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Do you have your Bible with you?
I'd like for you to open the 

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Matthew chapter 5. 
Matthew chapter 5. 

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As we come to Matthew 5, we are 
stepping into a new section of 

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this series through the book of 
Matthew, which we've just called

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the King and his Kingdom. 
Now up to this point, Matthew 

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has worked hard. 
He's labored hard to show us who

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Jesus is, right? 
We've seen that he's the 

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promised son of David. 
He's the true son of Abraham. 

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He's the obedient son who passed
the test in the wilderness. 

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He's the king who is announced 
repent for the Kingdom of heaven

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is at hand. 
He's the king that has followers

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now following him. 
And, and what, what's going to 

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happen now in Matthew 5 through 
7 is we're going to hear the 

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king speak a lot. 
All right, He's going to open 

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his mouth and speak. 
Now, this is often called the 

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sermon on the mounts. 
But I want you to know it's 

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really more than a sermon. 
Not that it's less than, but 

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it's, there's more to it than 
just, hey, that's a nice sermon,

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right? 
The, this is Christ sitting down

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to teach. 
And so you might call it a 

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Kingdom manifesto, right? 
He's explaining to you what it 

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looks like in the Kingdom of God
and what the citizens of the 

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Kingdom of God ought to look 
like. 

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So there's an authoritative 
declaration of what life looks 

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like under the king or under 
Christ's rule. 

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All right, so with that in mind,
would you please stand? 

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I just had you sit. 
Go ahead and stand and honor of 

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the reading of God's Word. 
We're going to hear the words of

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the king this morning, Matthew 
5. 

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We're going to do verses one 
through 12 today. 

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OK, Sing the crowds. 
He went up on the mountain, and 

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when he had set down, his 
disciples came to him, and he 

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opened his mouth and taught 
them, saying, Blessed are the 

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poor in spirit, for theirs is 
the Kingdom of heaven. 

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Blessed are those who mourn, for
they shall be comforted. 

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Blessed are the meek, for they 
shall inherit the earth. 

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Blessed are those who hunger and
thirst for righteousness, for 

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they shall be satisfied. 
Blessed are the merciful, for 

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they shall receive mercy. 
Blessed are the pure in heart, 

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for they shall see God. 
Blessed are the peacemakers, for

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they shall be called sons of 
God. 

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Blessed are those who are 
persecuted for righteousness 

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sake, for theirs is the Kingdom 
of heaven. 

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Blessed are you when others 
revile you and persecute you and

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utter all kinds of evil against 
you falsely on my account. 

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Rejoice and be glad, for your 
reward is great in heaven. 

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For so they persecuted the 
prophets who were before you. 

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This is the word of the Lord. 
Fights. 

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Let's pray. 
Heavenly Father, we come to 

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Matthew 5 with great 
anticipation. 

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Lord, we have often read and 
heard the words of the Sermon on

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the Mounts. 
So, Father, these things might 

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be familiar to us, especially 
the Beatitudes. 

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But Lord, I pray that You would 
open up our hearts and minds to 

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receive Your word. 
I ask that Your Spirit would 

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illuminate the text for us, that
we might rightly discern it. 

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We may understand what it's 
saying and more Even so than 

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that, I ask that your spirit 
would apply these things to our 

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lives. 
Help us to be the kind of people

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who bear fruits as a result of 
trusting in Christ, depending on

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him becoming like him Father. 
And so we ask that you would use

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your word today to make us more 
like your son Jesus. 

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To the name of Christ we ask 
Amen, Amen. 

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You may be seated. 
So every, every Kingdom has a 

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culture, right? 
Every nation has values. 

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Every movement has some sort of 
a a speech, right? 

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Some sort of a talk or a 
manifesto. 

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Every ruler produces a certain 
kind of people, right Now, if 

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you want to understand a 
Kingdom, you must look at its 

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citizens. 
So what does the Kingdom of 

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heaven produce that? 
That becomes the question before

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us this morning. 
What, what does the Kingdom of 

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heaven produce? 
Many people will say they 

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believe in Jesus, all right. 
They'll say that they believe he

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was a good teacher, he was a 
good man. 

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You know, things like that. 
They agree with a lot of the 

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moral things that he spoke 
about, especially in the Sermon 

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on the Mount. 
That's one that people often 

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appeal to. 
But and others will claim even 

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to belong to his Kingdom, right?
More than just belief. 

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It's like I am a Christian. 
I belong to his Kingdom. 

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But Jesus does not leave the 
character of his people 

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undefined. 
All right. 

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We ought to know these people by
the fruit that they produce. 

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And so here at the beginning of 
his public teaching ministry, 

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the King tells us what life 
looks like under his rule, all 

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right under what he says. 
And he describes it in really 

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startling ways. 
Now, it might not seem startling

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because we're just reading it 
from Scripture and we expect 

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Matthew 5, the Beatitudes, to 
say the things it says. 

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But just think for a moment 
about what is being said, right?

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The world says blessed are those
who are strong. 

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Jesus says blessed are the poor 
in spirit. 

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The world says blessed are the 
self assertive, the go getters, 

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right? 
Jesus says blessed are the meek.

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The the world says blessed are 
the comfortable. 

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Jesus says blessed are those who
mourn, right? 

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So the king turns the value 
system of the world upside down,

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or rather right side up, right? 
He, he, he paints it in a way 

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that looks drastically different
to what we're naturally disposed

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to. 
So another thing to understand 

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about the Beatitudes is these 
are not suggestions, right? 

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These are not personality types 
that he's walking through. 

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They're not optional virtues for
those especially devoted 

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Christians over there, right? 
These are character traits that 

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they are the character of 
Kingdom citizens out of men and 

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women, boys and girls who love 
the Lord. 

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These are the kinds of things we
ought to be becoming, all right.

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And so here's the pressing issue
for every one of us is, do our 

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lives reflect the rule of this 
king? 

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All right. 
Do our lives reflect what we say

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about our allegiance to Christ 
or our submission to Christ? 

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Is there fruit of that evidence?
So here's the main point. 

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If you're taking notes, you can 
write this down. 

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Submit to the king. 
Allow him to shape your 

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character into the likeness of 
his Kingdom. 

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I think that's what Matthew's 
ultimately trying to show us 

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here. 
Submit to the king and allow him

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to shape your character into the
likeness of his Kingdom. 

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So if Christ reigns over you, He
will reshape you. 

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You're not going to stay the 
same on day one of salvation as 

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you are on day, you know 12,000 
on salvation, right? 

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You're going to see growth, 
you're going to see fruit. 

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There's going to be evidence of 
faith because Christ is going to

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reshape you by His Spirit, 
right? 

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The more you stare, the more you
behold the glory of Christ, the 

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more you will be transformed 
into that same glory from 1° to 

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the next. 
So in these opening verses of 

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the Kingdom Manifesto or out of 
the Sermon on the Mount, we see 

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4 movements. 
First, what we see is that we 

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must come under the authority of
the King. 2nd, we see we must 

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embrace the humble posture of 
Kingdom citizens. 

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Third, we see that we must 
display the merciful heart of 

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Kingdom citizens. 
And finally, we must be prepared

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to endure the cost of Kingdom 
citizenship. 

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All right, this is life under 
the King's rule. 

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So before we ask whether we like
these traits, which is really 

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kind of irrelevant, but before 
we start to appeal to our own 

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conscience or our own wisdom, 
right, and think, do I like what

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the King's saying? 
Before we ask something like, 

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are these natural to me? 
We must ask, have I truly come 

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under the King's authority if I 
truly submitted my life to 

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Christ? 
All right, so we're going to 

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begin where Matthew begins, 
which again is setting up the 

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authority of the king. 
We've seen this a lot in Matthew

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thus far, but verses one through
2, we see point #1 come under 

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the authority of the king. 
All right? 

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So verse one through 2, seeing 
the crowds, He went up on the 

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mountain, and when He had set 
down, his disciples came to him 

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and he opened his mouth and 
taught them all right, so before

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Jesus describes the character of
Kingdom citizens, Matthew makes 

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sure we see the authority of the
one who's making the 

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descriptions, right? 
The Beatitudes only make sense 

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if you understand who is 
speaking. 

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Otherwise it becomes like a 
checklist in which you think I 

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have to try to measure up to 
these things and you'll see them

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and you'll think I need to 
muster up the strength to become

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that. 
You have to 1st see who is 

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speaking. 
All right, We need to understand

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Christ. 
So all the first things that 

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Matthew shows us is that the 
King ascends the mountain, 

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right? 
Seeing the crowds that were 

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around him, right? 
He gained this great falling 

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because of all the miracles he 
had been performing. 

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All these people are coming out 
to see him, right? 

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We talked about last week that 
not all those people who came to

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see were genuine believers. 
They're just there for the show,

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right? 
This disciples are there. 

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There's probably some there who 
are believers. 

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And then there's a large crowd 
of people who are just checking 

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this guy out, seeing the crowds.
He went up on a mountain. 

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Now, the, the detail of the 
mountain is not accidental, 

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right? 
Matthew is a, he's a careful 

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theologian. 
He's inspired by the Spirit of 

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God to write right? 
He's telling us things we should

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know or we need to know. 
So why are mountains important? 

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Why is it important that Christ 
went upon a mountain? 

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Well, throughout Scripture, 
mountains are places of divine 

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revelation. 
All right, Currently the 

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Pharisees would teach. 
They would sit down and teach in

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the synagogues. 
Jesus goes up onto a mountain 

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which has historically been a 
place of divine revelation. 

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You think about Abraham who 
offers Isaac on Mount Moriah in 

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Genesis 22, you see. 
You think about Moses and 

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receiving the law on Mount Sinai
in Exodus 19 and 20. 

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You think about Elijah 
encountered the Lord on Horeb 

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right in First Kings 19. 
Mountains have been where God 

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reveals himself to his man at 
the moment of the moment, right?

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And now Jesus ascends a 
mountain. 

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But here's the difference, 
right? 

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Moses went up to receive the 
law, but Jesus goes up to give 

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the law that to speak it right. 
Moses was a servant in God's 

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house. 
Christ is the son of God's house

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or over God's house, as we see 
in Hebrews 3, five and six. 

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So so Matthew is presenting 
Jesus already as the greater 

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Moses, right? 
He's he's more than Moses and 

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and he's not merely delivering 
revelation. 

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He is the revelation. 
John one says he is the Word, 

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and the Word became flesh. 
All right, So it's Hebrews 1-2 

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says that in these last days God
has spoken to us by his Son. 

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All right, So Jesus goes up to 
speak as the Son of God, of all 

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authority and heaven and earth, 
and he preaches right? 

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Now the mountain signals that 
what follows carries divine 

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authority. 
This is not a commentary on 

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God's word. 
This is God's word from God the 

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Son. 
All right, it's him speaking. 

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Secondly, we see here that the 
King sits to teach, all right? 

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And when he sat down, now in our
culture, teachers stand and 

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speak, all right, This is how we
go about it. 

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But in the ancient world, 
authoritative teachers would 

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sit. 
To sit was to assume the posture

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of a rabbi. 
It was the settled position of 

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instruction. 
So Jesus is not wandering around

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sharing his thoughts. 
He sits deliberately. 

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He teaches with authority. 
And later in the sermon Matthew 

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will tell us he was teaching 
them as one who had authority 

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and not as their scribes. 
Matthew 7. 

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What do the scribes do? 
Well, scribes quoted other 

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rabbis, right, that the Jesus 
speaks on his own authority. 

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He doesn't appeal to tradition. 
He does not say rabbi so and so 

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said this right, He speaks as 
the final authority. 

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So this is royal instruction. 
The the king has taken his seat 

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and he's going to speak. 
What else do we see in these 

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opening verses? 
Well, three, we see the 

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disciples draw near, right? 
The crowds have followed him, 

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but the disciples come to him 
now the sermon is addressed 

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first to disciples. 
Yes, the crowds are present, but

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the teaching is for people who 
are following Christ. 

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The the beatitudes are not 
universal descriptions of 

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humanity. 
We'll we'll see that as we go. 

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I, I think you'll be convinced 
right? 

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They're, they're not natural 
human virtues. 

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They, they are characteristics 
of those who have drawn near to 

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Christ and who have submitted to
his rule. 

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All right. 
So in other words, before we ask

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whether we like the Beatitudes 
again, we must ask whether we 

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belong to the King. 
All right, what? 

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Your opinion on the Beatitudes 
is irrelevant if you're not 

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under the lordship of Christ, 
that you cannot detach the 

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character of the Kingdom from 
allegiance to the king. 

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00:15:09,400 --> 00:15:14,960
You just can't do it right. 
The Scriptures and our 

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00:15:14,960 --> 00:15:18,280
confession of faith reminds us 
that Christ has been given all 

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power and authority to govern 
his church. 

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00:15:22,560 --> 00:15:24,800
So he's not a consultant for the
church. 

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00:15:24,800 --> 00:15:28,400
It's his church, right? 
He's the Lord of the church. 

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He's the Lamb that was slain for
the church. 

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He's the King of all creation. 
But he's not a life coach for 

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Christians. 
He's not giving out mere 

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platitudes that we should think.
You know, that sounds pretty 

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00:15:42,600 --> 00:15:44,400
good. 
I think I'll give that a try. 

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00:15:44,480 --> 00:15:49,200
No, when the king speaks, when 
the Lord speaks, we ought to 

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listen and submit because he's 
Lord. 

