1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:06,380 You are listening to a sermon from Pastor Colin Smith of 2 00:00:06,380 –> 00:00:07,380 Open The Bible. 3 00:00:07,380 –> 00:00:13,720 To contact us call us at 1 877 Open 365 or visit our website 4 00:00:13,720 –> 00:00:17,320 openthebible.org Let’s get to the message. 5 00:00:17,320 –> 00:00:19,360 Here is Pastor Colin. 6 00:00:19,360 –> 00:00:24,280 Well folks it’s an absolute joy to be back in the pulpit today 7 00:00:24,280 –> 00:00:28,200 and to be beginning a new series which is going to be on the 8 00:00:28,200 –> 00:00:32,040 Beatitudes that have been read to us for Matthew chapter 5. 9 00:00:32,040 –> 00:00:35,119 You might like to open your bible there. 10 00:00:35,119 –> 00:00:37,480 Think of this these are the statements of 11 00:00:37,480 –> 00:00:41,080 the blessing of God that are given to us directly from the 12 00:00:41,080 –> 00:00:44,119 lips of the Son of God. 13 00:00:44,119 –> 00:00:45,919 Over these last weeks 14 00:00:45,919 –> 00:00:50,900 it’s been my privilege to really immerse myself in these words of 15 00:00:50,900 –> 00:00:54,799 Jesus and I have to tell you that they are having a profound 16 00:00:54,799 –> 00:00:56,959 effect on me. 17 00:00:57,000 –> 00:01:02,000 I have found them to be absolutely compelling. 18 00:01:02,000 –> 00:01:05,519 I mean think about it, here is the Son of God speaking about 19 00:01:05,519 –> 00:01:08,099 life under the blessing of God. 20 00:01:08,099 –> 00:01:11,620 Who doesn’t want to roll up a chair and listen to him speak 21 00:01:11,620 –> 00:01:13,459 about this. 22 00:01:13,459 –> 00:01:15,000 Everyone wants to be blessed. 23 00:01:15,000 –> 00:01:17,699 You want to be blessed in your life. 24 00:01:17,699 –> 00:01:20,459 You want to be blessed in your death. 25 00:01:20,459 –> 00:01:23,800 You certainly want to be blessed for all eternity and here the 26 00:01:23,839 –> 00:01:27,959 Son of God speaks to you and to me about the very thing that we 27 00:01:27,959 –> 00:01:31,400 seek after more than any other. 28 00:01:31,400 –> 00:01:33,639 The opposite of being blessed is what? 29 00:01:33,639 –> 00:01:35,660 It is to be cursed. 30 00:01:35,660 –> 00:01:37,559 Who wants that? 31 00:01:37,559 –> 00:01:39,800 Who wants that? 32 00:01:39,800 –> 00:01:44,639 But here the Son of God is speaking to us about a life and 33 00:01:44,639 –> 00:01:48,900 about people who are blessed. 34 00:01:49,839 –> 00:01:53,400 And as I’ve tried to immerse myself in this, I have found 35 00:01:53,400 –> 00:01:56,860 myself saying, I want to be very sure that I am one of 36 00:01:56,860 –> 00:01:59,500 these people that are blessed. 37 00:01:59,500 –> 00:02:03,820 I want to be stretching further in relation to pursuing this 38 00:02:03,820 –> 00:02:09,539 life that Jesus himself, the Son of God has pronounced to be 39 00:02:09,539 –> 00:02:11,059 blessed. 40 00:02:11,059 –> 00:02:14,300 I found the Beatitudes compelling not only because the 41 00:02:14,300 –> 00:02:17,820 Son of God speaks about blessing, but because as well as 42 00:02:17,820 –> 00:02:23,860 describing the blessed life, our Lord Jesus here actually 43 00:02:23,860 –> 00:02:27,320 gives us the way by which we pursue it. 44 00:02:27,320 –> 00:02:29,779 This, to me, has been the greatest and most exciting 45 00:02:29,779 –> 00:02:34,380 discovery of the year in my own life in the scriptures as it 46 00:02:34,380 –> 00:02:35,559 has come fresh to me. 47 00:02:35,559 –> 00:02:39,580 I want to show you beginning today, from the very words of 48 00:02:39,580 –> 00:02:44,339 Jesus, how you can make progress in the Christian life. 49 00:02:44,380 –> 00:02:47,580 If you are a follower of Jesus, you will probably know what it 50 00:02:47,580 –> 00:02:51,979 is at times in your Christian life to feel stuck, to get to a 51 00:02:51,979 –> 00:02:54,139 point where you say, well here I am, I’m a believer in the 52 00:02:54,139 –> 00:02:55,979 Lord Jesus Christ, I’m stuck. 53 00:02:55,979 –> 00:02:59,419 There seem to be some things that are beyond my reach. 54 00:02:59,419 –> 00:03:01,800 How can I get some momentum? 55 00:03:01,800 –> 00:03:06,580 How can I begin to move forward again? 56 00:03:06,580 –> 00:03:10,559 And I am finding that these beatitudes are not only 57 00:03:10,559 –> 00:03:15,339 powerful in my own life, but they are proving to be immensely 58 00:03:15,339 –> 00:03:18,339 useful in ministry to others. 59 00:03:18,339 –> 00:03:21,960 So if you think of some of the really practical questions that 60 00:03:21,960 –> 00:03:25,839 come up in the course of life, here’s someone who says, oh 61 00:03:25,839 –> 00:03:29,160 there’s so much impurity in my heart and I want to be pure, 62 00:03:29,160 –> 00:03:31,699 but how do I get there? 63 00:03:31,699 –> 00:03:35,360 How would you help that person? 64 00:03:35,440 –> 00:03:40,759 You’ve got a teenager at home and he or she is full of all 65 00:03:40,759 –> 00:03:45,080 kinds of tensions that are going on in the very course and 66 00:03:45,080 –> 00:03:47,580 stage of the development of their life and they’re 67 00:03:47,580 –> 00:03:50,660 bringing all that tension that’s inside of them into 68 00:03:50,660 –> 00:03:54,460 the home and we read here about blessed are the 69 00:03:54,460 –> 00:03:58,440 peacemakers who say, oh how would I get to a place? 70 00:03:58,440 –> 00:04:01,820 How would I help my son get to a place? 71 00:04:01,820 –> 00:04:04,720 My daughter get to a place where there is some greater 72 00:04:04,800 –> 00:04:08,919 peace within her so that she can bring peace with her 73 00:04:08,919 –> 00:04:12,539 in the home and elsewhere and not turmoil as so easily 74 00:04:12,539 –> 00:04:14,880 happens these are the real questions of life, 75 00:04:14,880 –> 00:04:18,660 they’re questions about how you get to the place that 76 00:04:18,660 –> 00:04:22,119 you want to be and we’re going to discover throughout 77 00:04:22,119 –> 00:04:25,619 these next weeks that in the Beatitudes our Lord Jesus 78 00:04:25,619 –> 00:04:30,600 Christ is speaking to us precisely about these things. 79 00:04:31,459 –> 00:04:33,880 So I find this absolutely compelling, 80 00:04:33,880 –> 00:04:37,540 I am finding these Beatitudes also to be 81 00:04:37,540 –> 00:04:40,359 profoundly searching, 82 00:04:41,799 –> 00:04:43,799 that I have tried to immerse myself in, 83 00:04:43,799 –> 00:04:48,059 in these scriptures, here is the life 84 00:04:49,179 –> 00:04:54,179 the person that the Son of God is pronouncing blessed. 85 00:04:56,459 –> 00:04:58,059 So then I must ask this question, 86 00:04:58,059 –> 00:05:00,019 is He then describing me? 87 00:05:00,019 –> 00:05:02,820 I read these verses, is this me? 88 00:05:04,339 –> 00:05:06,579 Am I displaying, and then what degree? 89 00:05:07,940 –> 00:05:09,779 The character of the person 90 00:05:09,779 –> 00:05:12,079 who the Son of God says is blessed. 91 00:05:13,459 –> 00:05:15,459 Because of course what matters ultimately 92 00:05:15,459 –> 00:05:17,140 is not that I think I’m blessed, 93 00:05:17,140 –> 00:05:19,059 or that I feel that I’m blessed, 94 00:05:19,059 –> 00:05:22,339 but that God himself pronounces me to be blessed. 95 00:05:22,339 –> 00:05:25,320 Because those who are blessed of God are blessed indeed. 96 00:05:25,320 –> 00:05:28,799 And Jesus here describes those who are blessed of God 97 00:05:30,779 –> 00:05:33,299 Third, I have found that these Beatitudes 98 00:05:33,299 –> 00:05:36,619 are leading me to worship because they are giving me 99 00:05:36,619 –> 00:05:39,380 glimpses of the Lord Jesus Christ himself. 