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Good afternoon.

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Open your Bibles to Matthew chapter 5.

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Fathers, we get into this portion of Scripture

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today.

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I ask the Lord that you would open

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our hearts, Lord, speak to us clearly.

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Lord, that you would help us to make

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application from the words of your Son.

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Lord, that we would learn of you.

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And truly hear your heart and your desire

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for us as we walk with you as

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we go through this passage.

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For we do ask in Jesus' name.

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Amen.

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Okay, Matthew chapter 5.

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It says, In seeing the multitudes, verse 1,

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He went up into a mountain, and when

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he was set, his disciples came unto him.

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And he opened his mouth, and he taught

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them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit,

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for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

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Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall

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be comforted.

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Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit

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the earth.

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Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst

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for righteousness, for they shall be filled.

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Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain

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mercy.

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And blessed are the pure in heart, for

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they shall see God.

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Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be

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called the children of God.

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Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness'

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sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

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Blessed are you when men shall revile you

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and persecute you, and shall say all manner

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of evil against you falsely for my name's

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sake.

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Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is

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your reward in heaven, for so persecuted they

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the prophets which were before you.

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This portion that we're looking at here this

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morning, the first twelve, or this afternoon, the

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first twelve verses of Matthew chapter five, especially

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verses three through verse twelve, have often been

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called the Beatitudes up on the board.

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It's written there for you so you can

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get the proper spelling of it.

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Basically, what we're looking at here is the

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blessings that are pronounced to an individual that

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comes under these categories.

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The word blessed there can be translated, oh

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how happy.

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And it's interesting as you take a look

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at them because these statements of happiness don't

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seem to fit the normal ideas of happiness

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that we as people would think of.

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He starts there by saying blessed are the

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poor in spirit.

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And that's not exactly something that we normally

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think of as a happy experience, to be

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poor in spirit, to be downcast, or whatever

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we want to think of when we think

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of poor in spirit.

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But, of course, it's not something that we

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tend to label as, oh I'm really happy

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now that I'm poor in spirit and I'm

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down and out and don't have anywhere to

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go.

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It seems rather a depressing place.

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But this is what Jesus characterizes, what God

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characterizes, as a blessed place to be.

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And as we look at this, I want

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you to think of this as a progression,

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that it starts at this point and there's

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something that the Lord is doing that he's

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building into the life of an individual.

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And it begins at this stage.

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It begins at a place of being poor

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in spirit.

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We looked at last week, we considered what

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really started this message.

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We talked about the multitudes that were following

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with Jesus at this point in time.

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A group of people who were sick.

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A group of people who were demon possessed.

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Those who were looked upon as the sinners

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of society.

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There were prostitutes that were following him.

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There were tax collectors that were following him.

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There were all sorts of different rebel groups

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of people that were following him.

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We know this because some of his disciples

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are characterized as zealots, which really would be

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kind of a rabble rouser during the day.

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And not only were they following him, but

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also the Pharisees and the scribes were there.

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They were there for the purpose of trying

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to trip him up, as you see throughout

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the Gospels, that there were many times that

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these guys were coming with questions and they

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were baited questions, trying to get Jesus to

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fall, trying to get Jesus to fall into

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their trap, really, to show that he was

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wrong, that there was something wrong with his

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ministry, with what he was saying.

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So there's this group of people who are

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following with him, who are against him.

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And then there's a group of people who

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are following him just because he had neat

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things to say.

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And there was a group that were following

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him just because they wanted to be healed,

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whatever the case may be.

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Everybody that was following him were a bunch

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of people that wanted something from him.

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That was really their whole purpose in Jesus

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at this point in time, where they were

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really the epitome of consumers.

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And they had something that they wanted from

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Jesus, something that they wanted to gain from

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him.

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There were some that were already beginning to

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think that he was special, that there was

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maybe even a Messiah in their midst.

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But again, the view of the Messiah that

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the Jews during this day had was that

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the Messiah was going to come and he

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was going to release them from Roman oppression

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and that he was going to exalt Israel

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to their, quote, rightful place as a nation,

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as God's people, and that they once again

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would be the people in the world.

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And so there was that group that was

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looking at Jesus and thinking, maybe he's the

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one who's now going to bring Jerusalem, bring

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Israel back to the central focus, back to

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where it should be, and reestablish it as

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the nation, God's chosen people.

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They were a proudful people and still are

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today.

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And so there were those that were just

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looking to Jesus as maybe he will do

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that.

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And his teachings were revolutionary, especially for those

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who were lower class, so to speak, those

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who didn't seem to fit into the mold

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of the Pharisees, the scribes and the Sadducees,

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those who would listen to the teachings of

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the Pharisees and the scribes.

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And they'd say, I can't walk like that,

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which really was the average individual in Israel

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during this time.

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When you or I would hear the teachings

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of the Pharisees, we'd say, that's impossible, we

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can't live according to that.

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Their standard, their life was so much higher

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than the standard of the common individual in

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Israel that it was just impossible.

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There was no way that we could carry

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that burden and live in the way that

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the Pharisees were speaking.

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And so when these people, the common people

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of Israel, began to hear the message of

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Jesus, this guy from the region of Galilee

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who's going around and there's these rumors now

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that he's doing miracles and that he's casting

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demons out of people with authority and he's

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got this teaching that sounds completely different to

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the scribes and the Pharisees.

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And it was sounding like a message that

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was a little bit easier.

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And then he comes to these people and

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he says, blessed are the poor in spirit.

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Now, again, as we considered last week, he's

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not specifically speaking to the multitudes, although it

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was the multitudes that stirred this message.

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As Jesus saw this group of people that

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were following him, it says there in the

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first verses, and seeing the multitudes, he went

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up into a mountain and when he was

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set, when he sat down, his disciples came

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unto him and he begins to teach them.

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He opens his mouth and he teaches them,

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the disciples, those who would reach out and

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touch and do a work in the midst

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of the multitudes.

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He now begins to teach.

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So we considered last week that this message

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is not only for those disciples that were

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there with him at that time, but the

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disciples of Christ throughout the ages.

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This is the message that the Lord really

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speaks to us that we have been given

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to go and reach the multitudes.

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But it begins very simply with a pronouncement

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of blessing, which in reality, when you read

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a lot of the Psalms, they begin in

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such a way as well, a pronouncement of

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blessing.

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But there's many different things that come out

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of the Psalms and out of those blessings.

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And here it's kind of the antitype of

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what you normally would hear.

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Blessed are the poor, the poor in spirit.

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And he says, for theirs is the kingdom

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of heaven.

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I had you guys write a paper on

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the first words of the gospel.

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Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at

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hand.

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To consider that Jesus was declaring to them

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that the kingdom of God, the kingdom of

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heaven is right here now for your taking.

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It's not something that's just possibly going to

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come in the future.

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Oftentimes when the children of Israel would think

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of the kingdom of God or the kingdom

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of heaven, they again were looking forward to

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when the Messiah would come and he would

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reestablish Israel as the supreme power of the

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world.

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They were looking forward to that.

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They were looking expectantly to the Messiah and

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set that and set that back up.

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Now Jesus comes and says the kingdom of

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heaven is at hand.

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It's right here.

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And so rightfully so there were people who

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were thinking that while the Messiah is in

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our midst.

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But again, they had a wrong concept of

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the kingdom of heaven.

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Their concept of the kingdom of God and

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the kingdom of heaven was a concept that

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put them as the number one nation in

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the world.

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It was a very prideful concept of the

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kingdom of God.

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And now Jesus comes and he says, blessed

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are the poor in spirit, for theirs is

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the kingdom of heaven.

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And they are the ones who receive this

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kingdom that you're looking forward to.

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A person who's poor in spirit.

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For anyone to come to the kingdom that

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God offers, the kingdom of heaven that Jesus

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was declaring, they need to come to this

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place of being poor in spirit, of being

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poverty stricken on a spiritual level.

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We need to come to the realization before

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we turn to God that we truly have

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absolutely nothing in and of ourselves that's any

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good.

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That there is a death that is within

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us that is in every man.

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The death of the spirit that took place

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on the day when Adam and Eve partook

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of the garden of the fruit in the

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Garden of Eden.

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At that point in time, God told them

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that in the day that you eat of

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it, you shall surely die.

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And there was a spiritual death that took

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place that is run through all men, as

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Paul talks about in the book of Romans.

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And so every man, woman that has ever

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been born or ever will be born has

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this death, this spiritual death within their lives.

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00:10:08,900 --> 00:10:09,840
It's a result of sin.

272
00:10:12,680 --> 00:10:16,200
But we oftentimes think that it's something else

273
00:10:16,200 --> 00:10:17,520
that is missing.

274
00:10:17,660 --> 00:10:19,200
We look around the world and try and

275
00:10:19,200 --> 00:10:21,640
find something to fill that area of death,

276
00:10:21,720 --> 00:10:23,340
to revive whatever that death is.

277
00:10:23,620 --> 00:10:25,480
And so there's many people throughout the world

278
00:10:25,480 --> 00:10:28,500
who are looking to whatever it may be.

279
00:10:28,600 --> 00:10:28,920
Pleasure.

280
00:10:30,060 --> 00:10:31,900
Maybe in pleasure I will find the life

281
00:10:31,900 --> 00:10:32,700
that I'm seeking.

282
00:10:33,520 --> 00:10:34,660
Because there is something dead.

283
00:10:34,740 --> 00:10:36,640
We all realize that there's a deadness within

284
00:10:36,640 --> 00:10:37,180
each of us.

285
00:10:37,520 --> 00:10:40,500
And so man seeks to revive this death.

286
00:10:41,760 --> 00:10:43,600
And so some go after pleasure.

287
00:10:44,660 --> 00:10:47,700
And they think that because we're glandular beings

288
00:10:48,160 --> 00:10:51,640
and life is found somehow in fulfilling our

289
00:10:51,640 --> 00:10:55,280
enjoyment and making those glands feel good.

290
00:10:55,480 --> 00:10:57,080
And so they go after pleasure to try

291
00:10:57,080 --> 00:10:58,020
and make that feel good.

292
00:10:58,120 --> 00:11:00,160
Some people think that, well, it's found in

293
00:11:00,160 --> 00:11:00,520
power.

294
00:11:00,640 --> 00:11:02,380
That if I gain enough power and I

295
00:11:02,380 --> 00:11:04,740
am able to hold this power over people

296
00:11:04,740 --> 00:11:06,160
and have people under me, then that's going

297
00:11:06,160 --> 00:11:07,220
to make me happy and that's going to

298
00:11:07,220 --> 00:11:09,280
revive this death that is in me.

299
00:11:11,180 --> 00:11:14,660
Some people look for it in popularity.

300
00:11:15,500 --> 00:11:17,120
That if enough people like me and look

301
00:11:17,120 --> 00:11:19,400
up to me, then they're going to make

302
00:11:19,400 --> 00:11:20,380
me feel alive.

303
00:11:20,540 --> 00:11:23,260
And so people are in the world looking

304
00:11:23,260 --> 00:11:25,680
for something to revive the death that is

305
00:11:25,680 --> 00:11:25,920
within them.

306
00:11:27,520 --> 00:11:29,440
Because there is a poverty of spirit in

307
00:11:29,440 --> 00:11:30,000
each of us.

308
00:11:30,720 --> 00:11:33,320
There is a poorness in every single one

309
00:11:33,320 --> 00:11:33,660
of us.

310
00:11:34,400 --> 00:11:35,860
And so we will look for something to

311
00:11:35,860 --> 00:11:37,720
make us rich in this area of poverty.

312
00:11:41,790 --> 00:11:44,370
You'll never seek after something until you realize

313
00:11:44,370 --> 00:11:45,070
you don't have it.

314
00:11:47,300 --> 00:11:50,040
Until you realize your own poorness of spirit

315
00:11:50,040 --> 00:11:51,560
or your own poorness of something, you're not

316
00:11:51,560 --> 00:11:53,780
going to seek after something to try and

317
00:11:53,780 --> 00:11:54,180
fill it.

318
00:11:54,320 --> 00:11:57,920
But we see in man, in humanity as

319
00:11:57,920 --> 00:12:00,640
a whole, that humanity is seeking for something.

320
00:12:00,820 --> 00:12:02,720
And so they know that there is something

321
00:12:02,720 --> 00:12:03,040
dead.

322
00:12:03,160 --> 00:12:04,800
They know that there is something missing.

323
00:12:05,780 --> 00:12:08,780
We all have this common understanding that there

324
00:12:08,780 --> 00:12:11,080
is a poverty within us because we're all

325
00:12:11,080 --> 00:12:11,940
seeking after something.

326
00:12:12,280 --> 00:12:13,780
It's just that every single one of us

327
00:12:13,780 --> 00:12:15,580
have something else that we're seeking to find

328
00:12:15,580 --> 00:12:17,720
it in, to try and find that fulfillment.

329
00:12:18,620 --> 00:12:20,740
And there's millions of different things that people

330
00:12:20,740 --> 00:12:21,400
come up with.

331
00:12:22,340 --> 00:12:24,300
I'm often amazed at some of the things

332
00:12:24,300 --> 00:12:25,700
that are out there today that people are

333
00:12:25,700 --> 00:12:28,500
trying to fill this death, this poverty with.

334
00:12:31,270 --> 00:12:35,390
Personally, I don't understand the enjoyment of jumping

335
00:12:35,390 --> 00:12:38,930
out of planes to try and gain some

336
00:12:38,930 --> 00:12:40,870
sort of feeling of life.

337
00:12:41,650 --> 00:12:43,270
I don't completely understand that.

338
00:12:44,890 --> 00:12:46,310
At one point in time, I thought it

339
00:12:46,310 --> 00:12:47,870
would be kind of interesting to go skydiving.

340
00:12:47,990 --> 00:12:48,970
Now I just look at it and think

341
00:12:48,970 --> 00:12:49,790
that's stupid.

342
00:12:50,010 --> 00:12:50,570
It's insane.

343
00:12:51,350 --> 00:12:53,670
But there's many different things that people look

344
00:12:53,670 --> 00:12:53,790
at.

345
00:12:53,970 --> 00:13:00,470
We had our class today to try and

346
00:13:00,470 --> 00:13:01,010
find some sort of life in, to try

347
00:13:01,010 --> 00:13:05,150
and find some sort of fulfillment, to fill

348
00:13:05,150 --> 00:13:06,790
the poverty that's in every single one of

349
00:13:06,790 --> 00:13:07,010
us.

350
00:13:07,450 --> 00:13:08,850
A lot of people in our day and

351
00:13:08,850 --> 00:13:13,350
age, they look to different substances, alcohol or

352
00:13:13,350 --> 00:13:14,970
drugs, whatever it may be, to try and

353
00:13:14,970 --> 00:13:17,170
bring that life in some way back.

354
00:13:17,430 --> 00:13:19,630
But what happens in every single one of

355
00:13:19,630 --> 00:13:21,930
us when we seek for something to make

356
00:13:21,930 --> 00:13:23,690
us alive, we find that life is not

357
00:13:23,690 --> 00:13:24,210
found there.

358
00:13:26,070 --> 00:13:27,630
And that's why you have so many people

359
00:13:27,630 --> 00:13:30,530
oftentimes who are so despairing in this world

360
00:13:30,530 --> 00:13:33,010
because they are seeking to try and find

361
00:13:33,010 --> 00:13:38,330
life in things that are dead, things that

362
00:13:38,330 --> 00:13:40,210
are under the curse of death.

363
00:13:41,490 --> 00:13:43,570
Remember, when man sinned, a curse was brought

364
00:13:43,570 --> 00:13:46,130
upon the entire world, not just upon man.

365
00:13:46,290 --> 00:13:47,890
It was brought upon this entire world.

366
00:13:48,070 --> 00:13:49,930
And we know that the earth groans and

367
00:13:49,930 --> 00:13:51,350
is looking forward to the coming of the

368
00:13:51,350 --> 00:13:53,950
Lord because this whole creation is under a

369
00:13:53,950 --> 00:13:54,110
curse.

370
00:13:54,130 --> 00:13:55,890
It's all under death.

371
00:13:55,890 --> 00:13:57,970
And so when man seeks to try and

372
00:13:57,970 --> 00:13:59,690
make himself alive with dead things, it doesn't

373
00:13:59,690 --> 00:14:00,010
work.

374
00:14:01,090 --> 00:14:03,190
And so you have an even greater death

375
00:14:03,190 --> 00:14:05,750
within man because there's this despairing to try

376
00:14:05,750 --> 00:14:11,810
and find life, this despondency because everything you

377
00:14:11,810 --> 00:14:15,130
try in this world will leave you dead.

378
00:14:19,880 --> 00:14:21,520
And yet man continues to try and find

379
00:14:21,520 --> 00:14:22,220
new things.

380
00:14:22,500 --> 00:14:25,500
We know from Ecclesiastes that that's the mission

381
00:14:25,500 --> 00:14:27,360
really that Solomon went out on to try

382
00:14:27,360 --> 00:14:30,600
and find a way out of these areas

383
00:14:30,600 --> 00:14:32,120
of, you know, in our modern day, we

384
00:14:32,120 --> 00:14:33,500
call it a God-shaped hole in your

385
00:14:33,500 --> 00:14:34,240
heart, whatever it may be.

386
00:14:34,320 --> 00:14:35,120
We call it a void.

387
00:14:35,540 --> 00:14:36,080
It's a death.

388
00:14:36,220 --> 00:14:37,680
It's a spiritual poverty.

389
00:14:40,050 --> 00:14:41,870
And Solomon went out and the book of

390
00:14:41,870 --> 00:14:46,290
Ecclesiastes is a great, really a great thesis

391
00:14:46,910 --> 00:14:49,630
on a man trying to find fulfillment in

392
00:14:49,630 --> 00:14:51,570
life in all sorts of different things.

393
00:14:53,290 --> 00:14:54,910
And he tells you at the end of

394
00:14:54,910 --> 00:14:56,730
the story, he gives you the whole conclusion

395
00:14:56,730 --> 00:14:57,170
of the matter.

396
00:14:58,390 --> 00:14:59,590
And he tells us what?

397
00:15:01,350 --> 00:15:02,810
There's nothing new under the sun.

398
00:15:02,950 --> 00:15:04,390
He tells us in those scriptures, man has

399
00:15:04,390 --> 00:15:07,130
been trying for centuries since the creation of

400
00:15:07,130 --> 00:15:08,790
the world, since the time that Adam fell,

401
00:15:09,210 --> 00:15:10,590
man's been trying to find a way to

402
00:15:10,590 --> 00:15:11,430
fill that spiritual debt.

403
00:15:11,870 --> 00:15:14,370
And Solomon tells us in Ecclesiastes, there's nothing

404
00:15:14,370 --> 00:15:14,990
new under the sun.

405
00:15:15,070 --> 00:15:17,270
Although we have new avenues, they're all the

406
00:15:17,270 --> 00:15:19,230
same old things today that people have been

407
00:15:19,230 --> 00:15:21,210
going after for centuries to try and bring

408
00:15:21,210 --> 00:15:23,530
life to the death that is in each

409
00:15:23,530 --> 00:15:24,050
one of us.

410
00:15:29,350 --> 00:15:36,130
Jesus here narrows it down for each and

411
00:15:36,130 --> 00:15:37,750
every one of us what it is that's

412
00:15:37,750 --> 00:15:38,090
missing.

413
00:15:39,330 --> 00:15:42,450
He says, blessed are the poor in spirit.

