Hello and welcome to
3ABN's 2014 Fall Camp Meeting.
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We are so glad to have
this wonderful live audience.
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And we've got people who have
come quite a distance to be with
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us today, and we found out
that we've got a lot of people
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here who are here
for the first time,
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and we're
excited to have you here.
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But we also want to
welcome those who are watching
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on television or
listening by the radio.
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This is a special time.
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Have you all been blessed
already? Praise the Lord!
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Amen. You can
tell they have been.
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You know, Doug Batchelor...
Everywhere I go I hear people
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talk about... I run
into somebody who came into
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the kingdom because of
Doug Batchelor's teachings.
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And he's just a
wonderful teacher of the Bible.
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But we are also...
It's such an anointed time.
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I think there's something
special about this Camp Meeting
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because of the music project
that we've been working on
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called Hallelujah! Home At
Last! And you'll get to hear
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the entire project on Sabbath.
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And it is so
anointed... it's so special.
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Well this hour it's going
to be my joy to get to share
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a message from the Bible
with you. And I have titled it
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A Test of Citizenship.
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So ya'll think about that now
and think where we're going to
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be going in the Bible.
But A Test of Citizenship.
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And before I speak
we're going to have
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a beautiful message from
my pastor: John Lomacang.
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He and his wife Angie
are dear friends of ours.
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We love them.
He is a man of God,
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and not only can he
preach but he has an incredible
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singing ministry. And
he's going to be singing
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Touch Your People Once Again.
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We need wisdom, we need power,
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true love for each other.
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We have had so many
big but empty words.
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So we come before Your face
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asking for Your grace.
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Bring Your people to
a state of kingdom life.
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Restore Your church again.
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Touch Your people once again
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with Your precious holy hand,
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we pray.
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Let Your kingdom
shine upon this earth
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through a living
and glorious church.
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Not for temporary deeds
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but to restore authority
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and power.
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Let a mighty rushing wind
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blow in...
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touch Your people once again.
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Lord, You see
Your tired servants
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and Your broken
wounded soldiers.
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Oh, how much we need
Your precious healing hand.
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We need the power of the cross
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as the only source for us
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when we stand
facing final battle cry...
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restore Your church again.
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Touch Your people once again
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with Your precious holy hand,
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we pray.
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Let Your kingdom
shine upon this earth
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through a living
and glorious church.
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Not for temporary deeds
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but to restore authority
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and power.
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Let a mighty rushing wind
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blow in...
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touch Your people once again.
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Let that mighty rushing wind
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blow in
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and touch Your people
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once
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again.
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Thank you, John.
What a beautiful song.
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Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we
come again in the name of Jesus
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Christ, and the message of
the song is our heart's plea:
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touch us once again.
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We ask in the name of Jesus,
Father, that You would pour out
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Your Holy Spirit on us.
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I pray, Father,
please get me out of the way.
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I pray You'll speak through me.
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Let this message be
straight from heaven.
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And we ask in the
name of Jesus, Father, that
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You would just pour
out Your Holy Spirit.
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Give us ears to hear what
the Holy Spirit has to say.
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In Jesus' name, Amen. Amen!
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Once again, it's so good to
see each and every one of you.
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We're going to be
talking today about a test
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of citizenship. You know,
when a government is established
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the will of the government
becomes binding upon the people,
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doesn't it? A government expects
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that every citizen
will abide by its law.
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And if you're
not born a citizen,
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you have to go through
a naturalization process
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to become a
citizen of that country.
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Well, when God established
His kingdom government
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His will became legally binding
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upon every
citizen of His kingdom.
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Now do you remember His
first inaugural address?
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You're quite familiar with it.
Do you know where it's located
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in the Old Testament. It
was accompanied by pyrotechnics.
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It was a grand message
found in Exodus chapter 20
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when God was proclaiming
His divine law from Mt. Sinai.
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when He said: "I am the
Lord your God who brought you
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out of bondage. You shall
have no other gods before Me.
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You shall not create idols.
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You will not
take My name in vain.
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You will honor My
Sabbath... you'll love it.
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You'll honor your
mother and your father.
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You will not murder;
you'll not commit adultery;
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you'll not steal; you'll
not bear false testimony;
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you will not covet. Why?
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Because that's what it means
to be in covenant relationship
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with Me and My
divine law is ten promises
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of what I will
empower you to do. "
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See, God's law IS
His promise to us.
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And boy, He made sure
that we would understand.
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The Ten Commandments were the
basis - the very foundation -
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of His government.
Because who wrote them?
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God wrote them
with His own finger.
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Did He write it on tissue paper?
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No, He wrote them on
stone with His own finger.
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And then, where did He have
Moses put those 10 Commandments?
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Inside the ark. What is the ark?
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The ark is His throne.
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It's the ark of the
covenant inside the ark,
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and what is over
those Ten Commandments?
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Ah, praise God for
the mercy seat. Amen?
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Now He also had Moses
write some specific covenant
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laws for His new Jewish nation.
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And Moses wrote
these. God dictated them;
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Moses wrote them and
he put them in a scroll.
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And where did that go?
On the side of the ark.
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Now, God's inaugural address
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which was so thunderous
because He spoke it with
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His own magnificent
voice that the people trembled.
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But the second time when He
wanted to as John was singing
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touch His people once again
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the second inaugural
address is recorded by Matthew.
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You know, the
gospels of Mark and Luke
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were written to Gentiles,
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but the gospel of
Matthew was written to Jews.
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You know, that's kind of
ironic when you think about it.
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Levi Matthew was a
hated tax collector.
00:11:13.26\00:11:17.46
He was Jewish, but he was
collecting taxes for the Roman
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government. He was hated!
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Tax collectors were
lower than the lowest
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in the eyes of the Hebrews.
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But... Christ touched
him and he was converted.
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And God used him to write
the gospel - the good news
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of Jesus Christ - to the Jews.
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Matthew more than anyone
else because he was a Jew
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and he's writing to
Jews his gospel talks about
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the fulfillment of
Old Testament texts,
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and he parallels Jesus'
life to Moses repeatedly.
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He establishes Jesus
as the new Deliverer,
00:11:59.62\00:12:03.47
the new King if you
will of the new Israel...
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and the new Israel who
will experience a new exodus,
00:12:07.97\00:12:11.95
a delivery from sin.
00:12:12.15\00:12:13.73
But before Matthew tells
us or shares the inaugural
00:12:14.13\00:12:19.19
address, first he talks
about the election process
00:12:19.39\00:12:22.61
when God identified His
Son in the baptismal water
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saying: "This is My Son
in whom I am well pleased. "
00:12:28.51\00:12:31.84
And then Matthew records
as Jesus went off into 40 days
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of the wilderness
to be tempted of Satan
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and He overcame
every temptation.
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Now the one thing he doesn't
record which I find fascinating
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but... is that
immediately after Jesus' 40 days
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in the wilderness, do you
know what the first thing was
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when he came
back in? What He did?
00:12:55.32\00:12:57.31
He walked into a Jewish
synagogue there in Nazareth
00:12:57.81\00:13:03.19
and they handed Him the
scroll and He found the place
00:13:03.49\00:13:07.24
and He stood up and
He read from Isaiah 61.
00:13:07.44\00:13:12.32
Luke tells us this
story in Luke chapter 4.
00:13:12.52\00:13:15.11
Here's what Jesus read: "The
Spirit of the Lord is upon Me
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because He has anointed Me to
preach the gospel to the poor.
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He has sent Me to
heal the brokenhearted,
00:13:23.28\00:13:25.44
to proclaim
liberty to the captives
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and recovery of
sight to the blind,
00:13:29.11\00:13:31.27
to set at liberty
those who are oppressed,
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to proclaim the
acceptable year of the Lord. "
00:13:34.90\00:13:37.87
And as every eye in that whole
synagogue was fixed upon Him
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what did Jesus say?
00:13:44.23\00:13:46.12
"Today this scripture is
fulfilled in your hearing. "
00:13:46.42\00:13:52.29
What was He doing?
00:13:52.59\00:13:54.71
Why would He say that?
00:13:55.21\00:13:57.15
Because He was identifying
Himself as the Messiah
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servant of Isaiah chapter 61.
