A Portrait of Jesus (Followers)

Guys, who knows how to tie a tie? How’d you learn? When I was learning, I had to have pictures to look at to make sure I was doing it right…

The passage we’re looking at tonight is kind of like that for Christians…

The Beatitudes give us a description of what Jesus was like and what we as his followers should look like.

Read and pray

Poor in Spirit

Ephesians 2:1 ESV

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins

Truly, we are all poor in spirit. What separates Christians apart is that we recognize it.

My boys will ask for stuff sometimes… all the time and I have to tell them no a lot. They ask for stuff that is in a higher tax bracket than we are. Hudson is really wanting me to get a new vehicle. We’ll see a nice truck driving down the road and he’ll tell me I should get it. Or he’ll ask if the next time I get a new car if it can be a Lamborghini. He tells Kristen that I need a new vehicle frequently. I love having him on my side! Obviously he’s my favorite child. But I always have to tell him no I can’t get these things. They cost a lot of money and I’m going to use our money for other things. He’s in the same situation that I’m in, he just doesn’t realize it so he wants to go on living life like we can afford whatever car he wants!

There’s an important difference in just being poor in spirit and realizing that you are poor in spirit!

Those Who Mourn

The Little League World Series is going on right now and the other night a pitcher from Texas hit a kid from Oklahoma in the ear hole. It was scary for a second, but the kid got up. But then a really cool thing happened. The pitcher was really shaken up over what he had done. The batter got to first base and saw how upset the pitcher was and he walked over to him and hugged him and told him it was ok.

This is a great picture of what verse four is saying!

Revelation 21:4 ESV

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

We’ve got to acknowledge our sin and we should be broken over our sin. This will lead us to repentance.

But once that happens, we will be comforted about our sin because Jesus took care of it! So don’t deny or run from the fact that you’re a sinner! Confess your sins, He is faithful and just to forgive!

The Meek

Psalm 37:11 ESV

But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.

This doesn’t mean that Christians are supposed to be pushovers, but that we don’t put others down to force our way in this world. We trust God’s plan for our lives and for the world, knowing it is perfect.

Those Who Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness

You know how sometimes you get a craving for something specific to eat and only that thing will satisfy you? It happens most often with burgers and fries to me, but specific burgers and fries… You just have to hope that the craving doesn’t hit when you can’t get it like CFA on a Sunday!

But Christians should be longing for these things and they will be satisfied in Jesus!

Matthew 6:33 ESV

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

We also need to understand that apart from Jesus we have no desire for righteousness.

Romans 3:10–11 ESV

as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.

Our desire to see righteousness and to possess righteousness only comes from God!

Philippians 2:13 ESV

for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

So we should seek righteousness. We should ask God to let us see it and give it to us!

The Merciful

Jesus told a parable about a servant who owed his master an amount of money that he would never be able to repay…

Jesus was compassionate and his people should be also!

Pure In Heart

There’s this great scene from the movie The Mighty Ducks (if you’ve never seen it then watch it when you get home tonight) where some of the kids on the hockey team have a purse and they feed a dog a can of beans and then they follow the dog around. They get what they need from the dog and put it in the purse and then they stick some money out of the top of the purse and they wait for someone to come and get the purse. Some guy picks it up thinking he’s about to get some money and reaches in to the purse…

What if that purse were a really nice purse. Ladies, what are the nicest purses out there right now? One of those really nice purses, looks really good on the outside, but if you squeeze the purse really hard what’s going to come out? You want it clean on the inside and the outside.

We’ve got to be made clean on the inside.

Matthew 15:18–19 ESV

But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.

God gives us a new heart when we put our faith in Him.

The Peacemakers

God’s people seek to bring peace. Peace between people and peace with God.

Hebrews 12:14 ESV

Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

We should seek to invite other people into peace with God by sharing the Gospel with them.

Those Who Are Persecuted…

Most of you probably know that I’m an Alabama fan. You may not know that I am also a Dallas Cowboys fan. I’m not as upfront with that, but I am a fan! The Cowboys have like one playoff win since I was in elementary school. They’re bad. One of my friends sent me a TikTok today of Dak throwing the ball into the media tower at practice today and it said “Cowboys already in mid-season form”. But because I’m a true fan, I’m still here through it all! I don’t become a true fan after going through the difficult time, but I make it through the difficult time because I am a true fan.

God’s people will hold on through persecution for his name because they are His people. We are not made his people by enduring the persecution. Does that make sense?

2 Timothy 3:12 ESV

Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,

But in that persecution we have hope!

Romans 8:18 ESV

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

So we have the list of characteristics that his people possess and this list of rewards that his people will receive. If you want to have these characteristics, they can be yours through Jesus. If you want the rewards, they can be yours through Jesus. The first step you take is to recognize that you are poor in spirit…

present Gospel