Rick Railston - The Meaning of Christ's Eight Blessings

well greetings again everyone i hope you're having a good sabbath you know the father caused it to be prophesied for thousands of years that his son would come to the earth as a human and in part to introduce jehovah as the father we know that but also christ came to tell us and to show us how we ought to live how we should live a righteous godly life and as we know he lived a perfect life so given that anderson understanding that he came in part to show us how to live you would think his first sermon would have special importance and would set the tone for his ministry as to how the father wants his children to live and his first recorded sermon begins with what is commonly called the beatitudes but it's interesting that the word beatitude or beatitudes is not found in the bible and you do a little research and ask a question okay well what is what what does the word beatitude or beatitudes mean and the encyclopedia britannica there are other sources obviously note that the word beatitude is named from a latin word two latin words biati and sunt and translated into english those latin words mean blessed are and that comes from the latin vulgate translation that is been in use now for thousands a couple of thousand years not quite two thousand years but the word beatitude is purely a catholic term uh the plural beatitudes uh generally refers uh in the world to christ's blessings uh at the beginning of the sermon on the mount in matthew chapter 5 or the sermon on the plane in luke chapter 6. and basically there there are statements of blessedness so rather than use the the catholic term uh beatitudes it's probably more important to call them the eight blessings there's disagreement among scholars uh as to whether matthew 5 and luke chapter 8 refer to the same event or whether they refer to two separate events and the reason for that is in matthew christ is on a mountain talking to the disciples in matthew 5 and then luke 6 he is on a plane talking to the disciples and the multitude so there's a degree of disagreement there among scholars as to whether it's the same event or different events in matthew there are eight blessings listed but no woes and in luke there are four blessings and four woes so there are some differences however both accounts show that christ began his first recorded message with these blessings therefore i think it's logical to conclude that these blessings must be very important to begin his first recorded sermon with these whether it was on the plane or whether it was on the mountain whether it's the same event or two separate events it's obviously the the first recorded sermon in luke and matthew so it must be important and the fact is today more than ever as god's people we need to focus on first principles first things the most important things and what could be most more important than the opening remarks of jesus christ in his first recorded sermon so what we're going to do today is explore uh and this is the title of the sermon the meaning of christ's eight blessings so we're gonna have eight points eight blessings um the fact is that all of luke's blessings are found in in matthew chapter 5 so we're going to concentrate on on matthew 5. so if you have a marker uh you're going to want to put it in in matthew 5. now it's important to note that each blessing comes in two parts every one comes in two parts the first is a description of who is to be blessed and then right following that is a description of how they are to be blessed the who and the how in each of those eight blessings so we'll begin today in matthew 5 and verse 1 and as i said place a marker there matthew 5 verse 1 and i'll read out of the king james unless otherwise noted and seeing the multitudes he jesus christ went up to a mountain and when he was set his disciples came unto him verse 2 he opened his mouth and taught them saying now some have also called these eight blessings the eight teachings based on the scripture right here where he taught them so either way we're going to cover the eight teachings or the eight blessings today so the first one is blessed are the poor in spirit verse 3 so who is to be blessed obviously the poor in spirit how are they blessed it tells us for theirs is the kingdom of heaven so we need to define our terms here and so let's first define what poor in spirit means what is it referring to the greek word for poor is strong's 44 34. and it's got a an interesting literal meaning it means quote to crouch as a beggar or a pauper end quote somebody who is very low and who is begging for something that's the greek word for poor and the greek word spirit we're familiar with that's strong's 4151 it's the word pneuma and it can mean breath or breeze but also in this context a more appropriate definition is one of the definitions it can mean mental disposition or mind you know poor of mind therefore poor in spirit is not referring to the financially poor that's not the meaning of of this verse because remember christ said you will always have the poor with you in matthew 26 verse 11 you can just use that as a reference christ said look you can always have the poor that's just a fact but here christ adds a spiritual dimension to the term poor the berkeley translation says quote they who sense spiritual poverty the good speed translation says those who feel their spiritual need and the amplified bible says quote the poor in spirit those devoid of spiritual arrogance that's interesting those devoid of spiritual arrogance those who regard themselves as insignificant spiritually insignificant so what christ is saying is blessed are those who realize that of themselves apart from the father and the son they are spiritually bankrupt and they realize their spiritual need and as a result they are spiritually humble poor in spirit are spiritually humble and you know i think by now we should all realize that we are nothing apart from the father and the son let's