414
00:15:43,870 --> 00:15:45,190
And I'll tell you it's a blessed thing

415
00:15:45,190 --> 00:15:47,710
when someone realizes what it is that we're

416
00:15:47,710 --> 00:15:48,750
really seeking after.

417
00:15:50,570 --> 00:15:52,590
How wonderful it is to know that you

418
00:15:52,590 --> 00:15:54,970
found what everybody else in the world is

419
00:15:54,970 --> 00:15:55,510
looking for.

420
00:15:55,630 --> 00:15:57,770
That's not an arrogant statement, although some people

421
00:15:57,770 --> 00:15:58,650
will tell you it is.

422
00:15:59,510 --> 00:16:01,390
Some people say, oh, you're real arrogant thinking

423
00:16:01,390 --> 00:16:03,210
that you found the proper, the right way

424
00:16:03,210 --> 00:16:03,970
and the good way.

425
00:16:04,130 --> 00:16:06,470
Only you have the right religion now and

426
00:16:06,470 --> 00:16:08,370
only you have the right direction to God.

427
00:16:08,770 --> 00:16:10,210
It's not an arrogant statement.

428
00:16:10,370 --> 00:16:12,350
It's the truth, and sometimes the truth comes

429
00:16:12,350 --> 00:16:13,630
across as arrogancy.

430
00:16:15,230 --> 00:16:17,070
But see, you and I as believers, if

431
00:16:17,070 --> 00:16:20,030
you've come to find fulfillment in Christ only

432
00:16:20,030 --> 00:16:21,770
and find life in the spirit of God

433
00:16:21,770 --> 00:16:24,310
only, then you have found the one thing

434
00:16:24,310 --> 00:16:25,710
that everybody in the world is looking for,

435
00:16:25,810 --> 00:16:27,230
although they may not realize that that's what

436
00:16:27,230 --> 00:16:27,870
they're looking for.

437
00:16:28,610 --> 00:16:32,510
Jesus narrows it down for us that when

438
00:16:32,510 --> 00:16:33,630
we came to Christ, we didn't know what

439
00:16:33,630 --> 00:16:34,290
we were looking for.

440
00:16:35,670 --> 00:16:37,430
But he comes and he puts his finger

441
00:16:37,430 --> 00:16:38,890
on the very nerve that's dead.

442
00:16:39,290 --> 00:16:41,450
And he says, this is what is dead.

443
00:16:41,730 --> 00:16:42,670
Your spirit is dead.

444
00:16:44,190 --> 00:16:46,190
The very part of you that is really,

445
00:16:46,410 --> 00:16:46,970
really you.

446
00:16:48,630 --> 00:16:50,430
It's been said for a long time within

447
00:16:50,430 --> 00:16:53,250
Calvary Chapel and really all evangelical circles that

448
00:16:53,250 --> 00:16:55,390
man is a triune being and it's the

449
00:16:55,390 --> 00:16:56,950
same way that God is a triune being.

450
00:16:57,150 --> 00:16:59,090
God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

451
00:16:59,450 --> 00:17:01,430
Man is body, soul, and spirit.

452
00:17:03,980 --> 00:17:05,319
And when we say that even, we have

453
00:17:05,319 --> 00:17:06,940
it backwards in the sense that it's supposed

454
00:17:06,940 --> 00:17:09,000
to be spirit, soul, and body.

455
00:17:11,510 --> 00:17:13,790
But see, our spirits died at the day,

456
00:17:14,910 --> 00:17:17,650
really, we were born spiritually dead, but we

457
00:17:17,650 --> 00:17:21,670
see that Moses, I'm sorry, Moses, Adam, was

458
00:17:21,670 --> 00:17:22,430
spiritually alive.

459
00:17:22,589 --> 00:17:24,589
He was in perfect communion with God until

460
00:17:24,589 --> 00:17:26,270
he ate of the fruit of the tree

461
00:17:26,270 --> 00:17:27,329
of the knowledge of good and evil.

462
00:17:28,390 --> 00:17:29,430
And the day that he ate of it,

463
00:17:29,470 --> 00:17:30,130
he surely died.

464
00:17:30,170 --> 00:17:30,850
His spirit died.

465
00:17:35,610 --> 00:17:37,170
You're not a triune being, but the true

466
00:17:37,170 --> 00:17:41,110
part of who you truly, really are is

467
00:17:41,110 --> 00:17:43,130
the part that can be in connection with

468
00:17:43,130 --> 00:17:44,630
the God and the Creator who made you,

469
00:17:44,670 --> 00:17:45,350
and that's your spirit.

470
00:17:46,510 --> 00:17:47,770
But we're spiritually dead.

471
00:17:51,520 --> 00:17:53,200
It's a pretty sad day when we come

472
00:17:53,200 --> 00:17:57,950
to the realization that the individual we love

473
00:17:57,950 --> 00:17:59,690
more than anything else in the world is

474
00:17:59,690 --> 00:18:00,650
dead, it's us.

475
00:18:02,900 --> 00:18:04,720
We love ourselves more than we love anything

476
00:18:04,720 --> 00:18:06,080
else or anyone else in this world.

477
00:18:07,200 --> 00:18:08,780
And when we've truly come to that point

478
00:18:11,660 --> 00:18:13,240
where we truly are dead, that part of

479
00:18:13,240 --> 00:18:15,500
us that's able to have communion with the

480
00:18:15,500 --> 00:18:16,780
one who created us is dead.

481
00:18:17,600 --> 00:18:19,240
And that's a result of our sin.

482
00:18:20,860 --> 00:18:22,600
What begins to happen at that point in

483
00:18:22,600 --> 00:18:22,740
time?

484
00:18:23,040 --> 00:18:24,080
You begin to mourn over it.

485
00:18:24,400 --> 00:18:25,280
Blessed are they that mourn.

486
00:18:27,500 --> 00:18:28,880
He says, blessed are the poor in spirit.

487
00:18:28,980 --> 00:18:30,300
Those people who have come to the realization

488
00:18:30,300 --> 00:18:32,000
that the true thing that they're seeking after

489
00:18:32,000 --> 00:18:34,640
is to have their spiritual life rejuvenated.

490
00:18:37,090 --> 00:18:39,230
It's a happy place to be to come

491
00:18:39,230 --> 00:18:39,710
to that point.

492
00:18:39,830 --> 00:18:41,770
And you must come to that point before

493
00:18:41,770 --> 00:18:43,710
you can find and have the kingdom of

494
00:18:43,710 --> 00:18:43,890
heaven.

495
00:18:44,230 --> 00:18:45,710
He says, blessed are the poor in spirit

496
00:18:45,710 --> 00:18:47,370
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

497
00:18:47,570 --> 00:18:50,350
The person who is able to come to

498
00:18:50,350 --> 00:18:52,410
that place where they realize that they're spiritually

499
00:18:52,410 --> 00:18:54,410
dead and only God can make them alive

500
00:18:55,130 --> 00:18:57,990
is the person that finds true blessing, true

501
00:18:57,990 --> 00:19:01,030
happiness, which is more than just happiness that

502
00:19:01,030 --> 00:19:02,770
the world gives, it's the joy of God.

503
00:19:05,150 --> 00:19:07,350
And it's that person who's able to enter

504
00:19:07,350 --> 00:19:09,150
into the kingdom of heaven because, see, the

505
00:19:09,150 --> 00:19:14,270
kingdom of heaven is not a physical thing

506
00:19:14,270 --> 00:19:16,230
that you and I see here around us.

507
00:19:19,150 --> 00:19:20,810
And we can only enter into the kingdom

508
00:19:20,810 --> 00:19:25,150
of heaven spiritually in communion with God.

509
00:19:26,370 --> 00:19:27,890
And so our spirit needs to be made

510
00:19:27,890 --> 00:19:28,470
right.

511
00:19:28,590 --> 00:19:29,970
It needs to be made alive.

512
00:19:31,150 --> 00:19:33,290
You may remember in John chapter 20, after

513
00:19:33,290 --> 00:19:36,370
Jesus was raised from the dead, he comes

514
00:19:36,370 --> 00:19:38,530
and appears before his disciples and he breathes

515
00:19:38,530 --> 00:19:40,270
on them and says, receive you the Holy

516
00:19:40,270 --> 00:19:40,650
Spirit.

517
00:19:42,530 --> 00:19:45,250
And the Holy Spirit, I believe at that

518
00:19:45,250 --> 00:19:50,510
point in time, brings life back to the

519
00:19:50,510 --> 00:19:51,230
spirit of man.

520
00:19:52,830 --> 00:19:55,510
That in my belief, as I read the

521
00:19:55,510 --> 00:19:57,250
scriptures, I see that that to me is

522
00:19:57,250 --> 00:19:59,670
when the disciples truly were what we would

523
00:19:59,670 --> 00:20:03,510
call reborn, born again.

524
00:20:06,610 --> 00:20:08,750
Regeneration took place at that point in time.

525
00:20:08,890 --> 00:20:10,650
Now, I've had some people that disagreed with

526
00:20:10,650 --> 00:20:12,710
me on that and they say, well, the

527
00:20:12,710 --> 00:20:14,450
disciples had to have been saved before that

528
00:20:14,450 --> 00:20:14,710
point.

529
00:20:14,810 --> 00:20:16,250
But how could the disciples have been saved

530
00:20:16,250 --> 00:20:18,890
before Jesus had died and rose from the

531
00:20:18,890 --> 00:20:19,150
dead?

532
00:20:21,390 --> 00:20:23,330
After Jesus had risen from the dead, now

533
00:20:23,330 --> 00:20:25,390
he breathes upon his disciples and said, receive

534
00:20:25,390 --> 00:20:26,230
you the Holy Spirit.

535
00:20:26,530 --> 00:20:29,110
It's interesting to me the breath of God

536
00:20:29,110 --> 00:20:29,610
in the scriptures.

537
00:20:29,790 --> 00:20:31,010
I encourage you to take some time to

538
00:20:31,010 --> 00:20:31,390
study it.

539
00:20:31,750 --> 00:20:33,570
God the Father breathes life into man in

540
00:20:33,570 --> 00:20:33,890
Genesis.

541
00:20:34,110 --> 00:20:36,630
In the early chapters of Genesis, Jesus breathes

542
00:20:36,630 --> 00:20:38,850
the spirit upon man, bringing spiritual life to

543
00:20:38,850 --> 00:20:38,990
them.

544
00:20:39,250 --> 00:20:44,770
And the Holy Spirit breathes power and the

545
00:20:44,770 --> 00:20:45,350
refreshing wind came.

546
00:20:45,430 --> 00:20:46,410
And you look at that in the original

547
00:20:46,410 --> 00:20:46,750
language.

548
00:20:46,930 --> 00:20:48,270
It's the word pneuma in the Greek, which

549
00:20:48,270 --> 00:20:50,630
is also characteristic with the Holy Spirit.

550
00:20:51,890 --> 00:20:53,550
And so God the Father breathes the initial

551
00:20:53,550 --> 00:20:54,510
life into man.

552
00:20:56,070 --> 00:20:58,650
Jesus, the Son, breathes the spirit upon man,

553
00:20:58,770 --> 00:21:00,470
bringing life to his dead spirit.

554
00:21:00,810 --> 00:21:03,350
And the Holy Spirit brings power, breathing power

555
00:21:03,350 --> 00:21:04,330
into the life of the believer.

556
00:21:04,690 --> 00:21:07,470
Power to live and follow after the Lord.

557
00:21:08,630 --> 00:21:10,450
The ability to be able to follow the

558
00:21:10,450 --> 00:21:10,590
Lord.

559
00:21:10,910 --> 00:21:14,850
And so a person, every single person, are

560
00:21:14,850 --> 00:21:17,630
poor in spirit, where they realize their own

561
00:21:17,630 --> 00:21:21,150
death and poverty of spirit, it's at that

562
00:21:21,150 --> 00:21:23,250
point in time that God can begin to

563
00:21:23,250 --> 00:21:24,850
do a work in the life of an

564
00:21:24,850 --> 00:21:25,230
individual.

565
00:21:28,070 --> 00:21:30,510
It is a true confession in a sense

566
00:21:30,510 --> 00:21:32,910
because it's coming to an agreement with God,

567
00:21:33,310 --> 00:21:35,210
and that's what confession is, agreeing with the

568
00:21:35,210 --> 00:21:35,390
Lord.

569
00:21:36,530 --> 00:21:39,650
It's coming to an agreement with God that

570
00:21:39,650 --> 00:21:41,210
you are spiritually dead.

571
00:21:41,290 --> 00:21:42,670
It's turning away from all the other things

572
00:21:42,670 --> 00:21:44,550
you've been trying to make yourself alive with,

573
00:21:44,630 --> 00:21:45,870
and coming to him and saying, I am

574
00:21:45,870 --> 00:21:46,610
spiritually dead.

575
00:21:46,690 --> 00:21:48,990
It's not that, you know, anything else is

576
00:21:48,990 --> 00:21:49,650
missing in my life.

577
00:21:49,690 --> 00:21:50,990
It's that my spirit is dead, and I

578
00:21:50,990 --> 00:21:54,390
need to be rejuvenated by you, Lord.

579
00:21:56,810 --> 00:21:58,270
And so an individual needs to come to

580
00:21:58,270 --> 00:22:00,510
a place of being poor in spirit, realizing

581
00:22:00,510 --> 00:22:01,750
their own poverty of spirit.

582
00:22:02,170 --> 00:22:04,470
This is why I think sometimes our modern

583
00:22:04,470 --> 00:22:10,710
evangelical terms are dangerous, in the sense that

584
00:22:10,710 --> 00:22:12,870
a lot of times when we hear evangelism,

585
00:22:12,910 --> 00:22:15,250
we hear people saying, you have a what?

586
00:22:15,410 --> 00:22:19,710
God-shaped hole in your heart, and only

587
00:22:19,710 --> 00:22:21,610
God can fill that hole in your heart.

588
00:22:21,910 --> 00:22:23,530
And so basically what you're doing is you're

589
00:22:23,530 --> 00:22:25,770
telling a person that, you know, you've been

590
00:22:25,770 --> 00:22:27,770
seeking to try and find fulfillment in all

591
00:22:27,770 --> 00:22:31,170
these other things, in substances or in pleasure

592
00:22:31,170 --> 00:22:32,710
or in whatever it may be.

593
00:22:32,950 --> 00:22:34,330
Now all you need to do is take

594
00:22:34,330 --> 00:22:36,690
this, you know, peg that we call the

595
00:22:36,690 --> 00:22:38,030
Lord, whatever it may be, and stick it

596
00:22:38,030 --> 00:22:39,230
into that God-shaped hole in your heart,

597
00:22:39,270 --> 00:22:40,730
and now you're gonna be okay.

598
00:22:41,470 --> 00:22:44,250
Now I understand the general theology behind that,

599
00:22:44,330 --> 00:22:46,350
but basically you're not explaining to a person

600
00:22:46,350 --> 00:22:49,730
that you are dead spiritually because of sin,

601
00:22:50,010 --> 00:22:51,770
and the only way for you to be

602
00:22:51,770 --> 00:22:53,190
made alive is to come to the one

603
00:22:53,190 --> 00:22:56,470
who gives life, Jesus the Christ.

604
00:22:59,200 --> 00:23:01,180
And so a person comes to a realization

605
00:23:01,180 --> 00:23:05,180
of being poor in spirit, oftentimes through the

606
00:23:05,180 --> 00:23:08,220
use of the Word of God in his

607
00:23:08,220 --> 00:23:08,600
law.

608
00:23:09,880 --> 00:23:12,260
His law has an amazing way of showing

609
00:23:12,260 --> 00:23:16,160
us our deadness in spirit, and I believe

610
00:23:16,160 --> 00:23:17,420
that that's one of the primary things that

611
00:23:17,420 --> 00:23:19,460
God created his law for, was to show

612
00:23:19,460 --> 00:23:22,740
us our absolute deadness from who he is,

613
00:23:23,500 --> 00:23:25,880
to show us the separation between us and

614
00:23:25,880 --> 00:23:26,140
him.

615
00:23:26,320 --> 00:23:28,360
That's what death truly is, it's a separation,

616
00:23:29,160 --> 00:23:30,680
and so we see that there's a separation

617
00:23:30,680 --> 00:23:32,020
between man and God.

618
00:23:32,140 --> 00:23:35,180
His law clearly shows us that separation.

619
00:23:35,460 --> 00:23:35,840
How so?

620
00:23:39,090 --> 00:23:43,340
Well, the law tells us you shall not

621
00:23:43,340 --> 00:23:44,140
bear false witness.

622
00:23:44,240 --> 00:23:45,140
How many of you guys have lied?

623
00:23:46,120 --> 00:23:47,500
Okay, so we're liars.

624
00:23:48,800 --> 00:23:50,740
The scriptures tell us you shall not commit

625
00:23:50,740 --> 00:23:51,220
adultery.

626
00:23:51,700 --> 00:23:53,000
How many of you committed adultery?

627
00:23:53,120 --> 00:23:54,320
Well, you may say, well, I have not

628
00:23:54,320 --> 00:23:55,000
committed adultery.

629
00:23:55,740 --> 00:23:57,120
Well, we're going to look at as we

630
00:23:57,120 --> 00:23:58,760
continue on in our study, Jesus says, you

631
00:23:58,760 --> 00:23:59,940
have heard that it has been said of

632
00:23:59,940 --> 00:24:02,020
them of old time, you shall not commit

633
00:24:02,020 --> 00:24:02,340
adultery.

634
00:24:02,380 --> 00:24:03,740
But I say unto you that whoever looks

635
00:24:03,740 --> 00:24:05,120
upon a woman to lust after her has

636
00:24:05,120 --> 00:24:07,580
committed adultery in their heart.

637
00:24:07,660 --> 00:24:09,740
How many of you have lusted after anybody?

638
00:24:10,280 --> 00:24:11,320
You've committed adultery.

639
00:24:11,500 --> 00:24:13,380
Okay, so we're adulterers, we're liars.

640
00:24:14,100 --> 00:24:15,800
We've borne false witness, we've committed adultery.

641
00:24:16,180 --> 00:24:17,400
You say, how many of you have murdered?

642
00:24:17,480 --> 00:24:18,700
Well, I haven't murdered anybody.

643
00:24:18,820 --> 00:24:20,660
Okay, Jesus says, you have heard of them

644
00:24:20,660 --> 00:24:21,860
of old time that you shall not murder.

645
00:24:21,920 --> 00:24:24,220
But I say unto you that whoever hates

646
00:24:24,220 --> 00:24:25,940
his brother without cause has committed murder.

647
00:24:27,180 --> 00:24:28,760
Okay, there we go.

648
00:24:29,660 --> 00:24:32,940
We're lying, adulterers, and murderers.

649
00:24:33,720 --> 00:24:35,140
You ever stolen anything?

650
00:24:37,450 --> 00:24:38,310
Ever anything?

651
00:24:38,610 --> 00:24:39,770
Even something small?

652
00:24:40,810 --> 00:24:41,370
Okay, yeah.

653
00:24:42,210 --> 00:24:43,670
Okay, so you're a thief, too.

654
00:24:43,770 --> 00:24:45,150
Add that to the list of things.

655
00:24:46,430 --> 00:24:48,190
So, just right there, we see we're just

656
00:24:48,190 --> 00:24:49,570
using a little bit of God's law to

657
00:24:49,570 --> 00:24:58,630
see that we are lying, adulterers, murderers, and

658
00:24:58,630 --> 00:24:59,010
thieves.

