WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.080 Now, can we return this morning for a little while to Matthew chapter 5, Matthew chapter 00:00:07.080 --> 00:00:13.519 5, and a very famous section of the Beatitudes this morning. 00:00:13.519 --> 00:00:19.960 Can I just say this is not... by... as just as we begin, it's not a blueprint for how 00:00:19.960 --> 00:00:24.679 we live our lives and something that we need to try and live up to, okay? 00:00:24.679 --> 00:00:29.280 These are not instructions for... if we tick each of them off, then we're gonna... we're 00:00:29.280 --> 00:00:37.520 gonna make God happy and He's gonna give us entry into heaven. 00:00:37.520 --> 00:00:41.960 This night... because blessedness... blessedness is just really another word for happiness. 00:00:41.960 --> 00:00:45.240 I'll explain a little bit more about that in a minute. 00:00:45.240 --> 00:00:48.079 But these would be nine steps to happiness. 00:00:48.079 --> 00:00:50.880 There are nine steps to happiness nightmare. 00:00:50.880 --> 00:00:56.320 This is not what you would look for in steps to happiness ordinarily. 00:00:56.320 --> 00:00:58.840 They're different from anything we would expect. 00:00:58.840 --> 00:01:05.680 They're pronouncements of God's favour that flow from a life of faith, okay? 00:01:05.680 --> 00:01:13.920 They are the fruit, they reflect the fruit of our lives when we've put our trust in Jesus 00:01:13.920 --> 00:01:18.480 Christ and all that follows on from being His disciples. 00:01:18.480 --> 00:01:20.680 That's what this section is about. 00:01:20.680 --> 00:01:24.920 And I realise today, we're only gonna be skimming the surface and I know that'll disappoint 00:01:24.920 --> 00:01:27.600 many of you, we could spend a long time on this. 00:01:27.600 --> 00:01:34.920 But my prayer is that you'll be provoked into a deeper understanding or a deeper interest 00:01:34.920 --> 00:01:39.000 to understand more and revisit these attitudes in your life. 00:01:39.000 --> 00:01:45.280 Because of the amazing... Jesus' amazing description of the character of a Christian 00:01:45.280 --> 00:01:51.879 and the contented and deep-seated happiness, blessedness that is associated with it. 00:01:51.879 --> 00:01:53.960 And that's a great challenge for us this morning. 00:01:53.959 --> 00:01:55.479 We should be challenged by that. 00:01:55.479 --> 00:02:00.679 I certainly am challenged by that because so often in our Christian lives we are patently 00:02:00.679 --> 00:02:09.240 unhappy and accusative of God so often when we aren't happy the way we expect to be happy 00:02:09.240 --> 00:02:11.319 in our lives. 00:02:11.319 --> 00:02:17.319 So if I was to do a survey or if we did a survey among people of where their happy place 00:02:17.319 --> 00:02:23.840 is, or the pursuit of happiness that is the pursuit of all of us to one degree and another, 00:02:23.840 --> 00:02:25.599 that is it that makes us happy. 00:02:25.599 --> 00:02:26.759 What would the list consist of? 00:02:26.759 --> 00:02:32.240 It would consist of, I think there might be differences, but I think there'd be a commonality 00:02:32.240 --> 00:02:37.640 among it as well, you know, fulfilling love, a comfortable amount of money, enough money 00:02:37.640 --> 00:02:43.560 to buy the kind of possessions we want, a degree of control in our lives to be strong 00:02:43.560 --> 00:02:51.719 and healthy, satisfied in the workplace, good holidays, to be treated well, to stay out 00:02:51.719 --> 00:02:56.240 of trouble yet to have a degree of influence and power so that we don't feel our life's 00:02:56.240 --> 00:03:01.759 a waste of time, not to be abused or vilified or hated. 00:03:01.759 --> 00:03:04.400 These would be some of the things, wouldn't they, if we had a list of what makes our lives 00:03:04.400 --> 00:03:07.639 happy and these are good things. 00:03:07.639 --> 00:03:09.159 Stuffing wrong with these things are good desires. 00:03:09.159 --> 00:03:16.840 There's a lot of common ground between this and what Jesus is saying at one level anyway. 00:03:16.840 --> 00:03:22.599 But as Christians, I think what sometimes we do is that when we believe in God and we 00:03:22.599 --> 00:03:31.319 trust in God, we think that is what God is going to give us, that list of what will make 00:03:31.319 --> 00:03:34.719 humanity, what will make the person happy. 