100 00:05:39,380 –> 00:05:41,059 You see, here’s the amazing thing, 101 00:05:41,059 –> 00:05:43,519 the wonderful thing, that what you hear 102 00:05:43,519 –> 00:05:44,859 in the words of Jesus, 103 00:05:44,859 –> 00:05:47,160 you see in the life of Jesus. 104 00:05:48,260 –> 00:05:50,059 There is no disjuncture. 105 00:05:51,739 –> 00:05:56,200 You look at any other person you will meet in this world, 106 00:05:56,200 –> 00:05:58,260 you will see at some point a disjuncture 107 00:05:58,299 –> 00:06:00,059 between what is said and what is done. 108 00:06:00,059 –> 00:06:02,739 You will never see that disjuncture in Jesus. 109 00:06:03,940 –> 00:06:07,339 And everything that he pronounces here in these Beatitudes, 110 00:06:07,339 –> 00:06:10,640 Jesus Christ practices what he preaches. 111 00:06:12,079 –> 00:06:14,140 And so, meditating on these Beatitudes 112 00:06:14,140 –> 00:06:16,519 is leading me to worship as I see these things 113 00:06:16,519 –> 00:06:17,880 in the life of Jesus 114 00:06:17,880 –> 00:06:20,540 and see more clearly and with fresh glimpses 115 00:06:20,540 –> 00:06:22,640 his glory and his beauty. 116 00:06:24,579 –> 00:06:27,519 Worship happens when we get a glimpse of the Son of God. 117 00:06:27,940 –> 00:06:29,720 And so, we’re gonna’ be looking for glimpses 118 00:06:29,720 –> 00:06:32,779 of the Son of God all the way through this series 119 00:06:32,779 –> 00:06:36,000 in these weeks that lie ahead of us. 120 00:06:36,000 –> 00:06:37,559 So that’s where we’re headed 121 00:06:37,559 –> 00:06:40,760 and I could not be more grateful for the privilege 122 00:06:40,760 –> 00:06:43,600 or excited about the opportunity. 123 00:06:43,600 –> 00:06:46,540 Now, today is an introduction to the series. 124 00:06:46,540 –> 00:06:50,839 I want us to become familiar with the Beatitudes as a whole 125 00:06:50,839 –> 00:06:53,779 and then we’ll be moving through them in particular. 126 00:06:53,820 –> 00:06:57,880 And today, I especially want us to grasp 127 00:06:57,880 –> 00:07:01,279 how we are to use these Beatitudes 128 00:07:01,279 –> 00:07:04,220 to get the big picture as to how they are useful 129 00:07:04,220 –> 00:07:08,220 and how you can use them in your own life. 130 00:07:08,220 –> 00:07:10,760 It’s invariably a question as we come to the Word of God. 131 00:07:10,760 –> 00:07:12,899 Now, how am I to use this in the next week? 132 00:07:12,899 –> 00:07:15,040 Well, I want to answer that question 133 00:07:15,040 –> 00:07:17,100 in three ways this morning 134 00:07:17,100 –> 00:07:19,380 so that we have that framework in our minds 135 00:07:19,380 –> 00:07:20,640 as we move through the series. 136 00:07:20,640 –> 00:07:22,079 We’re constantly thinking 137 00:07:22,079 –> 00:07:23,660 about how we are to apply 138 00:07:23,660 –> 00:07:26,160 and to use these things in our lives. 139 00:07:26,160 –> 00:07:29,220 Now, I want to suggest that we use this first 140 00:07:29,220 –> 00:07:32,679 as a tool for discernment, 141 00:07:32,679 –> 00:07:36,399 a tool for discernment. 142 00:07:36,399 –> 00:07:38,279 Now, I want you to think with me 143 00:07:38,279 –> 00:07:40,440 for a moment about bird spotting. 144 00:07:41,299 –> 00:07:42,679 You go out with your binoculars. 145 00:07:42,679 –> 00:07:44,459 Some of you know a lot about this. 146 00:07:44,459 –> 00:07:45,600 I don’t know much about it, 147 00:07:45,600 –> 00:07:48,559 but enough to use the illustration. 148 00:07:48,559 –> 00:07:50,600 You go out with your binoculars, 149 00:07:51,420 –> 00:07:56,239 and you’re looking to spot a few feathered friends. 150 00:07:56,239 –> 00:07:59,160 You look towards some trees, 151 00:07:59,160 –> 00:08:02,000 and there you see an American goldfinch. 152 00:08:03,079 –> 00:08:06,160 Now, how do you know that it is an American goldfinch? 153 00:08:06,160 –> 00:08:07,299 The answer is you know 154 00:08:07,299 –> 00:08:10,739 because of its distinctive yellow color. 155 00:08:11,880 –> 00:08:13,480 You walk along the river, 156 00:08:13,480 –> 00:08:17,220 and you see a spotted sandpiper. 157 00:08:17,220 –> 00:08:20,279 How do you know that this is a spotted sandpiper? 158 00:08:20,799 –> 00:08:23,279 Well, it’s got very distinctive spots. 159 00:08:24,119 –> 00:08:26,880 The point here is a very simple one. 160 00:08:26,880 –> 00:08:31,660 Birds are known by their distinguishing marks. 161 00:08:31,660 –> 00:08:35,840 That’s how you know one breed from another. 162 00:08:35,840 –> 00:08:40,640 Question, what then are the distinguishing marks 163 00:08:40,640 –> 00:08:42,119 of a true Christian? 164 00:08:43,380 –> 00:08:47,419 How would you know a Christian if you were to spot one? 165 00:08:47,419 –> 00:08:50,159 You say, oh, that’s really a Christian. 166 00:08:50,200 –> 00:08:52,320 I know by the distinguishing marks. 167 00:08:53,460 –> 00:08:55,380 Or to put this more personally, 168 00:08:55,380 –> 00:08:58,020 because why should we always be thinking about others? 169 00:08:58,020 –> 00:09:03,020 How can I know that I am a true Christian and not a fake? 170 00:09:03,619 –> 00:09:05,280 That’s a question worth asking. 171 00:09:06,599 –> 00:09:09,880 What are the distinguishing marks of a true child of God? 172 00:09:09,880 –> 00:09:11,919 Now, let’s think about this together for a moment. 173 00:09:11,919 –> 00:09:13,880 How would you answer that question? 174 00:09:13,880 –> 00:09:15,419 Well, you see, someone might say, 175 00:09:15,419 –> 00:09:18,440 well, I would know that a person is a Christian 176 00:09:18,440 –> 00:09:19,859 by what they believe. 177 00:09:21,059 –> 00:09:22,599 That’s a good answer. 178 00:09:23,580 –> 00:09:26,340 God has revealed certain truths in the Scripture. 179 00:09:26,340 –> 00:09:28,219 And if a person does not believe them, 180 00:09:28,219 –> 00:09:30,219 they cannot be a Christian. 181 00:09:31,380 –> 00:09:33,200 As a test of truth, Jesus says, 182 00:09:33,200 –> 00:09:36,059 unless you believe that I am He, 183 00:09:37,159 –> 00:09:38,460 you will die in your sins. 184 00:09:40,340 –> 00:09:41,799 Oh, if someone says that they’re a Christian, 185 00:09:41,799 –> 00:09:43,820 but they do not believe that Jesus is the Messiah 186 00:09:43,820 –> 00:09:44,659 and the Son of God, 187 00:09:44,659 –> 00:09:46,219 that cannot possibly be the case. 188 00:09:46,219 –> 00:09:47,919 Jesus says there are certain beliefs 189 00:09:47,919 –> 00:09:50,659 that are distinguishing marks of a Christian. 190 00:09:50,659 –> 00:09:52,559 The work of God is to believe 191 00:09:52,559 –> 00:09:54,359 in the Father who has sent me. 192 00:09:54,359 –> 00:09:55,520 There are certain beliefs 193 00:09:55,520 –> 00:09:57,979 without which a person cannot be a Christian. 194 00:09:57,979 –> 00:09:59,799 That, by the way, is why we have a statement of faith 195 00:09:59,799 –> 00:10:01,119 that’s part of church membership 196 00:10:01,119 –> 00:10:03,200 because there’s a test of truth. 197 00:10:03,200 –> 00:10:05,520 But remember this, that Jesus says 198 00:10:05,520 –> 00:10:08,820 that even the devils believe, James says, 199 00:10:08,820 –> 00:10:09,859 in the New Testament. 200 00:10:11,039 –> 00:10:13,960 Hell knows that Christ died for sins. 201 00:10:13,960 –> 00:10:15,200 It knows it to its own horror, 202 00:10:15,200 –> 00:10:16,679 but it knows it nonetheless. 