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Matthew 4:18-5:4
Skip Heitzig

Matthew 4 (NKJV™)
18 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.
19 Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."
20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
21 Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them,
22 and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.
23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.
24 Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.
25 Great multitudes followed Him--from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.
Matthew 5 (NKJV™)
1 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.
2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:
3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.

New King James Version®, Copyright © 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved.

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40 Matthew - 2011

Leaving life as they knew it, the disciples followed Jesus and became intimate witnesses of Jesus' teaching, preaching, and healing. As we dive into this portion of Matthew, we turn our attention to their calling and listen in as Jesus begins the greatest sermon ever preached.

From its opening genealogy through its careful record of Old Testament prophecies fulfilled, Matthew's gospel forms a bridge between the Old Testament and the New Testament. In this in-depth study by Pastor Skip Heitzig we'll consider Jesus' ancestry, birth, public ministry, death, and resurrection, and we'll gain a clearer understanding of Jesus as both Messiah and King.

FREE - Download Entire Series (MP3) (Help) | Buy series | Buy audiobook

Study Guide

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Matthew 5

And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them
Matthew 5:1-2


PRAYER: Father, as we study the Beatitudes and Similitudes, please show me how I, as Your disciple, ought to live.

Journal your prayer here:




PREVIEW: In Matthew 5:1-16, we see God’s ideal plan for our sanctification, and how our lives should reflect these qualities.

Matthew 5 Outline:
The Beatitudes – Read Matthew 5:1-12
The Similitudes – Read Matthew 5:13-16


The Beatitudes – Read Matthew 5:1-12

1. Matthew 4:23-25 talks about the ministry that Jesus performed in Galilee, referring to many different situations and circumstances when He dealt with “seeing the multitudes” (v. 1). To whom was He ministering—who were the multitudes?






2. Matthew 5-7 is referred to as the Sermon on the Mount. Where does Jesus go upon “seeing the multitudes” (v. 1)? (See also Matthew 14:23, Mark 3:13, and Luke 9:28.)




3. In Jewish culture, preachers would stand; when teaching or explaining, they would sit. When Jesus went up on the mountain, He sat down to teach (vv. 1-2). To whom is this lesson addressed?




4. PROPOUND: To whom are the Beatitudes and Similitudes applicable? To whom are they not (v. 1)?


5. The word blessed begins the next nine verses. The word beatitude (beatus in Latin) means “happy.” The Beatitudes show the path to true happiness. Read Psalm 33:12 and Psalm 32:1. What makes a person blessed, or happy?



6. PRODUCE: A paragon is something regarded as an example of excellence. A paradox is a self-contradictory statement. All the Beatitudes are either a paragon or a paradox. Label each as such.








7. The path to true happiness begins with being poor in spirit (v. 3). What does it mean to be poor in spirit? (See Psalm 34:18; 51:17 and Isaiah 57:15; 66:2)



8. What is promised to those who are poor in spirit (v. 3)?


9. PROCEED: An example of one who is poor in spirit is found in Luke 18:13. A contrast to the poor in spirit is found within the church of Laodicea (see Revelation 3:17). Contrast these two; what do you discover?



10. What is promised to those who mourn (v. 4)? What do you think they mourn over? (See Psalm 32:3-7, Luke 7:36-50, and 2 Corinthians 7:8-10.)


11. PROPOUND: Explain why those who mourn ought to consider themselves “blessed” or “happy” (see Psalm 32:1).


12. The meek shall inherit the earth (v. 5). Who in the Bible is described as meek? (See Numbers 12:3 and Matthew 11:29.)


13. Meekness is a true view of oneself, expressed in attitude and conduct with respect to others. This makes us gentle, humble, sensitive, and patient when dealing with others. Read Psalm 37 and pick out the verbs which express meekness.


14. PROPOUND: What does it mean that the meek will “inherit the earth”? (See Psalm 37:9; 22 and Matthew 25:21.)


15. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled (v 6). What does it mean to hunger and thirst for righteousness? (See Psalm 42:1-2, 63:1-2, and 84:2.) What will these be filled with? (See John 6:35.)


16. PROCLAIM: Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are filled with what? (See John 6:35 and15:4.) Share with the group how this happens.



17. The merciful obtain mercy. Define mercy. (See Matthew 6:14–15; 18:33–35, and Proverbs 11:17; 14:21; 19:17.)



18. What does it mean to be pure in heart? (See Matthew 23:25-28, 1 Chronicles 29:17-19, and Psalm 15:2.) What does it mean to see God? (See Acts 7:55–56 and 1 Corinthians 13:12.)


19. PROMOTE: We all have sinned and continue to sin (see Romans 3:23 and 1 John 1:8). Proverbs 20:9 says, “Who can say, ‘I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin’?” Share with the group how believers can keep their heart pure (see Psalm 101:2-4 and 1 John 1:9-10).



