend’s pain/agony/woe

5. Slide15 FOR THEY SHALL BE COMFORTED (4b)

1. 1. One of life’s major mistakes is being the last member in the family to come down w/the flu - after all the sympathy has run out. :)

1. 2. What type of Comfort? (God’s) - Sorrow that is turned into Joy.

1. 1. 1. Comfort - comes from 2 Latin words meaning w/strength. To encourage, give strength.

5

1. 2. Our mourning puts us in touch w/the eternal resources of God, & the result is God’s comfort.

1. 1. 1. Ps.138:3msgThe moment I called out, you stepped in; you made my life large w/strength

3. What 4-Ways do we find Comfort? Through God, the Scriptures, the HS, His people.

1. 1. Those who enter into the fellowship of Christ suffering do find comfort.

1. 2. They find it not only later in the by & by, but in the here & now.

1. 3. They find it in all circumstances, in all situations.

4. Slide16 Tears are investments in future Joys.

1. 1. Ps.30:5 For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.

5. When we learn how to mourn, we’ll have a deeper understanding of the sinfulness of sin

& the graciousness of God.

6. Whose mourning leads to Comfort?

1. 1. Well, everyone whose mourning leads them to Jesus Christ.

1. 2. Whenever your sorrow, Whenever your burden, whatever your heart ache, if it turns your missteps towards Him, you are sure to find consolation & comfort¹

1. 3. Would you not now exchange your bitterest sorrow for the world’s rarest joy?

7. Slide17 Robert Louis Stevenson tells of a storm that caught a vessel off a rocky coast and threatened to drive it and its passengers to destruction. In the midst of the terror, one daring man, contrary to orders, went to the deck, made a dangerous passage to the pilot house and saw the steerman, lashed fast at his post of holding the wheel unwaveringly, and inch by inch, turning the ship out, once more, to sea. The pilot saw the watcher and smiled. Then, the daring passenger went below and gave out a note of cheer:

“I have seen the face of the pilot, and he smiled. All is well.”

1. 1. Have you seen the face of Jesus?

8. Slide18 Eccl.7:1-4

1. Your death-day, is better than your birth-day (1)

¹

Clovis Chappell, The Sermon on the Mount, pg.27.

6

1. 1. If you have a good name, your death will be better than your birth “because nothing will be able to hurt your name.”

1. 2. On the day of your birth you were given a name. On the day of your death, that name will be either putrid or fragrant, depending on how you lived.

1. 1. 1. You have heard it said, we will all have on our tombstone 2 date’s and a dash in between. It’s the dash that matters.

10. Funerals are better than Feasts (2)

1. 1. Solomon not saying let’s go hang out at a funeral home.

1. 1. 1. He answers why he makes this statement after the word for.

1. 2. Memorial services usually get everyone’s attention regarding life & death.

1. 2. 1. But that is helpful…why? It reminds us there is still time to change; time to examine; time to confess; time to forgive; & time to plan ahead.
   3. So Jesus said, Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.

11. Slide19 Sorrow is better than laughter (3,4)

1. 1. Sorrow can teach us lessons that will not be learned any other way.

1. 2. (3b) The wizard in The Wizard of Oz says to the Tin Man, "As for you, my galvanized friend, you want a heart! You don't know how lucky you are not to have one. Hearts will never be practical until they can be made unbreakable.”

1. 1. 1. We know that quite the opposite is true. It is the fact that hearts are fragile which makes them practical.

1. 3. In sorrow, If only we can remember these 2 things:

[1] There is a lesson to be learned [2] And a work to be accomplished.

50. I walked a mile with Pleasure; She chatted all the way; But left me none the wiser For all she had to say.

I walked a mile with Sorrow, And ne’er a word said she;

But, oh! The things I learned from her, When sorrow walked with me. Robert Browning

Verses 4-7

2. Slide5 Intro:

1. 1. Last week we looked at the overview of Jesus’ 1st sermon on the mount/hill top (from ch.5-7)

1. 1. 1. It's not the do attitudes it's the be attitudes.

1. 2. We looked at the 1st beatitude Blessed are the poor in spirit For theirs is the kingdom of heaven

1. 1. 1. Or, blessings (a godlike happiness) upon the one who realizes their own spiritual

poverty/emptiness & then puts all their trust in God’s ability to supply their spiritual need.

1. 1. 2. You must enter the kingdom of heaven...lowly, poor, bankrupt (sp)

1. 1. 1. 1. If you send a sinner to school, you’ll have an educated sinner.

1. 1. 1. 2. If you send a sinner to a psychologist, you’ll have a well adjusted sinner.

1. 1. 1. 3. If you give a sinner money, you’ll have a wealthy sinner.

1. 1. 1. 4. If you give a sinner religion, you’ll have a religious sinner.

1. 1. 1. 5. But send a sinner repentant of his sins to the cross, and you'll have a forgiven sinner. [Nothing in my hand I bring, Simply to the cross I cling] Rock of Ages

1. 3. Slide6 The Sermon on the Mount describes the way in which we are free to live when we commit ourselves to the kingship of Jesus.

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1. 1. 1. When we realize that in Jesus the kingdom is near to us, we are free to abandon ourselves totally to God’s will, confident that, as we obey, He will act to shape events.

1. 1. 2. Note: 1st, these are 8 character traits that identify true servanthood. 2nd, these traits open the door to inner happiness.

3rd, attached to each character trait is a corresponding promise.

1. 4. Slide7 Msg vs.3,4 You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule. You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.

3. Slide8 HAPPY ARE THE SAD (4) Title

1. 1. Blessed are those who mourn - What a strange paradox!

1. 1. 1. Who wants to congratulate someone because they carry a heavy burden, or an aching heart? What has been your deepest darkest grief?

1. 2. Blessed are they who mourn someone they’ve lost recently. Blessed are they who mourn a previous marriage. Blessed are they who mourn a wayward son/daughter that hasn’t come back yet. Blessed are they who mourn a dream that is fading quickly.

1. 1. 1. We need to mourn over the absence of holiness in our lives/world. We need to mourn when we don’t even blush at evil.

1. 3. Someone said, If you want to know someone’s character, find out what makes him laugh & what makes him weep.

1. 1. 1. What we laugh at & what we weep over indicates our values of life & values are a part of maturity.

IV. Slide9 BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO MOURN (4a)

1. What is it to Mourn? πενθέω (pen-theh-o) To lament, to grieve, to mourn for the dead.

1. 1. Slide10 Trench, To grieve w/a grief which so takes possession of the whole being that it cannot be hid.

1. 2. Kittels, In most instances it is a sorrow which is outwardly expressed in some way. By tears, by laments, or that which is at least associated w/such expressions.

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1. 3. Augustine, Mourning is sadness at the loss of things held dear.

1. 1. 1. When pain is kept inside it poisons the emotional system in the same way an infection spreads thru the bloodstream.

2. The main thrust of this Beatitude is a supernatural sorrow.

1. 1. Jesus is talking about repentance of sin. 2 Cor,7:10nlt For the kind of sorrow

God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation.

1. 1. 1. This is the logical response to the 1st beatitude.

3. Slide11 When a person sees his spiritual bankruptcy he can respond 1 of 4 ways:

1. 1. He can deny his sp bankruptcy exists, like the Pharisees, & put up a front.

1. 2. He can admit his sp bankruptcy & try to change things himself.

1. 3. He can admit his need & so despair over it that he gives up completely.

1. 1. 1. eg. Judas, when he saw he was a sinner, committed suicide.

1. 4. The logical thing is to admit your own spiritual needs & turn to God for what that need is.

1. 1. 1. A person truly poor in sp will mourn over himself & his sin, & thru this mourning, experience the comfort of God.

4. Slide12 We must distinguish between regret, remorse, & repentance:

1. 1. Regret is when my conscience of sin rests only in my mind, Then its’ regret.

1. 2. Remorse is when it affects my mind & heart, it is remorse. And remorse left here is dangerous.

1. 3. Repentance is when that concern for my sin brings me to the place where I am willing to turn from it & obey God. When my concern affects my will as well as my mind & heart...then I have experienced true repentance.

1. 4. Slide13 eg. In the Prodigal Son story, he involved his mind, heart, & will.

1. 1. 1. His Mind told him his fathers servants were better off than he was.

1. 1. 2. His Heart made him sick of his situation, I perish w/hunger.

1. 1. 3. His Will motivated him to arise & go to his Father. (He didn’t stay sitting in the pig pen)

5. Slide14a MOURN FOR WHAT? Mourn over Sin & Despise it.

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1. 1. 1. What’s your attitude toward sin? Do you see it the way God does & seek to treat it the way God does?

1. 1. 1. 1. If you try to cover sin or defend it...you certainly have the wrong attitude.

1. 6. Slide14b Mourn for Himself in what he HAS DONE

1. 1. 1. Are you able to say, O, wretched man that I am. Who will deliver me from this body of death?
      2. Ps.38:18 For I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin.

1. 7. Slide14c Mourn for Himself in what he DOES

1. 1. 1. Ask yourself, What is it in me that makes me behave like that? Why should I be Irritable? Why should I be bad tempered? Why am I not able to control myself? Why do I harbor that unkind, jealous & envious thought? What is it in me?
         1. Blessed is the man who is not only conscious of his failure, but who grieves over it, who takes it to heart.
         2. Blessed is the man who is so grieved over his moral and spiritual lack that he turns his face towards Him was able to supply his need.

1. 8. Slide14d Mourn for the sins of OTHERS

1. 1. 1. Like Jeremiah (Israel's captivity). Jesus (Jerusalem). Paul (churches he ministered to)

1. 1. 2. Mourn over the wife who left her husband for another. For the man who has bailed on his responsibilities. For your friends child who is so rude to his parents. Mourn over your backslidden friends.

1. 1. 1. 1. Blessed, therefore, is the believer that shares with Jesus the pain and anguish of a world gone wrong. Blessed is the believer who enters into the fellowship of His suffering. Blessed is he that fills up that which is lacking of the suffering of Christ his own body. Blessed is he who struggles under the weight of a friend’s pain/agony/woe

5. Slide15 FOR THEY SHALL BE COMFORTED (4b)

1. 1. One of life’s major mistakes is being the last member in the family to come down w/the flu - after all the sympathy has run out. :)

1. 2. What type of Comfort? (God’s) - Sorrow that is turned into Joy.

1. 1. 1. Comfort - comes from 2 Latin words meaning w/strength. To encourage, give strength.

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1. 2. Our mourning puts us in touch w/the eternal resources of God, & the result is God’s comfort.

1. 1. 1. Ps.138:3msgThe moment I called out, you stepped in; you made my life large w/strength

3. What 4-Ways do we find Comfort? Through God, the Scriptures, the HS, His people.

1. 1. Those who enter into the fellowship of Christ suffering do find comfort.

1. 2. They find it not only later in the by & by, but in the here & now.

1. 3. They find it in all circumstances, in all situations.

4. Slide16 Tears are investments in future Joys.

1. 1. Ps.30:5 For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.

5. When we learn how to mourn, we’ll have a deeper understanding of the sinfulness of sin

& the graciousness of God.

6. Whose mourning leads to Comfort?

1. 1. Well, everyone whose mourning leads them to Jesus Christ.

1. 2. Whenever your sorrow, Whenever your burden, whatever your heart ache, if it turns your missteps towards Him, you are sure to find consolation & comfort¹

1. 3. Would you not now exchange your bitterest sorrow for the world’s rarest joy?

