Jesus Teaches

matthew chapter 5 beginning at verse 1. very familiar many of you have read this many times seen it places over and over heard it preached about but we're going to look today at some teaching of jesus from matthew chapter 5 beginning at verse 1. and jesus seen the multitudes he went up into a mountain and when he was set his disciples came unto him and he opened his mouth and taught them saying blessed or blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see god blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of god blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake rejoice and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in heaven for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you

lesson today or just simply titled jesus teach teaches jesus teaches jesus ministry was unique israel had seen many prophets even several who had performed miracles as we sung about today particularly we think of elijah and elisha but others also that miracles that were done they were god's special people and he dealt with them in many wonderful ways dealt with israel that way but the ministry of jesus came on a whole another level and mankind would never be the same once the messiah or the anointed one had had come amen thank for what jesus had done and one of the hallmarks of jesus ministry that set it apart was his teaching now we just sang you're great you do miracles and that is true and we're thankful for all of those things but beyond that the teachings of jesus really set him apart while the former prophets would declare thus saith the word of the lord and they would speak for god jesus spoke with an authority that they did not have there was something unique very unique about jesus teaching in fact he said in john 6 63 he said the words that i speak unto you they're just stuff i quoted from the old testament no he didn't say it that way that's what everybody else had to do they had to look back and pull out the scrolls or they would get into and say well here's what god said but he said well i speak unto you he said those words are spirit and they are life there's something unique about them many philosophers sages prophets teachers had come and gone there were many that that were there even some in jesus day but when jesus began teaching there was something different about him so much so that at the end of this sermon i did send out an email for those of you that got it or that i had an email address for and that if you checked it that asked told you we were going to be reading from matthew 5 and also mentioned that this is part of the sermon on the mount which goes through chapter 7 and at the end of chapter 7 we read these words and it came to pass when jesus had ended these sayings the people were astonished at his doctrine and here's why he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes one of the most interesting aspects of his teaching were the very words that jesus used often jesus prefaced his statements with these words he'd say verily i say unto you and sometimes when he really wanted to get your attention he'd say verily verily i say unto you get what i'm about to say but that word verily it's really fascinating because it's the exact same word that is translated elsewhere amen kind of depends on where they put it in the sentence usually at the end of the sentence you'd say amen or it is so or this is this is true um but never at the beginning of the sentence except when jesus was saying it it's easy even in in literature in jewish literature to find examples of amen at the end of the sentence or the end of a clause or simply maybe a response that something was said and the church said amen or the people said amen but there is no known non-christian example nothing outside of the new testament that shows using a man or verily at the beginning of the sentence except when jesus taught it and his using that expression was really a parallel of the old testament where we see god saying as i live saith the lord because he could testify on nobody greater than their swear on nothing greater than himself amen he said so i'm saying it or i'm swearing by myself and jesus is saying the same thing when he says verily i say unto you it's unparalleled in jewish literature and it's it's with that type of authority and i think that is really what stood out to people he's not speaking about god he's speaking as god and it just really blew their minds they just couldn't understand we were they marveled at him this teaching of his and so what did jesus teach central to the message of the new testament is the declaration of the coming of the kingdom of god in fact if you read in matthew and you read in mark they both begin their books matthew begins with the birth of jesus but then immediately turns his attention to john the baptist and we mentioned that last week mark starts with john the baptist and matthew says this in verse chapter 3 in those days came john the baptist preaching in the wilderness of judea and saying repent ye for the kingdom of heaven is at hand so john's message was primarily one of repentance but it was repentance with a purpose it was to prepare oneself for the kingdom that was about to come and so he said to repent change your mind turn around go the other way because the kingdom is at hand it's very close and that was john's message and mark records in chapter 1 and verse 14 he said now after that john was put into prison jesus came into galilee and what did he do preaching the gospel of the kingdom of god and saying the time is fulfilled the kingdom of god is at hand repent ye and believe the gospel that term gospel we know simply means the good news and so he said that jesus came preaching the good news of the kingdom saying the time is at hand and the kingdom of god is at hand repent ye and believe this good news of course we know later paul would further define the gospel as the death the burial and the resurrection of jesus christ none of that had occurred yet and so jesus didn't use it in that sense but he told them that it was at hand that word literally means that the kingdom was drawing near it was fast approaching so what he was doing he wasn't saying the kingdom is already here but it's at hand it's it's almost here it's it's almost if you will in reach it's getting close and so to many in jesus day they they they expected an earthly kingdom and the messiah was going to reign so when they heard that their first thoughts were that's great we're getting ready to kick rome out of here and we're going to rule the world but no doubt those words begin to sound strange as jesus began to teach about a spiritual kingdom and his words that he taught with such authority weren't so much about i'm going to set up a throne or you know very soon the kingdom is going to be we're going to kick he didn't talk that way now it's beyond the scope of this lesson to talk about how the kingdom is realized more and more particularly in the outpouring of the spirit of the holy ghost yet on pentecost but what we want to look at is jesus teaching prior to that event and although jesus taught many things and we could look at many different passages the sermon on the mount really encapsulates jesus teaching concerning what it takes to be a part of this kingdom and our attitudes and our actions as we seek the kingdom of god or the kingdom of heaven and so the lord was sitting before him that day the great virtues that would advance his cause and by teaching the principles on the sermon on the mount jesus endeavored to show the way to true happiness in the lives of his disciples in fact nine times when we read them in matthew chapter five he used the word blessed or blessed which comes from a greek word which means really happiness means happiness but even more than happiness we have to understand it's it's not just happiness but it is a contentment that is unaffected by circumstances it's understanding the truth it is an inner peace and an inward joy that comes from god now if we just took that at face value and what we think of happy and said well happy and put it in front of all these we'd say wait a minute this just doesn't quite click does it happy are they that are poor in spirit happy are they that mourn doesn't seem to make sense does it because we have to understand what he mean it's more than just a superficial feeling that comes from our circumstances it's it's not dependent on material possessions and circumstances too many in the world happiness is just dependent on you know hey i got a new job or depending on this is this is a great meal i'm about to eat and it's making me happy and look but when those things are stripped away happiness evaporates that's not the happiness that we understand in the kingdom of god paul said it this way not that i speak in respect of want here's what i've learned he said in whatsoever state i'm in wherever i'm at whatever my circumstances are i've learned to be content i know how to be a based brought down put low i know how to abound the things of this life everywhere and all things he said i am instructed to be both full and to be hungry to abound and to suffer need but i can do all things through christ which strengtheneth me so no matter what state we find ourselves in believers can understand they can be overcomers why the joy of the kingdom of god doesn't fluctuate with life's circumstances aren't you thankful for that now i know our emotions do sometimes and i know our attitudes do sometimes but through it all happiness in god joy in god does not change now every true christian long we long to measure up to the principles and of what god's word teaches us in fact paul he said we are striving to come into the unity of faith and the knowledge of the son of god unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of christ we've talked about that in the last couple months as we started these lessons we are to grow up into him right and that's what we are striving for so we want to be full of the things of jesus and jesus early in his ministry he laid down these principles in very clear and very short concise terms and not only the principles of of what our attitude needed to be and how what but also the rewards that went with it