203 00:10:17,599 –> 00:10:21,239 Hell knows that Jesus rose from the dead on the third day. 204 00:10:21,239 –> 00:10:22,979 Knows it to its own terror, 205 00:10:22,979 –> 00:10:26,559 but knows it to be truth nonetheless. 206 00:10:28,580 –> 00:10:30,820 And all of us have heard stories 207 00:10:30,820 –> 00:10:32,780 of people who have professed faith, 208 00:10:32,780 –> 00:10:34,280 who do profess faith, 209 00:10:34,280 –> 00:10:36,140 and then continue to live a life 210 00:10:36,140 –> 00:10:38,419 of indulging their sins of choice. 211 00:10:38,419 –> 00:10:40,219 That person is not a Christian. 212 00:10:40,219 –> 00:10:41,719 That person is a hypocrite. 213 00:10:41,719 –> 00:10:44,320 That’s the only word that could be used for that. 214 00:10:47,380 –> 00:10:49,280 So what a person believes then 215 00:10:49,280 –> 00:10:52,039 is a necessary mark of a Christian, 216 00:10:52,039 –> 00:10:54,380 but it is not a sufficient mark of a Christian. 217 00:10:56,080 –> 00:10:58,460 So how would you spot a true Christian? 218 00:11:00,159 –> 00:11:01,320 Well, someone might say, 219 00:11:01,320 –> 00:11:03,119 well, I would know that a person 220 00:11:03,119 –> 00:11:06,760 is a Christian by what they do. 221 00:11:06,760 –> 00:11:09,260 It’s not just saying what you believe that matters, 222 00:11:09,260 –> 00:11:11,119 of course it’s putting it into practice. 223 00:11:11,119 –> 00:11:14,520 And again, that is a good answer. 224 00:11:14,520 –> 00:11:16,179 Jesus says, 225 00:11:16,179 –> 00:11:18,179 the one who hears my words 226 00:11:18,179 –> 00:11:20,580 and to puts them into practice 227 00:11:21,500 –> 00:11:26,500 is like the wise man who builds his house on the rock. 228 00:11:27,520 –> 00:11:30,059 And yet you remember, 229 00:11:30,059 –> 00:11:31,659 you’ll see it just over a couple of pages 230 00:11:31,659 –> 00:11:33,700 if you want to turn in Matthew chapter seven, 231 00:11:33,700 –> 00:11:35,479 in verse 21, 232 00:11:35,479 –> 00:11:36,900 one of the most frightening verses 233 00:11:36,900 –> 00:11:38,140 in all of the New Testament. 234 00:11:38,140 –> 00:11:40,859 Jesus speaks quite clearly there 235 00:11:40,859 –> 00:11:43,500 about the last day when he will say to people, 236 00:11:43,500 –> 00:11:44,820 to certain people, 237 00:11:45,760 –> 00:11:50,539 depart from me, I never knew you. 238 00:11:51,840 –> 00:11:53,940 And the reason that this verse is, 239 00:11:53,940 –> 00:11:56,219 that verse is so frightening and so astonishing 240 00:11:56,219 –> 00:11:57,340 is that these people 241 00:11:57,340 –> 00:12:00,280 are evidently taken completely by surprise. 242 00:12:01,940 –> 00:12:03,840 They are taken by surprise 243 00:12:03,840 –> 00:12:05,340 because it never occurred to them 244 00:12:05,340 –> 00:12:07,500 that they might not actually be Christians. 245 00:12:08,979 –> 00:12:11,179 And furthermore because they were quite clearly 246 00:12:11,179 –> 00:12:13,599 actively engaged in ministry. 247 00:12:14,520 –> 00:12:16,799 And so they say to Jesus on the last day, 248 00:12:16,799 –> 00:12:19,119 did we not prophesy in your name? 249 00:12:19,119 –> 00:12:20,979 Did we not, listen to this, 250 00:12:20,979 –> 00:12:24,619 cast out demons in your name 251 00:12:24,619 –> 00:12:27,239 and do mighty works in your name? 252 00:12:27,239 –> 00:12:29,140 So these are impressive things 253 00:12:29,140 –> 00:12:31,200 that have been accomplished on earth 254 00:12:31,200 –> 00:12:33,039 in the name of the son of God 255 00:12:33,039 –> 00:12:35,500 by these people who were not Christians. 256 00:12:37,940 –> 00:12:41,679 And Jesus says depart from me, 257 00:12:41,679 –> 00:12:42,640 for I never knew you 258 00:12:42,679 –> 00:12:44,799 and they are completely astonished. 259 00:12:46,520 –> 00:12:48,400 So Jesus is making it clear here. 260 00:12:48,400 –> 00:12:49,820 Think about this with me, 261 00:12:51,239 –> 00:12:55,000 that preaching a sermon about Jesus, 262 00:12:55,960 –> 00:12:57,960 as I’m privileged to be doing right now, 263 00:13:00,179 –> 00:13:02,539 or bringing deliverance to other people 264 00:13:02,539 –> 00:13:04,640 in the name of Jesus, 265 00:13:06,739 –> 00:13:09,200 these things are not in themselves 266 00:13:09,200 –> 00:13:12,520 conclusive evidence that a person actually is a Christian. 267 00:13:12,640 –> 00:13:14,239 That’s what we’re learning here. 268 00:13:15,760 –> 00:13:17,719 So here’s what that means for me. 269 00:13:19,479 –> 00:13:24,479 It would be absolutely of no value whatsoever 270 00:13:24,719 –> 00:13:26,280 no value whatsoever, 271 00:13:26,280 –> 00:13:29,780 for me to stand in the presence of God on the last day 272 00:13:31,000 –> 00:13:32,719 and to say, Lord, 273 00:13:34,000 –> 00:13:35,820 I was the senior pastor 274 00:13:35,820 –> 00:13:39,840 of the Orchard Evangelical Free Church in Chicago. 275 00:13:40,359 –> 00:13:44,940 That would be of no value at all on the last day 276 00:13:47,400 –> 00:13:50,960 because that is not what He has pronounced blessed. 277 00:13:52,820 –> 00:13:55,280 What has He pronounced blessed? 278 00:13:56,599 –> 00:13:59,859 Blessed are the poor in spirit 279 00:14:01,260 –> 00:14:06,260 for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 280 00:14:06,619 –> 00:14:11,619 So this is very searching for all of us 281 00:14:13,799 –> 00:14:17,460 who may bide into position or experience 282 00:14:17,460 –> 00:14:19,559 around the danger of being presumptive. 283 00:14:22,179 –> 00:14:25,739 Jesus does not begin with a class 284 00:14:25,739 –> 00:14:27,539 on all the doctrines of the bible. 285 00:14:29,599 –> 00:14:31,359 He does not begin by saying, 286 00:14:31,400 –> 00:14:34,440 let’s get all of you guys involved in a ministry. 287 00:14:36,119 –> 00:14:37,159 He begins by saying, 288 00:14:37,159 –> 00:14:40,979 let me tell you what a person 289 00:14:40,979 –> 00:14:44,960 who lives under the blessing of God looks like, 290 00:14:46,900 –> 00:14:48,580 and by doing that, 291 00:14:49,659 –> 00:14:53,659 Jesus then is inviting us to measure ourselves, isn’t he? 292 00:14:55,260 –> 00:14:56,520 I read these Beatitudes. 293 00:14:56,520 –> 00:14:59,000 I have to ask, are these the things I am pursuing? 294 00:14:59,260 –> 00:15:01,700 I have to say to myself, now look, Colin, 295 00:15:01,700 –> 00:15:03,419 forget being a senior pastor, 296 00:15:04,859 –> 00:15:06,739 forget the fact that you’ve been a Christian 297 00:15:06,739 –> 00:15:09,780 for the best part of 50 years, 298 00:15:09,780 –> 00:15:11,380 you can look back on a decision. 299 00:15:11,380 –> 00:15:14,140 Here’s the question you have to look at, Colin, 300 00:15:14,140 –> 00:15:17,099 are these the things you are pursuing? 301 00:15:18,940 –> 00:15:20,619 Is there evidence of these things 302 00:15:20,619 –> 00:15:22,739 that is growing in your life? 303 00:15:24,380 –> 00:15:25,280 That’s searching. 304 00:15:27,059 –> 00:15:28,820 So I’m inviting you 305 00:15:28,840 –> 00:15:31,539 to open your heart with me 306 00:15:31,539 –> 00:15:33,979 to the searching gaze of Jesus in this series, 307 00:15:33,979 –> 00:15:36,400 let’s just look at these very briefly 308 00:15:36,400 –> 00:15:40,080 to get an orientation to where the searchlight shines. 309 00:15:40,080 –> 00:15:42,460 I’ll begin at verse nine and work backwards. 310 00:15:42,460 –> 00:15:45,340 Blessed are the peacemakers. 