Kingdom Blessings
Notes
Transcript
1 When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. 2 He opened His mouth and began to teach 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 gentle, 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 have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12 “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Introduction
As we closed out chapter 4 a couple weeks ago we saw that summary of Jesus’ ministry in verse 23.
23 Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people.
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If you weren’t here with us, we started to recognize who Jesus’ ministry was oriented to. Who did Jesus intend to reach with this proclamation, this teaching, and healing? He was ministering to the nations!
Chapter 4 closes with a large crowd following Jesus - both Jew and Gentile coming to be healed by Jesus who is both proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and giving everyone a glimpse of the kingdom in freeing all peoples from the curse of sin. What Jesus has provided a glimpse of in his healing he’s going to make very clear in His teaching. Who exactly is this kingdom for?
As Jesus begins his teaching ministry we begin to understand what the kingdom looks like. Jesus is going to withdraw from the crowds somewhat and address a more local group of Jews. He’s going to use forms and references that Jews are familiar with throughout the Sermon on the Mount and through His teaching we begin to get a picture of those who are counted among the blessed of this kingdom; It’s not who you might think. The beatitudes breaks with all the worldly understanding of blessing because this kingdom which these blessings describe is not of this world. These only truly make sense to those who have their hope set on the kingdom of heaven. That simple truth bookends this introductory section - The Beatitudes.
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
....
12 “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
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But the substance of the blessing isn’t really the kingdom itself. If the kingdom of heaven is the house, the necessary context to see where this blessing is found it’s the master of the house where the substance of blessing is found.
Right in the middle of this passage is that substance.
“they shall see God.”
“they shall be called sons of God.”
for Jesus’ Jewish audience there are a lot of terms here they’re familiar with if they’re familiar with the law and the prophets, but now that the Messiah is here -now that the kingdom of heaven is at hand, it’s time for the types and shadows these people are familiar with to be given their substance. Jesus isn’t coming to redefine the law and the prophets, he’s coming to fulfill. He’s coming to usher in the fullness of the kingdom that touches hearts and minds and reaches both Jew and Gentile. He’s coming to bring the gospel to the Jews that they in turn might bring that gospel to the nations that even they may be counted among the blessed sons of God.
For those who are deprived of the world’s blessings, should they look to the Blessed Christ they will be counted among the blessed in the kingdom of heaven.
For those who are deprived of the world’s blessings, should they look to the Blessed Christ they will be counted among the blessed in the kingdom of heaven.
As we work through the text this morning I’d like to recognize 5 kinds of people we see finding their blessing in Christ and in the kingdom.
The needy
The humble
The pure
The peacemaker
The persecuted
Before we get to the teaching itself let’s not overlook the context. Verse 1 describes a sort of retreat from the full scope ministry of preaching, teaching, and healing among Jews and Gentiles to a more focused period of Jesus’ ministry. As we’ll see later on in Matthew, Jesus has come to the Jews first as much as He will send these disciples to the nations. We’ll talk more about that later, but for now let’s see this teaching as one to a focused audience of Jewish disciples. Jesus is going to sit down like a Jewish rabbi would when he teaches. Jesus is going to position himself on a mountain or hillside as Moses did to declare means of blessings and curses to the people. The forms and the context are showing us the Jewish audience Jesus is speaking to. For further evidence, the close of the sermon speaks of a crowd who were familiar with the teaching of Jewish scribes.
28 When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; 29 for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.
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Knowing the audience helps us to know what’s in the background of Jesus’ teaching. It helps us to recognize the shadows in the law Jesus’ disciples are familiar with and the fulfillment present here in Jesus’ teaching. I’ll point out some of those shadows as we go, but let’s start with the needy.
The needy (vs. 3-4)
The needy (vs. 3-4)
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.
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You may recognize this pattern as we go, but for most of these pairs in the text you’ll find a statement of belonging and a statement of being.
“Theirs is the kingdom of heaven” This belongs to them.
“They shall be comforted.” This is what they will be.
Put simply from the beginning: the blessings of the kingdom come not just in what we have or what we will receive, the blessings of the kingdom affect us personally. Our state of being, the condition of our hearts is a very real blessing in the kingdom. This section actually ends with a command, “Be glad...”, but before we get there we need to begin with being poor in spirit - being in a state of mourning.
So, what does it mean to be poor in spirit? The word for spirit throughout Scripture often refers to the Holy Spirit or an evil spirit, but when referring to the inner man it’s used as the place of fervency or will or rest in the positive or in the negative it’s the place where we’re troubled.