00:03:34.719 --> 00:03:41.280 And when we don't get that, we question Him and we question His love and His commitment 00:03:41.280 --> 00:03:44.480 to us and we turn away from Him. 00:03:44.479 --> 00:03:51.560 If we don't get that list of happiness qualifications, that is so common to humanity. 00:03:51.560 --> 00:03:57.679 So Jesus' great sermon speaks into that and the Beatitudes speak into that. 00:03:57.679 --> 00:04:00.199 It's a magnificent sermon. 00:04:00.199 --> 00:04:04.959 It's the greatest sermon that was ever preached and therefore it's very frightening to try 00:04:04.959 --> 00:04:11.719 and unpack it and to preach from it in many ways because you feel you're lessening its 00:04:11.719 --> 00:04:14.039 power somehow. 00:04:14.039 --> 00:04:16.599 It's almost so precious and holy. 00:04:16.599 --> 00:04:22.560 But yet we know He's given us His Word to consider and be taught from and learn from 00:04:22.560 --> 00:04:23.560 ourselves. 00:04:23.560 --> 00:04:29.480 We're probably going to use nine sermons to unpack the sermon in the mount which says 00:04:29.480 --> 00:04:40.240 a lot about our lack of sharpness and incisiveness besides Jesus. 00:04:40.240 --> 00:04:44.759 And He preached this, we're told in verses 1 and 2 that Jesus preached this to His disciples. 00:04:44.759 --> 00:04:48.439 His disciples came to Him and He was preaching to them. 00:04:48.439 --> 00:04:53.160 But as we see as we go through it, so it's clearly it's for followers of Jesus, this 00:04:53.160 --> 00:04:55.840 sermon in the mount, those who put their trust in Him. 00:04:55.840 --> 00:05:00.439 But as He does preach it, we read and we find that a great crowd come round and listen as 00:05:00.439 --> 00:05:05.040 well and they hear what Jesus is saying to His disciples. 00:05:05.040 --> 00:05:10.640 And that's really, I think that's significant because every good sermon in my understanding 00:05:10.640 --> 00:05:16.640 should challenge both Christians, should be focused and move towards Christians but should 00:05:16.640 --> 00:05:22.439 also challenge unbelievers and should be interesting to them and should attract them. 00:05:22.439 --> 00:05:26.520 And I hope you're never embarrassed to bring people to church because you think, oh I don't 00:05:26.520 --> 00:05:29.560 want them to come to church because they'll hear a really boring long dull sermon that 00:05:29.560 --> 00:05:34.240 will have no significance or impact or relevance to their lives. 00:05:34.240 --> 00:05:40.560 If that's what you think about the preaching, take me aside and shoot me or get someone 00:05:40.560 --> 00:05:43.000 else in who's better at doing it. 00:05:43.000 --> 00:05:46.639 That oughtn't to be what preaching is for us. 00:05:46.639 --> 00:05:55.319 It certainly shouldn't be dull for us and it should never be irrelevant or beyond understanding 00:05:55.319 --> 00:05:59.519 at least from an intellectual point of view and a mind point of view for anyone who comes 00:05:59.519 --> 00:06:04.639 to hear it, they may not agree but we want them to be challenged under the sound of God's 00:06:04.639 --> 00:06:05.639 Word. 00:06:05.639 --> 00:06:07.199 So Jesus, what is He saying? 00:06:07.199 --> 00:06:10.959 What is He saying in these beatitudes that we have in front of us here? 00:06:10.959 --> 00:06:19.879 I think the first thing that Jesus is saying is, I offer you everything you've ever desired. 00:06:19.879 --> 00:06:23.759 I'm offering you everything you've ever desired. 00:06:23.759 --> 00:06:29.599 And the words blessed are used nine times and we always know that when He repeats Himself 00:06:29.599 --> 00:06:31.399 it's very significant. 00:06:31.399 --> 00:06:37.000 Now just a little bit of English grammar here, I think that blessing here is more of a verb 00:06:37.000 --> 00:06:39.839 and in fact it's more of what happens to us. 00:06:39.839 --> 00:06:42.439 It's what is pronounced on us by God. 00:06:42.439 --> 00:06:47.920 Whereas when we use happiness, we tend to use it more as an adjective. 00:06:47.920 --> 00:06:49.360 It describes how we feel. 00:06:49.360 --> 00:06:52.560 I'm happy because, and so it's more of an adjective. 00:06:52.560 --> 00:06:57.319 And I think the two in a sense come together, it's both expressing how we feel but it's 00:06:57.319 --> 00:06:58.879 also what's done to us. 00:06:58.879 --> 00:07:03.079 There's a clear overlap and a clear fusion in a sense between the two. 00:07:03.079 --> 00:07:08.040 So the blessing that Jesus speaks about here, it's more than just happiness but it's certainly 00:07:08.040 --> 00:07:10.560 not less than happiness. 