The Blessed Life

I will we get a absolute blessing today. There's often been said that there's no such thing as a perfect Herman and I would disagree with that statement. There was a perfect sermon it's found in the Book of Matthew chapters 5 6 and 7. It's called The Sermon on the Mount and that's where we're going to begin today blessed. Very close supremely blessed is the meeting and so that is going to going to be the same today and in our world. We we have a lot of people that don't talk about being blessed will go to the store you run into somebody at the restaurant or something and he'll ask them how they're doing and especially if they're Christians will tell you that their blasted and it's kind of our way of saying I'm doing well. I'm okay, you're kind of thankful. But at times I think we use this word and we don't fully grasp that the meaning behind it, And so today I want us before we leave for us to truly understand the meaning. Cuz we now turn to her a scripture reading. I'm just a heads up. I'm leaving Matthew 5 1 through 12. And then we're going to hop over to Luke chapter 6 verses 24 through 26 in the reason I'm doing that is Luke has a parallel version of The Sermon on the Mount but he had some details that Matthew leaves out and you may ask why would Matthew leave some of those details out when Matthew was a Jewish man riding to a Jewish audience in there's something about the blessings that the Jewish people understand coming from the Old Testament that God is able to bless but if the blessings come by honoring God, there is a flip side to the coin of the blessing. I'm in the Old Testament if you obeyed God you are blessed if you disobey god what happened? There was curses and so Luke point this out to us Gentile readers because we are not part of that culture. We didn't grow up with the Torah being read to us as our bedtime story while Matthew does not feel the need to reiterate this to his Jewish audience because if this would have of course been something that they understood very well. So that being said, would you turn to Matthew Chapter 5 and I'm starting in first one when you find a place please stand for in God's holy word.

I get Matthew chapter 5. When he saw the crowds he went up on the mountain and after he had set down his disciples came to him. Then he began to teach them saying blessed are the poor in spirit for the Kingdom of Heaven is there's blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted blessed are the humble for they will inherit the earth blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled blessed are the merciful for they will be shown Mercy blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called sons of God blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness for the Kingdom of Heaven. Is there a fuse me you are blessed when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of me be glad and rejoice because your reward is great in heaven for that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you and in Luke starting a new chapter 6 verse 24 or Rich for you have received your comfort what you are now full for you will be hungry to you who are not laughing for you will mourn and weep. What what you when all people speak. Well of you for this is the way their ancestors used to treat treat the false prophets.

A suite we begin on apologizing, ahead of time. There are a lot of slides to keep up with today. So That's on me if if that gets a little hectic.

I want to talk a little bit about our our culture and what our culture things about being blessed. And so first to pray turn turn to a woman that I think everybody here knows you may have differing opinions on her but this is what she has to say about being blessed. I believe that you tend to create your own blessings. You have to prepare yourself so that when opportunity comes your ready, I am grateful for the blessings of well, but it hasn't changed who I am. My feet are still on the ground. I'm just wondering better shoes. Clever little quote. I don't know if it's actually true or not if it's changed who she is, but I wanted to start off with a large Oprah because she claims to be a Christian but she is not a preacher, So I don't hold her to the same standard that gods were hold us as as preachers to but it's a tooth to understand that that are cultural kind of has this almost idolatry of Oprah and and that what she says seems to to to be held to such a high degree watch Oprah very few times. Usually it's on YouTube replays and in the one that sticks out my mind is as the episode where she gave everybody a free Pontiac and it was kind of a urine thing and she does this whole thing where you get a car and you get a car and you get a car and everybody was loving it. Hummus later everybody got their tax bills and they had to have it pay taxes on that car. And Oprah's many people. Like I can't afford the taxes on this car and the car was almost a $30,000 car was not a expensive car that gave away and so then Oprah's show had to step up and it and they gave these people more money to offset their tax cost. What's in the IRS came back and say well now you have to pay taxes on the donation that paid for your taxes Uncle Sam always gets his and answer will we we see that from her perspective blessing these people and being a blessing had to do with material things whether it's the nice shoes at she wears her the car she was giving away and often times in our culture when we talked about blessings. That is really what we mean. How are you doing? I'm blessed and people will go right away to those material things. I'm in the American Church. Sadly you would think that the church would Shine the Light in the darkness and and stand opposed to this kind of viewpoint. I went when we look at Jesus. He was a homeless man. Oh he teach out the Rich Young Ruler go and sell all you have. But of course the American church, we haven't quite adopted that have we we weave in choose the American dream with what has been called the Prosperity Gospel and that is being preached through or throughout the land and it's being sent sent out to to other countries. I'm sadly there. The Reformation did not have the impact on America as it did in Europe and we now have what what is called a new Reformation are the New Apostolic Reformation where we're taking this Prosperity Gospel and we're sending to the Africa and Asia and telling them this is the good news of Jesus that Jesus came so that you may be rich

