ENCOURAGEMENT: Where does it come from and where does it go?
Encouragement in the Beattutudes • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction
Introduction
Where have you searched for encouragement or happiness? Possibly before we ask this question, have there been moments in your life where the world you walk through each day — feels like chaos, sadness, despair, bottom of the world, unknown among so many?
Everyone in this room has experienced or may be currently walking through suffering. Your steps through suffering may feel new to you or it has become a long familiar path. TONIGHT, I want to invite you on a journey! Whatever path you feel that you are traveling on, take a short a detour with me up to a mountain and see where the path leads from there. As we approach this mountain, a NEW GUIDE is available for you! This guide will take your journey that you were on and introduce a new path that is far greater than your dreams.
This is what Matthew records in his account ofJesus, specifically starting in chapter 5. Jesus invited people who were suffering and dreamed of a coming kingdom! Jesus is revealing the path to this kingdom but it was different from what they had imagined.
As we go up to the mountain each week, we want to invite some of you to read our map and our guide! Go ahead and open your Bible to Matthew 5. As you turn there, our first set of guides are going to present the map to this new revealed path!
1 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.
2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.
15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.
16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
As we’re learning on top of this mountain, we must remember who we learning about. The Jews had been suffering under the Roman Empire’s greed and violence for many years. The Jews were expectant for a new kind of Empire. From their history, God would raise up some man to be a temporary king — BUT A DIFFERENT KIND OF KINGDOM IS ON THE WAY!
Let’s pray together before we ask and answer our two QUESTIONS for the night
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1 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.
2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
These two questions are going to set the stage for rest of Matthew 5-7. We are only going to observe 16 verses in our few weeks. The two questions are going to build on ENCOURAGEMENT: the ongoing reassurance that God sees you, God is for you, and God is working through you.
WHERE DOES IT COME FROM AND WHER DOES IT GO? The base of this question is ENCOURAGEMENT. Where does it come from and where does it go?
Quick side note: do these questions remind you of anything? COTTON EYE JOE ——> I am slow in a lot of ways but it is extreme when it comes to translating what I want to motor skills in a fluid motion
ENCOURAGEMENT: Where does it come from?
ENCOURAGEMENT: Where does it come from?
To answer this lets look at the first verse: “Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain,…”
To understand this lets look at a Biblical Theme of God inviting people on the mountain!
Garden of Eden
Commandments to Moses
Psalms 24:3-4
Psalms 48:1-2
1 Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God! His holy mountain,
2 beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great King.
David Psalms 61:2
2 from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I,
Isaiah 65:17,25
`\17 “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.
25 The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,” says the Lord.
Matthew 17 — stepping from the mountain following Jesus’ transfiguration and the mission coming down from the mountain
Revelation 21:1-3, 10
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.
2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.
10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God,
Ponder our question with me. Who remembers what it is? ENCOURAGEMENT: Where does it come from?
And our working definition of ENCOURAGEMENT: the ongoing reassurance that God sees you, God is for you, and God is working through you.
The stories of God inviting people up to the mountain is that He sees what suffering path you are walking along, He wants redirect your path that leads to the Mountain, God wants to change your life with divine teaching/wisdom that shares the work He has done in your life.
Where does it come from? The Mountain Top with God. Maybe you relate with walking the path of suffering, sadness, or pain OR you are wanting to know the path closer to Jesus — WHERE IS THE MOUNTAIN TO CLIMB IN SOUTH GEORGIA?
I might can give you access to the roof, that is a high point. I can call my Fire Chief friend, and ask to borrow the big Ladder Truck and try to mimic climbing and reaching a high point. As fun as both events would be, this is not mountain pattern/theme Jesus is offering for us. So, its not a literal mountain that Jesus is inviting to. The invitation to “THE MOUNTAIN” becomes a place of transformative encounter with God. The invitation to journey can start by sitting here in the BIG ROOM and continue throughout your day and week. There are examples of being with people and there are examples of where it is just them. We enter into these divine moments in a unique way — Psalm 24:3–4 “3 Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? 4 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.” (What you do and WHO you are — | — Who you live for and what you present)
The invitation to the mountain comes with a message to learn. Are yall ready to venture into the message Jesus is teaching on the Mountain?
ENCOURAGEMENT: Where does it go?
ENCOURAGEMENT: Where does it go?
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
As we answer our question, lets learn the THREE MAIN STATEMENTS of verse 3
BLESSED — observe the “good life” in others
Psalm 1:1–2 “1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.”
Psalm 2:12 “12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.”
Jesus is looking out at the crowd that He has invited on the mountain and knows the path of despair that they have been traveling on, knows the pressing rule from the Romans — proclaims that YOU have the GOOD LIFE.
POOR IN SPIRIT — lacking in power/life (POWERLESS)
Job 12:10 “10 In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.”
Proverbs 15:4 “4 A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.”
The good life belongs to those who do not rely upon power, wealth, or reputation.
The good life belongs to those who feel like nothing, weak, alone.
The good life belongs to those who recognize their broken and helpless state.
TALK ABOUT AN ATTENTION GRABBER! The good life belongs to those who are powerless. Why (HOW) is this the case?↴
KINGDOM OF HEAVEN — eternal kingdom that separates us from violence and corruption
Isaiah 52:7 “7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.””
Matthew 3:2 “2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.””
Matthew 4:17 “17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.””
Matthew 7:21 “21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
Matthew 10:7 “7 And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”
The good life belongs to those who are powerless because they are going to inherit a kingdom different from earth. They are promised a kingdom unlike anything they have experienced or ever dreamed of. There is a place for the powerless in the kingdom. This Kingdom of Heaven introduction is all about what Jesus came to earth to do.
Our visit up to the mountain is to see and possibly be reminded that a place has been set aside for you in this Kingdom. To enter this Kingdom, you must recognize your helpless state and how that reveals a need for the guide to Kingdom. The guide that invited us to to the mountain is Jesus. He has a plan, a map to the Kingdom of Heaven — and its sitting in your lap — the Word of God.
There are two places of this helpless state: SEPARATION FROM GOD or UNRESOLVED WITH GOD