659
00:25:00,570 --> 00:25:02,250
Scriptures also tell us in the law that

660
00:25:02,250 --> 00:25:04,570
we shall worship the Lord only.

661
00:25:05,710 --> 00:25:07,330
We're not to have any other gods before

662
00:25:07,330 --> 00:25:07,630
him.

663
00:25:10,050 --> 00:25:11,330
Okay, so every single one of us have

664
00:25:11,330 --> 00:25:13,070
had something that we've put before God before,

665
00:25:13,110 --> 00:25:15,170
obviously, and worship that.

666
00:25:15,290 --> 00:25:17,690
So, as we go down the law, we

667
00:25:17,690 --> 00:25:19,770
see that we have all transgressed the law.

668
00:25:20,290 --> 00:25:21,450
There's one that really gets me.

669
00:25:21,590 --> 00:25:24,530
It says that obey your father and mother.

670
00:25:27,230 --> 00:25:29,590
Did anybody perfectly obey their father and mother

671
00:25:29,590 --> 00:25:30,170
growing up?

672
00:25:30,570 --> 00:25:31,470
Good job, Paul.

673
00:25:31,630 --> 00:25:32,570
I appreciate that.

674
00:25:33,210 --> 00:25:34,090
Yeah, you lied.

675
00:25:34,210 --> 00:25:34,650
There we go.

676
00:25:34,750 --> 00:25:36,970
You've just put yourself under the liar category

677
00:25:36,970 --> 00:25:39,610
in the law of God.

678
00:25:40,390 --> 00:25:41,990
You see, the law has a way of

679
00:25:41,990 --> 00:25:43,190
showing us our what?

680
00:25:43,290 --> 00:25:46,990
Our separation between a holy God and man.

681
00:25:47,650 --> 00:25:49,890
It shows us our spiritual death.

682
00:25:51,030 --> 00:25:51,790
That's what it does.

683
00:25:51,870 --> 00:25:53,210
It shows us that we're poor in spirit.

684
00:25:54,150 --> 00:25:57,510
God being perfect, his law is perfect.

685
00:25:57,650 --> 00:25:58,250
He is perfect.

686
00:25:58,390 --> 00:26:00,210
He follows his law 100%.

687
00:26:00,210 --> 00:26:03,510
His law shows you and I very clearly

688
00:26:03,510 --> 00:26:04,890
that we are not perfect.

689
00:26:05,150 --> 00:26:07,090
It shows us that there's a separation between

690
00:26:07,090 --> 00:26:07,850
us and him.

691
00:26:07,910 --> 00:26:09,450
It shows us that we are poor and

692
00:26:09,450 --> 00:26:10,290
dead spiritually.

693
00:26:10,650 --> 00:26:11,810
So, we need to come to a place

694
00:26:11,810 --> 00:26:13,510
where we realize that we are poor in

695
00:26:13,510 --> 00:26:13,750
spirit.

696
00:26:14,050 --> 00:26:17,150
And that, although it seems like a depressing

697
00:26:17,150 --> 00:26:20,030
thing, is a happy point for the believer.

698
00:26:20,270 --> 00:26:20,370
Why?

699
00:26:21,210 --> 00:26:23,130
Because it's that point where we take a

700
00:26:23,130 --> 00:26:29,230
step into realizing that we have now seen

701
00:26:30,090 --> 00:26:31,850
what the true problem is.

702
00:26:33,490 --> 00:26:35,230
And that there's a God who's now reaching

703
00:26:35,230 --> 00:26:37,950
down to us and seeking to have a

704
00:26:37,950 --> 00:26:38,870
relationship with us.

705
00:26:39,950 --> 00:26:41,530
So, blessed are the poor in spirit, for

706
00:26:41,530 --> 00:26:42,530
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

707
00:26:42,570 --> 00:26:44,330
This person who comes to this point of

708
00:26:44,330 --> 00:26:46,950
realizing their poorness and deadness in spirit, now

709
00:26:46,950 --> 00:26:49,650
has the ability to lay hold of the

710
00:26:49,650 --> 00:26:51,530
kingdom of heaven that Jesus said, repent for

711
00:26:51,530 --> 00:26:52,810
the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

712
00:26:52,930 --> 00:26:54,190
It's right there for your taking.

713
00:26:55,750 --> 00:26:58,050
But you cannot grab hold of the kingdom

714
00:26:58,050 --> 00:27:00,570
of heaven until you realize that you're spiritually

715
00:27:00,570 --> 00:27:00,990
dead.

716
00:27:03,750 --> 00:27:06,490
Until you realize the poverty of spirit that's

717
00:27:06,490 --> 00:27:08,130
in your life.

718
00:27:09,690 --> 00:27:11,830
Because you can only enter the kingdom of

719
00:27:11,830 --> 00:27:14,090
heaven spiritually, and if your spirit is dead,

720
00:27:14,130 --> 00:27:15,490
you can't enter the kingdom of heaven.

721
00:27:18,520 --> 00:27:21,500
Spirit needs to be made alive, born again.

722
00:27:23,360 --> 00:27:26,920
That which Jesus spoke with Nicodemus about in

723
00:27:26,920 --> 00:27:27,640
John chapter 3.

724
00:27:27,740 --> 00:27:28,900
You must be born again.

725
00:27:30,360 --> 00:27:31,960
And it is a happy day when we

726
00:27:31,960 --> 00:27:34,880
come to the realization of that fact.

727
00:27:36,140 --> 00:27:38,720
And that is a day when we, by

728
00:27:38,720 --> 00:27:40,860
faith, can lay hold of the kingdom of

729
00:27:40,860 --> 00:27:41,080
heaven.

730
00:27:43,970 --> 00:27:44,270
How?

731
00:27:44,750 --> 00:27:46,010
Well, you did a paper on it.

732
00:27:46,170 --> 00:27:49,090
Matthew chapter 4 verse 17 says, repent for

733
00:27:49,090 --> 00:27:50,410
the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

734
00:27:50,630 --> 00:27:52,510
You have now realized your own death of

735
00:27:52,510 --> 00:27:53,070
spirit.

736
00:27:53,230 --> 00:27:54,770
You've realized that you are poor in spirit

737
00:27:54,770 --> 00:27:57,230
and that you've been trying to fill it

738
00:27:57,230 --> 00:27:59,010
with all these other things that are dead

739
00:27:59,010 --> 00:27:59,830
and under the curse.

740
00:28:00,910 --> 00:28:02,790
And so those things can't make you alive.

741
00:28:02,870 --> 00:28:04,330
And so now you're going to turn from

742
00:28:04,330 --> 00:28:06,970
trying to fill that void and change that

743
00:28:06,970 --> 00:28:08,550
death and make it alive with all these

744
00:28:08,550 --> 00:28:09,050
other things.

745
00:28:09,050 --> 00:28:10,490
And you're going to turn to the only

746
00:28:10,490 --> 00:28:11,970
one who can make you alive.

747
00:28:12,050 --> 00:28:13,530
And that is repentance.

748
00:28:15,250 --> 00:28:17,130
To take the step away from all these

749
00:28:17,130 --> 00:28:18,550
other dead things that you've been trying to

750
00:28:18,550 --> 00:28:20,570
make yourself alive with and now step towards

751
00:28:20,570 --> 00:28:22,450
the Lord is repentance.

752
00:28:22,710 --> 00:28:23,350
There's the turn.

753
00:28:24,570 --> 00:28:26,450
At 180 degree turn.

754
00:28:26,730 --> 00:28:29,430
Now, if a person realizes that, okay, these

755
00:28:29,430 --> 00:28:31,410
things are not satisfying me, so I'm not

756
00:28:31,410 --> 00:28:32,530
going to go after those anymore.

757
00:28:32,690 --> 00:28:33,950
And they don't turn to the Lord.

758
00:28:34,090 --> 00:28:34,830
They have not repented.

759
00:28:36,940 --> 00:28:38,620
They've just come to a realization that these

760
00:28:38,620 --> 00:28:39,760
things aren't satisfying me.

761
00:28:40,140 --> 00:28:41,660
There are other religions in the world that

762
00:28:41,660 --> 00:28:42,320
do this.

763
00:28:42,600 --> 00:28:44,920
In fact, many of the Eastern philosophies and

764
00:28:44,920 --> 00:28:46,840
religions, as you begin to study them, that's

765
00:28:46,840 --> 00:28:48,060
what you find within them.

766
00:28:49,140 --> 00:28:50,900
And you find that some of them basically

767
00:28:50,900 --> 00:28:52,980
tell you the true enlightenment is found as

768
00:28:52,980 --> 00:28:55,900
you really remove yourself from all these other

769
00:28:55,900 --> 00:28:57,860
things that the world has to offer and

770
00:28:57,860 --> 00:28:59,440
all the other things that the people are

771
00:28:59,440 --> 00:29:00,180
going after in the world.

772
00:29:00,400 --> 00:29:02,580
And now you've completely removed yourself from those

773
00:29:02,580 --> 00:29:03,940
and you know, they no longer have a

774
00:29:03,940 --> 00:29:05,440
hold on you and you no longer attached

775
00:29:05,440 --> 00:29:05,740
to them.

776
00:29:05,780 --> 00:29:06,660
And so now you're enlightened.

777
00:29:06,820 --> 00:29:10,040
No, you're still lost because you have not

778
00:29:10,040 --> 00:29:11,100
turned to the one who gives life.

779
00:29:11,220 --> 00:29:12,120
You're still still dead.

780
00:29:12,580 --> 00:29:14,220
You're just not trying to fill your life

781
00:29:14,220 --> 00:29:17,960
with other dead things anymore, but you haven't

782
00:29:17,960 --> 00:29:21,040
found life because life is only found in

783
00:29:21,040 --> 00:29:22,920
Christ because Jesus said, I am the way,

784
00:29:23,000 --> 00:29:24,040
the truth and the life.

785
00:29:24,320 --> 00:29:25,780
And no one comes to the father in

786
00:29:25,780 --> 00:29:27,900
the kingdom of heaven, except through me, he

787
00:29:27,900 --> 00:29:28,120
said.

788
00:29:30,350 --> 00:29:32,250
So the kingdom of heaven is not grasped

789
00:29:32,250 --> 00:29:34,430
by just simply letting go of all the

790
00:29:34,430 --> 00:29:35,090
things of this world.

791
00:29:35,150 --> 00:29:36,830
The kingdom of heaven is only grasped by

792
00:29:36,830 --> 00:29:38,970
turning to the only one who's opened the

793
00:29:38,970 --> 00:29:40,050
door and open the way.

794
00:29:40,430 --> 00:29:41,590
And that can only happen as we come

795
00:29:41,590 --> 00:29:43,230
to the realization that we are poor in

796
00:29:43,230 --> 00:29:46,950
spirit, poverty stricken and blessed are they that

797
00:29:46,950 --> 00:29:48,470
mourn for they shall be comforted.

798
00:29:51,250 --> 00:29:53,190
Oftentimes when you realize your deadness and your

799
00:29:53,190 --> 00:29:54,870
poorness in spirit, that the very one that

800
00:29:54,870 --> 00:29:56,490
you love the most is dead because your

801
00:29:56,490 --> 00:30:00,950
own sin, you begin to mourn.

802
00:30:02,190 --> 00:30:04,010
And we go through that time of mourning

803
00:30:04,010 --> 00:30:10,010
and despairing over that, which has happened to

804
00:30:10,010 --> 00:30:10,690
us spiritually.

805
00:30:12,370 --> 00:30:14,810
And he says, blessed are they that mourn

806
00:30:14,810 --> 00:30:17,770
again, this is so opposite of the world.

807
00:30:19,330 --> 00:30:21,050
The world does not see it as a

808
00:30:21,050 --> 00:30:23,970
happy thing or a happy time to mourn

809
00:30:23,970 --> 00:30:25,930
over things or to grieve about something.

810
00:30:27,290 --> 00:30:28,970
In fact, man tries as hard as he

811
00:30:28,970 --> 00:30:30,630
can to stay away from such things.

812
00:30:30,930 --> 00:30:32,930
That's why when people die, a lot of

813
00:30:32,930 --> 00:30:34,010
times you see that there's a lot more

814
00:30:34,010 --> 00:30:35,110
alcohol consumption.

815
00:30:36,210 --> 00:30:38,830
Because people are trying to separate themselves from

816
00:30:38,830 --> 00:30:39,810
mourning and grieving.

817
00:30:40,250 --> 00:30:42,350
In fact, if you do even a small

818
00:30:42,350 --> 00:30:45,050
study or take some classes on grief counseling

819
00:30:45,050 --> 00:30:46,970
and how to counsel people are going through

820
00:30:46,970 --> 00:30:48,570
grieving times, one of the things that you

821
00:30:48,570 --> 00:30:50,170
want to do is you encourage them not

822
00:30:50,170 --> 00:30:53,290
to turn to substances like that, because they

823
00:30:53,290 --> 00:30:54,390
don't properly grieve.

824
00:30:54,470 --> 00:30:56,510
And in the long run, it has continual

825
00:30:56,510 --> 00:30:59,490
effects on their life.

826
00:31:01,990 --> 00:31:04,770
But man constantly, when he comes to an

827
00:31:04,770 --> 00:31:07,570
opportunity for mourning and grieving, doesn't want to

828
00:31:07,570 --> 00:31:08,050
do that.

829
00:31:08,110 --> 00:31:08,330
Why?

830
00:31:08,690 --> 00:31:10,530
Because it's painful and it hurts and it

831
00:31:10,530 --> 00:31:11,250
honestly doesn't.

832
00:31:11,450 --> 00:31:13,510
So they turn to different substances and try

833
00:31:13,510 --> 00:31:15,170
and do away with the pain.

834
00:31:17,030 --> 00:31:18,890
And oftentimes the biggest way that man tries

835
00:31:18,890 --> 00:31:20,910
to do that is through alcohol consumption, because

836
00:31:20,910 --> 00:31:21,570
it deadens you.

837
00:31:24,060 --> 00:31:25,120
It just makes you more dead.

838
00:31:26,480 --> 00:31:30,540
But we find in the scriptures that there

839
00:31:30,540 --> 00:31:31,280
is a comforter.

840
00:31:33,160 --> 00:31:35,520
In fact, if you turn in your Bibles

841
00:31:35,520 --> 00:31:38,760
to John chapter 14, we get a chance

842
00:31:38,760 --> 00:31:40,180
to look at this comforter.

843
00:31:51,470 --> 00:31:52,610
John chapter 14.

844
00:31:52,730 --> 00:31:58,620
Jesus is speaking here and we'll just look

845
00:31:58,620 --> 00:32:00,500
at a few verses here as well as

846
00:32:00,500 --> 00:32:01,000
we get here.

847
00:32:01,080 --> 00:32:02,620
But John chapter 14 verse one, it says,

848
00:32:02,700 --> 00:32:03,960
let not your heart be troubled.

849
00:32:05,960 --> 00:32:07,780
Don't be downcast, don't be troubled.

850
00:32:08,720 --> 00:32:10,320
You believe in God, believe also in me

851
00:32:10,320 --> 00:32:12,040
and my father's house or many mansions, if

852
00:32:12,040 --> 00:32:14,520
it were not so, I would have told

853
00:32:14,520 --> 00:32:16,960
you, I go to prepare a place for

854
00:32:16,960 --> 00:32:17,080
you.

855
00:32:17,160 --> 00:32:18,400
And if I go to prepare a place

856
00:32:18,400 --> 00:32:19,980
for you, I'll come again and receive you

857
00:32:19,980 --> 00:32:22,440
unto myself that where I am, you may

858
00:32:22,440 --> 00:32:23,000
be also.

859
00:32:23,700 --> 00:32:26,140
And whether I go, you know, in a

860
00:32:26,140 --> 00:32:26,600
way, you know.

861
00:32:26,640 --> 00:32:28,000
And Thomas said unto him, Lord, we do

862
00:32:28,000 --> 00:32:30,600
not know where you're going and how can

863
00:32:30,600 --> 00:32:31,580
we know the way?

864
00:32:31,620 --> 00:32:33,040
And Jesus said, I am the way, the

865
00:32:33,040 --> 00:32:34,620
truth and life and no man comes to

866
00:32:34,620 --> 00:32:35,680
the father, but by me.

867
00:32:36,820 --> 00:32:38,660
Now he goes on and as he continues

868
00:32:38,660 --> 00:32:39,940
to speak with his disciples.

869
00:32:41,380 --> 00:32:44,660
About them believing in him and seeing the

870
00:32:44,660 --> 00:32:47,000
father, if they've seen me, he says, you've

871
00:32:47,000 --> 00:32:47,640
seen the father.

872
00:32:49,440 --> 00:32:51,660
And so Jesus, it's interesting, John chapter 14

873
00:32:51,660 --> 00:32:54,160
clearly shows us the the Trinity, because Jesus

874
00:32:54,160 --> 00:32:55,660
tells us that he is the way, the

875
00:32:55,660 --> 00:32:56,340
truth and the life.

876
00:32:56,400 --> 00:32:57,420
And then he goes on to say that

877
00:32:57,420 --> 00:32:58,740
if you've seen him, then you've seen the

878
00:32:58,740 --> 00:32:59,000
father.

879
00:32:59,140 --> 00:33:00,320
And then as we move on through the

880
00:33:00,320 --> 00:33:02,100
passage and we get down to verse 26,

881
00:33:02,180 --> 00:33:03,360
he says, but the comforter.

882
00:33:04,700 --> 00:33:07,080
Which is the Holy Ghost, whom the father

883
00:33:07,080 --> 00:33:08,560
will send in my name, he shall teach

884
00:33:08,560 --> 00:33:10,560
you all things and bring all things to

885
00:33:10,560 --> 00:33:11,140
your remembrance.

886
00:33:12,820 --> 00:33:15,660
Whatsoever I have said unto you, peace I

887
00:33:15,660 --> 00:33:17,240
leave with you, my peace I give unto

888
00:33:17,240 --> 00:33:19,600
you, not as the world gives unto you.

889
00:33:19,900 --> 00:33:21,760
Let not your heart be troubled, neither let

890
00:33:21,760 --> 00:33:22,540
it be afraid.

891
00:33:23,620 --> 00:33:25,700
And so Jesus tells us about this comforter,

892
00:33:26,500 --> 00:33:29,480
which is the Holy Ghost, the comforter who

893
00:33:29,480 --> 00:33:31,480
comes to comfort they which mourn.

894
00:33:31,580 --> 00:33:34,140
Paul talks about this and I believe his

895
00:33:34,140 --> 00:33:35,600
second letter to the Corinthians when he talks

896
00:33:35,600 --> 00:33:38,780
about comforting those who are going through difficult

897
00:33:38,780 --> 00:33:39,120
times.

898
00:33:39,220 --> 00:33:40,580
And really it goes back to the Holy

899
00:33:40,580 --> 00:33:42,860
Spirit, who is our comforter.

900
00:33:44,820 --> 00:33:46,360
And so blessed is the person who's poor

901
00:33:46,360 --> 00:33:47,780
in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of

902
00:33:47,780 --> 00:33:47,980
heaven.

903
00:33:48,160 --> 00:33:50,020
Oh, how happy is that person who comes

904
00:33:50,020 --> 00:33:53,720
to the realization of their death spiritually, and

905
00:33:53,720 --> 00:33:55,260
then they begin to mourn over it.

906
00:33:55,380 --> 00:33:57,140
Blessed is that person who mourns over it.

907
00:33:58,380 --> 00:34:00,380
Because there's some people who they come to

908
00:34:00,380 --> 00:34:01,880
that point where they realize that they're dead

909
00:34:01,880 --> 00:34:03,620
spiritually and then they go, oh, man, that's

910
00:34:03,620 --> 00:34:03,980
a bummer.

