You Choices Matter Series

Your Choices Matter... A Lot,

Like Eternally

QUESTION...

• Are you ready to dive into the living and active word of God this morning?

• Are you going to approach His word today with that are minds ready to listen and with hearts that are ready to respond?

• Do you believe that God’s word has the power to do something significant in this place, in our lives... this very day... March 26th the year of our Lord 2023?

OKAY – let’s do this.

NOW - today is kind of bittersweet for me...

YOU SEE - this morning after 38 weeks we are wrapping up our deep dive in the Sermon on the Mount, the greatest sermon ever preached by the greatest preacher who ever walked on this planet.

NOW - personally it has not only been one the most challenging, but also one of the most rewarding studies that I have ever done in God’s Word.

I have learned so much, during these 38 weeks.

MGCC – 2000 years ago on a hillside overlooking the Sea of Galilee Jesus painted a vivid picture of the kind of lives...

that those who follow after Him,

that those who dwell in His kingdom will live, LIVES THAT...

• are poor in spirit

• mourn over their sin

• are meek, show mercy, hunger and thirst after right living, endure persecution, are pure in heart and strive to bring about peace between people

• control their both their anger and lust, honor marriage and whose yes means yes and no means

• when wronged and offended... turn the other cheek, go the second mile, give the spare coat

• endure persecution (because of the God they love and the lives they live), and that love their enemies.

• Give and pray and fast not to be seen my others in order to win their approval, but instead give and pray and fast to be seen by God, in order to bring Him glory.

• Refuse to worry about tomorrow, that trust in their Father in heaven to meet their needs, and that seek first His Kingdom and His way of living.

• Are neither judgmental or hypocritical, but that love God enough and care about people enough to remove the plank from their own eyes so that can speak truth into the lives of others..

• are always asking, seeking, knocking... always praying for God’s help to live out the kingdom life, so that they will do ‘to’ and ‘for’ people all the things they want others to do ‘to’ and ‘for’ them.

MGCC – what a life that God has called us to live.

QUESTION... Does anyone here want to live that life? Does anyone believe that it is possible to make real progress in living this life even though we will never achieve perfection?

A.S.K. (Matthew 7:7-11) is a ‘progression-persistent-passionate prayer,’ fueled by the promise of God to empower His followers who pray this way, to live out the kingdom life.

A life that passionately and consistently, does to and for others, all the things that would want others to do to and for them (Matthew 7:12).

AND LISTEN – all of this unpacking and deep diving for 38 weeks has brought us to the conclusion of Jesus’ Kingdom Manifesto our conversation for this morning,

“Your Choices Matter... A Lot, Like Eternally”

NOW – I gotta be honest, like I need to warn you upfront that the way Jesus concludes His sermon is some pretty scary stuff.

Scary stuff that should cause each and every one of us to pause and reflect on our lives (what we believe and the way that we are living) in the light of eternity.

NOW - there are two responses that I fear I might get in response to these words of Jesus.

1. some people may hear these words of Jesus, and who should find them very... uncomfortable, troubling, terrifying... who won’t and instead will leave these words of Jesus this morning unmoved and unchanged.

2. And there may be others who hear these words of Jesus and who ‘should not be’ troubled and terrified, but who will, and will leave here in a panic about their salvation.

MGCC – what I am trying to say... is that I am afraid that

• some people, who ‘should’ leave this place worried about what they believe and how they are living will leave here without a care in the world.

• and others who ‘should not be’ worried about their salvation and eternity will leave this place terrified about where they stand with Jesus.

MGCC... it’s March 26th 2023...

And Jesus as He concludes His Kingdom Manifesto wants you to know that...

“Your Choices Matter... A Lot, Like Eternally”

Your what? Your choices

NOW – we modern day Americans really like to have a lot of options when we are making our choices, and listen there are a lot of options out there.