311 00:15:46,840 –> 00:15:49,059 So I have to ask, am I a person 312 00:15:49,059 –> 00:15:52,780 who’s bringing peace in the family, 313 00:15:53,780 –> 00:15:57,559 in my workplace, do people experience tension around me, 314 00:15:57,719 –> 00:16:01,719 is that what people say and what people experience? 315 00:16:01,719 –> 00:16:05,039 Does peace follow me because it lives in me? 316 00:16:06,380 –> 00:16:09,960 Or are other people experiencing tension from me 317 00:16:09,960 –> 00:16:12,260 because of the turmoil that is within me? 318 00:16:14,700 –> 00:16:17,219 Verse eight, blessed are the pure in heart. 319 00:16:17,219 –> 00:16:19,679 I have to ask the question, 320 00:16:19,679 –> 00:16:21,940 what is the condition of my heart? 321 00:16:21,940 –> 00:16:25,200 To what extent is it marked by purity 322 00:16:25,520 –> 00:16:30,099 and to what extent is this heart marked by impurity? 323 00:16:30,099 –> 00:16:35,099 Because blessed are the pure in heart. 324 00:16:37,000 –> 00:16:39,460 Verse seven, blessed are the merciful. 325 00:16:41,039 –> 00:16:43,940 How am I doing when it comes to this whole business 326 00:16:43,940 –> 00:16:45,380 of forgiving others? 327 00:16:45,380 –> 00:16:46,859 Am I quick to forgive? 328 00:16:47,960 –> 00:16:51,059 Am I merciful towards the weaknesses 329 00:16:51,059 –> 00:16:53,859 and the feelings of other people? 330 00:16:53,859 –> 00:16:55,820 As God is merciful to the many, 331 00:16:55,820 –> 00:16:58,960 many weaknesses and feelings that are in me? 332 00:17:01,640 –> 00:17:05,819 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. 333 00:17:05,819 –> 00:17:07,520 Does that describe you? 334 00:17:08,699 –> 00:17:10,660 Or have you become a casual Christian? 335 00:17:12,839 –> 00:17:14,540 I go a day without food. 336 00:17:16,119 –> 00:17:18,359 And at the end of it my stomach thinks 337 00:17:18,359 –> 00:17:20,000 my throat has been cut. 338 00:17:21,160 –> 00:17:23,219 One day without food. 339 00:17:23,900 –> 00:17:27,599 And you know a great how I do anything for a beef sandwich. 340 00:17:28,719 –> 00:17:31,380 Is that how you were feeling on a day-to-day basis 341 00:17:31,380 –> 00:17:32,900 about the pursuit of righteousness? 342 00:17:32,900 –> 00:17:34,300 I’d do anything for that. 343 00:17:35,300 –> 00:17:36,500 Any cost. 344 00:17:37,660 –> 00:17:39,219 Just get me to what is right. 345 00:17:39,219 –> 00:17:40,760 Whatever the difficulties involved, 346 00:17:40,760 –> 00:17:42,359 let me do what is right. 347 00:17:42,359 –> 00:17:47,359 Because I glory in the righteous One who is Jesus Christ. 348 00:17:48,439 –> 00:17:51,680 And I want to pursue everything that is a reflection of Him. 349 00:17:51,719 –> 00:17:54,579 And I want to be more and more like Him. 350 00:17:56,000 –> 00:17:58,920 Ask yourself as you read Jesus’s 351 00:17:58,920 –> 00:18:00,760 description of the blessed person. 352 00:18:00,760 –> 00:18:02,739 Is He describing me? 353 00:18:05,719 –> 00:18:08,819 Am I submitting myself to the will of God 354 00:18:08,819 –> 00:18:10,800 even when it is difficult? 355 00:18:10,800 –> 00:18:12,760 By the way, that’s what’s meant by meekness 356 00:18:12,760 –> 00:18:14,079 as we’ll see later. 357 00:18:16,660 –> 00:18:18,760 Am I mourning over my sins so 358 00:18:18,760 –> 00:18:21,959 that I’m beginning to hate what I used to love 359 00:18:21,959 –> 00:18:25,439 and I’m learning to despise what I used to choose? 360 00:18:25,439 –> 00:18:26,380 Is that happening? 361 00:18:28,739 –> 00:18:32,119 And do I recognize that when I have done all, 362 00:18:32,119 –> 00:18:35,199 I have nothing to offer God but come 363 00:18:35,199 –> 00:18:38,400 before Him handing on the mercy of Christ 364 00:18:38,400 –> 00:18:41,040 still at the end as at the beginning 365 00:18:41,040 –> 00:18:42,839 an undeserving sinner? 366 00:18:44,859 –> 00:18:46,579 That person is blessed, 367 00:18:47,579 –> 00:18:48,699 says Jesus. 368 00:18:50,739 –> 00:18:52,359 Now friends, before we go further, 369 00:18:52,359 –> 00:18:53,680 I need to pause for a moment 370 00:18:53,680 –> 00:18:55,979 and to make one thing very clear 371 00:18:55,979 –> 00:18:57,560 and this is very important. 372 00:18:58,719 –> 00:19:01,300 The Beatitudes are not telling us 373 00:19:01,300 –> 00:19:04,180 how to become Christians. 374 00:19:04,180 –> 00:19:06,060 The Beatitudes are telling us 375 00:19:06,060 –> 00:19:10,140 what true Christians look like. 376 00:19:10,140 –> 00:19:12,939 That is a very important distinction 377 00:19:12,939 –> 00:19:15,140 and I want to get that clear in my mind. 378 00:19:15,140 –> 00:19:16,439 We’ll no doubt come back to it 379 00:19:17,180 –> 00:19:18,020 so that it’s reinforced 380 00:19:18,020 –> 00:19:19,760 but it is absolutely crucial 381 00:19:19,760 –> 00:19:22,239 that you will understand from the beginning 382 00:19:22,239 –> 00:19:24,520 what the Beatitudes are and what they are not. 383 00:19:24,520 –> 00:19:27,260 This is not telling you how to be saved. 384 00:19:27,260 –> 00:19:30,280 It is telling you what a saved person looks like. 385 00:19:30,280 –> 00:19:32,359 It is not telling you how to get to heaven. 386 00:19:32,359 –> 00:19:34,660 It tells you what a person on his way to heaven 387 00:19:34,660 –> 00:19:38,780 or her way to heaven actually looks like. 388 00:19:38,780 –> 00:19:41,479 The message of the Beatitudes is not to say, 389 00:19:41,479 –> 00:19:43,239 now look, if you just humble yourself 390 00:19:43,239 –> 00:19:44,459 and mourn over your sins 391 00:19:44,540 –> 00:19:45,939 and submit yourself meekly to God 392 00:19:45,939 –> 00:19:47,540 and get an appetite for righteousness, 393 00:19:47,540 –> 00:19:48,920 then you will go to heaven. 394 00:19:48,920 –> 00:19:50,660 This is not the way to get to heaven 395 00:19:50,660 –> 00:19:52,300 that Jesus is describing here. 396 00:19:52,300 –> 00:19:53,319 No, what is he saying? 397 00:19:53,319 –> 00:19:54,339 He’s saying this. 398 00:19:57,020 –> 00:20:00,040 Many people say they are Christians. 399 00:20:00,900 –> 00:20:03,699 I don’t know, what is it, 76% of our population, 400 00:20:03,699 –> 00:20:04,540 something like that? 401 00:20:04,540 –> 00:20:05,420 Probably more than that. 402 00:20:05,420 –> 00:20:07,979 A vast majority of Americans say they’re Christians. 403 00:20:09,880 –> 00:20:11,520 How do you know a real Christian? 404 00:20:12,479 –> 00:20:17,479 The church at its best is a mixed bag 405 00:20:19,500 –> 00:20:21,780 of people who one day will be in heaven 406 00:20:21,780 –> 00:20:23,500 and one day will not. 407 00:20:25,280 –> 00:20:27,020 How do you know which one are you? 408 00:20:28,540 –> 00:20:31,599 How do you distinguish the authentic from the fake? 409 00:20:32,959 –> 00:20:34,939 How do you distinguish a true believer 410 00:20:34,939 –> 00:20:38,699 for someone who’s just harking on about a vacuous decision 411 00:20:38,699 –> 00:20:40,260 that was made 25 years ago 412 00:20:40,420 –> 00:20:41,699 and never actually made any difference 413 00:20:41,699 –> 00:20:43,599 to the trajectory of their life? 414 00:20:45,140 –> 00:20:47,540 There’s an eternal difference between these two things. 415 00:20:47,540 –> 00:20:49,020 Gotta know the difference. 