00:07:10.560 --> 00:07:11.560 But it's more. 00:07:11.560 --> 00:07:13.920 It has multiple dimensions. 00:07:13.920 --> 00:07:24.480 In God the Son, who we spoke about last week, who was the one who was the light and was 00:07:24.480 --> 00:07:33.120 dawning on the people in deep darkness, He is unveiling His light. 00:07:33.120 --> 00:07:37.800 He's unveiling His truth because light is another word biblically for truth. 00:07:37.800 --> 00:07:41.160 And He's saying this is the truth. 00:07:41.160 --> 00:07:42.879 He's declaring the truth. 00:07:42.879 --> 00:07:50.719 The light has come into the darkness and He's come with His controversial truth. 00:07:50.719 --> 00:07:54.319 And He's saying, you know, He's not saying, hey, listen to this sermon, this is a nice 00:07:54.319 --> 00:07:56.560 way to live, you can try this or try that. 00:07:56.560 --> 00:07:58.399 Might not work for you but it might be good. 00:07:58.399 --> 00:08:06.399 He is a declarative word and He's declaring His truth that He is the only way and He is 00:08:06.399 --> 00:08:14.319 the only truth and recognizing that He shines light on truth. 00:08:14.319 --> 00:08:18.159 And this blessing that He speaks about in these Beatitudes are that profound joy, that 00:08:18.159 --> 00:08:27.079 fruit and beauty of being whole, being right with God through Jesus Christ. 00:08:27.079 --> 00:08:35.319 It's recognizing that there's been an ignition of spiritual life in us, not just physical 00:08:35.320 --> 00:08:39.879 life that we all have, but when we've come back to Jesus Christ, the physical and the 00:08:39.879 --> 00:08:46.800 spiritual have come together and we become spiritually alive. 00:08:46.800 --> 00:08:51.680 What is before spiritually we're dead if we're outside of Christ because of our sin. 00:08:51.680 --> 00:08:56.160 And it's a reminder that we're body and soul and that the two come together and bring contentment 00:08:56.160 --> 00:08:57.160 and happiness. 00:08:57.160 --> 00:09:03.800 It's image bearers of God being reconciled to the one in whose image we are made. 00:09:03.800 --> 00:09:04.800 What is He saying? 00:09:04.799 --> 00:09:06.479 What are the marks of that? 00:09:06.479 --> 00:09:09.359 What are the marks of being a believer of being a Christian? 00:09:09.359 --> 00:09:13.199 And He speaks about them here in this Beatitude. 00:09:13.199 --> 00:09:16.839 It's the blessing of rescue. 00:09:16.839 --> 00:09:21.319 And He's saying that this is what I gift you. 00:09:21.319 --> 00:09:26.799 It's not what we can earn or accomplish or try and do to make us right with God, but He's 00:09:26.799 --> 00:09:33.639 saying all that you've ever wanted, I'd give you in Christ. 00:09:33.639 --> 00:09:45.360 A home, a security of life, a safe and a beautiful earth, experience of heaven, belonging, comfort. 00:09:45.360 --> 00:09:48.519 In other words, someone's always there for you. 00:09:48.519 --> 00:09:56.080 Satisfaction, body and soul, acceptance and love, purpose and meaning in life, a guaranteed 00:09:56.080 --> 00:10:00.480 future that gets better and better. 00:10:00.480 --> 00:10:04.399 Notice what these Beatitudes are promising. 00:10:04.399 --> 00:10:05.840 There's is the kingdom of heaven. 00:10:05.840 --> 00:10:07.279 They shall be comforted. 00:10:07.279 --> 00:10:09.639 They shall inherit the earth. 00:10:09.639 --> 00:10:10.759 They shall be satisfied. 00:10:10.759 --> 00:10:12.200 They shall receive mercy. 00:10:12.200 --> 00:10:13.200 They shall see God. 00:10:13.200 --> 00:10:17.960 They shall be called sons of God. 00:10:17.960 --> 00:10:19.279 They shall be rewarded. 00:10:19.279 --> 00:10:24.480 There will be great joy and gladness. 00:10:24.480 --> 00:10:34.080 So He's offering here everything that you've ever wanted, but it is a subversive gift. 00:10:34.080 --> 00:10:35.399 And we see that as we unpack it. 00:10:35.399 --> 00:10:37.519 It's a subversive gift. 00:10:37.519 --> 00:10:44.320 It's not getting everything we've wanted the way we think we should get that, or simply 00:10:44.320 --> 00:10:47.200 materially without reference to God. 00:10:47.200 --> 00:10:50.440 It's a subversive gift. 00:10:50.440 --> 00:10:57.040 And one of the great problems of sin in our lives is that sin blinds us and we spend our 00:10:57.040 --> 00:11:05.760 existence away from Christ looking for these amazing realities in the wrong places, because 00:11:05.760 --> 00:11:09.200 we're facing the wrong way. 00:11:09.200 --> 00:11:13.840 And when we search and look for meaning and experience and comfort and hope and all these 00:11:13.840 --> 00:11:17.240 things away from God, we will always be dissatisfied. 