00:14:02.85\00:14:07.84
Now right after that...
Let's go back to Matthew
00:14:08.44\00:14:13.02
because He records
Jesus' first sermon...
00:14:13.12\00:14:18.29
His inaugural address.
00:14:18.69\00:14:22.11
And in this inaugural address
00:14:22.61\00:14:25.54
Jesus again affirms Himself
00:14:25.84\00:14:29.65
as the King of the
kingdom of divine grace.
00:14:29.85\00:14:33.31
Why don't you turn in
your Bibles please to Matthew
00:14:33.61\00:14:36.96
chapter 5 because
Christ's inaugural address
00:14:37.16\00:14:41.58
happened on an
unnamed mountain in Israel.
00:14:41.88\00:14:46.90
We call this The
Sermon on the Mount.
00:14:47.82\00:14:51.40
Now I have...
For the last 3 years
00:14:51.70\00:14:54.67
I've had the
opportunity to stand at the site
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that is traditionally
known as the place from which
00:14:58.74\00:15:02.71
Jesus delivered His
Sermon on the Mount.
00:15:03.01\00:15:06.20
And it's a wonderful experience,
and this probably really is
00:15:06.50\00:15:09.25
the place because it's the
only place that has the natural
00:15:09.35\00:15:12.85
acoustics that He could
stand and speak where thousands
00:15:12.95\00:15:17.10
could hear Him.
They've actually repeated this
00:15:17.21\00:15:20.90
in a test. And they had
thousands of people there
00:15:21.00\00:15:24.73
and had one person who
spoke and all could hear him.
00:15:24.93\00:15:29.71
But today we're going to
look specifically at His opening
00:15:30.11\00:15:33.96
remarks... the
Beatitudes... which is the ideal
00:15:34.06\00:15:37.87
heart condition for
citizens of the kingdom.
00:15:38.07\00:15:41.05
This is a test of
citizenship and eight blessings
00:15:41.25\00:15:45.36
that go with it, so let's
look at Matthew chapter 5.
00:15:45.66\00:15:48.83
In these first three Beatitudes
they parallel Isaiah 61.
00:15:49.43\00:15:54.46
And I'll point that out
because they confirm Jesus
00:15:54.56\00:15:58.16
not only as the
Messiah servant of Isaiah 61
00:15:58.36\00:16:02.83
but also as the
servant identified in Isaiah 52
00:16:03.23\00:16:08.07
who would suffer for the
sins and receive the punishment
00:16:08.27\00:16:12.83
that sinners deserve.
00:16:13.03\00:16:14.75
Matthew 5 verse 1:
00:16:14.95\00:16:17.59
"And seeing the multitude
He went up on a mountain.
00:16:17.89\00:16:21.86
And when He was seated
His disciples came to Him.
00:16:22.06\00:16:25.09
Then He opened His mouth
and taught them saying this:
00:16:25.40\00:16:29.19
'Blessed... ' " That
word means to be joyous.
00:16:29.49\00:16:34.08
To be spiritually prosperous.
00:16:34.38\00:16:36.73
"Blessed are the poor in spirit
00:16:37.13\00:16:39.46
for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven. "
00:16:39.76\00:16:42.81
This parallels
Isaiah 61 where He said:
00:16:43.11\00:16:47.18
"The Spirit of the Lord
is upon Me because the Lord
00:16:47.32\00:16:50.27
has anointed Me to preach
good tidings to the poor. "
00:16:50.37\00:16:56.01
In the Old Testament
- do a study some time -
00:16:56.84\00:17:00.53
the poor were those who
depended totally upon God.
00:17:00.73\00:17:05.26
And to be poor in spirit
means that we are talking about
00:17:05.56\00:17:10.12
our... recognizing our
own abject spiritual poverty.
00:17:10.43\00:17:15.27
Our spiritual bankruptcy.
00:17:15.78\00:17:18.24
Knowing that apart from
Christ we are utterly helpless
00:17:18.54\00:17:22.98
before a holy God.
00:17:23.29\00:17:24.58
To be poor in spirit is to
recognize there's nothing -
00:17:24.98\00:17:29.19
trust me -
nothing that we can do
00:17:29.49\00:17:32.87
to save ourself. The
opposite of being poor in spirit
00:17:33.07\00:17:37.49
is to be self-righteous...
to be full of self.
00:17:37.69\00:17:43.24
And people like this
don't recognize their need
00:17:43.64\00:17:46.88
for a Savior. They're
depending on self for salvation.
00:17:46.98\00:17:50.28
You know, there was a
woman who came to 3ABN
00:17:50.68\00:17:52.89
and she said this on the
air so I don't mind sharing it.
00:17:53.19\00:17:56.54
She said that she
could never understand
00:17:56.94\00:18:01.33
what was such a big
deal about Calvary for her.
00:18:01.53\00:18:04.07
She was born into
an Adventist family.
00:18:04.57\00:18:07.40
She had been in
the church for decades.
00:18:07.60\00:18:09.94
And she said: "I
wasn't a bad sinner.
00:18:10.25\00:18:13.45
I didn't murder
and commit adultery.
00:18:13.65\00:18:15.98
I didn't do this,
this, and this and this.
00:18:16.08\00:18:18.09
I didn't think I
was a bad sinner. "
00:18:18.40\00:18:21.02
And you know what?
Because of that attitude
00:18:21.43\00:18:24.32
she didn't love God. She didn't
love Jesus the way she should.
00:18:24.72\00:18:29.85
It was as someone sat
her down and explained it
00:18:30.18\00:18:34.58
when she recognized finally
00:18:34.79\00:18:38.17
that she was poor in spirit
then she fell in love with God.
00:18:38.37\00:18:44.13
Jesus said in Luke 7:47
00:18:45.42\00:18:48.21
when He was talking of
Mary who was anointing His feet
00:18:48.41\00:18:51.99
He said: "She loves much because
she's been forgiven much. "
00:18:52.49\00:18:57.74
And the more we recognize
we have this deep sense of
00:18:58.04\00:19:01.69
spiritual need and our total
dependence upon God to meet
00:19:01.79\00:19:05.65
that need the
more we will love God
00:19:05.75\00:19:09.45
and understand that
all of our righteous acts -
00:19:09.75\00:19:14.41
our acts of law
keeping, having a healthy diet,
00:19:14.61\00:19:17.71
good works, external
conformity to the law of God -
00:19:18.01\00:19:23.36
none of this... none
of this will save us.
00:19:23.59\00:19:26.56
Our righteous acts -
Isaiah says - are as filthy rags
00:19:26.76\00:19:32.09
before the Lord.
00:19:32.59\00:19:34.01
We can never be good enough.
00:19:34.31\00:19:36.38
We have to appreciate
our need of God's salvation
00:19:36.88\00:19:42.21
by grace and approach the
Lord in this child-like faith
00:19:42.41\00:19:48.20
recognizing salvation is a gift.
00:19:48.50\00:19:51.07
You know, Jesus tells the story
of the Pharisee and the tax
00:19:51.27\00:19:54.80
collector who go
to the temple to pray.
00:19:54.90\00:19:57.41
And the Pharisee standing
there... It's interesting.
00:19:57.51\00:20:00.85
The scripture says Luke 18:11:
"The Pharisee stood and prayed
00:20:01.05\00:20:05.53
thus with himself. "
00:20:05.73\00:20:08.00
Who was he praying to or with?
00:20:08.30\00:20:11.25
Himself. He said: "He
prayed thus with himself
00:20:11.45\00:20:15.07
'Oh God, I thank you
that I'm not like other men:
00:20:15.27\00:20:18.45
those extortioners,
those unjust, adulterers,
00:20:18.75\00:20:22.61
or even as this tax
collector. I fast twice a week.
00:20:22.81\00:20:27.10
I give tithes of
all that I possess.