Al went when you hear the next set of preachers, I want to first put I am not endorsing these preachers. I would label them as false teachers not preachers and in doing so I I want us to understand that when you hear these words do they sound like the words of Jesus or do they sound like a Temptations of Satan? This is usually a good Discerning Point especially for those of us. Maybe we're not as mature in our faith are not as far along as we'd like to be.

Line-X of it may be a man you may or may not know has a church in Carolina Steven furtick and he he has this to say there are blessings. I mean real blessings not just cars and houses. Those are fine. Not just pools and boyfriends, although if you get one of those are both of those I'll celebrate with you but far beyond that God wants you wants to bless you at the very state of your being. That's what he said to Abraham. You will be a blessing not just you will be blessed but everybody you touch talk to even look at will be blessed just because they got in proximity to you. Where in the world did you get that? The fact that said that somebody would just be around you means they're going to be blessed. You're not Jesus.

I want people touch. Jesus is real they were blessed and healed.

But not not this nonsense and people uphold. This is kind of the the next great preacher of Our Generation great over there be great politician horrible Bible teacher Demi Lovato Somebody That I imagine we will all recognize Robert Tilton. His long had his heart Fall From Grace. But yeah this sadly that is the will of God for all three blessed and prosper because I see it in the word not because it has worked mightily for someone else. I do not put my eyes on man, but on God who gives me the power to get wealth. The gospel is not about making you rich. And if you're listening to do someone on TV or the radio to the internet and their focus is about wealth and you getting wealth each and every time you listen to them, they are probably a false teacher need to turn them off moving on Kenneth Copeland, the basic principle of the Christian life is to know that God put our sin we can agree on some of this. Put our sin sickness disease sorrow grief and poverty on Jesus at Calvary. Jesus didn't die for your poverty poverty is not a sin to make this really clear when we saved by our stripes. We are healed. It wasn't referring to our sickness. It was referring to our disease of sin Christ died for our sin. Not so that we could be the healthiest and wealthiest people in generation in history the world he died so that we will have eternal life that would that we could have be born again and have fellowship with our father once more. John avanzini said Jesus had a nice house a big house. Jesus was handling big money and he even wore designer clothes.

Hell yeah, that's the kind of response. I had when I came across this. This is a man who has been touted by TBN as a a Bible teacher. No, that's not Biblical teaching. Jesus didn't have a house. He had one article of clothing his entire adult life. Now if you want to talk about when he ascends to heaven and and it has that that white robe on you might want to talk about that. It was designed by the designer got himself. Okay, but that is of course not with John is referring to here and Gloria Copeland.