7. Slide17 Robert Louis Stevenson tells of a storm that caught a vessel off a rocky coast and threatened to drive it and its passengers to destruction. In the midst of the terror, one daring man, contrary to orders, went to the deck, made a dangerous passage to the pilot house and saw the steerman, lashed fast at his post of holding the wheel unwaveringly, and inch by inch, turning the ship out, once more, to sea. The pilot saw the watcher and smiled. Then, the daring passenger went below and gave out a note of cheer:

“I have seen the face of the pilot, and he smiled. All is well.”

1. 1. Have you seen the face of Jesus?

8. Slide18 Eccl.7:1-4

1. Your death-day, is better than your birth-day (1)

¹

Clovis Chappell, The Sermon on the Mount, pg.27.

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1. 1. If you have a good name, your death will be better than your birth “because nothing will be able to hurt your name.”

1. 2. On the day of your birth you were given a name. On the day of your death, that name will be either putrid or fragrant, depending on how you lived.

1. 1. 1. You have heard it said, we will all have on our tombstone 2 date’s and a dash in between. It’s the dash that matters.

10. Funerals are better than Feasts (2)

1. 1. Solomon not saying let’s go hang out at a funeral home.

1. 1. 1. He answers why he makes this statement after the word for.

1. 2. Memorial services usually get everyone’s attention regarding life & death.

1. 2. 1. But that is helpful…why? It reminds us there is still time to change; time to examine; time to confess; time to forgive; & time to plan ahead.
   3. So Jesus said, Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.

11. Slide19 Sorrow is better than laughter (3,4)

1. 1. Sorrow can teach us lessons that will not be learned any other way.

1. 2. (3b) The wizard in The Wizard of Oz says to the Tin Man, "As for you, my galvanized friend, you want a heart! You don't know how lucky you are not to have one. Hearts will never be practical until they can be made unbreakable.”

1. 1. 1. We know that quite the opposite is true. It is the fact that hearts are fragile which makes them practical.

1. 3. In sorrow, If only we can remember these 2 things:

[1] There is a lesson to be learned [2] And a work to be accomplished.

50. I walked a mile with Pleasure; She chatted all the way; But left me none the wiser For all she had to say.

I walked a mile with Sorrow, And ne’er a word said she;

But, oh! The things I learned from her, When sorrow walked with me. Robert Browning

Verse 5

2. Slide8 Intro: The Meek are not Weak

1. 1. We continue with Jesus’ recipe for happiness...in the beatitudes.

1. 1. 1. So far we’ve had #1 The poor in spirit are blest, not the proud #2 The comfort Christ promises is for those who 1st mourn over their sins & the sins of others. NOW, He goes on to show that the way of blessing is also through Meekness, not by being haughty, forward, arrogant, or aggressive.

1. 2. Slide9 I heard about a guy named J. Upton Dickson who started an organization called DOORMATS or Dependent Organization of Really Meek and Timid Souls.

1. 1. 1. Their motto was The meek shall inherit the earth - if that's OK with everybody.

Their organizations symbol was the yellow traffic light.

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1. 1. 2. Slide10 In our society, people associate meekness with weakness. We think they are indecisive, pushovers, cowardly, milquetoast.

1. 1. 3. Today we don't look upon meekness as a desirable quality. Can you imagine someone listing meekness as an admirable quality on their resume?

1. 1. 4. Slide11 But contrary to this popular view, Jesus listed meekness as one of the chief qualities for a kingdom citizen. It is a quality He looks for in those who name His name and associate themselves with His kingdom.

1. 3. We need to be careful that we don’t associate meekness with a certain kind of personality. Moses, Jesus, and Paul were not pushovers.

1. 1. 1. A person could have a very strong personality and still demonstrate meekness. On the other hand, a person could be very quiet and unassuming and lack meekness.

1. 1. 2. Meekness in our lives will reveal that our hope & sufficiency is Christ and not ourselves.

3. Slide12 BLESSED ARE THE MEEK (5a) The Role

1. 1. Πραυς / Praus - 1 way it was used in secular Gk in Paul’s day was to Tame wild animals.

To calm those that are irritated or excited. TDNT

1. 2. Meekness is Power under control

1. 1. 1. Prov.16:32 Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city. Thats Power under Control
      2. Prov.25:28 Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control. Thats Power out of Control

1. 1. 1. 1. Someone said, Temper is such a wonderful thing that it’s a shame to lose it.

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. Slide13 We temper steel to make it stronger (heat up to higher critical temp, then rapid cool down/quenching, repeat). It’s a long process till it meets the requirements of its maker.

1. 1. 1. 2. Slide14 Aristotle said, Anyone can become angry, that is easy. But to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way - This is not easy.

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1. 3. A lady once told Billy Sunday, There is nothing wrong w/losing my temper. I blow up, then it’s all over with. The Evangelist replied, So does a shotgun, but look at the damage that’s left behind.

3. Slide15 Meekness is not weakness - Moses coming down off mnt & finding golden calf. Jesus doing a little Spring cleaning in His Father’s temple.

4. Meekness is the opposite of someone strutting their stuff. It is the opposite of self-assertiveness & self-interest.
   1. Slide16a Bonhoeffer described this meek person, When reproached, they hold there peace. When treated w/violence they endure it patiently. When men drive them from their presence, they yield their ground. They will not go to law to defend their rights, or make a scene when they suffer injustice, nor do they insist on their legal rights. They are determined to leave their rights to God Alone! Their rights are in the will of their Lord.

5. Slide16b Moses was known as the meekest man in Num.12:3. Interesting, the context was when his older sister & younger brother (Miriam & Aaron) were complaining about him thinking himself to be more important than others (i.e. themselves). He was Meek thru this

whole ordeal.

6. Jesus - Mt.11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
   1. This is Jesus’ only autobiographical description of his temperament/ personality, I am Meek/gentle & Lowly/humble in heart.

1. 2. Matthew only uses Meek 3 times (Mt.5:5; 11:29(just read) 21:5) All are Jesus words.

1. 1. 1. The 3rd is, Mt.21:5 Look, your King is coming to you. He is humble/meek, riding on a donkey. The entry of Jesus is that of a non-violent, non-warlike king of Salvation & Peace (which was radically opposite of the Zealots).

(1) Are you meek? Ask yourself, Are you exercising self-Control?

7. Paul - 2 Cor.10:1 Now I, Paul, myself am pleading with you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ - who in presence am lowly among you, but being absent am bold toward you.

1. 1. 1 Thes.2:7 But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children.

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8. Slide17a Here’s a 6-fold test of meekness (Wiersbe)

1. What is our attitude toward the circumstances of life?

1. 1. The Old Testament Context for Meekness – Psalm 37 [almost identical to Mt.5:5]

1. 1. 1. Psalm 37 shows us several qualities of meekness: Doesn’t fret over evildoers or envy them. Trusts in the Lord and does good. Delights in the Lord. Commits his/her way to the Lord. Waits patiently for the Lord in the face of the wickedness and scheming of men. Refrains from anger against the evil. Hopes in the Lord.

1. 2. Meekness is the grace of the Spirit at work in our lives to keep us from angrily seeking revenge or promoting our own cause or harboring resentment toward others. Instead, we trust in the Lord, delight in Him, commit our way to Him, hope in Him, and leave the outcome in His hands. Meekness is about faith and self-restraint.

1. 1. 1. ILL: A.W. Tozer said, The meek man is not a human mouse afflicted with a sense of his own inferiority. Rather he may be in his moral life as bold as a lion and as strong as Samson; but he has stopped being fooled about himself. He has accepted God’s estimate of his own life. He knows he is as weak and helpless as God declared him to be, but paradoxically, he knows at the same time that he is in the sight of God of more importance than angels. In himself, nothing; in God, everything.

That is his motto!

10. Slide17b What is our attitude toward God’s Word?

1. 1. James wrote to a group of Christians who were at war w/each other (4:1).

They weren’t receiving God’s word w/Meekness.

1. 2. Remember how David received God’s word spoken thru his Chaplain Nathan, Thou art the man [David received it as a meek man - no arguing - no excuses - no defending himself. He said, I have sinned against the Lord]

11. Slide17c What’s our attitude toward one who sins against us?

1. 1. Gal.6:1 msg If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day’s out.

1. 1. 1. When you have a Christian brother/sister fall, you have the power to hurt them, but meekness is power under control. You have the power to help them.

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1. 2. Restore - To set a broken bone. [A doctor has the power to help or hurt]

1. 1. 1. It also is in the continuous present tense, suggesting the necessity for patience & perseverance throughout the process.

50. Slide17d What is our attitude toward division in the Church?

1. 1. There are people always wanting to take sides & divide God’s people.

1. 2. A Christian who exercises meekness isn’t interested in taking sides, but in taking time to follow Eph.4:3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.

1. 1. 1. Follow Abraham’s example, Please let there be no strife between you and me...for we are brethren.

1000. Slide17eWhat is our attitude toward people who disagree w/us?

1. 1. 2 Tim.2:24,25 A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth.

1. 1. 1. It is possible to win arguments, & lose friends, & even souls.

1. 1. 2. Don’t be a Christian that uses a machine gun on full auto...to kill a mosquito.

1. 1. 3. Even one who opposes the word of God has a better chance of being convinced if we have a meek & gentle spirit.

14. Slide17f What is our attitude toward the unsaved?

1. 1. 1 Pet.3:15 if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way.

1. 2. Don’t beat them w/your Bible club.

1. 3. He told us to be witnesses not Prosecuting Attorneys.

1. 4. High pressure salesmanship methods to win souls, is power out of Control.

1. 1. 1. Jesus could have overpowered Nicodemus, or crushed the woman at the well, but instead He patiently led them into the truth of the word of God.

IV. Slide18 FOR THEY SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH (5b) The RewardA. Inherit/posses the world’s goods? No, Jesus possessed little of the world’s goods.

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1. 1. Spurgeon said, He has the best of this world who thinks least of it, & least of himself.

1. 2. Those who now possess it by violence & injustice shall lose it, & those who here have utterly renounced it, who were meek to the point of the cross, shall

rule the new Earth. Dietrich Bonhoeffer

2. Slide19 God does not forsake the earth: He made it, sent His Son to it, & on it He built His Church.

1. 1. When the Kingdom finally comes, the meek shall possess the earth. The face of the earth will be renewed, & it will belong to the flock of Jesus.

3. Slide20 Old Testament Roots - Ps.37:10,11 For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the Lord, They shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, But it shall be no more. But the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

1. 1. Slide21 Possessing the land was important to the Jews. It was the fulfillment of God's blessing promised to Abram. [see 9,11,22,29,34]

1. 2. This Psalm speaks about the world's way vs. God's way of possessing it:

1. 1. 1. World’s way is by evil deeds, plotting, power, devious dealings, taking advantage of others.

1. 1. 2. God's way is to trust Him, delight in Him, commit to Him, wait on Him, live rightly. In other words, to display meekness.

1. 1. 3. World's plan will end in withering like grass, being cut off, perishing, passing away.

1. 1. 4. Righteous (meek) will inherit the land, have plenty, be upheld, protected, delivered.

1. 1. 1. 1. Contrast is clear. Those who humbly trust in the Lord will inherit the land and God's blessing. Those who proudly grasp and do evil will perish.

1. 3. Future fulfillment - The ultimate inheritance of the land will be realized in a new heaven and a new earth.