In this context Jesus is looking to those who are needy in heart. They find themselves lacking in fervency or will or vigour. Again i think it’s right we see these in pairs as I believe the mourning in vs. 4 are an apt description. Those who’ve experienced loss and their hearts have lost any sense of fervency or will.
Picture a funeral for a moment. No one comes to a funeral and sees a group of determined and fervent people rich in spirit. If you can keep that picture for a moment, it’s those kinds of people who Jesus says, “The kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these, these are the ones who are blessed, these are the ones who will be comforted.”
The big question is, “Why?” It’s easy to say, “Blessed are those who mourn...” But what does that actually mean? Why should the mourning consider themselves blessed?
Additionally, why should those who find themselves rich in spirit and enjoying life to the full without sorrow or tear consider that they might be lacking in some blessing?
Throughout Jesus’ ministry it was the needy and the empty who found their blessing in Jesus Christ.
Think of Mary and Martha mourning at the death of their brother. Jesus wept with them. He was near to them. And it was they who received a glimpse of the kingdom of heaven in the resurrection of their brother Lazarus. It was they who were counted blessed though they mourned!
The same is true for those needy in spirit. Those who are prone to despair and mourning are prone to find their blessing in someone greater than themself.
Some the greatest verses of the Psalms comes on the heels of David’s despair before God. Joy in God and comfort in His greatness and His kingdom are so often found in those who’ve been emptied of earthly comforts and blessings.
18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit.
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9 I will say to God my rock, “Why have You forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?” 10 As a shattering of my bones, my adversaries revile me, While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” 11 Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.
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It’s those who are empty and poor in spirit who have but one thing to set their hope in and that is God, and for those who set their hope in God they will not be disappointed. He saves those crushed in spirit, He grants a kingdom to the poor in spirit who put their faith in that humble Savior. He grants the comforter, the Holy Spirit to those who mourn at the sight of their sin.
In contrast, it’s those who are full, lacking in nothing, seeing no need in their soul for a godly sorrow or repentance - they may appear blessed on the outside- but in end they will receive no kingdom, they will receive no comfort, and none will look upon them and call them blessed.
Do you find yourself poor in spirit this morning?
Do you find yourself in a season of mourning?
Are you burdened by the sin that so easily entangles and desiring to repent of that sin?
I pray you would set your hope in God this morning. Set your eyes on Jesus, our blessed Savior in whom we can count ourselves blessed. He is near to the repentant, near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Their may be tears and mourning for now, but in the end, in the kingdom of heaven it’s the tearful and the mournful who will be counted as blessed.
Don’t despair when Jesus calls you blessed.
Let’s consider the humble.
The humble (vs. 5-6)
The humble (vs. 5-6)
5 “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth. 6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
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Again, you can see the pattern. A statement of belonging at the end of verse 5: “They shall inherit the earth.” And a statement of being at the end of verse 6, “for they shall be satisfied.” Seeing these together we see the rewards and blessings of a humble faith.
It’s the humble who look at the weak and are patient and gentle with them.
It’s the humble who look in the mirror and find themselves lacking in righteousness and thereby hunger and thirst for it.
In contrast:
Rarely are the prideful gentle. Their impatient and critical with those weaker than themselves.
Rarely are the prideful finding themselves lacking in righteousness. Their often speaking highly of themselves pointing others to themselves. They don’t exactly appear hungry or thirsty.
Hopefully we cant step back and see the contrast. Hopefully we can see the humble heart that bears with the weak and wandering in gentleness and humble admits there is a righteousness I don’t have yet.
That’s the baseline here and this is where faith steps in. Before we get to the blessing let’s see the faith required here. It’s the humble faith that gets the reward.
You’ll notice through the passage, not just here, the blessing is received in the future. Two things there. It’s received or given. A gift of grace you might say. And it’s future. Patience is required.
“For they shall inherit the earth.”
When we put it all together it’s sounds absurd on its face which is why faith is required.
All together: “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.”
Doesn’t the earth belong to the great and mighty conqueror? Who among the gentle and kind bearing with the weak inherits the earth? It may not make sense in the eyes of the world, but that’s exactly how the kingdom of heaven works.
Citizens of the kingdom of heaven live according to a humble faith.
It’s a humility that is content with gentleness, content with receiving a gracious inheritance that we did not deserve.
It’s a faith rooted in our conquering king Jesus who has inherited the earth and will one day share that inheritance with us.
It’s a humility that honestly admits, “I am not righteous.”