00:11:17.240 --> 00:11:22.720 We will always be let down, that's the curse of sin and rebellion that ends in death, because 00:11:22.720 --> 00:11:24.080 we're blind to God. 00:11:24.080 --> 00:11:27.680 And we need Him to come into our lives and turn everything upside down. 00:11:27.680 --> 00:11:34.639 So these pursuits that we all have will be turned upside down by the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:11:34.639 --> 00:11:37.200 And this is the explanation of it. 00:11:37.200 --> 00:11:43.960 This is a description of Christian character, the reality of having given our hearts to Christ 00:11:43.960 --> 00:11:46.600 and what it looks like for us. 00:11:46.600 --> 00:11:54.080 It turns our idea of happiness on its head. 00:11:54.080 --> 00:11:58.800 So you can never say, and I know I'm always saying this from the pulpit here, but as Christians 00:11:58.800 --> 00:12:06.320 we can never say that being a Christian is to be a conformist, is to be a traditionalist, 00:12:06.320 --> 00:12:10.040 conventional, regular or square. 00:12:10.040 --> 00:12:11.360 It's none of these things. 00:12:11.360 --> 00:12:17.519 If that is what we think Christianity is, then we are barking up the wrong tree. 00:12:17.519 --> 00:12:23.120 If we think Christianity is the contentment of one hour's worship with God's people on 00:12:23.120 --> 00:12:25.759 a Sunday morning, we're way off. 00:12:25.759 --> 00:12:28.960 For example, can I give you a really bad example? 00:12:28.960 --> 00:12:33.960 But it's because it's very difficult to get paralleled examples. 00:12:33.960 --> 00:12:39.279 But can you imagine in terms of wanting and looking for everything, the happiness you 00:12:39.279 --> 00:12:45.279 want, and maybe you would find that in an absolute dream home, 10 million pounds to buy 00:12:45.279 --> 00:12:47.159 this home. 00:12:47.159 --> 00:12:51.039 And that's what you're aiming for, that's what you're looking for, and you're determined, 00:12:51.039 --> 00:12:53.639 that's what I'll get, that's what I'll get in life. 00:12:53.639 --> 00:13:01.959 But you're putting aside one pence every day to be able to afford that house. 00:13:01.959 --> 00:13:07.879 One pence every day is 10 million pounds house. 00:13:07.879 --> 00:13:09.759 You will never get that house. 00:13:09.759 --> 00:13:13.840 You will never reach the contentment and the happiness of wanting and living in that house 00:13:13.840 --> 00:13:17.039 by giving one pence every day. 00:13:17.039 --> 00:13:23.679 You need a gift from a billionaire to write the check to enable you to live in that house. 00:13:23.679 --> 00:13:26.960 Now I know that's a...and you're all sitting...I know you're all sitting there thinking, ah, 00:13:26.960 --> 00:13:29.879 but that doesn't reflect the gospel and there's a mistake here now. 00:13:29.879 --> 00:13:35.600 But can you get the idea that, you know, our very best efforts at happiness, our very best 00:13:35.600 --> 00:13:40.800 efforts at achieving what we're looking for in our own strength is like putting one pence 00:13:40.800 --> 00:13:44.200 towards a 10 million...10 million pounds debt. 00:13:44.200 --> 00:13:47.000 We...it's...we can't do it. 00:13:47.000 --> 00:13:55.440 And yet God is saying, you will find happiness when you accept my gift of salvation and recognize 00:13:55.440 --> 00:13:58.920 who I am. 00:13:58.919 --> 00:14:07.919 So we see in this passage in this chapter, nine different areas that are all part of 00:14:07.919 --> 00:14:09.919 the same picture of the Christian. 00:14:09.919 --> 00:14:12.519 It's not that you can say, well, I'm not so bad in one. 00:14:12.519 --> 00:14:15.240 I don't think I've got number four. 00:14:15.240 --> 00:14:19.120 We might have them all, but we have them all as Christians, but to greater, maybe, or 00:14:19.120 --> 00:14:20.120 lesser degrees. 