go to romans 8 and verse 5 and see that these are very basic principles very basic scriptures but the fact is christ brought these eight blessings for a purpose and for a reason and as we get closer to the end they become increasingly important romans eight verse five paul says for they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh but they that are after the spirit mind the things of the spirit pay attention to spiritual matters verse 6 to be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life and peace and that's where pacific got its name peace but to be spiritually minded is life and peace verse 7 because the carnal mind is enmity or the enemy of or against god for it is not subject to the law of god neither indeed can be here's the principle so that they that are in the flesh cannot please god and the spiritually humble realize this the spiritually meek realize that apart from god in christ i can't please the father i am of no use to the father you see our conduct should be opposite of typical carnal behavior that we see today and it's sad to say that this typical carnal behavior can be witnessed both outside the church and inside the church sad to say let's go to psalm 39 and verse 5. david writes a synopsis of carnal behavior that's that's very descriptive and very eloquent at the same time psalm 39 and verse 5. notice david's humility here psalm 39 verse 5 king james behold you referring to yehovah have made my days as a hand breadth a short distance and my age is as nothing before you the age of a human being compared to eternity is nothing david realized that truly notice what he says now about the human mind every man at his best state is altogether vanity salah verse six beginning of verse six surely every man walks in a vain show and pride and vanity are something that we have to watch out for in our character daily pride and vanity are our characteristics that we strive to come out of and we must do so every minute of every day because our human nature rears its ugly head and satan is there to provoke at every opportunity but the fact is those who are poor in spirit reading here the first teaching those who are poor in spirit find favor with god and i think all of us want to find favor with the almighty let's go to isaiah 66 and we'll begin in verse 1. isaiah 66 and verse 1. this scripture reminds me of when i started in in college started searching for the truth i just wanted to know you know what is true and what is not and uh i studied all kinds of books on the supreme being the origin of the universe the various religions and the bible is the only book in existence that says the supreme being is talking the supreme being is speaking and uh the other ones other books all talk about what some prophet or what some wise man thinks about life or thinks about the supreme being but the bible is the only one that quotes the supreme being and here's an example here isaiah 66 verse 1 thus says jehovah the almighty the most high the heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool that being the case jehovah says where's the house that you're gonna build me can you build a house to me when the heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool where is the place of my rest for all these things has my hands made that kind of sets things into perspective and all those things have been says jehovah but he says to this man this man is in italics this individual this human being will i look even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit and trembles at my word just what christ was saying someone poor of spirit so you see this first blessing is for those who are little in their own eyes we know how we compare to god almighty and we are just insignificant in comparison to god almighty and that obviously leads to humility and and notice as we go through these eight blessings how often humility is at the core of each and every one that's the first the second blessed are they that mourn now let's go back to matthew chapter 5 and verse 4. blessed are they that mourn so verse 4 tells us the who blessed are they that mourn now how are those that mourn blessed for they shall be comforted we're promised that when we mourn there is comfort available the greek word for mourn simply means to grieve or to sorrow i think we understand that meaning and in this life we mourn for the death of loved ones over the last year families have lost sons wives of lost husbands and we mourn for that also we mourn for the st state of the society that we're living in increasingly the daily evil we see we mourn for that abortion the horrible violence the hatred of what is good and right the turning of white into black and black into white and good to evil and evil good and the diminishing of the knowledge of and the reverence for god almighty we see that and we mourn for that and the fact is in the future everything's going to be different and we look forward to that day let's go to isaiah 61 and we'll begin in verse 1. isaiah 61 and verse 1 is a time yet in the future but we're going to bring this to the present day before we're done here in this point isaiah 61 and verse 1. isaiah says the spirit of the lord jehovah is upon me moving him to right because jehovah has anointed me to preach good tidings unto who the meek that's the first blessing he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted well do you think the brokenhearted might mourn of course to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound and of course all of us were bound by sin prior to being called verse 2 to proclaim the acceptable year of yehovah and the day of vengeance of our god now notice this to comfort all that mourn there is a time when those who mourn will be comforted to appoint unto them that mourn in zion to give unto them beauty for ashes now what does that refer to well mourning in those days was done by throwing ashes up over your head and on your face and down your shoulders was a sign of mourning and so we're