00:20:27.21\00:20:29.31
I'm glad I'm not
like the rest of them. ' "
00:20:29.62\00:20:33.59
"I'm so glad I'm a
Seventh-day Adventist. "
00:20:33.89\00:20:37.16
"I'm so glad that I keep
the Sabbath and that I fast
00:20:37.46\00:20:41.63
and I'm not like
the rest of them. "
00:20:41.83\00:20:44.22
And Jesus said: "There was a
tax collector standing afar off
00:20:45.27\00:20:49.72
and he would not so
much as raise his eyes
00:20:50.02\00:20:53.83
to the heavens and then he said
00:20:54.03\00:20:57.60
beating on his breast:
00:20:57.80\00:21:00.28
'Oh God be
merciful to me a sinner. ' "
00:21:00.48\00:21:04.42
Amen! And Jesus says:
"I tell you this man -
00:21:04.52\00:21:08.01
the tax collector - went
down to his house justified
00:21:08.21\00:21:11.97
rather than the other
00:21:12.17\00:21:13.82
for everyone who
exalts himself will be humbled
00:21:14.12\00:21:17.74
and he who humbles
himself will be exalted. "
00:21:18.04\00:21:20.29
Heaven's blessings are poured
out on the poor in spirit.
00:21:20.89\00:21:26.00
God covers our
spiritual bankruptcy
00:21:26.50\00:21:30.04
with the riches
of His divine grace.
00:21:30.34\00:21:32.65
You see, the self-righteous
feel no need to receive
00:21:33.15\00:21:37.32
the grace of God and
they decline its blessings.
00:21:37.52\00:21:40.44
But entry to the
kingdom of heaven
00:21:40.84\00:21:43.28
is promised to those
who are poor in spirit
00:21:43.48\00:21:47.30
who recognize that the
salvation plan of grace
00:21:47.60\00:21:52.49
is that we are
totally dependent upon God.
00:21:52.69\00:21:56.34
"Blessed are the poor in spirit
for theirs is the kingdom. "
00:21:56.64\00:22:00.84
Let's look at
the second Beatitude.
00:22:01.04\00:22:03.85
"Blessed are those who
mourn... " Jesus said...
00:22:04.15\00:22:07.39
"for they shall be comforted. "
00:22:07.69\00:22:09.32
This word in the Greek, mourn,
00:22:09.72\00:22:12.66
is pentheo... P- E-N-T-H-E-O.
00:22:12.86\00:22:15.67
Pentheo. It is the
strongest possible Greek word
00:22:15.87\00:22:21.31
for mourning, and it means
that the heart is breaking.
00:22:21.51\00:22:26.35
When... Before I
studied this out many years ago
00:22:27.16\00:22:30.55
I used to think that when
I'd read "Blessed are those
00:22:30.75\00:22:32.86
who mourn; they shall be
comforted" I thought that
00:22:32.96\00:22:35.55
He was only saying that
those who've experienced tragedy
00:22:35.75\00:22:38.93
and loss will be
comforted. And He certainly does
00:22:39.03\00:22:42.25
comfort those. I know
that when my sister died
00:22:42.45\00:22:46.41
just a couple of months ago
she was my last living blood
00:22:46.51\00:22:51.52
relative and she was my baby.
00:22:51.62\00:22:54.85
She was only four
years younger than I.
00:22:55.05\00:22:56.76
But because of the
circumstances of our growing up
00:22:57.09\00:22:59.72
I had always mothered her.
00:23:00.02\00:23:02.48
And just before, just a
few days before she died,
00:23:02.78\00:23:06.23
I had had a little procedure
that turned out to be a little
00:23:06.33\00:23:09.56
more serious than what
they thought it was going to be
00:23:09.66\00:23:12.25
and my heart
stopped during that time.
00:23:12.56\00:23:16.11
And they had a little trouble
getting me started again.
00:23:16.51\00:23:19.43
And my sister freaked
out... totally freaked out.
00:23:19.94\00:23:24.53
And she said: "You're my mother.
You're more like my mother
00:23:24.77\00:23:28.00
than my sister. I
can't live without you. "
00:23:28.19\00:23:30.13
And six days later, she
went to sleep and never woke up.
00:23:31.15\00:23:34.83
What a wonderful way to
go... in your sleep, huh?
00:23:35.61\00:23:37.92
She was only 61 years old.
00:23:38.99\00:23:40.82
She was too young,
in my opinion, to die.
00:23:41.43\00:23:44.00
But I praise God for
the comfort that He gave me
00:23:44.20\00:23:47.29
because I understand that
He spared her from a lot of
00:23:47.49\00:23:50.69
suffering. But as I
studied this, I learned
00:23:50.79\00:23:55.83
He's not just the God of
all comfort who comforts those
00:23:56.77\00:23:59.92
who are in tragedy. As we
keep our eyes focused on Him
00:24:00.02\00:24:03.84
trusting in Him that He
gives us of that perfect peace
00:24:04.04\00:24:06.72
but this Beatitude also
parallels Isaiah 61. Listen:
00:24:07.02\00:24:11.69
"He has sent Me to
heal the brokenhearted,
00:24:11.99\00:24:17.39
to comfort all who mourn,
to provide for those who mourn
00:24:17.69\00:24:20.50
in Zion to give them a crown
of beauty instead of ashes,
00:24:20.60\00:24:24.96
festive oil instead of mourning,
00:24:25.36\00:24:28.77
and splendid clothes
instead of despair. "
00:24:28.97\00:24:33.00
Here in Isaiah 61 the context is
00:24:33.40\00:24:36.34
that Israel is
mourning over their sins
00:24:36.54\00:24:40.66
that have cast them into exile.
00:24:40.86\00:24:43.70
So what Jesus is saying here
00:24:44.20\00:24:46.60
His words parallel Isaiah 61
00:24:46.80\00:24:49.93
and He is saying that those
who recognize they are poor
00:24:50.13\00:24:54.68
in spirit will naturally
mourn and they will be blessed.
00:24:54.78\00:24:58.48
Amen! When we recognize,
00:24:58.68\00:25:02.21
we look back at
Calvary and we recognize
00:25:02.51\00:25:06.58
that it was our sin
that drove the nails
00:25:06.78\00:25:10.81
in His hands and feet.
00:25:11.01\00:25:12.93
When we recognize that
He hung there on the cross
00:25:13.23\00:25:19.08
taking the punishment we deserve
00:25:19.28\00:25:21.49
our heart should be broken.
00:25:21.79\00:25:24.56
We should be
mourning and even more...
00:25:24.96\00:25:28.13
You know, I
think about this often.
00:25:28.23\00:25:30.40
Not only did He die for
me, He gave up His omnipresence
00:25:30.90\00:25:35.58
for me. Amen! Can you imagine?
00:25:35.78\00:25:38.85
God who was
omnipresent... He took on
00:25:39.05\00:25:44.29
this flesh of ours
and He became not only
00:25:44.59\00:25:49.71
the perfect God but He also
became the perfect Son of Man
00:25:49.91\00:25:54.91
and He could no longer
be everywhere at one time.
00:25:55.52\00:25:59.40
That's why He told His disciples
"Hey, it's better for you
00:25:59.50\00:26:02.27
that I go. If I go, I'm going to
send another Comforter to you. "
00:26:02.47\00:26:07.17
See, the Bible tells us
in Ephesians chapter 3 that
00:26:07.51\00:26:10.89
the only way Christ
lives in our heart is by faith
00:26:11.09\00:26:13.57
through the indwelling
power of the Holy Spirit.
00:26:13.77\00:26:17.29
Because He took this
flesh back to heaven with Him.
00:26:17.89\00:26:22.05
He limited
Himself... isn't that amazing!
00:26:22.25\00:26:24.45
We should experience
godly sorrow that leads us
00:26:24.85\00:26:29.20
to repentance.
Not the superficial.
00:26:29.30\00:26:31.93
I hear people pray all the time
00:26:32.13\00:26:33.58
"Oh Lord, forgive
us of our sins... "
00:26:33.68\00:26:36.35
No! God wants us to
recognize what sin cost Him
00:26:38.25\00:26:44.22
and what it cost mankind.
00:26:44.42\00:26:47.56
I remember when I was writing
Pressing Into His Presence
00:26:48.06\00:26:50.92
I did a study on sin.
00:26:51.22\00:26:53.66
And as I did this study on sin
00:26:54.80\00:26:57.46
I want you to know that
my heart ripped wide open.
00:26:57.76\00:27:01.44
I always thought I
was a pretty good person.
00:27:01.94\00:27:03.87
People always told me
what a good person I was.