It’s a faith that looks to our righteous king and boldly confesses, “He is!” “He is my righteousness.”
For all those who have some claim to the earth today or some degree of satisfaction now, it will all pale in comparison to the humble who’ve set their faith in Jesus Christ.
He is the son of God, the first born from the dead, all creation is rightfully His. All satisfaction is due Him. Christ alone is where our blessing is found! He is the blessed Christ!
The question for us here this morning is, “Are we willing to take on that humble faith?”
If we’re honest we all have some progress to be made, but wherever we are let’s just be honest with where we are.
Are we gentle with those who are weaker than us or do we see them as a hindrance to our inheritance?
Are we patient and bearing with those who don’t have it all figured out?
Are we more likely to point out the unrighteousness in other people before we see it in ourselves?
To whatever degree that may be the case, we overcome pride and unbelief the more we look at Christ.
How often do we stop to consider how gentle and kind He has been with us who were once wandering in our sin?
All we like sheep have gone astray and yet the gentle shepherd came to restore us to the fold.
How often do we stop to consider how righteous our Lord and Savior is.
The more we look at Christ the more we ought to be humbled by his mercy and righteousness.
The more we look at Christ the more we ought to be inspired to believe in Him.
The more we look at Christ the more we ought to be assured, “There is a glorious inheritance and real satisfaction found in Him!”
Let’s be looking to Christ with a humble faith because that’s where our blessing and reward is found.
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So far Jesus has addressed some inner dispositions of the heart, but we start moving toward our disposition toward those around us. Specifically here, we see the disposition of the blessed toward sin in other people.
The pure (vs. 7-8)
The pure (vs. 7-8)
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. 8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
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Again, I believe when we view the beatitudes in pairs we get the benefit here of seeing two ditches to avoid and the definition of that narrow path if you will.
Let’s consider those two ditches for a moment. How does the world respond to sin?
To put it very simply, the world can judge the sinner or join the sinner. That’s it. You can see both pretty plainly in our cultural conversation. There are sins over there that demand justice and there are sins over there that we need to tolerate. The conversations goes back and forth depending on the day and there are promises of blessing on both sides. If we can exact justice here on those people then we’ll be blessed. If we can simply accept this lifestyle over here then we can count ourselves blessed.
You can see that very thinking in the first century in Jesus’ day. The tax collector’s and sinners deserve justice! If we could be rid of those sinners then we’ll be better off. On the other hand, let’s just all accept the blatant injustice of murdering an innocent Jesus in order to maintain our authority and keep the peace. Everyone can get on board with that right.
I believe starts his ministry warning against both, and showing his disciples where real blessing is found.
For those who may be quick to exact justice, “Blessed are the merciful...”
For those who may be prone to go along to get along and subject themselves to corruption, “Blessed are the pure in heart...” Blessed are those who keep themselves from the defilement and unholy influences of the world.
Before we even get into the blessings let’s remove from our minds the idea that there are only two options. There is more than just judging sin and joining sin. Beware of falling into a worldly way of thinking that utterly lacks a holy and undefiled mercy toward sin.
If we are to be thinking Christianly and walking as the blessed in Jesus Christ we need to be thinking like priests.
You might recall from our time in Exodus the extraordinary labor that went into sanctifying and purifying the priesthood and the tabernacle, but it was not a purification so that they could be separate from the people. It was a purification for the express purpose of mercifully dealing with sinners. These holy priests were purified so that they might extend the mercy of God with an atoning sacrifice, and that’s the important part.
There is no mercy apart from that atoning sacrifice. There is no purification apart from the blood of the lamb which washes away sin.
It’s in Christ the lamb that we receive mercy. It’s by means of the forerunner who’s gone before us into the presence of the Father with his own blood that we are able to boldly approach the throne of grace. That we can hope for that glorious day when we will be welcome in his presence and see God with our own eyes.
Put very succinctly, The blessings we have in Christ evidence themselves in how we treat sinners around us.
We are merciful because we have received mercy!
We remain pure because Christ has washed us with His own blood!
It’s in that narrow way of Christ our merciful and holy Savior that we will continue to know His mercy and ultimately see Him in glory.
Let’s ask the practical question, “How do I continue to walk in that blessed narrow way?”
Maybe you’re a little more prone toward justice. Maybe you’re a little like Peter who asked, “
21 “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”
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You might recall Jesus’ parable. He essentially tells Peter that he has an astronomical debt before God that’s been forgiven. Are you really going to hold your brother to account after 7? How would you like it if God held you to account after 7 sins?