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The fourth thing we observe in 
his opening couple of verses is 

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that he opened his mouth. 
Disciples came to him, and he 

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opened his mouth, and he taught 
them again. 

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00:16:06,720 --> 00:16:09,040
That may seem unnecessary. 
Of course, he had to open his 

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00:16:09,040 --> 00:16:12,480
mouth to teach. 
But in Scripture, the expression

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00:16:12,640 --> 00:16:15,520
signals this solemn, weighty 
instruction. 

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00:16:16,400 --> 00:16:21,920
And he opened his mouth, and it 
often introduces authoritative 

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00:16:21,920 --> 00:16:24,760
or prophetic speech. 
Matthew knows this, and so he 

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00:16:24,760 --> 00:16:28,120
writes this way. 
But what Matthew wants you to 

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00:16:28,120 --> 00:16:31,440
do, I think it's especially 
important if you've been raised 

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00:16:31,440 --> 00:16:32,760
in church. 
You're familiar with the Sermon 

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00:16:32,760 --> 00:16:35,840
on the Mount if you've read it 
multiple times, it's easy to 

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00:16:35,840 --> 00:16:39,320
just, like, just flow right 
through that thing. 

266
00:16:41,440 --> 00:16:46,600
What Matthew's trying to do for 
the readers right here is to get

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00:16:46,600 --> 00:16:50,920
you to slow down and to listen, 
right? 

268
00:16:50,920 --> 00:16:53,800
The king is about to speak. 
Listen. 

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00:16:54,760 --> 00:16:59,640
Listen to what he says again. 
The Beatitudes are not ideals 

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00:16:59,640 --> 00:17:02,680
for self improvement. 
They're they're declarations 

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00:17:02,680 --> 00:17:06,359
from the reigning Son of God. 
And so when Jesus speaks, heaven

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00:17:06,359 --> 00:17:10,640
speaks, right? 
John Calvin wrote that in Christ

273
00:17:10,640 --> 00:17:16,200
we see the living image of God. 
So what we understand about that

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00:17:16,200 --> 00:17:19,079
is that when Christ opens his 
mouth, the will of God is 

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00:17:19,079 --> 00:17:24,160
revealed without any distortion.
It's perfect. 

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00:17:25,440 --> 00:17:29,720
It's not like when a preacher 
speaks or when somebody else 

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00:17:29,720 --> 00:17:33,680
speaks and maybe they're saying 
true things, but there's this 

278
00:17:33,680 --> 00:17:38,680
distortion of the human nature 
and sin and flesh and all those 

279
00:17:38,680 --> 00:17:41,520
sorts of things that could get 
in the way right here. 

280
00:17:41,520 --> 00:17:45,360
We have Christ, fully God, fully
man speaking. 

281
00:17:45,360 --> 00:17:49,760
There's no distortion here. 
So it should change how we hear 

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00:17:50,760 --> 00:17:57,080
the sermon from our Lord. 
One final thing to note on this 

283
00:17:57,080 --> 00:18:02,480
is that we don't sit in 
judgement over these words. 

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00:18:04,760 --> 00:18:06,440
All right, You understand what I
mean. 

285
00:18:06,440 --> 00:18:11,760
We, we, we, we don't get to 
judge whether these things are 

286
00:18:11,760 --> 00:18:14,880
true or not. 
They are true. 

287
00:18:14,880 --> 00:18:18,280
And so what's really happening 
is in the words on the Sermon on

288
00:18:18,280 --> 00:18:21,840
the Mount, those words are 
sitting in judgement over us, 

289
00:18:23,880 --> 00:18:26,280
right? 
They're they're searching our 

290
00:18:26,280 --> 00:18:30,600
hearts, they're revealing our 
conscience. 

291
00:18:32,400 --> 00:18:36,160
They're deepening our walk with 
the Lord of softening our heart 

292
00:18:37,120 --> 00:18:41,920
or hardening it, depending on 
how you see them, right? 

293
00:18:41,920 --> 00:18:44,640
But they said in judgment over 
us. 

294
00:18:44,640 --> 00:18:48,880
And so that should change how we
hear Christ's words as well. 

295
00:18:51,600 --> 00:18:55,360
So the question is not, do I 
agree with what Christ is going 

296
00:18:55,360 --> 00:18:57,000
to say in the Sermon on the 
Mount? 

297
00:18:57,920 --> 00:19:02,680
Well, the question becomes, will
I bow to the words of Christ in 

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00:19:02,680 --> 00:19:05,800
the Sermon on the Mount? 
Will I submit to his authority? 

299
00:19:08,040 --> 00:19:09,920
You're going to hear some hard 
things in the Sermon on the 

300
00:19:09,920 --> 00:19:11,920
Mount is what I'm getting at. 
Not necessarily in the 

301
00:19:11,920 --> 00:19:13,520
Beatitudes. 
There'll be some stuff today. 

302
00:19:14,240 --> 00:19:17,000
But as we walk through this, 
that's a settled thing you have 

303
00:19:17,000 --> 00:19:20,280
to have in your heart is, am I 
going to bow to what Christ 

304
00:19:20,280 --> 00:19:23,080
says? 
I'm going to submit myself to 

305
00:19:23,080 --> 00:19:27,160
his lordship. 
So before you examine whether 

306
00:19:27,160 --> 00:19:29,720
you're poor in spirit, before 
you think about whether or not 

307
00:19:29,720 --> 00:19:34,200
you're merciful or not, before 
we examine whether we are 

308
00:19:34,360 --> 00:19:38,640
persecuted, all right, we must 
examine whether we have come 

309
00:19:38,640 --> 00:19:44,320
under the authority of Christ. 
Have you surrendered your 

310
00:19:44,320 --> 00:19:49,560
definitions of blessedness? 
Have you drawn near to Christ as

311
00:19:49,560 --> 00:19:51,800
Lord? 
Not, not merely A savior from 

312
00:19:51,800 --> 00:19:56,240
your consequences, not merely as
inspiration for living, but have

313
00:19:56,240 --> 00:19:59,600
you drawn nearer to Christ as 
Lord and King? 

314
00:20:00,440 --> 00:20:03,760
Have you laid down your right to
define the good life? 

315
00:20:07,120 --> 00:20:11,440
Because here is what this text 
demands of us. 

316
00:20:11,840 --> 00:20:15,280
If Jesus is King, then He 
defines reality. 

317
00:20:17,360 --> 00:20:22,040
He defines blessing, He defines 
righteousness, He he defines 

318
00:20:22,040 --> 00:20:25,520
flourishing for us. 
We, we don't get to define those

319
00:20:25,520 --> 00:20:27,480
things. 
We we get to enjoy it. 

320
00:20:27,560 --> 00:20:29,760
We get to live in it as we 
submit to him. 

321
00:20:29,760 --> 00:20:33,080
They are gifts from God in the 
midst of living for him. 

322
00:20:34,240 --> 00:20:37,480
But we don't get to define what 
that looks like, right? 

323
00:20:37,480 --> 00:20:41,240
But if we resist his authority, 
then we are resisting his 

324
00:20:41,240 --> 00:20:44,440
character. 
That the first step in Kingdom 

325
00:20:44,440 --> 00:20:50,280
citizenship is submission to 
Christ, right? 

326
00:20:50,280 --> 00:20:56,280
That the proud heart cannot hear
the words of Christ rightly. 

327
00:20:57,240 --> 00:21:02,320
The independent heart cannot 
receive this sermon rightly. 

328
00:21:03,600 --> 00:21:09,400
We must come as disciples today,
drawing near, sitting under His 

329
00:21:09,400 --> 00:21:12,920
word, ready to obey what He 
says, and only then can there be

330
00:21:12,920 --> 00:21:16,080
attitudes shape our hearts and 
minds in Christ Jesus. 

331
00:21:17,560 --> 00:21:21,400
So now that we've seen the 
authority of the King, we're 

332
00:21:21,400 --> 00:21:22,760
ready to hear what the King has 
said. 

333
00:21:22,760 --> 00:21:26,040
And the very first word out of 
his mouth overturns every 

334
00:21:26,120 --> 00:21:30,960
worldly assumption. 
Blessed are the poor in spirits,

335
00:21:31,520 --> 00:21:32,880
right? 
The Kingdom begins not with 

336
00:21:32,880 --> 00:21:36,800
strength, but with humility. 
And let's let's look at the 

337
00:21:36,800 --> 00:21:40,960
humble posture here of Kingdom 
citizens #2 embrace the humble 

338
00:21:40,960 --> 00:21:44,840
posture of Kingdom citizens, 
verses 3 through 6. 

339
00:21:45,560 --> 00:21:48,360
Blessed are the poor and spirit,
for theirs is the Kingdom of 

340
00:21:48,360 --> 00:21:50,480
heaven. 
Blessed are those who mourn, for

341
00:21:50,480 --> 00:21:52,920
they shall be comforted. 
Blessed are the meek, for they 

342
00:21:52,920 --> 00:21:56,120
shall inherit the earth. 
Blessed are those who hunger and

343
00:21:56,120 --> 00:21:59,920
thirst for righteousness, for 
they shall be satisfied. 

344
00:22:00,840 --> 00:22:03,320
Again, here we're talking about 
embracing the humble posture of 

345
00:22:03,320 --> 00:22:06,520
Kingdom citizens. 
After Christ has established His

346
00:22:06,520 --> 00:22:08,920
authority, the king speaks his 
first words. 

347
00:22:09,400 --> 00:22:11,800
Blessed are the poor in spirit, 
for theirs is the Kingdom of 

348
00:22:11,800 --> 00:22:15,080
heaven. 
Now that word blessed 

349
00:22:15,800 --> 00:22:19,960
immediately confronts us. 
It means more than happy, all 

350
00:22:21,400 --> 00:22:24,600
right. 
It speaks of divine approval. 

351
00:22:27,080 --> 00:22:31,800
Again, you may think of Psalm 1.
Psalm 1 mentions the blessed man

352
00:22:31,800 --> 00:22:35,960
who meditates on the word of God
day and night, and at the end 

353
00:22:35,960 --> 00:22:38,880
it's said of him that the Lord 
is known by him. 

354
00:22:38,880 --> 00:22:43,120
The Lord knows his way. 
It's divine approval. 

355
00:22:43,800 --> 00:22:49,320
It it's covenantal favor, it's 
flourishing under God's rule, 

356
00:22:50,240 --> 00:22:52,520
right? 
Jesus is not describing some 

357
00:22:52,520 --> 00:22:55,800
fleeting emotion that wanes and 
waxes, right? 

358
00:22:56,760 --> 00:23:02,320
He is declaring who is approved 
by God and the first group he 

359
00:23:02,320 --> 00:23:05,440
pronounces blessed is kind of 
shocking. 

360
00:23:05,440 --> 00:23:10,880
I mean, these people existed. 
This crowd that's come, these 

361
00:23:10,880 --> 00:23:15,040
disciples have come. 
They've existed under the rule 

362
00:23:15,040 --> 00:23:20,440
of Rome. 
Rome was strong and mighty. 

363
00:23:23,480 --> 00:23:27,000
You would think that the first 
words out of Christ's mouth must

364
00:23:27,000 --> 00:23:34,240
be blessed are the strong, but 
they're not blessed are the 

365
00:23:34,240 --> 00:23:37,560
influential. 
But it's not. 

366
00:23:39,120 --> 00:23:44,000
It's not the religious elite. 
It's not the political elite. 

367
00:23:44,600 --> 00:23:46,640
It's blessed are those who are 
poor in spirit. 

368
00:23:48,560 --> 00:23:50,720
This becomes the doorway to the 
Kingdom, right? 

369
00:23:50,720 --> 00:23:54,200
To be poor here does not mean 
financially disadvantaged. 

370
00:23:56,480 --> 00:24:03,120
The word describe someone who's 
reduced to begging, poor in 

371
00:24:03,120 --> 00:24:10,840
spirit, begging of spirit, 
destitute, dependent, empty, but

372
00:24:10,920 --> 00:24:13,800
Jesus as the qualifier, right in
spirit. 

373
00:24:15,320 --> 00:24:19,640
This, this is spiritual 
bankruptcy. 

374
00:24:21,360 --> 00:24:25,680
It's the recognition that before
God I bring nothing. 

375
00:24:25,680 --> 00:24:28,520
I bring no merit of my own, no 
righteousness. 

376
00:24:28,560 --> 00:24:33,920
I have no leverage with God. 
I am poor, I am destitute, I'm a

377
00:24:33,920 --> 00:24:36,760
beggar in his courts. 
I have nothing. 

378
00:24:36,760 --> 00:24:42,840
All right, Isaiah 66 two says, 
but this is the one to whom I 

379
00:24:42,840 --> 00:24:46,800
will look, says the Lord, he who
is humble and contrite in spirit

380
00:24:46,960 --> 00:24:52,920
and trembles at my word. 
So the Kingdom of God begins 

381
00:24:52,920 --> 00:24:56,880
where self-sufficiency ends, 
right? 

382
00:24:57,240 --> 00:24:59,920
We we must become poor of 
spirit. 

383
00:25:00,520 --> 00:25:04,080
The the Pharisees of Jesus's day
believed blessing belong to the 

384
00:25:04,080 --> 00:25:06,800
externally righteous. 
And so they paraded their 

385
00:25:06,800 --> 00:25:11,120
righteousness around, they added
laws to God's law. 

