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Intro: the Sermon on the Mount is the initial teachings of Jesus Christ. Here we see Him give the foundations for the Christian life. As you view the different aspects of the beatitudes, you see they are revolutionary to the ways of the world.
INTRODUCTIONS TO THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
MATTHEW 5:1-12
1. 5:3—poor in spirit—a life of humility. The kingdom of heaven will be given to those who live in submission and subjection to Christ. It is the crucifying of pride, and self that Christ demands. Humility is a product of the Spirit of God, just as pride is a product of the flesh.
2. 5:4- those that mourn, for they will be comforted. Now when we think of mourning we generally associate it with loss. We are grieving over the loss of someone or something. But this mourning is different, in that it is a grieving over sin. A penitent spirit, a repentant heart. Jesus said, those that really mourned over their sins, had a true Godly sorrow would be comforted. This is the message of salvation.
3. 5:5- blessed are the meek, they shall inherit the earth. Another quality in the life of a Christian was that of a gentle spirit. Wise as serpents, but harmless as doves. This again is a fruit of the spirit. In our flesh or self life gentleness cannot be produced. We are full of strife, envy, hatred and malice. Jesus points to a different kind of spirit in operation in the lives of Christians.
4. 5:6- those that hunger and thirst after righteousness—Jesus shows that those of the kingdom of God will have a spiritual appetite. They will hunger and thirst after the things of God. His love, holiness, peace and joy are the pursuits of the believer. Jesus promises that those that will go after God will not be disappointed, they will be filled. Surely this is another promise of the empowering work of the Spirit of God that fills the life of a Christian.
5. 5:7—mercifulness is that ability to give what isn’t deserved. This is a quality of God, that His mercy endures forever. This new Christian community would operate in the gifts of mercy. They would love with God’s love and they would give mercy to those who didn’t even deserve it.
6. 5:8—purity of heart—another great attribute in the life of a Christian
would be a life of holiness before God. The believers would see God as they walked this life of purity. Their motives would be pure, their goals and desires would be right and God would bless them with Divine revelation. They would be a nation whose hearts were after God. And like Nathaniel, Israelites in whom there would be no guile.
7. 5:9—as the children of God they would be peacemakers. In a world of wars and rumors of wars, there would be a people that would promote peace through God. They would calm the storms of life with prayer and love given to those caught in the midst of turmoil and strife.
8. 5:10-12 the final quality of this Christian body would be the most difficult of all. They would rejoice in suffering. They would accept the rejection of the world, they would receive the insults of those who hated them, and instead of retaliation, they would rejoice that they could suffer for Christ. They would have that constant joy in their lives because of the knowledge that heaven was the reward of those who would be faithful to Christ.
Close: if we would be honest, it seems very difficult to even imagine arriving at this place. But Jesus didn’t give a pie in the sky description of some supersaints, but this was to be the norm in Christian living. So I guess it is safe to say, we all need more of Christ in our lives to achieve such a lofty place, and more of the Spirit of God working in our lives to have this type of testimony among the non-Christian community.
ntro: in most of our lifetimes we are witnesses to a few things that we would consider incredible. For me, one of the most incredible things I have ever witnessed took place at an open air meeting at the football stadium. A local pastor was moving a speaker that was setting on the top of a high scaffold. He tripped on some cords and fell off the scaffolding backwards, but flipped his body backwards and landed on his feet. There was a show called that’s incredible, and if I could have got that on film, it would have surely won first place. Today, I would like to title my message, That’s Incredible
THAT’S INCREDIBLE
LUKE 4:31-36
Background: What a word is this! If you have a KJV, it has an exclamation mark after these words. After people heard Jesus teach, after they heard Jesus pray, After they saw Jesus heal, after they saw Jesus cast out demons, they said, now that’s incredible. Today, we have the same incredible Jesus, with the same incredible word, and should operate in the same incredible power, and our world should be amazed, astonished, and this word should be contagious as it is spread throughout the land.