told there's going to come a time that beauty will replace ashes all over somebody's body the oil of joy instead of mourning for mourning the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness and when we mourn we feel heavy burdened down and to the end they might be called trees of righteousness the planting of jehovah that he might be glorified and so it helps us to be focused on the end result of our life when we're in a state of mourning and we're grieving to look forward to the time when all mourning will stop and cease now christ proclaimed that you know blessed are those who mourn well okay what was he specifically referring to oh not specifically but ultimately referring to let's go to first thessalonians 4 and we'll begin in verse 16. first thessalonians 4 and verse 16. this is what we all wait for this is what we all yearn for this is what we we just can't wait for this time to happen first thessalonians 4 and verse 16. for the lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout and the voice of the archangel and with the trump of god and the dead in christ shall rise first and then paul says and we which were alive thinking that it would happen in his lifetime which he later understood wouldn't be the case then we which are alive and remain may apply to some of us shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the lord in the air and so shall we ever be with the lord verse 18 is the key wherefore comfort one another with these words those who mourn will be comforted and the greatest comfort is that our mourning will cease when this incredible blessing comes to pass when we are made spirit and we will eternally be with the father and his son now that's off into the future what about now what about mourning now how can we be comforted in our time of grief now christ made this promise well the greek word for comforted is strong's 38 70. might just remember that that word because there's another word related close by and it's the it's the greek word perak lay otto and it means to call near or to invite to console to call near or to invite to console that's the greek word for comforted used here in matthew chapter 5. but you remember the night christ was betrayed and we have the record of that in john 14 15 and 16. once in each of those chapters christ used the word comforter the comforter will come and that is strong's 38.75 it's just five it's it's related to 38.70 pericleoto was 3870 38.75 is paracletos and that means a consoler or a comforter and the point is the fact is that the father and the son as christ said the night he was betrayed remember what he said we are going to come and dwell in you we will make our abode in you and that obviously is through the holy spirit and the fact is that this indwelling of the holy spirit is the greatest comfort a human being can have when the father and the son are dwelling in us and then we go through a trial or a loss and we have them literally dwelling in us through their spirit how great a comfort is that what what could we ask for greater than that and so when when christ said those that mourn will be comforted in part he's referring to the fact that he and his father will dwell with us once we yield to them and repent and are baptized and have hands laid on us we can be comforted by the very their very spirit in us now the third blessing or teaching uh involves the meek matthew 5 verse 5 okay who is blessed blessed are the meek how are they blessed they shall inherit the earth that is the blessing of the meek and the meek here uh in the greek as strong's 42 39 and it simply means uh in addition to meek it means mild or it means humble and of course this is related to the first blessing of those poor in spirit they are tied together because realizing one's spiritual need meaning being poor in spirit leads to humility and it leads to meekness they go hand in hand they're tied together let's go to psalm 37 and begin in verse 9. david is writing about this subject and in fact he uses some of the same words that jesus christ used and obviously christ knew that psalm 37 and verse 9. david writes i'll read this again out of the king james psalm 37 and verse 9 for evil doers shall be cut off but those that wait upon jehovah those who are patient they shall inherit the earth for yet a little while and the wicked shall not be and as we know the bible tells us the wicked there is coming a time when the wicked will cease to exist it will be as though they never were yea you shall diligently consider his place meaning the wicked's place that the wicked once occupied and it shall not be verse 11 but the meek shall inherit the earth and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace and again that's precisely why why pacific has the name pacific peace being a fruit of the spirit that we all strive strive for but david says that the meek are going to inherit the earth well let's investigate that by going to isaiah chapter 29 and let's look at verse 18 begin in verse 18. talking about a time yet future isaiah 29 and verse 18. king james isaiah 29 verse 18 and we're told and in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book now obviously the book is not speaking meaning those who have been made deaf not to be able to understand the book will now have their quote-unquote ears open their mind opened to understand what's in god's word and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and christ talked many times about the blind leading the blind and the religious leaders of the day were blind fools and so on and so forth there's coming a day when the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness verse 19 the meek also shall increase their joy in yehovah and the poor the hebrew can also mean the needy what we were talking what christ was talking about in the first blessing the poor in spirit and the poor among men shall rejoice in the holy one of israel the meek are going to be blessed there is a reward there let's go to psalm 149 