Encouragement to the Exile

Lesson Game

Summit Line-Up - Groups of 5-7

Challenge: “Line up as if you’re climbing the mountain!” (single file towards the center of the room)

Give prompts that make them talk/interact:

By birthday month & day (January at the bottom, December at the top).

By height (shortest at the base, tallest at the summit).

By shoe size

By grade in school

Tie-In: Climbing the mountain together takes teamwork. Jesus invited His disciples up the mountain to hear Him together.

Echo on the Mountain

Divide the room in half

Get a Spokesperson for each side to go through the Beatitudes in order

Guide says it first — group repeats

Each side alternates through the Beatitudes

Tie-In: When Jesus taught on the mountain, His words echoed into people’s lives. We carry His words out into the world.

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Introduction - GRAB A BIBLE

We have started a journey up to the Mountain with Christ. We have taken our detour from the traditional path. Jesus wants to present a NEW MAP AND GUIDE, as a unique path appears.

Over the weekend, I began to think of movies and stories that call characters to a detour and up to an elevated area…

Wizard of Oz / Wicked: takes the guided path to the wizard which comes with a promise

Lion King: simba goes out, RIP to the animate Daddy Lion King, takes the life of suffering

UP: suffering from his wife that died, finds peace, joy, and purpose on the mountain

Martin Luther final speech before assassination: “I’ve been to the mountaintop.” Recognizes a Biblical idea.

George Washington positioned the army on the Hudson Highland for survival and better defense. This brought life and freedom

Capitol Hill

These stories and moments of history ascending to the mountain were PIVOTAL (literally or figuratively). All of these moments follow the Bible’s repeated theme of God inviting people to the Mountain to offer a new path. Sometimes in the adventure to the Mountain, it is easier to back track to the familiar path. Tonight, you will see that Christ CONTINUES to offer a special map to the NEW PATH!

WHO WANTS TO BE OUR 2 GUIDES FOR TONIGHT AND READ?

Matthew 5:1–5 ESV

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.

Let’s reflect back to last week some…

What was the base for our 2 questions and this series? ENCOURAGEMENT

the ongoing reassurance that God sees you, God is for you, and God is working through you.

What were our two primary questions from Encouragement?

Where does it come from? UP ON THE MOUNTAIN

Where does it go? THIS QUESTION WILL BE ANSWERED EVERY WEEK. Last week it went to the Poor in Spirit, those who are powerless, not distracted by power to see Jesus. We are going to look at 2 additional life’s that Jesus offers encouragement.

We have one word that shows up 9 times. What is it? BLESSED

What ways did we define it last week?

Happy

Fortunate

Good Life

Using this language for our focus verses this week…

The “Good Life” belongs to those who mourn, for they shall be comforted

The “Good Life” belongs to those who are meek, for they shall inherit the earth

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GETTING REAL WITH GRIEF (pentheō) ==

Matthew 5:4 ESV

4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

There is perhaps no moment when we feel weaker than in the midst of grief and mourning.

I remember on a Wednesday night when I was in student ministry, my dad calling me out of youth early and being embarrassed to walk out in front of everyone. We immediately went to Florida to my grandparents house to hear the news that my grandmother had passed away. The peak of grief in my life!

I remember last Wednesday, the murder of Charlie Kirk. His spiritual and political convictions cost him his life. As a young Christian who appreciated his stance and sharing, I experienced another major moment of grief. IDK Charlie — the closest I have been is when he came to UGA about a year ago and I was here in South Georgia.

I know some of you may have or are experiencing grief in different areas of life. Sometimes we want to suppress or ignore this grief in our lives. The average teen takes 6-12 months to fully get real and deal with grief. This is serious in our lives. Think about the Jews sitting on the mountain with Jesus — suffering under Roman rule. They are familiar with grief and loss!

Jesus knowing the pain they are experiencing says, “YOU HAVE THE GOOD LIFE.”

Grief or Mourning — Seeing deep brokenness and responding with deep love.

As this definition settles in your mind, we may can reflect on personal moments in our lives where someone or something we deep love, is gone, broken, missing. The recognition that Jesus is offering to these people, you are mourning over the loss and limitations of the Jewish Kingdom. You see the state your world is in — and your heart breaks.