416 00:20:50,339 –> 00:20:53,619 And that’s precisely what Jesus is addressing here. 417 00:20:53,619 –> 00:20:55,900 The evidence that you are truly a Christian 418 00:20:55,900 –> 00:20:57,099 will be seen here, 419 00:20:57,099 –> 00:20:59,060 that you humble yourself before God, 420 00:20:59,060 –> 00:21:00,459 that you mourn over your sins, 421 00:21:00,459 –> 00:21:02,420 that you submit yourself meekly to God, 422 00:21:02,420 –> 00:21:04,260 that you have an appetite for righteousness 423 00:21:04,260 –> 00:21:06,099 and so forth and so on. 424 00:21:06,099 –> 00:21:08,339 You’ll hear me quote many times, I think, 425 00:21:08,339 –> 00:21:10,099 in this series from Thomas Watson, 426 00:21:11,060 –> 00:21:12,060 who has written, I think, 427 00:21:12,060 –> 00:21:14,119 the definitive book on the Beatitudes, 428 00:21:14,119 –> 00:21:16,920 profoundly helpful and full of rich treasures 429 00:21:16,920 –> 00:21:19,380 of insight from the Puritan era 430 00:21:19,380 –> 00:21:22,380 of the 17th Century and he says this, 431 00:21:22,380 –> 00:21:23,380 I found it so helpful, 432 00:21:23,380 –> 00:21:24,219 he says, 433 00:21:24,219 –> 00:21:27,060 if we do not imitate Christ’s life, 434 00:21:28,660 –> 00:21:30,339 we cannot be saved by his death. 435 00:21:32,699 –> 00:21:34,520 If we do not imitate his life, 436 00:21:36,420 –> 00:21:38,699 we cannot be saved by his death, 437 00:21:40,619 –> 00:21:42,760 now think about what he’s saying, 438 00:21:42,760 –> 00:21:44,359 Watson is not saying 439 00:21:44,359 –> 00:21:47,119 that we are saved by imitating Christ’s life, 440 00:21:48,020 –> 00:21:49,260 I know other people have said that, 441 00:21:49,260 –> 00:21:50,579 you will not find that in the Bible, 442 00:21:50,579 –> 00:21:54,380 we are not saved by imitating Christ’s life, 443 00:21:54,380 –> 00:21:55,339 how are we saved? 444 00:21:55,339 –> 00:21:58,359 We are saved by his death, 445 00:21:58,359 –> 00:22:00,739 that’s what Watson says right there in that quote, 446 00:22:00,739 –> 00:22:02,540 we’re saved by his death. 447 00:22:03,819 –> 00:22:06,939 The question is who is saved by his death, 448 00:22:06,939 –> 00:22:08,859 who is saved by his death? 449 00:22:08,859 –> 00:22:11,199 How would you know a person who is saved by his death? 450 00:22:11,199 –> 00:22:12,660 What are the distinguishing marks 451 00:22:12,660 –> 00:22:14,739 of a person who is saved by the death of Christ? 452 00:22:14,739 –> 00:22:19,520 Answer, it is the person who imitates his life, 453 00:22:22,000 –> 00:22:23,500 not the person who says, 454 00:22:23,500 –> 00:22:25,920 I believe in Jesus and his death and his resurrection 455 00:22:25,920 –> 00:22:28,579 and I’m continuing my own self-centered trajectory, 456 00:22:29,780 –> 00:22:30,959 that’s the hypocrite. 457 00:22:32,599 –> 00:22:35,479 That’s the person who one day will hear Jesus say, 458 00:22:35,479 –> 00:22:37,300 in the presence of the Father, 459 00:22:37,319 –> 00:22:39,040 depart from me, I never knew you. 460 00:22:39,040 –> 00:22:39,859 And that person will say, 461 00:22:39,859 –> 00:22:43,079 I was a member of the Orchard Evangelical Free Church, 462 00:22:43,079 –> 00:22:45,780 I taught in the Sunday school, I led a small group, 463 00:22:47,119 –> 00:22:49,319 I gave to this ministry and to that, 464 00:22:51,439 –> 00:22:55,239 depart from me, I never knew you. 465 00:22:57,439 –> 00:22:59,520 So by speaking these words, 466 00:22:59,520 –> 00:23:00,739 do you see this, friends? 467 00:23:00,739 –> 00:23:02,760 Jesus is inviting every one of us, 468 00:23:02,760 –> 00:23:04,599 beginning with the senior pastor, 469 00:23:04,599 –> 00:23:09,300 to examine ourselves, to measure ourselves, 470 00:23:10,780 –> 00:23:13,180 to see whether we be in the faith. 471 00:23:14,140 –> 00:23:16,040 Begins right today, around the Word 472 00:23:16,040 –> 00:23:17,959 and around the Lord’s table. 473 00:23:17,959 –> 00:23:19,920 Or we’re specifically called to do this. 474 00:23:22,000 –> 00:23:23,479 There are certain distinguishing marks 475 00:23:23,479 –> 00:23:25,680 that are seen in a person who is blessed, 476 00:23:25,680 –> 00:23:27,900 and here they are, blessed are the poor in spirit, 477 00:23:27,900 –> 00:23:29,459 blessed are those who mourn, 478 00:23:29,459 –> 00:23:31,439 and blessed are the meek. 479 00:23:31,540 –> 00:23:35,500 So use the beatitudes throughout these weeks 480 00:23:35,500 –> 00:23:39,500 as a tool for measuring your spiritual condition. 481 00:23:39,500 –> 00:23:42,140 You’ll find them driving you to Jesus Christ. 482 00:23:44,560 –> 00:23:46,420 And as we move through this series, 483 00:23:46,420 –> 00:23:48,560 there will be some who will discover 484 00:23:50,079 –> 00:23:53,599 that you are not yet truly a Christian. 485 00:23:55,939 –> 00:23:57,560 You will say, perhaps you have been in church 486 00:23:57,560 –> 00:23:58,959 for many years, you’ll say, 487 00:23:59,920 –> 00:24:04,920 if this is a Christian, I am not yet a Christian. 488 00:24:07,380 –> 00:24:09,540 And if the Holy Spirit should shine that light 489 00:24:09,540 –> 00:24:11,680 into your heart, it will be the greatest blessing 490 00:24:11,680 –> 00:24:13,839 that has come into your life to this point. 491 00:24:15,959 –> 00:24:20,739 Because only when you know that you are not yet Christ’s 492 00:24:20,739 –> 00:24:24,160 are you in a position, truly, to come to Christ 493 00:24:25,140 –> 00:24:27,920 and to receive the life that is in him 494 00:24:27,920 –> 00:24:31,979 and begin the pursuit of following him. 495 00:24:33,260 –> 00:24:35,000 And I will tell you honestly folks, 496 00:24:35,000 –> 00:24:36,719 all over this congregation 497 00:24:36,719 –> 00:24:39,760 and all over the other congregations of the Orchard, 498 00:24:39,760 –> 00:24:43,180 you will find scorers and scorers and scorers 499 00:24:43,180 –> 00:24:44,400 and scores of people 500 00:24:45,119 –> 00:24:47,439 who will say something to you like this, 501 00:24:47,439 –> 00:24:50,160 I used to think that I was a Christian. 502 00:24:51,560 –> 00:24:52,380 I always did. 503 00:24:54,160 –> 00:24:55,880 And I was basically a model person 504 00:24:55,880 –> 00:24:57,420 and I attended the Church 505 00:24:57,420 –> 00:25:00,500 and then I started listening to the word of God. 506 00:25:02,520 –> 00:25:04,479 And I listened to the words of Jesus 507 00:25:04,479 –> 00:25:05,619 and I discovered 508 00:25:06,540 –> 00:25:09,760 that what Jesus is describing was not true of me. 509 00:25:09,760 –> 00:25:13,239 If this a Christian, I am not yet a Christian. 510 00:25:15,319 –> 00:25:16,400 And I say to you again, 511 00:25:16,400 –> 00:25:19,239 if that should happen to you in the mercy of God, 512 00:25:19,239 –> 00:25:21,920 you will thank him for the rest of your life 513 00:25:21,920 –> 00:25:24,079 and you will thank him for all eternity 514 00:25:24,359 –> 00:25:28,079 if it becomes the means of you truly embracing Christ 515 00:25:28,079 –> 00:25:32,579 and beginning a life that is found in him. 516 00:25:34,199 –> 00:25:35,839 So, here’s the great thing 517 00:25:35,839 –> 00:25:38,040 that I want us to go after week after week 518 00:25:38,040 –> 00:25:40,500 we’re gonna be measuring ourselves, 519 00:25:40,500 –> 00:25:42,540 our own spiritual condition, 520 00:25:42,540 –> 00:25:44,439 where we are before God 521 00:25:44,439 –> 00:25:47,420 in the light of these Beatitudes. 522 00:25:47,420 –> 00:25:48,780 Second, 523 00:25:48,780 –> 00:25:50,680 I want to encourage you through this series 524 00:25:51,020 –> 00:25:55,839 to use these Beatitudes as a key to progress, 525 00:25:55,839 –> 00:25:58,199 a key to progress. 