If we desire to continue in the narrow way being merciful to others, we do well to spend twice as much time looking at God’s mercy toward us than we do looking at the sins of those around us. If we have a small view of God’s mercy we shouldn’t be surprised when our mercy toward others is small.
On the other hand maybe you’re a little more prone toward tolerance. There’s sin in a friend’s life but there’s a willingness to go along to get along to the degree you find yourself joining in on occasion. Maybe it’s gossip. Maybe it’s complaining. Maybe it’s envy. Maybe it’s lust.
It can be a slippery slope that slowly corrupts our hearts which were intended to be pure.
Wherever we are whether on that slippery slope or not, might we pray for the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Pray for the eyes to see sin as God sees it. The key to avoiding both ditches is really taking upon ourselves the heart of God. Mercy toward the repentant and a rejection of all that is evil.
It’s when we start seeing sin by our own standard of righteousness that we begin to tolerate the little sins. Jesus is going to address that at length in the sermon on the mount. It’s important we understand and truly believe that God’s view of sin is was preserves his church. God’s view of sin helps us recognize and resist ultimately walking in intimacy with God Himself .
That’s really the final motivation here. Do we want to be with God?
There’s means of avoiding ditches, but at the end of the day the goal isn’t to simply be on the path, it’s to take that path to God. If gaining more of God is no desirable to us, what motivation is there to resist sin. If gaining more of God’s favor toward us in His mercy is not desirable to us, what good is that narrow way?
Pray for deeper and growing desire to see the glory, majesty, and love of God toward us! That’s how and why we walk the narrow way.
...
From here on Jesus really ups the ante and these last two categories really do blend together, but for the moment let’s address the sin in others that leads to conflict.
The peacemaker (vs. 9-10)
The peacemaker (vs. 9-10)
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 10 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
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There’s that statement of being again, though arriving first in the pair, “They shall be called sons of God.” Followed by belonging again, “theirs is the kingdom of heaven. A neat pair just like we’ve seen already and a fitting pair if we consider it.
A pair of blessings for those in who engage in conflict well.
On one hand conflict isn’t the goal. Peace is desirable! We the church should be recognizably a peacemaking people.
18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.
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With our brothers and sisters at the very least, but also with even the world we ought to be recognizable is peacemakers. The implication there of course is that there’s peace to be made. There’s a certain kind of peace that simply removes ourselves from conflict, and that’s not what’s being described here. When conflict, opportunity for disagreement arise, the blessed sons of God are recognizable by their desire for peace.
On the other hand, Jesus says, conflict with the world is normal.
“Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness.”
I think there’s a fair question there, “Have we forsaken righteousness for the sake of keeping the peace?” That’s not peace making. That’s simply falling short of righteousness in order to be friends with the world. Jesus is saying that those who are so devoted to righteousness and the glory of God that they find themselves at odds with the world ought to count themselves blessed. Theirs is the kingdom of heaven!
There’s a fine line there. Another narrow path if you will.
Conflict with world is not the goal, but it’s also not bad. The sons of God, the inheritors of the kingdom are blessed because they keep the main thing the main thing.
Their devotion isn’t to peace at all costs thereby surrendering righteousness.
Their devotion isn’t to the destruction of their enemies or retribution.
Their devotion is to displaying Christ in righteousness and proclaiming Christ that there may be real peace among men.
See how Paul continues his argument.
18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. 19 Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”
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We’ll talk about this more in our summer Institute class on peacemaking, but the reason we can be peacemakers is we don’t bear the burden of delivering judgement. We seek justice in the world certainly, and yet at the same time we have the freedom to to let go of the gavel, hand it to God and know that justice will be served in the end. We do call people to repentance, but delivering final judgement, that’s God’s job. Until that time when God delivers his final judgement we have the freedom to pursue peace. Paul references back to this very chapter when he says feed your enemy. Give him a drink. Vengeance belongs to the Lord, in as much as it is possible let’s be peacemakers when conflict with the world arrives.
And how much more should we be peacemakers with one another!? How much more should those who’ve seen Christ die bearing our sins that He might make his enemies (us) into his beloved bride, the church. Was it not us who deserved the Lord’s righteous wrath and vengeance? And yet he came offering living water, the bread of life, salvation and life eternal in his glorious presence. If our Lord and Savior has done so for his enemies, surely we can begin with our brothers and sisters. At the end of the day the peace that preservers the unity of the body is the gospel of Jesus Christ. It’s in that gospel we proclaim and confess that we have peace with God, and by that peace we have with God we can go on in peace as the body of Christ, even as far as seeking peace with an undeserving world!