386
00:25:11,680 --> 00:25:14,760
They made themselves try to look
more holy than God. 

387
00:25:17,080 --> 00:25:20,720
But Jesus declares that blessing
belongs to those who know they 

388
00:25:20,720 --> 00:25:28,080
are spiritually bankrupt. 
And that's the foundation for 

389
00:25:28,080 --> 00:25:33,240
justification by faith alone. 
It's to recognize that you are 

390
00:25:33,240 --> 00:25:35,440
poor in spirit. 
You're spiritually bankrupt. 

391
00:25:36,160 --> 00:25:40,080
Calvin wrote this. 
He said he only who is reduced 

392
00:25:40,080 --> 00:25:44,640
to nothing in himself and relies
on the mercy of God, is poor in 

393
00:25:44,640 --> 00:25:48,600
spirit. 
So until a man sees his 

394
00:25:48,600 --> 00:25:53,040
spiritual poverty, he will never
hunger for the grace of God. 

395
00:25:54,400 --> 00:25:59,920
He'll never thirst for mercy. 
He'll never understand his 

396
00:25:59,920 --> 00:26:05,960
depravity. 
But notice the promise to those 

397
00:26:05,960 --> 00:26:08,480
who will. 
For theirs is the Kingdom of 

398
00:26:08,480 --> 00:26:11,440
heaven. 
It's present tense. 

399
00:26:11,600 --> 00:26:15,680
Theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
The Kingdom belongs now to those

400
00:26:15,680 --> 00:26:20,840
who know they deserve nothing. 
They've come by faith. 

401
00:26:20,880 --> 00:26:29,120
All right, so we live in a world
that again says climb, but we 

402
00:26:29,120 --> 00:26:34,600
serve a God, a king who says 
bow, go low. 

403
00:26:37,840 --> 00:26:40,600
The second thing Christ mentions
here are those who mourn. 

404
00:26:42,600 --> 00:26:45,600
Blessed are those who mourn, for
this shall be comforted. 

405
00:26:46,360 --> 00:26:50,800
Now, I want you to understand 
the Lord does comfort you in 

406
00:26:50,800 --> 00:26:54,600
sadness, right? 
He's a great comfort to you in 

407
00:26:54,600 --> 00:26:57,680
your sadness, your despair. 
And there's a lot of scriptures 

408
00:26:57,680 --> 00:27:03,160
that point to that. 
But we have reason to believe 

409
00:27:03,160 --> 00:27:06,720
that Jesus is not speaking 
merely of like a general sadness

410
00:27:07,000 --> 00:27:11,080
here. 
It's not a generic sadness. 

411
00:27:11,120 --> 00:27:13,760
Jesus is not blessing every form
of sorrow. 

412
00:27:15,800 --> 00:27:20,800
He's making a point here. 
This is grief that flows from 

413
00:27:21,040 --> 00:27:26,680
spiritual poverty, right? 
When a man sees his sin clearly,

414
00:27:27,120 --> 00:27:32,080
mourning follows. 
Sadness follows. 

415
00:27:32,800 --> 00:27:37,920
He recognizes that he cannot 
measure up to the perfection of 

416
00:27:37,920 --> 00:27:45,120
God, that he is poor in spirit, 
and so he mourns over that. 

417
00:27:47,720 --> 00:27:51,920
This is more like Psalm 51, 
mourning right where David, 

418
00:27:53,080 --> 00:27:56,480
after he's been caught in the 
lie of what happened with 

419
00:27:56,480 --> 00:27:59,920
Bathsheba and the murder of her 
husband. 

420
00:28:01,520 --> 00:28:05,960
David cries out to God. 
He says against you and you only

421
00:28:06,200 --> 00:28:12,040
have I sinned. 
It's a godly grief. 

422
00:28:13,480 --> 00:28:18,120
It's an understanding of the 
depth of depravity and sin in us

423
00:28:18,120 --> 00:28:23,960
and our need for Christ. 
Paul distinguishes this further 

424
00:28:23,960 --> 00:28:27,520
in 2nd Corinthians 710 where he 
says this. 

425
00:28:27,520 --> 00:28:33,280
He says for godly, godly grief 
produces a repentance that leads

426
00:28:33,280 --> 00:28:42,480
to salvation without regret. 
So worldly sorrow laments 

427
00:28:42,480 --> 00:28:49,120
consequences, right? 
Worldly sorrow is sorry because 

428
00:28:49,120 --> 00:28:56,280
it was caught, all right, but 
Kingdom sorrow laments sin 

429
00:28:56,280 --> 00:29:00,000
itself there. 
There might be a sorrow because 

430
00:29:00,000 --> 00:29:02,520
you're caught, but there's a 
deeper sorrow because you 

431
00:29:02,520 --> 00:29:08,480
sinned, you acted against the 
will of God, you disobeyed the 

432
00:29:08,480 --> 00:29:11,240
Lord. 
That's godly grief, right? 

433
00:29:13,120 --> 00:29:15,880
Thomas Watson, I think I quoted 
this last week, but it's worth 

434
00:29:15,880 --> 00:29:18,320
mentioning in here. 
Till sin be bitter, Christ will 

435
00:29:18,320 --> 00:29:20,120
not be sweet. 
Right? 

436
00:29:20,920 --> 00:29:27,960
That the promise here is that 
the mourners will be comforted. 

437
00:29:30,560 --> 00:29:34,120
What kind of comfort comes to 
one who's mourning their sin 

438
00:29:34,120 --> 00:29:35,880
before the Lord? 
Coming to the Lord in faith, 

439
00:29:35,880 --> 00:29:39,440
coming to the Lord in mourning, 
seeking help. 

440
00:29:39,800 --> 00:29:42,280
What kind of promise exists? 
What kind of comfort comes to 

441
00:29:42,280 --> 00:29:45,280
that person? 
Forgiveness. 

442
00:29:45,960 --> 00:29:49,880
Forgiveness of sins. 
Casting your sins as far as the 

443
00:29:49,880 --> 00:29:52,840
east is from the West. 
Viewing us through the 

444
00:29:52,840 --> 00:29:56,840
perfection of Christ is now how 
the Father looks at those who 

445
00:29:56,840 --> 00:30:02,200
are in Christ, right? 
He became sin for us so that we 

446
00:30:02,200 --> 00:30:05,600
who knew nothing but sin might 
become the righteousness of 

447
00:30:05,600 --> 00:30:09,720
Christ. 
So there's forgiveness, There's 

448
00:30:09,720 --> 00:30:14,000
also reconciliation. 
But Second Corinthians 5 is very

449
00:30:14,160 --> 00:30:17,960
honest about this, that you have
become new creations in Christ, 

450
00:30:18,400 --> 00:30:22,040
that Christ through his death 
and resurrection has reconciled 

451
00:30:22,040 --> 00:30:26,120
you to the Father. 
He's restored the relationship 

452
00:30:26,120 --> 00:30:29,040
that we should have known, 
should have been enjoying since 

453
00:30:29,040 --> 00:30:32,080
the garden. 
What was ruined by the fall. 

454
00:30:32,240 --> 00:30:34,640
That's been restored through 
Christ. 

455
00:30:34,640 --> 00:30:38,960
We've been reconciled to God. 
And now you are there in second 

456
00:30:39,160 --> 00:30:41,440
five ministers of 
reconciliation. 

457
00:30:42,600 --> 00:30:45,080
You get to go share the good 
news of the gospel with others, 

458
00:30:45,160 --> 00:30:48,600
those that they might be 
reconciled to God also. 

459
00:30:54,800 --> 00:30:59,000
So there's reconciliation, 
there's restoration, there's, 

460
00:30:59,000 --> 00:31:03,480
there's restoration of life, 
there's restoration of holiness,

461
00:31:03,480 --> 00:31:09,560
there's restoration of just a 
dependence upon God, there's 

462
00:31:09,560 --> 00:31:12,920
restoration of heart and spirit 
and soul and body. 

463
00:31:17,480 --> 00:31:20,320
So the comfort is not mere 
emotional relief. 

464
00:31:21,720 --> 00:31:26,320
It's emotionally relieving when 
you're in despair to have 

465
00:31:26,320 --> 00:31:30,200
someone come and to put their 
arm around you and to weep with 

466
00:31:30,200 --> 00:31:33,080
you and to pray for you. 
That's emotional relieving, but 

467
00:31:33,080 --> 00:31:38,440
it's also very spiritually 
helpful because they're taking 

468
00:31:38,440 --> 00:31:45,960
you to the one who provides true
gospel comfort where your need 

469
00:31:45,960 --> 00:31:49,480
your your, your despair is 
solved in Christ. 

470
00:31:52,960 --> 00:31:58,360
Only those who mourn over sin 
will truly, truly rejoice in 

471
00:31:58,360 --> 00:32:04,480
grace. 
The third group he mentions here

472
00:32:04,480 --> 00:32:09,560
is the meek, which we might say 
is strength under submission. 

473
00:32:09,640 --> 00:32:12,400
All right, blessed are the meat,
for they shall inherit the 

474
00:32:12,400 --> 00:32:14,720
earth. 
I want you to understand that 

475
00:32:14,720 --> 00:32:20,000
meekness is not weakness. 
Meekness is strength under 

476
00:32:20,000 --> 00:32:22,160
control. 
It's controlled strength. 

477
00:32:22,880 --> 00:32:26,800
It it's strength under 
submission to Christ. 

478
00:32:26,800 --> 00:32:31,280
It's power under authority. 
It's the opposite of self 

479
00:32:31,280 --> 00:32:35,840
assertion, right? 
Psalm 3711, which Jesus is 

480
00:32:35,880 --> 00:32:39,280
echoing here honestly. 
Psalm 3711 says this, But the 

481
00:32:39,280 --> 00:32:43,000
meek shall inherit the land and 
delight themselves and abundant 

482
00:32:43,000 --> 00:32:47,360
peace. 
So the meek trust that God is 

483
00:32:47,360 --> 00:32:51,560
going to vindicate them, right? 
They're not grasping for 

484
00:32:51,560 --> 00:32:54,600
position. 
Jesus himself describes his own 

485
00:32:54,720 --> 00:32:57,720
heart in this way. 
He says I am gentle and lowly in

486
00:32:57,720 --> 00:33:00,920
heart, right? 
The king describes the citizens 

487
00:33:01,120 --> 00:33:05,720
of his Kingdom with his own 
character here, right? 

488
00:33:06,360 --> 00:33:08,280
And So what is the promise for 
the meek? 

489
00:33:08,280 --> 00:33:09,600
Well, they shall inherit the 
earth. 

490
00:33:11,680 --> 00:33:17,000
The world fights for territory, 
but the meek and Christ receive 

491
00:33:17,000 --> 00:33:21,440
it. 
The proud grasp at things and 

492
00:33:21,440 --> 00:33:26,480
they lose, but the humble will 
trust and inherit what God 

493
00:33:26,480 --> 00:33:30,000
gives. 
This is what you would call 

494
00:33:30,000 --> 00:33:33,440
eschatological hope. 
That means it's N times hope, 

495
00:33:33,560 --> 00:33:37,840
right? 
That the renewed earth belongs 

496
00:33:38,040 --> 00:33:42,480
not to tyrants, but to the 
humble King and to the humble 

497
00:33:42,480 --> 00:33:48,440
ones of Christ. 
The 4th category of people he 

498
00:33:48,440 --> 00:33:50,840
mentions here is hunger and 
those who hunger and thirst for 

499
00:33:50,840 --> 00:33:54,040
righteousness. 
This is just a deep craving for 

500
00:33:54,040 --> 00:33:56,360
God. 
Blessed are those who hunger and

501
00:33:56,360 --> 00:33:59,960
thirst for righteousness, for 
they shall be satisfied. 

502
00:34:01,560 --> 00:34:04,040
So Jesus is intensifying the 
language. 

503
00:34:04,280 --> 00:34:07,080
This is not mild interest in the
Lord, right? 

504
00:34:07,080 --> 00:34:10,719
There's a whole crowd of people 
here who are mildly interested 

505
00:34:10,920 --> 00:34:13,920
in the Lord. 
What he's talking about here is 

506
00:34:13,920 --> 00:34:17,639
starvation language, right? 
It's dehydration language. 

507
00:34:17,639 --> 00:34:21,120
It's desperation. 
Blessed are those who hunger and

508
00:34:21,120 --> 00:34:27,080
thirst for righteousness. 
Righteousness here includes both

509
00:34:27,400 --> 00:34:30,320
justification and 
sanctification. 

510
00:34:31,280 --> 00:34:35,679
It's right standing before God 
and right living before God. 

511
00:34:38,080 --> 00:34:41,239
So the one who is poor in spirit
mourns his sin. 

512
00:34:42,320 --> 00:34:47,400
The one who mourns his sin longs
to be righteous, right? 

513
00:34:47,400 --> 00:34:50,560
I mean, isn't that what we get 
to isn't when we when we 

514
00:34:50,560 --> 00:34:53,840
understand that we're poor in 
spirit, we mourn over our sin. 

515
00:34:53,840 --> 00:34:57,160
And when we're mourning over our
sin, we're really mourning to be

516
00:34:57,280 --> 00:35:00,560
righteous. 
We crave it. 

517
00:35:00,560 --> 00:35:03,880
We we want to grow in 
righteousness. 

518
00:35:04,040 --> 00:35:06,280
I don't want to be a Sinner any 
longer. 