911
00:34:04,320 --> 00:34:06,500
What can I do to try and make

912
00:34:06,500 --> 00:34:07,199
myself alive?

913
00:34:07,260 --> 00:34:08,560
And then they're back to square one of

914
00:34:08,560 --> 00:34:09,639
trying to go out in the world to

915
00:34:09,639 --> 00:34:10,540
try and revive themselves.

916
00:34:10,679 --> 00:34:12,120
But the person who comes to that place

917
00:34:12,120 --> 00:34:14,880
of realizing their deadness spiritually and then begins

918
00:34:14,880 --> 00:34:17,560
to mourn over it can receive comfort.

919
00:34:18,719 --> 00:34:21,199
The true comfort of God, which comes only

920
00:34:21,199 --> 00:34:22,040
by the Holy Spirit.

921
00:34:23,500 --> 00:34:25,840
And the Holy Spirit has a magnificent work

922
00:34:25,840 --> 00:34:27,480
that he does once he begins to come

923
00:34:27,480 --> 00:34:29,639
into the life of this person who's poor

924
00:34:29,639 --> 00:34:31,020
in spirit and mourning over it.

925
00:34:33,989 --> 00:34:37,590
He comes and he begins to transform that

926
00:34:37,590 --> 00:34:38,429
person.

927
00:34:40,330 --> 00:34:42,110
Blessed is that person who mourns over their

928
00:34:42,110 --> 00:34:44,210
deadness in spirit because they shall be comforted.

929
00:34:44,290 --> 00:34:46,630
The comforter comes, the Holy Spirit comes and

930
00:34:46,630 --> 00:34:47,510
blessed are the meek.

931
00:34:50,210 --> 00:34:52,530
I believe that when a person who is

932
00:34:52,530 --> 00:34:54,429
poor in spirit comes to this place of

933
00:34:54,429 --> 00:34:56,750
mourning over their own spiritual death and poverty,

934
00:34:56,890 --> 00:34:58,490
that the Holy Spirit comes and begins to

935
00:34:58,490 --> 00:34:58,990
comfort them.

936
00:34:59,070 --> 00:35:00,510
But not only does he begin to comfort

937
00:35:00,510 --> 00:35:03,310
them, but he transforms them and he transforms

938
00:35:03,310 --> 00:35:05,550
them in the area of meekness.

939
00:35:08,350 --> 00:35:09,290
Blessed are the meek.

940
00:35:11,230 --> 00:35:16,500
Meekness is that area of brokenness, of utter

941
00:35:16,500 --> 00:35:18,500
brokenness before the Lord, where he is able

942
00:35:18,500 --> 00:35:20,740
to take all that you've been trying to

943
00:35:20,740 --> 00:35:22,520
build on your own and he's able to

944
00:35:22,520 --> 00:35:24,000
grind it down to nothing.

945
00:35:26,210 --> 00:35:29,150
That area where many teachers have broken this

946
00:35:29,150 --> 00:35:31,730
word up before, and it's almost cliche now,

947
00:35:31,830 --> 00:35:33,630
but where you put a dash in between

948
00:35:33,630 --> 00:35:35,790
the M.E. and the E.K. and

949
00:35:35,790 --> 00:35:37,470
then you look at yourself and see me.

950
00:35:38,250 --> 00:35:40,450
There's something there's nothing good in me.

951
00:35:41,830 --> 00:35:43,730
And the Holy Spirit, the comforter has a

952
00:35:43,730 --> 00:35:45,410
way of coming into the life of this

953
00:35:45,410 --> 00:35:48,750
person who's poor in spirit and who's mourning

954
00:35:48,750 --> 00:35:50,830
over it, and he begins to transform them

955
00:35:50,830 --> 00:35:52,690
so they have a new focus where they

956
00:35:52,690 --> 00:35:54,850
see that there is nothing good in me,

957
00:35:54,850 --> 00:35:56,770
where they can say with Paul, as Paul

958
00:35:56,770 --> 00:35:59,450
said in Romans chapter seven, seven, I find

959
00:35:59,450 --> 00:36:01,350
that is in me in my flesh dwells

960
00:36:01,350 --> 00:36:01,610
what?

961
00:36:03,570 --> 00:36:04,790
No, what?

962
00:36:05,790 --> 00:36:06,690
No good thing.

963
00:36:08,050 --> 00:36:09,650
In me that is in my flesh dwells

964
00:36:09,650 --> 00:36:10,830
no good thing.

965
00:36:12,110 --> 00:36:13,790
Oh, how happy is the person who comes

966
00:36:13,790 --> 00:36:14,510
to that place?

967
00:36:14,970 --> 00:36:15,210
Why?

968
00:36:15,410 --> 00:36:17,710
Because it's at that place of brokenness that

969
00:36:17,710 --> 00:36:19,930
God can begin then to build upon the

970
00:36:19,930 --> 00:36:22,210
foundation that he has brought you down to.

971
00:36:26,370 --> 00:36:29,650
When Paul says, I find in my flesh

972
00:36:29,650 --> 00:36:31,630
dwells no good thing, he goes on to

973
00:36:31,630 --> 00:36:33,470
say, Oh, wretched man that I am, who

974
00:36:33,470 --> 00:36:35,110
shall deliver me from this body of death?

975
00:36:36,310 --> 00:36:38,430
And then he says, I thank God.

976
00:36:38,570 --> 00:36:40,210
You see a person who comes to the

977
00:36:40,210 --> 00:36:42,110
place of poorness and spirit and then mourns

978
00:36:42,110 --> 00:36:44,430
over their own death and depravity of spirit

979
00:36:44,430 --> 00:36:46,310
and then is made meek by the Holy

980
00:36:46,310 --> 00:36:47,830
Spirit of God is in that place where

981
00:36:47,830 --> 00:36:50,450
they say, who will deliver me from this

982
00:36:50,450 --> 00:36:51,050
body of death?

983
00:36:51,270 --> 00:36:53,730
They are that person who is in that

984
00:36:53,730 --> 00:36:57,170
place who it says, blessed are they which

985
00:36:57,170 --> 00:36:59,530
do hunger and thirst after righteousness for they

986
00:36:59,530 --> 00:37:00,390
shall be filled.

987
00:37:01,010 --> 00:37:03,310
This person comes to that place saying, Oh,

988
00:37:03,450 --> 00:37:05,350
wretched man that I am, who shall deliver

989
00:37:05,350 --> 00:37:06,370
me from this body of death?

990
00:37:06,430 --> 00:37:09,610
They are now hungering and thirsting after righteousness

991
00:37:09,610 --> 00:37:13,840
and blessed is that person.

992
00:37:14,000 --> 00:37:15,720
Oh, how happy is that person who goes

993
00:37:15,720 --> 00:37:16,780
through this progression?

994
00:37:18,180 --> 00:37:20,400
Who comes to this place of saying, Lord,

995
00:37:20,580 --> 00:37:22,340
I need you.

996
00:37:22,500 --> 00:37:23,640
I don't need all the other things in

997
00:37:23,640 --> 00:37:25,380
this world, all the other dead things that

998
00:37:25,380 --> 00:37:27,280
are under the curse that haven't been able

999
00:37:27,280 --> 00:37:28,920
to fulfill that haven't been able to bring

1000
00:37:28,920 --> 00:37:29,260
life.

1001
00:37:30,120 --> 00:37:31,560
I need you and your righteousness.

1002
00:37:32,320 --> 00:37:34,340
Oh, wretched man that I am, who shall

1003
00:37:34,340 --> 00:37:35,600
deliver me from this body of death?

1004
00:37:35,720 --> 00:37:38,200
I thank God that it says right here,

1005
00:37:38,340 --> 00:37:39,800
blessed are they which do hunger and thirst

1006
00:37:39,800 --> 00:37:43,100
for righteousness for they shall be filled.

1007
00:37:46,520 --> 00:37:48,280
Blessed is that person who comes to that

1008
00:37:48,280 --> 00:37:52,880
place where they're hungering and thirsting after righteousness

1009
00:37:52,880 --> 00:37:55,380
because the Lord will fill them.

1010
00:37:57,730 --> 00:37:59,230
He's promised to do so.

1011
00:38:03,990 --> 00:38:05,190
They shall be filled.

1012
00:38:08,560 --> 00:38:10,620
Do you see the progression in this passage?

1013
00:38:12,520 --> 00:38:15,560
There's an awesome progression, I believe, in the

1014
00:38:15,560 --> 00:38:16,060
Beatitudes.

1015
00:38:17,280 --> 00:38:19,080
Sometimes just people read them and they go,

1016
00:38:19,320 --> 00:38:20,800
it's a happy thing to be poor in

1017
00:38:20,800 --> 00:38:20,980
spirit.

1018
00:38:21,080 --> 00:38:22,060
So now I got to try and make

1019
00:38:22,060 --> 00:38:23,100
myself poor in spirit.

1020
00:38:23,220 --> 00:38:24,200
And so they go out and they try

1021
00:38:24,200 --> 00:38:25,600
and make themselves poor in spirit.

1022
00:38:25,640 --> 00:38:27,440
So because then I'll find happiness in God

1023
00:38:27,440 --> 00:38:28,960
and then maybe I'll get the kingdom of

1024
00:38:28,960 --> 00:38:29,100
heaven.

1025
00:38:29,380 --> 00:38:30,980
Oh, it's really a good thing to hunger

1026
00:38:30,980 --> 00:38:32,000
and thirst after righteousness.

1027
00:38:32,160 --> 00:38:33,060
I don't really know how to do that.

1028
00:38:33,120 --> 00:38:34,600
So I'm going to try and make myself

1029
00:38:34,600 --> 00:38:35,400
hungry in righteousness.

1030
00:38:35,540 --> 00:38:36,560
So I'll just keep reading a lot of

1031
00:38:36,560 --> 00:38:37,860
the word and the word of God is

1032
00:38:37,860 --> 00:38:40,520
good, but you can't make yourself these things.

1033
00:38:43,400 --> 00:38:44,960
It happens as we try and follow the

1034
00:38:44,960 --> 00:38:47,620
Lord that we go through this, but we've

1035
00:38:47,620 --> 00:38:49,420
got to see our poorness in spirit.

1036
00:38:55,410 --> 00:38:57,230
You know, the passages and we're going to

1037
00:38:57,230 --> 00:38:58,550
look at it as we go through that

1038
00:38:58,550 --> 00:39:01,950
says, seek and you shall find, ask and

1039
00:39:01,950 --> 00:39:03,670
it will be given to you, knock and

1040
00:39:03,670 --> 00:39:04,530
it will be opened unto you.

1041
00:39:04,570 --> 00:39:05,690
You guys know that passage, right?

1042
00:39:06,470 --> 00:39:08,650
You know, you'll never seek after something until

1043
00:39:08,650 --> 00:39:09,770
you realize it's missing.

1044
00:39:12,170 --> 00:39:13,890
You're never going to seek after these things

1045
00:39:13,890 --> 00:39:15,490
that we're talking about here about the Lord

1046
00:39:15,490 --> 00:39:18,210
until you realize that it's gone, that there's

1047
00:39:18,210 --> 00:39:19,030
a poorness there.

1048
00:39:20,730 --> 00:39:22,110
And so it's important for us to come

1049
00:39:22,110 --> 00:39:23,930
to this place of poorness in spirit.

1050
00:39:25,210 --> 00:39:26,630
You know what the world does when people

1051
00:39:26,630 --> 00:39:28,450
come to a place of poorness in spirit?

1052
00:39:29,410 --> 00:39:35,150
They prescribe Paxil and Zoloft and Prozac to

1053
00:39:35,150 --> 00:39:38,190
try and deaden the pain because you know

1054
00:39:38,190 --> 00:39:40,070
what it is painful to realize that you're

1055
00:39:40,070 --> 00:39:40,670
poor in spirit.

1056
00:39:41,770 --> 00:39:43,350
But do you realize that it's also a

1057
00:39:43,350 --> 00:39:45,110
very happy thing because it's at that point

1058
00:39:45,110 --> 00:39:48,290
that you can begin to realize that only

1059
00:39:48,290 --> 00:39:49,530
God can make it right.

1060
00:39:52,070 --> 00:39:53,710
How great it would be if those who

1061
00:39:53,710 --> 00:39:56,090
go to a psychiatrist or whatever it may

1062
00:39:56,090 --> 00:39:57,990
be, because they're broken and they're poor in

1063
00:39:57,990 --> 00:39:58,290
spirit.

1064
00:39:58,290 --> 00:40:00,690
If the psychiatrist prescribed that they go home

1065
00:40:00,690 --> 00:40:02,330
and read the book of Matthew instead of

1066
00:40:02,330 --> 00:40:03,830
go home and here, take these pills.

1067
00:40:08,320 --> 00:40:09,680
You might find a lot of people that

1068
00:40:09,680 --> 00:40:14,210
weren't so depressed because the person who's poor

1069
00:40:14,210 --> 00:40:16,930
in spirit and mourns over it shall be

1070
00:40:16,930 --> 00:40:19,050
comforted by the Holy Spirit who will transform

1071
00:40:19,050 --> 00:40:21,270
their view to where they realize that there

1072
00:40:21,270 --> 00:40:22,410
is nothing good in me.

1073
00:40:22,830 --> 00:40:24,430
Of course, again, the world says, no, that's

1074
00:40:24,430 --> 00:40:26,110
not right thinking because they say, well, you've

1075
00:40:26,110 --> 00:40:27,170
got a problem self-esteem.

1076
00:40:28,230 --> 00:40:30,950
I like to call self-esteem, selfish steam.

1077
00:40:32,370 --> 00:40:34,130
It's just a bunch of selfish steam.

1078
00:40:35,210 --> 00:40:37,370
It's interesting also when you do research about

1079
00:40:37,370 --> 00:40:39,590
suicide, a lot of times the reasons for

1080
00:40:39,590 --> 00:40:43,630
suicide have more to do with a overly

1081
00:40:43,630 --> 00:40:45,910
high self-esteem than an overly low self

1082
00:40:45,910 --> 00:40:46,210
-esteem.

1083
00:40:47,910 --> 00:40:52,980
Think way too much of themselves and oftentimes

1084
00:40:52,980 --> 00:40:55,400
it leads down a very bad path.

1085
00:40:56,680 --> 00:40:58,240
But we see in the scriptures that the

1086
00:40:58,240 --> 00:41:00,940
person who's meek, who has a proper godly

1087
00:41:00,940 --> 00:41:05,340
view of self, hungers and thirsts after that

1088
00:41:05,340 --> 00:41:09,440
which is righteous, after that which is of

1089
00:41:09,440 --> 00:41:09,760
God.

1090
00:41:10,280 --> 00:41:11,580
And so blessed are they which hunger and

1091
00:41:11,580 --> 00:41:13,840
thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.

1092
00:41:14,760 --> 00:41:17,820
And this is where the Beatitudes take a

1093
00:41:17,820 --> 00:41:18,160
turn.

1094
00:41:19,420 --> 00:41:21,200
Right there at blessed are they which hunger

1095
00:41:21,200 --> 00:41:23,700
and thirst for righteousness is like a turn

1096
00:41:23,700 --> 00:41:24,800
beginning in the road.

1097
00:41:27,360 --> 00:41:28,920
Because as you begin to hunger and thirst

1098
00:41:28,920 --> 00:41:31,600
after righteousness, the Lord begins to do a

1099
00:41:31,600 --> 00:41:33,080
new work in your life.

1100
00:41:34,400 --> 00:41:36,340
And he now by his spirit, which is

1101
00:41:36,340 --> 00:41:39,800
doing his work in your life, begins to

1102
00:41:39,800 --> 00:41:41,880
transform you even further from the area of

1103
00:41:41,880 --> 00:41:44,000
meekness and now into the area of mercy.

1104
00:41:44,140 --> 00:41:45,820
It says blessed are the merciful, for they

1105
00:41:45,820 --> 00:41:47,100
shall obtain mercy.

1106
00:41:49,140 --> 00:41:53,790
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain

1107
00:41:53,790 --> 00:41:54,530
mercy.

1108
00:41:59,310 --> 00:42:01,050
What are some of the definitions that you

1109
00:42:01,050 --> 00:42:02,390
can think of for mercy?

1110
00:42:05,120 --> 00:42:05,520
What's that?

1111
00:42:06,980 --> 00:42:08,320
Not getting what you do deserve.

1112
00:42:09,060 --> 00:42:09,940
That's a good one.

1113
00:42:11,240 --> 00:42:12,780
Any other ones that you guys have heard

1114
00:42:12,780 --> 00:42:13,120
before?

1115
00:42:17,240 --> 00:42:18,360
Go ahead and just speak it out if

1116
00:42:18,360 --> 00:42:19,180
you have one.

1117
00:42:22,760 --> 00:42:22,940
None.

1118
00:42:26,880 --> 00:42:32,910
It can mean compassion, not getting what you

1119
00:42:32,910 --> 00:42:33,470
do deserve.

1120
00:42:35,790 --> 00:42:38,130
That's receiving mercy, but what is it to

1121
00:42:38,130 --> 00:42:38,750
be merciful?

1122
00:42:39,990 --> 00:42:42,670
Not giving to people what they do deserve.

1123
00:42:43,030 --> 00:42:45,450
Oftentimes when it means when it has to

1124
00:42:45,450 --> 00:42:46,450
do in the area of punishment.

1125
00:42:48,770 --> 00:42:50,110
Knowing what we know of mercy and right

1126
00:42:50,110 --> 00:42:51,890
now, obviously, it seems to be not a

1127
00:42:51,890 --> 00:42:54,010
whole lot, but knowing what we do know

1128
00:42:54,010 --> 00:42:54,610
about mercy.

1129
00:42:55,670 --> 00:42:59,650
Would you say that the natural tendency of

1130
00:42:59,650 --> 00:43:03,920
man is to be merciful from what we

1131
00:43:03,920 --> 00:43:06,580
see in the world today and in history

1132
00:43:06,580 --> 00:43:06,960
throughout?

1133
00:43:07,400 --> 00:43:09,400
Do you think that that's the natural thing

1134
00:43:09,400 --> 00:43:10,880
that man would do is to be merciful?

1135
00:43:11,120 --> 00:43:13,720
No, this is a godly characteristic.

1136
00:43:15,460 --> 00:43:18,660
This is a work that God does in

1137
00:43:18,660 --> 00:43:22,100
a person who hungers and thirsts after righteousness.

1138
00:43:23,840 --> 00:43:26,680
This is God's answer in one way to

1139
00:43:26,680 --> 00:43:29,100
the hunger and thirst for righteousness.

1140
00:43:30,020 --> 00:43:32,380
It only comes from God, and I say

1141
00:43:32,380 --> 00:43:34,680
that because of what God says about himself,

1142
00:43:34,900 --> 00:43:37,840
pardon me, in the book of Exodus chapter

1143
00:43:37,840 --> 00:43:38,420
34.

1144
00:43:38,980 --> 00:43:40,560
There you may remember the story.

1145
00:43:42,460 --> 00:43:45,020
We see Moses there before the Lord, and

1146
00:43:45,020 --> 00:43:46,860
he says to the Lord after God shows

1147
00:43:46,860 --> 00:43:48,880
his great grace to Israel, Israel has just

1148
00:43:48,880 --> 00:43:50,800
sinned in the transgression of the golden calf.

