A new Path--week 1

Good morning, students! How are you doing today? Make some noise!

Today, we are starting a new mini-series. It’s called A New Path. Many of us have heard some things about how to live our lives, but how do we know whether what we’ve heard is right?

We are going to walk with Jesus, through Matthew Chapter 5, and look at how Jesus shows us a better way to live.

Every time I open Facebook, check my Twitter, or watch the news, somebody is telling me how to live.

Pretty soon, it will be time for the Super Bowl, and there are two kinds of people who go to Super Bowl parties. There are those who go to watch the game, and there are those who go to watch—the what?—the commercials

Business Insider looked at the top recent commercials, and we put a video together of all of these mashed together. Let’s watch it.

[Here’s the link to the Business Insider article: http://www.businessinsider.com/ace-metrix-most-well-liked-ads-of-2016-2016-4/#10-apple--save-time-likeability-score-741-attention-score-743-1]

What was your favorite commercial? Turn to someone by you or next to you and share it with them.

What was your favorite commercial? Turn to someone by you or next to you and share it with them.

We can be so easily influenced. While binge watching our favorite series, the next thing we know, we want a Papa John’s pizza, with Pepsi, while driving a Lincoln with Matthew Mcconaughey, who gives us the new iPhone and a bag of Doritos.

We can be so easily influenced. While binge watching our favorite series, the next thing we know, we want a Papa John’s pizza, with Pepsi, while driving a Lincoln with Matthew Mcconaughey, who gives us the new iPhone and a bag of Doritos.

OK, be honest for a minute … when was the last time you were influenced by a commercial? When was the last time you were influenced by your parents? How about a friend? Or a coach?

Like it or not, we are influenced by commercials. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be commercials. This influence can lead us in good directions or down the wrong path, so it is important to know how we are being influenced, and if those influence are positive for life.

The same thing was happening in Jesus’s day. It was happening to His disciples and the people around Him. So early on, Jesus set the standard for how to live, to minimize the negative influence from the culture the people were living in.

All through this series, we’re going to see this recurring phrase, “You have heard it was said ...” Whenever this happens, Jesus takes something that was common people to believe, and he presents a new path, plan, or purpose.

Today, each of the Scriptures we are going to read we could spend an entire week on. I encourage all of you to review these Scriptures this week, and ask God to teach you as you read.

Matthew 5:1–2 ESV

Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

(NIV)

As we get started today, here is the context. Jesus has left Nazareth to go to Galilee to launch His ministry. And His home base, so to speak, is this town called Capernaum. This is where He called His first disciples, and essentially began His ministry.

Jesus has gathered his disciples on the side of a hill, and His followers gather around Him. He is about to address His disciples publicly for the first time. Think of it like when we get a new president, and they have that first speech, the Inaugural Address. Or when you are selected to be a team captain, and you address your team for the first time.

The disciples were intrigued about what Jesus was going to say. And in just a few minutes, Jesus does not just give them rules on how to live, but He radically transforms their perception on how to live from the inside out.

Before we read through these, we should understand what it means to be blessed—and this video does an excellent job!

BLESSED VIDEO HERE

https://www.ignitermedia.com/products/3946-blessed]

The lesson Jesus teaches here is known as the Beatitudes, which are eight blessings found in the first part of the Sermon on the Mount. Each reads like a proverb-type proclamation. They’re not fully explained, but they produce a basis for eight major biblical themes.

The lesson Jesus teaches here is known as the Beatitudes, which are eight blessings found in the first part of the Sermon on the Mount. Each reads like a proverb-type proclamation. They’re not fully explained, but they produce a basis for eight major biblical themes.

Beatitude #1: Poor in Spirit = Kingdom of Heaven

(NIV)

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

This is probably the Beatitude I hear the most questions about. What does it mean to be poor in spirit? It’s actually a position of grace. To be poor in spirit is to be contentedly poor, willing to be emptied of the desire of the wealth of the world in order to be filled with Jesus.

Job was poor in spirit when he blessed God, even as God took things away from his life. He was poor in spirit when he recognized that everything that he did have came from God. To be poor in spirit is to be humble rather than proud, to be thankful rather than greedy, and to be filled with Jesus rather than the things of this world.