519
00:35:06,800 --> 00:35:09,320
I don't want to dishonor the 
Lord with my life anymore. 

520
00:35:09,320 --> 00:35:11,320
I want to honor Him. 
I want to glorify His great 

521
00:35:11,320 --> 00:35:13,160
name. 
I want to do good to my neighbor

522
00:35:13,160 --> 00:35:14,440
and all those surround me, 
right? 

523
00:35:18,800 --> 00:35:22,080
The one who mourns a sin is 
mourning to be righteous. 

524
00:35:22,080 --> 00:35:24,480
And the promise here is 
beautiful. 

525
00:35:25,920 --> 00:35:31,000
They will be satisfied. 
They shall be satisfied. 

526
00:35:34,000 --> 00:35:36,280
I mean, think about the 
dichotomy that exists in our 

527
00:35:36,280 --> 00:35:38,360
world. 
The world hungers, and we do. 

528
00:35:38,400 --> 00:35:40,800
We're guilty of this, right? 
I don't want to just point to 

529
00:35:40,800 --> 00:35:42,440
the world. 
Like when I say the world, I'm 

530
00:35:42,440 --> 00:35:45,400
just talking about world's 
wisdom and how it influences our

531
00:35:45,400 --> 00:35:50,280
living. 
The worldly wisdom teaches us to

532
00:35:50,280 --> 00:35:55,200
hunger for wealth, to hunger for
applause, to hunger for comfort.

533
00:35:58,440 --> 00:36:00,920
And the more you get of that 
stuff, the more you realize 

534
00:36:00,920 --> 00:36:03,760
Ecclesiastes is one of the most 
brilliant books in the 

535
00:36:03,760 --> 00:36:09,400
Scriptures. 
It's vanity of vanities. 

536
00:36:10,080 --> 00:36:18,480
There is no satisfaction in it. 
So the promise here that those 

537
00:36:18,480 --> 00:36:21,360
who hunger and thirst for 
righteousness will be satisfied 

538
00:36:21,640 --> 00:36:27,160
is huge. 
Those who crave conformity to 

539
00:36:27,160 --> 00:36:34,400
God will be filled. 
Augustine famously prayed this. 

540
00:36:34,400 --> 00:36:37,560
He said, you have made us for 
yourself, O Lord, and our hearts

541
00:36:37,560 --> 00:36:40,720
are restless until they find 
their rest in you. 

542
00:36:43,440 --> 00:36:46,080
So only righteousness. 
What Augustine's getting at with

543
00:36:46,080 --> 00:36:49,680
Matthew's getting at here with 
reporting what Jesus has said, 

544
00:36:49,680 --> 00:36:52,720
right? 
Only righteousness satisfies the

545
00:36:52,720 --> 00:36:55,560
soul, because only God satisfies
the soul. 

546
00:36:57,920 --> 00:37:00,760
We've been made for him, and so 
our hearts are restless until 

547
00:37:00,760 --> 00:37:05,040
they find the rest in him. 
But notice the progression of 

548
00:37:05,040 --> 00:37:07,800
what Matthew has just done, what
Jesus has just talked through. 

549
00:37:07,800 --> 00:37:11,400
There's spiritual poverty, 
there's grief over sin, there's 

550
00:37:11,400 --> 00:37:14,120
a submission to God, and then 
there's this craving of 

551
00:37:14,120 --> 00:37:19,000
righteousness. 
So you can see it's not 4 

552
00:37:19,000 --> 00:37:22,240
different personality types, 
right? 

553
00:37:22,240 --> 00:37:24,240
We don't need to go take the 
Enneagram and try to figure out 

554
00:37:24,240 --> 00:37:28,800
who we are on the Beatitudes. 
That's wicked, right? 

555
00:37:30,360 --> 00:37:34,600
What we need to see is, do I 
understand my depravity? 

556
00:37:34,600 --> 00:37:37,480
Do I understand I'm a 
spiritually impoverished before 

557
00:37:37,480 --> 00:37:41,400
the whole world? 
And as I'm seeing it, do I 

558
00:37:41,600 --> 00:37:45,600
grieve over my sin or do I try 
to explain it away and justify 

559
00:37:45,600 --> 00:37:49,440
it? 
You know what rationalize means?

560
00:37:49,440 --> 00:37:51,920
It just means to tell yourself 
rational lies. 

561
00:37:55,400 --> 00:37:58,760
Do I submit to God? 
Do I crave righteousness? 

562
00:38:01,280 --> 00:38:04,040
Christ is painting for US1 
portrait here. 

563
00:38:04,960 --> 00:38:11,400
He's describing conversion from 
the inside of the man, which is 

564
00:38:11,400 --> 00:38:13,920
interesting because a lot of the
things he's going to point out 

565
00:38:14,360 --> 00:38:18,000
and the rest of the sermon are 
all about the inside of the man.

566
00:38:18,000 --> 00:38:21,360
You're going to have a group of 
people who are sitting here and 

567
00:38:21,360 --> 00:38:23,360
saying, well, I'm not those 
things. 

568
00:38:27,320 --> 00:38:30,240
And Christ is going to show over
and over again throughout the 

569
00:38:30,240 --> 00:38:34,840
Sermon on the Mount that you 
must have a transformed heart to

570
00:38:34,840 --> 00:38:41,840
live for the Lord. 
The Kingdom begins in humility 

571
00:38:41,840 --> 00:38:46,680
before it will ever produce 
influence in the world, and that

572
00:38:46,680 --> 00:38:50,480
cuts directly against the grain 
of our culture and our flesh. 

573
00:38:52,320 --> 00:38:56,720
Imagine for a moment a man who 
is dying of thirst but insisting

574
00:38:56,720 --> 00:39:03,520
that he is indeed OK. 
Well, until he admits his need, 

575
00:39:03,520 --> 00:39:07,040
he will never reach for water, 
right? 

576
00:39:07,040 --> 00:39:10,640
The the Beatitudes begin by 
teaching us to admit our need. 

577
00:39:10,640 --> 00:39:14,600
We have a need for Christ. 
We are spiritually impoverished,

578
00:39:15,400 --> 00:39:19,960
and only the empty can be 
filled, only the broken can be 

579
00:39:19,960 --> 00:39:22,880
healed, only the hungry can be 
satisfied. 

580
00:39:24,560 --> 00:39:27,120
So we have to examine ourselves 
carefully as we read these 

581
00:39:27,120 --> 00:39:29,800
things. 
Are we poor in spirit, or do we 

582
00:39:29,800 --> 00:39:33,760
subtly believe we bring 
something to God? 

583
00:39:35,160 --> 00:39:41,800
I'm useful to Him, He needs me, 
or I'm sufficient enough that 

584
00:39:41,800 --> 00:39:44,840
I'll just sprinkle a little bit 
of God into my life. 

585
00:39:48,280 --> 00:39:53,840
Do you mourn over your sin, your
rebellion against God? 

586
00:39:53,840 --> 00:39:58,560
Do you mourn over these things 
or do you excuse them? 

587
00:39:59,960 --> 00:40:03,920
Do you rename them? 
We we live in a world that loves

588
00:40:03,920 --> 00:40:08,240
to psychoanalyze everything and 
there's a diagnosis for every 

589
00:40:08,240 --> 00:40:11,880
sin under heaven. 
You're not a Sinner. 

590
00:40:13,160 --> 00:40:19,560
You're XYZ. 
Here's some medication for that.

591
00:40:19,840 --> 00:40:26,600
Here's some therapy for that. 
That's not, I won't even qualify

592
00:40:26,600 --> 00:40:29,640
the statement right? 
That exists in our world and we 

593
00:40:29,640 --> 00:40:32,720
fall prey to it often. 
We want to rename our sins. 

594
00:40:32,720 --> 00:40:34,360
We want to make them less than 
sin. 

595
00:40:34,360 --> 00:40:37,720
We want to minimize them as best
we can. 

596
00:40:37,720 --> 00:40:42,400
We don't want to mourn over sin,
but we ought to mourn over our 

597
00:40:42,400 --> 00:40:48,000
sins. 
Are we meek right, or do we get 

598
00:40:48,000 --> 00:40:50,240
defensive? 
Do we get self protective? 

599
00:40:50,240 --> 00:40:55,040
Are we quick to assert ourselves
or do we practice meekness? 

600
00:40:56,160 --> 00:41:01,000
Do we hunger for righteousness 
or are we content with just 

601
00:41:01,000 --> 00:41:07,920
surface level spirituality, just
blending a little bit of Christ 

602
00:41:07,920 --> 00:41:11,920
or the Bible or church or 
whatever into our lives, just 

603
00:41:11,920 --> 00:41:15,240
surface level things, or is 
there a real hunger and a thirst

604
00:41:15,240 --> 00:41:17,680
for righteousness that's present
in your life? 

605
00:41:19,880 --> 00:41:22,360
Well, here's the hard truth. 
You can't manufacture these 

606
00:41:22,360 --> 00:41:28,280
traits by willpower, right? 
That they are produced by grace.

607
00:41:28,760 --> 00:41:32,160
They're evidence that the King 
is reigning in you. 

608
00:41:33,600 --> 00:41:37,560
If these qualities are absence, 
the issue is not your 

609
00:41:37,560 --> 00:41:40,800
personality. 
You have to hear that the issue 

610
00:41:40,800 --> 00:41:43,760
is not your personality, it is 
Lordship. 

611
00:41:45,880 --> 00:41:48,000
Have you come to the end of 
yourself? 

612
00:41:48,000 --> 00:41:53,040
Have you bowed before Christ 
because the door to the Kingdom 

613
00:41:53,480 --> 00:41:57,320
is low and you must stoop to 
enter it? 

614
00:41:57,320 --> 00:42:02,680
So when the king reigns in the 
heart, humility is born. 

615
00:42:02,680 --> 00:42:06,200
But when but humility does not 
remain hidden, it begins to 

616
00:42:06,200 --> 00:42:09,960
reshape how we treat others. 
And that leads us to the next 

617
00:42:09,960 --> 00:42:13,280
marks of Kingdom citizens, where
we see mercy and purity and 

618
00:42:13,280 --> 00:42:16,240
peacemaking. 
All right, so #3 display the 

619
00:42:16,240 --> 00:42:18,640
merciful heart of Kingdom 
citizens. 

620
00:42:18,640 --> 00:42:20,200
Look at verses 7 through 9 
again. 

621
00:42:20,480 --> 00:42:23,520
Blessed are the merciful, for 
they shall receive mercy. 

622
00:42:24,120 --> 00:42:26,800
Blessed are the pure in heart, 
for they shall see God. 

623
00:42:27,680 --> 00:42:30,560
Blessed are the peacemakers, for
they shall be called sons of 

624
00:42:30,560 --> 00:42:33,880
God. 
So if the first four Beatitudes 

625
00:42:33,880 --> 00:42:36,160
describe the inner 
transformation of the heart 

626
00:42:36,160 --> 00:42:40,200
before God, then the next three 
reveal how that transformed 

627
00:42:40,200 --> 00:42:42,800
heart expresses itself toward 
others. 

628
00:42:43,840 --> 00:42:48,960
Humility never remains. 
Prophets, all right, when the 

629
00:42:48,960 --> 00:42:56,280
King reigns within your heart, 
he reshapes how you relate to 

630
00:42:56,280 --> 00:42:59,240
him on the outside of everything
you're doing. 

631
00:42:59,240 --> 00:43:06,280
All right, When you get the word
in your head and in your heart, 

632
00:43:06,640 --> 00:43:12,320
then your hands are transformed.
And so Jesus continues there. 

633
00:43:12,320 --> 00:43:14,280
Blessed are the merciful, 
blessed are the pure in heart. 

634
00:43:14,280 --> 00:43:18,120
Blessed are the peacemakers. 
These are not disconnected 

635
00:43:18,120 --> 00:43:19,880
virtues. 
They are the fruit of a heart 

636
00:43:19,880 --> 00:43:24,480
that's been conquered by grace. 
So look at the first one there 

637
00:43:24,480 --> 00:43:27,800
with me, the merciful. 
It's grace received and grace 

638
00:43:27,800 --> 00:43:30,080
that's given. 
Blessed are the merciful, for 

639
00:43:30,080 --> 00:43:35,240
they shall receive mercy. 
So mercy is action and 

640
00:43:35,240 --> 00:43:38,440
compassion toward the guilty and
the needy. 

641
00:43:39,160 --> 00:43:47,360
It's not mere sentiment like 
Lord bless her heart, it it's 

642
00:43:47,360 --> 00:43:51,720
costly kindness toward those who
do not deserve it. 

643
00:43:53,360 --> 00:43:55,280
And notice the order of the 
Beatitudes. 

644
00:43:55,280 --> 00:43:59,160
You you cannot be truly merciful
unless you have first seen your 

645
00:43:59,160 --> 00:44:03,960
own spiritual poverty. 
Only those who have been 

646
00:44:03,960 --> 00:44:07,440
forgiven much extend forgiveness
freely. 

647
00:44:09,040 --> 00:44:13,320
James 213 warns US judgment is 
without mercy to the one who has

648
00:44:13,320 --> 00:44:17,160
shown no mercy. 
But mercy triumphs over 

649
00:44:17,160 --> 00:44:20,800
judgments. 
So the merciful are not earning 

650
00:44:20,800 --> 00:44:22,760
God's mercy. 
That's not what we're saying. 