1. 1. 1. The meek don’t have to strive and claw for their Inheritance. As John Piper put it…

You don't need the vain pleasures of one-up-manship because God has already made you an heir of the world? Would I feel the need to brag that my house is

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bigger than your house if I knew that my Father owned the city and I was the beneficiary in his will?

4. Communion:

1. 1. Bread

1. 2. Cup

Verse 5

2. Slide8 Intro: The Meek are not Weak

1. 1. We continue with Jesus’ recipe for happiness...in the beatitudes.

1. 1. 1. So far we’ve had #1 The poor in spirit are blest, not the proud #2 The comfort Christ promises is for those who 1st mourn over their sins & the sins of others. NOW, He goes on to show that the way of blessing is also through Meekness, not by being haughty, forward, arrogant, or aggressive.

1. 2. Slide9 I heard about a guy named J. Upton Dickson who started an organization called DOORMATS or Dependent Organization of Really Meek and Timid Souls.

1. 1. 1. Their motto was The meek shall inherit the earth - if that's OK with everybody.

Their organizations symbol was the yellow traffic light.

2

1. 1. 2. Slide10 In our society, people associate meekness with weakness. We think they are indecisive, pushovers, cowardly, milquetoast.

1. 1. 3. Today we don't look upon meekness as a desirable quality. Can you imagine someone listing meekness as an admirable quality on their resume?

1. 1. 4. Slide11 But contrary to this popular view, Jesus listed meekness as one of the chief qualities for a kingdom citizen. It is a quality He looks for in those who name His name and associate themselves with His kingdom.

1. 3. We need to be careful that we don’t associate meekness with a certain kind of personality. Moses, Jesus, and Paul were not pushovers.

1. 1. 1. A person could have a very strong personality and still demonstrate meekness. On the other hand, a person could be very quiet and unassuming and lack meekness.

1. 1. 2. Meekness in our lives will reveal that our hope & sufficiency is Christ and not ourselves.

3. Slide12 BLESSED ARE THE MEEK (5a) The Role

1. 1. Πραυς / Praus - 1 way it was used in secular Gk in Paul’s day was to Tame wild animals.

To calm those that are irritated or excited. TDNT

1. 2. Meekness is Power under control

1. 1. 1. Prov.16:32 Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city. Thats Power under Control
      2. Prov.25:28 Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control. Thats Power out of Control

1. 1. 1. 1. Someone said, Temper is such a wonderful thing that it’s a shame to lose it.

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. Slide13 We temper steel to make it stronger (heat up to higher critical temp, then rapid cool down/quenching, repeat). It’s a long process till it meets the requirements of its maker.

1. 1. 1. 2. Slide14 Aristotle said, Anyone can become angry, that is easy. But to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way - This is not easy.

3

1. 3. A lady once told Billy Sunday, There is nothing wrong w/losing my temper. I blow up, then it’s all over with. The Evangelist replied, So does a shotgun, but look at the damage that’s left behind.

3. Slide15 Meekness is not weakness - Moses coming down off mnt & finding golden calf. Jesus doing a little Spring cleaning in His Father’s temple.

4. Meekness is the opposite of someone strutting their stuff. It is the opposite of self-assertiveness & self-interest.
   1. Slide16a Bonhoeffer described this meek person, When reproached, they hold there peace. When treated w/violence they endure it patiently. When men drive them from their presence, they yield their ground. They will not go to law to defend their rights, or make a scene when they suffer injustice, nor do they insist on their legal rights. They are determined to leave their rights to God Alone! Their rights are in the will of their Lord.

5. Slide16b Moses was known as the meekest man in Num.12:3. Interesting, the context was when his older sister & younger brother (Miriam & Aaron) were complaining about him thinking himself to be more important than others (i.e. themselves). He was Meek thru this

whole ordeal.

6. Jesus - Mt.11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
   1. This is Jesus’ only autobiographical description of his temperament/ personality, I am Meek/gentle & Lowly/humble in heart.

1. 2. Matthew only uses Meek 3 times (Mt.5:5; 11:29(just read) 21:5) All are Jesus words.

1. 1. 1. The 3rd is, Mt.21:5 Look, your King is coming to you. He is humble/meek, riding on a donkey. The entry of Jesus is that of a non-violent, non-warlike king of Salvation & Peace (which was radically opposite of the Zealots).

(1) Are you meek? Ask yourself, Are you exercising self-Control?

7. Paul - 2 Cor.10:1 Now I, Paul, myself am pleading with you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ - who in presence am lowly among you, but being absent am bold toward you.

1. 1. 1 Thes.2:7 But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children.

4

8. Slide17a Here’s a 6-fold test of meekness (Wiersbe)

1. What is our attitude toward the circumstances of life?

1. 1. The Old Testament Context for Meekness – Psalm 37 [almost identical to Mt.5:5]

1. 1. 1. Psalm 37 shows us several qualities of meekness: Doesn’t fret over evildoers or envy them. Trusts in the Lord and does good. Delights in the Lord. Commits his/her way to the Lord. Waits patiently for the Lord in the face of the wickedness and scheming of men. Refrains from anger against the evil. Hopes in the Lord.

1. 2. Meekness is the grace of the Spirit at work in our lives to keep us from angrily seeking revenge or promoting our own cause or harboring resentment toward others. Instead, we trust in the Lord, delight in Him, commit our way to Him, hope in Him, and leave the outcome in His hands. Meekness is about faith and self-restraint.

1. 1. 1. ILL: A.W. Tozer said, The meek man is not a human mouse afflicted with a sense of his own inferiority. Rather he may be in his moral life as bold as a lion and as strong as Samson; but he has stopped being fooled about himself. He has accepted God’s estimate of his own life. He knows he is as weak and helpless as God declared him to be, but paradoxically, he knows at the same time that he is in the sight of God of more importance than angels. In himself, nothing; in God, everything.

That is his motto!

10. Slide17b What is our attitude toward God’s Word?

1. 1. James wrote to a group of Christians who were at war w/each other (4:1).

They weren’t receiving God’s word w/Meekness.

1. 2. Remember how David received God’s word spoken thru his Chaplain Nathan, Thou art the man [David received it as a meek man - no arguing - no excuses - no defending himself. He said, I have sinned against the Lord]

11. Slide17c What’s our attitude toward one who sins against us?

1. 1. Gal.6:1 msg If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day’s out.

1. 1. 1. When you have a Christian brother/sister fall, you have the power to hurt them, but meekness is power under control. You have the power to help them.

5

1. 2. Restore - To set a broken bone. [A doctor has the power to help or hurt]

1. 1. 1. It also is in the continuous present tense, suggesting the necessity for patience & perseverance throughout the process.

50. Slide17d What is our attitude toward division in the Church?

1. 1. There are people always wanting to take sides & divide God’s people.

1. 2. A Christian who exercises meekness isn’t interested in taking sides, but in taking time to follow Eph.4:3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.

1. 1. 1. Follow Abraham’s example, Please let there be no strife between you and me...for we are brethren.

1000. Slide17eWhat is our attitude toward people who disagree w/us?

1. 1. 2 Tim.2:24,25 A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth.

1. 1. 1. It is possible to win arguments, & lose friends, & even souls.

1. 1. 2. Don’t be a Christian that uses a machine gun on full auto...to kill a mosquito.

1. 1. 3. Even one who opposes the word of God has a better chance of being convinced if we have a meek & gentle spirit.

14. Slide17f What is our attitude toward the unsaved?

1. 1. 1 Pet.3:15 if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way.

1. 2. Don’t beat them w/your Bible club.

1. 3. He told us to be witnesses not Prosecuting Attorneys.

1. 4. High pressure salesmanship methods to win souls, is power out of Control.

1. 1. 1. Jesus could have overpowered Nicodemus, or crushed the woman at the well, but instead He patiently led them into the truth of the word of God.

IV. Slide18 FOR THEY SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH (5b) The RewardA. Inherit/posses the world’s goods? No, Jesus possessed little of the world’s goods.

6

1. 1. Spurgeon said, He has the best of this world who thinks least of it, & least of himself.

1. 2. Those who now possess it by violence & injustice shall lose it, & those who here have utterly renounced it, who were meek to the point of the cross, shall

rule the new Earth. Dietrich Bonhoeffer

2. Slide19 God does not forsake the earth: He made it, sent His Son to it, & on it He built His Church.

1. 1. When the Kingdom finally comes, the meek shall possess the earth. The face of the earth will be renewed, & it will belong to the flock of Jesus.

3. Slide20 Old Testament Roots - Ps.37:10,11 For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the Lord, They shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, But it shall be no more. But the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

1. 1. Slide21 Possessing the land was important to the Jews. It was the fulfillment of God's blessing promised to Abram. [see 9,11,22,29,34]

1. 2. This Psalm speaks about the world's way vs. God's way of possessing it:

1. 1. 1. World’s way is by evil deeds, plotting, power, devious dealings, taking advantage of others.

1. 1. 2. God's way is to trust Him, delight in Him, commit to Him, wait on Him, live rightly. In other words, to display meekness.

1. 1. 3. World's plan will end in withering like grass, being cut off, perishing, passing away.

1. 1. 4. Righteous (meek) will inherit the land, have plenty, be upheld, protected, delivered.

1. 1. 1. 1. Contrast is clear. Those who humbly trust in the Lord will inherit the land and God's blessing. Those who proudly grasp and do evil will perish.

1. 3. Future fulfillment - The ultimate inheritance of the land will be realized in a new heaven and a new earth.

1. 1. 1. The meek don’t have to strive and claw for their Inheritance. As John Piper put it…

You don't need the vain pleasures of one-up-manship because God has already made you an heir of the world? Would I feel the need to brag that my house is

7

bigger than your house if I knew that my Father owned the city and I was the beneficiary in his will?

4. Communion:

1. 1. Bread

1. 2. Cup

Verse 6

2. Slide7 Intro: Thirsty Souls & Hungry Hearts

1. 1. We continue to probe inside of a happy heart to discover what’s there.

1. 1. 1. So far we saw the poor in spirit are blest not the proud. Next the comfort Christ promises is for those who 1st mourn over their sins & the sins of others. Next, the way of blessing is also through meekness, not by being haughty, arrogant, or aggressive.

1. 2. In most countries, in the biblical times and now, people are mis-ruled by their governments. Exploitation of the poor and injustice prevail everywhere. Heavy taxes and extortion by government officials make people hunger for righteousness. To console

2themselves they dream of kind Kings and honest officials to replace their harsh rulers.1

3. Slide8 In Eccl.3:11 Solomon says He(God) has put(planted, nlt) eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.

1. 1. So God has placed in man’s heart this restlessness & longing for Himself.

1. 2. St. Augustine said, Thou madest us for Thyself, and our heart is restless, until it rest in Thee. Restlessness & longing are universal traits of the human heart.
   3. Slide9 The Pulley Poem (George Herbert, from John Piper study)

1. 1. 1. When God at first made man, Having a glass of blessings standing by - Let us (said He) pour on him all we can; Let the world's riches which dispersed lie, Contract into a span. So strength first made a way; Then beauty flow'd, then wisdom, honour, pleasure: When almost all was out, God made a stay, Perceiving that, alone, of all His treasure, Rest in the bottom lay. For if I should (said He) Bestow this jewel also on My creature, He would adore My gifts instead of Me, And rest in nature, not the God of Nature: So both should losers be. Yet let Him keep the rest, But keep them with repining restlessness; Let him be rich and weary, that at least If goodness lead him not, yet weariness May toss him to My breast.