The question then arises, “What happens when I’ve done all I can to be like Christ and seek the peace with my enemy and they still reject me?” It’s then that Christ adds to the heap of blessings. “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness.”
Should we do all that we can to display Christ, seek the peace, and still find ourselves rejected, let’s not be surprised. Moreso let’s consider ourselves blessed!
Jesus states it pretty plainly to his disciples.
19 “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.
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We ought not to expect to be loved by the world. As much as we may put forth every effort toward peace, the righteousness of Christ in us can be offensive to many. The gospel of peace we proclaim can be offensive to many.
In many ways it should be normal for us as Christians to recognize on a regular basis, “You know I don’t really belong here.”
It may not be as explicit as persecution,
but there may come a time when we realize that we are not desirable in the eyes of the world at the very least. The world loves it’s own and we are not that.
Just look at popular entertainment today. Look at so much of what the world loves. It looks nothing like us!
Let’s realize we have indeed been chosen out of the world and called to walk in a righteousness the world actually despises.
There’s a reason John the Baptist was beheaded. There’s a reason so many of the apostles died. They proclaimed the gospel of peace and the righteousness of Christ. They put on display for all to see that they did not belong in this world, and at the same time that they belonged in the kingdom of heaven.
Might we do the same!
We may not die for a faith, but let’s make it clear to everyone we’re not here to be loved by the world, We’ve been called out of the world and our blessing is found in the church and the kingdom of heaven where Christ is found!
In our pursuit of peace we must stand by the gospel of peace and the righteousness of Christ.
As we look to our final two verses that rejection becomes all the more explicit, but this is really where we get to the heart of the matter, the heart of all these blessings.
The persecuted (vs. 11-12)
The persecuted (vs. 11-12)
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12 “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
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You may notice the format changes in the last two verses and with that change comes a very important descriptor, “because of Me”. In truth Jesus has been at the center of all of these blessings from the start. It all comes from him, but as he closes out with emphasis he puts himself right at the center. It’s because of their union with Christ that they will receive such an extraordinary blessing!
It’s because they were devoted to the person of Christ, the proclamation of Christ, the glory of Christ that the world would persecute them and insult them, and yet they are not to despair before the threats of the world.
Jesus says, “Rejoice and be glad” There’s that statement of being again, but it’s a command. “Go be glad!”
It seems a little insensitive doesn’t it? Insults, persecutions, false accusations - that’s not insignificant. Stephen will be stoned. Jesus’ own brother will die soon after his ascension. Rejoice!? When there is no place for them to lay their heads, the Jews will reject them, the Greeks and the Romans will reject them and persecute them. Rejoice? What gladness is there for those who must run for their lives at the simple proclamation of a righteous king who died and rose from the dead?
The joy and gladness is not rooted in our circumstances it’s rooted in our hope.
“For your reward in heaven is great.”
Jesus points back to the prophets and counts these persecuted disciples with those who hoped for the coming Messiah. Those who proclaimed the good news and called the sinners to repentance. They too had no place to lay their heads. How many of them were rejected by their own people?
The author of Hebrews puts this in a wonderful light as he calls the church to faith.
13 All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14 For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. 15 And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.
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When we confess that the love of Christ for us is better than the love of the world for us we join with those who’ve gone before and confess that we are strangers and exiles on the earth, and yet not without hope! Not without a promise! Our reward in heaven is great. Today we can count ourselves blessed because God is not ashamed to be called our God.
All this because we are one with Christ through faith.
As we close this morning, let’s not forget the extraordinary blessing we have in Jesus even in the midst of the darkest of circumstances. This world we live in can deprive us of so many earthly goods, but it cannot take away the blessing of God for us in Jesus Christ.
You may be bear a burden that nobody sees.
You may bear a humility that nobody recognizes. God sees. Should we look to Jesus with that humble faith we are blessed beyond compare.
Should those near to you sin against you time and again and you continue to extend the mercy of Christ when nobody sees, Jesus calls you blessed.
Should we endure the mockery and persecution of the world for proclaiming the righteousness of Christ and His gospel, Jesus calls us blessed and counts us with the prophets of old.
Might our blessing be found more and more in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
Let’s Pray
Church Members: Ross and Macy
Sister Church: FBC New Paris - Pastor Reggie Osborne, Steve Whalen