00:27:04.07\00:27:05.96
I recognized my need of a Savior
00:27:06.16\00:27:08.22
but I didn't recognize
until I did this study on sin
00:27:08.43\00:27:13.46
how much I needed a Savior
00:27:13.86\00:27:16.32
and how responsible I
was for the death of Jesus.
00:27:16.52\00:27:20.12
And I went through a
deep season of mourning
00:27:20.52\00:27:24.20
to the point that God had
to come along and kind of like
00:27:24.50\00:27:27.32
"Get on with it, My
child... " You know?
00:27:27.52\00:27:29.38
"I don't want you
to stay here forever. "
00:27:29.82\00:27:32.08
He wants us to receive
His forgiveness because
00:27:32.18\00:27:36.29
the Bible tells us
when we confess our sins
00:27:36.40\00:27:39.08
He is faithful and just
to forgive us of our sins
00:27:39.28\00:27:43.17
and to cleanse us
of all unrighteousness.
00:27:43.38\00:27:47.19
He grants us the gift of
forgiveness and repentance.
00:27:47.92\00:27:51.13
But if we're presenting
ourselves as candidates
00:27:51.94\00:27:54.51
for citizenship in the
kingdom of heaven we must mourn
00:27:54.71\00:28:00.09
over our sin... then
the blessing will be ours.
00:28:00.29\00:28:04.02
God will draw us
near to His heart
00:28:04.32\00:28:07.25
and He will provide
the comfort of knowing
00:28:07.45\00:28:11.12
that our sins are forgiven.
00:28:11.42\00:28:13.02
That He can give us
that assurance of salvation.
00:28:13.26\00:28:16.54
And He will send His
Holy Spirit to indwell us
00:28:16.84\00:28:20.06
and by His power... by His
power we will be strengthened.
00:28:20.26\00:28:26.17
So number 3: the meek.
00:28:26.67\00:28:28.99
Matthew 5:5 Jesus
said: "Blessed are the meek
00:28:29.19\00:28:34.45
for they shall
inherit the earth. "
00:28:34.66\00:28:36.58
The Greek word here is praus.
00:28:36.88\00:28:39.32
It means to be mild and gentle.
00:28:39.62\00:28:43.16
Not to be easily provoked.
To be patient and humble.
00:28:43.36\00:28:46.90
Not only humble before
man but humble before God.
00:28:47.31\00:28:50.59
To be disciplined.
00:28:50.99\00:28:52.22
Meekness is an
attitude that prepares the way
00:28:52.52\00:28:55.84
for sanctification. It's an
attitude of surrender, really.
00:28:55.94\00:28:59.81
It is not weakness...
it is not to be spineless.
00:29:00.78\00:29:06.43
You know some people, if
you say: "He is a meek man"
00:29:06.93\00:29:09.62
you think: "Oh well,
you know, cowboy up. "
00:29:09.72\00:29:13.65
You know, "Man up. "
00:29:13.95\00:29:15.12
No, meekness...
00:29:15.62\00:29:19.97
the Bible says that Moses
was "more meek than all men
00:29:20.48\00:29:24.45
on the face of the
earth. " He was a strong man
00:29:24.55\00:29:27.76
who had a teachable spirit.
00:29:27.96\00:29:29.86
The meek recognize that
no matter what fame, fortune,
00:29:30.63\00:29:34.60
or power that they
achieve in this world
00:29:34.70\00:29:38.05
that they're no better
off than anyone else. Amen.
00:29:38.15\00:29:41.61
Jesus said in Matthew 11:29
00:29:42.39\00:29:45.52
"Take My yoke upon
you and learn from Me
00:29:45.92\00:29:49.24
for I am gentle
and lowly in heart
00:29:49.54\00:29:52.67
and you will find
rest for your soul. "
00:29:53.07\00:29:56.65
Jesus was meek.
00:29:57.05\00:29:59.38
Christian meekness
is an inward quality.
00:29:59.68\00:30:02.93
It is based on humility...
00:30:03.23\00:30:05.91
on having the mind of
Christ who humbled Himself
00:30:06.32\00:30:12.18
and became obedient,
even unto death on a cross.
00:30:12.49\00:30:15.16
Meekness implies submission
00:30:16.16\00:30:18.66
as the outgrowth of
our spiritual relationship
00:30:19.06\00:30:21.93
with the Lord. That the
meek will accept and do His will
00:30:22.03\00:30:26.15
without hesitation. The opposite
of meekness is arrogance
00:30:26.35\00:30:31.52
or pride... those who
have an air of superiority,
00:30:31.72\00:30:35.83
who are revengeful.
00:30:36.23\00:30:39.45
God will humble such people.
00:30:39.85\00:30:43.27
But Christ will exalt
those who have learned
00:30:43.67\00:30:47.51
the grace of
humility. I think of my husband.
00:30:47.71\00:30:51.71
He's one of the
most meek men I know.
00:30:52.21\00:30:57.52
He is gentle; he is
kind; he is submissive.
00:30:57.82\00:31:01.10
And I can tell you
that... I live with him.
00:31:01.40\00:31:04.42
And he's just
like that at home, too.
00:31:04.72\00:31:06.97
But you know something?
People are drawn to meekness.
00:31:07.27\00:31:12.70
People are drawn to him.
00:31:14.14\00:31:16.94
They want to hear
what he has to say.
00:31:17.24\00:31:20.03
When he is witnessing to
somebody... if it's a neighbor
00:31:20.33\00:31:23.13
or whomever else... it's
not that he takes the Bible
00:31:23.23\00:31:26.30
and beats them over the head
00:31:26.50\00:31:28.54
to try to convince them
how beautiful God's message is.
00:31:29.39\00:31:32.92
That would be like taking
a violin and beating somebody
00:31:33.12\00:31:35.34
over the head to convince
them how beautiful the music is.
00:31:35.44\00:31:37.82
No! What he does is in
this humility and this meekness
00:31:38.13\00:31:42.50
and his gentleness suddenly
people are drawn to him.
00:31:42.80\00:31:46.68
It's like: "I want to
know what you've got. "
00:31:47.42\00:31:50.78
This parallels Isaiah
61. This particular verse
00:31:51.38\00:31:55.88
where it says that
they will inherit the earth
00:31:56.28\00:31:59.21
Isaiah 61 verse 7
uses the exact words:
00:31:59.52\00:32:03.13
"They will inherit the land. "
00:32:03.33\00:32:04.93
It's an exact
parallel to Matthew 5:5.
00:32:05.33\00:32:08.00
So in context, the Sermon
on the Mount and the gospel
00:32:08.41\00:32:11.78
of Matthew as a whole
inheriting the earth is not just
00:32:11.98\00:32:17.25
Israel but it is
inheriting a re-created earth
00:32:17.48\00:32:22.00
over which Christ will
dwell and rule eternally.
00:32:22.10\00:32:25.15
Number four: let's look at
Matthew chapter 5 and verse 6.
00:32:25.95\00:32:30.31
The fourth
Beatitude... my favorite:
00:32:30.51\00:32:33.66
those who hunger and
thirst for righteousness.
00:32:33.96\00:32:37.91
Jesus said: "Blessed... " joyous
and spiritually prosperous...
00:32:38.31\00:32:43.17
"are those who hunger
and thirst for righteousness
00:32:43.37\00:32:45.95
for they shall be filled. "
00:32:46.25\00:32:48.75
They crave God's
righteousness and presence
00:32:49.25\00:32:52.25
just like David
did. Remember in Psalm 42
00:32:52.36\00:32:56.05
where David said: "As a
deer pants for streams of water
00:32:56.55\00:33:01.17
so my soul pants for You, O God.
00:33:01.37\00:33:04.37
My soul thirsts for
You... for the Living God. "
00:33:04.57\00:33:08.30
Again in Psalm 63 he said:
00:33:09.06\00:33:11.71
"O God, You are my God. "
Now he's out in the wilderness.
00:33:11.91\00:33:15.32
"Early will I seek You.
My soul thirsts for You.
00:33:15.72\00:33:19.51
My flesh longs for You
00:33:19.61\00:33:21.84
in a dry and weary land
where there is no water.
