Recalibrating Honor (2)
Notes
Transcript
Recalculating Honor- Part 2
Jesus' Kingdom is upside down.
Values of Jesus’ Kingdom are opposite than the kingdoms of the world.
Review:
Poor in Spirit= humility toward God which leads to,
Mourning-- saddened by sin which leads to,
Meekness= power under control which leads to desperation...
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.
8 Characteristics of Those Worthy of Honor
8 Characteristics of Those Worthy of Honor
4. Righteous Desire
4. Righteous Desire
Definition= desire
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
4 Parts of Righteous Desire
4 Parts of Righteous Desire
A. A Desire That Controls Your Life
A. A Desire That Controls Your Life
Jerusalem/ Judea area in Jesus’ day
Made 3 pennies a day
Ate once a day
Ate meat once a week
Worked for water.
Not satisfied by a mid-morning snack or another cup of coffee.
Do you want God as much as a starving man wants food and a dying man wants water?
1 As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.
ILL- Tara getting kicked by an elk at Grand Canyon
B. A Desire For More
B. A Desire For More
In the Greek, hungering and thirsting is always followed by a Genitive- signifying part of something.
Part of a loaf of bread
Part of a pitcher of water
Don't be content with part of righteousness.
All of your life to be righteous.
C. A Desire That Comes from Failure
C. A Desire That Comes from Failure
To be hungry and thirsty means there is a failure to obtain food and water.
Realize you have not succeeded yet.
10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;
11 no one understands; no one seeks for God.
12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”
6 We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
D. A Desire That is Satisfied From an Outside Source
D. A Desire That is Satisfied From an Outside Source
Satisfaction only comes from God- not good works.
Do you have a desire to be holy as God is holy.
5. Merciful
5. Merciful
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
Mercy= Not giving someone what they deserve.
Grace= giving someone something that they do not deserve.
Gerald Ford's remarks on September 8, 1974 from Oval Office concerning Richard Nixon.
My conscience tells me clearly and certainly that I cannot prolong the bad dreams that continue to reopen a chapter that is closed. My conscience tells me that only I, as President, have the constitutional power to firmly shut and seal this book. My conscience tells me it is my duty, not merely to proclaim domestic tranquillity but to use every means that I have to insure it. I do believe that the buck stops here, that I cannot rely upon public opinion polls to tell me what is right. I do believe that right makes might and that if I am wrong, 10 angels swearing I was right would make no difference. I do believe, with all my heart and mind and spirit, that I, not as President but as a humble servant of God, will receive justice without mercy if I fail to show mercy. Finally, I feel that Richard Nixon and his loved ones have suffered enough and will continue to suffer, no matter what I do, no matter what we, as a great and good nation, can do together to make his goal of peace come true. [At this point, the President began reading from the proclamation granting the pardon.] "Now, therefore, I, Gerald R. Ford, President of the United States, pursuant to the pardon power conferred upon me by Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution, have granted and by these presents do grant a full, free, and absolute pardon unto Richard Nixon for all offenses against the United States which he, Richard Nixon, has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 20, 1969 through August 9, 1974."
History of mercy- the least of virtues
Rome
Roman Philosopher, "The disease of the soul."
Patria opitestas = (paternal power) thumb up or down- baby live or die- anytime for slaves.
Pharisees- taught- mercy was reserved for those who showd mercy to you.
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
Old Testament
Mercy is closely linked to love.
Mercy seat= the top of the Ark. Symbolically the place where sins were forgiven.
Jesus Christ
Tax collectors like Zacceaus
Mary Magdaline and other prostitutes
He connected Mercy and forgivness
Parable of unforgiving servant.
32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me.
33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’
34 And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt.
35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”
How do we show mercy?
When we have the opportunity to punish someone, we forgive them.
We have the ability to put someone in their place, and we don’t.
What do we receive?
We will receive mercy.
Receive from Man? - no
Receive from God
God's mercy is much greater than man's.
ILL- Death row- waiting on the phone to ring.
Our pardon will not come in this world, it is eternal.
6. Pure Heart
6. Pure Heart
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
People were looking for a deeper meaning from religion. They realized good works left them wanting.
Nicodemis
Rich Ruler, "What shall I do to inherit eternal life?"
Jesus came teaching about the heart, not works.
God requires purity of the heart
5 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6 And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.
7 So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.”
9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?
10 “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Pure= refined from all impurities- only one substance remains.
Cannot serve two masters.
Rich Ruler- sale all your possessions...
James 4:4, 8
4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
Jesus Christ makes us pure by his blood.
14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
Only those who are pure in heart will see God.
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
CONCLUSION
What do you desire more than anything?
Do you show mercy?
Have you been made pure?
Have you been made pure?
If not, you will never be satisfied, never receive God's mercy, and never see God.