20. PROPOUND: Read 1 John 1:8-10. Trick Question: What is the worst kind of sin?


21. What are some characteristics of a peacemaker? (See 2 Timothy 2:24-26 and 2 Corinthians 5:18-21.)


22. What does it mean to be persecuted for righteousness sake? (See Luke 6:22; 21:12, John 15:20, and 2 Timothy 3:12.)




23. Why should a believer rejoice when they are reviled and persecuted for righteousness’ sake (vv. 11-12)? What is the promise made (v. 12)?


24. PROPOUND: Christians might be persecuted for acting stupid—but what two “sakes” did Jesus list as requirements for being blessed?



25. PRACTICE: The Beatitudes are progressive, building upon each other and requiring the previous before the next. Describe their progression.



The Similitudes – Read Matthew 5:13-16

26. Jesus refers to His disciples as the salt of the earth (v. 11). What effect does salt have if it keeps its flavor?



27. PROPOUND: Jesus referred to His disciples as “salt.” How can a person, like salt, “lose their flavor”?


30. Jesus also refers to His disciples as the light of the world (v. 14). How does He say they are to “let their light so shine”? (See Matthew 6:1-5, Acts 9:36, 1 Timothy 6:18, and 1 Peter 2:12.)

31. PROPOUND: Before whom are we to let our light shine? What will be the result (Matthew 5:16)?



32. PROTECT: The Beatitudes and Similitudes contain God’s ideal plan for our sanctification. How can you be sure you’re partaking in this process? (See John 17:17.)




33. PROCESS: Take some time to review the Beatitudes and Similitudes. Does your life reflect them? Why or why not?





PRAY: Father, please help me to live out the Beatitudes and Similitudes. Without your Holy Spirit, I know I cannot. Please empower me to do so.

Journal your prayer here:




Detailed Notes

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  1. Introduction
    1. Jesus is Lord
      1. Some debate it
      2. Disciples experienced it
        1. Made a lifetime decision to follow Him
        2. Knew Jesus before they were called
          1. Asked about Him
          2. Were there at His baptism
    2. Sea of Galilee
      1. Inland body of water (lake)
      2. Below sea level
      3. 12 miles x 9 miles
      4. Sea of Gennesaret
        1. כִּנּוֹר; kinnor-harp
        2. Harp-shaped lake
      5. Sea of Tiberias
        1. Hellenized Greco-Roman city
        2. Southwest shore of the lake
  2. The call of four disciples
    1. Imperative command: Follow me
      1. Historic common practice
        1. Disciples normally continued in their trade
        2. Disciples paid their masters
        3. Talmudim; students chose their master
      2. Jesus' disciples
        1. Jesus chose His disciples
        2. They were called to full time ministry: leave everything
      3. Jesus called them to spend time with Him
        1. Not take a class, read a book, or go to a seminar
        2. Time with Jesus changed them; developed the same heart He has
    2. Simon Peter (Simon -God hears)
      1. In a few years, Peter will stand in Jerusalem casting a spiritual net; 3,000 souls come into the kingdom
      2. Martyr's death
    3. Andrew
    4. John
      1. Brother of James
      2. Son of Zebedee
      3. Pastor in Ephesus
      4. Exiled in Patmos
      5. Vision of the end times
      6. Author of Gospel of John, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Revelation
      7. The disciple Jesus loved
        1. Not prideful
        2. Close personal relationship with Jesus
    5. James
      1. Brother of John
      2. James the Greater
        1. Not James the son of Alphaeus (James the less)
        2. Not James the half-brother of Jesus
          1. Nonbeliever during Jesus' earthly ministry
          2. Becomes a believer after the resurrection
          3. In charge of the church at Jerusalem
      3. Sons of Thunder (John and James)
        1. Suggested they call fire from heaven to destroy the Samaritans
        2. Transformed to sons of wonder
        3. Jesus takes us the way we are and changes us
  3. Summary of Jesus Christ's Ministry
    1. Matthew focuses on what Jesus said
      1. Five discourses
      2. Sermon on the Mount recorded in Matthew 5-7
    2. Around Galilee
      1. 2800 square miles (70 miles x 40 miles)
      2. 204 towns, no less than 15,000 people in each
      3. 3,000,000 people
        1. Figure may be inflated
        2. Josephus was governor and historian
    3. Résumé
      1. Teaching
        1. Most important
        2. Causes growth
      2. Preaching (witness to unbelievers)
      3. Healing
        1. Excited people
        2. Drew crowds
        3. Those with incurable diseases were instantly made whole
        4. Accompanies the message: Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand
          1. Jews instantly thought of Kingdom age prophecies (See Isaiah 11 and Isaiah 35)
            1. They thought the kingdom age was upon them
            2. We see them as fulfilled in the Millennium
              1. Freedom from disease
              2. Absence of sorrow
              3. No crying, sickness, sorrow, or death
          2. Jesus was saying "I am the King"
            1. Wherever the King is and whomever He rules over: the Kingdom of Heaven
            2. "My kingdom is not of this world."  (John 18:36)
          3. There will be a day when there is a worldwide, earthly kingdom
  4. Sermon on the Mount
    1. Name
      1. Inaccurate name
        1. A rolling hill on the shore of Galilee
        2. Gives no information about the message
      2. Mountain of a Sermon
        1. Sermon of a Monarch
        2. King giving the manifesto of the Kingdom
    2. Kingdom Living: living life under the authority of King Jesus
      1. How to enter the kingdom
      2. How to walk in the kingdom
    3. Greatest sermon ever preached by the greatest person who ever lived
    4. " And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching," (Matthew 7:28)
    5. "When He was seated His disciples came to Him" (Matthew 5:1)
      1. Pupils stand; teachers sit
        1. When teaching casually, a teacher would walk with them
        2. Teaching with authority: seated
          1. "Chair" honor and authority
          2. Pope's official pronouncements ex cathedra (from the chair)
      2. Jesus was not teaching the crowds, but the disciples
        1. Not teaching how to be saved
        2. Cannot expect an unbeliever to act as a Christian
          1. No transformation
          2. No new birth
        3. He was instructing not evangelizing
        4. Evangelism is the disciple's job
          1. "Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, 'The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.'" (Matthew 9:35-38)
          2. "And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;  Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;  Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.  These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: 'Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans.  But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'" (Matthew 10:1-7)
          3. Jesus disciples and then dispatches them
    6. The Beatitudes
      1. Not what we do, but who we are
      2. Blessed
        1. Μακάριος; makrios- blissful, happy
        2. Not temporary, but deep and abiding
      3. Poor in spirit
        1. How you enter: humbly
        2. Πτωχός; ptóchos-poor, destitute, poverty stricken
        3. "Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to the cross I cling;" Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me, by Augustus M. Toplady
        4. Humbly: recognize you have no saving resources of your own
        5. Sorrowfully: mourning over sin
      4. They shall be comforted
        1. "Happy are the sad"
        2. Comforted by forgiveness that comes of repentance
        3. "Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 'Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men--extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.'  And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.'" (Luke 18:9-14)