1149
00:43:50,900 --> 00:43:53,320
And God wants to he's going to judge

1150
00:43:53,320 --> 00:43:53,580
them.

1151
00:43:53,700 --> 00:43:55,500
And Moses says, hey, block me out of

1152
00:43:55,500 --> 00:43:55,880
your book.

1153
00:43:55,900 --> 00:43:56,980
He stands in the gap.

1154
00:43:57,060 --> 00:43:58,680
He is an intercessor at that point in

1155
00:43:58,680 --> 00:43:58,880
time.

1156
00:43:58,900 --> 00:44:01,800
And the Lord says, you know, I'll block

1157
00:44:01,800 --> 00:44:03,500
whoever out of my book who's sinned against

1158
00:44:03,500 --> 00:44:03,960
me, basically.

1159
00:44:03,960 --> 00:44:04,960
And he says, I'm going to pour out

1160
00:44:04,960 --> 00:44:05,820
my grace upon them.

1161
00:44:05,960 --> 00:44:08,120
And as Moses sees the grace of God,

1162
00:44:08,200 --> 00:44:09,960
he calls out to the Lord in Exodus

1163
00:44:09,960 --> 00:44:12,220
chapter 34, and he says, Lord, show me

1164
00:44:12,220 --> 00:44:12,880
your glory.

1165
00:44:13,760 --> 00:44:15,060
The Lord tells him, I can't show you

1166
00:44:15,060 --> 00:44:16,220
my glory, because if I show you my

1167
00:44:16,220 --> 00:44:17,680
glory, you're not going to be able to

1168
00:44:17,680 --> 00:44:18,020
live.

1169
00:44:18,620 --> 00:44:20,100
But God says that I'm going to pass

1170
00:44:20,100 --> 00:44:21,260
by you and put you in the cleft

1171
00:44:21,260 --> 00:44:22,300
of the rock.

1172
00:44:22,380 --> 00:44:24,260
And as I do, I'm going to show

1173
00:44:24,260 --> 00:44:26,120
you the afterglow presence.

1174
00:44:26,560 --> 00:44:29,700
It says the hind parts in the in

1175
00:44:29,700 --> 00:44:30,600
the King James Version.

1176
00:44:30,740 --> 00:44:31,920
God's not going to show him his butt.

1177
00:44:32,740 --> 00:44:34,560
He's going to show him his glory, the

1178
00:44:34,560 --> 00:44:36,900
afterglow presence of God as it passes by.

1179
00:44:37,340 --> 00:44:39,320
And as he does, he does something even

1180
00:44:39,320 --> 00:44:40,880
more than just showing him a glimpse of

1181
00:44:40,880 --> 00:44:41,260
his glory.

1182
00:44:41,420 --> 00:44:43,060
He declares his name to Moses.

1183
00:44:44,160 --> 00:44:45,740
And what is the very first thing that

1184
00:44:45,740 --> 00:44:47,720
God uses to define himself?

1185
00:44:49,220 --> 00:44:52,400
He says in Exodus chapter 34, verse six,

1186
00:44:52,480 --> 00:44:54,640
the Lord passed before him and he proclaimed

1187
00:44:55,840 --> 00:44:57,480
the Lord, the Lord God.

1188
00:44:58,600 --> 00:45:00,000
And what is the very first thing that

1189
00:45:00,000 --> 00:45:01,620
God uses to define himself?

1190
00:45:03,200 --> 00:45:04,300
Anybody, what do you think it is?

1191
00:45:05,140 --> 00:45:07,140
The Lord, the Lord God merciful.

1192
00:45:11,500 --> 00:45:14,600
When a person comes to God, poor in

1193
00:45:14,600 --> 00:45:17,500
spirit, mourning over their own condition, the Holy

1194
00:45:17,500 --> 00:45:19,920
Spirit comes and begins to work meekness into

1195
00:45:19,920 --> 00:45:20,820
the life of that person.

1196
00:45:20,920 --> 00:45:21,600
Now they're broken.

1197
00:45:21,700 --> 00:45:23,980
They say, oh, wretched man, who am that

1198
00:45:23,980 --> 00:45:25,300
I am, who will deliver me from this

1199
00:45:25,300 --> 00:45:25,780
body of death?

1200
00:45:25,840 --> 00:45:27,480
They're hungering and thirsting after righteousness.

1201
00:45:27,620 --> 00:45:30,380
And God comes to that soul and he

1202
00:45:30,380 --> 00:45:33,740
plants a portion of his own being in

1203
00:45:33,740 --> 00:45:34,020
them.

1204
00:45:35,460 --> 00:45:37,520
They're hungering and thirsting after righteousness.

1205
00:45:37,740 --> 00:45:39,600
When you're hungering and thirsting after righteousness, you're

1206
00:45:39,600 --> 00:45:41,700
hungering and thirsting after God because he is

1207
00:45:41,700 --> 00:45:42,200
righteousness.

1208
00:45:42,680 --> 00:45:44,560
And he comes and he gives you a

1209
00:45:44,560 --> 00:45:45,940
piece of who he is.

1210
00:45:46,660 --> 00:45:48,460
The Lord, the Lord God merciful.

1211
00:45:49,020 --> 00:45:51,120
And so we read in Matthew chapter five,

1212
00:45:52,040 --> 00:46:02,820
blessed are the merciful for they

1213
00:46:02,820 --> 00:46:04,520
shall obtain mercy.

1214
00:46:07,090 --> 00:46:09,030
This is, again, where the Sermon on the

1215
00:46:09,030 --> 00:46:10,850
Mount, where the Beatitudes take a turn.

1216
00:46:11,850 --> 00:46:14,290
It's taking a turn from man in his

1217
00:46:14,290 --> 00:46:17,430
own dead condition, being brought low before a

1218
00:46:17,430 --> 00:46:17,970
holy God.

1219
00:46:18,210 --> 00:46:19,690
And now it's taking a turn to where

1220
00:46:19,690 --> 00:46:22,590
that man has been down at total bedrock.

1221
00:46:22,690 --> 00:46:24,050
And now God begins to build.

1222
00:46:24,390 --> 00:46:25,890
And what does he use as his very

1223
00:46:25,890 --> 00:46:26,730
first building block?

1224
00:46:26,830 --> 00:46:28,090
It's a portion of his own being and

1225
00:46:28,090 --> 00:46:28,550
its mercy.

1226
00:46:29,830 --> 00:46:31,530
And he pours out into that believer who

1227
00:46:31,530 --> 00:46:34,790
hungers and thirsts after righteousness, mercy, blessed are

1228
00:46:34,790 --> 00:46:35,270
the merciful.

1229
00:46:36,090 --> 00:46:37,710
And he goes further and he doesn't even

1230
00:46:37,710 --> 00:46:38,350
greater work.

1231
00:46:38,450 --> 00:46:40,030
And it says, blessed are the pure in

1232
00:46:40,030 --> 00:46:40,410
heart.

1233
00:46:44,800 --> 00:46:47,540
Jeremiah in Jeremiah chapter 17, verse nine says

1234
00:46:47,540 --> 00:46:49,200
that the heart of man is what?

1235
00:46:51,180 --> 00:46:52,160
Deceitful and wicked.

1236
00:46:53,820 --> 00:46:55,640
Above all things, who can know it?

1237
00:46:56,060 --> 00:46:57,440
Who can know the heart of man?

1238
00:47:00,270 --> 00:47:00,610
What's that?

1239
00:47:01,770 --> 00:47:04,170
The scriptures tell us that God tests the

1240
00:47:04,170 --> 00:47:04,710
heart of man.

1241
00:47:06,370 --> 00:47:08,350
So the heart of man is deceitful and

1242
00:47:08,350 --> 00:47:08,570
wicked.

1243
00:47:08,790 --> 00:47:10,030
You and I don't even know our own

1244
00:47:10,030 --> 00:47:10,330
hearts.

1245
00:47:10,450 --> 00:47:11,730
Now, that was a hard thing for me

1246
00:47:11,730 --> 00:47:14,190
to understand and really grasp.

1247
00:47:14,290 --> 00:47:16,190
I had some people who sat down with

1248
00:47:16,190 --> 00:47:17,690
me a few years ago and they accused

1249
00:47:17,690 --> 00:47:18,510
me of some things.

1250
00:47:18,970 --> 00:47:20,430
And this lady looked me in the face

1251
00:47:20,430 --> 00:47:21,810
and she said, I know your heart.

1252
00:47:21,910 --> 00:47:23,170
And I said, you don't know my heart.

1253
00:47:23,190 --> 00:47:24,370
I don't even know my own heart.

1254
00:47:29,140 --> 00:47:30,540
We don't know the wickedness.

1255
00:47:30,640 --> 00:47:32,960
We don't understand the depths of the depravity

1256
00:47:32,960 --> 00:47:34,040
of our own hearts.

1257
00:47:35,720 --> 00:47:38,840
But God does, he sees it very clearly.

1258
00:47:41,020 --> 00:47:43,100
You know, there are times when he allows

1259
00:47:43,100 --> 00:47:44,920
us to see a bit of the portion

1260
00:47:44,920 --> 00:47:46,520
of the wickedness of our own hearts, and

1261
00:47:46,520 --> 00:47:47,580
you know what it does to us?

1262
00:47:48,160 --> 00:47:50,060
Takes us back to Matthew chapter five, verse

1263
00:47:50,060 --> 00:47:50,360
three.

1264
00:47:52,140 --> 00:47:54,060
Poor in spirit, mourning over it.

1265
00:47:54,440 --> 00:47:56,200
The Lord comes by his spirit and he

1266
00:47:56,200 --> 00:47:57,240
comforts us.

1267
00:47:57,360 --> 00:47:58,520
And what do we normally say?

1268
00:47:58,860 --> 00:48:01,340
Oh, Lord, we're now he's being he's making

1269
00:48:01,340 --> 00:48:03,000
us meek and we say, Lord, oh, I'm

1270
00:48:03,000 --> 00:48:03,660
so wicked.

1271
00:48:06,850 --> 00:48:08,270
Look at how wicked I am.

1272
00:48:08,330 --> 00:48:09,710
And the Lord says, I knew it all

1273
00:48:09,710 --> 00:48:09,950
along.

1274
00:48:09,990 --> 00:48:10,870
I just wanted to show you.

1275
00:48:14,400 --> 00:48:15,420
God knows it's there.

1276
00:48:16,540 --> 00:48:18,220
And there are times where he allows us

1277
00:48:18,220 --> 00:48:19,720
to see it, to bring us back to

1278
00:48:19,720 --> 00:48:23,060
Matthew chapter five, verse three, poor in spirit,

1279
00:48:23,220 --> 00:48:24,960
mourning over it so he can come and

1280
00:48:24,960 --> 00:48:26,760
comfort us so that he can transform us

1281
00:48:26,760 --> 00:48:28,240
and make us meek so that we, in

1282
00:48:28,240 --> 00:48:30,480
that area of our life that before was

1283
00:48:30,480 --> 00:48:31,920
held back from him and we didn't even

1284
00:48:31,920 --> 00:48:33,600
realize it so that we, in that area

1285
00:48:33,600 --> 00:48:35,020
of our life can begin to hunger and

1286
00:48:35,020 --> 00:48:36,900
thirst after him and he can bring a

1287
00:48:36,900 --> 00:48:38,680
portion of his presence into that area of

1288
00:48:38,680 --> 00:48:40,060
our life in the form of his mercy

1289
00:48:40,060 --> 00:48:43,420
and that he can bring a new heart

1290
00:48:43,420 --> 00:48:44,300
into that matter.

1291
00:48:45,260 --> 00:48:46,680
And he is the one who's able to

1292
00:48:46,680 --> 00:48:49,060
take the dead stony heart as he promised

1293
00:48:49,060 --> 00:48:51,980
to Jeremiah in the prophecy that Jeremiah gave

1294
00:48:51,980 --> 00:48:53,580
later in the chapters of Jeremiah, I believe

1295
00:48:53,580 --> 00:48:55,580
it was in either chapter 30 or 31,

1296
00:48:55,820 --> 00:48:57,800
where God tells him that I'm going to

1297
00:48:57,800 --> 00:48:58,760
give you a new heart.

1298
00:48:58,820 --> 00:49:00,200
I'm going to remove the heart of stone.

1299
00:49:00,200 --> 00:49:01,180
I'm going to give you a heart of

1300
00:49:01,180 --> 00:49:01,580
flesh.

1301
00:49:02,700 --> 00:49:03,580
Is it Ezekiel?

1302
00:49:05,510 --> 00:49:07,470
I believe he says something close to Jeremiah

1303
00:49:07,470 --> 00:49:09,150
as well about a new heart, but that

1304
00:49:09,150 --> 00:49:10,610
is an Ezekiel as well.

1305
00:49:12,210 --> 00:49:13,450
God says, I'm going to give you a

1306
00:49:13,450 --> 00:49:14,070
new heart.

1307
00:49:16,130 --> 00:49:17,910
No longer will you have to say, no,

1308
00:49:17,990 --> 00:49:19,250
the Lord, you won't have to teach your

1309
00:49:19,250 --> 00:49:20,890
neighbor, no, the Lord, because you shall know

1310
00:49:20,890 --> 00:49:22,190
the Lord from the least of you to

1311
00:49:22,190 --> 00:49:22,570
the greatest.

1312
00:49:26,280 --> 00:49:27,800
But that's only when God gives you a

1313
00:49:27,800 --> 00:49:28,260
new heart.

1314
00:49:30,930 --> 00:49:32,570
And that's that's only for the person who's

1315
00:49:32,570 --> 00:49:34,470
come to God, poor in spirit, mourning over

1316
00:49:34,470 --> 00:49:36,250
it, then made meek by his spirit after

1317
00:49:36,250 --> 00:49:38,250
they've been comforted by him, hungering and thirsting

1318
00:49:38,250 --> 00:49:38,930
after righteousness.

1319
00:49:39,150 --> 00:49:40,970
He begins to rebuild that person with his

1320
00:49:40,970 --> 00:49:43,010
mercy and he gives them a new and

1321
00:49:43,010 --> 00:49:43,790
pure heart.

1322
00:49:47,240 --> 00:49:49,100
And that person who has a pure heart

1323
00:49:49,780 --> 00:49:50,860
can then see God.

1324
00:49:53,750 --> 00:49:55,730
But first we need to be given the

1325
00:49:55,730 --> 00:49:57,650
pure heart that only God can give.

1326
00:49:57,990 --> 00:49:59,610
Blessed are the pure of heart for they

1327
00:49:59,610 --> 00:50:00,370
shall see God.

1328
00:50:01,310 --> 00:50:03,510
Verse nine says, blessed are the peacemakers for

1329
00:50:03,510 --> 00:50:05,350
they shall be called the children of God.

1330
00:50:05,410 --> 00:50:06,990
Now, it's one thing to know that you're

1331
00:50:06,990 --> 00:50:07,730
a child of God.

1332
00:50:08,690 --> 00:50:10,650
Scriptures tell us in Romans chapter eight that

1333
00:50:10,650 --> 00:50:12,310
his spirit will bear witness with your spirit,

1334
00:50:12,390 --> 00:50:13,270
that you're a child of God.

1335
00:50:13,390 --> 00:50:15,610
It is a wonderful thing to have the

1336
00:50:15,610 --> 00:50:17,530
witness of the spirit upon our lives, that

1337
00:50:17,530 --> 00:50:18,650
we are children of God.

1338
00:50:19,210 --> 00:50:21,430
If you read any of the old evangelists,

1339
00:50:22,350 --> 00:50:24,410
some of their words, if you look at

1340
00:50:24,410 --> 00:50:26,130
some of the things of George Whitfield, of

1341
00:50:26,130 --> 00:50:28,290
the Finney's, or you look at some of

1342
00:50:28,290 --> 00:50:30,370
the things that even Spurgeon talked about, you

1343
00:50:30,370 --> 00:50:32,850
see that there's often talked about the witness

1344
00:50:32,850 --> 00:50:33,570
of the spirit.

1345
00:50:35,330 --> 00:50:36,950
They didn't.

1346
00:50:36,970 --> 00:50:38,270
And in fact, when you read some of

1347
00:50:38,270 --> 00:50:41,950
their writings, they saw no reason for us

1348
00:50:41,950 --> 00:50:43,030
as evangelists.

1349
00:50:43,170 --> 00:50:44,410
Every single one of us are called to

1350
00:50:44,410 --> 00:50:47,390
evangelize this world, whether we think we're evangelists

1351
00:50:47,390 --> 00:50:47,790
or not.

1352
00:50:48,850 --> 00:50:51,290
They saw no reason for us to try

1353
00:50:51,290 --> 00:50:53,610
and convince people that they're saved to comfort

1354
00:50:53,610 --> 00:50:55,350
those people who think, well, I'm just not

1355
00:50:55,350 --> 00:50:55,730
saved.

1356
00:50:56,790 --> 00:50:59,150
They said that the Holy Spirit will bear

1357
00:50:59,150 --> 00:51:00,690
witness with your spirit, that you're a child

1358
00:51:00,690 --> 00:51:01,050
of God.

1359
00:51:03,390 --> 00:51:05,390
And so they were often talking about the

1360
00:51:05,390 --> 00:51:07,030
witness of the spirit in evangelism.

1361
00:51:11,430 --> 00:51:13,110
So it's one thing to have the witness

1362
00:51:13,110 --> 00:51:14,410
of the spirit and to know that you're

1363
00:51:14,410 --> 00:51:15,710
a child of God, but it's a total

1364
00:51:15,710 --> 00:51:17,770
other thing to be called a child of

1365
00:51:17,770 --> 00:51:18,030
God.

1366
00:51:19,030 --> 00:51:19,890
What do I mean?

1367
00:51:20,170 --> 00:51:21,950
It's an amazing thing when people look at

1368
00:51:21,950 --> 00:51:24,950
your life and they say, that person is

1369
00:51:24,950 --> 00:51:25,410
different.

1370
00:51:27,950 --> 00:51:31,150
That guy is a true believer.

1371
00:51:31,710 --> 00:51:34,010
That person is really a child of God.

1372
00:51:35,610 --> 00:51:37,250
See, it's one thing for you to know

1373
00:51:37,250 --> 00:51:37,350
it.

1374
00:51:37,450 --> 00:51:39,890
It's quite another when other people recognize it.

1375
00:51:41,990 --> 00:51:43,410
And that's a work that only God can

1376
00:51:43,410 --> 00:51:43,650
do.

1377
00:51:47,830 --> 00:51:49,630
It's amazing when people start to look at

1378
00:51:49,630 --> 00:51:51,210
your life and they say, man, something's different

1379
00:51:51,210 --> 00:51:51,710
about you.

1380
00:51:52,550 --> 00:51:54,250
And it's not because you got a haircut

1381
00:51:54,250 --> 00:51:55,810
or you're using a new kind of shampoo

1382
00:51:55,810 --> 00:51:58,010
or something, but it's because they see that

1383
00:51:58,010 --> 00:52:00,550
there's a true change in you.

1384
00:52:01,270 --> 00:52:03,410
And it's something that can only be attributed

1385
00:52:03,410 --> 00:52:05,150
to God, the father doing a work in

1386
00:52:05,150 --> 00:52:06,030
you and in me.

1387
00:52:06,890 --> 00:52:09,970
It's not something that we can do on

1388
00:52:09,970 --> 00:52:10,390
our own.

1389
00:52:12,130 --> 00:52:15,610
It's something that he truly works into us.

1390
00:52:16,350 --> 00:52:18,150
And it's truly something that he gets the

1391
00:52:18,150 --> 00:52:18,750
glory for.

