Be Attitude

Attitudes of The Kingdom

About the age of 5 we start asking - what do you want to be? About the age of 50 we figure it out!

The American Dream: House picket fence wife and family

vacation home with remote four day work week

free medical care including cosmetic surgery

the redefinition of loans to mean grants

Blessed | Happy are | The Good life

What are your 5-10 year goals?

Have a good job, have a spouse, family,

Abandoned mansions

Nelly Rogers

He doesn’t say Do this - He says count on this. (Descriptive not prescriptive)

Speaking into them, not just to them.

Blessed are, Happy Are

NOT Thou Shalt Not

Songs that Speak Hope

I hope you Dance

My Wish

Brave

Humble and Kind

Speaking into them, not just to them.

Blessed Postures: Embracing the Attitudes of the Kingdom

1. Happy those who let go

Over the course of your life, you accumulate so much stuff that the stuff you accumulate becomes counter productive - a nuisance -

If you have ever moved you know how hard it is do deal with “Stuff”

Even when kids clean their rooms, they have so much stuff - you shove it under the bed, in the closet, or throw clean clothes in the dirty clothes?

Adults have yard sales or they will

Those full hands can leave you with an empty heart

Poverty, Mourning, Meekness

Matthew 5:3–5 ““Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”

Poor in Spirit

When students graduate, they walk across the stage and read the future plans of each person:

They are going to make $$$$

Can you imagine how happy I would be if I had

Poverty never seems like the path to happiness

In Spirit

Those who cannot receive are those who are full. Full hands have empty hearts.

Those who are ready to receive from God will receive from God.

When do you pray?

When are you open to change?

When are you willing to submit?

If you are open to Him, you will receive - the Kingdom.

Freely gives us all things (Romans 8)

Luke 12:32 ““Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

Mourn

Ignorance is ___________ (not a virtue)

Mourning was significant. They would honor the dead through mourning

Know what matters

Followers of Christ know what is sorrowful

Wisdom comes with burdens

God of all Comfort

Deal with Reality

Ecclesiastes 1:18 “For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.”

Love well: Romans 12:15 “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.”

2 Corinthians 1:3–5 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.”

Meek

In the first century Greco-Roman world, meekness (Greek: prautēs) was often misunderstood or even despised.

Not weakness

Thinking of myself less.

He opened not His mouth

We have plenty of people who feel the need to be heard, to be respected.

Self Control and humility

Psalm 37:11 – “But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.” (likely the OT source Jesus is echoing)

Matthew 11:29 – “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle (praus) and lowly in heart…”

Inherit the earth

You could discuss how the first three Beatitudes—being poor in spirit, mourning, and meekness—set the foundation for Kingdom living. These attitudes invite Christians to embrace humility and dependence on God, which in turn brings true blessing and fulfillment. Highlight how Jesus embodied these traits, keeping the focus on internal transformation through the Spirit rather than adherence to external standards.

2. Happy are those who seek after

Hunger and Thirst after righteousness

What do you want? To be when you grow up, major in, eat for lunch, go on vacation, for your birthday, to be your boyfriend, girlfriend, husband or wife

Want what God wants

The Holy Spirit convicts the world of Righteousness

to be Right with God + to do what God declares right

This is not possible for a non believer

What he wants

Robert George of Princeton

What was once forbidden is now tolerated.

What was tolerated is now accepted.

What was accepted is now celebrated.

What was celebrated is now required.

What was once celebrated (traditional morality) is now condemned.

The Merciful

Mercy is tied to love

IN the OT, the word Chesed refers to His “loving kindness”. It is a loyal love that doesn’t abandon.

Ephesians 2:4–5 “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—”

There is general principle - you reap what you sow

The measure you mete will be measured to you again.

If you have ever had an ailment and you found something that met your need, you are typically vocal about it - you want others to experience it.

If you have tasted mercy - the mercy that comes undeservingly from God, you want others to receive it.

In August 2017, during the "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, Heather Heyer was killed when a car was driven into a crowd of counter-protesters. Her father, Mark Heyer, publicly expressed forgiveness toward his daughter's killer. He stated, "People need to stop hating and they need to forgive each other. I include myself in that forgiving the guy that did this. He doesn't know any better. I just think about what the Lord said on the cross. Lord, forgive them. They don't know what they're doing.

Yes, you're likely referring to the powerful and widely publicized act of forgiveness by Brandt Jean, the younger brother of Botham Jean. In 2019, during the sentencing phase of former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger's trial, Brandt, then 18 years old, delivered a heartfelt victim impact statement.

Amber Guyger had been convicted of murdering Botham Jean after she entered his apartment, mistakenly believing it was her own, and fatally shot him. During his statement, Brandt expressed forgiveness towards Guyger, saying, "I forgive you. And I know if you go to God and ask Him, He will forgive you." He then requested permission from the judge to hug Guyger, which was granted. The two embraced in the courtroom, a moment that moved many to tears and sparked widespread discussion about forgiveness and justice.

Pure in Heart

God cares about the heart 

RECAP: Matthew 5:3–8 ““Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

Thank God for moms.

Mom’s can fix many parts of life.

Mom’s are able to give a facial bath or restyle messy hair with just the lick of a hand

Injuries - this won’t sting!