1. 4. Since God planted eternity into man’s heart w/it’s insatiable restlessness & longing...we’ve tried filling it with illegal drugs, sexual exploits, scenic vacations, stunning cinematic productions, everything/anything but HIM. But the longing remains.

1. 1. 1. Slide10 Isaiah asked, “Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink - even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk - it’s all free!

Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength? Why pay for food that does you no good?(Del Taco) Listen to me, and you will eat what is good. You will enjoy the finest food. Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, and you will find life. Is.55:1-3

4. Slide11a Our hypothalamus controls our body temperature, hunger, thirst, fatigue, sleep, and circadian rhythms (those 24 hour rhythms of our biological or internal clocks)

¹

George Lamsa, Gospel Light, pg.27.

3

1. 1. 1. When organisms are thirsty, they have a tendency to seek water. When they find water and drink, they are no longer thirsty, and the thirst drive is reduced.

1. 1. 2. I believe this scripture is about a drive also.

1. 5. Slide11b Do you have thirsty souls & hungry hearts this morning? Do you have an insatiable longing for something. A restlessness? Where, the grass seems greener...

wherever you’re not standing. Where, the thrill of lust...just keeps turning to guilt & loneliness. Where, medicating away your pain feels pretty darn good...until you wake up to the reality of this world again. Where, soaking your hurts in alcohol finds a sweet escape...until awaking to find the same messed up relationships still there. Where, your new toy is pretty boring after a few weeks.

1. 1. 1. Slide12 CS Lewis was right when he said, if I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.

1. 1. 2. Jesus has something to say about this universal experience this inconsolable longing.

3. Slide13 BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO HUNGER & THIRST FOR RT (6a)

1. 1. Nkjv Blessed are those who hunger & thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.

1. 2. Nlt God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied.

1. 1. 1. Justice is treating people equitably, by giving people what they are due.

Punishment to the evil doers, or protection or care to the vulnerable. And living a life of right relationships w/God & fellow man. [combo rt & justice]

1. 3. Msg You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.

1. 4. Slide14 What does He mean by righteousness? (it comes up 5 x’s in this sermon, 5:6,10,20; 6:1,33)

1. 1. 1. Slide15 It will help to look at the beatitudes structure. [8 of them, vs11 expands vs10]

1. 1. 2. Slide16 The 1st & last beatitude (vs.2,10) give the same assurance, for theirs

is the kingdom of heaven.[sandwiched together like 8 jellybeans, inside a plastic easter egg]

1. 1. 3. Slide17 2 groups of 4. End of the 1st 4 & end of the last 4, close w/a ref to righteousness

4

1. 4. Note with the 1st set we’re told to thirst after it, but in the end they not only have it, but it’s overflowing, they are being persecuted for having it.

1. 1. 1. The 1st set points to the emptying of ourselves (poor in spirit, mourn over sin, they are meek & don’t retaliate).

1. 1. 2. The 2nd set points to our filling. This person is overflowing with mercy, purity in heart & isn’t just peaceful but a peacemaker. They are merciful, pure, peacemakers.

1. 1. 3. This is the righteousness that exceeds the religious leaders, see vs.20.

5. Slide18 6 things follow vs.20 that define this righteousness that exceeds...

1. 1. We must not only not kill, but we must not sustain anger (21-26).

1. 2. We must not only not commit adultery, but we must not look upon another lustfully (27-30).

1. 3. We must not only not condone divorce just cuz there is legal provision for it in the OT, but we can exceed the righteousness that can make peace w/the hardest of hearts & keep our covenant commitments (31,32).

1. 1. 1. Like a young lady who has just decided to thirst after righteousness instead of thirsting after retaliation even though her marriage covenant was radically violated.

1. 4. We must not only keep our oaths, but we need to be the kind of people who don’t need to make oaths in order for people to believe us (33-37).

1. 5. We must not only not poke out an eye, but turn the other cheek & return good for evil (38-42).

1. 6. We must not only love our neighbor, but love our enemy & pray for our persecutors (43-48).

1. 1. 1. So this righteousness is obviously the righteousness that God provides.

1. 7. Slide19 We are to seek first the kingdom of God & His righteousness. Mt.6:33 or Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need(nlt). or, Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met (msg).

6. See, the great stories of the future will be written of real men & women who were passionately committed to one thing...the righteousness of God.

5

1. 1. Make it the passion and the hunger and thirst of your life to do great acts of righteousness. Don’t settle for the little halfhearted satisfaction of being a millionaire. John piper

7. Slide20a Ok, how do I start fresh? Well, it’s never too late to change your diet: Eat & drink righteousness.

1. 1. We pursue food and drink, day after day, with great regularity and perseverance and strong urges. So, Go after God’s righteousness the same way.

1. 1. 1. Slide20b Not casually snack after righteousness. Not a lil Rolo-of-Righteousness. Are we snacking or starving for it?
         1. As hunger and thirst are the keenest of our appetites, our Lord, plainly means those whose deepest cravings are after spiritual blessings.
         2. Whats your attitude when you hear about righteousness? (ho hum/yawn)

I wouldn’t mind being a little more righteous today.

8. Righteousness

1. 1. This word is not limited, restricted, to the sinners justification before God. Instead it denotes that spiritual & entire conformity to the instructions of God.
      1. Slide21 Jer.23:5,6 Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE

LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS

1. 2. These are righteous people who want, more than anything else, to see the worlds evil (including what is wrong in their own lives) overcome by God’s righteousness.²

1. 1. 1. Jesus promises these people that God’s righteousness will prevail, and their desire for it will be satisfied.

IV. Slide22 FOR THEY SHALL BE FILLED (6b)A. Filled - to feed, to fill, to satisfy. Also, to fatten, to gorge.

²

Shepherd’s Notes, Matthew, pg.15.

6

1. 1. Is.41:17,18 The poor and needy seek water, but there is none, Their tongues fail for thirst. I, the Lord, will hear them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. I will open rivers in desolate heights, And fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, And the dry land springs of water.

2. Slide23a In Ps.17:13-15 we realize awaking to God’s face is what will satisfy completely.

1. 1. Arise, O Lord! Stand against them, and bring them to their knees! Rescue me from the wicked with your sword! By the power of your hand, O Lord, destroy those who look to this world for their reward. But satisfy the hunger of your treasured ones. May their children have plenty, leaving an inheritance for their descendants. Because I am righteous, I will see you. When I awake, I will see you face to face and be satisfied.

1. 1. 1. Our mind will be satisfied w/His Truth. Our heart will be satisfied w/His Love. Our will will be satisfied w/His Authority.

1. 2. Slide23b We need nothing else. Poem: This life’s a dream, an empty show; But the bright world to which I go. Hath joys substantial & sincere:

When shall I awake, & find me there?

3. When I awake in Your likeness – God has in mind this goal when He permits you to go through trials.

1. 1. He goes w/us into the furnace (Shad, Mish, Abednego) so that we may be more like Him when we come out of it.
   2. He wants to make you more like His Son. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son. Rom.8:29
      1. Don’t wait for your future resurrection, we can be changed/conformed daily through his word & prayer.

1. 1. 2. God’s purpose is to make His children like His Son…And He will succeed.

1. 3. So the purpose of prayer is ultimately to accomplish the will of God…(i.e.) for us to become more like Christ.
      1. When pain comes your way, just see it as another blow of the sculptor’s chisel, another knocking away of sin & hard edges from your life, in order for you to be

7

made in the image He has in His mind…in His image.

4. Slide24 John Piper: "If we don't feel strong desires for the manifestation of the glory of God, it is not because we have drunk deeply and are satisfied. It is because we have nibbled so long at the table of the world. Our soul is stuffed with small things, and there is no room for the great."

Verse 6

2. Slide7 Intro: Thirsty Souls & Hungry Hearts

1. 1. We continue to probe inside of a happy heart to discover what’s there.

1. 1. 1. So far we saw the poor in spirit are blest not the proud. Next the comfort Christ promises is for those who 1st mourn over their sins & the sins of others. Next, the way of blessing is also through meekness, not by being haughty, arrogant, or aggressive.

1. 2. In most countries, in the biblical times and now, people are mis-ruled by their governments. Exploitation of the poor and injustice prevail everywhere. Heavy taxes and extortion by government officials make people hunger for righteousness. To console

2themselves they dream of kind Kings and honest officials to replace their harsh rulers.1

3. Slide8 In Eccl.3:11 Solomon says He(God) has put(planted, nlt) eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.

1. 1. So God has placed in man’s heart this restlessness & longing for Himself.

1. 2. St. Augustine said, Thou madest us for Thyself, and our heart is restless, until it rest in Thee. Restlessness & longing are universal traits of the human heart.
   3. Slide9 The Pulley Poem (George Herbert, from John Piper study)

1. 1. 1. When God at first made man, Having a glass of blessings standing by - Let us (said He) pour on him all we can; Let the world's riches which dispersed lie, Contract into a span. So strength first made a way; Then beauty flow'd, then wisdom, honour, pleasure: When almost all was out, God made a stay, Perceiving that, alone, of all His treasure, Rest in the bottom lay. For if I should (said He) Bestow this jewel also on My creature, He would adore My gifts instead of Me, And rest in nature, not the God of Nature: So both should losers be. Yet let Him keep the rest, But keep them with repining restlessness; Let him be rich and weary, that at least If goodness lead him not, yet weariness May toss him to My breast.

1. 4. Since God planted eternity into man’s heart w/it’s insatiable restlessness & longing...we’ve tried filling it with illegal drugs, sexual exploits, scenic vacations, stunning cinematic productions, everything/anything but HIM. But the longing remains.

1. 1. 1. Slide10 Isaiah asked, “Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink - even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk - it’s all free!

Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength? Why pay for food that does you no good?(Del Taco) Listen to me, and you will eat what is good. You will enjoy the finest food. Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, and you will find life. Is.55:1-3

4. Slide11a Our hypothalamus controls our body temperature, hunger, thirst, fatigue, sleep, and circadian rhythms (those 24 hour rhythms of our biological or internal clocks)

¹

George Lamsa, Gospel Light, pg.27.

3

1. 1. 1. When organisms are thirsty, they have a tendency to seek water. When they find water and drink, they are no longer thirsty, and the thirst drive is reduced.

1. 1. 2. I believe this scripture is about a drive also.

1. 5. Slide11b Do you have thirsty souls & hungry hearts this morning? Do you have an insatiable longing for something. A restlessness? Where, the grass seems greener...

wherever you’re not standing. Where, the thrill of lust...just keeps turning to guilt & loneliness. Where, medicating away your pain feels pretty darn good...until you wake up to the reality of this world again. Where, soaking your hurts in alcohol finds a sweet escape...until awaking to find the same messed up relationships still there. Where, your new toy is pretty boring after a few weeks.

1. 1. 1. Slide12 CS Lewis was right when he said, if I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.

1. 1. 2. Jesus has something to say about this universal experience this inconsolable longing.

3. Slide13 BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO HUNGER & THIRST FOR RT (6a)

1. 1. Nkjv Blessed are those who hunger & thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.

1. 2. Nlt God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied.

1. 1. 1. Justice is treating people equitably, by giving people what they are due.

Punishment to the evil doers, or protection or care to the vulnerable. And living a life of right relationships w/God & fellow man. [combo rt & justice]

1. 3. Msg You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.