This is she said in her book God's will is prosperity give $10 and receive a thousand give a thousand receive a hundred thousand and short Mark. 10:30 is a very good deal. She views the gospel as a way to get rich that this tenfold deal is actually always about money. We're going to look at in just a minute what the Bible actually says about about blessings in your going to notice. One thing is absolutely absent this whole notion of the blessings that has to do with finances. Next one Creflo Dollar when we pray believing that we have already received what we are praying God has no choice, but to make our prayers come to past it is a key to getting blessings as a Christian. Did you know that you have sovereignty over God? No, you don't Creflo Dollar Dollar is a liar man. Who is all about the money. His name is given birth name is Michael Smith. When you change your name to flow dollar a kind of tells you what you're about. And then finally hope I don't ruffle too many feathers with this one Joel Osteen when you speak the right Iams, you're inviting the goodness of God. I am victorious. I am blessed. I am talented. I am anointed your words have creative power. What's your word? You can bless your future. Let me be real clear you are not I am I am as the Old Testament name that was given to Moses at the burning bush. And when when they charge Jesus with blasphemy. And mocked him for not even 50 years old and claiming that he has seen Abraham and he says before Abraham was born. I am the clear declaration by Jesus that he is declaring himself to be God. You don't have the power of I am because you were a created being anything created cannot be God, you have fallen short of the glory of God even that you were made in His image. You are in need of a savior. You can't declare anything about your future outside of your going to hell if you do not repent. And that is just affirming the truth of God's word. Or we need to understand is The Great. I Am is the one who hold your future. He is offered you. Hope through his son. We should not mock him by by doing this name it claim it nonsense. We should have a reverence for his word. So now to onto some temperatures that I want to I want to know I've picked on there was eight of them there. There's different preachers in in our American church. Not all the American church has lost its mind. And so continue on with a few good ones here. We have David Jeremiah if we ask God for a calm thankful heart that sees all the blessings his grace and parts he can teach us many lessons in illness that can never be learned in hell. To his focus is not on. Well, it's not even on being healthy. But then what are we learning as God imparts his grace during this trial? Jeremiah and at that moment gets what it means to be blessed. It's God's grace Spurgeon, of course, not American preacher, but I don't think I can go through a storm without calling him once but I believe the hard hardest most cross-grain and most unloving Christians all in all the world are those who have had not much trouble in their life. And those that are the most sympathizing loving and christ-like are generally those who have the most Affliction the worst thing that can happen to any of us has to have a path made to smooth one of the great blessings the Lord ever gave us was a cross. It humbles us it helps us to realize Who We Are. And John MacArthur because ours is such a free and prosperous Society. It is easier for Christians to feel secure by presuming on instead of depending on God's grace too. Many Believers become satisfied with physical blessings and have little desire for spiritual blessings. He's getting at the heart of the Christian what matters to you more? Physical Comforts in this life. There were the God was promised you the life to come. Where is the focus? And I'll finish with dr. Tony Evans. According to Deuteronomy. 8:18. God gives his people the power to increase through financial spiritual blessings. God isn't against Prosperity, but he is against wasting it or letting it rule our lives and hear some ryzen kind of whole problem in our American contacts that we've made money to be such an idol that that that is what we we long for when we we pray for we we pray that God God would bless us in that way and don't misunderstand what I'm saying? I'm not saying God desires every Christian to be poor. But I'm saying that God know where in his word does he promise you to be wealthy that is not the center of of the Bible the center of the Bible is Christ. He he is what blesses us. He is the dispenser of of all that we are and if God has has enabled you to to to make money. God bless you for that. Are you want to eat really quickly as before? We move on. I just want to say it like this if you desire to be better off financially, it's real simple work hard. Find the right opportunities final God is giving you those talents for work hard and it will go well for you. Now it if you think that's the saying a prayer that God has his genie in the bottle that somehow your bank account is one day is just going to show up and there's going to be so many zeros. You don't know what to do with. That's not God's word. That is a Temptation Of The Devil. Don't be lazy work hard.

But above all don't look at God is as the bank. He hasn't he is. He did not send his son to make us all rich and wealthy, in fact, he warns against this over and over again. How hard is it for a rich man to enter in the Kingdom of Heaven yet. So many in America in the church are saying God's going to bless me. I'm going to have an abundance in that this year and all this is going to flow in and some of those creatures that you know people that just you look at are going to be blessed that is not the gospel. That is not at all. What Christianity is that is American paganism. Then that is humanism taking on this new age thought that you are so great that you could claim things into existence. What is the Bible actually say about us going to dive into that and see what the Bible says about us? It calls us things such as Sinners and evil sons of our father the devil don't know some things that we hear preached about too often cuz they don't sell books. But we need to examine what what the Bible actually says. The Greek word is makarios. You find it 59 times. The New Testament is the word that is used here in Matthew Chapter 5 and I want to give a biblical definition before we go on to to look at some of those horses. The definition is this it means to be highly favored by divine grace characterized by happiness for what has been received. It's a what is this grace that we are speaking of we were speaking of the grace and only God can give this divine grace that that brings about salvation. It is a gift that comes directly from Christ. So apart from Christ. We cannot rightly say we're blessed oftentimes will praise God as we should for the rains when they come for the Harvest and we should give God thanks for this but it's not quite the right way to say we are blessed in this because it also rains on the unjust according to scripture doesn't. Imagine how we're Zara weather and patterns would be if it only rained on the righteous fields and and then those that were owned by the unrighteous to head routes. I'll be really easy to see who the Christians were in in that aspect, but that's not how God works. Cuz if this isn't that the rains and things like that is what we call common Grace that that God shows this kind of Grace Cherry. When will what we're really talking about is the grace that leads into salvation. So I want you to be kind of make mental notes as we go through these next set of passages and see one of the word blessed is used. What is his actually referring to starting in Matthew 11:6 and blessed is the one who isn't offended by me noticed. There's no money mentioned a money. They're blessed are your eyes because they do see in your ears because they do here. Matthew 24 blessed is the servant whom the master finds doing his job when he comes John 20:29 because you have seen me you have believed blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe acts 20:35 in every way. I've shown you that it is necessary to help the Weak by laboring like this and remember the words of the Lord Jesus because he said it is more blessed to give than to receive Romans for blessed are those who are forgiven and whose sins are covered blesses the person the Lord will never charged with sin.