Hebrew terms: כִּנּוֹר; kinnor-harp
Greek terms: Μακάριος; makrios- blissful, happy; Πτωχός; ptóchos-poor, destitute, poverty stricken
Publications Referenced: Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me, by Augustus M. Toplady
Figures Referenced: Josephus
Cross References: Isaiah 11; Isaiah 35; Matthew 5:1; Matthew 7:28; Matthew 9:35-38; Matthew 10:1-7; Luke 18:9-14; John 18:36

Transcript

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Well, turn into your Bibles then to Matthew Chapter 5.  Matthew Chapter 5, even though we still have some of Chapter 4 to cover.  Okay before we start, I was thinking this week, because I was looking over the years in my mind of different experiences, different people, different relationships and just what a joy and what an honor it is to be a part of this family.  Do you feel that way, being part with one another?

(Applause)

And as I was studying the word and I just loved doing it I just thinking, I want to pinch my self I said, "Lord, I've got to be the luckiest person on the earth to be able to have such a wonderful flock, a wonderful family of God to grow up and spiritually and to grow old in as well."  I remember when I announced the birth of my son to this flock and then the birth of my grandson.  So it's just been such a privilege.  I don't know if I'm waxing sentimental, I don't know if I turn this way more or so when I get older but I feel that way and I wanted you to know that.  From time to time I think you need to hear that.

The other thing I want to share with you is that this is going to be a Bible study tonight.  And we'll be here for almost the next hour around another hour from now.  We do like to share that at the beginning, because we like to warn people.  Some people aren't ready for that.  And we don't want to force that upon anyone, but we do want to make aware of it in case, if you are shocked and you would have made other plans rather than sitting through an hour of Bible study, it's not too late.

As we bow in prayer, you could readjust your sit and seat in the very back row.  So that if you wanted leave, you wouldn't be seen in doing so, but I'm reminded of something in the Book of Nehemiah when Ezra taught the people in Jerusalem.  And it says that Ezra stood on a platform made out of wood and read distinctly from the Law of God and did it from morning until mid-day.  That's a long Bible study.  Morning until mid-day, and it says all the people stood and gave attention to the Law of God.

Now, that's a four-hour study to stand for that length of time and to give attention would be quite demanding.  So this won't be four hours, you don't have to stand, you can sit comfortably and a nice heeded temperature controlled room, but we do ask you to give reverence to God's word as we study together.