526 00:25:58,199 –> 00:25:59,219 I want you to see today 527 00:25:59,219 –> 00:26:03,079 that there is a definite order in the Beatitudes 528 00:26:03,079 –> 00:26:05,199 and from that order, 529 00:26:05,199 –> 00:26:10,199 we discover how to grow in the Christian life. 530 00:26:10,660 –> 00:26:13,060 Each of these virtues that is mentioned here 531 00:26:13,060 –> 00:26:15,800 flows from the one that went before. 532 00:26:15,800 –> 00:26:18,800 And let me give you a kind of overview of these. 533 00:26:18,800 –> 00:26:22,839 The first three Beatitudes really deal with our need. 534 00:26:24,280 –> 00:26:25,640 We are poor in spirit 535 00:26:25,640 –> 00:26:28,300 because we know that we do not have what it takes 536 00:26:28,300 –> 00:26:30,060 to live as God demands. 537 00:26:31,020 –> 00:26:34,099 We mourn because as God’s light is shining into our lives, 538 00:26:34,099 –> 00:26:35,939 we see that our sins are many. 539 00:26:35,939 –> 00:26:37,819 In fact, the mark of a growing Christian 540 00:26:37,819 –> 00:26:41,000 is that he or she sees more sins in their lives 541 00:26:41,000 –> 00:26:42,500 than they did before. 542 00:26:42,500 –> 00:26:43,859 Not because there are more, 543 00:26:43,859 –> 00:26:46,079 but because they see better. 544 00:26:47,060 –> 00:26:50,439 We become meek rather than self-willed 545 00:26:50,439 –> 00:26:52,199 and defiant and rebellious 546 00:26:52,199 –> 00:26:54,719 because we know that we don’t have the ability 547 00:26:54,719 –> 00:26:56,739 to guid our own lives wisely 548 00:26:56,739 –> 00:26:58,880 and that however difficult it is, 549 00:26:58,880 –> 00:27:00,180 the only way for me to go 550 00:27:00,180 –> 00:27:04,420 is to submit myself to the perfect will of God. 551 00:27:04,420 –> 00:27:07,640 I’m going to describe these first three Beatitudes 552 00:27:07,640 –> 00:27:10,719 that all relate to our need. 553 00:27:10,719 –> 00:27:12,680 We need to be humbled, need to repent, 554 00:27:12,680 –> 00:27:15,540 need to submit to the will of God. 555 00:27:15,579 –> 00:27:20,579 I’m going to describe these as the roots of a godly life. 556 00:27:21,300 –> 00:27:23,219 Everything grows from that. 557 00:27:23,219 –> 00:27:24,579 Everything grows from that. 558 00:27:26,300 –> 00:27:28,900 Out of that comes the fourth Beatitude. 559 00:27:30,300 –> 00:27:31,739 What is the fourth Beatitude? 560 00:27:31,739 –> 00:27:34,979 It is a deep longing for what we do not have, 561 00:27:34,979 –> 00:27:38,280 a hunger and a thirst for righteousness, 562 00:27:38,280 –> 00:27:42,319 a desire to be like Christ, who is the righteous one. 563 00:27:43,119 –> 00:27:46,260 Out of my humbling and out of my deepening repentance 564 00:27:46,260 –> 00:27:48,239 and out of my submission to the will of God 565 00:27:48,239 –> 00:27:49,500 comes this great longing. 566 00:27:49,500 –> 00:27:52,119 I must pursue a righteous life. 567 00:27:52,119 –> 00:27:54,199 The one comes out of the other, 568 00:27:54,199 –> 00:27:57,520 and I’m going to call this the life of godliness. 569 00:27:58,959 –> 00:28:03,219 The soul of a godly life is the hunger 570 00:28:03,219 –> 00:28:07,000 and thirst for Jesus Christ, who is the righteous one, 571 00:28:07,000 –> 00:28:09,680 Christ and his righteousness. 572 00:28:10,680 –> 00:28:13,359 So, there are the roots of a truly godly life, 573 00:28:13,359 –> 00:28:17,160 there is the life itself that springs from these roots, 574 00:28:17,160 –> 00:28:18,760 and you know where I’m going next. 575 00:28:18,760 –> 00:28:20,599 That from the life comes, of course, 576 00:28:20,599 –> 00:28:23,079 the most beautiful, beautiful fruit, 577 00:28:23,079 –> 00:28:25,560 which you see in the next three Beatitudes. 578 00:28:25,560 –> 00:28:27,479 The beautiful fruit is, what? 579 00:28:27,479 –> 00:28:30,020 Mercy, blessed are the merciful. 580 00:28:31,260 –> 00:28:33,939 And then this beautiful, desirable fruit 581 00:28:33,939 –> 00:28:36,060 of purity of heart. 582 00:28:36,520 –> 00:28:41,520 And then this wonderful, wonderful fruit of peace, 583 00:28:42,140 –> 00:28:43,579 and not only peace within, 584 00:28:43,579 –> 00:28:45,479 but peace that is brought to others, 585 00:28:45,479 –> 00:28:49,060 peacemaking, peace that comes with me 586 00:28:49,060 –> 00:28:51,819 because it resides in me 587 00:28:51,819 –> 00:28:56,140 by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. 588 00:28:56,140 –> 00:28:58,500 So, to use, then, this language 589 00:28:58,500 –> 00:29:00,280 that we find very helpful, 590 00:29:00,280 –> 00:29:02,699 I think here in the orchard, 591 00:29:02,699 –> 00:29:06,939 there is a roots, life, fruit pattern 592 00:29:08,140 –> 00:29:10,020 to the beatitudes. 593 00:29:11,339 –> 00:29:12,219 And you will notice, 594 00:29:12,219 –> 00:29:14,540 and just so you know, I didn’t miss it 595 00:29:14,540 –> 00:29:16,859 that there is an eighth beatitude 596 00:29:16,859 –> 00:29:18,880 which reminds us that the person 597 00:29:18,880 –> 00:29:22,260 who pursues this roots, life, fruit, life 598 00:29:22,260 –> 00:29:24,140 will not only be blessed by God 599 00:29:24,140 –> 00:29:26,040 but they’ll also be persecuted by the world. 600 00:29:26,040 –> 00:29:27,400 That’s just something that comes 601 00:29:27,400 –> 00:29:28,880 with the pursuit of this life 602 00:29:29,459 –> 00:29:31,400 and we’ll come to that also 603 00:29:31,400 –> 00:29:33,479 in due course. 604 00:29:33,479 –> 00:29:37,560 Now seeing that there is a distinct pattern, 605 00:29:37,560 –> 00:29:40,040 that there is progress in the beatitudes, 606 00:29:40,040 –> 00:29:43,140 that the one naturally flows into 607 00:29:43,140 –> 00:29:45,920 and out of the other, 608 00:29:45,920 –> 00:29:47,439 I want to take a step further 609 00:29:47,439 –> 00:29:48,900 and say therefore, 610 00:29:50,000 –> 00:29:53,300 as each of these beatitudes flows 611 00:29:53,300 –> 00:29:55,199 from the one that went before 612 00:29:56,160 –> 00:30:00,479 the very order of the teaching of Jesus in itself 613 00:30:00,479 –> 00:30:03,579 gives to us the pattern 614 00:30:03,579 –> 00:30:06,400 by which a person may make progress 615 00:30:06,400 –> 00:30:09,660 or grow in the Christian life. 616 00:30:10,739 –> 00:30:13,119 And there’s an image that I want you to have 617 00:30:13,119 –> 00:30:15,060 in your mind today 618 00:30:15,060 –> 00:30:16,560 and perhaps we’ll come back to it 619 00:30:16,560 –> 00:30:18,000 throughout the series, 620 00:30:18,000 –> 00:30:20,680 it’s the image of a man swinging 621 00:30:20,680 –> 00:30:22,839 from one ring to another, 622 00:30:22,839 –> 00:30:24,920 you know old the monkey swing? 623 00:30:25,079 –> 00:30:26,439 I found this picture here, 624 00:30:26,439 –> 00:30:28,260 it’s called the ring swing 625 00:30:28,260 –> 00:30:29,920 and here’s this guy on a platform 626 00:30:29,920 –> 00:30:31,280 and he’s going to get on the first ring 627 00:30:31,280 –> 00:30:33,319 and it’s going to swing him to the second 628 00:30:33,319 –> 00:30:35,000 and he’s going to swing on the second ring 629 00:30:35,000 –> 00:30:36,839 and it’s going to get him to the third 630 00:30:36,839 –> 00:30:38,079 and the third to the fourth 631 00:30:38,079 –> 00:30:40,359 and so forth across the platform. 632 00:30:40,359 –> 00:30:42,359 The key to doing the ring swing, 633 00:30:42,359 –> 00:30:43,560 and friends I’ve to tell you 634 00:30:43,560 –> 00:30:45,520 I’m speaking here from observation 635 00:30:45,520 –> 00:30:46,979 and not experience. 