651
00:44:22,840 --> 00:44:25,680
That's not what Jesus is 
teaching that that would 

652
00:44:25,680 --> 00:44:28,600
contradict everything we have 
just seen about spiritual 

653
00:44:28,600 --> 00:44:31,680
poverty. 
Rather, mercy becomes the 

654
00:44:31,760 --> 00:44:34,520
evidence that mercy has been 
received. 

655
00:44:35,160 --> 00:44:38,320
The showing of mercy becomes the
evidence that you have received 

656
00:44:38,560 --> 00:44:41,600
mercy, Right. 
Calvin again is helpful here. 

657
00:44:41,600 --> 00:44:46,160
He said nothing moves us to 
mercy more than the knowledge of

658
00:44:46,160 --> 00:44:51,400
our own misery. 
So if you stood before God 

659
00:44:51,400 --> 00:44:57,120
bankrupt and you've been 
forgiven you, you will not stand

660
00:44:57,120 --> 00:45:01,680
over others harshly. 
It's a contradiction. 

661
00:45:03,560 --> 00:45:07,360
It cannot exist. 
And a heart that's truly been 

662
00:45:07,360 --> 00:45:10,720
transformed and the promise 
here, right? 

663
00:45:10,720 --> 00:45:13,520
Blessed are those who show mercy
for what they shall receive. 

664
00:45:13,520 --> 00:45:16,560
Mercy. 
Again, this isn't transactional 

665
00:45:16,560 --> 00:45:18,400
salvation. 
This isn't you must muster up 

666
00:45:18,560 --> 00:45:21,840
mercy in and of yourself. 
No, you've received mercy, so 

667
00:45:21,840 --> 00:45:23,120
you're showing mercy and guess 
what? 

668
00:45:23,240 --> 00:45:31,040
You get more mercy. 
It's covenantal assurance is 

669
00:45:31,040 --> 00:45:35,080
what it is. 
Those marked by mercy show that 

670
00:45:35,080 --> 00:45:38,320
they belong to the God who 
delights to show them mercy. 

671
00:45:40,600 --> 00:45:42,400
Secondly, he mentions the pure 
in heart. 

672
00:45:42,400 --> 00:45:45,440
It's just undivided devotion to 
God. 

673
00:45:45,440 --> 00:45:48,120
Blessed are the pure in heart, 
for they shall see God. 

674
00:45:49,600 --> 00:45:52,600
So purity of heart is not 
external performance, is it? 

675
00:45:53,520 --> 00:45:57,400
No, it's internal integrity. 
You're pure in heart. 

676
00:45:58,640 --> 00:46:04,400
The the Pharisees Polish the 
outside of the cup, and Jesus 

677
00:46:04,400 --> 00:46:07,520
says here that it's important to
address the inside of that 

678
00:46:07,520 --> 00:46:11,200
thing. 
Psalm 24, three through 4:00 ask

679
00:46:11,200 --> 00:46:14,120
this question, Who shall ascend 
the hill of the Lord, and who 

680
00:46:14,120 --> 00:46:19,000
shall stand in His holy place? 
He who has clean hands and a 

681
00:46:19,000 --> 00:46:23,400
pure heart. 
So purity of heart means a 

682
00:46:23,400 --> 00:46:27,280
singleness of devotion, and I'm 
pure in heart. 

683
00:46:28,520 --> 00:46:30,920
It's undivided loyalty to the 
Lord. 

684
00:46:30,920 --> 00:46:34,160
There's no hidden compartments. 
I don't have part of my heart 

685
00:46:34,160 --> 00:46:36,320
going after God. 
And then other desires in my 

686
00:46:36,320 --> 00:46:37,760
heart want to do different 
things. 

687
00:46:40,800 --> 00:46:42,920
There's no double allegiance 
here, right? 

688
00:46:42,920 --> 00:46:48,600
The the word pure carries the 
idea of unmixed, like metal 

689
00:46:48,600 --> 00:46:50,640
that's been refined of its 
impurities. 

690
00:46:51,720 --> 00:46:55,640
So it's not to say that as 
you've received mercy, as you've

691
00:46:55,640 --> 00:47:02,400
been justified by God, that you 
won't have impurity. 

692
00:47:02,400 --> 00:47:06,400
Still, of course you will. 
That's why I thought it was 

693
00:47:06,400 --> 00:47:08,960
important to read Romans 6 
before Judas baptism this 

694
00:47:08,960 --> 00:47:11,800
morning. 
That's why Paul writes Romans 7 

695
00:47:11,800 --> 00:47:15,360
and Romans 8 for us. 
That's why 2nd Corinthians 3 and

696
00:47:15,360 --> 00:47:18,720
4 points of this need for 
transformation, right? 

697
00:47:18,720 --> 00:47:20,800
That there's going to be 
transformation. 

698
00:47:20,800 --> 00:47:24,640
First Peter writes about 
literally how when your faith is

699
00:47:24,640 --> 00:47:29,120
tested, then it's shown to be 
true because the impurities of 

700
00:47:29,120 --> 00:47:34,080
our faith are being burnt away 
in the fire, right? 

701
00:47:34,080 --> 00:47:37,560
So there's going to be struggle,
there's going to be problems, 

702
00:47:37,560 --> 00:47:39,720
there's going to be issues, 
there's going to be sins to 

703
00:47:39,720 --> 00:47:43,000
overcome and put to death. 
All those things still exist as 

704
00:47:43,000 --> 00:47:46,040
a Christian, but now you have 
the power of the Spirit of God, 

705
00:47:46,040 --> 00:47:49,040
which raised Christ from the 
dead in you, to help you put 

706
00:47:49,040 --> 00:47:53,520
those things to death. 
You don't have to give up. 

707
00:47:54,480 --> 00:47:57,520
You can show up each day 
trusting the Lord, humbling 

708
00:47:57,520 --> 00:48:01,880
yourself before Him, mourning 
over your sins, asking God to 

709
00:48:02,120 --> 00:48:07,640
cleanse you, trusting that He is
faithful and just to cleanse 

710
00:48:07,640 --> 00:48:13,640
you, as first John tells us, and
then asking Him to rule your 

711
00:48:13,640 --> 00:48:18,440
life by His Spirit, to make you 
obedient to Him, to put to death

712
00:48:18,440 --> 00:48:26,610
the deeds of the flesh. 
So the pure and heart are those 

713
00:48:26,610 --> 00:48:29,610
whose allegiance is not split 
between God and the world. 

714
00:48:31,650 --> 00:48:33,850
And what's the promise? 
Well, they shall see God. 

715
00:48:35,160 --> 00:48:38,200
That's staggering because in the
Old Testament to see God meant 

716
00:48:38,200 --> 00:48:42,040
you died. 
But blessed are the pure in 

717
00:48:42,040 --> 00:48:43,720
heart here. 
Why or how? 

718
00:48:43,720 --> 00:48:48,720
For they shall see God. 
Yet here Jesus promises that the

719
00:48:48,720 --> 00:48:51,200
pure in heart will see Him 
again. 

720
00:48:51,200 --> 00:48:53,840
This is going to find its 
ultimate fulfillment in 

721
00:48:53,840 --> 00:48:56,920
glorification. 
When Christ returns, or when you

722
00:48:56,920 --> 00:49:01,320
go to be with Him in glory, we 
shall see Him as He is. 

723
00:49:01,320 --> 00:49:06,880
The apostle John writes in first
John 32, but even now purity 

724
00:49:07,320 --> 00:49:13,080
clarifies spiritual sight. 
The sin is clouding the vision, 

725
00:49:13,080 --> 00:49:16,480
as I was mentioning a moment 
ago, but holiness is sharpening 

726
00:49:16,480 --> 00:49:20,520
our vision, and in the more 
undivided the heart becomes, the

727
00:49:20,520 --> 00:49:23,320
clearer the sight of God's 
beauty becomes. 

728
00:49:25,560 --> 00:49:27,640
Again, Agustin prayed something 
really helpful here. 

729
00:49:27,640 --> 00:49:33,920
He said grant what you command 
and command what you will, even 

730
00:49:33,920 --> 00:49:39,440
purity. 
Then as a gift of grace, we also

731
00:49:39,440 --> 00:49:43,880
see here the peacemakers. 
They reflect the reconciling 

732
00:49:43,880 --> 00:49:46,080
king. 
Blessed are the peacemakers, for

733
00:49:46,080 --> 00:49:48,240
they shall be called sons of 
God. 

734
00:49:49,480 --> 00:49:51,280
Notice he doesn't say 
peacekeepers. 

735
00:49:52,120 --> 00:49:57,800
He says peacemakers. 
Peacekeeping avoids conflict. 

736
00:49:58,160 --> 00:50:01,280
Peacemaking moves toward 
reconciliation. 

737
00:50:01,960 --> 00:50:05,160
God himself is the great 
peacemaker. 

738
00:50:05,480 --> 00:50:07,400
Alright. 
Romans 51 Therefore, since we 

739
00:50:07,400 --> 00:50:10,840
have been justified by faith, we
have peace with God through our 

740
00:50:10,840 --> 00:50:13,360
Lord Jesus Christ. 
What did God do to make peace? 

741
00:50:13,360 --> 00:50:20,680
He moved towards sin, right? 
He sent Christ. 

742
00:50:20,680 --> 00:50:22,960
And now we have been justified 
by faith. 

743
00:50:23,320 --> 00:50:25,680
We have peace with God through 
Christ. 

744
00:50:25,680 --> 00:50:29,120
Colossians 120 says that Christ 
made peace by the blood of the 

745
00:50:29,120 --> 00:50:32,520
cross. 
So the gospel is the ultimate 

746
00:50:32,520 --> 00:50:36,400
act of peacemaking. 
Those who belong to the king 

747
00:50:36,560 --> 00:50:39,880
reflect his reconciling work. 
Then we've been called to this, 

748
00:50:39,880 --> 00:50:43,840
as I mentioned earlier in Second
Corinthians 5:00, we, we pursue 

749
00:50:43,840 --> 00:50:47,720
peace and relationships, whether
it's your marriage, whether it's

750
00:50:47,720 --> 00:50:49,560
a relationship with your 
children, whether it's a 

751
00:50:49,560 --> 00:50:52,400
relationship with someone in the
church or someone outside the 

752
00:50:52,400 --> 00:50:54,480
church, right, We're seeking 
peace. 

753
00:50:54,480 --> 00:50:57,000
We're pursuing peace in 
relationships. 

754
00:50:58,760 --> 00:51:02,520
We seek unity in the church. 
We labor for gospel 

755
00:51:02,520 --> 00:51:06,640
reconciliation. 
And Jesus says that those who do

756
00:51:06,640 --> 00:51:13,880
this will be called sons of God.
So in Scripture, sons reflect 

757
00:51:14,080 --> 00:51:17,160
likeness to be called sons of 
God as to bear the family 

758
00:51:17,160 --> 00:51:21,000
resemblance. 
All right, Peacemaking proves 

759
00:51:21,160 --> 00:51:26,400
your father's identity. 
So, as the Scriptures remind us,

760
00:51:26,400 --> 00:51:31,240
those who are justified have 
also been adopted. 

761
00:51:33,360 --> 00:51:36,000
You've been adopted as sons of 
God. 

762
00:51:36,480 --> 00:51:38,320
You've brought into God's 
family. 

763
00:51:38,520 --> 00:51:41,200
You've been conformed to his 
character or you're being 

764
00:51:41,200 --> 00:51:43,040
conformed to his character, I 
should say. 

765
00:51:43,640 --> 00:51:46,600
And so peacemaking is family 
likeness. 

766
00:51:48,760 --> 00:51:50,720
So again, notice how these are 
building. 

767
00:51:50,720 --> 00:51:53,000
Mercy flows from forgiveness 
received. 

768
00:51:53,240 --> 00:51:55,560
Purity flows from a heart that's
been transformed. 

769
00:51:55,800 --> 00:51:58,080
Peacemaking flows from 
reconciliation that's been 

770
00:51:58,080 --> 00:52:03,000
experienced. 
So none of this is moralism, is 

771
00:52:03,000 --> 00:52:04,600
it? 
None of it's moralism. 

772
00:52:04,600 --> 00:52:09,360
It's spiritual regeneration. 
It's spiritual transformation. 

773
00:52:11,280 --> 00:52:16,760
When grace roots itself deeply 
in us, then fruit must grow 

774
00:52:17,000 --> 00:52:21,480
visibly. 
So imagine you take a a tree, 

775
00:52:21,520 --> 00:52:27,680
right, and you transplant it 
into rich soil, that the change 

776
00:52:27,680 --> 00:52:32,120
may not be immediate in 
appearance, but over time the 

777
00:52:32,120 --> 00:52:35,360
health of the roots show up in 
the fruit of the tree. 

778
00:52:36,840 --> 00:52:43,240
The Beatitudes are describing 
the fruit mercy, purity, peace. 

779
00:52:43,240 --> 00:52:49,080
These grow from the soil of 
humility and grace, and if the 

780
00:52:49,080 --> 00:52:56,640
fruit is absent, then the root 
must be examined. 

781
00:53:00,640 --> 00:53:03,240
So we should ask ourselves 
plainly, are we merciful? 

782
00:53:04,360 --> 00:53:09,840
Am IA merciful person, or am I 
sharp? 

783
00:53:11,040 --> 00:53:13,560
Am I critical? 
Am I quick to condemn? 