1. 4. Slide14 What does He mean by righteousness? (it comes up 5 x’s in this sermon, 5:6,10,20; 6:1,33)

1. 1. 1. Slide15 It will help to look at the beatitudes structure. [8 of them, vs11 expands vs10]

1. 1. 2. Slide16 The 1st & last beatitude (vs.2,10) give the same assurance, for theirs

is the kingdom of heaven.[sandwiched together like 8 jellybeans, inside a plastic easter egg]

1. 1. 3. Slide17 2 groups of 4. End of the 1st 4 & end of the last 4, close w/a ref to righteousness

4

1. 4. Note with the 1st set we’re told to thirst after it, but in the end they not only have it, but it’s overflowing, they are being persecuted for having it.

1. 1. 1. The 1st set points to the emptying of ourselves (poor in spirit, mourn over sin, they are meek & don’t retaliate).

1. 1. 2. The 2nd set points to our filling. This person is overflowing with mercy, purity in heart & isn’t just peaceful but a peacemaker. They are merciful, pure, peacemakers.

1. 1. 3. This is the righteousness that exceeds the religious leaders, see vs.20.

5. Slide18 6 things follow vs.20 that define this righteousness that exceeds...

1. 1. We must not only not kill, but we must not sustain anger (21-26).

1. 2. We must not only not commit adultery, but we must not look upon another lustfully (27-30).

1. 3. We must not only not condone divorce just cuz there is legal provision for it in the OT, but we can exceed the righteousness that can make peace w/the hardest of hearts & keep our covenant commitments (31,32).

1. 1. 1. Like a young lady who has just decided to thirst after righteousness instead of thirsting after retaliation even though her marriage covenant was radically violated.

1. 4. We must not only keep our oaths, but we need to be the kind of people who don’t need to make oaths in order for people to believe us (33-37).

1. 5. We must not only not poke out an eye, but turn the other cheek & return good for evil (38-42).

1. 6. We must not only love our neighbor, but love our enemy & pray for our persecutors (43-48).

1. 1. 1. So this righteousness is obviously the righteousness that God provides.

1. 7. Slide19 We are to seek first the kingdom of God & His righteousness. Mt.6:33 or Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need(nlt). or, Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met (msg).

6. See, the great stories of the future will be written of real men & women who were passionately committed to one thing...the righteousness of God.

5

1. 1. Make it the passion and the hunger and thirst of your life to do great acts of righteousness. Don’t settle for the little halfhearted satisfaction of being a millionaire. John piper

7. Slide20a Ok, how do I start fresh? Well, it’s never too late to change your diet: Eat & drink righteousness.

1. 1. We pursue food and drink, day after day, with great regularity and perseverance and strong urges. So, Go after God’s righteousness the same way.

1. 1. 1. Slide20b Not casually snack after righteousness. Not a lil Rolo-of-Righteousness. Are we snacking or starving for it?
         1. As hunger and thirst are the keenest of our appetites, our Lord, plainly means those whose deepest cravings are after spiritual blessings.
         2. Whats your attitude when you hear about righteousness? (ho hum/yawn)

I wouldn’t mind being a little more righteous today.

8. Righteousness

1. 1. This word is not limited, restricted, to the sinners justification before God. Instead it denotes that spiritual & entire conformity to the instructions of God.
      1. Slide21 Jer.23:5,6 Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE

LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS

1. 2. These are righteous people who want, more than anything else, to see the worlds evil (including what is wrong in their own lives) overcome by God’s righteousness.²

1. 1. 1. Jesus promises these people that God’s righteousness will prevail, and their desire for it will be satisfied.

IV. Slide22 FOR THEY SHALL BE FILLED (6b)A. Filled - to feed, to fill, to satisfy. Also, to fatten, to gorge.

²

Shepherd’s Notes, Matthew, pg.15.

6

1. 1. Is.41:17,18 The poor and needy seek water, but there is none, Their tongues fail for thirst. I, the Lord, will hear them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. I will open rivers in desolate heights, And fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, And the dry land springs of water.

2. Slide23a In Ps.17:13-15 we realize awaking to God’s face is what will satisfy completely.

1. 1. Arise, O Lord! Stand against them, and bring them to their knees! Rescue me from the wicked with your sword! By the power of your hand, O Lord, destroy those who look to this world for their reward. But satisfy the hunger of your treasured ones. May their children have plenty, leaving an inheritance for their descendants. Because I am righteous, I will see you. When I awake, I will see you face to face and be satisfied.

1. 1. 1. Our mind will be satisfied w/His Truth. Our heart will be satisfied w/His Love. Our will will be satisfied w/His Authority.

1. 2. Slide23b We need nothing else. Poem: This life’s a dream, an empty show; But the bright world to which I go. Hath joys substantial & sincere:

When shall I awake, & find me there?

3. When I awake in Your likeness – God has in mind this goal when He permits you to go through trials.

1. 1. He goes w/us into the furnace (Shad, Mish, Abednego) so that we may be more like Him when we come out of it.
   2. He wants to make you more like His Son. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son. Rom.8:29
      1. Don’t wait for your future resurrection, we can be changed/conformed daily through his word & prayer.

1. 1. 2. God’s purpose is to make His children like His Son…And He will succeed.

1. 3. So the purpose of prayer is ultimately to accomplish the will of God…(i.e.) for us to become more like Christ.
      1. When pain comes your way, just see it as another blow of the sculptor’s chisel, another knocking away of sin & hard edges from your life, in order for you to be

7

made in the image He has in His mind…in His image.

4. Slide24 John Piper: "If we don't feel strong desires for the manifestation of the glory of God, it is not because we have drunk deeply and are satisfied. It is because we have nibbled so long at the table of the world. Our soul is stuffed with small things, and there is no room for the great."

Verse 7

2. Slide7 Intro: Men of Mercy

1. 1. Slide8 A South American minnow-like fish is called four eyes because it knows how to make the best of two worlds. The Creator designed its large bulging eyes with an air lens on the upper half and a water lens on the lower half. As it cruises along the surface of the water, it is able to look at the world above and the world below. [believers in Christ must be like this little fish]

1. 1. 1. As we go through life, we need to look above to heaven and also below to the world around us.

1. 1. 1. 1. The heavenward look enables us to focus on what God says is true and right, and The earthward look helps us see opportunities to demonstrate Christlike compassion to people who are entangled in sin. Mercy

1. 2. Slide9 The reference here is to Ps.18:25 With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful

1. 3. Not that our mercifulness comes absolutely first. On the contrary, our Lord Himself expressly teaches us that God’s method is to awaken in us compassion towards our fellow men by His own exercise of it. So, God rewards those who imitate His goodness and mercy.

1. 1. 1. Slide10 Spurgeon said, Followers of Jesus Must be men of Mercy; for they have found Mercy, & Mercy has found them.

1. 1. 2. These famous lines from The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare are true in every way. Mercy always comes down. It starts with God and moves to man, it begins in heaven and ends on earth. You don’t bargain for

2mercy because to make a bargain you’ve got to have something to offer, and we have nothing to offer God.

1. 1. 1. 1. A ragamuffin knows he’s only a beggar at the door of God’s mercy.

3. Slide11 MERCY DEFINED

1. 1. This is similar to, Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.

1. 2. Mercy is connected with those who may be easily ignored...the crippled, the sick, the deformed, or the aged.

1. 3. Merciful embraces the characteristics of being generous, forgiving others, having compassion for the suffering, and providing healing of every kind.

1. 4. The blessing lies not only in doing a merciful act, but in being merciful in disposition.¹

1. 1. 1. It's better to give others a piece of your heart than a piece of your mind.

1. 5. Slide12 Justice is getting what you deserve. Mercy is not getting what you deserve. Grace is getting what you don’t deserve.

1. 1. 1. Mercy & Grace are actually forms of nonjustice, but they are not acts of injustice.
      2. Mercy is always Voluntary [If its is obligated, then its justice, not mercy]

1. 6. Mercy is the outward manifestation of Pity.

IV. Slide13 MERCY LIVED OUT

1. Mercy is one of the special bridges God has built so that He can relate to you & me. And Mercy is a bridge you & I must build if we are going to relate lovingly to others.

1. 1. Slide14 Mercy was 1st shown to Lot, his wife & daughters, as the angels led them by hand out of the city before destruction.

1. 1. 1. Gen.19:16 And while he lingered (Sodom & Gomorrah), the men took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city.

1. 2. Abraham to Lot - He could have let Lot get his just do & left him in Sodom, when the kings attacked.

¹

Spurgeon Quote

3

3. Slide15 Joseph to his bro’s - He had them under his mighty power down in Egypt

4. Slide16 David to Saul - Twice had the power to kill Saul, but showed his real power by showing Mercy.

1. 1. What about YOU? Ok, your right & they’re wrong. What are you going to do? Show your power to retaliate or show your power to show mercy?

1. 2. Saul reigned in malice & hatred, David reigned in love & mercy. Matter of fact, when Saul was killed, David sang a song of Lamentation w/no mention of Saul’s hatred. 2 Sam.1:17-27. Your glory, O Israel, lies slain on your heights. How the mighty have fallen.

5. Slide17 Jesus to the Woman caught in Adultery (Jn.8)

1. 1. 1st taught how not to deal w/it. Find the sinner, expose the sinner, & use the sinner to accomplish your own selfish acts.

1. 2. Jesus in one fell swoop annihilated this egotistical approach in vs.7 He who is w/o sin among you, let him throw a stone at her 1st.

1. 3. How did He deal with it? (vs.11) He didn’t deny the fact she sinned. (He knew she was a sinner, she knew she was also) But mercy & truth met together that morning, & the result was a forgiven sinner.

1. 1. 1. 1. Ps.85:10 Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

1. 1. 4. Think of what that cost Jesus to say those words in vs.11, neither do I condemn you; go & sin no more. Think of the suffering He would endure on the cross to make that cleansing possible.

1. 1. 1. 1. There can be no mercy w/o suffering, no pardon w/o pain.

5. Slide18,19 MERCY’S CHAIN

1. 1. Pain - The Mercy chain starts when someone hurts us unjustly (whether phys. or emotionally). We must respond to this hurt.

1. 2. Power - If you have no power, then you can only give in; but if you have the power to retaliate then you must decide what to do. [so, you cannot show mercy, unless you have the power to hurt]

4

3. Truth - Suppose the person deserves it. You feel you must teach them a lesson. You have the power to hurt them back...but should you use it?

4. Love - Now, Love enters the picture, not to cancel truth, but to control it.

5. Faith - Because of God’s love, we don’t give to the offender what he deserves.

1. 1. This demands Faith; we must leave the offender & his offense in the hands of God.

6. Growth - What’s the result of this painful experience? Growth. [we share in the fellowship of His sufferings & become more like Him]

1. 1. Lesson: Use your power for growth not retaliation. When you show mercy you are practicing one of God’s attributes.

VI. Slide20,21 IF NO MERCY, THEN WHAT?

1. Tell the story of the unforgiving servant in Mt.18:21-35

2. He didn’t show mercy so he found himself in prison, because he wouldn’t forgive a friend

1. 1. This might be the most miserable prison we will find ourselves in, the prison of unforgiveness...the prison of no mercy.

1. 2. Where our thoughts become shackled, our emotions are chained, & our will is almost paralyzed.

1. 3. When we do show mercy all the bonds are broken. We enter into a joyful liberty which is one way to receive mercy as we show mercy.

VII.Slide22 MERCIES PROMISE

1. Be sure you’ll always be opportunities to show Mercy. We never grow out of this privilege. Put on Jesus’ merciful eyes.

1. 1. Mercy in the abstract means nothing. It must be incarnate in human flesh.