636 00:30:48,839 –> 00:30:50,920 But the key to doing the ring swing 637 00:30:50,920 –> 00:30:51,739 is one thing, 638 00:30:51,739 –> 00:30:53,119 it is momentum. 639 00:30:54,119 –> 00:30:57,319 That the second ring is beyond your reach 640 00:30:58,280 –> 00:31:00,880 apart from the momentum of your swing 641 00:31:00,880 –> 00:31:01,979 on the first string. 642 00:31:03,280 –> 00:31:05,000 It is the momentum of your swing 643 00:31:05,000 –> 00:31:05,920 on the first string 644 00:31:05,920 –> 00:31:08,239 that brings the second one within your reach. 645 00:31:09,319 –> 00:31:10,859 You swing back on the second 646 00:31:10,859 –> 00:31:13,000 and the third is well beyond you. 647 00:31:13,959 –> 00:31:16,160 But the momentum of your swing on the second 648 00:31:16,160 –> 00:31:17,839 will bring the third within your reach 649 00:31:17,839 –> 00:31:19,719 and so forth and so on. 650 00:31:20,719 –> 00:31:22,920 Now do you see the relevance of this? 651 00:31:22,920 –> 00:31:27,160 The question some of us are asking is I can’t forgive. 652 00:31:28,800 –> 00:31:30,839 I’ve been so hurt, Pastor, 653 00:31:30,839 –> 00:31:32,800 you don’t understand how hurt I’ve been. 654 00:31:32,800 –> 00:31:34,839 But I can’t forgive. 655 00:31:34,839 –> 00:31:38,900 And so here is a person who’s asking this question, 656 00:31:38,900 –> 00:31:41,880 how do I get to forgiveness? 657 00:31:43,619 –> 00:31:45,739 You see where we’re going here. 658 00:31:45,739 –> 00:31:48,500 You can’t get on the fifth or the sixth 659 00:31:48,560 –> 00:31:50,439 or the seventh ring of the Beatitudes 660 00:31:50,439 –> 00:31:51,619 and start from there. 661 00:31:51,619 –> 00:31:55,180 You have to swing to it and Jesus shows you how. 662 00:31:56,339 –> 00:31:57,939 Here’s someone else and comes in and says, 663 00:31:57,939 –> 00:32:01,219 Pastor, my heart is full of impurity 664 00:32:03,199 –> 00:32:06,819 and I long to get rid of it, I want to have a pure heart.” 665 00:32:08,199 –> 00:32:09,380 And the question they’re asking 666 00:32:09,380 –> 00:32:10,979 is how do I get on that ring? 667 00:32:13,260 –> 00:32:15,060 Let’s see the picture again for just a minute. 668 00:32:15,060 –> 00:32:17,380 Here’s the guy, there’s the guy, he’s standing right there. 669 00:32:17,420 –> 00:32:19,119 He’s saying, how do I get on the fifth ring? 670 00:32:19,119 –> 00:32:20,699 What’s the answer to that guy? 671 00:32:21,619 –> 00:32:24,420 The answer is you have to start by swinging from the first 672 00:32:25,780 –> 00:32:29,040 and through the second and the third, 673 00:32:30,180 –> 00:32:31,680 and that’s the only way that you’re going to get 674 00:32:31,680 –> 00:32:33,540 to the fifth ring and to the sixth ring 675 00:32:33,540 –> 00:32:38,219 and get the fruit that you so long to see 676 00:32:38,219 –> 00:32:41,219 because already the Spirit of God is telling you 677 00:32:41,219 –> 00:32:45,540 that’s where you’ve got to get in your life. 678 00:32:48,020 –> 00:32:49,640 Here’s the wonderful thing, 679 00:32:52,500 –> 00:32:57,199 everyone of us can get on the first ring. 680 00:32:59,420 –> 00:33:01,079 Some of you are looking in doubt. 681 00:33:02,640 –> 00:33:03,739 What’s the first ring? 682 00:33:04,900 –> 00:33:07,959 Blessed are the poor in Spirit. 683 00:33:09,699 –> 00:33:11,660 What’s the first ring? 684 00:33:11,660 –> 00:33:15,599 The first ring is to be saying from your heart, 685 00:33:15,599 –> 00:33:19,280 I don’t have what it takes. 686 00:33:21,319 –> 00:33:22,479 So here’s this person saying, 687 00:33:22,479 –> 00:33:24,500 I don’t have what it takes to forgive. 688 00:33:24,500 –> 00:33:26,000 Right now, let’s get on the first ring 689 00:33:26,000 –> 00:33:27,239 and let’s go deep with that. 690 00:33:27,239 –> 00:33:29,319 You do not have what it takes. 691 00:33:29,319 –> 00:33:31,280 I do not have this within me. 692 00:33:31,280 –> 00:33:33,380 I’m gonna have to cling to Christ 693 00:33:33,380 –> 00:33:34,920 to give me what I do not have 694 00:33:34,920 –> 00:33:38,579 and you’re beginning to swing on the first ring. 695 00:33:39,579 –> 00:33:43,739 Aren’t you so glad that the First Beatitude 696 00:33:43,739 –> 00:33:47,040 is not blessed, or the pure in heart, 697 00:33:47,040 –> 00:33:48,400 for they shall see God? 698 00:33:49,739 –> 00:33:51,939 If the First Beatitude was blessed, 699 00:33:51,939 –> 00:33:55,219 or the pure in heart, for they shall see God, 700 00:33:55,219 –> 00:33:56,699 all of us would be saying, 701 00:33:56,699 –> 00:34:00,319 we can never get on the first ring. 702 00:34:01,260 –> 00:34:03,119 It’s too far. 703 00:34:03,119 –> 00:34:04,160 It’s beyond us. 704 00:34:06,459 –> 00:34:08,219 But that’s not what Jesus says. 705 00:34:09,580 –> 00:34:11,239 Here’s the first ring. 706 00:34:13,260 –> 00:34:16,860 Blessed are the poor in spirit. 707 00:34:18,219 –> 00:34:20,780 Blessed are those who will come before God and say, 708 00:34:20,780 –> 00:34:23,159 I do not have what it takes. 709 00:34:24,239 –> 00:34:25,699 This is beyond me. 710 00:34:27,379 –> 00:34:29,219 Swing on that ring, 711 00:34:29,219 –> 00:34:31,100 and do you know what’s gonna happen? 712 00:34:31,100 –> 00:34:33,820 You’re gonna find that a deeper repentance 713 00:34:33,820 –> 00:34:36,419 than you knew before comes within your reach. 714 00:34:37,300 –> 00:34:40,419 You’re gonna start seeing the extent of your own sins, 715 00:34:40,419 –> 00:34:43,840 your own inability, your own need. 716 00:34:43,840 –> 00:34:46,139 You’re gonna start mourning over your own condition 717 00:34:46,139 –> 00:34:48,419 that’s gonna begin to change your heart. 718 00:34:48,419 –> 00:34:50,800 You’re gonna be swinging on the second ring. 719 00:34:53,459 –> 00:34:55,459 As that begins to go deep in your mind, 720 00:34:55,459 –> 00:34:56,899 what’s what’s going to happen? 721 00:34:56,899 –> 00:34:58,139 Here’s what’s going to happen. 722 00:34:58,139 –> 00:34:59,939 You’re going to find that within your reach 723 00:34:59,939 –> 00:35:01,199 is a deep desire to say, 724 00:35:01,199 –> 00:35:03,060 I gotta stop this self-willed life, 725 00:35:03,060 –> 00:35:05,120 and I gotta submit myself to Christ. 726 00:35:06,419 –> 00:35:09,100 And out of that, a new hunger and a new righteousness, 727 00:35:09,100 –> 00:35:10,639 and you’re gonna be moving. 728 00:35:12,540 –> 00:35:13,620 Now, here’s the position 729 00:35:13,620 –> 00:35:16,060 that some of us may have found ourselves in. 730 00:35:16,939 –> 00:35:19,179 Let’s see the picture one more time. 731 00:35:19,179 –> 00:35:21,540 I want you to imagine this guy, 732 00:35:21,540 –> 00:35:24,060 and he gets halfway across. 733 00:35:24,060 –> 00:35:25,340 Let’s say he’s on the fourth ring 734 00:35:25,340 –> 00:35:27,179 and he’s swinging for the fifth, you know? 735 00:35:27,179 –> 00:35:31,040 And he swings for the fifth and oh, he misses it. 736 00:35:32,139 –> 00:35:33,580 Now, you know what happens next. 737 00:35:33,580 –> 00:35:35,219 Back he goes, 738 00:35:35,219 –> 00:35:38,840 and his next swing is not quite so high. 739 00:35:39,979 –> 00:35:41,459 And it’s further from his reach. 740 00:35:41,459 –> 00:35:44,959 And the third one, not quite so high, 741 00:35:44,959 –> 00:35:47,300 losing momentum, losing momentum. 742 00:35:47,300 –> 00:35:49,580 And eventually, there he is hanging 743 00:35:49,580 –> 00:35:52,659 with two hands from a ring, 744 00:35:53,820 –> 00:35:55,320 and he’s stuck. 