Often, when we go on mission trips, I hear students say things like, “The children were so happy, and all they had was a ball and a field.” Be thankful for what you do have, not jealous or envious of what you do not. Why does the kingdom of Heaven belong to people who are poor in spirit? Because in heaven, there is no possession. All is God’s, and we are filled with Him—and that is enough.

Beatitude #2: Mourn = Comfort

(NIV)

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

[Author Note: Share about a time when you mourned.]

We don’t often think of mourning as blessing. About 10 years ago, when my father passed away, I mourned. At first, I took it like a man! I was hopeful, encouraging to the family, and I picked up the ball and ran. And then, it hit. My dad was gone, and I cried hard like you girls do when you watch The Notebook.

Why are mourners blessed? They are blessed because they are like Jesus, who is called a “man of sorrows.” In understanding sorrow and mourning, we can better understand this thing called life. We will have times of mourning and loss in our lives, but when we mourn, we are comforted by Jesus.

Right now, on the back of your outline, take a moment and think. When was a time you mourned, and who was there for you? OR, when was a time someone else mourned, and you were there for him or her?

[After a few seconds] What did you write down?

If you’re a Christian, you’re never promised that if you come to Jesus, you will never experience mourning. However, when you mourn, you will be comforted.

Beatitude #3: Meek = Inherit the Earth

(NIV)

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”

The meek are people who quietly do what they need to do. They quietly submit themselves to God, and they’re often gentle people.

Who do you think of when you think of someone who is meek? There are many people we can think of who are NOT. But how about someone famous who is? Turn to your table groups and try to come up with one or two people.

Are they meek in the way that they work with their money and charities? A meek person has a quiet and gentle nature, and does not engage in fights or seek recognition for their good deeds.

Jesus puts a new spin on it. It is not the proud or the arrogant who inherit the earth. We often exalt these types of people, but is the ones who live their lives quietly. Those who are meek and humble, settle conflict, reduce stress, and work for the greater purpose of the kingdom of God.

Are you meek? Consider that this week.

Beatitude #4: Hunger and Thirst For Righteousness = Filled

(NIV)

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”

[Author Note: Talk about what you hunger for.]

As you all know by now, I hunger for Krispy Kreme donuts. I know we have Dunkin’ Donuts in town, and that is not a bad option, but it still does not beat that hot Krispy Kreme right off the conveyer belt. And if I can’t get Krispy Kreme, I hunger for that delicious White Castle slider, the king of the sliders.

What do you hunger or thirst for?

What do you do when you hunger for something for a long time? You just have to have it, right? Let’s be honest—almost in a lustful way, you just want that Krispy Kreme so bad.

Hunger and thirst are appetites that can be temporarily satisfied, but then they return and ask to be satisfied again. But a hunger for righteousness is a holy desire that cannot be attained, meaning you never reach the point of completion. You should always strive for righteousness, so much so that you CRAVE it. And God fulfills us when we crave righteousness.

Only God can fill your soul. He fills the hungry as the bread of life, and He satisfies the thirsty as living water.

Beatitude #5: Merciful = Shown Mercy

(NIV) “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”

[Author Note: Share about a time when someone showed you mercy.]

When I was about 11 years old, I went to the grocery store with my dad. I had just gotten really into football, and my dad would let me go and look at the sports magazines while he got whatever it was that we needed. One time, I was reading a Sports Illustrated about John Elway (one of the greatest quarterbacks ever), and it had a poster in it of the Broncos and the Broncos cheerleaders. Obviously, I just wanted the magazine for the articles.

Dad came down the aisle and said we were leaving soon, so I should meet him up front. I asked him if we could get the magazine, and he asked how much money I had, which was not enough. So he said, “Maybe next week after your allowance.”

I was upset. Dad left, and I had this great idea. If I could hide this magazine in my coat, I could get out of this store with the magazine and still have my money. So I looked to the right, and I looked to the left, and when I thought it was safe, I slipped it under my jacket. It was the perfect crime, and of course, it would not look odd.