1. 2. The world cannot see mercy apart from the people who experience & share it...We are those people!!!!

2. Slide23 Micah 7:18,19 Who is a God like You, Pardoning iniquity And passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in mercy.

5VIII.Slide24 SHOULD WE ALWAYS SHOW MERCY?

1. God's will is that sometimes we repay people with what they deserve, whether punishment or reward (i.e.justice). And God's will is that sometimes we repay people with better than what they deserve (mercy).

1. 1. In upholding the claims of justice, we bear witness to the truth that God is a God of justice. And in showing mercy we bear witness to the truth that God is a God of mercy.

1. 1. 1. A biblical parent will usually follow the wisdom that sparing the rod spoils the child (Prov.13:24; Eph.6:4). But there will be times when a child's fault will be forgiven w/o punishment to teach the meaning of mercy & woo the child to Christ.

1. 1. 2. A biblical judge will usually be scrupulously just by impartially sentencing criminals according to the grievousness of their crimes (Rom.13:4). But there will be times when he will dispense clemency for some greater good.

IX. Slide25 HOW DO WE KNOW WHEN TO SHOW ONE OR THE OTHER?

1. I would answer, by getting as close to Jesus as you possibly can.

1. 1. I know of no hard and fast rules in Scripture to dictate for every situation, and I don't think this is an accident.

1. 1. 1. The aim of Scripture is to produce a certain kind of person, not provide and exhaustive list of rules for every situation.

1. 2. Slide26a The beatitude says, Blessed are the merciful, not, Blessed are those who know exactly when and how to show mercy in all circumstances.
      1. Slide26b We must be merciful people even when we act with severity in the service of justice.

2. So should a merciful person always show mercy? is a qualified no.

1. 1. No, you will often support the claims of justice and recompense a person the way he deserves, in order to bear witness to the truth of God's justice and to accomplish a greater good for greater numbers of people.

1. 2. But it is a qualified no because if you are a merciful person, then even the way you spank a child or prosecute a criminal or dismiss an employee will be different. The mercy will show. The parent may cry. The attorney may visit the

6

criminal and his family. The employer may pay for remedial training.

Slide26c The heart of mercy will show.

3. Maybe the Christian community can show mercy on Starbuck’s w/their Red Cups?

Remembering, It is not Starbuck’s job to share the love of Jesus. It’s our job. Ed Stezer

Verse 7

2. Slide7 Intro: Men of Mercy

1. 1. Slide8 A South American minnow-like fish is called four eyes because it knows how to make the best of two worlds. The Creator designed its large bulging eyes with an air lens on the upper half and a water lens on the lower half. As it cruises along the surface of the water, it is able to look at the world above and the world below. [believers in Christ must be like this little fish]

1. 1. 1. As we go through life, we need to look above to heaven and also below to the world around us.

1. 1. 1. 1. The heavenward look enables us to focus on what God says is true and right, and The earthward look helps us see opportunities to demonstrate Christlike compassion to people who are entangled in sin. Mercy

1. 2. Slide9 The reference here is to Ps.18:25 With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful

1. 3. Not that our mercifulness comes absolutely first. On the contrary, our Lord Himself expressly teaches us that God’s method is to awaken in us compassion towards our fellow men by His own exercise of it. So, God rewards those who imitate His goodness and mercy.

1. 1. 1. Slide10 Spurgeon said, Followers of Jesus Must be men of Mercy; for they have found Mercy, & Mercy has found them.

1. 1. 2. These famous lines from The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare are true in every way. Mercy always comes down. It starts with God and moves to man, it begins in heaven and ends on earth. You don’t bargain for

2mercy because to make a bargain you’ve got to have something to offer, and we have nothing to offer God.

1. 1. 1. 1. A ragamuffin knows he’s only a beggar at the door of God’s mercy.

3. Slide11 MERCY DEFINED

1. 1. This is similar to, Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.

1. 2. Mercy is connected with those who may be easily ignored...the crippled, the sick, the deformed, or the aged.

1. 3. Merciful embraces the characteristics of being generous, forgiving others, having compassion for the suffering, and providing healing of every kind.

1. 4. The blessing lies not only in doing a merciful act, but in being merciful in disposition.¹

1. 1. 1. It's better to give others a piece of your heart than a piece of your mind.

1. 5. Slide12 Justice is getting what you deserve. Mercy is not getting what you deserve. Grace is getting what you don’t deserve.

1. 1. 1. Mercy & Grace are actually forms of nonjustice, but they are not acts of injustice.
      2. Mercy is always Voluntary [If its is obligated, then its justice, not mercy]

1. 6. Mercy is the outward manifestation of Pity.

IV. Slide13 MERCY LIVED OUT

1. Mercy is one of the special bridges God has built so that He can relate to you & me. And Mercy is a bridge you & I must build if we are going to relate lovingly to others.

1. 1. Slide14 Mercy was 1st shown to Lot, his wife & daughters, as the angels led them by hand out of the city before destruction.

1. 1. 1. Gen.19:16 And while he lingered (Sodom & Gomorrah), the men took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city.

1. 2. Abraham to Lot - He could have let Lot get his just do & left him in Sodom, when the kings attacked.

¹

Spurgeon Quote

3

3. Slide15 Joseph to his bro’s - He had them under his mighty power down in Egypt

4. Slide16 David to Saul - Twice had the power to kill Saul, but showed his real power by showing Mercy.

1. 1. What about YOU? Ok, your right & they’re wrong. What are you going to do? Show your power to retaliate or show your power to show mercy?

1. 2. Saul reigned in malice & hatred, David reigned in love & mercy. Matter of fact, when Saul was killed, David sang a song of Lamentation w/no mention of Saul’s hatred. 2 Sam.1:17-27. Your glory, O Israel, lies slain on your heights. How the mighty have fallen.

5. Slide17 Jesus to the Woman caught in Adultery (Jn.8)

1. 1. 1st taught how not to deal w/it. Find the sinner, expose the sinner, & use the sinner to accomplish your own selfish acts.

1. 2. Jesus in one fell swoop annihilated this egotistical approach in vs.7 He who is w/o sin among you, let him throw a stone at her 1st.

1. 3. How did He deal with it? (vs.11) He didn’t deny the fact she sinned. (He knew she was a sinner, she knew she was also) But mercy & truth met together that morning, & the result was a forgiven sinner.

1. 1. 1. 1. Ps.85:10 Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

1. 1. 4. Think of what that cost Jesus to say those words in vs.11, neither do I condemn you; go & sin no more. Think of the suffering He would endure on the cross to make that cleansing possible.

1. 1. 1. 1. There can be no mercy w/o suffering, no pardon w/o pain.

5. Slide18,19 MERCY’S CHAIN

1. 1. Pain - The Mercy chain starts when someone hurts us unjustly (whether phys. or emotionally). We must respond to this hurt.

1. 2. Power - If you have no power, then you can only give in; but if you have the power to retaliate then you must decide what to do. [so, you cannot show mercy, unless you have the power to hurt]

4

3. Truth - Suppose the person deserves it. You feel you must teach them a lesson. You have the power to hurt them back...but should you use it?

4. Love - Now, Love enters the picture, not to cancel truth, but to control it.

5. Faith - Because of God’s love, we don’t give to the offender what he deserves.

1. 1. This demands Faith; we must leave the offender & his offense in the hands of God.

6. Growth - What’s the result of this painful experience? Growth. [we share in the fellowship of His sufferings & become more like Him]

1. 1. Lesson: Use your power for growth not retaliation. When you show mercy you are practicing one of God’s attributes.

VI. Slide20,21 IF NO MERCY, THEN WHAT?

1. Tell the story of the unforgiving servant in Mt.18:21-35

2. He didn’t show mercy so he found himself in prison, because he wouldn’t forgive a friend

1. 1. This might be the most miserable prison we will find ourselves in, the prison of unforgiveness...the prison of no mercy.

1. 2. Where our thoughts become shackled, our emotions are chained, & our will is almost paralyzed.

1. 3. When we do show mercy all the bonds are broken. We enter into a joyful liberty which is one way to receive mercy as we show mercy.

VII.Slide22 MERCIES PROMISE

1. Be sure you’ll always be opportunities to show Mercy. We never grow out of this privilege. Put on Jesus’ merciful eyes.

1. 1. Mercy in the abstract means nothing. It must be incarnate in human flesh.

1. 2. The world cannot see mercy apart from the people who experience & share it...We are those people!!!!

2. Slide23 Micah 7:18,19 Who is a God like You, Pardoning iniquity And passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in mercy.

5VIII.Slide24 SHOULD WE ALWAYS SHOW MERCY?

1. God's will is that sometimes we repay people with what they deserve, whether punishment or reward (i.e.justice). And God's will is that sometimes we repay people with better than what they deserve (mercy).

1. 1. In upholding the claims of justice, we bear witness to the truth that God is a God of justice. And in showing mercy we bear witness to the truth that God is a God of mercy.

1. 1. 1. A biblical parent will usually follow the wisdom that sparing the rod spoils the child (Prov.13:24; Eph.6:4). But there will be times when a child's fault will be forgiven w/o punishment to teach the meaning of mercy & woo the child to Christ.

1. 1. 2. A biblical judge will usually be scrupulously just by impartially sentencing criminals according to the grievousness of their crimes (Rom.13:4). But there will be times when he will dispense clemency for some greater good.

IX. Slide25 HOW DO WE KNOW WHEN TO SHOW ONE OR THE OTHER?

1. I would answer, by getting as close to Jesus as you possibly can.

1. 1. I know of no hard and fast rules in Scripture to dictate for every situation, and I don't think this is an accident.

1. 1. 1. The aim of Scripture is to produce a certain kind of person, not provide and exhaustive list of rules for every situation.

1. 2. Slide26a The beatitude says, Blessed are the merciful, not, Blessed are those who know exactly when and how to show mercy in all circumstances.
      1. Slide26b We must be merciful people even when we act with severity in the service of justice.

2. So should a merciful person always show mercy? is a qualified no.

1. 1. No, you will often support the claims of justice and recompense a person the way he deserves, in order to bear witness to the truth of God's justice and to accomplish a greater good for greater numbers of people.

1. 2. But it is a qualified no because if you are a merciful person, then even the way you spank a child or prosecute a criminal or dismiss an employee will be different. The mercy will show. The parent may cry. The attorney may visit the

6

criminal and his family. The employer may pay for remedial training.

Slide26c The heart of mercy will show.

3. Maybe the Christian community can show mercy on Starbuck’s w/their Red Cups?

Remembering, It is not Starbuck’s job to share the love of Jesus. It’s our job. Ed Stezer

Verse 8

2. Slide7 Intro: Pure Hearts See God

1. 1. Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.

1. 1. 1. Slide8a Msg You’re blessed when you get your inside world, your mind and heart, put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.

1. 1. 2. The converse of this beatitude is in Heb.12:14, Pursue (peace with all people, and) holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.

1. 2. Slide8b It’s not enough to clean up your life on the outside...What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy - full of greed and self-indulgence! You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too.

1. 1. 1. I think we forget that Jesus wasn’t/isn’t after a society that has no acts of adultery, & no acts of murder. Yet so often that seems to be what Christians

2are after politically. A more moral society. Jesus said, its way deeper than just not committing adultery or murder, its a matter of the heart.

1. 1. 2. Jesus’ aim is not to reform the manners of society, but to change the hearts of sinners like you and me. That changes a society...literally from the inside out.