784
00:53:15,880 --> 00:53:18,800
Do you remember the depth of 
your own forgiveness? 

785
00:53:21,680 --> 00:53:26,240
We should ask too, are we pure 
in hearts, or do we have divided

786
00:53:26,240 --> 00:53:29,880
loyalties? 
We have hidden sins, private 

787
00:53:29,880 --> 00:53:34,360
compromises? 
Would those who are closest to 

788
00:53:34,360 --> 00:53:39,320
you, those who live in your 
home, describe you as sincere 

789
00:53:39,480 --> 00:53:48,760
and undivided before the Lord? 
Are we peacemakers or do we stir

790
00:53:48,760 --> 00:53:51,640
up division? 
Division in our homes, division 

791
00:53:51,640 --> 00:53:53,320
in the church, division in the 
community? 

792
00:53:53,480 --> 00:53:57,520
Do we avoid hard conversations 
that could bring reconciliation 

793
00:53:58,640 --> 00:54:02,160
or do we labor for unity as 
Christians? 

794
00:54:06,080 --> 00:54:08,320
Now this is searching of us 
because it's possible. 

795
00:54:08,320 --> 00:54:10,920
You have to hear me. 
It's possible to attend church 

796
00:54:11,080 --> 00:54:17,920
and yet not reflect the King. 
But where Christ reigns, mercy 

797
00:54:18,040 --> 00:54:22,640
must increase, purity must 
deepen, peace must spread. 

798
00:54:25,920 --> 00:54:29,640
You see, the world prizes 
dominance. 

799
00:54:30,280 --> 00:54:35,080
It prizes self protection. 
But the Kingdom of God prizes 

800
00:54:35,080 --> 00:54:40,120
mercy and reconciliation. 
And the fruit of that does not 

801
00:54:40,120 --> 00:54:44,320
always earn applause. 
In fact, it often invites 

802
00:54:44,320 --> 00:54:49,320
opposition, doesn't it? 
Well, guess what? 

803
00:54:50,520 --> 00:54:55,440
Christ knew that as well. 
Point #4 endure the cost of 

804
00:54:55,440 --> 00:54:59,600
Kingdom citizenship. 
We must endure the cost of 

805
00:54:59,600 --> 00:55:03,640
Kingdom citizenship. 
Verses 10 through 12 Blessed are

806
00:55:03,640 --> 00:55:06,480
those who are persecuted for 
righteousness sake, for theirs 

807
00:55:06,480 --> 00:55:09,160
is the Kingdom of heaven. 
Blessed are you when others 

808
00:55:09,160 --> 00:55:12,120
revile you and persecute you, 
and utter all kinds of evil 

809
00:55:12,200 --> 00:55:15,040
against you falsely on my 
account. 

810
00:55:15,880 --> 00:55:20,000
Rejoice and be glad, for your 
reward is great in heaven. 

811
00:55:20,480 --> 00:55:23,840
For so they persecuted the 
prophets who were before you. 

812
00:55:27,040 --> 00:55:31,720
Jesus concludes the Beatitudes 
of all things with something 

813
00:55:31,720 --> 00:55:34,360
that really ought to jar us just
a little. 

814
00:55:34,800 --> 00:55:36,920
He has spoken of poverty of 
spirit. 

815
00:55:37,040 --> 00:55:38,840
He's spoken of mourning over our
sins. 

816
00:55:38,840 --> 00:55:41,920
He's spoken about meekness and 
mercy and purity and 

817
00:55:41,920 --> 00:55:46,720
peacemaking, all these wonderful
things that seem like the world 

818
00:55:46,720 --> 00:55:48,920
around you would love you for 
being this. 

819
00:55:51,240 --> 00:55:54,640
But now he says, blessed are 
those who are persecuted for 

820
00:55:54,640 --> 00:55:58,400
righteousness sake, for theirs 
is the Kingdom of heaven. 

821
00:56:00,440 --> 00:56:13,360
Persecution, really blessed 
persecution, blessed 

822
00:56:14,120 --> 00:56:17,880
persecution, blessed right? 
How? 

823
00:56:21,160 --> 00:56:23,800
This is where the Kingdom most 
clearly collides with the world 

824
00:56:23,800 --> 00:56:28,680
that you live in. 
You're persecuted for 

825
00:56:28,840 --> 00:56:31,960
righteousness sake. 
You have to notice the 

826
00:56:31,960 --> 00:56:34,640
qualification here. 
It's not just blessed for those 

827
00:56:34,640 --> 00:56:36,240
who are persecuted. 
No, it's blessed for those who 

828
00:56:36,240 --> 00:56:38,680
are persecuted for righteousness
sake. 

829
00:56:39,760 --> 00:56:44,040
Not persecuted for being 
abrasive, though. 

830
00:56:44,040 --> 00:56:46,160
You don't get to walk around 
being what you might think is a 

831
00:56:46,160 --> 00:56:53,400
holy turd head, all right. 
You're not persecuted for 

832
00:56:53,400 --> 00:56:56,720
foolishness. 
You're not persecuted for 

833
00:56:56,720 --> 00:57:01,240
political alignment. 
No, you're persecuted for 

834
00:57:01,240 --> 00:57:07,320
righteousness sake. 
The the word persecuted carries 

835
00:57:07,320 --> 00:57:11,080
the idea of being pursued. 
They're after you. 

836
00:57:11,080 --> 00:57:14,960
You might think the persecution 
that David endures, he fled Saul

837
00:57:14,960 --> 00:57:18,960
and he fled his son Absalom. 
He's being pursued, he's being 

838
00:57:18,960 --> 00:57:21,040
harassed, he's being haunted 
down. 

839
00:57:21,040 --> 00:57:25,560
That's what Christ is talking 
about here, and it implies 

840
00:57:25,680 --> 00:57:29,200
sustained pressure. 
Not just momentary discomfort, 

841
00:57:29,200 --> 00:57:34,440
but a sustained pressure from 
the world against Christians. 

842
00:57:36,440 --> 00:57:41,240
Why though? 
Why might a husband be 

843
00:57:41,240 --> 00:57:45,040
persecuted in his home by his 
wife if he's trying to live 

844
00:57:45,040 --> 00:57:50,480
righteously? 
Because righteousness exposes 

845
00:57:50,720 --> 00:57:55,880
darkness, Jesus will later say 
in John 320. 

846
00:57:55,880 --> 00:58:01,200
For everyone who does wicked 
things hates the light, everyone

847
00:58:01,200 --> 00:58:05,320
who does wicked things hates the
light and does not come to the 

848
00:58:05,320 --> 00:58:08,160
light, lest his works should be 
exposed. 

849
00:58:08,160 --> 00:58:09,240
So why do they not come to the 
light? 

850
00:58:09,240 --> 00:58:11,120
Why do they hate the light? 
Because they don't want their 

851
00:58:11,120 --> 00:58:15,960
own evil works to be exposed. 
It's self assertion. 

852
00:58:15,960 --> 00:58:18,840
It's self protection. 
It's making them Lord of their 

853
00:58:18,840 --> 00:58:25,680
own life, what Kingdom citizens 
live with. 

854
00:58:25,760 --> 00:58:30,040
When Kingdom citizens live with 
humility and purity and moral 

855
00:58:30,040 --> 00:58:34,120
clarity, it unsettles those 
around them who love their sins.

856
00:58:37,080 --> 00:58:39,880
Light provokes the sort of 
resistance. 

857
00:58:41,760 --> 00:58:44,360
And theologically that makes 
sense, I think. 

858
00:58:46,000 --> 00:58:48,960
Scripture tells us that the 
world lies in the power of the 

859
00:58:48,960 --> 00:58:53,360
evil one in first. 
John 5/19 There's an underlying 

860
00:58:53,360 --> 00:58:59,360
hostility toward God that exists
in the hearts of everyone who's 

861
00:58:59,360 --> 00:59:03,960
an unbelieving Sinner. 
So when you live in allegiance 

862
00:59:03,960 --> 00:59:08,560
to Christ as a Christian, you 
step into spiritual conflict. 

863
00:59:10,160 --> 00:59:13,840
And so Paul says plainly in 
Second Timothy 312, indeed, all 

864
00:59:13,840 --> 00:59:16,960
who desire to live a godly life 
in Christ Jesus will be 

865
00:59:16,960 --> 00:59:24,320
persecuted. 
Indeed, you live for Christ, you

866
00:59:24,320 --> 00:59:31,960
will be persecuted. 
It's not might be you will be. 

867
00:59:33,440 --> 00:59:36,400
So this might not always mean 
imprisonment, right? 

868
00:59:36,400 --> 00:59:38,680
You might look around and think,
man, Kyle, we live in America. 

869
00:59:38,680 --> 00:59:43,080
It's fairly unpersecuted here, 
but but again, I'm talking about

870
00:59:43,080 --> 00:59:47,240
the what when you live out your 
life as a Christian among people

871
00:59:47,240 --> 00:59:49,840
who are not wanting to live 
their lives in submission to 

872
00:59:49,840 --> 00:59:51,560
Christ. 
You know what I'm talking about 

873
00:59:51,560 --> 00:59:56,440
when I talk about persecution. 
Again, it can be as simple as or

874
00:59:56,440 --> 00:59:58,520
as close as. 
I'll say as close as not as 

875
00:59:58,520 --> 01:00:01,040
simple. 
It can be as close as a husband 

876
01:00:01,040 --> 01:00:03,960
who's seeking to serve the Lord 
in his home and a wife who 

877
01:00:03,960 --> 01:00:08,120
refuses to submit to that. 
It can be as close as a wife who

878
01:00:08,120 --> 01:00:10,320
is seeking to submit to her 
husband and everything in the 

879
01:00:10,320 --> 01:00:13,160
Lord. 
And a husband who refuses to 

880
01:00:13,160 --> 01:00:14,880
love her the way Christ loves 
the church. 

881
01:00:16,240 --> 01:00:19,360
That's persecution. 
It's revealing sin. 

882
01:00:20,040 --> 01:00:26,000
It's causing conflict. 
There's a thousand other 

883
01:00:26,000 --> 01:00:29,120
examples we could sit up here 
and give, and I have no time for

884
01:00:29,120 --> 01:00:35,200
1000 examples. 
So it may not mean imprisonment.

885
01:00:35,200 --> 01:00:37,600
It may not mean that you're 
literally going to be killed, 

886
01:00:39,840 --> 01:00:43,720
but it will mean that you could 
be marginalized for your faith. 

887
01:00:44,840 --> 01:00:46,600
You could be slandered for your 
faith. 

888
01:00:47,320 --> 01:00:50,000
You could be excluded from 
things because of your faith. 

889
01:00:50,480 --> 01:00:53,000
You can receive pressure because
of your faith. 

890
01:00:53,000 --> 01:00:55,240
All right? 
I mean, persecution shows up in 

891
01:00:55,240 --> 01:00:57,880
a myriad of ways. 
It doesn't just mean you've been

892
01:00:57,880 --> 01:01:01,600
martyred. 
And yet Jesus says, blessed, 

893
01:01:01,920 --> 01:01:04,560
blessed are you when you're 
persecuted, husband, for trying 

894
01:01:04,560 --> 01:01:05,680
to live for the Lord in your 
home. 

895
01:01:05,800 --> 01:01:08,320
Blessed are you, wife, when 
you're persecuted for trying to 

896
01:01:08,320 --> 01:01:10,520
live for the Lord in your home. 
Why? 

897
01:01:10,520 --> 01:01:12,880
Because yours is the Kingdom of 
heaven. 

898
01:01:16,040 --> 01:01:18,360
Notice he's repeating the 
promise of verse 3. 

899
01:01:19,600 --> 01:01:22,720
The Beatitudes here are 
bookended with the same 

900
01:01:22,840 --> 01:01:26,400
assurance. 
The poor in spirit possessed the

901
01:01:26,400 --> 01:01:28,600
Kingdom. 
The persecuted possessed the 

902
01:01:28,600 --> 01:01:32,960
Kingdom. 
How do you think Christ was 

903
01:01:32,960 --> 01:01:36,360
intentional with His words? 
One. 

904
01:01:36,360 --> 01:01:37,960
Yes. 
All right, we got more work to 

905
01:01:37,960 --> 01:01:39,520
do. 
Strap in. 

906
01:01:41,800 --> 01:01:47,200
Yes, of course he was right. 
The Kingdom belongs to those who

907
01:01:47,200 --> 01:01:52,400
bow low, and it also belongs to 
those who stand firm. 

908
01:01:55,880 --> 01:01:58,200
The second thing Christ points 
out here in verse 11 is those 

909
01:01:58,200 --> 01:02:00,560
who are personally reviled on 
account of Christ. 

910
01:02:01,880 --> 01:02:04,440
Now Jesus becomes even more 
personal here. 

911
01:02:04,440 --> 01:02:05,920
Blessed are you. 
It was. 

912
01:02:05,920 --> 01:02:07,240
Blessed are those. 
Now it's blessed. 

913
01:02:07,240 --> 01:02:11,520
Are you? 
He shifts from third person to 

914
01:02:11,520 --> 01:02:13,960
second person. 
This is no longer abstract. 