and verse 1. psalm 149 and verse 1. this is a song of praise psalm 149 verse 1 out of the king james praise you jehovah and sing unto jehovah a new song and sing his praise in the congregation of the saints verse 4 read this out of the niv for jehovah takes delight in his people notice this last sentence he crowns the humble with salvation now that is a mouthful because the opposite would be true also if he crowns the humble with salvation would he put a crown on the head of somebody who is arrogant somebody who is haughty somebody who elevates the self somebody who looks down on others and judges others well that's not what this implies at all the humble are the ones that are going to have a crown placed on their head and the day is coming when the meek and the humble will be blessed by inheriting the earth and we those of us who who can develop humility you know it's something we should just strive for every day we will be inheriting the earth in a way that we will be helping our elder brother and our father rule the earth as eternal spirit beings there to serve and to help not to rule with a rod of iron and walk around with a swagger stick barking orders at people to elevate the self but rather to help in the millennium all mankind but again notice you know the thread through all of this meekness and humility are what are the characteristics that our father is looking for need to keep that in mind okay the fourth teaching or blessing involves those who hunger and thirst after righteousness matthew 5 again verse 6 the who is blessed are they which hunger and thirst after righteousness okay how are they going to be blessed they shall be filled and the greek word fulfilled also can mean satisfied they'll be satisfied so we have to ask the question okay how are are those who are hungering and thirsting how will they be satisfied let's go to matthew chapter 6 same message same sermon verse 33 matthew 6 verse 33 we're told but seek you first and we focus uh when i came in the church uh the the this first uh phrase seek you first the kingdom of god and often then it was stopped there and launched into some other subject about the kingdom of god but notice the last part seek you first we're supposed to seek the kingdom of god but what's the second thing we have to seek his righteousness and to be in the kingdom of god we have to have his righteousness and be righteous in god's eyes and if we do that all these things shall be added unto you now we know and over the years that the law defines righteousness the law defines righteous behavior um we won't turn there psalm 119 verse 172 all your commandments are righteousness okay well think with me now if all the commandments define the righteousness of god almighty then by our keeping those commandments then that is the key to our attaining the righteousness of the father if his commandments are righteous we want to be like him if we follow in christ's footsteps by perfectly keeping he perfectly kept the commandments if we keep those commandments then we begin to attain the righteousness of the father go to matthew chapter 22 and see a very familiar scripture we'll begin in verse 5 or 35 i'm sorry matthew 22 verse 35. i'll read this out of the new king james but again we're talking about first principles hungering and thirsting after righteousness which is the keeping of god's law which reflects our father's character matthew 22 35 new king james then one of them a lawyer okay today we have a when i say lawyer today we all have an image of a lawyer that comes up in our mind some shyster or shark or something like that not to say there aren't good lawyers around but that's not what the term meant in those days a lawyer in those days met someone who is an expert of the mosaic law so one of them an expert in the mosaic law asked him christ a question testing him and saying teacher which is the great commandment in the law he was trying to trip christ up and jesus said unto him you shall love the lord your god referring to his father with all your heart with all your soul your life your being with all your mind this is the first and great commandment okay now keep your finger here just mark this and let's turn to john 5 and verse 24 to see a thread that we want to develop john chapter 5 and verse 34 where christ is also speaking we're going to come back here to matthew 22 in just a second the first and the the the first and great commandment is loving god with all our being john 5 verse 24 christ says truly truly i say unto you he that hears my word and believes on him that sent me who could that be but the father he that hears my word and believes on him that sent me has everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation notice the last part of verse 24 but is passed from death unto life this tells us that we can pass in this life while we're still alive as a human we can pass from death unto life now remember this phrase passing from death unto life and we do so by understanding who the father is and believing what he says you see when we love our father with all our being we indeed pass from death to life we will be filled we will be satisfied how by the spirit of god almighty not only in the kingdom but now in this life by the spirit of the father dwelling inside us now let's go back to matthew 22 and verse 39. this lawyer this expert in the law is talking to christ and christ tells him i'll read this out of the new living translation a second commandment is equally important love your neighbor as yourself all verse 40 now all the other commandments and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments now we reference john 5 and verse 24 in the phrase pass from death to life let's go now to first john 3 and verse 14 and notice the same phrase passing from death to life was referr was referring in in john 5 and verse 24 to the first commandment the first great commandment that christ mentioned notice first john 3 and verse 14. we see the same phrase but now this