1392
00:52:18,870 --> 00:52:20,150
We're going to talk about this more next

1393
00:52:20,150 --> 00:52:22,630
week when we talk about the gifts that

1394
00:52:22,630 --> 00:52:24,530
we've been given and how their purpose is

1395
00:52:24,530 --> 00:52:26,070
to glorify our God in heaven.

1396
00:52:26,610 --> 00:52:29,130
But the work that God does in you

1397
00:52:29,130 --> 00:52:33,980
and in me, that other people see and

1398
00:52:33,980 --> 00:52:35,700
they begin to call and say, man, that

1399
00:52:35,700 --> 00:52:37,260
person is a real child of God.

1400
00:52:39,940 --> 00:52:41,280
It's a work that only God can do.

1401
00:52:41,400 --> 00:52:43,080
But notice one of the things that's connected

1402
00:52:43,080 --> 00:52:43,600
to it.

1403
00:52:43,900 --> 00:52:48,160
It says, blessed are the peacemakers, the peacemakers.

1404
00:52:51,770 --> 00:52:53,190
Jesus told us that in the world, you're

1405
00:52:53,190 --> 00:52:54,110
not going to find peace.

1406
00:52:55,570 --> 00:52:57,790
The world goes around saying peace, peace, but

1407
00:52:57,790 --> 00:52:58,810
there is no peace, right?

1408
00:53:00,250 --> 00:53:04,890
There have been dozens of peace accords between

1409
00:53:04,890 --> 00:53:07,890
Israel and the Palestinians since the foundation of

1410
00:53:07,890 --> 00:53:09,250
Israel back in 1948.

1411
00:53:09,730 --> 00:53:11,630
Is there peace in Israel today?

1412
00:53:12,750 --> 00:53:15,390
No, there's some historical things going on right

1413
00:53:15,390 --> 00:53:16,930
now because just in the last couple of

1414
00:53:16,930 --> 00:53:18,830
weeks, we see that Ariel Sharon and the

1415
00:53:18,830 --> 00:53:22,550
new president of the Palestinian Authority, they've been

1416
00:53:22,550 --> 00:53:25,290
getting together and having peace talks again, which

1417
00:53:25,290 --> 00:53:26,330
is very big deal.

1418
00:53:26,410 --> 00:53:29,150
It hasn't happened since 1992 when Bill Clinton

1419
00:53:29,790 --> 00:53:31,750
first got into office and he started working

1420
00:53:31,750 --> 00:53:36,690
with then Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat.

1421
00:53:38,570 --> 00:53:40,910
But they always sign these little things of

1422
00:53:40,910 --> 00:53:43,550
peace and there never is peace because you're

1423
00:53:43,550 --> 00:53:44,870
not going to find peace in this world

1424
00:53:44,870 --> 00:53:47,950
because peace only comes from who?

1425
00:53:49,960 --> 00:53:52,220
The Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ is the

1426
00:53:52,220 --> 00:53:53,440
only one that brings peace.

1427
00:53:54,620 --> 00:53:57,760
And when Jesus Christ brings peace into my

1428
00:53:57,760 --> 00:54:00,560
life, into your and into yours, he makes

1429
00:54:00,560 --> 00:54:01,700
us peacemakers.

1430
00:54:01,920 --> 00:54:03,700
Not that we're ones who manufacture it, but

1431
00:54:03,700 --> 00:54:06,000
that now we are ambassadors of Christ as

1432
00:54:06,000 --> 00:54:08,120
Paul talks about, and we're able to bring

1433
00:54:08,120 --> 00:54:10,300
the message of peace to other people.

1434
00:54:13,290 --> 00:54:15,250
That is an indication of a true child

1435
00:54:15,250 --> 00:54:17,130
of God is one who brings the message

1436
00:54:17,130 --> 00:54:18,630
of peace that only God can give to

1437
00:54:18,630 --> 00:54:19,070
other people.

1438
00:54:22,530 --> 00:54:24,250
That's what man truly needs is to have

1439
00:54:24,250 --> 00:54:25,270
peace with God.

1440
00:54:25,490 --> 00:54:27,870
Man is constantly looking for peace on earth.

1441
00:54:29,690 --> 00:54:32,350
There will be no peace on earth or

1442
00:54:32,350 --> 00:54:36,230
goodwill towards men until the Prince of Peace

1443
00:54:36,230 --> 00:54:36,950
is on earth.

1444
00:54:39,670 --> 00:54:41,510
But he's made you and I peacemakers in

1445
00:54:41,510 --> 00:54:42,750
the sense that we are able to bring

1446
00:54:42,750 --> 00:54:45,170
the message of peace between man and God

1447
00:54:45,170 --> 00:54:46,590
to other people.

1448
00:54:48,070 --> 00:54:49,710
And that's what a true child of God

1449
00:54:49,710 --> 00:54:49,950
does.

1450
00:54:50,030 --> 00:54:51,310
He brings the message of peace.

1451
00:54:51,350 --> 00:54:52,090
He is a peacemaker.

1452
00:54:55,520 --> 00:54:58,180
But it's interesting what often happens to the

1453
00:54:58,180 --> 00:54:58,660
peacemaker.

1454
00:55:00,000 --> 00:55:02,840
In this world that is ridden with war,

1455
00:55:02,920 --> 00:55:04,420
and I'm not just talking about physical wars,

1456
00:55:04,500 --> 00:55:07,320
I'm talking about the spiritual war that takes

1457
00:55:07,320 --> 00:55:09,920
place in the life of every individual on

1458
00:55:09,920 --> 00:55:10,800
the face of this earth.

1459
00:55:11,920 --> 00:55:13,960
Realize when you and I as peacemakers go

1460
00:55:13,960 --> 00:55:16,160
to people who don't know the Lord, there's

1461
00:55:16,160 --> 00:55:17,720
a spiritual battle going on at that point

1462
00:55:17,720 --> 00:55:19,200
in time for that person's soul.

1463
00:55:21,730 --> 00:55:23,930
And so often what happens to the peacemaker

1464
00:55:23,930 --> 00:55:28,310
is what we see down in verse 10.

1465
00:55:30,800 --> 00:55:33,320
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness

1466
00:55:33,320 --> 00:55:35,600
sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

1467
00:55:38,420 --> 00:55:41,320
What often happens to that peacemaker is persecution.

1468
00:55:43,650 --> 00:55:45,970
Instead of finding someone with open arms saying,

1469
00:55:46,130 --> 00:55:47,010
yes, that's what I need.

1470
00:55:47,010 --> 00:55:49,170
They find someone with a clenched fist.

1471
00:55:53,390 --> 00:55:55,750
And so persecution often comes to that individual

1472
00:55:55,750 --> 00:55:57,810
who comes in the name of Christ with

1473
00:55:57,810 --> 00:55:58,730
a message of peace.

1474
00:55:58,910 --> 00:56:00,950
And Jesus says, blessed are they which are

1475
00:56:00,950 --> 00:56:01,330
persecuted.

1476
00:56:01,550 --> 00:56:03,690
Again, this is so opposite from the world.

1477
00:56:03,930 --> 00:56:05,750
The world wants nothing to do with persecution.

1478
00:56:05,970 --> 00:56:07,270
Why do you think we're working so hard

1479
00:56:07,270 --> 00:56:08,670
to try and make peace on her?

1480
00:56:12,090 --> 00:56:13,590
Because no one wants to be persecuted.

1481
00:56:16,960 --> 00:56:19,120
No one wants to be beat down.

1482
00:56:20,980 --> 00:56:22,840
But Jesus says, blessed are they which are

1483
00:56:22,840 --> 00:56:24,620
persecuted for righteousness sake.

1484
00:56:26,060 --> 00:56:27,720
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

1485
00:56:29,180 --> 00:56:32,540
Blessed are you when men shall revile you.

1486
00:56:32,880 --> 00:56:32,980
Oh.

1487
00:56:34,680 --> 00:56:36,560
How many of you feel, oh, how happy

1488
00:56:36,560 --> 00:56:39,580
when people revile you, when they talk down

1489
00:56:39,580 --> 00:56:41,760
towards you, when they look down upon you

1490
00:56:41,760 --> 00:56:43,840
because of your stance as a believer, you

1491
00:56:43,840 --> 00:56:46,140
think, oh, man, I really am happy about

1492
00:56:46,140 --> 00:56:46,360
that.

1493
00:56:46,640 --> 00:56:46,980
You know what?

1494
00:56:47,000 --> 00:56:48,880
As much as we try sometimes to be

1495
00:56:48,880 --> 00:56:50,620
spiritual about things and go, all right, I'm

1496
00:56:50,620 --> 00:56:51,840
going to be happy about that's not a

1497
00:56:51,840 --> 00:56:52,520
happy thing.

1498
00:56:53,700 --> 00:56:54,780
To be reviled.

1499
00:56:55,600 --> 00:56:56,680
To be persecuted.

1500
00:56:57,260 --> 00:56:59,800
And yet in Christ it is.

1501
00:57:00,000 --> 00:57:00,200
Why?

1502
00:57:01,740 --> 00:57:03,120
Blessed are you when men shall revile you

1503
00:57:03,120 --> 00:57:05,440
and persecute you and shall say all manner

1504
00:57:05,440 --> 00:57:07,720
of evil against you falsely for my sake.

1505
00:57:08,460 --> 00:57:10,240
It's not because you're a fool, but because

1506
00:57:10,240 --> 00:57:11,780
of his sake, because of Jesus.

1507
00:57:12,060 --> 00:57:13,080
People don't like Jesus.

1508
00:57:13,600 --> 00:57:15,160
Franklin Graham wrote a book just a couple

1509
00:57:15,160 --> 00:57:16,360
of years ago called The Name.

1510
00:57:16,460 --> 00:57:17,700
I'd encourage you guys to check it out

1511
00:57:17,700 --> 00:57:18,120
and read it.

1512
00:57:18,160 --> 00:57:18,960
It's an interesting book.

1513
00:57:19,240 --> 00:57:21,120
And he talks about what the name of

1514
00:57:21,120 --> 00:57:25,320
Jesus brings to the table, really, and how

1515
00:57:25,320 --> 00:57:26,780
much of a bother it is to people.

1516
00:57:26,860 --> 00:57:28,020
They don't like to hear the name of

1517
00:57:28,020 --> 00:57:28,300
Jesus.

1518
00:57:30,060 --> 00:57:31,840
In fact, they like to curse the name

1519
00:57:31,840 --> 00:57:33,060
of Jesus as much as they can.

1520
00:57:33,180 --> 00:57:35,180
That's why in so many different places it's

1521
00:57:35,180 --> 00:57:36,240
used as a curse word.

1522
00:57:36,380 --> 00:57:38,740
Never do you hear people say, ah, Confucius,

1523
00:57:38,740 --> 00:57:39,800
when they're angry.

1524
00:57:43,010 --> 00:57:44,390
Because they don't really have a problem with

1525
00:57:44,390 --> 00:57:45,030
Confucius.

1526
00:57:45,810 --> 00:57:47,330
They don't care to use his name as

1527
00:57:47,330 --> 00:57:47,930
a curse word.

1528
00:57:48,010 --> 00:57:49,690
They don't use Buddha's name as a curse

1529
00:57:49,690 --> 00:57:49,930
word.

1530
00:57:50,430 --> 00:57:52,090
You don't hear people say, ah, Joseph Smith.

1531
00:57:54,350 --> 00:57:56,190
But they want to use Jesus's name as

1532
00:57:56,190 --> 00:57:58,650
a curse word because they can't stand that

1533
00:57:58,650 --> 00:57:58,810
name.

1534
00:57:58,890 --> 00:58:00,010
They want to curse it as much as

1535
00:58:00,010 --> 00:58:00,910
they possibly can.

1536
00:58:02,690 --> 00:58:04,090
And so Jesus says, blessed are you when

1537
00:58:04,090 --> 00:58:05,370
you're persecuted for my sake.

1538
00:58:06,330 --> 00:58:06,730
Rejoice.

1539
00:58:07,090 --> 00:58:08,750
It's a hard thing to rejoice in the

1540
00:58:08,750 --> 00:58:09,390
midst of those things.

1541
00:58:09,490 --> 00:58:11,610
I don't know anybody that really has those

1542
00:58:11,610 --> 00:58:13,010
times and jumps up and down.

1543
00:58:14,530 --> 00:58:16,890
Unless they they may be a little out

1544
00:58:16,890 --> 00:58:17,130
there.

1545
00:58:18,610 --> 00:58:21,730
But let's be honest, unless we're trying to

1546
00:58:21,730 --> 00:58:23,830
just look good for other Christians around us

1547
00:58:23,830 --> 00:58:26,030
and say, oh, yeah, I'm being persecuted.

1548
00:58:26,250 --> 00:58:29,010
No, when we're persecuted, when we're reviled, we're

1549
00:58:29,010 --> 00:58:30,010
not happy about that.

1550
00:58:33,070 --> 00:58:35,190
It does not make us feel good at

1551
00:58:35,190 --> 00:58:35,570
all.

1552
00:58:37,800 --> 00:58:40,060
I remember when I was like seven years

1553
00:58:40,060 --> 00:58:45,790
old, there was some sort of little feud

1554
00:58:45,790 --> 00:58:46,530
in my neighborhood.

1555
00:58:47,910 --> 00:58:49,910
We just moved into a new neighborhood and

1556
00:58:49,910 --> 00:58:52,430
my next door neighbor, he's a lot older

1557
00:58:52,430 --> 00:58:54,430
than me then, but he wasn't very nice.

1558
00:58:55,290 --> 00:58:58,150
And I remember my mom had gone to

1559
00:58:58,150 --> 00:59:00,710
this some sort of retreat or something and

1560
00:59:00,710 --> 00:59:03,070
she had this shirt that said abiding on

1561
00:59:03,070 --> 00:59:03,230
it.

1562
00:59:04,390 --> 00:59:06,770
And she had brought some shirts home and

1563
00:59:06,770 --> 00:59:07,890
I had one of these shirts that said

1564
00:59:07,890 --> 00:59:08,270
abiding.

1565
00:59:08,390 --> 00:59:10,010
And I remember this kid next door picking

1566
00:59:10,010 --> 00:59:11,510
on me because this shirt I was wearing,

1567
00:59:11,570 --> 00:59:12,810
I didn't really know at the time when

1568
00:59:12,810 --> 00:59:14,270
I was seven years old what abiding meant.

1569
00:59:14,890 --> 00:59:16,290
I just knew she got it at some

1570
00:59:16,290 --> 00:59:17,610
Christian conference she went to.

1571
00:59:17,990 --> 00:59:19,170
And I remember one day while I was

1572
00:59:19,170 --> 00:59:20,590
wearing this shirt, this kid was picking on

1573
00:59:20,590 --> 00:59:22,390
me and I was standing down in my

1574
00:59:22,390 --> 00:59:23,810
yard and their yard is kind of up

1575
00:59:23,810 --> 00:59:24,590
a little bit from ours.

1576
00:59:24,730 --> 00:59:26,150
And I remember he spit at me and

1577
00:59:26,150 --> 00:59:26,790
it went in my hair.

1578
00:59:26,930 --> 00:59:28,130
And I'll never forget it.

1579
00:59:28,930 --> 00:59:34,200
David Rose, next door neighbor, and it had

1580
00:59:34,200 --> 00:59:37,980
everything to do with this shirt that said

1581
00:59:37,980 --> 00:59:38,460
abiding.

1582
00:59:39,220 --> 00:59:40,440
It was about abiding in Christ.

1583
00:59:41,140 --> 00:59:42,640
It bothered me so much.

1584
00:59:43,440 --> 00:59:45,960
I had never up until that point wanted

1585
00:59:45,960 --> 00:59:47,900
to hit someone so much in my life.

1586
00:59:48,020 --> 00:59:49,920
This guy was a little bit taller than

1587
00:59:49,920 --> 00:59:51,900
me and about six years older than me

1588
00:59:51,900 --> 00:59:52,360
at the time.

1589
00:59:53,860 --> 00:59:55,160
But man, did it bother me.

1590
00:59:59,320 --> 01:00:00,580
It's not one of those things that you

1591
01:00:00,580 --> 01:00:02,340
jump up and down like, oh, right on.

1592
01:00:02,440 --> 01:00:04,760
I've been reviled and persecuted for the name

1593
01:00:04,760 --> 01:00:05,240
of Jesus.

1594
01:00:06,620 --> 01:00:09,340
No, it's something that's a painful thing.

1595
01:00:09,440 --> 01:00:10,900
And yet the Lord says rejoice and be

1596
01:00:10,900 --> 01:00:11,800
exceedingly glad.

1597
01:00:14,100 --> 01:00:16,260
The only way that we can fulfill this

1598
01:00:16,260 --> 01:00:18,260
is when the Lord is working in us

1599
01:00:18,260 --> 01:00:21,300
and working in us to realize the outcome,

1600
01:00:21,860 --> 01:00:27,480
the end result for great is reward in

1601
01:00:27,480 --> 01:00:29,680
heaven for so persecuted they the prophets which

1602
01:00:29,680 --> 01:00:32,280
were before you see without understanding what God

1603
01:00:32,280 --> 01:00:33,040
is doing.

1604
01:00:34,140 --> 01:00:36,180
We will never be able to rejoice in

1605
01:00:36,180 --> 01:00:40,120
such circumstances and persecution when we're being reviled,

1606
01:00:40,320 --> 01:00:43,820
when people are spitting on us, whatever it

1607
01:00:43,820 --> 01:00:44,280
may be.

1608
01:00:44,300 --> 01:00:46,780
We'll never be able to live in an

1609
01:00:46,780 --> 01:00:49,660
area of exceeding and great joy in the

1610
01:00:49,660 --> 01:00:51,820
midst of that unless we realize that God

1611
01:00:51,820 --> 01:00:53,460
is doing a work and unless we have

1612
01:00:53,460 --> 01:00:58,670
him working in us to realize that it

1613
01:00:58,670 --> 01:01:00,790
is ultimately for his glory and greatest reward

1614
01:01:00,790 --> 01:01:01,130
in heaven.

1615
01:01:07,030 --> 01:01:08,310
And so we have here in these first

1616
01:01:08,310 --> 01:01:10,530
12 verses, the Beatitudes.

1617
01:01:12,330 --> 01:01:13,750
A life of blessedness.

1618
01:01:15,130 --> 01:01:17,830
That is found only truly in Christ.

1619
01:01:19,550 --> 01:01:21,490
It is found only truly as a person

1620
01:01:21,490 --> 01:01:25,070
comes to Christ, poor in spirit, that's where

1621
01:01:25,070 --> 01:01:25,730
it begins.

1622
01:01:26,170 --> 01:01:27,610
And as we go through the Sermon on

1623
01:01:27,610 --> 01:01:29,490
the Mount, as we continue our study in

1624
01:01:29,490 --> 01:01:32,150
this class, we're going to see that I

1625
01:01:32,150 --> 01:01:34,570
believe at certain points in this message, it

1626
01:01:34,570 --> 01:01:36,470
kicks us all the way back to.

1627
01:01:37,810 --> 01:01:39,010
Chapter five, verse three.

1628
01:01:40,670 --> 01:01:42,210
You see, I believe that the Lord is

1629
01:01:42,210 --> 01:01:44,210
doing this work in each one of us

1630
01:01:44,210 --> 01:01:45,530
who are believers, those who have come to

1631
01:01:45,530 --> 01:01:48,890
important spirit, he begins this progression, which is

1632
01:01:48,890 --> 01:01:52,150
the next three chapters called the Sermon on

1633
01:01:52,150 --> 01:01:54,930
the Mount, where he is transforming and changing

1634
01:01:54,930 --> 01:01:55,610
you and I.

