Core 52 Week 17 - Blessed Series

You can listen to the sermon on my podcast at: https://pastorlanny.buzzsprout.com/

Core 52 Week 18 - Blessedness

Intro:

• Happiness - perhaps difficult to experience right now.

• My happy/sad day yesterday.

• Not very important in the big scheme of things. More about circumstances than truly being happy.

• Core52 topic this week: blessedness from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.

• This is a good time for us to recalibrate our hearts and minds on what will truly make us happy.

• Read the passage:

Matthew 5:2–12 NLT

2 and he began to teach them. 3 “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. 4 God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth. 6 God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied. 7 God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. 9 God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. 10 God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. 11 “God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. 12 Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.

What Is a Blessing?

• We often use this word to describe a situation or outcome that we consider to be favorable to ourselves or someone else.

o Not wrong, but limited.

• Depending on translation, you may read “blessed” or “God blesses,” or even “happy.” All capture some of the meaning.

• One way to describe “blessedness” is to have an awareness that we have God’s favor and approval which will lead to favorable circumstances for us.

• These verses have a pattern to them that needs elaboration: (Using Matt. 5:3 as an example)

• First, the source of the blessing is God.

• Note second, the blessing (favor and approval) come to us when we demonstrate spiritual maturation in several areas.

• And third, the circumstantial element is the reward that we receive.

• The blessing is both now and later in the kingdom of heaven.

An Aggregate of OT Teaching

• Essentially, Jesus takes the moral and ethical teaching of the OT and aggregates it into this sermon.

• Passages like: (slides)

o Prov 16.19 (poor)

o Psa 37.11 (Humility)

o Amos 5.24 (righteousness)

o Prov. 22.11 (purity)

o Prov. 16.7 (peace)

• But it’s more than that. Jesus teaches them the value in this way of happiness:

Matthew 5:17 NLT

17 “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose.

• He taught them what a blessed life is and then told them in no uncertain terms that he would demonstrate it for them in his own actions.

Paradox of Happiness

• The paradox of the Beatitudes is that true happiness, contentment and sense of God’s favor don’t show up in the ways expect.

• In fact, just the opposite. But when we seek for blessedness, we’ll find it:

Matthew 6:33 NLT

33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

• When we seek the kind of blessedness that Jesus describes here we are being like Christ (christian = little Christ).

• We are completely engaged in our highest calling and purpose when we are:

o Humble, heartbroken over sin and rebellion, seeking after justice for others, when we show mercy, when we seek purity of thought and action, when we strive for peace, even when we are persecuted for doing the right thing.

Conclusion:

• We are blessed. Even in lockdown, without so many of the activities and patterns we are used to, we are blessed.

• The encouragement today is to seek God’s blessing as you grow and mature into the qualities of Jesus.