00:33:22.14\00:33:25.98
So I have looked
for You in the sanctuary
00:33:26.18\00:33:28.44
to see Your power and Your glory
00:33:28.54\00:33:31.32
and because Your lovingkind-
ness is better than life... "
00:33:31.52\00:33:36.80
Lord, because Your
love is better than life...
00:33:37.88\00:33:40.30
"my lips shall praise You.
00:33:40.40\00:33:42.46
Thus I will bless You
while I live. I will lift up
00:33:42.66\00:33:45.46
my hands in Your name.
My soul shall be satisfied
00:33:45.67\00:33:49.93
as with marrow and fatness
00:33:50.24\00:33:52.61
and my mouth shall
praise You with joyful lips. "
00:33:52.81\00:33:56.00
I'm going to ask you something.
Don't raise your hand.
00:33:56.20\00:33:59.03
When's the last
time you felt like this?
00:33:59.43\00:34:01.81
When's the last time
that you hungered and thirsted
00:34:03.06\00:34:07.86
for righteousness
with such an intense desire
00:34:08.06\00:34:12.07
that you hungered and thirsted
for the presence of the Lord?
00:34:12.27\00:34:17.42
Not just getting up on
Sabbath morning to go to church
00:34:18.55\00:34:21.46
because that's what you do,
00:34:21.66\00:34:24.73
but that you can't wait to get
to church to corporate worship
00:34:25.51\00:34:29.31
because you're hungering
and thirsting for the Lord.
00:34:29.71\00:34:32.96
You're longing
for righteousness.
00:34:33.16\00:34:36.69
I'm going to tell you a secret:
00:34:37.19\00:34:39.03
the more time you
spend in the Word,
00:34:39.33\00:34:41.80
the more time
you spend with God,
00:34:42.00\00:34:44.72
the more you'll hunger
and thirst for righteousness.
00:34:44.92\00:34:47.81
Because when you experience
God's love and the more you get
00:34:48.76\00:34:52.77
to know Him, the more
you recognize that this is...
00:34:52.97\00:34:58.40
that His riches
are unsearchable.
00:34:58.70\00:35:01.98
His grace is unsearchable.
00:35:02.38\00:35:05.18
And longing for righteousness
is evidence that Christ
00:35:05.48\00:35:09.26
is at work in our hearts.
00:35:09.36\00:35:11.61
You know, the words here
hunger and thirst... those verbs
00:35:12.01\00:35:14.70
in the Greek are
the rare accusative case
00:35:14.80\00:35:18.15
which simply means a
fervent hunger and thirst
00:35:18.35\00:35:22.39
for the whole thing. Not just
a little bit of righteousness
00:35:22.59\00:35:26.49
but for all of it.
00:35:26.69\00:35:28.22
And the promise...
What is the promise?
00:35:28.52\00:35:30.92
The promise of fullness of
life, "they shall be filled, "
00:35:31.32\00:35:35.60
is conditional on our
hungering and thirsting.
00:35:36.43\00:35:39.91
If you don't hunger and thirst,
you're not going to be filled.
00:35:40.80\00:35:44.15
You've got to hunger and
thirst with that same eagerness
00:35:44.65\00:35:48.36
of a starving and parched man
00:35:48.66\00:35:51.01
both to be made righteous
- which avoids the error
00:35:51.31\00:35:55.80
of self-righteousness and
legalism because we recognize
00:35:56.00\00:35:59.45
it's God who
makes us righteous -
00:35:59.55\00:36:01.19
and then to act in
a righteous manner.
00:36:01.39\00:36:05.35
This avoids the
error of loose living.
00:36:06.41\00:36:10.31
Those who hunger and thirst
for righteousness recognize
00:36:11.43\00:36:15.28
that our behavior
affects our acceptance with God.
00:36:15.58\00:36:19.00
And we long to
walk as Christ walked.
00:36:19.40\00:36:21.77
You know, in John 14:15-
we quote this all the time -
00:36:22.07\00:36:24.92
Jesus said: "If you love
Me, keep My commandments. "
00:36:26.04\00:36:29.83
You cannot separate
John 14:15 from John 14:16
00:36:30.92\00:36:36.06
cause it goes like this: "If you
love Me, keep My commandments
00:36:36.36\00:36:40.32
and I will send another
Comforter to abide with you. "
00:36:41.23\00:36:46.96
In the Greek Allos Parakletos.
00:36:47.66\00:36:50.93
"I am going to send
you Allos... " One who...
00:36:51.43\00:36:54.44
Another means One
who is EXACTLY like Me.
00:36:54.54\00:36:59.25
"I am going to
send you the Holy Spirit
00:37:00.45\00:37:05.29
who is exactly like Me
and He will dwell in you. "
00:37:05.50\00:37:08.86
But that condition of being
filled with the Holy Spirit
00:37:09.26\00:37:12.78
is only for those who hunger
and thirst for righteousness.
00:37:12.98\00:37:16.39
No earthly source can satisfy
00:37:16.90\00:37:19.44
the hunger and
thirst of the soul.
00:37:19.74\00:37:21.20
Solomon tried to
fill his emptiness with...
00:37:21.60\00:37:24.26
with material riches,
profound philosophies.
00:37:24.46\00:37:28.41
He tried to satisfy
his physical appetite.
00:37:28.71\00:37:32.27
He looked for honor and power.
00:37:32.87\00:37:34.98
And what did he conclude
in the end? "All is vanity. "
00:37:35.28\00:37:40.13
All is vanity. None
of these things can bring
00:37:40.63\00:37:45.09
the satisfaction and
happiness that we long for.
00:37:45.29\00:37:48.00
Solomon finally woke
up and realized in the end
00:37:48.92\00:37:51.51
that recognizing and
cooperating with our Creator
00:37:51.81\00:37:55.72
is what we provide
in doing satisfaction.
00:37:55.92\00:37:59.07
So the words "they will be
filled" is a divine passive.
00:37:59.37\00:38:03.97
It's in the passive voice.
It means that we can't do that.
00:38:04.17\00:38:06.54
It is an act only God can do.
00:38:06.74\00:38:09.85
And that is crucial
to our understanding of
00:38:10.25\00:38:13.16
The Sermon on the Mount.
00:38:13.26\00:38:14.65
Do you remember in this
same sermon as you get beyond
00:38:15.05\00:38:17.90
the Beatitudes, if we're going
to understand this theology
00:38:18.00\00:38:21.27
we've got to get this right:
00:38:21.37\00:38:22.82
Jesus requires His disciples
to keep the least of the
00:38:23.22\00:38:26.55
commandments in verse 19.
00:38:26.65\00:38:28.45
Verse 20: to surpass the
righteousness of the scribes
00:38:28.85\00:38:32.54
and the Pharisees. And
in verse 48 to be perfect
00:38:32.64\00:38:37.20
as your Heavenly
Father is perfect.
00:38:37.50\00:38:40.25
Whoo! Now if your theology
is wrong, you can twist these
00:38:40.45\00:38:45.80
ideas to your own destruction
00:38:46.00\00:38:49.15
and you can think that
righteousness is achieved
00:38:50.34\00:38:53.91
by works. But what
Jesus is saying here -
00:38:54.01\00:38:57.98
that the righteousness
that He demands of us He has
00:38:58.28\00:39:01.45
just explained it - is the
righteousness that... it's a
00:39:01.56\00:39:05.47
divine gift that He
gives to His followers.
00:39:05.57\00:39:08.75
Aren't you glad for the imputed
righteousness of Jesus Christ
00:39:09.88\00:39:13.63
where He clothes us with His
righteouness? He wipes out our
00:39:14.03\00:39:18.31
spiritual bankruptcy by
crediting all of His acts to us
00:39:18.51\00:39:22.84
and thus we are justified.
00:39:23.17\00:39:25.09
This is an act of
God where He says: "OK,
00:39:25.39\00:39:29.04
your sins are wiped out.
I'm declaring you not guilty.
00:39:29.44\00:39:35.09
You're
pardoned... you're pardoned. "
00:39:35.29\00:39:37.73
But then also the
imparted righteousness of Jesus
00:39:38.03\00:39:41.36
as the Holy Spirit lives in us
00:39:41.56\00:39:43.70
and then He
empowers us to will and to do
00:39:44.11\00:39:48.50
His good work.