Let's pray.  Father, thank you for the flock, we're your flock, you're our shepherd.  As David boasted, the Lord is my shepherd because of that Lord, there's nothing that we need and there's nothing that we want.  We're not in the lack of anything, you have provided perfectly totally.  Lord, thank you for the life of Jesus that we're able to study a little more rapidly than on Sunday morning.  Father, I thank you for a hungry flock who will take the truth that they've learned tonight that we learned and go out and share it with others and their lives will be transformed, their families, this community will be changed, because of the truth that you will impart tonight, we'd love that.  The word of God will never return void, we believe it and I pray Lord that you administered everyone who has come just exactly in the situation that we are in.

You know what we need, you know who we are and so we come seeking you and seeking first your kingdom knowing that everything else will be added to us even as the sermon on the mountain.  So beautifully proclaims in Jesus' name.  Amen.

I want to read a little article that I found written sometime back.  It says, "It's a bedrock belief of Christianity not a topic for debate until now.  A venerable Protestant denomination at the behest of some of its conservative members is preparing to vote next month on a measure declaring the Jesus Christ is the Lord and making it mandatory for clergy to accept his divinity.

It may seem like a slam-dunk, but delegates for and it names this large mainline denomination may reject the resolution.  Several pastors, who aren't delegates to the convention, said they expect the measure to fail.

Now, what this mainline denomination was and is arguing over and I'm not mentioning them on purpose.  The disciples are experiencing and have come to the decision that Jesus Christ is their Lord.  They're about to make a life time decision of following him.  In Chapter 4, we read through it last week.  We didn't really have time to expound on it as is the name of this whole in Deborah on Wednesday nights and we want to expound a little bit on the disciples and their following of Christ.  They knew Jesus they were acquainted with him far before Jesus called them in Matthew Chapter 4.

John's gospel indicates that they were acquainted with them; they had asked about him, they hang around him down south at the baptism where John the Baptist was at the Jordan River and Jesus came and was baptized.  But now Jesus calls them in the ministry in Chapter 4 and we're going to begin at Verse 18 of Matthew Chapter 4.

Now, a word about these disciples and where they're at, all they have known in their life, their whole world is the Sea of Galilee, a lake.  Their whole world is a countryside lake.  He was confined to this agrarian fishermen lifestyle.  It's all they knew, it's all they expected.

Now, it's called the Sea of Galilee, you ought to know that the Hebrews were fond of calling lakes by the term seas, if someone who is seen a huge bodies of water comes to see that Lake of Galilee they would say, "Why is this thing called the Sea of Galilee?"  Any body of water was given that name even the in land sea called the Dead Sea that the Jordan River connects from the upper Sea of Galilee down to the Dead Sea.

The Sea of Galilee is a lake that is below sea level, it's about 12 to 13 miles long and about nine miles wide.  It's called Galilee, because that's the district.  It's in the area of Galilee, the Northern District of the land.  If you have a map in the back of your Bible, it's good to look at it because you're going to notice something as you look at the map of the Galilee region.  Go to that northern region and find the Sea of Galilee.

Now that Sea of Galilee, that's how we typically know it.  It goes by other names in the scripture, but it's the same body of water.  The Lake of Gennesaret, it's called that on the Gospel of Luke.  Gennesaret, because this flat agricultural plain on the north western shore is named after the City of Gennesaret and the plain of Gennesaret is connected with the city where the fields were located.  And so the lake, which fed that area, was also called the Lake of Gennesaret.

If you are reading the Old Testament, you won't find the Lake of Gennesaret you won't find the Sea of Galilee.  You'll find when the land is apportioned out in the Old Testament under Joshua.  That is called the Lake of Kinneret and that is the present Jewish name in Israel today, the Kinneret Lake.  Why is it called Kinneret?  It comes form the Hebrew word Kinnor and kinnor is a harp.  And if you now look at the map in the back of your Bible and look at the Lake of Galilee, you notice that are the shaped like in ancient Hebrew Kinnor or harp.  So they called it Harp Lake.

Kinneret or Gennesaret, if you like to name it after the plain, or Galilee if you want to name it after that Northern District, or here's another title, mentioned in the New Testament.  Named after a city on the southwestern shore built by Herod, the Lake of Tiberias, named after Tiberius Caesar and that city is still an existence today.  It's really the main city that is there.  It was a Hellenized Greco-Roman City.  And if you've been with us to Israel or if you plan on coming next year, we're going to put you on a boat in Tiberias and take it all the way to where Jesus hang out and head his headquarters the area of Capernaum and it's something to be on the Sea of Galilee in a boat.

And then to stop the boat in the middle of the lake and to just worship the Lord and to pray there and then to have the captain of that boat take out a net that is modeled after an ancient net and toss it out in the circular fashion.  And so you see how they cast nets from the boats something that we're going read about tonight.

