Sermon on the Mount: Blessed Be 9

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TODAY: RYTHM at 6:30 - going out - talk with Steve

Tomorrow - Thanksgiving and Christmas decor

Wednesday - Luz first sermon

28 November: Thanksgiving Meal

29 November: Verona

7 December: Christmas Caroling at the Aviano Nursing Home

Intro

Things change when God speaks.

How does God speak into your life???

You must recognize that God is already speaking - His Word is eternal, and it continues since the dawn of the spoken existence of Creation, to now, and off through all eternity, His Word has spoken and is constantly changing the World around us.

You must be listening for His voice.

You must be near the source. His Word - it is alive. It is living. It is LIFE. If you’re not hearing Him speak to you, you’re not in His Word.

Here’s the reality:

God wants to speak into your life.

He wants to tell you His love for you.

He wants to tell you His love for this world.

He wants to tell you what He wants you to do - for you to know your purpose in this world.

He wants to reveal Himself to you - for you to know Holy, Almighty God personally.

He wants to reveal His glory to you - and for you to know how He calls you friend.

Church, He wants you to know the POWER of His Word, that’s able to empower you to be an agent that brings life and change to this fallen world.

God does not desire a bunch of religious people

2 Timothy 3:5 CSB

5 holding to the form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid these people.

He does desire and seek His Church - the Bride of Christ - to be beautiful and radiant with knowledge of His word, operating in the authority of His word, and carrying out the acts of righteousness that changes the world around her.

Charitable Heart

The New King James Version Chapter 6

6 “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 3 But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.

Matthew 5 ends with the exhortation from Jesus - speaking as both full divinity and full humanity - to “be perfect, therefore as your heavenly Father is perfect”.

This is an exhortation, a call to live a life of inward purity and holiness of heart in which followers of Christ demonstrate God’s character in ways that are countercultural to societal norms.

To live a life of inward purity and holiness - is something that can only be done because of the work of the Holy Spirit washing our souls by the Word of God.

God has called us to live pure in heart and holy before God AND man. Again, this is a work done by God in us where we, as spiritual sons and daughter of Father God, take on spiritual characteristics of Father God.

And one huge aspect of the character and nature of Almighty God is that He is absolutely generous - with all that He is and all that He has.

It’s no surprise here then that Jesus is preaching the importance of generosity and righteousness.

Again, what is righteousness? If you’ve been apart of Knowing Jesus 101, you know that righteousness is behavior - it is a quality of behavior.

You see, God never wanted to us to live a pure and holy life only privately.

If someone wants to be a good person privately and that never leads to acts of mercy, all that is is private piety…which can lead to a lot pride.

A perspective that is confident in the goodness of self that says I don’t need to share the goodness God has given me with anyone else.

This is kind of faith, is not faith at all. This is exactly what James is saying in James chapter 2 that faith without works is dead.

So a pure heart, should be reflected in how life is lived out in relation to others AND ESPECIALLY those who are poor and needy in this world.

The Hypocritical Heart

But there’s a catch!

Because on the other end of the pendulum is the hypocritical heart!

Jesus says in verse 2: 2 Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Mt 6:2.

I love the timelessness of God’s Word. Even though we use the word hypocrite in a different light today compared to Jesus’s time, it still means the same thing.

You see the word hypocrite originates from the Greek performances of comedy, where the actors playing their part would put on costumes and masks and act out a different character other than their true selves.

These actors were called hypocrites.

The Greek word hypokrites means “stage actor, pretender, dissembler.” It is to be two-faced, and even double-minded.

And Jesus saying here, when you do an act of charity, don’t seek public attention as the hypocrites do - getting all the glory and accolades from other men and women…

We see this all the time - where acts of charity are done intentionally seeking the attention of others - “Look out holy I am”, “Look out ‘GOOD’ I am”, “Celebrate me!”

Constantly feeding ego and pride and in their hearts really could care less.

Jesus does a kind of tongue in cheek moment here though…He’s giving truth, sharing God’s heart in what charity looks like…

But as He describes the hypocrites, He describes them being both in the public arena - in the streets - and also in the synagogue - the Church.