3. Slide9 BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART (8a)

1. 1. Slide10,11 Heart? - kardIA. The Heart is the Inner Man w/his many functions.

1. 1. 1. The Heart has emotions, let not your heart be troubled. Jn.14:1

1. 1. 2. The Heart refers also to the intellect, Why reason these things in your heart?

1. 1. 3. The Heart also refers to the will, But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself.
         1. The Heart is the Master Control area of life. Solomon said, Keep your heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

1. 1. 4. The heart, the center of the inner life of the person where all the spiritual forces & functions have their origin. TDNT
         1. The heart is what you are in the secrecy of your thoughts & feelings.

1. 1. 1. 2. What you are at the invisible root matters as much to God as what you are at the visible branch. John Piper

1. 1. 5. So Jesus didn’t come into this world to help us reform some bad habits, but to purify dirty hearts. Not to make bad people good, but to make dead people alive. To swap His rightness for our wrongness.

1. 2. Slide12a Pure - katharOs, clean & undefiled/unmixed.

1. 1. 1. Clean: We get an English medical term from katharOs...

1. 1. 1. 1. A doctor uses a cathartic, which stimulates evacuation of the bowels; a purgative or laxative.
         2. A Psychiatrist uses catharsis on the emotional level to cleanse the patient of hostilities & other destructive attitudes. [or crying is a cathartic release]
         3. There is also a spiritual catharsis, a cleansing of the inner man.

1. 1. 2. Slide12b Undefiled/unmixed: the 2nd meaning refers to straight, undiluted, consistent, homogeneous, plain, pure, unadulterated.

3

1. 1. 1. Examples: Milk w/o water added. Gold w/the dross removed. Wheat w/the chaff

removed. The basic idea is integrity, singleness of heart, as opposed to: duplicity, a double heart, or a divided heart.

1. 1. 2. In the OT we heard the contrasts between ritual suitability or unsuitability before God, or the states of being either holy and profane. Which allowed or denied someone access to God in the OT.

1. 3. Jesus’ original audience would have made no distinction between having a heart pure from sin (in general) & a heart free from ritual impurity (in particular)

3. Slide13 When God cleanses the sinner he does more than wash away sin, He puts w/in him a New Heart that wants to focus wholly on Him.
   1. Jer.32:38,39 They will be my people, and I will be their God. And I will give them one heart and one purpose: to worship me forever, for their own good and for the good of all their descendants.

IV. Slide14 FOR THEY SHALL SEE GOD (8b)

1. Well, the opposite of seeing God would be spiritual blindness.

2. See God - Likely an allusion to the temple entrance liturgy of Psalm 24. (esp.3-6)

1. 1. Choir would sing v.1,2. A voice would respond with v.3. Then another voice would answer with v.4.

1. 2. Slide15 vs.3Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His

holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol(to what is false), Nor sworn deceitfully. 5 He shall receive blessing from the Lord, And righteousness from the God of his salvation.6 This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him, Who seek Your face.

3. Note: clean hands (rt actions) & pure hearts (rt attitudes). Or purity of conduct/character.

4. Clean hands – that’s the outward life.

1. 1. What monarch would have servant’s w/filthy hands to wait at His table?

1. 2. 2 questions: How to get them clean? How to keep them clean?

(1) Wash them in the basin of Jesus’ blood. Then, keep washing them.

5. Pure heart - that’s the inward life.

4

1. 1. 1. Slide16 God brings the hands & the heart together because...We do what we do because we are what we are.

1. 1. 2. True religion is heart-work. Dirt in the heart throws dust in the eyes.

1. 6. Slide17 James 4:8 Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

1. 1. 1. Double-minded is when we try to be a friend w/the world & a friend of Jesus. 4:4

1. 1. 2. It’s a women in love with 2 men...it doesn’t work.

1. 1. 3. Purity of heart is when we give our full & total allegiance to God.

It’s when we love God with all our heart. Not with part. Not w/a double or divided heart. It’s a heart with no deception. No double-mindedness. No divided allegiance.

3. Slide18a To see God is to be admitted into His presence.

1. 1. eg. In the same way that you call to see your doctor. You don’t mean you want to see him/her from a distance, or see a picture of them, you mean you want an appointment to be with them. To see God is to be admitted into His presence.

4. Slide18b To see God is to be awestruck by His glory.

1. 1. Job said, I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes. I take back everything I said, & I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance. 42:5,6

1. 2. Our spiritual sight in this life is mediated to us through the Word of God or the work of God in providence. We see images and reflections of his glory. We hear echoes and reverberations of his voice.

1. 3. But there will come a day when God Himself will dwell among us. His glory will no longer be inferred from lightning and mountains and roaring seas and constellations of stars. Instead our experience of him will be direct. His glory will be the very light in which we move (Rev.21:23) and the beauty of his holiness will be tasted directly like honey on the tongue. Piper

5. Slide19a Eventually we know we will see His Face [Rev.22:4 And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads]. Yet Jesus is promising us the vision of God here & now.

5

1. 1. It’s the Principle, we See what we Love. And If what we Love is God, we will live in a world thats filled w/God.

1. 1. 1. Ex: David did - Read Ps.29:3-10

1. 1. 2. Jesus did - He saw God’s providence in the fall of a sparrow. He saw the generosity of God in the beauty of a lily. He saw in a farmer sowing his seeds the Word of God planted in mans heart.

1. 2. God’s Fingerprints/Footprints are clearly seen by the saint who has a pure heart.

6. Slide19b Seeing God thru the eyes of the Heart is not a momentary thing; it is constant & growing
   1. Winston Churchill, To build may have to be the slow & laborious task of years. To destroy can be the thoughtless act of a single day.
      1. Moses built that relationship w/God, before he asked to see His glory.

7. Slide19c Lastly, When you start to see God, you also start to see what God see’s.

1. 1. You see yourself in the light of God’s Glory

1. 1. 1. Job 42:5,6 I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes. I take back everything I said, & I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.

1. 2. You see others in a new light

1. 1. 1. The Scribes & Pharisees saw tax collectors & sinners as rebels; Jesus saw them as lost coins, lost sheep, & lost sons.

1. 3. The Eyes see what the Heart Loves. If the heart loves God & is single in this devotion, then the eyes will see God.

Verse 8

2. Slide7 Intro: Pure Hearts See God

1. 1. Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.

1. 1. 1. Slide8a Msg You’re blessed when you get your inside world, your mind and heart, put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.

1. 1. 2. The converse of this beatitude is in Heb.12:14, Pursue (peace with all people, and) holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.

1. 2. Slide8b It’s not enough to clean up your life on the outside...What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy - full of greed and self-indulgence! You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too.

1. 1. 1. I think we forget that Jesus wasn’t/isn’t after a society that has no acts of adultery, & no acts of murder. Yet so often that seems to be what Christians

2are after politically. A more moral society. Jesus said, its way deeper than just not committing adultery or murder, its a matter of the heart.

1. 1. 2. Jesus’ aim is not to reform the manners of society, but to change the hearts of sinners like you and me. That changes a society...literally from the inside out.

3. Slide9 BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART (8a)

1. 1. Slide10,11 Heart? - kardIA. The Heart is the Inner Man w/his many functions.

1. 1. 1. The Heart has emotions, let not your heart be troubled. Jn.14:1

1. 1. 2. The Heart refers also to the intellect, Why reason these things in your heart?

1. 1. 3. The Heart also refers to the will, But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself.
         1. The Heart is the Master Control area of life. Solomon said, Keep your heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

1. 1. 4. The heart, the center of the inner life of the person where all the spiritual forces & functions have their origin. TDNT
         1. The heart is what you are in the secrecy of your thoughts & feelings.

1. 1. 1. 2. What you are at the invisible root matters as much to God as what you are at the visible branch. John Piper

1. 1. 5. So Jesus didn’t come into this world to help us reform some bad habits, but to purify dirty hearts. Not to make bad people good, but to make dead people alive. To swap His rightness for our wrongness.

1. 2. Slide12a Pure - katharOs, clean & undefiled/unmixed.

1. 1. 1. Clean: We get an English medical term from katharOs...

1. 1. 1. 1. A doctor uses a cathartic, which stimulates evacuation of the bowels; a purgative or laxative.
         2. A Psychiatrist uses catharsis on the emotional level to cleanse the patient of hostilities & other destructive attitudes. [or crying is a cathartic release]
         3. There is also a spiritual catharsis, a cleansing of the inner man.

1. 1. 2. Slide12b Undefiled/unmixed: the 2nd meaning refers to straight, undiluted, consistent, homogeneous, plain, pure, unadulterated.

3

1. 1. 1. Examples: Milk w/o water added. Gold w/the dross removed. Wheat w/the chaff

removed. The basic idea is integrity, singleness of heart, as opposed to: duplicity, a double heart, or a divided heart.

1. 1. 2. In the OT we heard the contrasts between ritual suitability or unsuitability before God, or the states of being either holy and profane. Which allowed or denied someone access to God in the OT.

1. 3. Jesus’ original audience would have made no distinction between having a heart pure from sin (in general) & a heart free from ritual impurity (in particular)

3. Slide13 When God cleanses the sinner he does more than wash away sin, He puts w/in him a New Heart that wants to focus wholly on Him.
   1. Jer.32:38,39 They will be my people, and I will be their God. And I will give them one heart and one purpose: to worship me forever, for their own good and for the good of all their descendants.

IV. Slide14 FOR THEY SHALL SEE GOD (8b)

1. Well, the opposite of seeing God would be spiritual blindness.

2. See God - Likely an allusion to the temple entrance liturgy of Psalm 24. (esp.3-6)

1. 1. Choir would sing v.1,2. A voice would respond with v.3. Then another voice would answer with v.4.

1. 2. Slide15 vs.3Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His

holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol(to what is false), Nor sworn deceitfully. 5 He shall receive blessing from the Lord, And righteousness from the God of his salvation.6 This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him, Who seek Your face.

3. Note: clean hands (rt actions) & pure hearts (rt attitudes). Or purity of conduct/character.

4. Clean hands – that’s the outward life.

1. 1. What monarch would have servant’s w/filthy hands to wait at His table?

1. 2. 2 questions: How to get them clean? How to keep them clean?

(1) Wash them in the basin of Jesus’ blood. Then, keep washing them.

5. Pure heart - that’s the inward life.

4

1. 1. 1. Slide16 God brings the hands & the heart together because...We do what we do because we are what we are.

1. 1. 2. True religion is heart-work. Dirt in the heart throws dust in the eyes.

1. 6. Slide17 James 4:8 Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

1. 1. 1. Double-minded is when we try to be a friend w/the world & a friend of Jesus. 4:4

1. 1. 2. It’s a women in love with 2 men...it doesn’t work.

1. 1. 3. Purity of heart is when we give our full & total allegiance to God.

It’s when we love God with all our heart. Not with part. Not w/a double or divided heart. It’s a heart with no deception. No double-mindedness. No divided allegiance.

3. Slide18a To see God is to be admitted into His presence.

1. 1. eg. In the same way that you call to see your doctor. You don’t mean you want to see him/her from a distance, or see a picture of them, you mean you want an appointment to be with them. To see God is to be admitted into His presence.

4. Slide18b To see God is to be awestruck by His glory.

1. 1. Job said, I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes. I take back everything I said, & I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance. 42:5,6

1. 2. Our spiritual sight in this life is mediated to us through the Word of God or the work of God in providence. We see images and reflections of his glory. We hear echoes and reverberations of his voice.