jesus first statement is very unique he said blessed are the poor in spirit happy or the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven nobody likes to think about poor do you we sure don't like it in a natural sense but poor in spirit poverty in spirit it appears that jesus taught that way the spiritual blessing through the acknowledgment of spiritual need now we think of abundance when we think of happiness having a spirit that is just overwhelmed with joy and but he said poor in spirit to the laodiceans who thought they had everything jesus looked wrote to them and said you say you are rich and increased with good and have need of nothing god doesn't have doesn't do much work with people with that kind of an attitude in fact you read he didn't give them any kind of real promises he didn't give them any commendations at all because they were lukewarm because they were satisfied with where you can't come to jesus satisfied where you are in life when you come to him and say you know what i feel pretty good about my life and i think i do pretty good job and i'm all right and i really don't need you you'll say well if that's the way you feel he's not going to force his way in he's not going to do that but to those that come to god and realize their absolute poverty one of the illustrations jesus gave was a teaching he talked about the pharisee that came in and there was a publican off to the side praying and he was beating his chest and saying god be merciful unto me i'm a sinner i need your help god and crying out to god and the pharisee looks over and said i'm glad lord that i'm not like him and god's saying yeah you sure aren't because i can move in his life but i can't do anything with you right poor in spirit what's your attitude in approaching god and i think that's why this is the first beatitude if you will because he wants to understand there is a way to approach god there's a way we come before him it's not with arrogance it's not with saying i am this and i am that but to approach him requires us to come humbly david said it this way in psalm 51 17 the sacrifices of god the things that are pleasing to him in other words they are a broken spirit a broken in a contrite heart oh god thou wilt not despise sometimes we might look at people and say well you know i don't know why you think you need that and why you ever hear somebody say i don't know why you think you need church i don't know why you think you don't we got to have jesus right we've got to have god working in our life that's why god told solomon the verse we quote all the time second corinthians or second chronicles he didn't say in corinthians chronicles 7 14 if my people which are called by my name shall exalt himself and tell how great they are no he said you humble yourselves you pray you seek my face you turn from your wicked ways and when you do that i'll hear from heaven i'll forgive their sin and will heal their land life without god is empty because only god can satisfy our soul takes coming before him in a humble spirit poor in spirit and jesus said when you do that he said theirs is the kingdom of heaven theirs is the kingdom of heaven there is a promise to those who have that poor in spirit brother cardin explains in his book the kingdom exception this idea is not that they own the kingdom because it's god's kingdom but that they are comprised of the kingdom or they will dwell in the kingdom this is what puts us into the kingdom of god what brings us to it in other words it is those that come in a poor spirit when you come with your arrogance and if you come when saying i don't really need god you're not going to be part of the kingdom you're not there you're not in it but when we come with that attitude lord i need you we used to sing that whole chorus oh i need thee oh i need every hour i need thee bless me now what we were saying is god i can't do this on my own i gotta have you and i need you in my life jesus goes on in the next beatitude and one beatitude when we look at these they go from one to the next and there's really a progression if you will as we go through these beatitudes and the sinner's approach to god is also the first coming in humbleness coming in humbliness but having approached god and realizing that we need god

