BE ATTITUDES Part 2

[0:00] I want just for a few moments just to try and go through the rest of the Beatitudes.

[0:13] We started last week and I think I've now come to the conclusion that it's harder to actually try and reduce them into just a very short space of time rather than maybe just take one each one individually. But I just want us to be able to just to think a little, pray, to ask God to make us the people that he wants us to be. People who are truly blessed, richly blessed as these words remind us here. I started last week by asking the question, do we ever dream? And I don't mean just night by night, do you have dreams? Do you ever dream dream as you look at the world? And perhaps more so, even more so this week? Do you ever dream and that dream turns into a longing, desperate longing for those blessings that we read of in these Beatitudes? To be the blessings that this world experiences and enjoys? That happiness, that true happiness, that fulfilment, that peace, that contentment, that riches of God's blessing that our world so desperately needs? And Jesus says these blessings can be yours and mine.

[2:16] And we looked at the first three last week, the poor and spirit, those who mourn and the meek. And the reality that it is those who come to that genuine, heartfelt understanding of their own need and their own lostness before God who cry out to him and in crying out to him receive that life that comes from him and from him alone. And then we become like Jesus. That meekness, that selflessness that Jesus showed in his life, every moment of his life.

[3:04] So these are the attitudes, the B attitudes, positive attitudes that you and I are to show in our lives if we are God's people. Then Jesus went on to say that blessed are those, richly blessed, truly blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Just to summarise this and the next, the attitudes. What Jesus is saying here really is, blessed are those who are in a right relationship.

[3:44] A right relationship with God, which we looked at last week, which came through that confession, through that repentance, come into a right relationship with God and therefore a right relationship with one another.

[4:05] You may have a different understanding of what you think righteousness is, but in its biblical context, righteousness is right living. Living right with God and living right with one another.

[4:20] And that went wrong way back in the beginning. Adam and Eve were in a garden in a relationship with God, a right relationship with God that was truly blessed.

[4:34] And through sin, through disobedience, through listening to the enemy, that right relationship was severed.

[4:48] And they began to live a totally different way. Living for themselves, making excuses, doing all sorts of things that were contrary to right living.

[4:59] And so Jesus says, blessed are you when you hunger and thirst after righteousness. That hunger and thirst of people who are starving.

[5:13] Starving. Starving. Recognising their need and hunger and thirst for that right relationship with God.

[5:29] And with one another. It's a blessed people. Blessed are the merciful. For they will gain mercy.

[5:44] Be sure mercy. What does it mean to be merciful? Just sang about his mercy.

[6:00] It's more than that mercy. If you read the words and reflect on the words as you sing them. Just, you know, the love that remembered you, that remembered me, in our lostness, in our far away from Godness, in our sinfulness, is that mercy that remembered you and me.

[6:19] And came into this world. To meet with you and me. John chapter 1 and verse 14 says, The word Jesus became flesh.

[6:34] And made his dwelling among us. That's mercy. Coming to dwell with you and me in our world.

[6:53] I heard a song a long time ago. And it really struck me. It's not the most reverent song that we ever heard.

[7:03] But there was one line in it that really struck me. And the singer said, If only God was one of us. Just a stranger on the bus.

[7:18] Trying to find his way home. Only God was one of us. And he became one of us. Just like us.

[7:31] In every way yet. Without sin. And that's mercy. And that's what we need to be.

[7:45] We need to be showing mercy. And so that means that you and I have to be a people who in a very real sense almost get under the skin of other people.

[8:12] We see people and we make judgments and I do all the time and I I'm sometimes horrified at some of the things that I think as I see people along the way.

[8:25] And always it comes back to this Ian you're not walking in their shoes. You're not living in their skin. and you're making judgments and so many of them are so harsh.

[8:41] To be merciful to be that blessed people who are showing mercy because we've been shown mercy we need to do the same.

[8:56] So we need to get alongside beside to get beside to get inside the lives of men and women and young people so that we can show them mercy just as we have been shown mercy.

[9:17] Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God. When David was speaking to Solomon and trying to guide him in his life and in his work he said this to him he said serve God with a wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind for the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind his thoughts.

[10:05] 1 Chronicles chapter 28 verse 9 The Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind his thoughts.

[10:17] Blessed are the pure heart. And what David was saying to Solomon was this God searches the heart God knows your heart he knows all our hearts the intimate details of our heart and he says he understands every motive behind the thoughts because it's what's in the heart and becomes thought and the motive.

[10:48] we need to watch our hearts. We need to watch what's spoiling them what's staining them. We need to watch that there aren't mixed motives that are coming in and spoiling.

[11:06] as we walk with God and we're sensitive to God and ask him to highlight the mixed motives and the things that are wrong in our hearts then we come with confession and we receive cleansing.