00:14:20.120 --> 00:14:25.480 But let's...I'm very quickly just going to pick out one thing from each of these beatitudes, 00:14:25.480 --> 00:14:31.639 each of these blessings, which paint the picture of the kind of people we should be as Christians, 00:14:31.639 --> 00:14:37.759 the kind of character that God is molding in us and changing us to become like day to 00:14:37.759 --> 00:14:40.259 day. 00:14:40.259 --> 00:14:45.320 So the Christian is someone who blessed the poor in spirit for their...and if you think 00:14:45.320 --> 00:14:49.000 about them, they're extremely counter-cultural. 00:14:49.000 --> 00:14:54.440 Nobody would write into the newspaper and say, this is...there are nine steps to happiness. 00:14:54.440 --> 00:14:57.400 These are the nine characteristics that will make you really happy. 00:14:57.400 --> 00:15:00.600 You won't find that in the Daily Mail. 00:15:00.600 --> 00:15:05.520 You'll not find it in any of the media outlets because it is utterly counter-cultural for 00:15:05.520 --> 00:15:08.920 us to consider them in our lives. 00:15:08.920 --> 00:15:15.280 But the first one is a...is the recognition as Christians of our spiritual poverty without 00:15:15.280 --> 00:15:16.280 Him. 00:15:16.280 --> 00:15:18.120 It's being poor in spirit. 00:15:18.120 --> 00:15:22.520 It's not saying there's any intrinsic value in material poverty. 00:15:22.520 --> 00:15:23.960 It's talking about being poor in spirit. 00:15:23.960 --> 00:15:26.160 It's talking about a spiritual deficit. 00:15:26.160 --> 00:15:31.720 That spiritual bankruptcy which moves us from being self-reliant and saying, I know better 00:15:31.720 --> 00:15:37.120 than God and recognizes that we need Him to give us spiritual life. 00:15:37.120 --> 00:15:40.800 We need His grace and we need His goodness. 00:15:40.800 --> 00:15:47.440 Then as we come to Him, we find that He gifts us life and life to the fool. 00:15:47.440 --> 00:15:53.080 So the first mark of the Christian is a humble dependence on the living God and a recognition 00:15:53.080 --> 00:16:00.560 of the poverty of our own ability either to find happiness in our own strength or to earn 00:16:00.560 --> 00:16:04.280 happiness with our own goodness. 00:16:04.280 --> 00:16:10.520 And one day that happiness will be beyond our wildest imaginations. 00:16:10.520 --> 00:16:15.360 But the second thing, blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted, relay. 00:16:15.360 --> 00:16:18.800 Well, happiness avoids mourning, surely. 00:16:18.800 --> 00:16:22.879 Happiness avoids grief and all the sadness of grief. 00:16:22.879 --> 00:16:25.679 That's an absolutely paradoxical statement. 00:16:25.679 --> 00:16:29.399 Happy or blessed are those who mourn. 00:16:29.399 --> 00:16:34.039 But Jesus is saying that as believers we own sorrow. 00:16:34.039 --> 00:16:36.759 We have own sorrow. 00:16:36.759 --> 00:16:41.720 We recognize as we get up this morning we live in a broken world. 00:16:41.720 --> 00:16:46.519 A world of deep sorrow and deep sadness and deep loss often. 00:16:46.519 --> 00:16:55.600 We're competing desires and we see the injustice of some people's pursuit of happiness only 00:16:55.600 --> 00:17:03.399 coming through standing all over other people and bringing sadness into their experience. 00:17:03.399 --> 00:17:07.599 We see the inequality of this world and we see the injustice and we see the sadness of 00:17:07.599 --> 00:17:09.359 what is happening. 00:17:09.359 --> 00:17:19.559 But above all we also see our own selfishness and sin and pride and rejection of God's gifts 00:17:19.559 --> 00:17:21.959 and goodness and God's truth. 00:17:21.959 --> 00:17:31.399 And we confess that in our mourning and experience all embracing forgiveness and love through 00:17:31.399 --> 00:17:35.919 the cross which we will be remembering shortly. 00:17:35.920 --> 00:17:40.840 But happiness also are the meek for they will inherit the earth. 00:17:40.840 --> 00:17:46.759 It's not weakness that's spoken of here as a Christian characteristic, but it is the 00:17:46.759 --> 00:17:51.200 recognition that we don't demand autonomy. 00:17:51.200 --> 00:17:56.840 It's a meekness which simply means that we recognize there's someone bigger and stronger 00:17:56.840 --> 00:17:58.880 and more important than us. 00:17:58.880 --> 00:18:03.960 And as Christians we are bought with a price and therein is true freedom for us. 00:18:03.960 --> 00:18:09.960 And with the Holy Spirit in our lives there is a gentle steeliness and an empowerment. 