it's only natural to take the second step and that is this blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted are they that mourn now that doesn't seem to fit together does it that one in particular of several of them happy are you when you're sad happy are you when you're crying and you're crying out toward god and we don't think of it but it almost seems like the off opposite but jesus was speaking of a deeper type of a mourning or literally a burden that is associated with coming before him that mourning her concern emphasized the sensing of a spiritual need to understand not only do i i looked at first in blessed and poor in spirit is looking at myself and saying i'm not there and i i need god the second one is is crying out and saying you're my answer sincerely sorrowing for my sins and for the sins of my life and the things that have happened in my this realization afflicts him and burdens him and overwhelms him that word can could be translated to whale it's not a silent mourning but a crying out in despair he sees himself in in desperate distress god i need you my mind immediately goes back to isaiah as he sees the lord high and lifted up and is trained filling the temple and he sees all these things and what's the first words that come out of isaiah's mouth and i said woe is me he realized that what i am and he had been prophesying that was chapter six he'd already prophesied in the name of the lord and done some things but when he saw god when he realized his need then he began to cry out woe is me that's the poor in spirit but it didn't stop there he said i'm a man of unclean lips i'm a person of of unclean hands i need to repent in other words and he began to mourn you see godly sorrow the bible teaches us works repentance to salvation so it starts out yes understanding our depravity and what we need from god but not only stopping there but doing something about it turning to god and crying out to him crying out to him repenting of those sins and turning to jesus christ i'm thankful there is a source for the troubled soul i'm thankful if you're in that place he doesn't just leave you there to cry out and to wallow in pity and wish i wish we could do better and those kind of things but when we mourn over sin the lord is ready to step in and strengthen us the psalmist talks about god's comfort he said this his anger endures for a moment but in his favor is life weeping endures for a night but joy comes in the morning yeah there are some weeping there's some crying out when we realize that we need him and we realize our failures and we realize that we're never going to measure up to what we see what what isaiah saw or what we know of jesus christ but when we mourn and we seek him there's a joy that is coming that's why he said blessed are they happy are they that mourn and here's why he said and here's why because when you mourn you will be comforted you will be comforted that's an an interesting word also when you look at it because that word comfort there is the same word that john uses when jesus is talking in john's letter well he said i'll come again to you i will not leave you comfortless but when he the comforter will come and john makes it clear this spake he of the holy ghost you mourn and you cry out and you repent of those sins and you come approaching humbly before god there's a promise yes you're going to be comforted he's going to pour his spirit out on your life he's going to turn you around those who mourn their sinful state are promised the comfort of the spirit that paraclete that one that is called alongside to help and to lift them from their spare and give them unspeakable joy aren't you thankful for the promises of god's word i'm thankful you may feel that way this morning i could never be one of them or i could never do that or i couldn't ever live for the way i see some people doing you know what you come with the right spirit and you come humbly before god you let that get in your spirit and say cry out to him lord i need you he'll say you know what i'm ready to step in and help i'm ready to lift you up from that despair bring you out of that this next one we we sometimes look at and it's it's a word that is often misunderstood and misinterpreted