That's just a little bit about what these disciples knew.  There were nine towns on the western lake board.  I was going to say sea board of the Lake of Galilee on Kinneret and this were fishing towns.  And that was its principle industry, it was a fresh water inland lake that was very, very deep and had many species of fish and it was the livelihood of many people who lived in that area.

Now, Verse 18, we get the call of the disciples, not all of them but the four of them are mentioned here.  And Jesus walking by the Sea of Galilee saw two brothers Simon called Peter.  Shimon means God hears.  Peter is the name Jesus gives him later on.  Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea for they were fishermen and then he, Jesus said to them, "Follow me and I will make you fishers of men."

Now, that is a command he's giving them.  Not really an invitation, it's in the imperative.  It's a command, "Hey you guys, drop everything now.  Come, follow me."  As I mentioned, they knew Jesus before.  They were with John the Baptist and they inquire to Baptist Jesus.  And John pointed to Jesus, "Look, behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world."  So they already knew Jesus from that event.  They have gone back to Galilee, they started resuming their chores as fishermen and working again, which was common.

And now, Jesus gives them a command to drop everything and go full time.  The reason this was unusual is because disciples of Rabbis were expected to carry on their normal jobs in life.  They would stay employed, they would stay doing what they were doing and they would be able to work for themselves and supply their own way and often as I mentioned Sunday would pay the mentor for his services of training them and discipling them.

But here, Jesus not only calls them, which was against the rabbinical style, the students that Talmidim in Hebrew would choose the master.  Jesus chooses them, but he calls them now to fulltime work, to leave everything, to drop everything, to leave their profession.  And he said, "Follow me and I will make you fishers of men."

Notice the command, he doesn't say, "Go to a class on Evangelism and I will make you fishers of men."  I have nothing against classes on Evangelism by the way.  So no notes okay?  He didn't say, "Hey, there's a really good book, you got to read.  Once you've read that then I'll make you fishers of men" or "go to this really awesome seminar."  He just said simply, "Follow me, hang out with me, spend time with me in my presence that will so totally change you, you will be different people that you'll developed the same heart that I have for people and you'll be out fishing for the souls of men just like I am."

I love that.  One follows the other.  Hangout with me and be my presence.  You're going to start doing what I'm doing.  You're going to start loving what I love so the commandment and so Verse 20, they immediately left their nets and followed him.  Jesus commandment to them was a verse of scripture that the Lord impressed upon my heart many years ago.

It is one of the reasons I'm here actually.  When I came out here, I didn't really know what to expect other that I was newly married and I knew that I would have to adjust to being married and to a location that I had never lived in before.  Leaving Southern California about three days after I was married in an old truck that was burning oil.  I have landed a job, I found an apartment, we moved here, we looked at each other like.  "Huh, we're married aren't we?  This is a brand new life.  We don't know anybody in this town."  But we know each other and we know the Lord and we know the Lord brought us here.

And when we started the Bible study, not far from here at the Lakes Apartments over in San Mateo, we started it and I remember telling the Lord based on this verse.  "Lord, I'm a fisher of men, that's what you've called me to do.  I'm happy to do it and this is then fishing hole that you put me in.  I'm going to fish here for year.  After a year if I don't catch any fish," I mean if you're a fishermen, you love the sport, you love the activity.

For you, it's enough to just get out there and do it, but, if you really want to catch fish, and you don't catch any in that fishing hole for a year.  You're going to go somewhere were the fisher bite in, right?  That's how I was thinking, "Lord, I'll be here a year, if I don't catch any fish, I'm out of here."  I didn't really make it past six months.  I was just homesick.  My parents were there Lenya's parents were there.  Our friends were there and I didn't really see a whole lot of fruit although I just been there a few months.  I don't know what I was expecting.

But I remember telling Lenya when I said, "Lenya, I've never started a church.  I really don't know what I'm doing.  Maybe I should get some help first.  Maybe somebody that I know would be gracious enough to put me on staff for a while and teach me what I have to do."  So I said it was winter time at that time and for a Southern Californian though Albuquerque is considered pretty mild for people.  If you're from Michigan that's where my wife is from, she goes, "This is mild", for me it was extraordinarily harsh.  There was this translucent white stuff on the ground in the winter time.  I didn't know what it was and my wife had say, "Honey that's just frost, don't worry about it.  You'll make it just fine."

And as I was encouraging her, "Honey we're just going to go somewhere else."  The Lord spoke to my heart and said, "You owe me six months."  And reminded me of the little conversation that we had, "Lord you called me to be a fisher of men and I'm going to give it a year and I know that you know and all that stuff."  Lord just said, "You owe me six months".  I talked over with my elders at that time and we were starting our little study and they said, "Give it six months.  I would obey the Lord on this one."  Boy, I am glad that I waited in the fishing hole another six months and so the Lord moved like he has moved.