00:18:09.960 --> 00:18:17.240 The word, and I've used this before here also, the word meek comes from breaking a horse. 00:18:17.240 --> 00:18:22.319 So breaking a horse so that it becomes the rider and the horse together become a powerful 00:18:22.319 --> 00:18:23.319 unit. 00:18:23.319 --> 00:18:29.400 And it becomes a servant of the rider and yet they become a team and there's a trust 00:18:29.400 --> 00:18:32.079 between them and a bond. 00:18:32.079 --> 00:18:36.319 And that's the word, it's controlled strength. 00:18:36.319 --> 00:18:37.919 That's what meekness is. 00:18:37.919 --> 00:18:42.960 And we recognize that our strength comes from relying independent on the living God and 00:18:42.960 --> 00:18:46.199 the meekness that is involved in that. 00:18:46.199 --> 00:18:51.559 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled. 00:18:51.559 --> 00:18:59.720 It's knowing and experiencing that satisfaction is more than a steak, meal and a pint of beer. 00:18:59.720 --> 00:19:05.039 In other words, it's more than simply bodily nourishment and satisfaction and sexual satisfaction 00:19:05.039 --> 00:19:08.920 and pleasure and all the good things that come from that. 00:19:08.920 --> 00:19:17.480 It's recognizing soul satisfaction, right, hungering and thirsting after God's righteousness, 00:19:17.480 --> 00:19:23.240 a deeper and more fulfilling pursuit in our lives. 00:19:23.240 --> 00:19:26.720 Not saying that these other things are not appetites we deal with. 00:19:26.720 --> 00:19:33.920 But it's coming too long for what Jesus offers that material life on its own cannot provide. 00:19:33.920 --> 00:19:40.319 That peace with God and that pursuit of knowing His beautiful character transforming and molding 00:19:40.319 --> 00:19:45.839 us in our experience. 00:19:45.839 --> 00:19:50.400 Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy. 00:19:50.400 --> 00:19:55.880 That is the Christian luxuriates in mercy. 00:19:55.880 --> 00:20:01.520 That is our first language. 00:20:01.520 --> 00:20:06.920 It means that we are learning by grace to treat others with the generosity of love and 00:20:06.920 --> 00:20:11.840 forgiveness and the second chance that we've received and that we know about and that we 00:20:11.840 --> 00:20:12.840 have. 00:20:12.840 --> 00:20:20.240 It means stepping into their shoes and seeing their faces and being amazed by how they experience 00:20:20.240 --> 00:20:26.599 grace and forgiveness from us and seeing that that is a picture of what God looks at 00:20:26.599 --> 00:20:31.039 when He sees our faces, when we understand grace and forgiveness. 00:20:31.039 --> 00:20:39.160 It's the opposite of living in this world which is often in our hearts too marked by 00:20:39.160 --> 00:20:45.160 a desire for revenge or being judgmental or mean-spirited. 00:20:45.160 --> 00:20:54.800 It's that, what is it, it's the spiral upwards as opposed to the spiral downwards. 00:20:54.800 --> 00:20:58.720 Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God. 00:20:58.720 --> 00:21:05.360 It's knowing who would ever claim it be pure in heart. 00:21:05.360 --> 00:21:10.120 It's knowing that we are pure in heart not because of our purity but because we are covered 00:21:10.119 --> 00:21:16.559 in the purity and righteousness of what Jesus has done and we recognize and know that our 00:21:16.559 --> 00:21:23.919 joy comes from dealing with that and our happiness comes not being away from God but allowing 00:21:23.919 --> 00:21:27.399 God to take His rightful place in our heart. 00:21:27.399 --> 00:21:35.879 So it's the release, so purity there can mean clean but I think it also is the element of 00:21:35.879 --> 00:21:38.359 not being divided pure. 00:21:38.359 --> 00:21:46.399 In other words, you know, can't think of the word, but not just not being divided, that 00:21:46.399 --> 00:21:49.519 will need to do, okay? 00:21:49.519 --> 00:21:54.479 Something that's absolutely pure in the words we don't have, we're not got a foot in both 00:21:54.479 --> 00:21:56.839 camps in the privacy of our heart. 