This is sanctification!
00:39:48.70\00:39:51.50
We can't do that by ourselves.
00:39:51.90\00:39:53.77
We can't even
obey by our own power.
00:39:53.87\00:39:56.88
It's God that works
in us to will and to do.
00:39:57.18\00:39:59.50
This is a work of God.
00:39:59.90\00:40:03.40
So do you crave righteousness?
00:40:03.81\00:40:07.51
If you don't, I want to suggest
that you pray and ask God.
00:40:07.91\00:40:13.48
And trust me, even as I
was preparing this sermon
00:40:13.88\00:40:16.92
yesterday I thought:
"Lord, have I lost my passion
00:40:17.12\00:40:21.27
for righteousness? "
00:40:21.67\00:40:23.66
"Lord, cause me
to hunger and thirst
00:40:23.86\00:40:26.98
for Your righteousness. "
00:40:27.18\00:40:28.85
And He will fill you...
He'll do His work in you
00:40:29.16\00:40:33.62
and the fruit of
the Spirit will be ours.
00:40:33.92\00:40:36.06
Now, the merciful.
This is the fifth Beatitude.
00:40:36.46\00:40:40.13
Matthew 5:7:
"Blessed are the merciful
00:40:40.33\00:40:42.72
for they shall obtain mercy. "
00:40:42.92\00:40:45.57
There's two parts
to being merciful.
00:40:45.87\00:40:48.03
The first is to have a
tender and compassionate heart
00:40:48.33\00:40:51.44
that acts with mercy and
benevolence to meet other's
00:40:51.74\00:40:54.66
needs. Their financial,
their emotional, their physical,
00:40:54.76\00:40:58.58
even their spiritual needs.
00:40:58.68\00:41:00.06
These people - these merciful
- know it's more blessed to give
00:41:00.46\00:41:04.39
than to receive.
Jesus tells the story
00:41:04.59\00:41:07.46
in Matthew 25 that
when He returns to earth
00:41:07.96\00:41:13.69
with all of His
holy angels with Him
00:41:13.82\00:41:15.87
the nations are gathered
and the sheep and the goats
00:41:15.97\00:41:18.16
are... are one put on the
right hand, one put on the left.
00:41:18.26\00:41:22.56
And then the verse says this:
"The King will say to those
00:41:22.87\00:41:26.74
who are on the right
hand, the sheep: 'Come,
00:41:26.94\00:41:29.49
ye blessed of My Father.
00:41:29.69\00:41:32.08
Inherit the
kingdom prepared for you
00:41:32.28\00:41:34.32
from the foundation of the world
00:41:34.52\00:41:35.93
for I was hungry
and you gave Me food,
00:41:36.23\00:41:38.19
I was thirsty and
you gave Me drink.
00:41:38.49\00:41:41.02
I was naked and you clothed Me.
00:41:41.22\00:41:43.18
I was sick and you
visited Me. I was in prison
00:41:43.39\00:41:45.80
and you came to
Me. ' " The merciful.
00:41:46.20\00:41:50.51
According to James "pure
religion are deeds of mercy. "
00:41:51.58\00:41:56.47
This, too, is something
that only can be achieved
00:41:56.87\00:42:02.19
if God is working
within. I remember...
00:42:02.39\00:42:05.55
You know, anyone can demonstrate
mercy. It doesn't take money.
00:42:06.86\00:42:09.75
I'm going to tell a
bad story on myself.
00:42:10.05\00:42:12.19
My aunts and cousins had come
to... We were living in Texas -
00:42:12.49\00:42:15.33
in the center part of
Texas - and my aunt, my cousin,
00:42:15.63\00:42:19.18
and my sister -
this was many years ago -
00:42:19.38\00:42:21.42
came to visit us.
00:42:21.72\00:42:23.26
And I took them to San Antonio.
We were going to the River Walk.
00:42:23.66\00:42:26.75
And when we got
there, as we... we kind of...
00:42:27.05\00:42:31.55
There were a few little
things that happened so we were
00:42:31.95\00:42:34.11
behind schedule. And we
got there and got checked in.
00:42:34.21\00:42:36.86
We were going... we had a
reservation at the River Walk.
00:42:37.16\00:42:40.04
And as we are going
along... Here I was in ministry.
00:42:40.47\00:42:44.02
I wasn't with 3ABN at the
time but I was in ministry.
00:42:44.22\00:42:46.64
And that
impressed my aunt a lot.
00:42:47.04\00:42:50.48
Anyway... So we're walking along
00:42:51.84\00:42:55.20
and in... as we're going
down the street... in a doorway
00:42:55.40\00:42:58.88
there was a girl
who was huddled up
00:42:59.18\00:43:02.09
and by her face and her
demeanor and everything else -
00:43:02.39\00:43:06.06
her hair - you could
tell she was a drug addict
00:43:06.26\00:43:08.62
and she was
"higher than a kite. "
00:43:08.82\00:43:10.31
So like the
00:43:11.20\00:43:15.57
scribes and
Pharisees who passed by
00:43:16.45\00:43:19.83
I did like this with
my aunt and my cousin.
00:43:20.23\00:43:25.53
We were on our way
to a dinner reservation.
00:43:26.90\00:43:29.70
This girl... what could I do for
her? She was higher than a kite.
00:43:30.20\00:43:34.30
And as we're about 20
steps down I looked back, and
00:43:34.71\00:43:37.91
my sister was
ministering to this girl.
00:43:38.11\00:43:40.78
She stopped to pray for her.
00:43:41.28\00:43:43.04
And the Lord... Oh
man! Did He ever...
00:43:43.34\00:43:46.87
I mean it was just like
a stab in the heart because
00:43:47.07\00:43:49.72
I recognized I
was not being merciful
00:43:49.92\00:43:52.98
'cause I had my own agenda.
00:43:53.28\00:43:55.18
So anyone can show mercy.
00:43:55.68\00:43:57.84
It's just being
considerate of someone's needs
00:43:58.04\00:44:00.21
and feelings. A
prayer can show mercy.
00:44:00.31\00:44:03.76
But the second and
critical part to mercy
00:44:04.16\00:44:07.18
is to have an
empathetic and forgiving spirit.
00:44:07.39\00:44:10.75
And this is when we
strive to understand
00:44:11.15\00:44:15.68
those who have offended
us and to show mercy to them.
00:44:15.88\00:44:19.38
Mercy...
00:44:20.40\00:44:22.15
the merciful are actually
putting God's love into action.
00:44:22.65\00:44:27.29
If you have a hard
time forgiving an offender
00:44:27.79\00:44:31.94
or feeling merciful
towards somebody, let me
00:44:32.24\00:44:34.14
share what happened with me.
00:44:34.34\00:44:36.17
We had a business partner...
Before we were married
00:44:36.67\00:44:39.20
J.D. and I were business
partners, and we had another
00:44:39.41\00:44:41.24
partner who put us
$250,000 into debt because of
00:44:41.34\00:44:45.22
some very crooked
things he was doing.
00:44:45.42\00:44:47.56
So we had to assume
all... When we married we were
00:44:48.69\00:44:51.06
$250,000 in debt. Well
then I exposed this guy.
00:44:51.16\00:44:55.42
I'm traveling all over Europe
and I exposed his little scheme.
00:44:55.72\00:44:58.84
And he threatened my life.
00:44:59.14\00:45:02.60
Said that he was
putting a hit team out to...
00:45:02.90\00:45:06.96
contract on my life.
00:45:07.37\00:45:09.27
Well! I hated him.
00:45:09.37\00:45:12.90
I thought... I mean, if you've
got somebody threatening your
00:45:13.60\00:45:15.70
life it's
interesting how you react.
00:45:15.80\00:45:17.67
And I just... I hated him.
00:45:17.97\00:45:19.45
So I came home from Europe...
after spending eight weeks
00:45:19.66\00:45:22.06
looking over my
shoulder I came home from Europe
00:45:22.26\00:45:24.74
and I remember I was praying.
And I said: "Oh, Lord, I'm
00:45:25.04\00:45:29.33
praying for forgiveness of my
sins" and suddenly I hear this:
00:45:29.53\00:45:31.91
"I'll forgive you if
you'll forgive him. "
00:45:32.24\00:45:34.46
"Well, You've got to be kidding!