1st Timothy Chapter 6 God will bring this about in his own time. He is the blessed and only Sovereign the king of kings and Lord of lords Titus Chapter 2 while we wait for the Blessed. Hope the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ 1st, Peter 4, if your ridicule for the name of Christ, you are blessed because the spirit of glory and of God rest on you Revelation chapter 1 + is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy and blessed are those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep what is written in it because the time is near Revelation 19 bright blessed are those invited to the marriage Feast of the Lamb. He also said to me these words of God are true and finally revelation 22. Look I'm coming soon blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book. Notice every one of these has to do with faith in Christ. That is what the blessing is it in the Gospels. Now there's another sense of the word blast at that is used in the Bible. And this is too Divine favor and Voltaren acted upon and we see this in in the psalm Psalm 115 verse 15 says may you be blessed by the Lord the maker of heaven and Earth. This is the same thing when we were we're speaking of saying grace over our meals or something he seizes and you say may God bless you. This is is what we mean by a favor from God. Then we go on and then there's a sense of being blessed by by speaking about Excellence Genesis 9, we read he also said blessed be the Lord the god of Shem let Canaan be Shem slave. So it is people invoking a blessing from God on other people. And then the final aspect of blessing scriptures being highly favored such as divine grace and this is the Hebrew parallel. Makarios. We read this in Deuteronomy 33:29 how happy are you again? If he said earlier happy and blessed are very close specially in the Hebrew Israel who is like you a people saved by the Lord. He is The Shield that protects you the sword you boast in your enemies will cleanse before you and you will tread on their backs. So again will we see over and over again the the word blessed in Scripture? Doesn't actually reference Financial blessings are finances or wealth a single time. It is use a hundred eleven times in the Old and New Testament references finances 0 times when God speaks a blessing when his word speaks a blessing he is not referring for you to be rich is not referring for your wealth or your status in society. He is referring to the fact that he has given you his grace that grace is sufficient for your salvation.

That's what we need to ask the question. Why has the church especially here in America falling for the strap? Why? Why are we we so in tune and why are all the best selling books about getting rich? And it's not just one factor that there are few but it's a basic human desire. We all desire to have that security to know that when next month bills, when we need to go to the grocery store. If we could go out to eat that there is money in the bank account to pay for those that to have that Financial Security. But as a society whenever we place our trust in anything or anyone above Christ, we are committing adultery. So when we come to Jesus, I'm not saying don't ask for God to provide for you as his word says He will provide for you if you have financial needs lifted up to God, but don't have that be the sole in the primary purpose. You come to God we need to come to him first and foremost for salvation.