I. Astonished—v.32 The first thing that was incredible to people was his doctrine. The doctrines of Jesus Christ were different than the words of the scribes and Pharisees.
a. they weren’t just religious jargon—people hate to hear religious truisms. The religious people had a saying for every situation, but to the sinner, to the heathen of this world, they don’t want a religious word, they want a powerful doctrine.
b. His doctrines are powerful—today people want a doctrine of deliverance, they want a doctrine that is greater than their mountains, greater than their struggles, what a word is this!
c. Doctrines aren’t just letters on paper, but are quick and powerful, sharper than a two edged sword.
Ill) yesterday at the Todd and Summer’s Wedding,( L.B and Jeannie’s granddaughter) during the Pastoral prayer, I asked everyone at the wedding to stretch their hands to help pray blessings on the Bride and Groom. At the end of the prayer, as I looked at everyone in attendance, I could tell that some people were astonished. That someone could pray a blessing on another person was beyond some of their concepts.
II. Amazing—v.36—there is a song that says, there’s no other word for grace than amazing, but we can add, there’s no other word for Jesus than amazing. When Jesus shows up anywhere people leave amazed.
1. amazed that the devil declares that he will be destroyed in the end—if you read scriptures where demons are involved, they always declare that Jesus is Holy, Jesus is Mighty, and they know the end of the book.
2. amazed at his authority—the other day in Prattville, the governor addressed our group that was attending a Republican fund raiser. When he came to the microphone he spoke with authority. He didn’t say, now you need to listen to me because I am the governor, he just spoke and people listened. With Jesus, it’s a 100 times greater, because the governor has authority in Alabama, but Jesus has authority from above.
3. amazed at how quickly he defeated the devil—no struggle, no hassle, immediate deliverance.
Ill) years ago people named their children with virtuous names, joy, prudence, comfort. One boy had the name amazing, which he resented all of his life. He was teased a lot with the name amazing, to the point he gave his wife orders not to put his name on his tombstone. She followed his directions and put on his tombstone, here lies a man that was a faithful husband for 60 years. But he couldn’t even escape his name in death, because everyone who read his tombstone said, hey, that’s amazing.
III. That’s incredible—what a word is this! v.36
a. it’s incredible how weak religion is and how powerful Jesus is. The disciples struggled to cast out devils, but with Jesus, there never was any struggle with sin, sickness, demons or any other thing.
b. It’s incredible---how when Jesus is present, the multitudes show up to be with him. I believe it isn’t about who has the best program or plan, it is having the presence of Jesus in a place that makes a difference.
Ill) a lady said to me yesterday, I want to come to your church, I want to go somewhere where you can sense the presence of God and where people express praise and worship to the Lord.
c. it’s incredible how quickly the word can be spread ( 37)
every place—you can promote the church, you can use every media outlet known to man, but the best way to fill the house with people is to fill the house with God.
· Years ago a well known evangelist spoke at Central Bible College and was a guest teacher in an evangelism class. One question he was asked was, “ what is the best way to advertise your services from place to place to have a growing ministry.” His answer was profound, he said, “ the best way is to bring Jesus with you to every service, and when people find out you are bringing Jesus with you, then they will show up to see Jesus and not you.
Close: Jesus is astonishing, Jesus is amazing, Jesus is incredible.
In his word, in his power and in his authority. Today, if you want an incredible experience with God, let Jesus come into your heart.
A little boy was scheduled for heart surgery. When the surgeon talked with him before the operation, the little boy said, when you look at my heart, you will find Jesus in there. The surgeon just smiled. As he did the surgery he found the boys heart had so many complications, along with various other problems that the surgery was stopped. The surgeon wrote on his report, bad heart, other complications, patient terminally ill. The surgeon became mad at God and screamed out why? Why this little boy so full of faith and hope, why? Then a voice spoke to the surgeon, I am taking one sheep now. The surgeon responded, why? The lord spoke again, I am taking this precious sheep to be with me. The surgeon responded again, why this little boy. The lord responded, I am taking one sheep home now, so that I can take another sheep home later. The surgeon then accepted Christ into his heart. The little boy in a weaken state said to the surgeon, when you looked into my heart, what did you find? The surgeon responded, I found Jesus there.
