Sermon Tone Analysis

I)       *“Spiritual Overflow”*

A)    File:  matthew 5 beatitudes part 2.doc

B)    Audio:  Spiritual Overflow

C)    Series:  Matthew

D)    Preached:  November 18, 2007

II)    *Introduction:  Matthew:  *The Sermon on the Mount:

A)    The requirements for becoming a citizen of His Kingdom.

B)    The characteristics of Kingdom citizens.

1)      Part one:  Spiritual Poverty – The citizens’ focus on God:

(a)    Poor in Spirit – opp. of self-sufficiency

(b)   Mourn – like Old Testament mourning over sin

(c)    Meek – humbled by their spiritual poverty

(d)   Hunger and Thirst – they shall be filled

2)      Part two:  Spiritual Overflow – The citizens’ ministry to others:

(a)    Merciful – showing compassion on the lowly

(b)   Pure in heart – see God, only then telling others

(c)    Peacemakers – reconciliation

(d)   Persecuted – better witness, driven toward God

III) *7.

Blessed are the merciful for they shall received mercy.*

A)    DBL “*pertaining to those who show compassion on the lowly*.”

B)    Of course, because their King is merciful:

1)      Ex.

34:6, “The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, *7 *keeping steadfast love for thousands,// forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”

2)      Heb.

2:17-18, “*17 *Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

*18 *For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”

C)    The word has an element of sympathy:  Recognizing the misery of another and being moved to alleviate it.

D)    An example of what it means to be merciful.

Ex. 22:26-27, “*26*If ever you take your neighbor’s cloak in pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down, *27 *for that is his only covering, and it is his cloak for his body; in what else shall he sleep?

And if he cries to me, I will hear, for I am /compassionate/.”

E)     Those who have truly received mercy for their lowly state are the ones who will turn and show it to another.

F)     Spiritual poverty – mourning – meekness – filled with righteousness – it come overflowing in mercy.

IV) *8.

Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.*

A)    Pure = clean.

Used as a metaphor for being without sin.

B)    Heart = inner being

1)      “The /heart/, not only as the seat of the affections, but as the centre of our complex being — physical, moral, spiritual, and intellectual.”[1]

2)      Hebrew ideal – the seat of the will.

(a)    Ps.

24:4; 2 Tim.

2:22; [1 Pet.

1:22]

C)    Citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven have a pure heart:

1)      Acts 15:9 – Peter – gentiles, God cleaned their hearts by faith.

2)      John 15:3 – Jesus – clean because of the Word

3)      1 John 3:3 – clean because of hope in His appearing

4)      1 John 3:2-3, “*2 *Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears// we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.

*3 *And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.”

5)      A pure heart because it has been cleansed by God.

D)    Why are those with a pure heart blessed?

They shall see God and in part, it is this very hope that cleanses it!

1)      The awesome privilege of kingdom citizens and only kingdom citizens

E)     So why does this appear in this section on spiritual overflow?

1)      Our primary mission:  witnesses.

2)      God purifies our hearts, we truly experience Him – I faith receives sight.

Our hope becomes evident.

F)     Heb.

12:14; 1 John 3:2, 3; Rev. 22:4; [1 Cor.

13:12]

V)    *Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.*

A)    Sons because we represent his business.

B)    Peacemakers:  2 Cor. 5 – the ministry of reconciliation.

Working with God to reconcile the world to Himself – making peace.

C)    Also:  striving for peace with one another.

1)      Jesus speaks against retaliation:  cheek, mile, work out differences on the way to court, leave our offering at the altar and go and be reconciled.

2)      This goes hand-in-hand with being poor in spirit, meek, and merciful

(a)    Revenge and fighting are matters of pride.

(b)   James – opposite of peace – quarrels and fights are issues of passions within us at war:  But the kingdom citizen is focused on God – filled with His righteousness – those passions are quenched and turned into a hunger and thirst for his righteousness – it overflows to others as peacemaking!

VI) *10.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for there is the kingdom of heaven.*

A)    Kingdom citizens can expect persecution

VII)          *11 to 12.*  The persecuted are in good company.

A)    All tears wiped away.

B)    A true test of faith because there is no promise that we will see justice until the end.

C)    This is the temptation that makes V10, peacemaking, a challenge.

VIII)       *Conclusion*:

A)    Spiritual overflow – all these things begin with spiritual poverty which puts the total focus on God and His sufficiency for our needs.

\\ IX) Series Summary: 

A)    Introduction:

1)      Beatitudes part 1 – Spiritual Poverty

2)      Beatitudes part 2 – Spiritual Overflow

B)    Humility

C)    Mourning

D)    Meekness

E)     Hungering and Thirsting

F)     True Righteousness

1)      Required to enter heaven

2)      Comes from God

3)      Brings persecution.

G)    Mercy

H)    Purity

I)       Peacemaking

X)     

\\ *November 11, 2007, “Spiritual Overflow”*

* *

*Matthew 5:1-12 (ESV):*

* *

*5 *Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.

*The Beatitudes*

*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.