00:21:56.839 --> 00:22:04.319 There's a single-mindedness, the tyranny of a divided heart where in secret we actually, 00:22:04.319 --> 00:22:09.359 we're annoyed and angry with God and we don't really love Him and we prefer the things that 00:22:09.359 --> 00:22:15.399 He hates but we keep that quiet and we try and live this outward self-righteous life. 00:22:15.399 --> 00:22:23.759 But as we understand Him and as we understand the blessings that He gives us and the grace, 00:22:23.759 --> 00:22:30.159 we see God more clearly and we're looking for that in our lives. 00:22:30.160 --> 00:22:35.120 Blessed are the pure in heart, blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons 00:22:35.120 --> 00:22:36.360 of God. 00:22:36.360 --> 00:22:43.720 As Christians we are people who have accepted our spiritual calling and that calling is not 00:22:43.720 --> 00:22:54.920 to live at peace with everyone at all costs and just remain silent and quiet where there 00:22:54.920 --> 00:23:02.600 is no peace, but it's recognizing that we have the privilege and the gift of being peacemakers 00:23:02.600 --> 00:23:12.120 by offering the gospel of reconciliation and gentleness and in respect but with courage 00:23:12.120 --> 00:23:16.240 to others who are facing the wrong way in the way that we have been facing the wrong 00:23:16.240 --> 00:23:19.800 way until we come to Christ. 00:23:19.800 --> 00:23:21.560 So that's a great thing, isn't it? 00:23:21.559 --> 00:23:27.559 We feel insignificant in terms of world events and what's happening but we do have the message 00:23:27.559 --> 00:23:30.279 that enables us to be peacemakers. 00:23:30.279 --> 00:23:36.720 We can offer to every living soul this great good news of the gospel that Jesus Christ 00:23:36.720 --> 00:23:39.919 offers a gift beyond all gifts. 00:23:39.919 --> 00:23:46.399 We want people to come home with us. 00:23:46.400 --> 00:23:54.040 We want people to come home to Jesus Christ with us and experience what we've experienced. 00:23:54.040 --> 00:24:02.040 And then lastly that kind of double blessed and most unexpected and unwelcome and unwanted 00:24:02.040 --> 00:24:04.120 characteristic. 00:24:04.120 --> 00:24:07.400 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the kingdom 00:24:07.400 --> 00:24:08.400 of heaven. 00:24:08.400 --> 00:24:12.080 Blessed are you and many others, revile you and persecute you after all kinds of evil 00:24:12.079 --> 00:24:18.480 against you falsely and rejoice and be glad for your reward is great in heaven. 00:24:18.480 --> 00:24:27.639 So the Christian recognizes and faces up to the reality of a spiritual battle that is 00:24:27.639 --> 00:24:29.359 in the world in which we live. 00:24:29.359 --> 00:24:39.559 There will be opposition and there will be insults directed towards us. 00:24:39.559 --> 00:24:50.039 Now do remember it says it's for righteousness sake and on Jesus' account he says, you know 00:24:50.039 --> 00:24:55.519 it's to be ridiculed and reviled for being an idiot, for being a big mouth, for being 00:24:55.519 --> 00:25:01.639 self-righteous or judgmental or for words of hate. 00:25:01.639 --> 00:25:06.960 That is not what's being, what's not, that's not what's meant here but it's recognizing 00:25:06.960 --> 00:25:14.799 that when we follow Jesus Christ we're going the opposite way to the world and what we have 00:25:14.799 --> 00:25:20.079 is seditious truth, it's seditious truth. 00:25:20.079 --> 00:25:24.539 And just as we are opposed to it in our sinful nature so the world is opposed to Jesus saying 00:25:24.539 --> 00:25:26.319 that He is Lord. 00:25:26.319 --> 00:25:31.279 There's only one exclusive way to life and to blessing and to happiness ultimately and 00:25:31.279 --> 00:25:35.680 it comes through Him. 00:25:35.680 --> 00:25:42.600 And that's particularly difficult for us I think but we do it because it's valuable 00:25:42.600 --> 00:25:43.600 and it's truth. 00:25:43.600 --> 00:25:49.440 You know if it doesn't really matter then we would never stand up for it and we would 00:25:49.440 --> 00:25:56.120 never stand against unbelief but because it's so precious and because it's true we're willing 00:25:56.120 --> 00:26:03.000 to be opposed for it but to be opposed in an equally radical way to the way the world 00:26:03.000 --> 00:26:04.640 thinks about opposition. 00:26:04.640 --> 00:26:07.400 We are opposed to it by loving our enemies. 00:26:07.400 --> 00:26:13.480 Jesus goes on to say that in the next chapter that that's how we stand up even when we're 00:26:13.480 --> 00:26:21.880 persecuted, even when we are misunderstood, even when we, people utter all kinds of evil 00:26:21.880 --> 00:26:24.640 against us falsely. 