is applied to the second great commandment first john 3 and verse 14. same author john says we know that we have passed from death unto life because we love the brethren he that loves not his brother abides in death so we see here in john chapter 5 and in first john chapter 3 that we have passed as human beings have passed from death to life when we keep these two great commandments which define righteousness which define the very nature and the character of god jesus christ kept them perfectly he was the one that was talking here to this expert in the law but we going back now to you know to matthew chapter 5 it said hungering and thirsting after righteousness what about the hungering and thirsting part well the greek for hunger means to crave or to be famished and uh all of us uh i think all of us have been in situations in our lives where we have been so hungry you know it it's it could be it you know toward the end of a fast or it could be just you you know you just get so hungry you will move mountains to eat something or to drink something it's just you know you just get to the point that you'll do whatever it takes to satisfy that that hunger and we will literally move mountains to satisfy this want the point is here in this fourth blessing is we must seek righteousness with that same sense of urgency as we do when we're extremely hungry and if we do that we will be filled and we will be satisfied now let's look at the fifth teaching or the fifth blessing matthew 5 verse 7. who is to be blessed we're told blessed are the merciful and how are they blessed they shall obtain mercy now this doesn't this is open-ended doesn't say now or it doesn't say in the future they will obtain mercy the greek word for mercy can also mean to have compassion or pity on let's go to psalm 18 and verse 25 and just see the very first part of this verse because it is a principle that all of us must make a part of our lives new king james i'll read this mat psalm 18 beginning of verse 25 just the very first part of the verse but here is a principle that we have to remember every minute of every day when we're 10 we have a tendency to maybe lash out or bark at somebody or get even or get back remember psalm 18 verse 25 david writes with the merciful you jehovah he's referring to will show yourself merciful just a very clear principle to the degree we show mercy we receive mercy we want to get mercy we better show mercy to other people and we won't go there but in luke 6 and verse 36 this is christ's sermon on the plane and the parallel scripture to matthew parallels here's verses to matthew chapter 5 christ said be you therefore merciful as your father also is merciful if we want to receive mercy we must give mercy and we know that mercy is one of the weightier matters of the law in matthew 23. justice mercy and faith weightier matters of the law and the fact is that we can be shown mercy in this physical life every minute of every day by our father in heaven when he forgives our sins when we get down on our knees and say oh father how could i have said that or how could i have thought that or how could i have done that and we ask for forgiveness we receive that now in this life and of course ultimately the ultimate state of forgiveness is to have all of our sins forgiven to the point that we will attain eternal life we will have salvation so the point is is that if the father can show such mercy to us and shower us with such mercy and we want to be like the father should we not show mercy to others how we dare not show mercy to others and then turn around and beg god to show us mercy how does that work and if we show mercy to others then we reap mercy to ourselves unto salvation and the fact is you see mercy and humility there comes this word humility again mercy and humility go hand in hand let's go to micah chapter six and we'll read just verse 8. very familiar scripture one we all know by heart micah 6 and verse 8. king james whenever we read a scripture that says okay this is what god wants you to do or this is what god requires of you our antenna should go up our ears should prick up micah 6 verse 8 he jehovah has shown you o man what is good and what does jehovah require of you but to do what to do justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your god here we see mercy and walking humbly with your god in the same verse because mercy requires humility now think about that if we love our neighbor as ourselves and we we love our our church brothers and sisters as much as we love ourselves or we love our next door neighbor as much as we love ourselves do you think it might be easier to show them mercy if we love them as much as we love ourselves but if we look down on our neighbor and we judge our neighbor or our church brother or sister and we condemn them and look down our nose at them and arrogance i think it might be a little more difficult to show them mercy well of course and we see here we're you know as we go through this here we're closing out the fifth one we see how humility is a constant thread and a constant uh characteristic of those who are to be blessed now we come to the sixth one the pure in heart matthew five verse eight who's to be blessed blessed are the pure in heart how are they to be blessed for they shall see god now think about that concept for a minute those who are pure and the the greek word for pure means pure yes it can mean clean it can mean clear those who are pure in heart are going to see god what a concept that is if we can develop a pure heart someday we will sit in the presence of god almighty and we will see him as he is we will be around his throne and as strange as that sounds to us today god almighty will talk to us and engage us in a conversation to be in that position i mean what what a blessing what a blessing let's go to psalm 24 and we'll begin in verse 1. psalm 24 and verse 1. this this puts everything into perspective of seeing god as a result of being pure in heart david is