915
01:02:14,280 --> 01:02:18,880
He's being direct. 
Lester, you when others revile 

916
01:02:18,880 --> 01:02:21,600
you and persecute you and utter 
all kinds of evil against you 

917
01:02:21,600 --> 01:02:28,040
falsely on my account. 
Now the defining phrase there, 

918
01:02:28,040 --> 01:02:31,480
the phrase you have to pay 
attention to on my account, 

919
01:02:33,480 --> 01:02:39,040
persecution for righteousness is
persecution for Christ. 

920
01:02:41,040 --> 01:02:44,480
You think about Saul right 
before his conversion in Acts 9,

921
01:02:47,240 --> 01:02:48,720
right? 
The Lord appears to him. 

922
01:02:48,720 --> 01:02:50,400
He's on the road to Damascus to 
do what? 

923
01:02:50,560 --> 01:02:53,800
Persecute more Christians? 
The Lord appears to him. 

924
01:02:53,800 --> 01:02:56,920
Saul, Saul, Why are you 
persecuting them? 

925
01:02:57,080 --> 01:02:59,240
No. 
Are you persecuting me? 

926
01:03:00,720 --> 01:03:06,160
They're being persecuted on 
account of their walk with the 

927
01:03:06,160 --> 01:03:10,200
Lord for being persecuted for 
the sake of Christ, for the name

928
01:03:10,200 --> 01:03:13,200
of Christ. 
And who shows up to defend him? 

929
01:03:14,040 --> 01:03:21,840
Christ himself on my account. 
The world may frame it as 

930
01:03:21,840 --> 01:03:27,800
intolerance or extremism. 
Those around you may say that 

931
01:03:27,800 --> 01:03:35,280
you just don't get it, but at 
its core, those sort of things, 

932
01:03:35,280 --> 01:03:38,120
when you're persecuted for 
righteousness sake, at the core 

933
01:03:38,320 --> 01:03:41,120
that is hostility towards Jesus,
not you. 

934
01:03:43,160 --> 01:03:44,800
That's a comforting thing for 
me. 

935
01:03:46,000 --> 01:03:48,480
He says in John 1520. 
If they persecuted me, they will

936
01:03:48,480 --> 01:03:52,200
also persecute you. 
So union with Christ means that 

937
01:03:52,200 --> 01:03:54,400
we're going to share in the 
rejection of Christ. 

938
01:03:55,040 --> 01:03:58,160
We must. 
The Scriptures remind us 

939
01:03:58,160 --> 01:04:02,880
believers are united to Christ 
in his humiliation and in his 

940
01:04:02,880 --> 01:04:05,920
exaltation. 
If we share in His glory, we 

941
01:04:05,920 --> 01:04:11,600
must also share in his reproach.
Calvin observed that believers 

942
01:04:11,600 --> 01:04:14,800
should not be surprised by 
persecution because he says the 

943
01:04:14,800 --> 01:04:17,920
cross is the badge of our 
discipleship. 

944
01:04:19,720 --> 01:04:23,400
So if the king was crowned with 
thorns before he was crowned 

945
01:04:23,400 --> 01:04:27,360
with glory, then you and I 
should not really expect a 

946
01:04:27,360 --> 01:04:30,440
different path. 
We should expect to walk the 

947
01:04:30,440 --> 01:04:34,880
same kind of path. 
So what do you do when you're 

948
01:04:34,880 --> 01:04:36,880
being persecuted for 
righteousness sake? 

949
01:04:38,680 --> 01:04:39,760
Look at the third thing Christ 
says. 

950
01:04:39,760 --> 01:04:44,640
Rejoice in eternal reward. 
Jesus commands something so 

951
01:04:44,640 --> 01:04:47,360
astonishing here. 
Rejoice and be glad. 

952
01:04:48,400 --> 01:04:52,320
The the language is strong. 
There's exuberant joy. 

953
01:04:52,320 --> 01:04:54,640
There's not denial. 
There's not some stoic 

954
01:04:54,640 --> 01:04:56,520
endurance. 
No, it's joy. 

955
01:04:56,840 --> 01:04:59,720
Rejoice and be glad. 
Why? 

956
01:04:59,880 --> 01:05:02,440
For your reward in heaven is 
great. 

957
01:05:03,320 --> 01:05:05,480
Who cares about the reward on 
earth? 

958
01:05:05,480 --> 01:05:09,520
That's what Christ is saying. 
Your reward in heaven will be 

959
01:05:09,520 --> 01:05:14,040
great. 
This does not mean that you earn

960
01:05:14,040 --> 01:05:19,360
heaven through suffering. 
It means that heaven vindicates 

961
01:05:19,600 --> 01:05:23,960
your suffering. 
It means nothing endured for 

962
01:05:23,960 --> 01:05:28,480
Christ is going to be wasted 
there. 

963
01:05:28,480 --> 01:05:30,320
There ought to be some of you 
jumping up out of your chairs 

964
01:05:30,320 --> 01:05:32,400
because you're enduring some 
things for Christ right now. 

965
01:05:34,200 --> 01:05:36,080
There ought to be some joy here,
right? 

966
01:05:47,680 --> 01:05:53,480
It means that Christ is 
vindicating everything that 

967
01:05:53,480 --> 01:05:56,960
you're going through as you 
suffer for his name's sake, as 

968
01:05:56,960 --> 01:05:58,600
you suffer for righteousness 
sake. 

969
01:05:59,520 --> 01:06:03,320
Paul echoes this in Romans 818. 
The Scriptures echo this a lot, 

970
01:06:03,320 --> 01:06:05,240
actually, especially in the New 
Testament. 

971
01:06:05,240 --> 01:06:07,880
This was a refrain. 
This is the thing that got me 

972
01:06:07,880 --> 01:06:09,480
through Winnie's death. 
I'll be honest with you. 

973
01:06:09,720 --> 01:06:12,720
It's just this refrain of 
eschatological hope. 

974
01:06:14,760 --> 01:06:17,440
Romans 818 For I consider that 
the sufferings of this present 

975
01:06:17,440 --> 01:06:20,040
time are not worth comparing 
with the glory that is to be 

976
01:06:20,160 --> 01:06:25,280
revealed to us, the reward. 
As we're talking about reproach 

977
01:06:25,280 --> 01:06:29,120
here, the reward outweighs the 
reproach, but the reward also 

978
01:06:29,120 --> 01:06:30,920
outweighs the suffering, 
whatever it may be. 

979
01:06:30,920 --> 01:06:34,880
Could be health, could be 
marital struggle, could be 

980
01:06:34,880 --> 01:06:38,720
finances, could be the death of 
a loved one, could be anything 

981
01:06:38,720 --> 01:06:41,200
right. 
The sufferings of this present 

982
01:06:41,200 --> 01:06:43,960
time are not worth comparing 
with the glory that is to be 

983
01:06:44,040 --> 01:06:49,240
revealed to us. 
Praise God and Jesus adds this 

984
01:06:49,240 --> 01:06:51,640
for those who are suffering 
under reproach. 

985
01:06:54,320 --> 01:06:58,160
For so they persecuted the 
prophets who were before you. 

986
01:07:00,200 --> 01:07:08,320
What is Christ saying? 
Every man that I called by my 

987
01:07:08,320 --> 01:07:13,160
name to speak my word, who has 
gone before you, has been 

988
01:07:13,160 --> 01:07:17,320
persecuted. 
Do not think that you will get 

989
01:07:17,320 --> 01:07:21,680
out any differently, but blessed
are you. 

990
01:07:23,960 --> 01:07:28,360
Blessed are you Now think about 
it. 

991
01:07:30,360 --> 01:07:33,600
Persecution for your faith 
places you in the company of the

992
01:07:33,600 --> 01:07:38,400
faithful. 
The prophet Elijah was haunted. 

993
01:07:39,160 --> 01:07:42,760
The prophet Jeremiah was beaten.
The prophet Isaiah, according to

994
01:07:42,760 --> 01:07:46,960
tradition, was Psalm. 
And two, to suffer for Christ is

995
01:07:46,960 --> 01:07:49,400
to stand in the line of the 
prophets. 

996
01:07:49,480 --> 01:07:53,080
Brothers and sisters, it's not a
sign that God has abandoned you 

997
01:07:53,080 --> 01:07:57,440
at all. 
It's a mark of authentic faith. 

998
01:07:59,520 --> 01:08:03,400
Imagine a soldier who's wearing 
the uniform of his nation while 

999
01:08:03,400 --> 01:08:06,680
he's in hostile territory, 
right? 

1000
01:08:06,680 --> 01:08:08,840
That that uniform makes him 
identifiable. 

1001
01:08:10,000 --> 01:08:13,600
He's not with us. 
And so it also makes him a 

1002
01:08:13,600 --> 01:08:18,359
target because I said it was 
hostile territory, but it also 

1003
01:08:18,359 --> 01:08:24,080
proves who side he's on. 
Righteousness is the uniform of 

1004
01:08:24,080 --> 01:08:27,520
the Kingdom. 
It draws fire from the enemy, 

1005
01:08:28,399 --> 01:08:33,439
but it also reveals allegiance. 
Persecution is not an 

1006
01:08:33,439 --> 01:08:35,920
interruption of Kingdom 
blessing. 

1007
01:08:36,040 --> 01:08:37,640
That's what Christ wants you to 
see today. 

1008
01:08:38,960 --> 01:08:43,240
It's evidence, it's evidence of 
Kingdom blessing, that the 

1009
01:08:43,240 --> 01:08:45,720
Beatitudes do not move from 
blessing to curse. 

1010
01:08:45,720 --> 01:08:47,960
No, they move from humility to 
hostility. 

1011
01:08:47,960 --> 01:08:50,960
That's it. 
They declare that both of those 

1012
01:08:50,960 --> 01:08:55,439
things are blessed, that the 
world may reject you, but heaven

1013
01:08:55,560 --> 01:09:00,439
claims you, right. 
The world may slander you, but 

1014
01:09:00,439 --> 01:09:04,120
Christ identifies with you. 
The world may cost you comfort, 

1015
01:09:04,240 --> 01:09:07,279
but Christ promises a reward in 
heaven. 

1016
01:09:08,840 --> 01:09:14,359
So then we have to ask, when the
pressure comes for my faith on 

1017
01:09:14,359 --> 01:09:17,640
account of righteousness, do I 
retreat? 

1018
01:09:19,760 --> 01:09:22,640
Do I soften truth so that I can 
avoid criticisms? 

1019
01:09:23,960 --> 01:09:26,560
Do I hide my allegiance to 
Christ to maintain my 

1020
01:09:26,560 --> 01:09:31,040
reputation? 
Or do we stand humbly, 

1021
01:09:31,359 --> 01:09:36,479
graciously, firmly? 
I want you to understand some of

1022
01:09:36,479 --> 01:09:39,319
this passage is not calling you 
to be a persecution seeker. 

1023
01:09:42,240 --> 01:09:44,720
You're not to become a hot head 
for Christianity. 

1024
01:09:45,880 --> 01:09:51,880
You're not to go out looking for
persecution, but it does call 

1025
01:09:51,880 --> 01:09:55,320
you to expect persecution when 
you're walking faithfully with 

1026
01:09:55,320 --> 01:10:01,520
Christ and when it comes. 
This passage is reminding you 

1027
01:10:02,080 --> 01:10:06,200
that it is not failure, it's 
fellowship with Christ. 

1028
01:10:08,560 --> 01:10:13,200
Brother, sister, if you've been 
mocked for your obedience, take 

1029
01:10:13,200 --> 01:10:17,720
heart. 
If you lose influence because 

1030
01:10:17,720 --> 01:10:22,080
you refuse to compromise with 
the world, take heart. 

1031
01:10:23,760 --> 01:10:26,840
If your name is misrepresented 
because you hold the Christ, 

1032
01:10:28,040 --> 01:10:31,840
take heart. 
Christ has said theirs is the 

1033
01:10:31,840 --> 01:10:35,960
Kingdom of heaven. 
If you've never suffered, even 

1034
01:10:35,960 --> 01:10:40,720
in the even the slightest 
discomfort for Christ, then it 

1035
01:10:40,720 --> 01:10:44,600
might be worth asking whether 
your life is distinct enough to 

1036
01:10:44,600 --> 01:10:49,520
provoke notice. 
The King does not promise you 

1037
01:10:49,520 --> 01:10:53,440
ease, but he does promise you 
himself, and he promises a 

1038
01:10:53,440 --> 01:11:01,480
Kingdom that cannot be shaken. 
Remember, we have heard the King

1039
01:11:01,480 --> 01:11:07,480
speak today, Not a philosopher, 
not a motivational teacher, not 

1040
01:11:07,480 --> 01:11:10,320
a political revolutionary. 
We've heard the King of heaven 

1041
01:11:10,480 --> 01:11:13,560
speak. 
And what has he shown us? 

1042
01:11:14,200 --> 01:11:16,320
Well, he's shown us that the 
character of those who belong to

1043
01:11:16,320 --> 01:11:20,000
his Kingdom looks like certain 
things. 

1044
01:11:21,040 --> 01:11:23,920
We've seen, first, that we come 
under the authority of We must 

1045
01:11:23,920 --> 01:11:25,480
first come under the authority 
of the king. 

1046
01:11:27,040 --> 01:11:30,240
Secondly, we must embrace the 
humble posture of Kingdom 

1047
01:11:30,240 --> 01:11:33,560
citizens to be poor in spirit, 
mourning over a sin, meek, 

1048
01:11:33,680 --> 01:11:37,520
hungry for righteousness. 
Third, we've seen that we must 

1049
01:11:37,520 --> 01:11:41,000
display the merciful heart of 
Kingdom citizens becoming 

1050
01:11:41,000 --> 01:11:43,520
merciful pure of heart 
peacemakers. 