(Applause)

I wasn't as complaint as these disciples.  They immediately left their nets and they followed him.  Now, just think for a moment, the journey that they were about to embark on.  All they have known is this country side lake.  All they have known is casting out the nets and cleaning the fish and selling the fish and knowing friends and family around the lake.  That's all they knew.  Okay, they probably have been to Jerusalem a few times for the festivals, but that's all they knew.  Within a few years, this fisherman named Peter will be standing in Jerusalem, casting-out a spiritual net and after one of his sermons, 3000 fish will, be caught, 3000 souls will come into the kingdom.

I'm sure Peter went, "Men, am I glad I left that day.  Men am I glad that I immediately left everything and followed this Jesus, this is exciting."  Of course it wasn't always that exciting.  He died in murders death, but I'm sure he was happy to do it for his Lord's sake.  Then there was John, he's also mentioned in the next few verses.  John a fishermen with his brother James and their dad, they have the Zebedee fishing business around the Galilee.  John will become a pastor in Ephesus, Asia Minor, modern-day Turkey he's going to go all they from that lake, all the way toward one of the principle cities of the empire Ephesus and he'll pastor there.  And then he'll be exiled to an island in the middle of the sea, the Patmos Island.

A prison colony is probably sitting there going, "I don't know man.  I didn't expect this when I said yes to Jesus."  But it was there that John will be given a vision of the end of the world, the end of times, the kingdom age, the new Jerusalem, the new heavens and the new earth.  Just think of the journey in saying "yes" to Jesus and what it would mean for us and what excitement it would mean for them as they left everything.

Well, let's look at these two brothers, Verse 21, "Then going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the Son of Zebedee and John his brother.  Now, they were in the boat with Zebedee their father mending their nets he called them and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.  Now, they're sitting in the boat with dad and they get up and they leave dad holding the net.  "See you dad, we're out of here," "hey wait, where you kids going?"  "You're on the clock.  You just can't leave."  "See you, we're out of here, we're not coming home for dinner," and they were gone.

Now James is mentioned, this is James, the son of John or the brother of John but I just want to throw this in so you don't get thrown up later on.  There are two men who are Jesus' Apostles who are named James.  This James and another guy named James, the son of Alphaeus.  He's called James the Less.  This guy here is known as James the greater because James is in the inner circle with Jesus then there's another James.  Later on, who is the half-brother of Jesus, one of the sons of Mary and Joseph who is a non-believer in during Jesus ministry who will become a believer after the resurrection and will become in-charge of the church at Jerusalem.

So there's three James you have to keep in your mind as you go through this narrative.  This is James the fisherman, the brother of John, John who wrote the Gospel of John, first, second and third John and the Book of Revelation those are the Zebedee boys.

Now, do you remember the nickname that Jesus is going to give to James and John?  Sons of Thunder, because these two boys and I don't know how you picture John and James who might speak picture them very meek.  I don't picture them that way at all.  I picture them sort of rowdy because after all, he called them Sons of Thunder because they were going to a town in Samaria.  The Samaritans had a different world view and didn't really believe in the Jewish Messiah.  They didn't receive Jesus as the Messiah and they really didn't like Jesus because he was on his way to Jerusalem and these Samaritans hated Jerusalem.

So, James and John suggested to Jesus that they call fire down from heaven and destroy all the Samaritans as if they have the power to do so.  I think they were asking permission, "Lord, could you give us the power to nuke them."  I don't picture them as meek and mild.  I picture them as like the New Testament skinhead.  Do you know the gauze?  Their robes were black leather. They were the tough kids on the block.  Now they get change as they follow Jesus but Jesus humorously nicknamed them Sons of Thunder.

Now here's the good news, they get transformed from Sons of Thunder to Sons of Wonder.  Jesus does a wonderful work in their lives.  John's writings are some of the most gracious beautiful Christ exalting literature in all of the Bible.  He's a changed man because Jesus gets a hold of him and so I love that.  He takes us the way we are with our personalities as rough and rugged as we are but he's in the process of changing you.  I don't know how far his gotten in your life.  He's got a ways to go on me but a lot of changes have happened nonetheless and so it is with these men.

Now, John is going to give himself a name.  Jesus will call him Sons of Thunder.  Remember what John calls himself?  Yes, he calls himself, "I'm the disciple that Jesus loved."  Now, you might hear then go, "Gosh, that's kind of frightful."  No, I think it's beautiful because you know what?  I consider myself the disciple that Jesus loved.  And I hope you consider yourself the one that Jesus loves.

It's so personal to John and he felt so close to Jesus.  He felt that love so distinctly that he said, "Yeah, I'm the one Jesus loved."  That's how he calls himself by that name in his gospel.  What would've happen if John would've sat in that boat with his brother, look to his brother and said, "I don't know, should we do it?"  "I don't know.  It's a big risk.  We got a good job here."  "You know when dad's dead, it could be soon, we're going to have the business, it's ours man.  It's part of the inheritance we're the kids.