I met my dad at the checkout counter, and as I greeted him, I felt a hand on my shoulder. One of the clerks had witnessed me try to steal the magazine and informed the manager, who then foiled my great plans. My dad was visibly upset and embarrassed, and I knew I was done for: a life prison sentence, all for a poster of the Bronco cheerleaders—er, I mean the Broncos players.

The manager looked at my dad and said. “We could prosecute, Sir, but I think I will let you handle this one.” That was adult-speak for dad was going to open up a can of whoop-tush on me when we got home.

Today, I realize the manager was showing me mercy by not giving me what I deserved. My dad made me pay for the magazine, but I was not allowed to have the magazine, which was also mercy.

I look back at this moment and at other times in my life and I get this beatitude. I find that I am more merciful with others when I remember all the times in my life I was shown mercy.

Beatitude #6: Pure in Heart = See God

(NIV)

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”

Heart purity is a model of those who are inwardly pure, and this is reflected externally. Unlike me at age 11 when I wanted the magazine. A pure heart is free from pollution, garbage, and sin.

When I lived in Colorado, we would often hike, and at the top of the mountains, you can find some of the purest water in the world. In certain areas, it was so pure that you could drink it right from the stream. Downstream, the water gets corroded with animal feces, dirt, and garbage, and so it needs purified. They send it to a plant to be purified and cleaned so that people can drink it.

We all need our hearts purified so that we can see, know, and understand God for who God is, and then be like Him. To never lose sight of him.

Beatitude #7: Peacemakers = Children of God

(NIV) “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”

Purity in heart to God is related to being a peacemaker toward others. I once heard this true story from a pastor named Glenn Anderson.

A 16-year-old teenager was upset and acting on his frustrations at school. He broke a window of a car a few blocks from his home. He didn’t know Mrs. Weber, the elderly owner of the car, and she did not know him. In fact, she was often fearful of the teens on her street as she watched them hang out, skateboard, and drive too fast.

The police department was going to punish Dave, and that is when Mrs. Weber made a decision to be a peacemaker. The parties met with a mediator and addressed the problem constructively. Their meeting helped Dave recognize for the first time that he had financially and emotionally hurt a real, live human being, and so he sincerely apologized. In turn, Mrs. Weber, whose fears had escalated and caused her to generalize an entire generation, was able to gain a realistic perspective and feel compassion for this teenager. 

They agreed that Dave would compensate her loss by mowing her lawn weekly for several months and by performing a few heavy yard chores. Each day while Dave worked, Mrs. Weber baked cookies, which they shared when he finished. They actually came to appreciate each other. 

Peacemaking moves us from blaming to problem-solving and healing. Peacemaking says, “Though I have been wronged, I will look for a peaceful resolution.”

Beatitude #8: Persecuted = Kingdom of God

(NIV) “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

In your schools right now, do people make fun of you for being a Christian, or are you accepted? In all of life, there will be times when you are ridiculed for your faith, but being persecuted is something different.

One author notes that persecution is like being hunted, pursued, run down, and chased after with the intent to harm, imprison, injure, banish, torture, or even execute. Now, this could happen to you. Someone or a group of people who are hoping to harm you could chase you. Most often in our culture, we make persecution synonymous with being made fun of, but the two things are a bit different.

When I think of persecution, I think of things like ISIS beheading Christians,

school shootings that are motivated by hatred for God, and a boy with a Bible who was beat bloody after school.

For Christians who have been persecuted, the kingdom of God is theirs, as a promise and reward for being faithful. Even if you lose your life, life is given to those persecuted in the end.

Remember, we said that Jesus never promised an easy life. He did promise that He would be with us in all the good and the bad of this life.

All This for Jesus’s Sake

(NIV)

“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.”

Here is where other people come into play. When someone insults you, persecutes you, or lies about you, remember that you are not alone. Jesus is with you.

In doing all this, Jesus says you are salt and light.

(NIV)

“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.”

[Author Note: We did an extensive teaching on these verses regarding salt and light, so they are in the DNA of our student ministry. If this is not the case in your ministry, you might want to expand on this a bit.]

How can you be salt and light this week? By modeling these types or attitudes and characteristics as you live life here on Earth.

Let’s pray.