00:45:34.96\00:45:36.66
How can I forgive him? "
00:45:37.16\00:45:39.28
And suddenly the
Lord impressed me
00:45:39.59\00:45:43.59
that what I needed to do was
to... You know, I am sincerely
00:45:43.89\00:45:47.13
saying: "How can I
forgive someone like this?
00:45:47.23\00:45:49.18
He's ruined us financially;
he's threatened my life. "
00:45:49.58\00:45:52.28
And He impressed me to
pray for his salvation.
00:45:52.58\00:45:55.13
And I thought: "I don't care
if he rots in you know where. "
00:45:55.63\00:45:59.53
I didn't care at the time.
00:46:01.16\00:46:03.76
But God impressed me to
pray for this man's salvation.
00:46:04.26\00:46:06.85
And as I did... I
mean, that first week I
00:46:07.05\00:46:11.40
was just being dutiful
praying for his salvation.
00:46:11.60\00:46:13.86
Somewhere along the
line God changed my heart
00:46:14.36\00:46:17.35
and I was sincerely praying
for his salvation because
00:46:17.85\00:46:21.54
I suddenly saw
this man as God saw him.
00:46:21.74\00:46:25.47
So we want to have an
empathetic and forgiving spirit.
00:46:25.98\00:46:31.95
"Blessed... " number
6... "are the pure in heart
00:46:33.02\00:46:36.18
for they shall see God. "
00:46:36.48\00:46:41.18
The pure in heart:
this is the intellect.
00:46:41.68\00:46:44.28
The word heart. Your
conscience... your inner man.
00:46:44.38\00:46:47.08
The pure in heart is someone
who as a clean, unpolluted heart
00:46:47.87\00:46:51.62
as a result of God cleansing
and purging and forgiving
00:46:51.82\00:46:55.25
their sins. The pure in
heart: sin no longer rules
00:46:55.35\00:47:00.81
in their heart. Doesn't
mean that they're sinless.
00:47:01.01\00:47:03.45
No, no, no, no. It means
that their motives are right.
00:47:03.85\00:47:08.42
And if the motives are
right the life will be pure.
00:47:08.83\00:47:11.12
They press forward toward
the goal of the heavenward call
00:47:12.28\00:47:16.58
to win the
prize of Christ Jesus.
00:47:16.88\00:47:19.27
The pure in heart... You
can only have purity of heart
00:47:19.70\00:47:23.60
if God is working in you to will
and to do His good pleasure.
00:47:23.80\00:47:28.23
It's a dramatic
internal transformation!
00:47:28.47\00:47:31.41
It's an authentic
type of righteousness.
00:47:31.81\00:47:34.58
And you know righteous-
ness can be counterfeited.
00:47:34.88\00:47:37.27
You know that, don't
you? Think of the Pharisees.
00:47:37.57\00:47:40.09
Theirs was nothing but
counterfeited righteousness.
00:47:40.49\00:47:43.09
But purity of heart is necessary
to enter into God's presence.
00:47:43.49\00:47:48.43
And the blessing to
them is that divine grace
00:47:48.74\00:47:51.64
will provide spiritual
eyes of faith to see God now
00:47:51.94\00:47:57.10
and promises them - assures
them - that they will stand
00:47:57.40\00:48:00.81
face to face with
Him in the kingdom.
00:48:01.02\00:48:02.99
"Blessed are the pure in
heart for they shall see God. "
00:48:03.29\00:48:05.62
And number
seven: the peacemakers.
00:48:06.12\00:48:08.94
"Blessed are the peacemakers
for they shall be called
00:48:09.44\00:48:13.74
sons of God. "
There are three types
00:48:13.94\00:48:19.65
or three ways to
keep and maintain peace
00:48:19.85\00:48:22.90
or to make and maintain peace.
00:48:23.20\00:48:24.65
First, peacemakers
strive to be at peace with God.
00:48:25.05\00:48:28.01
Romans 5:1 says, Paul
says, "We are justified
00:48:28.31\00:48:32.09
by faith, and as we
are we have peace with God
00:48:32.30\00:48:35.50
through Christ. " The second
way is that peacemakers strive
00:48:35.60\00:48:40.03
for the good of mankind
and they bring men together
00:48:40.23\00:48:43.66
by solving disputes
and eliminating strife.
00:48:43.86\00:48:47.35
Paul says in I Thessalonians
that Christians are to be
00:48:48.69\00:48:52.18
at peace among themselves.
And then Hebrews 12:14
00:48:52.29\00:48:55.25
it says: "Pursue
peace with all people. "
00:48:55.45\00:48:58.19
We are to pray for peace. We are
to pray for conflict resolution.
00:48:58.79\00:49:02.21
Peacemakers don't criticize and
gossip and murmur and complain.
00:49:03.21\00:49:07.08
They refuse to seek revenge;
they're quick to apologize.
00:49:07.38\00:49:11.53
Now peacemakers are not passive.
00:49:12.62\00:49:14.95
Don't get that wrong.
00:49:15.45\00:49:16.98
Being passive doesn't
mean you're a peacemaker.
00:49:17.28\00:49:19.16
You can just be passive
and you're afraid to confront
00:49:19.26\00:49:23.44
somebody. Peacemakers
will confront a problem
00:49:23.54\00:49:26.77
boldly, but they will
do it in a tender way,
00:49:26.97\00:49:31.75
a tactful way to settle disputes
00:49:31.95\00:49:35.14
and to bring about resolutions
and eliminate strife.
00:49:35.17\00:49:38.85
Peacemakers love their enemies.
00:49:39.15\00:49:41.50
The third and greatest
thing in this Beatitude
00:49:43.53\00:49:47.16
when Jesus is talking about
the ministry of peacemaking
00:49:47.67\00:49:50.65
He is in particular
talking about being devoted
00:49:51.05\00:49:54.55
to bringing men
into harmony with God.
00:49:54.75\00:49:56.77
To help others
make peace with God.
00:49:57.07\00:49:59.50
Isaiah 9:6 refers to
Christ as the Prince of Peace.
00:50:00.27\00:50:04.21
The messenger of peace
from God that brings a message
00:50:04.51\00:50:07.89
of reconciliation. And
peacemakers work at this
00:50:07.99\00:50:12.04
ministry of reconciliation
between man and God.
00:50:12.15\00:50:15.05
And as they do,
guess what happens?
00:50:15.55\00:50:17.54
They develop
Christ's true characteristics
00:50:17.84\00:50:21.56
and they're accepted as
the sons and daughters of God.
00:50:22.06\00:50:25.11
Now, the final Beatitude:
blessed are the persecuted.
00:50:26.15\00:50:31.23
"Blessed are those who are per-
secuted for righteousness' sake
00:50:31.53\00:50:36.12
for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven. "
00:50:36.32\00:50:38.79
Did you notice the first...
"Blessed are the poor in
00:50:39.29\00:50:44.12
spirit for theirs is
the kingdom of heaven. "
00:50:44.22\00:50:46.89
It starts... it's bracketed.
It starts the Beatitudes
00:50:47.19\00:50:50.90
with the first blessing
theirs is the kingdom of heaven
00:50:51.10\00:50:53.54
and how appropriate
that it ends bracketed again
00:50:53.84\00:50:57.36
that those who are persecuted
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
00:50:57.66\00:51:00.82
"Blessed are you when
they revile and persecute you
00:51:01.32\00:51:04.26
and say all kinds of evil
against you falsely for My sake.
00:51:04.46\00:51:07.22
Rejoice and be exceedingly glad
00:51:07.52\00:51:09.75
for great is
your reward in heaven
00:51:09.95\00:51:13.19
for so they persecuted the
prophets who were before you. "
00:51:13.50\00:51:16.31
Persecuted. That's to
endure suffering for Christ.
00:51:17.77\00:51:22.16
To be mocked,
ridiculed, criticized,
00:51:22.46\00:51:24.83
ostracized, to be
treated with hostility.
00:51:25.03\00:51:28.86
Even to be martyred.