jesus commanded this or told them this he said blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the work the earth clearly jesus was not recommending cowardice or weakness we think of that as meekness sometimes you know mika's a mouse somebody just quiet and doesn't want to say anything and doesn't want to step on anybody's toes and they're they're introverted and don't whatever he's that's not what he's talking about the true greatness of a person is often measured by his ability to bear opposition and insults and meekness toward god is that disposition of spirit in which we accept his dealings with us as good and therefore we re dispute without dispute or resisting what god wants to do you see meekness is not weakness but it is controlling or bridling our strength and submitting it to his will i once heard brother gurley tell about a situation where he was he he actually was out with some policemen who had were training some of their canines and they had a doberman with them and they they wanted to show him something and he said they took this dog and they set it on a line and told it sit and the dog sat down and they threw something out there in front of it that really you know hair bristled on this dog's neck he said he watched and that dog was just shaking it was so anxious to go after what was out there and it did not move until they finally said go that dog ran out there and grabbed that thing and just tore it up but what he was saying was he was able to just control that desire and that strength you know we talk about meekness it's it's when our flesh says i want to go this way and god's word says you're not going that way and everything within you says but i want to lash out or i want to do this and yet we turn and walk away why because the spirit of god has worked that's meekness i think we need to understand it it's not saying well i just have to be a pushover on the other hand i want to be a pushover when it comes word of god he says okay submitting yourselves unto him that's what that meekness isn't about it stems from trust in god's goodness and god's control over this situation proverbs solomon said it this way trust in the lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding in all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy path that's meekness why can't you do this and why can't you look because i don't want to i want to please the lord god almighty that's meekness the tremendous meekness power of that is visible in its reward the meek shall the bible says inherit the earth now here i'm sure that those jews read that and they it may have referred to land and in particular the land of canaan we're going to possess the land but that was more than that he was speaking of a spiritual blessing canaan was then a type of heaven and a symbolic of the blessing that awaits for those that are meek looking ahead you can observe a progression in these three beatitudes to be poor in spirit as we said is to show that right attitude about sin to mourn shows the sorrow over the condition of our soul and genuine meekness comes from realizing our need for god and submitting to his plan and his purpose for our lives amen those three right there will get us into where god wants us to be will put us in a right standing with him but i'm thankful he doesn't stop there

he said the fourth one is a wonderful promise he said blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled happy are they that hunger and thirst i'm thankful he added that for righteousness after righteousness because when i'm hungry and thirsty i'm not happy you probably aren't either right in fact we've turned it around we use the word hangry now i'm so hungry i'm angry many people are like the prodigal son who went to a far country and wasted everything in spiritually destitute they try to find satisfaction in the things of the world and they look for those things in in sports or in lust or alcohol or drugs or turn to other kinds of things and like and like that prodigal begged for what the swine got and no one would give him anything no one would care but i'm here to tell you someone does care god said if you'll hunger and thirst after the things that i have if you'll hunger and thirst after righteousness you shall be filled the psalmist wrote this in 107 and eight he said oh that men would praise the lord for his goodness for his wonderful works to the children of men and here's why for he satisfieth the longing soul and fill us the hungry soul with goodness the prophet isaiah declared in 55 and 1 ho everyone that thirsteth come eat of the waters and he that hath no money come ye buy and eat yay come buy wine milk without money and without price the cry of the spirit at the end of the book in revelation 22 and 17 is in the spirit and the bride say come let him that heareth say come and let him that is a thirst come and whosoever will let him take of the water of life freely if you hunger if you thirst after his righteousness if you're reaching for him i'm thankful to tell you today the promise is he will not disappoint you amen if you thirst after his righteousness paul said it this way we can be found in him not having our own righteousness which is of the law but that which is through the faith of christ and the righteousness which is of god by faith if you search after righteousness that doesn't mean you're trying to live perfectly because you want to show god that you can do it doesn't mean you have to buy your way or work your way into heaven but when you hunger and thirst lord i need you i need your covering i need your righteousness i need you to cover me and to wrap me in your robes and jesus promised those hungering and thirsting after righteousness would be filled filled with what filled with the fullness of god can i tell you today if you will hunger and thirst after the thing is of god he will not disappoint you peter said it this way may grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of our lord god of god and our lord jesus christ according as his divine power he's given unto us all things that pertain into life and godliness through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue he said you hunger and thirst of it you know what he's given it to you whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises but thy these you might be takers of the divine nature escape the corruption that is in the world god will never reject those who hunger after him are you hungry this morning are you hungry do you want those things of god in your life he said you hunger and thirst after it and i will be there then he begins to talk about mercy there are those unfortunately even in christian ranks sometimes who judge one another extreme cruelty harshest manner in fact some people you know bless god you live that way that was a choice you made you made your bed you lay in it you do this you and we're so quick sometimes to judge