writing psalm 24 verse 1. i'll read this out of the new living translation psalm 24 verse 1. notice the perspective the earth is jehovah's and everything in it the world and all its people belong to him you know how we're just lucky we're not lucky we are blessed to be here to even read our father's word verse two for he's laid the earth's foundation on the seas and built it on the ocean depths who this is a question now who may climb the mountain of jehovah who indeed who may stand in his holy place who could approach the throne of god almighty verse 4 gives us the answer only those whose hands and hearts are pure who do not worship idols and never tell lies so we see here that the only way we can see god we can be in his presence we can be at his throne is to have a pure clean clear heart but the problem we have as human beings is that our human nature tells us that we can get away with a certain amount of sin and god will wink at our sins or god will turn his head and won't notice or god will cut us some slack because of who we are or how much he loves us we can kid ourselves well the kidding stops with psalm 10 and we'll begin in verse 10. psalm chapter 10 and verse 10. we're in psalm 24 a minute ago now psalm 10 verse 10 i'll read this out of the new king james so he this is referring to the sinner so he crouches he lies low that the helpless may fall by his strength psalm 10 verse 11. he has said in his heart god is forgotten he hides his face he will never see he'll never see my sins verse 12 arise o jehovah o god lift up your hand do not forget the humble there's that word again don't forget the humble verse 13 why did the wicked renounce god he has said in his heart you will not require an account and if there's a a characteristic or a categorization of the mindset today is that nobody has to give account for anything they do anymore i don't care if it's ceos of corporations or little kids or teenagers they're not responsible somebody else is responsible somebody made me do it it's somebody else's fault you will not require an account verse 14 but you referring to jehovah have seen nothing gets past god almighty and you observe trouble and grief to repay it by your hand the helpless commits himself to you and the humble realize they are helpless without the father and the son we have no hope the helpless commits himself to you you are helper of the fatherless and the fact is that nothing can be hidden from our father nothing as we think we are as we do we are and god sees it all our father sees everything he knows and he sees that's why david said we won't turn there you know it in psalm 51 david says remember he said created me a clean heart o god and renew a right spirit in me because he had allowed his heart to become polluted and it was anything but clean now the new testament continues in that same understanding let's go to first timothy 1 and we'll begin in verse 5. paul is talking to young timothy giving him instruction about the commandments of god and the purpose of the commandments first timothy 1 and verse 5 read this out of the new king james first timothy 1 verse 5. paul says now the purpose of the commandment is love but what motivates that from a pure heart and from a good conscience and from sincere faith you see love must be motivated by a pure heart in other words we don't show love to somebody to get something in return we show love because we truly love that individual and wants what's best for them but love or doing something kind or good to somebody should not be motivated because we want to get something back for ourselves i think everyone knows the name abigail van buren you know dear abby she's a an american writer and a syndicated newspaper columnist an advice column she said something that was profound she said quote the best index of a person's character is how he treats people who can't do him any good end quote best judge of character is how we treat somebody who can't do anything for us and what paul is telling timothy here is love has to come from a pure heart to give not to get now let's go to first john 3 and we'll begin in verse 1 this time first john 3 and verse 1. john is often called the the apostle of love or the disciple of love first john 3 verse 1 out of the king james talking about pure being pure in heart and what the reward is first john 3 verse 1 behold john says what manner of love the father has bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of god that is a mouthful and and you know to be called to be sons of god almighty and he says because of that calling he goes on to say therefore the world knows us not because it knew him not didn't know the father beloved now are we the sons of god god the father and it does not yet appear what we shall be but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him god the father for we shall see him as he is just what christ said as as the blessing for the pure in heart verse 3 every man that has this hope in him what does he do he purifies himself even as he the father is pure and as we know purifying is not a one-time thing unlike what the protestants believe once you just declare that you believe in jesus christ then everything's cool and you can go forward and do whatever you want purifying is a life long process first we have to see the father as he really is and that takes a very long time and we are blessed in the last few years the father has opened up the minds of so many to understand who he really is have a deeper understanding of who he really is and who his son really is and the relationship between the two of them so purifying is a process and we first have to understand who the father really is and then work work with all our might to be like him and like his son because the father and the son share the same nature and the son came to this earth to walk in such a way a perfect way that we have an example to follow and so in order to purify ourselves in this lifelong process we have to see the father accurately