Sainthood is Not Easy

Saints I’ve Known

Miss Paula, 92, at Sunday school every Sunday, often read the scripture, attended every worship service, seemed to have a hat for Sunday

Angela, cousin, loves the Lord, and her 4 adopted children (from a single mother), multi-ethnic, husband with Huntington’s disease

John, came late to the Lord, had cancer, died shortly after diagnosis, wife’s care taker

Uncle Earl, was the first to take me to church at the age of 3, was faithful in a long obedience in the same direction, who at the ripe age of 72 admitted that he had been wrong most of his life, repented and became a changed man

Sermon on the Mount/Kingdom of Heaven (God)

Jesus taught from the mountain like Moses delivered the Law from Mount Sinai. The mountain is a place of divine revelation

Jesus sat to establish his authority to give a teaching from God and to connect Matthew considered that the sermon was a collection of the teachings of Jesus

Questions of who is the audience: the disciples, the crowd, or both

Blessed/Wonderful (Good) News

Jesus turns the world upside down - breaking the sound barrier

Saints and the Kingdom of God

Blessed - is God’s action in the life of the person/wonderful (good) news

poor in spirit - given over to God’s will

comforted those who mourn

the meek - those who trust in God

hunger and thirst after righteousness - right relationship with God

the merciful - compassion and forgiveness

pure in heart - those who motives are for the glory of God

the peacemakers - those who bring good and well-being into the lives of others

those who are persecuted - promise of suffering for surrendering and follow Jesus

those who do submit to God’s way will indeed be the least liked in the world

Saints aren’t made, they are born again/made new/through surrender