but jesus said give mercy show mercy blessed happy are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy jesus came into this world he came into a world of darkness and hate and you could literally and we saw this in jesus ministry they drug a woman caught in adultery and demand her death jesus what are you going to do the law says stoner got rocks in their hands you ready to go that was the attitude ready to judge ready to judge someone else particularly in jesus day with the pharisees who had had everything down as close as they could get it to perfection and living for god and everybody else you know if you're not doing this you're wrong and you're not doing that you're a sinner if you're not bless god you're going to hell we've got to be careful and against that kind of a backdrop jesus said you know what show mercy calvary is the greatest expression of mercy ever known because the bible says at calvary at the cross mercy and truth are met together righteousness and peace have kissed each other mercy is god reaching to us tolerating not destroying us if you will grace is reaching out to us and giving us strength grace is that unmerited faith but mercy is what prevents god from destroying a sinful life jesus told a story about mercy another parable in matthew chapter 18. we've heard the story many times a servant that owed a whole huge sum of money ten thousand talents and he comes before the king the king says you know what i'm not going to charge you i'm just going to write that debt off you don't have to worry about it man i don't pay that mortgage it's gone and then he goes out to somebody that ain't owed him just a few dollars a few pence few whatever grabs him by the throat you owe me money he received great mercy and yet was not willing to share mercy with someone else and when we look at our lives think of the mercy that god has shown you think how he reached down to where you were think of the things that you were involved in or things that you things in your life times you went astray times i did wrong and yet god showed his mercy to me and am i going to be ready to judge somebody else and say you need show mercy show mercy if the parable teaches anything it teaches us that we have been forgiven of sin must freely forgive others our sins are were incalculably great but god forgave them all and yet we want to hold a grudge or unforgiveness in our heart against something somebody said about you it's no wonder the reward of mercy is what mercy you show mercy you'll have mercy flip side of that you don't show mercy you're not going to have mercy either because when the servant just when the man grabbed the other guy by the throat the king heard about and said i gave you a for forgave you a big debt now you're turning around over this and he threw him in prison said you're not getting out till it's paid sounds like a life sentence to me having received the good things of god we must share that mercy and that love with our fellow man you know a judgmental christian is the worst offender of the gospel be merciful jesus next pronounced those happy who were pure in heart that purity is not just outward trappings of what we consider holiness but it is the inner life in our heart how strongly our lord felt about this can be seen in his rebuke to the scribes and pharisees outward they look good but he said you look like a whited sepulcher a tomb all looks pretty it's memorial day they got it all dressed up and flowers and mowed and everything looks real good but we know what's inside dead man's bones and so he looked at them and he said that's what you're like but