1635
01:01:56,870 --> 01:01:59,930
Where he is totally revamping us, where he's

1636
01:01:59,930 --> 01:02:01,750
taken us all the way down to bedrock

1637
01:02:01,750 --> 01:02:03,870
by making us see our poorness in spirit

1638
01:02:03,870 --> 01:02:05,950
and mourning over it and breaking us, making

1639
01:02:05,950 --> 01:02:06,610
us meek.

1640
01:02:07,430 --> 01:02:09,210
And then from that point on, he begins

1641
01:02:09,210 --> 01:02:12,390
to build a new house out of our

1642
01:02:12,390 --> 01:02:15,250
lives all the way to the very end

1643
01:02:15,250 --> 01:02:16,690
of this, where he's going to finish the

1644
01:02:16,690 --> 01:02:17,730
construction of this house.

1645
01:02:18,010 --> 01:02:19,150
And he's going to tell us in Matthew,

1646
01:02:19,250 --> 01:02:21,170
chapter seven, in the very last verses that

1647
01:02:21,170 --> 01:02:23,130
he who hears these things of mine and

1648
01:02:23,130 --> 01:02:24,930
does them shall be like a house that's

1649
01:02:24,930 --> 01:02:26,850
built upon a rock and the storm will

1650
01:02:26,850 --> 01:02:29,070
come and that house will stand because it's

1651
01:02:29,070 --> 01:02:29,870
founded on the rock.

1652
01:02:31,270 --> 01:02:35,250
This message is about God reconstructing the life

1653
01:02:35,250 --> 01:02:38,870
of a broken individual, a dead spiritual spiritually

1654
01:02:38,870 --> 01:02:41,730
individual, which is every single person who's ever

1655
01:02:41,730 --> 01:02:44,570
been born since the time that man was

1656
01:02:44,570 --> 01:02:45,210
first created.

1657
01:02:46,950 --> 01:02:49,510
This is how God transforms and changes us

1658
01:02:49,510 --> 01:02:51,450
so that we are these houses firmly built

1659
01:02:51,450 --> 01:02:56,220
upon the rock and it begins with being

1660
01:02:56,220 --> 01:03:00,910
poor in spirit and it really ultimately ends

1661
01:03:00,910 --> 01:03:02,770
with us standing before the Lord in Matthew,

1662
01:03:02,850 --> 01:03:07,440
chapter seven and being in his presence.

1663
01:03:08,740 --> 01:03:10,520
He warns us there in Matthew, chapter seven,

1664
01:03:10,560 --> 01:03:11,860
that there will be some in that day

1665
01:03:11,860 --> 01:03:12,960
who are going to stand before me and

1666
01:03:12,960 --> 01:03:14,420
say, hey, didn't I do this in your

1667
01:03:14,420 --> 01:03:15,520
name and didn't I do this in your

1668
01:03:15,520 --> 01:03:15,660
name?

1669
01:03:15,700 --> 01:03:16,640
He's going to say, depart from me.

1670
01:03:16,660 --> 01:03:17,440
I never knew you.

1671
01:03:19,100 --> 01:03:21,040
Because they didn't understand the truth and the

1672
01:03:21,040 --> 01:03:23,380
real the reality of the message of this

1673
01:03:23,380 --> 01:03:24,160
sermon.

1674
01:03:25,720 --> 01:03:27,420
It has nothing to do with just doing

1675
01:03:27,420 --> 01:03:29,280
your righteousness so that men could see you

1676
01:03:29,280 --> 01:03:30,660
because he's going to confront that in this

1677
01:03:30,660 --> 01:03:32,200
portion of scripture as well.

1678
01:03:32,400 --> 01:03:33,840
It has everything to do with coming to

1679
01:03:33,840 --> 01:03:37,680
him broken because you are spiritually dead and

1680
01:03:37,680 --> 01:03:37,880
wicked.

1681
01:03:39,460 --> 01:03:43,000
And then him completely renewing and revitalizing and

1682
01:03:43,000 --> 01:03:43,380
rebuilding.

1683
01:03:44,800 --> 01:03:46,520
And as I say that there's a progression,

1684
01:03:46,660 --> 01:03:47,980
we're going to come to portions in this

1685
01:03:47,980 --> 01:03:49,540
passage as you read through and you come

1686
01:03:49,540 --> 01:03:50,800
to verse 20 and it says, for I

1687
01:03:50,800 --> 01:03:52,540
say and you accept the right, your righteousness

1688
01:03:52,540 --> 01:03:54,180
shall exceed that of the scribes and the

1689
01:03:54,180 --> 01:03:54,580
Pharisees.

1690
01:03:54,640 --> 01:03:56,140
You shall in no case enter the kingdom

1691
01:03:56,140 --> 01:03:56,500
of heaven.

1692
01:03:56,880 --> 01:03:58,120
You see, we get to verse 20 and

1693
01:03:58,120 --> 01:03:59,520
we think, all right, I'm doing pretty good.

1694
01:03:59,580 --> 01:04:00,720
I've made it through this progression.

1695
01:04:00,840 --> 01:04:02,600
Then it's like, wait a minute, I got

1696
01:04:02,600 --> 01:04:03,940
to be better than the Pharisees and the

1697
01:04:03,940 --> 01:04:04,380
scribes.

1698
01:04:05,000 --> 01:04:06,260
I can't do that.

1699
01:04:06,860 --> 01:04:08,340
I'm poor in spirit, takes us back to

1700
01:04:08,340 --> 01:04:08,720
verse three.

1701
01:04:09,840 --> 01:04:11,180
And then the Lord begins to build us

1702
01:04:11,180 --> 01:04:12,460
up again and we get to verse 20.

1703
01:04:12,540 --> 01:04:13,840
We go, the Lord, he's the one who's

1704
01:04:13,840 --> 01:04:14,860
doing this work in me.

1705
01:04:15,060 --> 01:04:16,720
And then immediately when we get into that,

1706
01:04:17,040 --> 01:04:18,380
we get into verse 21 and he says,

1707
01:04:18,440 --> 01:04:19,500
you have heard that it has said you

1708
01:04:19,500 --> 01:04:20,820
shall not kill, but I say unto you

1709
01:04:20,820 --> 01:04:22,100
that if you hate your brother, you've killed.

1710
01:04:22,320 --> 01:04:24,800
Oh, man, I just yelled at that guy

1711
01:04:24,800 --> 01:04:25,340
the other day.

1712
01:04:25,380 --> 01:04:26,460
I was just angry with that guy.

1713
01:04:26,520 --> 01:04:27,980
Back to Matthew chapter five, verse three.

1714
01:04:29,340 --> 01:04:31,260
And the Lord begins the work again, and

1715
01:04:31,260 --> 01:04:34,160
it's constantly God putting us on the fire

1716
01:04:34,160 --> 01:04:36,260
so that the impurities of our life will

1717
01:04:36,260 --> 01:04:38,720
come up so that he can expose them

1718
01:04:38,720 --> 01:04:39,920
and show them to us so that we

1719
01:04:39,920 --> 01:04:41,160
look at it and go, man, I'm poor

1720
01:04:41,160 --> 01:04:41,580
in spirit.

1721
01:04:41,620 --> 01:04:42,780
Then he goes, all right, let's go back

1722
01:04:42,780 --> 01:04:43,100
to the beginning.

1723
01:04:43,180 --> 01:04:43,780
I'll take it away.

1724
01:04:45,280 --> 01:04:46,320
And then he puts us in the fire

1725
01:04:46,320 --> 01:04:48,320
again and more impurities come to the surface

1726
01:04:48,320 --> 01:04:50,100
and we see, oh, man, there's lust in

1727
01:04:50,100 --> 01:04:50,440
my life.

1728
01:04:50,460 --> 01:04:51,700
And the Lord says, yeah, back to poor

1729
01:04:51,700 --> 01:04:52,020
in spirit.

1730
01:04:52,280 --> 01:04:53,060
Let me take that away.

1731
01:04:53,160 --> 01:04:54,500
And he begins to rebuild us, puts us

1732
01:04:54,500 --> 01:04:55,140
back on the fire.

1733
01:04:56,460 --> 01:04:58,080
The fire heats up, the trials come, the

1734
01:04:58,080 --> 01:04:59,500
impurities come to the surface and we see,

1735
01:04:59,680 --> 01:05:01,540
oh, man, I broke that promise that I

1736
01:05:01,540 --> 01:05:02,220
made to that guy.

1737
01:05:02,440 --> 01:05:03,440
Oh, back to the beginning.

1738
01:05:03,540 --> 01:05:05,100
The Lord says, all right, let's clean this

1739
01:05:05,100 --> 01:05:05,360
out.

1740
01:05:06,460 --> 01:05:10,000
See, because God is refining us, he is

1741
01:05:10,000 --> 01:05:12,680
sanctifying and cleansing us by the washing of

1742
01:05:12,680 --> 01:05:13,780
the water of his word, right?

1743
01:05:15,480 --> 01:05:16,840
That's what he wants to do in each

1744
01:05:16,840 --> 01:05:17,280
of our lives.

1745
01:05:17,620 --> 01:05:17,820
Why?

1746
01:05:18,080 --> 01:05:20,220
So that you and I will stand before

1747
01:05:20,220 --> 01:05:23,660
him as a beautiful and pure bride.

1748
01:05:26,860 --> 01:05:28,200
He's making us ready for heaven.

1749
01:05:29,760 --> 01:05:32,900
But it starts right there in verse three,

1750
01:05:33,180 --> 01:05:34,680
blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs

1751
01:05:34,680 --> 01:05:36,820
is the kingdom of heaven.

1752
01:05:38,920 --> 01:05:40,400
It's a lot different than what the world

1753
01:05:40,400 --> 01:05:40,860
teaches.

1754
01:05:42,300 --> 01:05:45,080
It's the opposite of the doctrine of the

1755
01:05:45,080 --> 01:05:45,420
world.

1756
01:05:47,120 --> 01:05:48,740
But it is the doctrine of Christ.

1757
01:05:50,940 --> 01:05:54,540
It's different than what we normally would think.

1758
01:05:56,440 --> 01:05:58,960
In Luke chapter six, we have very much

1759
01:05:58,960 --> 01:06:01,180
the same record, the Beatitudes given.

1760
01:06:03,100 --> 01:06:05,460
But there's something interesting that we see a

1761
01:06:05,460 --> 01:06:07,240
little more on top of what we just

1762
01:06:07,240 --> 01:06:07,560
read.

1763
01:06:07,940 --> 01:06:09,520
We've just seen the blessings, but I want

1764
01:06:09,520 --> 01:06:11,580
you to notice something that takes place in

1765
01:06:11,580 --> 01:06:17,280
Luke chapter six, starting at verse 24, after

1766
01:06:17,280 --> 01:06:19,660
he tells them blessed or rejoice and all

1767
01:06:19,660 --> 01:06:21,900
these different things there in Luke chapter six,

1768
01:06:22,140 --> 01:06:23,640
starting at verse 20, we get down to

1769
01:06:23,640 --> 01:06:26,140
verse 24 and he says, but woe, he

1770
01:06:26,140 --> 01:06:27,880
pronounces woe.

1771
01:06:28,560 --> 01:06:31,300
Against certain people, but woe unto you that

1772
01:06:31,300 --> 01:06:31,960
are rich.

1773
01:06:33,360 --> 01:06:35,540
Now, remember how Matthew chapter five, verse three

1774
01:06:35,540 --> 01:06:37,000
began, blessed are the what?

1775
01:06:38,380 --> 01:06:39,360
The poor in spirit.

1776
01:06:51,810 --> 01:06:58,310
So that are full for you shall one

1777
01:06:58,310 --> 01:07:00,470
time you shall hunger, you're going to hunger.

1778
01:07:01,870 --> 01:07:03,810
Woe unto you that laugh now for you

1779
01:07:03,810 --> 01:07:05,710
shall mourn and weep.

1780
01:07:06,790 --> 01:07:09,130
Woe unto you when all men shall speak

1781
01:07:09,130 --> 01:07:11,410
well of you, for so did their fathers

1782
01:07:11,410 --> 01:07:12,650
to the false prophets.

1783
01:07:14,950 --> 01:07:19,330
This is the answer or the other side

1784
01:07:19,330 --> 01:07:21,090
of the story to the Beatitudes of Matthew

1785
01:07:21,090 --> 01:07:21,790
chapter five.

1786
01:07:23,230 --> 01:07:25,890
They, they are also given here in Luke

1787
01:07:25,890 --> 01:07:27,410
chapter six, starting at verse 20.

1788
01:07:27,530 --> 01:07:29,430
He talks about blessed are the poor for

1789
01:07:29,430 --> 01:07:30,730
theirs is the kingdom of God in verse

1790
01:07:30,730 --> 01:07:31,030
20.

1791
01:07:31,170 --> 01:07:32,710
Blessed are you who hunger now in verse

1792
01:07:32,710 --> 01:07:34,430
21, you shall be filled.

1793
01:07:34,870 --> 01:07:36,370
Blessed are you who weep now for you

1794
01:07:36,370 --> 01:07:36,910
shall laugh.

1795
01:07:37,110 --> 01:07:39,210
Blessed are you when men hate you and

1796
01:07:39,210 --> 01:07:42,050
when they exclude you and revile you.

1797
01:07:43,430 --> 01:07:45,990
But then in verse 24, he says, woe

1798
01:07:45,990 --> 01:07:46,510
unto you.

1799
01:07:49,290 --> 01:07:52,070
You see the person who refuses to turn

1800
01:07:52,070 --> 01:07:58,280
to God, but instead sees themselves as rich

1801
01:07:58,280 --> 01:08:01,200
because they have everything that they ever wanted

1802
01:08:01,200 --> 01:08:01,820
here on earth.

1803
01:08:02,500 --> 01:08:05,160
But they refuse to turn because they don't

1804
01:08:05,160 --> 01:08:09,400
understand the poorness of their own spirit, that

1805
01:08:09,400 --> 01:08:10,360
they're dead spiritually.

1806
01:08:11,140 --> 01:08:12,840
Woe unto you that are rich because you've

1807
01:08:12,840 --> 01:08:14,340
already received your consolation.

1808
01:08:14,440 --> 01:08:16,520
You're not going to receive the consolation of

1809
01:08:16,520 --> 01:08:17,680
God in eternity.

1810
01:08:18,319 --> 01:08:20,160
We see this when Jesus speaks of the

1811
01:08:20,160 --> 01:08:21,700
rich man and Lazarus, don't we?

1812
01:08:22,060 --> 01:08:23,740
That the rich man, he had what he

1813
01:08:23,740 --> 01:08:25,100
had while he was here on earth and

1814
01:08:25,100 --> 01:08:27,040
then he dies and he finds himself in

1815
01:08:27,040 --> 01:08:27,939
torment in Hades.

1816
01:08:28,060 --> 01:08:29,399
And he looks across that gulf and he

1817
01:08:29,399 --> 01:08:33,960
sees that there is Lazarus being comforted, consoled

1818
01:08:33,960 --> 01:08:35,580
by Abraham.

1819
01:08:35,880 --> 01:08:39,700
And he cries out and Abraham basically tells

1820
01:08:39,700 --> 01:08:41,240
him that you had your goods while you

1821
01:08:41,240 --> 01:08:41,620
were on earth.

1822
01:08:41,740 --> 01:08:42,160
You were rich.

1823
01:08:42,260 --> 01:08:44,899
You had your consolation there, but you never

1824
01:08:44,899 --> 01:08:46,359
saw the poorness of your own spirit.

1825
01:08:47,260 --> 01:08:49,600
You never realized that you were dead spiritually

1826
01:08:49,600 --> 01:08:51,279
and so you never turned to the Lord.

1827
01:08:51,580 --> 01:08:53,460
You were rich then and now you have

1828
01:08:53,460 --> 01:08:55,420
no consolation.

1829
01:08:57,590 --> 01:08:58,689
Woe unto you that are full.

1830
01:08:59,870 --> 01:09:02,149
You had everything that you desired there in

1831
01:09:02,149 --> 01:09:02,569
life.

1832
01:09:02,790 --> 01:09:04,450
And so you saw no need to hunger

1833
01:09:04,450 --> 01:09:05,630
and thirst after righteousness.

1834
01:09:05,850 --> 01:09:07,890
And so now you're hungry in eternity.

1835
01:09:08,830 --> 01:09:10,029
Woe unto you that laugh now.

1836
01:09:10,390 --> 01:09:11,590
Hey, you had a really good time.

1837
01:09:11,670 --> 01:09:12,350
You partied it up.

1838
01:09:12,430 --> 01:09:12,990
You lived it up.

1839
01:09:14,109 --> 01:09:15,930
You had the pleasure that you wanted while

1840
01:09:15,930 --> 01:09:16,410
you were alive.

1841
01:09:16,490 --> 01:09:20,550
But now here you are and you mourn

1842
01:09:20,550 --> 01:09:23,090
and you weep because in hell there will

1843
01:09:23,090 --> 01:09:24,430
be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

1844
01:09:24,490 --> 01:09:26,310
And so we see the opposite of the

1845
01:09:26,310 --> 01:09:26,930
spectrum there.

1846
01:09:27,270 --> 01:09:28,630
Woe unto you when all men shall speak

1847
01:09:28,630 --> 01:09:29,069
well of you.

1848
01:09:30,450 --> 01:09:32,330
You had a lot of things that good

1849
01:09:32,330 --> 01:09:34,170
to say about you, but neither were you

1850
01:09:34,170 --> 01:09:36,950
a peacemaker who oftentimes receives the persecution of

1851
01:09:36,950 --> 01:09:37,189
men.

1852
01:09:38,870 --> 01:09:43,660
Everybody spoke well of you then, for so

1853
01:09:43,660 --> 01:09:45,180
did the fathers of the false prophets.

1854
01:09:48,950 --> 01:09:50,630
And so in Luke chapter six, we're given

1855
01:09:50,630 --> 01:09:52,250
the other side of the story.

1856
01:09:58,840 --> 01:10:01,340
We can come to Christ, poor in spirit,

1857
01:10:01,520 --> 01:10:04,080
realizing the depravity and the death that we

1858
01:10:04,080 --> 01:10:08,100
have spiritually and have the Lord rework our

1859
01:10:08,100 --> 01:10:10,000
lives completely as we're seeing here in Matthew

1860
01:10:10,000 --> 01:10:12,040
chapter five, or we can reject that and

1861
01:10:12,040 --> 01:10:13,900
say, no, I think I'm doing just fine.

1862
01:10:15,980 --> 01:10:18,120
And live our lives richly now, laugh now,

1863
01:10:19,260 --> 01:10:23,370
eat it up now, but judgment will come

1864
01:10:23,370 --> 01:10:25,770
and that person may stand before the Lord

1865
01:10:25,770 --> 01:10:27,370
one day and say, Lord, Lord, did I

1866
01:10:27,370 --> 01:10:28,670
not prophesy in your name?

1867
01:10:28,750 --> 01:10:30,210
Did I not cast out demons in your

1868
01:10:30,210 --> 01:10:30,310
name?

1869
01:10:30,390 --> 01:10:32,090
Did I not do all sorts of wonderful

1870
01:10:32,090 --> 01:10:32,850
works in your name?