00:26:24.640 --> 00:26:29.680 We don't seek revenge, we don't seek their harm, we seek their salvation, we seek their 00:26:29.680 --> 00:26:30.880 grace. 00:26:30.880 --> 00:26:34.800 We say to them, I would be willing to die for you. 00:26:34.800 --> 00:26:42.680 And I love the reality that God gives you to say what you say but it doesn't mean that 00:26:42.680 --> 00:26:52.480 we accept or that we go along with denying the truth and denying Jesus Christ. 00:26:52.480 --> 00:26:59.440 Everyone we face, even our bitterest enemies, our precious image bearers of the living God 00:26:59.440 --> 00:27:02.600 like us all broken and abused. 00:27:02.600 --> 00:27:09.880 But the story that we have cannot be denied even if it means rejection and hatred. 00:27:09.880 --> 00:27:12.480 And why can we rejoice and be glad? 00:27:12.480 --> 00:27:17.320 Because well, they did that to Jesus and He was completely innocent. 00:27:17.320 --> 00:27:21.080 In fact, they took Him all the way to the cross. 00:27:21.080 --> 00:27:26.279 And we recognize therefore that there is this spiritual battle. 00:27:26.279 --> 00:27:33.399 If there's no persecution or no battle in our lives, what is it that we are standing 00:27:33.399 --> 00:27:37.519 up for before Him? 00:27:37.519 --> 00:27:42.680 But we know the truth will prevail and the heaven is our home and we are called to love 00:27:42.680 --> 00:27:46.440 Him to the end. 00:27:46.440 --> 00:27:49.039 And for that we're very grateful. 00:27:49.039 --> 00:27:57.559 And the challenge is for us both to recognize this pursuit of happiness through following 00:27:57.559 --> 00:28:05.720 Jesus Christ's counter-cultural life that is His gift. 00:28:05.720 --> 00:28:09.519 As a council of despair, if you're going to try and earn this, it's a gift. 00:28:09.519 --> 00:28:11.119 It's been given eyes to see. 00:28:11.119 --> 00:28:12.960 It's walking in a different way. 00:28:12.960 --> 00:28:20.600 And it's seeing true shalom, true happiness and contentment in Him. 00:28:20.600 --> 00:28:25.319 And recognizing that these are characteristics that will flow from that. 00:28:25.319 --> 00:28:32.880 And maybe if you're not a Christian this morning for you to reconsider what Jesus says about 00:28:32.880 --> 00:28:39.200 what it means to be a Christian and not just to be content with maybe a cultural idea or 00:28:39.200 --> 00:28:44.080 your own idea of what it means to be a Christian, but recognize that there is a great cost because 00:28:44.080 --> 00:28:49.720 it is counter-cultural and it's turning a different way. 00:28:49.720 --> 00:28:55.200 But the provision that He gives is for all that you're ever looking for, all that you're 00:28:55.200 --> 00:28:59.559 ever looking for in Him that you will never find outside of Him. 00:28:59.559 --> 00:29:06.240 And that's the great truth and reality that we always seek to come to terms to in our 00:29:06.240 --> 00:29:07.240 lives. 00:29:07.240 --> 00:29:11.519 So let's pray and now celebrate the Lord's Supper together and I'll explain a little 00:29:11.519 --> 00:29:13.759 bit about that as we do. 00:29:13.759 --> 00:29:21.079 Father God, we ask that you'd help us to understand a little bit more about your blessing, what 00:29:21.079 --> 00:29:30.120 it means to be blessed, to be accepted, to be forgiven, to have this amazing divine love 00:29:30.120 --> 00:29:32.440 poured out into our lives. 00:29:32.440 --> 00:29:33.440 It doesn't look like that. 00:29:33.440 --> 00:29:39.400 It doesn't seem like that from these beatitudes in natural terms. 00:29:39.400 --> 00:29:45.400 But give us eyes to see and give us a deep understanding of repentance which is turning 00:29:45.400 --> 00:29:47.680 round to follow you and what that means. 00:29:47.680 --> 00:29:52.799 We pray for it for ourselves more clearly, pray for it for our friends, pray that we 00:29:52.799 --> 00:30:02.799 would rejoice in being free to be peacemakers, not just to hide and be silent in order to 00:30:02.799 --> 00:30:05.799 keep peace where there is no peace. 00:30:05.799 --> 00:30:09.399 And we pray that Jesus would have the honour, the praise and the glory in our lives and as 00:30:09.399 --> 00:30:14.399 we think on Him through the Lord's Supper. 00:30:14.399 --> 00:30:15.399 Ask it in Jesus' name. 00:30:15.400 --> 00:30:35.400 Amen.