Jesus’ message to these people is that comfort/peace is on the way! The comfort that Jesus extends is the coming Kingdom of God! What was the encouragement last week? — receive the Kingdom of Heaven. Accept/receive comfort because what is lost will be eternally restored.

{{PAUSE}}

Through times of grieving, there is a moment of waiting for the restoration and the fulfillment of God's promises. God’s promise is receiving COMFORT! To find comfort after grief means to experience some new, restored, kind of life after a prolonged period of loss and grief over death.

[STORY OF LAZARUS: Jesus mourned the death of his friend Lazarus along with other friends and family. It came with a promise that they would see the glory of God. This meant that would see the great life-giving power of Jesus.]

Ezra 10

Nehemiah 1

“THE GOOD LIFE — belongs to those who experience the world, and they understand that the world's in a state worth grieving over. And the good life belongs to those who do pay attention. And it will make you sad. The good life belongs to those who will pay attention to loss and grief. And it may be your own, in which case you can't avoid it — But it maybe you start noticing other people's loss and pain, and that that also will put you into a state of grieving, and that's a fortunate place to be, according to Jesus. “

A Kingdom is on the way with a promise of no more suffering, loss, and grief!

We can process through grief by reflecting and remembering that in God’s Kingdom, suffering of this world will end.

The grieving are often times neglected and feel exiled. Jesus says that He has encouragement for them: God sees them, God is for them, and God is working through them — — — God sees you, God is for you, and God is working through you.

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GAINING THE FOREVER GROUND

Matthew 5:5 ESV

5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Jesus promises an inheritance of the earth to the MEEK. To inherit and own land, that represents someone who power and authority! The people who are MEEK: quiet, gentle, and easily imposed on; submissive.

Meek is not common in my language, in fact I only remember it in church terms. I know Moses is defined of having this trait. Paul is defined of having this trait. Maybe I want it to? Let us better understand so that we can gain it.

What is Jesus communicating by this word MEEK? If you look in the OT and NT — meek, humble, and afflicted are interchangeable.

With the word humble, most of us can build a slightly blurred definition.

There are several passages that offer insight to understanding.

Psalm 76:8–9 ESV

8 From the heavens you uttered judgment; the earth feared and was still, 9 when God arose to establish judgment, to save all the humble of the earth. Selah

Psalm 37:11 ESV

11 But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.

Psalm 10:17 ESV

17 O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear

Numbers 12:3 ESV

3 Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth.

2 Corinthians 10:1 ESV

1 I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!—

From looking across the Bible, it describes those who are vulnerable and easily taken advantage of, the people society overlooks. To be meek in Matthew 5:5 means to be among the afflicted, the unimportant, and the powerless who trust God’s justice instead of taking power into their own hands. These are the ones Jesus calls blessed, for they—and not the oppressors—will inherit the earth in God’s coming Kingdom.

“The good life belongs to those who are unimportant, to those who are on the outside of centers of power and influence. Because something is happening here when the reign of God arrives that is going to bring about the new creation, which will be the ultimate land inheritance. “

Those who are not seeking after to rule but be ruled by King Jesus are going to inherit the Eternal Kingdom.

The meek are often neglected and feel exiled on earth. Jesus says that He has encouragement for them: God sees them, God is for them, and God is working through them — — — God sees you, God is for you, and God is working through you.

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Closing

Maybe you have started to pick up on this theme, but the NEW PATH from the mountain Jesus is offering — is to His ETERNAL KINGDOM! The invitation is for anyone who recognizes they are not in control, the world is in great suffering, and the have no rule bit were created to be ruled.

There is special decision to make in this life to experience the Kingdom of God!

Matthew 3:1–2 ESV

1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Matthew 4:17 ESV

17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

The Kingdom of Heaven is reserved for CITIZENS who flee the sin of their life and pursue pursue the grace, mercy, and truth of KING

Romans 3:23 “23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

Romans 3:10 “10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;”

Romans 6:23 “23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 10:9–10 “9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

We want to offer an opportunity for anyone to respond. We will sing a focused song and offer a chance for you to pray at this alter, with a leader, or with a friend.

If you choose to not pray and join in singing, I want you to think about the words of the song. It is going to reach a moment saying…

“You didn’t want heaven without us

So Jesus you brought heaven down

My sin was great, Your love was greater

What could separate us now?”