So in a sense that that this Prosperity Gospel it brings out kind of the the worst in the Wayward heart. We need to have our sufficiency in Christ. Not not the finances of life. We also read. How about in our news erase things that you know this American Dream the American dream in itself is not a wrong. It's not wrong to to do want to do well for yourself to own your own home on your own land to have the white picket fence. If you will to have the husband and wife in the children and all that that that goes on it's not wrong to desire that but you see in our culture every commercial you turn on tells you that your car that you have isn't good enough anymore that you need that new one that the the house that you have isn't good enough. You you need the newest with all the latest features that you really need to constantly replace what you have. But these possessions they aren't good enough for you. Don't notice what they do. They they they chaga at our sinful nature that say I deserve the very best for for how great am I that that back? I should have these things. Cancel your told that that you are entitled and we wonder why this latest generation has his entitlement mentality. Well, every time they turn on the TV, they're told they are entitled that they are the very best and nothing is better than them. And of course it appeals to certain aspects of our culture of this this idea of this eternal optimism in this rugged individuality that our culture has over and over again. Our car culture wants to elevate the individual over the society, but that is not the way that the Bible has the Bible says we need to to elevate Christ. We need to to elevate his bride over the individual. We need to remember that God he's not he's not our kind of cosmic Bell Hoppy's we don't get a little ring a bell and God comes running and and he's going to just do whatever we say. There's times you're going to get sick and maybe just maybe something were to learn about about that moment of getting sick. Maybe we'll put in a proper perspective of of life. Have you need to come to the to the point where you're humbled a bit to realize how good God is and how blessed you actually are. You need to look up and look around and not look at what we don't have. Of course capitalism plays a part into this and I believe capitalism next to the monarchy that will be the the reign of Christ is the single greatest form of government that had it has been to this point, but there's there's a certain element that that plays into this desire that we always need to get more at some point. We should be satisfied. And in what we have one. God has has given to us. We Never Should Fall after a teaching that says if you just have enough Faith you will have this.

Faith speaks of Salvation in Christ We should never fall for the Trap that says if you believe enough you will be rich if you believe enough your loved one will get well. News flash for the Christian death is the greatest way of getting well that you have it is freedom from a life of sin a day is going to come where we all breathe our final and last breath and it is not a time for mourning for us. What is a time of great celebration because we will be able to enter into the Eternal Kingdom will be accepted into the very presence of Christ. And on the very last day will be resurrected a new body one like his that is glorified in Eternal on corruptible no more will we have to worry about cancer and disease car wrecks with broken ribs? Those things will be a thing of the past. But how often do we say? We if you just have enough faith you'll get better. Why do you want to get better just to get sick again? But that is what the prosperity of health and wealth is trying to say to you if you have enough Faith you or you're going to get well that that your back will be healed in and all this that is going on with us that Ellsworth Mi up left. You'll be gone forever by epilepsy will be gone forever at the word of Christ when I breathe my last breath cuz I will have a new and glorified body bad is the great hope that is what it is to truly be blessed. So with all that said let us know dive into God's word today and see what it really means to be blessed for that have you noted and in Matthews chapter 5 verses 1 and 2 it says that Jesus sat down and this is important when a rabbi had something important to say they did not stand up like we do in our culture as you notice every Sunday morning. I come up when I have something important to say through through God's word. We stand up in the rest of us sit down to listen but in their day when a rabbi had something really important to say he would sit down and the crowds likewise would sit down to listen to his words. And so he goes on and he says blessed are the poor in spirit for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs What does it mean to be poor in spirit five times this first or especially the one in Lucas is used to be pulled out and I'll say see, you know, God doesn't want you to be poor. He wants you to have his his whole Kingdom. The poor in spirit has nothing to do with finances, but actually your soul. What does it mean to be poor in spirit? It means to be able to to have a humbleness of your soul to recognize who you are before God. It says that that the kingdom of heaven will be theirs. The hardest part II think about being a preacher is to convince people that they need a savior. And this is all to me what Jesus is getting at that that you were in poor in spirit as the song Amazing Grace says that that we are wretched that we we were the wretch and that we needed a savior this amazing grace that we have received to a person that the world thought was great and made us realize that we were actually wretched and pitiful and blind and naked before a holy and righteous God. This is what Jesus is saying you who recognized that you are our riches that you're pouring your spirit spect that you need me that you need a savior. That is what it means and that is how they will obtain the Kingdom of Heaven because they have to first recognize who they are to tell you. You will never receive Jesus. If you don't recognize your need for him as a savior, you'll never come to Jesus for for what he can truly give you. If you don't realize that that that you have sinned you have fallen short of the glory of God if you come to Jesus cuz you want that. Own a car in all those nice things. You've come to the wrong one.