1051
01:11:45,240 --> 01:11:48,600
And 4th, we've seen that we must
endure the cost of Kingdom 

1052
01:11:48,600 --> 01:11:52,880
citizenship, becoming willing to
suffer for righteousness and for

1053
01:11:52,880 --> 01:11:56,960
Christ himself. 
That's life under the King's 

1054
01:11:56,960 --> 01:11:59,320
rule. 
And here is what it what should 

1055
01:11:59,320 --> 01:12:03,440
strike us. 
None of that is natural. 

1056
01:12:05,040 --> 01:12:08,160
It's all supernatural. 
The world does not produce this 

1057
01:12:08,160 --> 01:12:12,800
kind of character. 
Your flesh will not produce this

1058
01:12:12,800 --> 01:12:17,080
kind of character. 
Education does not produce this 

1059
01:12:17,080 --> 01:12:20,160
kind of character. 
Only the reigning Christ 

1060
01:12:20,280 --> 01:12:25,560
produces this kind of character.
So the Beatitudes, then again, 

1061
01:12:25,920 --> 01:12:30,000
it must be said, they're not a 
ladder that you climb to get 

1062
01:12:30,000 --> 01:12:35,920
into the Kingdom, that they're a
mirror that reveals whether the 

1063
01:12:35,920 --> 01:12:37,600
king has claimed your heart or 
not. 

1064
01:12:39,760 --> 01:12:45,040
And so I say to those of you in 
here who are believers, if you 

1065
01:12:45,040 --> 01:12:48,880
belong to Christ, this passage 
should humble you and comfort 

1066
01:12:48,880 --> 01:12:51,560
you. 
It should humble you because 

1067
01:12:51,560 --> 01:12:54,560
none of us embodies this 
perfectly, right? 

1068
01:12:54,560 --> 01:13:00,760
Are you always poor in spirit? 
No. 

1069
01:13:02,760 --> 01:13:05,160
Do you consistently mourn over 
your sin? 

1070
01:13:06,640 --> 01:13:11,520
Probably not. 
Are you relentlessly merciful? 

1071
01:13:13,560 --> 01:13:14,800
No. 
We take offense. 

1072
01:13:14,800 --> 01:13:17,040
We act out in aggression over 
those offenses. 

1073
01:13:19,120 --> 01:13:21,040
Do you always hunger for 
righteousness? 

1074
01:13:22,680 --> 01:13:27,160
No. 
What did that do for us? 

1075
01:13:29,120 --> 01:13:33,040
It ought to drive us back to 
grace. 

1076
01:13:35,000 --> 01:13:37,320
It ought to drive us back to the
mercy seat of the Lord. 

1077
01:13:38,160 --> 01:13:40,440
It ought to drive us back to 
fellowship with Christ. 

1078
01:13:41,320 --> 01:13:46,480
But it should also comfort you 
because if you've seen it, if 

1079
01:13:46,480 --> 01:13:48,880
you see even the beginnings of 
this character in your life, 

1080
01:13:49,520 --> 01:13:52,520
maybe I'm not always poor in 
spirit, and sometimes I am. 

1081
01:13:53,880 --> 01:13:57,520
Maybe I don't always mourn for 
my sin, but I have been broken 

1082
01:13:57,520 --> 01:14:01,400
over my sins at times. 
Maybe I'm not always merciful, 

1083
01:14:01,760 --> 01:14:04,040
but I do recall where the Lord 
led me to show mercy. 

1084
01:14:04,040 --> 01:14:08,320
You see what I'm saying? 
If you see a growing hatred for 

1085
01:14:08,320 --> 01:14:11,320
sin, a growing hunger for 
righteousness, a growing desire 

1086
01:14:11,320 --> 01:14:15,240
for peace, well, that's evidence
of the King's work in you. 

1087
01:14:16,640 --> 01:14:19,440
These qualities are not the 
cause of your salvation. 

1088
01:14:19,440 --> 01:14:23,360
No, they are the fruit of your 
union with Christ. 

1089
01:14:24,560 --> 01:14:26,920
So continue to humble yourself 
before the Lord. 

1090
01:14:26,920 --> 01:14:30,560
Continue to bow low. 
Continue to hunger and thirst 

1091
01:14:30,560 --> 01:14:33,480
for righteousness. 
Continue to seek to show mercy 

1092
01:14:33,760 --> 01:14:38,600
and when opposition for walking 
with the Lord comes, do not ever

1093
01:14:38,720 --> 01:14:42,280
even remotely think of it as God
has abandoned you. 

1094
01:14:44,840 --> 01:14:48,160
Instead, see it for what Christ 
says it is, it's identification 

1095
01:14:48,160 --> 01:14:53,480
with Him. 
There's Christ says theirs is 

1096
01:14:53,480 --> 01:14:57,120
the Kingdom of heaven. 
Not was, not will be, is. 

1097
01:14:57,120 --> 01:15:03,800
Theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Now, if you're an unbeliever, 

1098
01:15:06,200 --> 01:15:08,480
you haven't submitted your life 
to Christ. 

1099
01:15:13,200 --> 01:15:15,680
If you're able to examine your 
life honestly. 

1100
01:15:16,240 --> 01:15:18,040
And none of these things 
describe you. 

1101
01:15:19,960 --> 01:15:22,840
If pride defines you more than a
poverty of spirits. 

1102
01:15:23,280 --> 01:15:27,880
If sin doesn't grieve you. 
If righteousness does not hunger

1103
01:15:27,880 --> 01:15:32,120
in you. 
If mercy is foreign to you, if 

1104
01:15:32,120 --> 01:15:37,840
the thought of suffering for 
Christ seems foolish, then this 

1105
01:15:37,840 --> 01:15:39,320
passage isn't comforting for 
you. 

1106
01:15:39,320 --> 01:15:43,360
It's confrontational, isn't it? 
Because it means you're still 

1107
01:15:43,360 --> 01:15:46,280
living under another king 
yourself. 

1108
01:15:47,560 --> 01:15:52,080
Now, the good news is this. 
The King who speaks these words 

1109
01:15:52,080 --> 01:15:54,000
is also the King who went to the
cross. 

1110
01:15:55,680 --> 01:15:59,240
He perfectly embodied every one 
of these beatitudes. 

1111
01:15:59,560 --> 01:16:02,160
He was truly poor in spirit. 
He was fully dependent upon the 

1112
01:16:02,160 --> 01:16:04,920
Father. 
He mourned over the sin of 

1113
01:16:04,920 --> 01:16:06,640
mankind, and He gave His life 
for it. 

1114
01:16:06,720 --> 01:16:11,040
He was meek, He hungered for 
righteousness, He was merciful, 

1115
01:16:11,120 --> 01:16:14,240
He was pure. 
He made peace by His own blood, 

1116
01:16:15,080 --> 01:16:16,840
and He was persecuted unto 
death. 

1117
01:16:18,880 --> 01:16:23,840
The only perfectly blessed man 
in the whole world became a 

1118
01:16:23,840 --> 01:16:30,840
curse for sinners so that rebels
like you and me could be brought

1119
01:16:30,840 --> 01:16:34,520
into His Kingdom. 
You do not enter his Kingdom by 

1120
01:16:34,520 --> 01:16:38,840
reforming your character. 
You enter his Kingdom by 

1121
01:16:38,840 --> 01:16:43,360
repenting of your sin and 
trusting in the king, laying 

1122
01:16:43,360 --> 01:16:46,760
down your pride, bowing your 
knees to the Lord, receiving 

1123
01:16:46,760 --> 01:16:51,000
mercy from him. 
If you'll do that, the King will

1124
01:16:51,000 --> 01:16:53,240
begin to reshape you from the 
inside out. 

1125
01:16:57,960 --> 01:17:04,600
Church, the world is watching. 
Our culture is utterly confused 

1126
01:17:04,600 --> 01:17:09,680
about what the good life is, but
Jesus is not confused about it. 

1127
01:17:10,880 --> 01:17:12,840
Blessed are the humble. 
Blessed are the merciful. 

1128
01:17:12,840 --> 01:17:14,880
Blessed are the pure. 
Blessed are the persecuted. 

1129
01:17:15,800 --> 01:17:19,960
That the Kingdom does not 
advance through dominance, it 

1130
01:17:19,960 --> 01:17:21,800
advances through transformed 
people. 

1131
01:17:22,720 --> 01:17:24,520
So let us submit ourselves to 
the King. 

1132
01:17:24,520 --> 01:17:27,880
Let us embrace his definition of
blessedness today. 

1133
01:17:28,360 --> 01:17:31,000
And let us live in such a way 
that when the world sees us, 

1134
01:17:31,400 --> 01:17:37,640
they see something different. 
They see the Father in heaven 

1135
01:17:37,640 --> 01:17:40,320
who has rescued us, who has 
reconciled us to himself through

1136
01:17:40,320 --> 01:17:42,840
his Son. 
They don't see perfection. 

1137
01:17:42,840 --> 01:17:45,480
We're not out trying to be 
Pharisees and act like we're 

1138
01:17:45,480 --> 01:17:47,080
perfect. 
No, no, no, no, no. 

1139
01:17:48,320 --> 01:17:50,640
They see the evidence of a 
reigning Christ. 

1140
01:17:52,520 --> 01:17:54,840
Remember, Christ has said theirs
is the Kingdom of heaven, and so

1141
01:17:54,840 --> 01:17:59,160
may it be evidence among us. 
Let's pray. 

1142
01:18:00,840 --> 01:18:02,960
Heavenly Father, we thank you 
for your word today. 

1143
01:18:05,760 --> 01:18:08,320
We thank you for the words of 
Christ this morning. 

1144
01:18:10,920 --> 01:18:13,360
We thank you, Father, for all 
that he has said in the 

1145
01:18:13,360 --> 01:18:17,040
Beatitudes and all that it 
reveals about the character of 

1146
01:18:17,040 --> 01:18:19,240
the citizens of the Kingdom of 
God. 

1147
01:18:21,880 --> 01:18:24,680
And God is believers. 
We ask that you would continue 

1148
01:18:24,680 --> 01:18:29,280
your good, gracious, merciful 
work of conforming us more and 

1149
01:18:29,280 --> 01:18:34,080
more into the image of Christ, 
the only perfectly blessed man. 

1150
01:18:37,000 --> 01:18:38,040
God. 
Would you help us to walk 

1151
01:18:38,040 --> 01:18:43,440
faithfully with him? 
And Father, I pray for those who

1152
01:18:43,520 --> 01:18:46,760
may not know Christ is Lord, 
whether they're young or old. 

1153
01:18:48,640 --> 01:18:53,120
God, I pray that is they've seen
the words of Christ today, that 

1154
01:18:53,120 --> 01:18:56,440
they have been examining their 
own heart. 

1155
01:18:58,480 --> 01:19:01,080
I pray, Father, that You would 
use Your word to draw them to 

1156
01:19:01,080 --> 01:19:05,120
yourself, that nothing would 
hinder them from coming, that 

1157
01:19:05,120 --> 01:19:07,360
You would take them out of 
darkness and place them in 

1158
01:19:07,360 --> 01:19:11,320
marvelous light. 
By Your great grace, your mighty

1159
01:19:11,800 --> 01:19:16,320
salvific hand, they would grant 
to them new life. 

1160
01:19:17,000 --> 01:19:20,520
They might walk in accordance 
with your word, with your 

1161
01:19:20,520 --> 01:19:25,000
teachings, with the life that 
you intend us to live, a life 

1162
01:19:25,000 --> 01:19:29,560
close in fellowship with the God
of all creation. 

1163
01:19:32,520 --> 01:19:34,040
Father, would you save them 
today? 

1164
01:19:34,040 --> 01:19:41,080
I'm going to give you a moment 
now in your seat to pray, to 

1165
01:19:41,080 --> 01:19:50,080
seek the Lord, to respond to the
message, or to reflect how the 

1166
01:19:50,080 --> 01:19:52,400
Lord leads you by His Spirit 
this morning. 

1167
01:19:53,640 --> 01:20:32,320
Take a moment and do that now. 
Heavenly Father, we give you all

1168
01:20:32,320 --> 01:20:36,360
the glory and the praise and the
honor for every good work that 

1169
01:20:36,360 --> 01:20:38,240
you're doing in the hearts of 
your people today. 

1170
01:20:39,680 --> 01:20:41,360
We thank you again for your 
word. 

1171
01:20:41,840 --> 01:20:44,320
We thank You that you are 
faithful always, that You're 

1172
01:20:44,320 --> 01:20:49,440
steadfast, abounding in love. 
Father, we thank you that you 

1173
01:20:49,440 --> 01:20:54,320
save sinners from their sins, to
grant them new life, and you 

1174
01:20:54,320 --> 01:20:57,400
mature them in that life. 
You sanctify them. 

1175
01:20:57,400 --> 01:21:01,800
You cleanse them. 
So Lord, we thank you for your 

1176
01:21:01,800 --> 01:21:05,720
work and our own hearts today. 
The work and the hearts of those

1177
01:21:05,720 --> 01:21:13,650
around us today. 
We thank you for your word. 

1178
01:21:13,650 --> 01:21:16,490
Father, it's Christ name I pray.
Amen.