we have to work with all our might to be like him and his son then over time becoming more and more pure of heart eliminating the impurities in our heart and then at the end of the day we will actually see god face to face what a blessing i you know i can't you know just to sit and look at god and be in his presence i can only imagine what that would be like my guess is there will be such an overwhelming feeling of love that we you would just almost melt probably now to the seventh blessing it involves peacemakers this kind of hits home with the pacific church of god matthew 5 verse 9 who is to be blessed blessed are the peacemakers how are they to be blessed for they shall be called the children of god all right let's go to james 3 and verse 18 and see how that happens let's see uh how we can become peacemakers it's we don't wave a magic wand and have ourselves become peacemakers we're gonna see it takes work and it takes effort james 3 verse 18 james says something profound here james 3 and verse 18. read this out of the king james and then i'll quote another translation just to add a little bit to it james 3 verse 18 king james version james says and the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace in other words the motivation of the the fruit of righteousness that we exhibit the fruits of god's holy spirit the fruits of obeying his law is sown in peace meaning the motivation is peace not to cause turmoil and trouble is sown in peace of those that make peace that takes work and effort the new living translation says and those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of goodness i'll read it again those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of goodness seeking peace pursuing peace takes effort and takes commitment that has to be our motivation let's go to hebrews 12 and read verse 14. it tells us directly it's very clear hebrews 12 and verse 14 read this out of the new king james hebrews 12 and verse 14. talking about peace just doesn't come upon us we have to work at it hebrews 12 14 new king james pursue peace with all the word people is in italics pursue peace with all and holiness pursue holiness without which no one will see the lord no one will see god almighty no one will see his son face to face spirit to being to spirit being without pursuing peace now let's go now to first peter chapter 3 and verse 11. hebrews said to pursue peace let's see what first peter 3 and verse 11 says i'll also read this out of the new king james first peter 3 and verse 11. new king james it says let him turn away from evil and do good yes all of us need to do that but in the same breath let him seek peace and pursue it seeking and pursuing that takes work that takes effort that takes commitment but as we're going to see guess what it also takes it takes humility to seek peace and pursue it it takes humility let's go to philippians chapter 2 and verse 3. a humble person can find peace an arrogant person will find nothing but trouble and division and strife philippians 2 verse 3 i'll read this out of the new king james paul tells the church at philippi and us today let nothing be done through selfish ambition that's the opposite of humility philippians 2 verse 3 let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit those selfish ambition and conceit come inward to the self but in lowliness of mind that goes again goes back to the first blessing poor in spirit lowliness of mind that's humility let each esteem others better than himself now do you think it might be easier to make peace with another individual if we esteem them as better than we esteem ourselves well of course if we look down on somebody and we think they're beneath us and we don't esteem them better than ourselves it's easy not to care not want to make peace you see the greater church of god needs peacemakers now more than ever before and our father is testing us and watching us to see who are peacemakers versus who condemn those who fight those who ridicule those who judge those who look down their noses at other people or other groups our father is watching us to see let me here's the big question in this seventh point about being peacemakers big question in the kingdom of god will there be any who are not peacemakers well god allows somebody to kind of slip in through the back door whose loves to fight loves to argue loves to put other people down loves to double up the fist and shake it at somebody condemn people judge people look down at other people you know when you when you think of it and frame it in those terms there's not going to people who don't want peace who do not want peace who refuse to make peace are not going to be in the kingdom of god not god's not going to give somebody eternal life who wants to fight all the time and oppose and argue and want their own way and again this is why we're named pacific we want to associate we want to fellowship with like-minded people who are peacemakers because as we see here peacemakers truly are the children of god we want to be that the eighth blessing those who are persecuted because of righteousness let's go to matthew 5 verse 10. i'm going to read this now to the niv matthew 5 verse 10. and this is uh it's it's restated in verse 10 and verse 11 and 12 restated in a more detailed form matthew 5 verse 10 niv okay who is to be blessed blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness how are they to be blessed for theirs is the kingdom of heaven verse 11 it's restated again who is to be blessed blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you and falsely this is the key falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me rejoice and be glad now how are they blessed again those who are persecuted for righteousness because great is your reward in heaven for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you now when i came into the church the implication was that once you're baptized you it's like jumping on a greased slide and you just slide