I was once a man who attended church in my very first church in the Chicagoland area where my wife and I were baptized when I first thought of Sunday school class always have fond memories there, but there was this man that came and it seemed like he was starting to get on the right path and he would he was seeing to be on fire for the Lord, but you know, what happened? The world Boston he got a new boats and so on Saturday she started take this phone went out on Lake Michigan and he really enjoyed that now I know we have some some lakes around here. But if you haven't been to one of the Great Lakes there like many oceans are gigantic and huge and people fall in love with these things as did this man. And so Saturday's became not quite enough and so he needed to go out on the lake on Sunday because he worked Monday through Friday and guess what slowly happened to this man the guy he proclaimed to love as he became blessed. He stopped coming to worship a God and he started to spend all his days on the weekends and pretty soon. He no longer wanted anything to do with God and this is the great warning of finances that it did the the the things of this world has a pair of logos chokes away the seed they they choking away and so we no longer our Desiring those things and so we we need to remember that that we are wretched and that we need a savior. Matthew 5:4 goes on as Jesus says blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted. What in the world are they morning for? Follow the logic that Jesus is setting up his his blessed. Are you who are poor in spirit? Those are better wretched of a soul that recognize their Center. They are now going to mourn for their sin cuz they realize they have sinned against a holy God. But he will remind them you are going to be comforted. There's comfort for the soul that is repentant of of the wrongs. They have done against God. There is no comfort for those who say they have no need of God. They Mourn for their sin inverse 5 it says blessed are the humble for they will inherit the earth I want to start I see that this word humble or in some translation has Meek. It's not that this person does not have power meekness is a word that that means like power under restraint. You can say that. Knighted states could be considered a meat Nation militarily. Not that we don't have the power to take over the entire world. We actually do what we choose to restrain and not use it only use our military might when there is been a wrong in the world that we need to to help correct to help those that are less fortunate. We see it a lot of times when there is a terrorist attack or the most recent nose is when our Embassy was attacked in Iraq, we could have turned the Middle East into a sea of glass. Some Nations what if it would have been them that was attacked but we we chose to act with a little more restraint and this is kind of what the word is getting at here is that to understand that we could have been the people that were great in a hottie and and prideful and say look how great we are to be very easy those that have received God's grace to say look how great I am. I'm going to live forever. We can make prideful boast like that. But we we we would be doing a great disservice to our Lord and Paul warns of us that we are to boast in nothing but Christ and someone when it speaks of the humble one here at the Earth. This is the grace of God cover that brings is humbleness for the redeemed remind us that price is going to come again into the land of Israel will be given to the people that he has promised but though the land is in the new Heaven and new earth will be shared by all and it is not the prideful. Most over power and say that they are royalty that will get it but those who would say no it belongs to Christ. These are the humble. These are the ones that will truly inherit the earth. Goes on over 6 to say blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled? We see this building up to the recognized that that we are wretched in the end and we have a need to repent of our sins and be sorrowful and mourned for them and that it has we do this it will humble us. Hernandez what was we go on a task you're humbled and and and you develop a hunger for the word of God, you're going to develop a hunger to see the righteousness of Christ reign in the world and specifically you were going to see a desire for for your loved ones in your friends and family who have rejected god with with has shown no fruit in their life to be to have a right relationship with God you're going to desire that reconciliation you're going to desire to see that the wrongs in this world. Be made right?

When we we look at our world in and we see abortion-on-demand in our country. We should have a morning that that is happening in the land that we say is a Christian land. We want to see righteousness and justice for these unborn when people are taking advantage of we want to see Justice Done That the righteousness of God what will come to be in all things and always in her life. Says blessed are the merciful for they will be shown Mercy. We desire others to come and know Christ and receive his Mercy. We we should no longer have these Petty Grievances and hostilities of our past against against others in our lives because we have received forgiveness of our sins. We have received the mercy of God. Who would we be if we receive such a great mercy and not show it to others. This is a mark of a mature disciple of Jesus that we desire to see others come to a reconciliation with God of course, but also with ourselves Those are never say blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God who longs to see God. name an those who longed to see got it shows that you have a pureness in your heart. Not as a as a boastful person. But as a person that they were recognizing that God's holy spirit has been working on you this process. We called sanctification so that you your heart will be made pure because the sinful heart cannot stand before God and see him. Movie scene The Book of Revelation John one who followed Jesus nearly his entire adult life. You see him fall down and and see his Lord and fall on his face as if you were dead. Do not have their purest of Hearts to be fully Sanctified and glorified would be a great and Dreadful thing to see God, but you and I as we were three long that this day would be the day that Christ returns and we will actually Rejoice if that is that that moment or receive a Skies cracked open our Lord brings us up to the air with him forever, but will the world Rejoice at Christ Second Coming know they will be absolutely terrified cuz they are not pure in hearts. In Matthew 5:9 blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called sons of God. As people with a pure heart we should long to being the Peace of the Gospel to the Nations to protection to Kansas, Oklahoma, wherever you call home and to the very end of the world because this is the only thing that is going to be bring peace between God and the Fallen World.

