Beatitudes and Changing Yourself
Sermon January 14, 2001 Jay Schmidt A lot of the success from AA is because they use the Word of God, just like the US Constitution. NIV Matthew 5:1-12 1. Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2. and he began to teach them, saying: 3. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. 10. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11. "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Jay struggled with this passage this morning, but he just never got it. This was Jesus giving the new wine - the new covenant. Before, God came down to the mountain with Moses. This time, Jesus goes up to the mountain. Before, God spoke with thunder and lightning. Jesus speaks in a calm, still voice to the people. Before, the people had to keep their distance. Now, they're invited to be with Jesus. When Jesus sat down, he opened his mouth, and things changed. v12 really challenged Jay. He's part of the fast-food, cupcake society where he wants rewards now. We all like to live our lives for now. A relationship with God isn't something you can show off - you can't drive it around, or put it in a bank account. We try to get our reward on earth. The American dream is to do everything you want to do, and nothing you don't want to do. However, this isn't Jesus. Blessed - blissfully happy. Why are you blessed if you have bad things happen to you? Because you get desperate, and it makes you turn to God. The one thing God wants from you is to be close to him. God doesn't want you to be rich, or drive a better car. Is that where you are? Do you want to be close to God? You have to get open every day and share your life with him. Many of us will forget everything about today during the football game. Jay realized he was anxious today about being a father. How can he be a better father? He prayed, "God, you've got to change me." That's a dangerous prayer to pray. In the above passage, Jesus lays out 12 points to help you with your life, and have a closer relationship with him. 1) Coming to Jesus - glad you came! You've got to have a willing heart to come. 2) Teachable heart - It might make you uncomfortable or anxious, but you've got to be able to learn. You've got to have a �teach me, train me� heart. 3) Blessed are the poor in spirit - are you poor in spirit or proud in spirit? Put away all your confidence in your own talent, and gain your strength on the merit of Christ himself. Christ is righteous for you. NIV Philippians 4:13 13. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. You don't have to be right, you have to be humble. 4) Blessed are those who mourn. We need to die to ourselves. We aren't about fixing ourselves, or improving ourselves. We are supposed to end who we are, and be who Jesus is. Do you have a Godly sorrow about sin -- and enough of it to change? Many of us don't want to feel, because it is overwhelming. It's always about sin - you've got to get over it. Why can't you get your friends to come to church? Sin. Are you willing to mourn in a Godly, spiritual way? 5) Meekness - Does this mean we are to be wimpy and frail? NO! Meekness is power under control. Jesus went silently to the cross, as a sheep to the slaughter. Many of us are out of control with our emotions, especially anger. Meekness is giving-way to the emotions to get the job done. 6) Hunger and thirst for righteousness. What do you hunger for? Comfort, security, someone to make you feel better about yourself, relief from stress, relief from hurt and loneliness. Instead, we need to be hungry for righteousness. Many of us don't deny anything. Deny yourself masturbation, internet pornography, gluttony, etc. Don't destroy lives because you can't deny yourself. NIV Philippians 4:8 8. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. Don't fill your mind with GQ, TV and the world. 7) Mercy - not getting what you ought to get. Not giving out what others ought to get. Mercy is all about forgiveness. Don't be a bitter person. Learn to forgive people! Don't be unwilling to forgive. Sometimes your anger gives you a will to live. You can't feel mercy if you can't forgive. 8) Purity of heart. Do you want to see God? Your motivations must be pure. Pharisee means separatist. Do you want to be around people with challenges? You need to be around people who are not like you. The kingdom of God is about family, and about being close to each other. One thing we can crank in Alameda is FAMILY! 9) Peacemakers - This is about evangelism. The role of a disciple is to make a disciple that can make another disciple. We're the only ones that do it. You need to take the message out of the church and into the streets. 10) Persecution - NIV 2 Timothy 3:12 12. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, Righteousness is why you get persecuted. There are people dying in Russia, people in prison in Iraq, and others suffering because of their faith. God is moving in our church! 11) Slander - that's why we have the NET world sector. We have a portal now to take care of that. We're fighting back. We're not going to run from it. We need to change lives all around the world to make a difference. Make the upcyberdown web site your life! 12) Rejoice - We're on a journey. Last week, the journey ended for a brother in his sleep at 49 years old. The earth is a distant memory for him. Earth is the only hell a disciple will ever know. Earth is the heaven a non-Christian will ever know. This is the life we're supposed to have. Our mission is to go out preach the word, study the Bible with people, and having them in our homes. Go for it!S