1. 3. But there will come a day when God Himself will dwell among us. His glory will no longer be inferred from lightning and mountains and roaring seas and constellations of stars. Instead our experience of him will be direct. His glory will be the very light in which we move (Rev.21:23) and the beauty of his holiness will be tasted directly like honey on the tongue. Piper

5. Slide19a Eventually we know we will see His Face [Rev.22:4 And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads]. Yet Jesus is promising us the vision of God here & now.

5

1. 1. It’s the Principle, we See what we Love. And If what we Love is God, we will live in a world thats filled w/God.

1. 1. 1. Ex: David did - Read Ps.29:3-10

1. 1. 2. Jesus did - He saw God’s providence in the fall of a sparrow. He saw the generosity of God in the beauty of a lily. He saw in a farmer sowing his seeds the Word of God planted in mans heart.

1. 2. God’s Fingerprints/Footprints are clearly seen by the saint who has a pure heart.

6. Slide19b Seeing God thru the eyes of the Heart is not a momentary thing; it is constant & growing
   1. Winston Churchill, To build may have to be the slow & laborious task of years. To destroy can be the thoughtless act of a single day.
      1. Moses built that relationship w/God, before he asked to see His glory.

7. Slide19c Lastly, When you start to see God, you also start to see what God see’s.

1. 1. You see yourself in the light of God’s Glory

1. 1. 1. Job 42:5,6 I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes. I take back everything I said, & I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.

1. 2. You see others in a new light

1. 1. 1. The Scribes & Pharisees saw tax collectors & sinners as rebels; Jesus saw them as lost coins, lost sheep, & lost sons.

1. 3. The Eyes see what the Heart Loves. If the heart loves God & is single in this devotion, then the eyes will see God.

Verse 9

2. Slide7 Intro: Pure Hearts See God

1. 1. Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.

1. 1. 1. Slide8a Msg You’re blessed when you get your inside world, your mind and heart, put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.

1. 1. 2. The converse of this beatitude is in Heb.12:14, Pursue (peace with all people, and) holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.

1. 2. Slide8b It’s not enough to clean up your life on the outside...What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy - full of greed and self-indulgence! You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too.

1. 1. 1. I think we forget that Jesus wasn’t/isn’t after a society that has no acts of adultery, & no acts of murder. Yet so often that seems to be what Christians

2are after politically. A more moral society. Jesus said, its way deeper than just not committing adultery or murder, its a matter of the heart.

1. 1. 2. Jesus’ aim is not to reform the manners of society, but to change the hearts of sinners like you and me. That changes a society...literally from the inside out.

3. Slide9 BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART (8a)

1. 1. Slide10,11 Heart? - kardIA. The Heart is the Inner Man w/his many functions.

1. 1. 1. The Heart has emotions, let not your heart be troubled. Jn.14:1

1. 1. 2. The Heart refers also to the intellect, Why reason these things in your heart?

1. 1. 3. The Heart also refers to the will, But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself.
         1. The Heart is the Master Control area of life. Solomon said, Keep your heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

1. 1. 4. The heart, the center of the inner life of the person where all the spiritual forces & functions have their origin. TDNT
         1. The heart is what you are in the secrecy of your thoughts & feelings.

1. 1. 1. 2. What you are at the invisible root matters as much to God as what you are at the visible branch. John Piper

1. 1. 5. So Jesus didn’t come into this world to help us reform some bad habits, but to purify dirty hearts. Not to make bad people good, but to make dead people alive. To swap His rightness for our wrongness.

1. 2. Slide12a Pure - katharOs, clean & undefiled/unmixed.

1. 1. 1. Clean: We get an English medical term from katharOs...

1. 1. 1. 1. A doctor uses a cathartic, which stimulates evacuation of the bowels; a purgative or laxative.
         2. A Psychiatrist uses catharsis on the emotional level to cleanse the patient of hostilities & other destructive attitudes. [or crying is a cathartic release]
         3. There is also a spiritual catharsis, a cleansing of the inner man.

1. 1. 2. Slide12b Undefiled/unmixed: the 2nd meaning refers to straight, undiluted, consistent, homogeneous, plain, pure, unadulterated.

3

1. 1. 1. Examples: Milk w/o water added. Gold w/the dross removed. Wheat w/the chaff

removed. The basic idea is integrity, singleness of heart, as opposed to: duplicity, a double heart, or a divided heart.

1. 1. 2. In the OT we heard the contrasts between ritual suitability or unsuitability before God, or the states of being either holy and profane. Which allowed or denied someone access to God in the OT.

1. 3. Jesus’ original audience would have made no distinction between having a heart pure from sin (in general) & a heart free from ritual impurity (in particular)

3. Slide13 When God cleanses the sinner he does more than wash away sin, He puts w/in him a New Heart that wants to focus wholly on Him.
   1. Jer.32:38,39 They will be my people, and I will be their God. And I will give them one heart and one purpose: to worship me forever, for their own good and for the good of all their descendants.

IV. Slide14 FOR THEY SHALL SEE GOD (8b)

1. Well, the opposite of seeing God would be spiritual blindness.

2. See God - Likely an allusion to the temple entrance liturgy of Psalm 24. (esp.3-6)

1. 1. Choir would sing v.1,2. A voice would respond with v.3. Then another voice would answer with v.4.

1. 2. Slide15 vs.3Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His

holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol(to what is false), Nor sworn deceitfully. 5 He shall receive blessing from the Lord, And righteousness from the God of his salvation.6 This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him, Who seek Your face.

3. Note: clean hands (rt actions) & pure hearts (rt attitudes). Or purity of conduct/character.

4. Clean hands – that’s the outward life.

1. 1. What monarch would have servant’s w/filthy hands to wait at His table?

1. 2. 2 questions: How to get them clean? How to keep them clean?

(1) Wash them in the basin of Jesus’ blood. Then, keep washing them.

5. Pure heart - that’s the inward life.

4

1. 1. 1. Slide16 God brings the hands & the heart together because...We do what we do because we are what we are.

1. 1. 2. True religion is heart-work. Dirt in the heart throws dust in the eyes.

1. 6. Slide17 James 4:8 Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

1. 1. 1. Double-minded is when we try to be a friend w/the world & a friend of Jesus. 4:4

1. 1. 2. It’s a women in love with 2 men...it doesn’t work.

1. 1. 3. Purity of heart is when we give our full & total allegiance to God.

It’s when we love God with all our heart. Not with part. Not w/a double or divided heart. It’s a heart with no deception. No double-mindedness. No divided allegiance.

3. Slide18a To see God is to be admitted into His presence.

1. 1. eg. In the same way that you call to see your doctor. You don’t mean you want to see him/her from a distance, or see a picture of them, you mean you want an appointment to be with them. To see God is to be admitted into His presence.

4. Slide18b To see God is to be awestruck by His glory.

1. 1. Job said, I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes. I take back everything I said, & I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance. 42:5,6

1. 2. Our spiritual sight in this life is mediated to us through the Word of God or the work of God in providence. We see images and reflections of his glory. We hear echoes and reverberations of his voice.

1. 3. But there will come a day when God Himself will dwell among us. His glory will no longer be inferred from lightning and mountains and roaring seas and constellations of stars. Instead our experience of him will be direct. His glory will be the very light in which we move (Rev.21:23) and the beauty of his holiness will be tasted directly like honey on the tongue. Piper

5. Slide19a Eventually we know we will see His Face [Rev.22:4 And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads]. Yet Jesus is promising us the vision of God here & now.

5

1. 1. It’s the Principle, we See what we Love. And If what we Love is God, we will live in a world thats filled w/God.

1. 1. 1. Ex: David did - Read Ps.29:3-10

1. 1. 2. Jesus did - He saw God’s providence in the fall of a sparrow. He saw the generosity of God in the beauty of a lily. He saw in a farmer sowing his seeds the Word of God planted in mans heart.

1. 2. God’s Fingerprints/Footprints are clearly seen by the saint who has a pure heart.

6. Slide19b Seeing God thru the eyes of the Heart is not a momentary thing; it is constant & growing
   1. Winston Churchill, To build may have to be the slow & laborious task of years. To destroy can be the thoughtless act of a single day.
      1. Moses built that relationship w/God, before he asked to see His glory.

7. Slide19c Lastly, When you start to see God, you also start to see what God see’s.

1. 1. You see yourself in the light of God’s Glory

1. 1. 1. Job 42:5,6 I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes. I take back everything I said, & I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.

1. 2. You see others in a new light

1. 1. 1. The Scribes & Pharisees saw tax collectors & sinners as rebels; Jesus saw them as lost coins, lost sheep, & lost sons.

1. 3. The Eyes see what the Heart Loves. If the heart loves God & is single in this devotion, then the eyes will see God.

Verse 9

2. Slide7 Intro: Pure Hearts See God

1. 1. Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.

1. 1. 1. Slide8a Msg You’re blessed when you get your inside world, your mind and heart, put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.

1. 1. 2. The converse of this beatitude is in Heb.12:14, Pursue (peace with all people, and) holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.

1. 2. Slide8b It’s not enough to clean up your life on the outside...What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy - full of greed and self-indulgence! You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too.

1. 1. 1. I think we forget that Jesus wasn’t/isn’t after a society that has no acts of adultery, & no acts of murder. Yet so often that seems to be what Christians

2are after politically. A more moral society. Jesus said, its way deeper than just not committing adultery or murder, its a matter of the heart.

1. 1. 2. Jesus’ aim is not to reform the manners of society, but to change the hearts of sinners like you and me. That changes a society...literally from the inside out.

3. Slide9 BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART (8a)

1. 1. Slide10,11 Heart? - kardIA. The Heart is the Inner Man w/his many functions.

1. 1. 1. The Heart has emotions, let not your heart be troubled. Jn.14:1

1. 1. 2. The Heart refers also to the intellect, Why reason these things in your heart?

1. 1. 3. The Heart also refers to the will, But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself.
         1. The Heart is the Master Control area of life. Solomon said, Keep your heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

1. 1. 4. The heart, the center of the inner life of the person where all the spiritual forces & functions have their origin. TDNT
         1. The heart is what you are in the secrecy of your thoughts & feelings.

1. 1. 1. 2. What you are at the invisible root matters as much to God as what you are at the visible branch. John Piper

1. 1. 5. So Jesus didn’t come into this world to help us reform some bad habits, but to purify dirty hearts. Not to make bad people good, but to make dead people alive. To swap His rightness for our wrongness.

1. 2. Slide12a Pure - katharOs, clean & undefiled/unmixed.

1. 1. 1. Clean: We get an English medical term from katharOs...

1. 1. 1. 1. A doctor uses a cathartic, which stimulates evacuation of the bowels; a purgative or laxative.
         2. A Psychiatrist uses catharsis on the emotional level to cleanse the patient of hostilities & other destructive attitudes. [or crying is a cathartic release]
         3. There is also a spiritual catharsis, a cleansing of the inner man.

1. 1. 2. Slide12b Undefiled/unmixed: the 2nd meaning refers to straight, undiluted, consistent, homogeneous, plain, pure, unadulterated.

3

1. 1. 1. Examples: Milk w/o water added. Gold w/the dross removed. Wheat w/the chaff

removed. The basic idea is integrity, singleness of heart, as opposed to: duplicity, a double heart, or a divided heart.

1. 1. 2. In the OT we heard the contrasts between ritual suitability or unsuitability before God, or the states of being either holy and profane. Which allowed or denied someone access to God in the OT.