into the kingdom with no problems because bad things don't happen to good people and we a lot of us bought into that well let's see first peter chapter 2 and verse 19 and see what the reality is first peter 2 and verse 19. first peter 2 verse 19. i'm going to read this out of the new living translation this is a reality check in case we had any doubts first peter 2 and verse 19 new living translation for god is pleased with you when for the sake of your conscience doing what's right you patiently endure unfair treatment of course verse 20 you get no credit for being patient if you're beaten for wrongdoing but if you suffer for doing right and are patient beneath the blows god is pleased with you verse 21 this suffering is all part of what god has called you to christ who suffered for you is your example follow in his steps being persecuted for doing what is right persecuted for be for obeying god almighty now let's look at paul's example in acts chapter 14. acts chapter 14 uh in verse 19 acts chapter 14 and verse 19 paul had just been stoned none of us had been stoned paul had been stoned left for dead but he wasn't the father intervened christ intervened but acts 14 verse 22 after being stoned notice what paul said or what is said about paul confirming the souls of the disciples and exhorting them to continue in the faith this is what paul was doing that we must through much tribulation enter the kingdom of god and sometimes we forget that and when trouble comes we think that's an anomaly that that's bad no that's normal and during the heyday of the worldwide church of god the church was basically it was like the eye of a hurricane there was very little persecution in those years and that is not the norm and we will find that out firsthand as time goes on sadly there's going to come a time when let's see what that time is in john 16 and verse 1. john 16 and verse 1. the night christ died he is issuing a warning for us today i'm going to read this out of the niv john 16 and verse 1. notice what christ's warning is he says referring back to what he said previously all this i have told you so that you will not go astray this must be very important i've said all this because i don't want you to go astray verse 2 john 16 they will put you out of the synagogue in fact a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to god he said the time is coming now notice how deceived the brethren are going to become in the future they are so deceived that they think they serve god by killing those who righteously obey god talk about deception now the then the the flip side of that is should we seek vengeance when we're persecuted when we s when p should we fight back when people say false things about us and i will publicly admit there are times in the past that i have fought back somebody came at me or slandered me or said things that were untrue rather than take it turn the other cheek and walk the extra walk away i did not do that i got down in the mud and started fighting back and shame on me for doing that what did christ say in the same sermon the the the sermon on the mount matthew 5 let's look at verse 43 this time this is how i'll read it out of the new living translation how should we react to persecution and slander and lies and falsehoods matthew 5 verse 43 new living translation you have heard that the law of moses says love your neighbor and hate your enemy verse 44 this is the nlt but i say love your enemies pray for those who persecute you in that way verse 45 in that way you will be acting as true children of your father in heaven for he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good and he sends rain on the just and on the unjust two you see it takes humility to love those who have wronged or persecuted us and to pray for them and ask god's blessing upon them it takes the second great commandment love your neighbor as yourself see we're going to learn if we haven't already to rejoice when persecution comes why because we're following in the footsteps of our older brother the very son of god and we're told here the reward is great in heaven for those who do so okay let's close now we understand that that christ came to introduce a spiritual dimension to his father's law and these statements uh eight uh statements of blessings or eight teachings often in the world called the beatitudes introduced christ's first sermon and introduced his ministry and they show us two things if you take all eight together they show us two things number one what we must become to enter the kingdom of god this is what we must become to enter the kingdom of god and as i said earlier what is the thread that runs through all eight humility humility is a constant thread we will not be in the kingdom of god if we don't develop true humility and then these are here to show us a second big thing is our reward for following christ and his words and what are they we will be comforted we will inherit the earth will be filled and satisfied we will obtain mercy we will see god we shall be called the children of god great is our reward in heaven because the kingdom of heaven will be ours now think about that and christ starts his ministry with all eight of these blessings these teachings of who is blessed and how they are blessed so these eight blessings set the stage for everything christ taught after that point by giving us first principles as to how we should live and then giving us the reward for doing so so as we more move forward from today as the the world is just getting crazier crazier by the day it seems as we move forward from today let's focus on these very important first principles let's not get distracted by things that aren't important let's pay attention to these very important first principles and rejoice in the blessings that flow as a result of obeying these first principles

Channel: Pacific Church of God

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Length: 73min 15sec (4395 seconds)

Published: Sat Jul 31 2021