[11:29] As a young Christian I'm very thankful for the people who influenced my life along the way. There was an old fisherman certainly older than me and every day I would meet him the first question he would ask me was well Ian how's your heart and I knew he wasn't asking after my physical well being he was concerned for my heart relationship with God and then with God's people and those around me and we need perhaps to keep that spiritual medical check on our hearts how is it with your heart with my heart blessed are the peacemakers they will be called sons children of God peacemaking is a

[12:49] God like work it's the work that Jesus came to do he came to make peace he came to break down all these barriers that were between us and God and between us and whoever and whoever else he came to ease tensions around those tensions that started in the garden of Eden and now just continued all down the way he came to bring reconciliation to bring peace peace and what this beatitude is saying to you and me today is that we need to reflect that family likeness as God Jesus the peacemakers so his children are to be peacemakers and how we so desperately need peacemakers in our day and not just in the worldwide scene within our communities maybe even within our congregation and be peace makers and so I started by asking the question do we have a dream do you have a dream dream a dream for these blessings to be more and more and more and more in the world in which we live more and more in community in which we live the church in which we worship living a life that is said to the children and I said to each and every one of you living a life that can't help change the world you believe so you're like that sceptical man in the seizure you're not going to make much of a difference are you you can make a difference to someone somewhere along the way then if

[15:10] Jesus brings this part of the Beatitudes to an end maybe you're thinking well this dream is turning into a nightmare because he then says blessed are you when people insult you persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me sometimes we can be persecuted and spoken wrongly of just because we've done things and said things in our own strength in our own mixed motives sisters we can be persecuted we will be persecuted we will be falsely accused because of him if we follow him and we live for him as he wants us to because as John Stott commentator says persecution and through

[16:11] Christianity go hand in hand persecution is simply the clash between two irreconcilable value systems to live like Jesus to take seriously his word will result in persecution the early church had persecution that was unimaginable I'm not even going to begin to mention the persecution that there was there horrendous alongside dreadful things that happened because of their faith people would lose their jobs people would be separated from their families it was really tough and today if we are those who are faithful faithful to our faithful to our

[17:16] God faithful to our Savior there will bound to be persecution that persecution will come in our day in very different ways it may come just with accusations you're just fanatic it may come with accusations of who do you think you are do you think you're better than I am or whatever and all sorts of words that will go along with that and sometimes these words can cut deeper and hit harder than any physical persecution persecution Jesus says when these things happen rejoice and be glad you're persecuted those who have gone before you and they shall grade your word for you in heaven so rejoice and be glad and that's not easy rather than rejoice and be glad so often we might want to react and be mad it's just how we are sometimes isn't it which is why we need all of these blessings and seek

[18:37] God for these blessings and to work towards them a long time ago I heard a story of a man who had become a Christian and when he was converted his language changed dramatically he had what people would call a foul mouth and then he became a Christian and his life changed and his language changed and one night he went to a meeting and he had a horse and card or a dog name card and he went to a meeting and while he was in the meeting some of the friends said I know what we'll do we'll sort him out we'll get this foul mouth rascal back the way he was and so they shaved the donkey's mane and he came out of the meeting and he saw his poor donkey and they were waiting for him to get that reaction where he would go mad and he would start rushing swaying again and all he said was this hallelujah amen the donkey's mane will grow again it's the difference that Jesus made in his life but we are a blessing as a congregation here we are a blessed people and we are to be as

[20:14] Jesus says as he speaks about the type of people that we ought to be he says you are the light of the world you are the salt of the earth so you see we can make a difference light makes a difference salt makes a difference you and I if we are followers of Jesus are the light of the world salt of the earth in Invergord whatever we might be we are part of Christ's church as we looked at the first Sunday part of Christ's church in the world but in particular in Invergord Invergord In the providence of God he has placed us here In the goodness of God he's placed us here

[21:18] He's given to us each person within this congregation with all their different gifts with different talents suitable we must believe and sufficient for the work of the gospel in this place and in the providence of God and in the goodness of God he has given us a minister in prime who loves the Lord Jesus who loves God's word and loves to reach out to men and women in this place and boys and girls and young people so we are all together planted by God's grace in this place psalm 92 psalm speaks about the righteous will flourish like a palm tree they will grow like a cedar of lebanon planted in the house of the Lord they will flourish in the courts of our God they will still bear fruit in old age they will stay fresh and green proclaiming the

[22:26] Lord is upright he is my rock and there is no wickedness in him as I bring this to a close can I just say that we are a people who are to bloom whether young or old in old age we are to bloom where we are planted we're planted here together and can I just ask that as we continue in this wonderful work of sharing the good news of the gospel as we are workers together with Brian in this work that we get behind him in this work that we pray and we pray earnestly for him and for his family and for one another as we work together for the glory of God good spiritual good the eternal good this place

[23:32] Amen