What’s Your Attitude?

Opening Scripture

Matthew 5:1–16 NIV

Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them. He said: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

To a 1st-century Jewish audience reading Matthew's Gospel, a prophet going up on a mountain to deliver a definitive teaching instantly triggered one massive historical memory: Moses at Mount Sinai. * Matthew intentionally structures his Gospel to show Jesus as the "New Moses."

However, while Moses went up the mountain to receive a law carved in cold stone accompanied by terrifying thunder (Exodus 19), Jesus sits down on a hillside to write the law directly onto human hearts with words of grace.

Jesus is just beginning to build massive public momentum.

He has recently called His first disciples and is traveling around Galilee healing people.

Moses was used by God to give people a chance to repent and turn away from the wicked ways and turn back towards God.

Jesus was sent from the Father to give us eternal salvation and deliverance from sin all together.

Jesus opening to the sermon on the mount is referred to as “The Beatitudes”.

Let THIS BE YOUR Attitude….

BE Merciful

Colossians 3:13 NIV

Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

It’s Not always easy to forgive but it is mandated by God.

Jesus’s realism in the sermon on the mount restructures the way that we operate as people of God.

To be merciful means to forgive without expectation of receiving anything in return.

Being merciful requires you to release the offender over to God.

Being merciful requires you to release your hurt over to God so that true healing can begin to take place.

Being merciful is a reminder that No one other than God is perfect

By choosing to reflect mercy we reflect the love of God.

who do you need to show mercy to?

BE Pure in Heart

Psalm 24:3–4 NIV

Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god.

Its easier than you think to walk with unholiness… This is why the enemy tries to keep us distracted.

No one on their own is worthy to stand in the presence of God — This is the reason why the Father has given us Jesus

Jesus gives us the ability to transform from spiritually unclean to clean because of his shed blood on the cross

To be pure in heart we MUST fully put our faith in Jesus not in any man made systems that could serve as idols

You can’t walk with a pure heart when you are living with corruption in your heart.

Give Jesus full access to your heart and let Him cleanse you from the inside out.

Are you walking with purity or are you living in corruption?

BE A Peacemaker

Romans 12:18 NIV

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

If we are going to follow Jesus we MUST:

Live in Peace

Walk in Peace

Call others into Peace

Being a Peacemaker doesn’t require us to get into other people’s affairs but it does call us to take the side of God instead of man.

Being a peacemaker requires us to stay in prayer constantly.

Being a peacemaker requires us to stand firm upon the whole truth of God’s word.

How are you reflecting peace to others?

Dealing With Persecution

1 Peter 4:13–14 NIV

But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

Because we are followers of Christ we will naturally be targeted by the world…

The world will naturally frown down on anyone who is not like it or of it

the glory of the Lord is revealed in the midst of our persecutions — Because His Strength is made perfect in our times and places of weakness

God is faithful and will always protect us and lead us down the right paths

There will be seasons where we feel attacked

There will be seasons where we feel alone

BUT we MUST always remember that we don’t walk by what we feel… We aren’t even persuaded by what we do or don’t see… we are only moved by the spirit of the Lord.

When facing persecution we should lean more on God through His word and prayer and not on our own understanding or on someone else's.

How will you handle persecution? How are you handling persecution?

Your Next Steps

1. Trash the Receipts In modern culture, "keeping receipts" means holding onto proof of how someone wronged you so you can use it against them later. This week, consciously delete a mental receipt.

2. Go "No-Filter" in Your Prayer Life.

Most of us pray with a filter on—we say what we think God wants to hear. This week, have a raw, unfiltered conversation with God. If you’re angry, tell Him. If you’re jealous of a coworker, admit it. If you're exhausted and doubting, scream it into your steering wheel on the drive home.

3. Close the App Before You Clap Back

When someone takes a shot at your faith, your lifestyle, or your values—whether it’s a passive-aggressive comment at the family dinner table or a flame war in a comment section—the gut reaction is to defend yourself or attack back. This week, practice the "10-second lock screen." When you feel the heat rising, put your phone face down or step away from the conversation for 10 seconds, take a breath, and ask God to give you His perspective before you open your mouth or hit "send."

4. Do a "Stealth Blessing"

We live in a world where everyone wants credit for everything, and if it wasn't posted on social media, it didn't happen. This week, do something genuinely good for someone else, but do it entirely in secret.

5. Drop the "Imposter" Act

It is exhausting trying to live a double life—acting one way around your church friends and filtering your faith when you're around your old buddies or coworkers just to fit in. This week, commit to being the exact same person in every room you walk into.