Blessed Are Those Whose God Is LORD
Beatitudes Of God • Sermon • Submitted
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Introduction
Introduction
Greetings…
We have been studying the “Beatitudes of the Bible” and up to this point we have seeing the blessings that come forth from…
Taking refuge in God ().
Dwelling in God’s house ().
).
Finding strength in our God ().
Knowing the festal shout ().
).
Observing justice or obeying His law ().
Walking blamelessly ().
Today we are going to look at the beatitude found in .
15 Blessed are the people to whom such blessings fall! Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!
3. With this in mind let us examine our lesson today.
Fortune Rather Than God
Fortune Rather Than God
The love of money.
The love of money.
We live in a time no different than most other eras wherein money is the driving force for almost all things.
“It isn’t enough for you to love money - it’s also necessary that money should love you.” Kin Hubbard
“The lack of money is the root of all evil” Mark Twain
God, of course, has a different take and warns often against the “love of money.”
9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
1 Tim 6:
Why is the love of money so dangerous?
When…
Money becomes our everything.
Money becomes our everything.
It becomes an insatiable appetite.
10 He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.
It become our master.
24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
It becomes our god.
5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
The reality is we must choose…
LORD rather than fortune.
LORD rather than fortune.
There is nothing wrong with having money as long as we remember that all the fortune we amass comes from God and that He expects us to rely on Him to take care of us not money.
5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
4 Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.
Summary
Summary
When fortune becomes our god we are no longer blessed but “blessed are those whose God is LORD!”
Blessed are those that rely and trust in God for everything because you will be rich no matter what in God’s eyes.
There is another area wherein idolatry can win out in our lives if we are not careful because many choose…
Fellowship Rather Than LORD
Fellowship Rather Than LORD
Family
Family
One of the strongest ties to this life is in family. Many people believe the idea that “blood is everything” meaning family comes first no matter what.
Look at Abraham, Sarah, & Hagar.
1 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar. 2 And Sarai said to Abram, “Behold now, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. 3 So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife.
Look at Solomon & his wives.
3 He had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. 4 For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. 5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
Look at Eli & his sons.
1 Sam
13 And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. 14 Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.”
Family can become our god if we are not careful, but remember the words of Christ in .
46 While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. 48 But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49 And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
Sometimes we have to cut the ties that bind us to family if they are keeping LORD from being our God.
Friends
Friends
Outside of the family ties our friendships with others can be a powerful pull on our lives.
Look at Peter & his Jewish friends.
11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party.
Look at Rehoboam & his friends.
8 But he abandoned the counsel that the old men gave him and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him and stood before him.
Friendships can become our god if we all those bonds to become greater than our love for God.
This is why God warns us so much about picking the proper friends.
Bad friends ruin our morals.
33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”
Bad friends lead us to sinful anger and wrath.
24 Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man, 25 lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare.
Bad friends will make us suffer harm.
20 Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.
Friendships can become our god if we are not careful.
Brethren
Brethren
Brethren are a great asset in our lives until it become more important than God.
How many brothers and sisters in Christ have ended up putting each other over God, however?
How often have you heard or seen church discipline even though the Bible demands it?
11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.
6 Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us.
14 To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
14 If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed.
Our brethren are important in our walk with God but they are not more important than God.
Summary
Summary
When fellowship with our family, friends, or brethren becomes more important than God and obeying Him than we have made our family, friends, or brethren our god.
Conclusion
Conclusion
God seeks to take care of us and thus bless us but God must be our LORD.
12 May our sons in their youth be like plants full grown, our daughters like corner pillars cut for the structure of a palace; 13 may our granaries be full, providing all kinds of produce; may our sheep bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our fields; 14 may our cattle be heavy with young, suffering no mishap or failure in bearing; may there be no cry of distress in our streets! 15 Blessed are the people to whom such blessings fall! Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!
Invitation
1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,
32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.
8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.