May 10, 2020 Sermon Notes
“The Beatitudes”
Pastor David Moore
Old Testament reading: Psalm 34:1-22
I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.
I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
Fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry; the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all; he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken. Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned. The Lord redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.
Review: We have talked about the first three Beatitudes and how they describe the attitudes and perspective needed to become a member of the Kingdom of God. The fourth is the central theme of the Gospel, “hunger and thirst for righteousness.” Today’s theme is centered on hunger and thirst for righteousness and the merciful.
Matthew 5:1-10:
Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them, saying,
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
What kind of record in your past do you think is needed to open the door to God? How can we know for certain His door is open to us?
Are we perfect? NO. Un-reality.
We enter the Kingdom under his kingship; His healing hands will change us, and we begin to grow in the knowledge and love of God. Our heart begins to change, our relationships will be transformed because we became merciful.
Mercy will become the foundation of all our relationships. We are transformed because of the mercy Jesus showed in giving His life for us. It is possible to have grace without mercy, but never mercy without grace.
Mercy takes on different forms:
1. Mercy in forgiveness. Christians forgive, following Jesus example.
2. Mercy in costly giving, we give which means we will limit our options in life, we will sacrifice and go without something.
We can understand “blessed are the merciful,” because we arrive at being merciful people. Through the transforming experience, we understand we are poor in spirit, we mourn, we meekly ask for Jesus righteousness and desire righteousness more than authority. When we see the mercy of God, we then are willing to give out what we have been given. ~D. Moore
You have been given unbelievable mercy. Pray this week you are merciful to others and remember God has given you His very life.
Have a good week!