And we've work long and hard on this lake, we built up a reputation.  I think it's safer just to -- well, we can support this messianic thing and send a check every now and then but let's just stay foot too risky."  No, they immediately left everything including dad and I know they were glad they made that choice.

Is there some area of further service ministry that God is calling some of you too?  But you've been wrestling and you think boy, risky, to leave my comfort zone to go to another country or to another place to another city to another group of people whatever the case might be.  If it's the prompting of the Lord, listen to that, surrender to that.  Don't move too quickly.  Don't move ahead of the Lord but don't dig your heels in neither.  If it's the Lord's call, immediately, they left the boat and their father and they followed him.

Now, Verse 23 is the summary.  We're getting into the Sermon on the Mount.  You can tell I'm going slow.  Don't think I'm going to finish Chapter 5.  If we finish the beatitudes tonight, we'll be blessed by God but this is important material here and here's what Matthew is doing.  Matthew's focus is going to be on what Jesus said the sermons Jesus gave.  Five discourses that he gives are highlighted in the Gospel of Matthew.  The first one is coming up in Chapter 5, 6 and 7.  We call it the Sermon on the Mount.

So what Matthew does before he gets there to that first great discourse, that first great message is gives us a little resume, a little summary.  Here's a summary of Jesus' ministry activity and geography.  This is what he was doing and he just sums it up neatly in a verse or two.

Jesus went about all Galilee teaching in the Synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.  Let me just frame something for you so you understand the impact of that statement.  I talked about Galilee, the Northern District, the Lake.  The area of Galilee comprised 28,000 square miles.  It was 40 miles wide by 70 miles tall if you look at it on a map.  According to Josephus there were 204 towns, cities, villages in the area of Galilee, 204.  And Josephus said, "Each of those had no less than 15,000 people."  So that makes the population of Galilee around three million people at the time of Jesus.

Now I'll be fair, there are some disputes about that.  A lot of scholars reckoned three million a little high for Galilee.  And it might be so and here's their reasoning, when Josephus wrote that which was around 60, 66 A.D.  He was the Governor of Galilee.  He was the head political official and it is thought that Josephus wanted to sort of give the impression that he was the Governor over a large of group of people so he embellished the numbers a little bit.  Josephus isn't a Biblical writer, he's a historian.  So it could be that there were 350,000 people but add a zero to it and makes it more impressive on the books especially for the Romans and he was friends with the Romans.  We can't be certain, that's just what he writes.

But it was a sizable populated area also known as we mentioned last time the Galilee of the gentiles because many gentiles made war there and settled around that area.  So he sums it up.  And he was in Galilee and noticed the three activities Jesus did, preaching the gospel of the kingdom or first of all teaching in the Synagogues.  Second, preaching the gospel of the kingdom and third, healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.  Now please notice the order of those activities because when ancient historians wrote, they put the thing item of most importance as number one.

Number one, I believe to Jesus as seen in the Gospel of Matthew.  We'll get into in Chapter 5.  He's teaching.  He taught people.  He expounded the description.  He's doing what we're to doing.

Taking precepts and principles, then he was preaching the gospel of the kingdom to unbelievers.  Unbelievers need the preaching of the gospel.  Believers don't really need the preaching of the gospel.  They're saved.  They need the teaching of the word to grow.  And then third, he was healing.

Now some people would've reverse the order and said, "Jesus was healing.  He had a healing ministry."  Yes he did but that was subservient to preaching which was subservient to teaching.  Number one on his list was teaching, precept upon precept.  Helping people understand the truce of God.  I do believe that many ministries are out of balance.  Many so called healing ministries or even so called preaching ministries because there's no teaching.  It's filled with exhortation.  You ought to be doing this.  You ought to love more.  You ought to evangelize more, you ought to do this.  That's great, that's exhortation or proclamation.

But when you keep telling people every week you ought to be doing this.  You ought to be doing that.  If you don't tell them how to do it, if you don't teach them how to do it, it's very frustrating.  So in all preaching and all exhortation is very frustrating to sit under.  It's like your constantly getting kicked and kicked and kicked and patted and imprudent.  The people or poor people are crying out, "Just teach me how to do this is what you're telling me".  So teaching is so important and Jesus did that.  Then his fame went throughout all of Syria and they brought to him all the sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments and those who were demon possessed, epileptics, paralytics and he healed them.

Jesus popularity went up north to Syria not to a Galilean.  They didn't think of Syria and the nation of Syria properly but anything north of Galilee to a Galilean with Syria to them.  They didn't think much about the other geography above and beyond that, just whatever's north of us, that's Syria.  So Jesus popularity went far up north.  And what excited people and what drew the crowds, no doubt, was the excitement over his healing miracles.  I understand that

If you've had a friend who's been blind their whole life and suddenly he can see or somebody who can't walk, walking down the street carrying his mat, that'll get your attention.  And these were bona fide healings.  It's not like, "Oh yes, my friend had a cold and now he is healed," or "a soar throat and a touch of the flu," I mean these were incurable diseases.  Instantly they were made whole.  It got people's attention.