745 00:35:57,419 –> 00:35:59,939 That’s where some of us are spiritually, I expect. 746 00:36:00,860 –> 00:36:02,020 You’re stuck. 747 00:36:03,439 –> 00:36:05,139 Not making any progress. 748 00:36:07,060 –> 00:36:08,679 Believe it in Christ. 749 00:36:09,780 –> 00:36:11,020 Not moving forward. 750 00:36:12,699 –> 00:36:13,699 No momentum. 751 00:36:15,060 –> 00:36:16,699 And it’s an unsustainable position. 752 00:36:16,699 –> 00:36:17,540 You know what’s gonna happen. 753 00:36:17,540 –> 00:36:18,939 Eventually, your arms get very tired. 754 00:36:18,939 –> 00:36:20,639 You’re gonna drop off, aren’t you? 755 00:36:22,419 –> 00:36:23,739 What are you gonna do next? 756 00:36:25,300 –> 00:36:27,100 There’s only one thing to do, friend, 757 00:36:27,139 –> 00:36:28,860 and that’s to get back on the platform 758 00:36:29,820 –> 00:36:33,659 and get your momentum going from ring number one. 759 00:36:36,439 –> 00:36:38,379 Imagine the impact of that in our lives, 760 00:36:38,379 –> 00:36:40,639 of us truly coming before God in a fresh way 761 00:36:40,639 –> 00:36:42,959 and saying, oh God, I don’t have what it takes, 762 00:36:44,540 –> 00:36:46,199 and for that to begin to go deep, 763 00:36:47,379 –> 00:36:49,739 and for some momentum to get going. 764 00:36:51,419 –> 00:36:53,719 Here’s where you begin, here’s where you get on. 765 00:36:53,820 –> 00:36:55,780 Here’s where you begin, here’s where you get on. 766 00:36:57,439 –> 00:36:59,419 I’m not just talking about a one time decision. 767 00:36:59,419 –> 00:37:01,979 I’m talking about this effect as a pattern 768 00:37:01,979 –> 00:37:05,439 for the Christian life, 769 00:37:06,659 –> 00:37:09,679 that every day that you set out saying 770 00:37:09,679 –> 00:37:13,060 Lord, I wanna pursue purity of heart today, 771 00:37:14,139 –> 00:37:16,260 I wanna show mercy towards others today, 772 00:37:16,260 –> 00:37:18,320 I wanna be a peace bringer today 773 00:37:19,639 –> 00:37:21,120 in all the meetings that I’m in, 774 00:37:21,159 –> 00:37:24,080 and I don’t wanna be a source of conflict. 775 00:37:25,399 –> 00:37:27,959 I don’t have that fruit in me by nature, 776 00:37:27,959 –> 00:37:30,040 and so today, Lord, I’m asking you 777 00:37:30,040 –> 00:37:31,639 to give me what I do not have. 778 00:37:33,560 –> 00:37:35,219 I know that my sins are many, 779 00:37:35,219 –> 00:37:36,580 and I ask that you’ll help me 780 00:37:36,580 –> 00:37:39,000 to spot temptation as it comes 781 00:37:39,000 –> 00:37:40,879 and to fight against it. 782 00:37:40,879 –> 00:37:44,100 Please, please help me not to be a self-willed person today. 783 00:37:44,100 –> 00:37:46,360 I’ve got all these ideas as to what I want to do. 784 00:37:46,360 –> 00:37:48,320 Help me to submit myself really 785 00:37:48,780 –> 00:37:50,500 to your sovereign will, 786 00:37:50,500 –> 00:37:53,239 and when there’s something difficult for me to do today, 787 00:37:53,239 –> 00:37:55,459 please help me to go after what’s right. 788 00:37:56,719 –> 00:37:58,840 Friends, this is how the Holy Spirit 789 00:37:58,840 –> 00:38:00,879 produces Christian growth. 790 00:38:00,879 –> 00:38:05,659 This is what it looks like to live the Christian life. 791 00:38:08,320 –> 00:38:10,860 And so we’re right at the very, very heart 792 00:38:11,800 –> 00:38:14,979 of what it means to be a follower of Christ 793 00:38:14,979 –> 00:38:16,760 as we’re taking this journey together 794 00:38:16,760 –> 00:38:20,760 over these next weeks and months. 795 00:38:21,919 –> 00:38:24,100 And the very last thing I want to say in just a moment 796 00:38:24,100 –> 00:38:25,439 and it bridges us to the table 797 00:38:25,439 –> 00:38:28,239 where we’re coming right now, 798 00:38:28,239 –> 00:38:29,620 is that throughout this series, 799 00:38:29,620 –> 00:38:32,239 we’re going to be using the Beatitudes 800 00:38:32,239 –> 00:38:34,199 as a window to worship. 801 00:38:35,479 –> 00:38:39,439 You’ll get fresh glimpses of the beauty of Jesus 802 00:38:39,439 –> 00:38:42,679 through the lens of the Beatitudes. 803 00:38:43,600 –> 00:38:46,939 See him then as we prepare to come around this table, 804 00:38:47,979 –> 00:38:52,979 leaving the riches of heaven and embracing our poverty 805 00:38:52,979 –> 00:38:57,360 and humbling himself, making himself nothing, 806 00:38:57,360 –> 00:38:58,500 the Bible says, 807 00:38:59,639 –> 00:39:02,300 and humbling himself even to death on a cross. 808 00:39:03,520 –> 00:39:08,500 See him as he mourns over the sins of Jerusalem 809 00:39:09,919 –> 00:39:11,739 and over your sins and over mine. 810 00:39:12,719 –> 00:39:14,739 He has no sins of his own to mourn over, 811 00:39:14,739 –> 00:39:16,639 but oh he mourns over sin. 812 00:39:16,639 –> 00:39:18,500 Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 813 00:39:18,500 –> 00:39:22,479 how often I would have gathered you to myself 814 00:39:22,479 –> 00:39:25,959 as a hen gathers chickens under her wing 815 00:39:25,959 –> 00:39:27,040 but you would not. 816 00:39:27,040 –> 00:39:29,600 Can you see Jesus reaching out to you? 817 00:39:29,600 –> 00:39:31,719 Friends, today there is someone 818 00:39:31,719 –> 00:39:33,659 to whom Jesus Christ is saying today, 819 00:39:33,659 –> 00:39:37,600 oh, how I would have gathered you under my wings 820 00:39:37,600 –> 00:39:38,919 but you would not! 821 00:39:38,939 –> 00:39:41,040 And you hear him calling you 822 00:39:41,040 –> 00:39:43,219 and will you not come to him today. 823 00:39:45,260 –> 00:39:47,239 See him in the garden of Gethsemane 824 00:39:47,239 –> 00:39:52,239 as he meekly submits to the will of the Father 825 00:39:52,439 –> 00:39:54,280 that is overwhelmingly costly. 826 00:39:54,280 –> 00:39:58,879 If you think meekness is a kind of weak word, 827 00:39:58,879 –> 00:40:00,620 then get this picture in your mind, 828 00:40:00,620 –> 00:40:05,280 here’s meekness, Father, not what I will 829 00:40:05,280 –> 00:40:08,820 but your will be done. 830 00:40:09,719 –> 00:40:10,820 If it means nails. 831 00:40:13,139 –> 00:40:15,639 That’s meekness, submission to the will of God. 832 00:40:17,760 –> 00:40:19,679 See him fulfill all righteousness 833 00:40:19,679 –> 00:40:21,560 and then lay down this righteous life 834 00:40:21,560 –> 00:40:23,600 as a sacrifice for the sake of others 835 00:40:23,600 –> 00:40:26,320 and now see him drawing near to you today, 836 00:40:26,320 –> 00:40:29,959 this risen Christ in all of his purity 837 00:40:31,000 –> 00:40:34,040 and Luke, he’s coming to you in mercy. 838 00:40:35,139 –> 00:40:37,840 He is not coming with thunders of law 839 00:40:37,899 –> 00:40:40,800 from Sinai, he’s coming with the mercy 840 00:40:40,800 –> 00:40:45,080 of the Gospel purchased by his blood 841 00:40:45,080 –> 00:40:48,820 and he is saying, let me be the peacemaker 842 00:40:49,840 –> 00:40:52,739 between you and God. 843 00:40:54,159 –> 00:40:58,020 Father, work deeply in our hearts 844 00:40:58,020 –> 00:40:59,879 by your word and through your Spirit. 845 00:41:01,020 –> 00:41:02,500 For Christ’s sake we pray, amen. 846 00:41:02,939 –> 00:41:03,780 Amen. 847 00:41:07,860 –> 00:41:08,919 You’ve been listening to a sermon 848 00:41:08,919 –> 00:41:11,399 with Pastor Colin Smith of Open the Bible. 849 00:41:11,399 –> 00:41:14,879 To contact us, call us at 1-877-Open365 850 00:41:16,679 –> 00:41:18,379 or visit our website, 851 00:41:18,379 –> 00:41:20,219 OpenTheBible.org.