They fix fashion

They tell you to fix your face

They also are the first to help fix heart ache, The first to know something is wrong

Moms can shape…… SOME THINGS MOM CAN’T FIX

We discover there are some things only God can fix….

We can fix and modify behaviors, but only God can fix a heart.

What are some things in your life only God can fix???

As we read the Beatitudes… we discover the real standard of holiness is not habits or behaviors, but desires and affections of the heart.

SAY YOU ARE SORRY - SAY IT LIKE YOU MEAN IT

The law is meant to restrain evil, but it is powerless to fix it…

It can modify behaviors but not fix it’s.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of extortion and rapacity. You blind Pharisee! First cleanse the inside of the cup and of the plate, that the outside also may be clean. (Matthew 23:25–26)

Nothing is new under the sun, in Jewish culture, keeping the law was important. It had become a mere religion of outward action with no inward adherence.

Same with us on social.

Did you post about it to show your solidarity?

Did you use the right words to comply

Setting like this

1 Samuel 16:7

God looks upon the heart

All be att speak to this - not just your exterior actions

The most expensive card at the store cannot compare to the hand drawn cards upstairs.

FAVORITE THINGS: food

Who you are on the inside is who you really are

Proverbs 17:28, which states, "Even a fool is considered wise if he keeps silent, and discerning when he holds his tongue".

What comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart . . . For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a man” (Matthew 15:18–19).

“Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit . . . For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:33–34).

He has a good heart…. typically is a set up for a long list of mistakes….

It doesn’t say good, it says pure. God created your heart good. Sin corrupts so that what God intended for good gets twisted for evil.

What is a pure heart?

James 1:8 “he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

Mark 12:30 “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’”

David:

Psalm 24:3–4 “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.”

Lift not life soul to what is false

does not give affections to the lesser, the empty, the fake

I love…… because I love Him

Romans 11:36 “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.”

How many moms love watching your kids play sports but could care less if anyone else is playing?

Does not live deceitfully

Has nothing to hide

even mistakes or wrongdoing

I didn’t mean to

I wouldn’t do it again.

How do you get a pure heart?

Acts 15:9 “and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.”

Psalm 51 “To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your…”

George Strait - you can’t make a heart love somebody if it don’t

Ezekiel 36:25–27 “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”

What do you do?

James 4:8 “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

“The pure in heart shall see God. The pure in heart see God now with the eye of faith, and shall see Him hereafter face to face. The great cleansing comes through the blood of Jesus, and the work of the Holy Spirit.” — The Gospel of the Kingdom

Cleans the lens to see God in every situation

Sees the Spiritual Struggle - We do not battle against flesh and blood

Blessed are the Peacemakers

Not just those who want everyone to get along

Those who want people to be made whole

People like drama

Peacemakers like happy endings

Peace is the aim of Justice.

We think about punitive - you get what you deserve, but forget about restorative justice

Colossians 1:20 “and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”

Not just to end hostility, but to restore everything

What does God call all those who have come to faith and been made right through Jesus

Not just forgiven, but Sons and Daughters

3. Happy are those who endure

Matthew 5:9-12

Blessed are those who are persecuted

Darkness hates light

If you do anything that matters it will cost you.

Marathon requires 300-600 miles of training

If you want to get good grades, be successful in the workplace, it will cost you

If you do what matters to God, it will cost you.

In other times, in other places, it costs believers dearly, increasingly in your lifetime, it will cost you.

Aaron Renn describes the world in a new age.

Barrack Obama took a lot of heat for declaring us no longer a Christian nation in 2009,

🔹 1. Positive World (Pre-1994)

Christianity was viewed positively by mainstream society.

Being a Christian was seen as socially beneficial.

Christian morality was largely respected, even by non-Christians.

Public displays of faith (e.g., attending church, prayer) were honored or admired.

Christian institutions had strong cultural influence (media, politics, education).

🔹 2. Neutral World (1994–2014)

Christianity was seen as one option among many—socially neutral.

Being a Christian was neither a benefit nor a drawback.

Faith was considered private and optional, not binding for society.

Christians could still engage in public life, but had to do so without imposing their values.

Evangelism and truth claims were tolerated but not privileged.

🔹 3. Negative World (2014–present)

Christianity is now viewed negatively by mainstream culture.

Christian morality is seen as bigoted, regressive, or oppressive.

Public profession of orthodox faith may lead to social or professional costs.

Biblical stances on sexuality, gender, and exclusivity of Christ are condemned by the broader culture.

Christianity is considered a threat to individual freedom and progressivism.

It will cost you to stand for God and what He wants. Jobs, relationships,

Great is your reward in Heaven

Opinions change. What once was the correct thing to say will change. 12 months ago DEI was virtue in culture, not it isn’t, It will be again…..

There will always be a new cultural righteousness declared.

They can’t show episodes of old shows: Golden Girls, Friends to the Office, movies and shows don’t fit a changing cultural righteousness

You will stand before God and be ashamed or rewarded. ‘

Martyn Lloyd-Jones

“This beatitude is perhaps the most searching and difficult. It reminds us that if we are never persecuted, we must ask whether we are truly living as Christ did.” — Studies in the Sermon on the Mount

LET GO, OPEN UP, STAY CLOSE, LEAN IN, SINK IN, REACH OUT, STAND UP

Follow Jesus - It’s the best life