Jesus Teaches

Matthew 5:3–12 ESV

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.

Matthew 3:3–12 ESV

3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’ ” 4 Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, 6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

Matthew

Show Mercy

Melody Brown 123 North St. Miami, FL 33151 555-555-5555 [e-mail]

What this does not mean.

Date

Lydia Smith Manager XYZ Sales Company 321 South St. Miami, FL 33125

Dear Lydia Smith,

The occasional display of merciful deeds.

I have greatly enjoyed working at XYZ Sales Company for the past three years. In those years, I have become an integral member of the sales team, and have developed innovative ways to contribute to the company.

For example, in the past year alone, I have achieved the following goals:

Highest-ranking salesperson in customer satisfaction last quarterBrought two new high-profile clients to the company, increasing total company sales revenue by 10%Voluntarily trained incoming sales staff, totaling 80 hours of voluntary service

I believe I have gone above and beyond the benchmarks we set for my position when I arrived at the company three years ago.

I would therefore appreciate the opportunity to meet with you to discuss increasing my salary so that it is commensurate with my current performance. I request a pay raise of six percent, which I believe reflects both my current competencies and industry averages.

Once again, I am grateful to be a member of this organization, and I enjoy taking on assignments that allow me to contribute to the company.

Thank you for your time. I look forward to speaking with you soon.

What it does mean

Sincerely,

Melody Brown (Signature)

The adjective for merciful (found elsewhere in the New Testament on in ) means those whose bent is to show mercy, not those who engage in an occasional merciful impulse.

Melody Brown (Typed)

Pure in Heart

Pure in Heart

Heart refers to the very center of our being.

The heart is not the place where we naturally expect purity.

The heart is not the place where we naturally expect purity.

Matthew 15:19 ESV

19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.

Matthew 15

Jesus is the only one capable of cleaning up our heart.

Peacemakers

“not appeasers, but those who actively overcome evil with good.” A.W. Argyle

The Persecuted

Jesus is speaking of those committed to God’s cause, and righteousness is the kind of conduct appropriate for those who have been given right standing before God.

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.”

your reward is great in heaven.

you are in good company.

Matthew 5:12 ESV

12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

1 Peter 4:14 ESV

14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.

1 Peter 4:14