blessed are the pure in heart jesus spoke plainly he talked about some things if in fact if you do read through the rest of this he talks about about some things if you say you kill you said bible says thou shalt not kill and you probably won't go kill somebody but if you speak wrongly about you can kill him with your words he said it says do not commit adultery but if you're lusting over that you're you're committing adultery in your heart he said so he speaks most of these beatitudes you can find applications for them if you read through the rest of the sermon there he spoke plainly and he talked about the days of his return he said it's going to be like the days of noah he said god saw the wickedness of man was great here's why it was great every imagination of thoughts of his heart was on evil continually what does he say elsewhere we're out of the abundance of the heart man speaks so it starts here you've got to have that purity of heart now i'm thankful you can't get that by yourself but he promises it to us right he told ezekiel he said then i will sprinkle clean water upon you and you shall be clean from all your filthiness and your idols and i will cleanse you a new heart will i give you a new spirit will i put within you and i will take away this stony heart out of your flesh and i will give you a heart of flesh and i will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and you shall keep my judgments and do them notice there was an eye there but it wasn't this eye it was that eye there's another eye in the book of isaiah where satan is talking he said i will be like the most high i'm going to ascend to the throne i'm that's some people's attitude but here god is saying i'll put the new heart i'll give you the new spirit i'm thankful the work that god does in our life and a fully cleansed heart only results from a new birth that change that takes place through that repentance of sin baptism in jesus name the remission of sins being filled with the holy ghost even david in the old testament recognized that need for a clean heart and a renewed spirit created me a clean heart oh god what he was saying is i can't do this on my own god you have to do it create that clean heart in me and renew that right spirit within me and the promise is for they shall see god be sure that just means more than just seeing god because everyone will eventually see god we're going to see him some some will see him as a god of love and others are going to see him as a god of judgment but the jews understood this expression to mean a special blessing in fact it's interesting in numbers 623 god instructs aaron and his sons in how to pray for the children of israel and here's how he said here's how you should bless them say this to them the lord bless thee and keep thee the lord make his face shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee the lord lift up his countenance upon thee and give thee peace in other words seeing god right the lord is going to make his face shine upon you what promises there are to those who see god of course we understand now the promise also looks forward to the day when we see jesus face to face and the bible says when we see him we will be like him amen it's a promise that we have from the word of god blessed are pure in heart for they shall see god

then he says this blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of god the gospel of jesus christ as a gospel of peace peace is probably one of the greatest blessings we have when we obey the gospel when we're born again something strange something wonderful takes place through no goodness of our own to nothing that we have done we sense the guilt and the shame of those sins gone that load lifted in a glorious revelation when we understand that we're at peace with our god jesus said notice he said blessed are the peacemakers no says he did not say blessed are those who have found peace he said you're blessed when you make peace we will resemble god our heavenly father the most when we let his love flow out past the bread and touch others peacemakers now i don't think he meant here just going around well these two are in an argument so i'm going to help settle it no that's not what he's talking about what he's talking about is bringing people into peace with god in peace with god helping them find peace with god because the bible talks about when we're away from god or before we come to god the bible says we are literally at enmity in other words we're enemies with god but he said it is our job to bring them into peace let me read this to you and this i'm going to read this from the bible in basic english translation second corinthians 5 17-20 so if any man is in christ he is in a new world the old things have come to the end and they have truly become new but all things are of god who has made us at peace king james used the word reconciled us there he has made us at peace with himself through christ and he has given to us the work of making peace that is that god was in christ making peace between the world and himself not putting their sins to account and he has given to us the preaching of this news of peace so we are the representatives or ambassadors if you will of christ as if god was making a request to you through us we make our request to you in the name of christ be at peace with god in other words it is our duty our responsibility to help someone else find that peace with god blessed are the peacemakers i think that helps sum up what this other thing is all about right go out and help somebody else find peace they're looking for peace they're looking through in all kinds of situations and looking through it in all kinds of different ways different attitudes different avenues but to have peace with god we've got the answer come before him and let god change your life we could go on he talks that we're out of time here but he talks about persecution theirs is the kingdom of heaven talks about the different things that are going to happen there

but let me end with one one thought the end of this sermon and we're not going to get there but the end of chapter 7 jesus gives a parable and we know it very familiar talks about those that build their house on a rock and those that build their house on sand the only difference between the two they both heard the word of god but the one that built on the rock did the word of god

i encourage you today do the things that we've studied about do become a peacemaker to those around you do seek a pure heart do seek after his righteousness do come to him with the right attitude in humility he said because that is what's going to make the difference in your life i mean let's stand this morning in not only your life but in the difference of the lives of others i don't know which one of these beatitudes hit you the hardest today which one really spoke to you but whatever it is and that's that's between you and god why don't you just lift a hand and help ask him to help us in that area lord whatever it is lord if i need to walk humbly if i need lord to have that spirit of mourning that understanding if i need to be meek lord if i need to be more hungering and thirsting after the things of god if i need to be lord speaking peace to others lord if i need to work on that purity of heart thing lord letting you transform me whatever it is god i pray god that you would help us today lord to do those things to walk lord in the promises of your word and the things that you desire in jesus name thank you savior thank you savior amen well those are getting ready to join us we're going to take a break here for about 10 minutes you mean we're going to go into a morning worship time greet those that are around you amen let's fellowship a little bit you