When we are reminded in verses 10 through 12 that we will be persecuted. If you ever receive the righteousness of Christ at that has been imputed into you into your spirit because he is taking it upon the cross you will be persecuted.

And this is the problem we have in America. We want the world to talk about how great we are want us to think well of us as Christians and I I say as a pastor and as a church, it doesn't matter what the world thinks of you the world hated Jesus the world crucified Jesus the world took Peter and crucified him upside down and took the Apostle John and put them in a bag of boiling oil. To try to kill him it wasn't enough. The world will hate those who truly follow Christ. And so when the world is hating you rejoice, it's a command from Christ. The command is not try to get along with everybody in your neighbors know it's to get along with those were genuine Believers have unity in the church, but understand that the world is not going to just get along with you cuz you as a disciple of Jesus are to share the gospel in the gospel at its very core says to the world you are lost and I'm done yours sinners in the hands of an Angry God and he is about to return and if you do not accept his grace here, and now you're going to hell for all eternity the world doesn't like that message that message only stands out to the redeem the ones who have received God's grace for standing and saying yes, and amen Howard. Can we say? Yes, and amen to two people being sent to hell because we understand that we have received God's grace and that God is deserving of his name to be glorified and those that are Sent to hell with Spit on His name would have him crucified over and over again for their own entertainment.

God deserves our absolute best Allegiance and in the New Kingdom, there will be only the redeemed only the called out ones. And so there must be a purification of some sort.

Now we got to turn to Luke. This is the not such a fun side but Luke, I'd remind you says what you or who are rich for you have received your comfort world to you who are now full for you'll be hungry world to you who are not laughing for you and mourn and weep and woe to you when all people speak. Well of you for this is what their ancestors used to treat the prophets. I have you going to find out no doubt. Jesus has been going back and forth with the Pharisees and are studying and they don't seem to get along real well. If I were to ask you, what would you think if somebody were to call you a Pharisee? What would that mean to you?

Usually think of is hypocrite. One who is saying one thing but does another the world loves to call us Hypocrites. They may not use the word Pharisee anymore. That is kind of Gone by the wayside little bit but they love to call people in the church Hypocrites and Truth are actually the Hypocrites they've been told that they need they need a savior and they don't come you've been told that you are a sinner and you need to save when you come not because you are claiming that we are righteous but we are claiming that Christ is righteous. The reason I bring this fact up about the Pharisees is the problem with the Pharisees wasn't simply that they were Hypocrites. The promise Pharisees is that they they were the ones when they would hear this sermon when they were here the Beatitudes blessed are they couldn't stand this why because they're there for points that the Pharisees lived about they were people that were about wealth and materialism. They wanted have the finest clothes and they wanted to have the best houses. They wanted the world to say look at them those Pharisees how Blessed are they when we have Pharisees in the church today and many of them are called preachers have nothing to do with them. Nothing at all. We we see another point that the Pharisees have is that they were satisfied with themselves. They thought that they were great. We need to have a health healthy dose of inadequacy because you and I may look around and say well, you know, I'm dressed pretty well today. I'm doing better than someone. So I got the nice car or the the best farm equipment to do what I need to do. We may compare ourselves with others and you may be doing pretty well. You may be up here and I'm down here and somebody else has even farther down. But the fact is that when we were judging by those standards, we've missed them are completely because Jesus is above the ceiling through the Stars past our galaxies and universe if we're going to compare our righteousness, we have to compare to the righteousness of Christ, which we will find false out of the short. Even to his own disciples he warns them unless your righteousness passes the righteousness of the Pharisees. You will not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. If you want to do to have a picture of what it was to be self-righteous, that was the Pharisee there. They make sure everybody saw their good deeds and and and how righteous they were that they saw when they tie they would be like the person on Sunday morning writing a check and thing I gave $5,000 to the roof fun today how great am I? And we say we need to have a sit-down with the elders with this person. Are we sure it anyway?