UNLOCKING THE POWER OF HEAVEN

SERMON TITLE

BE A BURNS

SERMON ON THE MOUNT

Poor in Spirit

Mourn

Meek

Hunger and thirst

Merciful

Pure in heart

Peacemakers

Persecuted

HEART RESOLVES THAT ARE EXPRESSED IN CHARACTER OF DISCIPLES

HENCE - MATTHEW 5:20-

Matthew 5:20 ESV

For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Such giving is a display of the

THE CRUCIFORMED LIFE - A life lived reflecting the love of Christ

SERMON:

UNLOCKING THE POWER OF HEAVEN BY USING:

THE GIVING KEY

I. The DUTY of Giving Is Powerful When Comes from A DELIGHT to Give

· Hypocrite – The Duty of Giving Is Powerful When Comes from A Delight to Give

o the term hypocrite referred to an actor on stage, wearing a mask. In the New Testament, it came to have a negative connotation, referring to someone putting on an act (i.e., masking the truth). We find the foundational point in Isaiah 29:13, quoted in Matthew 15:8, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” Genuine righteousness is a matter of belief in the heart (Rom. 10:10).[4]

If your heart isn’t in why don’t you tell me so.

“As Spurgeon put it, ‘to stand with a PENNY in one hand and a TRUMPET in the other is the POSTURE of hypocrisy.”

II. The DUTY of Giving Is Powerful When It Is FORGOTTEN As Soon As It Is DONE.

· Do not let your right hand know…. The Duty of Giving Is Powerful When It Is Forgotten As Soon As It Is Done

o the expression probably refers to the fact that as much as possible a person must keep his voluntary contribution a secret not only to others but even to himself; that is, he should forget about it, instead of saying in his heart, “What a good man, woman, boy, girl, am I!” This explanation receives support from 25:37–39, where the righteous are represented as being totally unaware of their own past benevolent deeds.[5]

o In other words, Jesus is teaching the Christian that not only must he or she not let others know about their acts of mercy, but that the Christian, himself, must move very quickly away from the act of mercy. How difficult is this and yet how necessary if we are to retain the reward of the Lord.

o When we give we must fight the notion of feeling good about ourselves and one way in which we can do this is by moving very quickly from the act and forgetting that we have even done it. When pride for what we have done begins to rise within us we must kill it with the reality that we merely are doing what is our duty and we must thank God for the ability to even meet the need.

A. How can one develop the ability to give in this way?

1. By giving SO OFTEN that it becomes "SECOND nature"

So that you do it without much thought (just as with anything you do often)

III. The DUTY of Giving Is Powerful When It Is Done In A Spirit of NEEDINESS

At the heart of our mercy giving should be the spirit that we, ourselves, stand in need of mercy every moment of the day.

· The Question at heart in this text is not simply

1. What are you willing to give for the needs of others (that’s the PRINCIPLE of the text)

2. But, How much are you willing to die for the needs of others (that is the POINT of the text)

When you plant SEEDS of mercy you enact the beginning of a HARVEST of mercy

Those who give for the honor of the Lord will give sacrificially because the motive for their giving is the glory of God motivated by the love of Christ

THEY UNDERSTAND THE RECIPRICAL NATURE OF KINGDOM CENTERED GIVING

Matthew 5:7 ESV

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

THE WONDER OF IT ALL IS THAT JESUS IS TEACHING THAT KINGDOM MERCY FLOWS WITHIN A CONTEXT OF MERCY

AMAZING THAT MERCY (SITUATIONAL MERCY – EXPLAIN) IS CONNECTED TO OUR WILLINGNESS TO DISPLAY AND GIVE MERCY

James 1:27 ESV

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

· THEN HE GOES ON THE POWERRFULLY MAKE THE SAME STATEMENT JESUS IS MAKING SAYING THIS

James 2:13 ESV

For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

PERHAPS THE CHAOS THAT IS BECOMING THE INSTITUTION OF THE CHURCH IN AMERICA IS DUE TO THE REALITY THAT

· WE ARE NOT MERCIFUL

· THAT WE DO, AS THE PROVERBS WARNS AGAINST, “WE CLOSE OUR ERAS TO THE CRIES OF THE POOR

Proverbs 21:13 ESV

Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered.

ACTIONS OF THE LIFE THAT DO NOT REFLECT THE AFFECTIONS OF THE HEART, BLOCK THE DISPLAY OF HEAVEN’S POWER IN OUR LIVES

IV. MERCY GIVING CHALLENGE

A. EXAMINE the mercy dimension of your walk with Christ.

o Ask this question: How is it that I serve a Lord whose been merificul to me but I am failing to demonstrate this mercy to others?

§ Marriage

§ Job

§ Church

§ etc

B. EXECUTE Mercy in a new and fresh ways:

1. Find a missionary or missions ministry and support them above and beyond your regular giving to the local church. If your church is connected to a giving agency, give above and beyond your church offering and allocate that money to that agency or person, etc…

2. THE BRIDGE FELLOWSHIP: We are going to give 10% of our budget offering to missions