1871
01:10:32,870 --> 01:10:33,790
And he'll say, depart from me.

1872
01:10:33,830 --> 01:10:34,590
I never knew you.

1873
01:10:34,730 --> 01:10:37,110
You who practice lawlessness or work iniquity.

1874
01:10:41,240 --> 01:10:43,540
It's an important message here, the Sermon on

1875
01:10:43,540 --> 01:10:43,780
the Mount.

1876
01:10:45,770 --> 01:10:47,270
The message that every single one of us

1877
01:10:47,270 --> 01:10:49,050
need to know well, I believe.

1878
01:10:53,970 --> 01:11:00,330
This is a message that's able to transform

1879
01:11:00,330 --> 01:11:04,380
the blessed message.

1880
01:11:04,500 --> 01:11:06,120
Oh, how happy is the person who grasps

1881
01:11:06,120 --> 01:11:06,320
it.

1882
01:11:09,720 --> 01:11:11,960
There's some other areas in scripture, a lot

1883
01:11:11,960 --> 01:11:13,680
of other areas that we see this blessed

1884
01:11:13,680 --> 01:11:16,720
are they or blessed is the, there's several

1885
01:11:16,720 --> 01:11:18,460
of them mentioned here on the board.

1886
01:11:19,660 --> 01:11:20,980
Psalm one, of course, is one of them

1887
01:11:20,980 --> 01:11:24,020
that says blessed is the man who walks

1888
01:11:24,020 --> 01:11:25,860
not in the counsel of the ungodly, right?

1889
01:11:28,270 --> 01:11:29,770
Nor stands in the way of sinners, nor

1890
01:11:29,770 --> 01:11:31,170
sits in the seat of the scornful, but

1891
01:11:31,170 --> 01:11:32,370
his delight is in the law of the

1892
01:11:32,370 --> 01:11:32,630
Lord.

1893
01:11:33,130 --> 01:11:34,630
And in his law, does he meditate day

1894
01:11:34,630 --> 01:11:34,910
and night?

1895
01:11:34,970 --> 01:11:36,370
He shall be like a tree planted by

1896
01:11:36,370 --> 01:11:38,010
the rivers of water that brings forth his

1897
01:11:38,010 --> 01:11:39,150
fruit in his season.

1898
01:11:39,510 --> 01:11:42,190
His leaf shall not wither and whatsoever he

1899
01:11:42,190 --> 01:11:43,070
does shall prosper.

1900
01:11:44,430 --> 01:11:46,530
Psalm 32, verses one and two, David said,

1901
01:11:46,770 --> 01:11:48,850
blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose

1902
01:11:48,850 --> 01:11:49,570
sin is covered.

1903
01:11:49,830 --> 01:11:51,510
Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord

1904
01:11:51,510 --> 01:11:54,370
imputes not iniquity and whose spirit in whose

1905
01:11:54,370 --> 01:11:55,450
spirit there is no guile.

1906
01:11:57,150 --> 01:12:00,050
In Psalm 34, verse eight, we read, oh,

1907
01:12:00,090 --> 01:12:01,630
taste and see that the Lord is good.

1908
01:12:01,870 --> 01:12:03,590
Blessed is the man that trusts in him.

1909
01:12:04,450 --> 01:12:06,530
Psalm 65, verse four, blessed is the man

1910
01:12:06,530 --> 01:12:11,330
whom thou choosest and causes him to approach

1911
01:12:11,330 --> 01:12:11,970
unto you.

1912
01:12:13,590 --> 01:12:15,710
Psalm 128, verse one says, blessed is everyone

1913
01:12:15,710 --> 01:12:17,990
that fears the Lord, that walks in his

1914
01:12:17,990 --> 01:12:18,450
ways.

1915
01:12:20,010 --> 01:12:22,290
In John 20, Jesus said unto him, unto

1916
01:12:22,290 --> 01:12:24,770
Thomas, because you have seen me, you have

1917
01:12:24,770 --> 01:12:25,090
believed.

1918
01:12:25,330 --> 01:12:26,450
Blessed are they that have not seen and

1919
01:12:26,450 --> 01:12:27,050
yet believed.

1920
01:12:28,030 --> 01:12:30,550
In James chapter one, verse 12, James says,

1921
01:12:30,670 --> 01:12:33,130
blessed is the man who endures temptation for

1922
01:12:33,130 --> 01:12:34,650
when he has tried, he shall receive the

1923
01:12:34,650 --> 01:12:36,050
crown of life, which the Lord has promised

1924
01:12:36,050 --> 01:12:37,750
to him, them that love him.

1925
01:12:38,590 --> 01:12:41,290
And in Revelation chapter 14, verse 13, I

1926
01:12:41,290 --> 01:12:42,970
heard a voice from heaven saying unto me,

1927
01:12:43,090 --> 01:12:44,930
write, blessed are the dead which die in

1928
01:12:44,930 --> 01:12:46,030
the Lord from henceforth.

1929
01:12:46,570 --> 01:12:48,810
Yea, says the spirit, that they may rest

1930
01:12:48,810 --> 01:12:51,590
from their labors and their works do follow

1931
01:12:51,590 --> 01:12:51,810
them.

1932
01:12:52,510 --> 01:12:53,630
Those are just a few verses.

1933
01:12:53,810 --> 01:12:54,710
You can find a lot of them in

1934
01:12:54,710 --> 01:12:57,110
the scripture that we see other beatitudes, other

1935
01:12:57,110 --> 01:13:00,130
blessings pronounced upon the people of God.

1936
01:13:06,380 --> 01:13:07,960
God desires that every single one of us

1937
01:13:07,960 --> 01:13:09,880
would live in the blessed life.

1938
01:13:10,740 --> 01:13:12,520
John chapter 10, verse 10 says, that the

1939
01:13:12,520 --> 01:13:14,140
thief has come to steal, to kill and

1940
01:13:14,140 --> 01:13:15,440
destroy, but I have come that you may

1941
01:13:15,440 --> 01:13:17,140
have life and that to its fullest or

1942
01:13:17,140 --> 01:13:17,940
that more abundantly.

1943
01:13:21,000 --> 01:13:22,860
There is a thief in this world who

1944
01:13:22,860 --> 01:13:24,820
steals and kills and destroys.

1945
01:13:24,960 --> 01:13:26,240
And the way that he does it often

1946
01:13:26,240 --> 01:13:28,640
begins by giving men riches here on earth,

1947
01:13:28,660 --> 01:13:30,260
by letting them have a good time here

1948
01:13:30,260 --> 01:13:31,720
on earth and laugh it up and live

1949
01:13:31,720 --> 01:13:32,020
it up.

1950
01:13:32,060 --> 01:13:34,960
And yet they die in hell eternally, separated

1951
01:13:34,960 --> 01:13:36,760
from God because they never addressed the fact

1952
01:13:36,760 --> 01:13:38,300
that they were separated from God from the

1953
01:13:38,300 --> 01:13:39,440
start when they were born because they were

1954
01:13:39,440 --> 01:13:40,440
spiritually poor.

1955
01:13:43,960 --> 01:13:46,480
God desires that they would turn, that they

1956
01:13:46,480 --> 01:13:48,160
repent because the kingdom of heaven is at

1957
01:13:48,160 --> 01:13:48,360
hand.

1958
01:13:48,500 --> 01:13:49,320
It's right here now.

1959
01:13:49,440 --> 01:13:51,340
It's not something far off as the enemy

1960
01:13:51,340 --> 01:13:52,800
would have men think.

1961
01:13:53,740 --> 01:13:55,360
See, the enemy wants you to think about,

1962
01:13:55,460 --> 01:13:56,860
oh yeah, yeah, I'll think about that when

1963
01:13:56,860 --> 01:13:57,240
I get older.

1964
01:13:57,320 --> 01:13:58,560
I'll think about that on my death bed.

1965
01:13:58,660 --> 01:14:00,500
We don't often, not many people have that

1966
01:14:00,500 --> 01:14:00,880
chance.

1967
01:14:04,440 --> 01:14:06,880
The blessed individual is the person who realizes

1968
01:14:06,880 --> 01:14:08,860
that they're poor in spirit now and realizes

1969
01:14:08,860 --> 01:14:10,340
that the kingdom of heaven is right here,

1970
01:14:10,460 --> 01:14:11,000
right now.

1971
01:14:11,120 --> 01:14:12,560
This is eternal life that they may know

1972
01:14:12,560 --> 01:14:14,180
you, the only true God in Jesus Christ

1973
01:14:14,180 --> 01:14:15,040
whom you have sent.

1974
01:14:15,300 --> 01:14:18,580
Eternal life begins the moment, the immediate moment

1975
01:14:18,580 --> 01:14:22,220
that a person turns to God, to the

1976
01:14:22,220 --> 01:14:22,920
knowledge of him.

1977
01:14:25,940 --> 01:14:28,520
The blessed life, the life of abundance begins

1978
01:14:28,520 --> 01:14:31,820
immediately that a person realizes their poorness in

1979
01:14:31,820 --> 01:14:34,880
spirit and begins to mourn over it.

1980
01:14:34,960 --> 01:14:36,700
And the Lord meets them and comforts them,

1981
01:14:38,000 --> 01:14:38,780
transforms them.

1982
01:14:43,230 --> 01:14:45,890
God, your word is living and powerful and

1983
01:14:45,890 --> 01:14:47,410
sharper than any two-edged sword and I

1984
01:14:47,410 --> 01:14:50,250
pray that your living word would cut deep

1985
01:14:50,250 --> 01:14:50,870
in our hearts.

1986
01:14:52,470 --> 01:14:54,310
Lord, that even now you'd reveal to us

1987
01:14:54,310 --> 01:14:56,470
any areas of our lives that we're holding

1988
01:14:56,470 --> 01:14:58,310
back from you and that you would cause

1989
01:14:58,310 --> 01:14:59,970
us to be poor in spirit and mourn

1990
01:14:59,970 --> 01:15:01,410
over that in that area of our life.

1991
01:15:02,550 --> 01:15:05,090
Father, that we, by your spirit, can be

1992
01:15:05,090 --> 01:15:07,230
transformed, made meek, hunger and thirst for your

1993
01:15:07,230 --> 01:15:08,910
righteousness and that Lord, you can make us

1994
01:15:08,910 --> 01:15:12,370
merciful, give us a new heart and give

1995
01:15:12,370 --> 01:15:13,510
us a message of peace.

1996
01:15:14,390 --> 01:15:16,250
Even if that means we'd be persecuted for

1997
01:15:16,250 --> 01:15:18,950
your namesake, we look forward to the reward

1998
01:15:18,950 --> 01:15:20,630
that you have for us to be with

1999
01:15:20,630 --> 01:15:22,610
you throughout all eternity.

2000
01:15:23,390 --> 01:15:24,770
We thank you in Jesus' name.

2001
01:15:25,330 --> 01:15:25,570
Amen.

2002
01:15:26,630 --> 01:15:27,030
Questions?

2003
01:15:30,000 --> 01:15:31,940
Any questions as we look at this?

2004
01:15:32,480 --> 01:15:33,860
Again, one of the things I want to

2005
01:15:33,860 --> 01:15:35,700
point out is that in this class I'm

2006
01:15:35,700 --> 01:15:37,900
not so much looking that we grab a

2007
01:15:37,900 --> 01:15:38,840
whole bunch of information.

2008
01:15:39,080 --> 01:15:41,220
We could do a strict just word for

2009
01:15:41,220 --> 01:15:44,200
word exegesis of the scripture and that'd be

2010
01:15:44,200 --> 01:15:45,280
great, but you can go out and get

2011
01:15:45,280 --> 01:15:46,440
a ton of books on the Sermon on

2012
01:15:46,440 --> 01:15:47,140
the Mount about that.

2013
01:15:47,260 --> 01:15:48,980
What I want to do is look at

2014
01:15:48,980 --> 01:15:50,760
this from an applicable standpoint.

2015
01:15:52,970 --> 01:15:54,790
So I hope that you all understand that

2016
01:15:54,790 --> 01:15:55,730
as we go through this.

2017
01:15:56,890 --> 01:15:59,190
But if there are any questions about the

2018
01:15:59,190 --> 01:16:02,630
text, hopefully I can answer those if you

2019
01:16:02,630 --> 01:16:02,970
have any.

2020
01:16:05,470 --> 01:16:05,610
Any?

2021
01:16:06,190 --> 01:16:06,490
None?

2022
01:16:07,490 --> 01:16:07,870
Alright.

2023
01:16:08,510 --> 01:16:12,910
Are there any good books you can read?

2024
01:16:17,370 --> 01:16:19,070
Yeah, there are, but I don't remember all

2025
01:16:19,070 --> 01:16:19,910
the titles of them.

2026
01:16:20,430 --> 01:16:21,170
I can get you some.

2027
01:16:21,630 --> 01:16:23,090
There are some good books out there.

2028
01:16:24,290 --> 01:16:26,430
I'm hoping, very much hoping, that one day

2029
01:16:26,430 --> 01:16:27,890
Don McClure writes a book on it because

2030
01:16:27,890 --> 01:16:29,270
I think that his studies on the Sermon

2031
01:16:29,270 --> 01:16:31,230
on the Mount are probably some of the

2032
01:16:31,230 --> 01:16:31,950
best that I've seen.

2033
01:16:32,830 --> 01:16:35,990
But I'll get you some names.

2034
01:16:35,990 --> 01:16:39,930
Let me see if there's anything I wanted

2035
01:16:39,930 --> 01:16:41,850
to hit on here.

2036
01:16:45,850 --> 01:16:46,050
Yeah?

2037
01:16:47,130 --> 01:16:50,290
In verse 3, it says that poor in

2038
01:16:50,290 --> 01:16:53,930
spirit, that's kind of the place of conversion.

2039
01:16:58,020 --> 01:17:00,920
I think that, because as I mentioned, it's

2040
01:17:00,920 --> 01:17:03,060
a good question, is poor in spirit in

2041
01:17:03,060 --> 01:17:06,740
verse 3 the point of conversion?

2042
01:17:10,980 --> 01:17:13,740
I think that it is the starting point

2043
01:17:13,740 --> 01:17:14,320
of conversion.

2044
01:17:16,240 --> 01:17:18,040
Actually, let me state that a little bit

2045
01:17:18,040 --> 01:17:18,220
differently.

2046
01:17:18,340 --> 01:17:20,320
I think it's the starting point of salvation.

2047
01:17:20,660 --> 01:17:22,840
But I look at salvation as a three

2048
01:17:22,840 --> 01:17:25,500
-fold work of God, and that salvation is

2049
01:17:25,500 --> 01:17:29,240
justification, sanctification, and glorification.

2050
01:17:30,300 --> 01:17:32,500
And so I think that if a person

2051
01:17:32,500 --> 01:17:35,100
comes and realizes their poorness of spirit, sometimes

2052
01:17:35,100 --> 01:17:37,320
they can try and turn to other things

2053
01:17:37,320 --> 01:17:39,140
to try and change that poorness of spirit.

2054
01:17:39,140 --> 01:17:40,580
And there's a lot of other religions out

2055
01:17:40,580 --> 01:17:42,400
there trying to address the area of poorness

2056
01:17:42,400 --> 01:17:42,840
of spirit.

2057
01:17:43,660 --> 01:17:46,100
So unless they mourn over it and receive

2058
01:17:46,100 --> 01:17:48,060
the comfort of the Spirit of God and

2059
01:17:48,060 --> 01:17:49,800
begin to hunger and thirst after His righteousness,

2060
01:17:50,440 --> 01:17:52,680
I think that they can derail the process,

2061
01:17:52,800 --> 01:17:54,180
so to speak, of salvation.

2062
01:17:55,260 --> 01:17:57,040
But it is the first step.

2063
01:17:57,800 --> 01:17:59,040
How many of you have read the book

2064
01:17:59,040 --> 01:18:02,040
The Calvary Road by, is it Hesham, Roy

2065
01:18:02,040 --> 01:18:02,320
Hesham?

2066
01:18:03,040 --> 01:18:03,780
I believe it's Roy Hesham.

2067
01:18:03,780 --> 01:18:05,960
I encourage you to look at that book.

2068
01:18:06,080 --> 01:18:06,820
It's a quick read.

2069
01:18:06,920 --> 01:18:09,380
It won't take you but maybe a few

2070
01:18:09,380 --> 01:18:11,040
hours to read through it because it's a

2071
01:18:11,040 --> 01:18:11,500
small book.

2072
01:18:11,880 --> 01:18:15,320
And he talks about that salvation for anybody

2073
01:18:15,320 --> 01:18:16,560
to be saved needs to come to the

2074
01:18:16,560 --> 01:18:17,760
foot of the cross and come to this

2075
01:18:17,760 --> 01:18:19,180
area of poorness of spirit, really.

2076
01:18:20,620 --> 01:18:21,360
The Calvary Road.

2077
01:18:22,480 --> 01:18:24,740
It might be The Calvary Road by Roy

2078
01:18:24,740 --> 01:18:25,080
Hesham.

2079
01:18:30,130 --> 01:18:39,220
In a lot of ways, yes, it's a

2080
01:18:39,220 --> 01:18:41,780
reiteration of the fact that the poor in

2081
01:18:41,780 --> 01:18:43,800
spirit grabbed hold of the kingdom of heaven.

2082
01:18:44,840 --> 01:18:47,860
And then again in verse 10, you just

2083
01:18:47,860 --> 01:18:50,720
see the persecution coming upon those for theirs

2084
01:18:50,720 --> 01:18:51,360
is a kingdom of heaven.

2085
01:18:51,440 --> 01:18:53,780
Something to consider there about verse 10 is

2086
01:18:53,780 --> 01:18:56,640
that we are not in our kingdom here.

2087
01:18:56,740 --> 01:18:57,660
We are pilgrims.

2088
01:18:57,800 --> 01:18:59,740
That's really when you look at Hebrews chapter

2089
01:18:59,740 --> 01:19:02,400
11 and you consider the things that set

2090
01:19:02,400 --> 01:19:04,640
the saints apart in Hebrews chapter 11 was

2091
01:19:04,640 --> 01:19:06,720
that they sought for a city whose builder

2092
01:19:06,720 --> 01:19:07,480
and maker was God.

2093
01:19:07,580 --> 01:19:10,700
They realized that their salvation was not here

2094
01:19:10,700 --> 01:19:11,920
on earth, but it was with the Lord

2095
01:19:11,920 --> 01:19:12,300
in heaven.

2096
01:19:12,820 --> 01:19:14,240
And when you're in a place like that,

2097
01:19:14,360 --> 01:19:16,380
then you're going to receive the persecution of

2098
01:19:16,380 --> 01:19:18,120
this world because this is not your kingdom.

2099
01:19:19,140 --> 01:19:20,520
And we're going to be with the Lord.

2100
01:19:20,620 --> 01:19:21,440
We're citizens of heaven.

2101
01:19:22,520 --> 01:19:24,120
And so we look forward to a city

2102
01:19:24,120 --> 01:19:25,520
whose builder and maker is God, a city

2103
01:19:25,520 --> 01:19:28,040
which has foundations, it says, whose builder and

2104
01:19:28,040 --> 01:19:28,560
maker is God.

2105
01:19:29,320 --> 01:19:31,520
So it is a reiteration of verse 3

2106
01:19:31,520 --> 01:19:35,700
and it's really a proclamation about those who

2107
01:19:35,700 --> 01:19:39,380
really realize that this is not their home,

2108
01:19:40,280 --> 01:19:42,980
receiving the persecution of others in this world.