Watch out! Because the Lord knows our hearts! He knows the intent of our hearts!

Lord, God is telling us this morning that He knows what’s going on in our hearts, and He’s trying to mold it. He’s trying to fashion it into the likeness of His own character and nature.

The Lord wants us to truly care and be intentional about how we handle the opportunities of righteousness that He’s given us.

Look, the opportunities given to us have been set up for us since before the foundations of the world. And His desire for us is to be good stewards of each and every moment.

To reflect the good work He’s done in us, for others to know the glory of a loving God whose desire is to completely transform your life from one that exhibits an impending death, to one that is abundant in all matters of life.

Generosity, Pure in Heart

This is why when we give, we’re never closer to the heart of God - because it truly reflects the nature of Him in whose likeness we are created.

In loving generosity, He though of you and me.

In loving generosity, He created you and me.

In loving generosity, He created you and me in His likeness.

In loving generosity, He covered you and me with grace and even more grace.

In loving generosity, He extends to you and me fresh mercies every day.

In loving generosity, He left the power and richness of His Throne to become flesh and born to the poorest conditions.

He walked out this life, fighting colds and sickness and the burdens of humanity.

And even though He never sinned in 33 years of His life, He who knew no sin took on the sins of the world.

Our sins were nailed to the cross with Him, and He took our eternal death sentence and in exchange, He gave us His eternal life.

But thank God for His divinity, because Death, Hell, and the Grave could not contain or hold Him.

And on the 3rd Day, He arose back to life, proving all the while that He is not a hypocrite.

We who believe in Christ Jesus know that He is not a liar.

We who believe in Christ Jesus know that He is the ONLY way to the Father. He is THE ONLY way, truth and life.

And we who believe in the Son of God know the Father’s heart, and that He has promised us even more of Himself - to give us the Holy Spirit and power and wonders that come with Him.

Its in the purity of God’s generosity, that He wants us to live by faith.

This kind of faith is relational.

It’s reflective of the heart and will of God.

And it’s in compassion and hope for the world around us.

It’s in this compassion that God wants to His children influencing and affecting every man, woman, and child around you.

Not in a way that gives you vain glory.

But in a way, that your only expected reward is God’s blessing upon your life.

CLOSING

Our modern society struggles with reality, and living out reality.

We too often live with a green-screen life.

Painting only the picture we want others to see of us.

Painting a life better than we’re truly living internally.

God wants us to live intentionally - without a green screen.

To live out a life where what people see, is REALLY who you are. You see, without people knowing you truly, they can’t know the work God is doing in you.

This is your testimony! This is how you overcome the evil one trying to ravage your life!

And when you live this WAY of LIFE, the truth overcomes any lie satan can accuse you of.

So let the world around you see what God has done in you…but not in a way that gives yourself glory and praise.

Do it in a way that lives are changed, because of the change in you.

BIG GIVE

Today we’re going to exercise some faith, and I hope you’ve prepared in the last couple of weeks that we’ve announced it.

Today, we’re going to give - “bigly”. Today we give towards a big need.

Right here in our geographical backyard - needs of children affected by the struggles of poverty, political conflict, abandonment.

A ministry called Europe’s Child has already operated this year in Serbia, Hungary, Poland, and most recently Romania.

They set up outreach worship services, print and distribute Bibles according to a targeted ministry area.

They doing youth and kids camps, and what they’ve just finished doing within the last week - is set up day camps with Christmas parties.

They feed the kids, giving nutrition and other hygiene needs.

Sometimes its in local churches, in local schools, but quite often its orphanages and in the slums of some the hardest conditions.

This year’s BIG GIVE is going to Europe’s Child.

So above the tithe that is already the Lord’s, let’s bless some children who are in need today. Let’s extend some of the blessing we get to enjoy every day, often without even thinking about it. Let’s give financially to a team of God’s chosen that are positioned to have direct impact on these kids today.

Today’s open offering and missions giving is specifically going to Europe’s Child - every penny and euro cent.