00:51:29.26\00:51:30.87
We don't really
know - most of us -
00:51:32.27\00:51:35.63
what it means to truly
be persecuted for Christ.
00:51:36.14\00:51:39.58
I have a dear friend in
the Middle East who became
00:51:39.68\00:51:42.92
an Adventist, a Christian
actually, by watching 3ABN.
00:51:43.12\00:51:48.07
She did this only...
I mean, she was Muslim.
00:51:48.57\00:51:51.55
She did it only... She only
watched to improve her English.
00:51:51.86\00:51:54.38
And the Lord got
a hold of her heart.
00:51:54.78\00:51:56.83
And she lost her job.
00:51:57.34\00:51:59.79
She lost her marriage.
00:52:00.09\00:52:01.35
She lost custody
of her two children.
00:52:01.56\00:52:04.63
Little children at the time.
00:52:05.78\00:52:07.88
And God has blessed her
like you would not believe.
00:52:08.18\00:52:11.17
He is blessing her. She
gets to see her children
00:52:11.47\00:52:14.79
from time to time,
but He is using her
00:52:14.99\00:52:17.24
in such a mighty
way in the kingdom.
00:52:17.35\00:52:19.58
Blessed are the persecuted.
You know, the great controversy
00:52:19.88\00:52:24.52
rages on
between Satan and Jesus.
00:52:24.72\00:52:28.63
And even though
Jesus has won at the cross
00:52:28.93\00:52:32.14
we know, but it also
rages on between the followers
00:52:32.34\00:52:36.38
of Satan - his kingdom -
and the followers of Jesus -
00:52:36.58\00:52:40.18
His kingdom. And Jesus tells us
00:52:40.48\00:52:43.45
that all who live godly
will suffer persecution.
00:52:43.75\00:52:47.26
Why? Because our
godly behavior exposes them
00:52:48.47\00:52:51.94
I believe and they just hate it.
00:52:52.14\00:52:54.11
But II Timothy 2:12 Paul says
00:52:54.41\00:52:58.97
"If we suffer with Him we
shall also reign with Him. "
00:52:59.27\00:53:03.67
Blessed are those who are
persecuted for righteouness.
00:53:04.07\00:53:07.35
They shall inherit
the kingdom of heaven.
00:53:07.65\00:53:10.39
Those who experience
these eight qualifications
00:53:13.20\00:53:17.08
for citizenship
listed in these Beatitudes
00:53:17.38\00:53:20.15
are worthy of a
place in the kingdom.
00:53:20.45\00:53:23.74
Let me ask you: are you
experiencing these eight
00:53:24.24\00:53:29.14
conditions? It's kind of a test.
00:53:30.98\00:53:35.31
We need to examine our hearts.
00:53:35.61\00:53:38.38
Blessed are the poor in spirit,
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
00:53:38.88\00:53:41.78
Blessed are those who
mourn, they shall be comforted.
00:53:41.99\00:53:43.92
Blessed are the meek,
they shall inherit the earth.
00:53:44.12\00:53:45.82
Blessed are those who hunger
and thirst for righteousness,
00:53:46.02\00:53:49.09
they shall be filled.
00:53:49.29\00:53:50.39
Blessed are the merciful
for they shall obtain mercy.
00:53:50.69\00:53:54.27
Let me tell you something:
if you're not merciful
00:53:54.57\00:53:56.64
what does God promise?
00:53:56.84\00:53:58.03
That He'll give you
judgment without mercy.
00:53:58.23\00:54:00.24
Blessed are the pure in
heart, they shall see God.
00:54:00.54\00:54:02.95
Blessed are the peacemakers,
theirs is the kingdom.
00:54:03.15\00:54:06.86
Our citizenship is in heaven.
00:54:07.26\00:54:10.93
We have been born again
and enrolled in the Lamb's
00:54:11.23\00:54:16.91
Book of Life.
Lars and Sandy here
00:54:17.11\00:54:21.12
have a son here named
Cory who's going to be enrolled
00:54:21.32\00:54:23.82
in the Lamb's
Book of Life today.
00:54:23.92\00:54:27.19
He's going to be baptized.
00:54:27.39\00:54:28.90
I think it's today.
Maybe tomorrow... I'm not sure.
00:54:29.10\00:54:30.95
But what a wonderful
thing: to be enrolled
00:54:31.45\00:54:35.88
in the Lamb's Book of Life!
00:54:36.28\00:54:38.66
We're under heaven's government.
00:54:39.17\00:54:40.96
As citizens of heaven, our
earthly life is but a moment
00:54:42.92\00:54:46.72
in time compared to the eternal
joys we will experience there.
00:54:46.82\00:54:50.03
We know Jesus said
"Not everyone who says
00:54:50.53\00:54:53.05
'Lord, Lord' will enter
the kingdom but only those
00:54:53.15\00:54:55.81
who do the will of My Father. "
So obedience, yes, is necessary.
00:54:56.01\00:54:59.12
But you know, ancient
citizens or ancient cities
00:54:59.52\00:55:03.05
used to keep a register
of all of their citizens.
00:55:03.25\00:55:06.54
Just as God does, doesn't He?
00:55:06.78\00:55:08.33
The Lamb's Book of Life.
And the names of the dead
00:55:08.53\00:55:11.58
were erased. So,
too, those who only
00:55:11.78\00:55:17.13
have the name of Christian...
00:55:17.23\00:55:19.88
just the name that they
are alive... but they are dead.
00:55:20.08\00:55:23.70
Their names will be blotted
out of heaven's register.
00:55:25.49\00:55:29.92
Listen to this:
00:55:30.42\00:55:32.67
Revelation 3:1-6
00:55:32.97\00:55:34.86
"To the angel of the church
in Sardis write: 'These things
00:55:35.16\00:55:38.57
says He who has seven spirits
of God and the seven stars
00:55:38.77\00:55:41.09
I know your works
that you have a name
00:55:41.19\00:55:43.88
that you are
alive but you are dead.
00:55:43.98\00:55:46.33
Be watchful.
Strengthen the things
00:55:46.73\00:55:50.11
which remain that are
ready to die, for I have not
00:55:50.14\00:55:53.08
found your works
perfect before God.
00:55:53.28\00:55:56.60
Remember then,
therefore, how you have received
00:55:56.90\00:56:01.55
or what you have
received and heard. Hold fast
00:56:01.75\00:56:04.97
and repent.
Therefore if you will not watch
00:56:05.17\00:56:08.34
I will come upon you as
a thief and you'll not know
00:56:08.44\00:56:10.49
what hour I will
come upon you. ' "
00:56:10.59\00:56:12.38
And then He says
this: "There are a few names
00:56:14.13\00:56:17.91
even in Sardis that have
not defiled their government.
00:56:18.11\00:56:22.13
They have walked
with me in white.
00:56:22.33\00:56:24.12
They shall walk with Me
in white for they are worthy.
00:56:24.32\00:56:27.03
He who overcomes shall
be clothed in white garments
00:56:27.26\00:56:33.17
and I will not blot out
his name from the Book of Life.
00:56:33.37\00:56:38.42
I will confess his
name before My Father
00:56:38.76\00:56:41.21
and before His holy angels.
00:56:41.51\00:56:42.86
He who has an ear, let him hear
00:56:43.26\00:56:46.02
what the Spirit
says to the churches. "
00:56:46.22\00:56:48.50
Do we have spiritual ears today
00:56:48.80\00:56:51.13
to understand that
the Beatitudes are rich?
00:56:51.53\00:56:55.46
They're rich in instruction;
they're rich in blessings.
00:56:55.76\00:57:00.75
God will do it all for us.
00:57:01.08\00:57:03.43
It is just a matter...
If we are to pass this test
00:57:03.93\00:57:08.19
of citizenship of the
eternal kingdom of God,
00:57:08.39\00:57:10.82
we just have to cry out to God
00:57:11.02\00:57:13.70
as the God of our salvation.
00:57:13.90\00:57:16.09
He is so anxious
to have you there
00:57:16.29\00:57:20.19
because heaven will
not be heaven to Him
00:57:20.39\00:57:23.44
unless all of His
children are there. Amen!
00:57:23.75\00:57:27.30
God bless you;
thank you very much.
00:57:27.44\00:57:30.34