And what really got their attention is the first words out of Jesus mouth then accompanied by the science and miracles was this message "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."  Every Jewish person hearing that, their mind went all the way back to Isaiah 11, all the way back to Isaiah 35.  Those great messianic kingdom age prophecies so they're naturally thinking the kingdom age is upon us.  What we recall the Millennial Kingdom.

We know that is the Millennium from a New Testament perspective when we put all the scriptures together, we see those as being fulfilled during the thousands years when Jesus reigns on earth that still to come.  To the disciples and to the Jewish audience back then when Jesus preached the kingdom and authenticated who he was with miracles they thought, "This is it.  We're about to enter that great messianic epoch, the Era of the Messiah because that will be a time marked with a freedom of disease, the absence of pain, the absence of sorrow like Revelation tells us.  No crying, no sickness, no sorrow, no death.  They thought it was here and now.  Brings up a question, what does Jesus mean when he says, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand?"

Now, the interpret of that to me in the Messianic Era, the kingdom ages upon us.  It doesn't mean it's about to be fulfilled as much as the kingdom of God in the presences of the person of the king is here with you.  I am the king of the kingdom and the king has come to you and wherever the king is and whom or ever the king rules over, that is his kingdom.  And he believed and say that later on that that my kingdom is not from this earth, my kingdom is from above.  It's not at this world.  Now there will come a day in the future when his kingdom will be a worldwide earthly powerful kingdom but since 2000 years up until now, it's not.  But the King resides in us and rules over those that will give him that free reign.

Verse 25, great multitudes followed him from Galilee from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and beyond Jordan.  He's drawn a huge circle.  I mentioned last for 100-mile circle, he's drawing.  This is how widespread Jesus ministry has become.  Now you see the word Decapolis, it's really easy what it means.  Just cut it in a half, Deca-Polis, 10-cities, that's what Decapolis means, 10 cities because the Decapolis was a ring of 10 Greco Roman cities from Damascus down to Galilee mostly on the eastern side of the Jordan, east of the sea of Galilee and present day Jordan where the Roman sought to have a Roman influence in that far eastern part of the Roman Empire.  So they called that "The Decapolis".  They had Roman baths, they had the Roman road systems, they had the beautiful temples and much of that is inexistence and some of these places today.

If you come with us to Israel coming up this year, we'll take you down to the capital of the Decapolis which was known as Scythopolis or the Old Testament named Beit She'an and you will see some of the buildings, the Greco-Roman buildings from this time and the streets that are many of them pretty intact amazingly so.  Even though the city was destroyed with an earthquake, a lot of it is still intact Jerusalem, Judea and beyond Jordan.

Verse 1 Matthew 5 and seeing the multitudes, he went up on a mountain and when he was seated, his disciples came to him.  And he open his mouth and he thought them saying, "Let's read through this a little bit, blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.  Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.  Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.  Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.  Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.  Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.  Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven."

When I was a baby Christian, my first Bible was a paperback.  It was the TEV, Today's English Version.  It was called on the front cover of Good News for Modern Man, just a New Testament.  And the first book that I read was the first book under the cover; the Gospel of Matthew wasn't Genesis, it was the New Testament.  So all I knew the first, my first I cut my teeth on Matthew.  I started reading it and I thought, "Wow, this is powerful."  Then I decided because I started getting into Chapter 1, 2, 3, 4 and then to beatitudes and my life started really changing.  I was two weeks in the Lord and I'm reading to beatitudes.  I decided or somebody told me I needed to get a real Bible like a whole Bible.

So I went down to a Bible bookstore and I bought a Red Letter Edition that genuine fake leather cardboard binding Old and New Testament.  And it said Red Letter and I didn't know what that Read Letter, "What is Red Letter?" and then it said, "Oh, Words of Christ in Red."  So I went back and I started in Matthew Chapter 1, 2, 3 and 4 and I thought, "Boy, if the words of Christ are in red, he didn't have a lot to say."  There are a lot of black words here, not a lot of red word.  Then I came to Chapter 5 and I went, "Oh goodness, there's a lot on his mind," because Chapter 5, 6 and 7 is all Jesus talking.  It's all red letters.

As I started reading through the Sermon on the Mount and found what was on Jesus' mind, a lot of it was very comforting to me.  A lot of it was bothersome to me because I was convicted by what I read.  I saw there's a whole difference standard of living that up to that point I haven't been living in.

Now, it's called -- we call it the Sermon on the Mount, right?  That's what your Bible says, mine says the Sermon on the Mount in a little paragraph heading.  I don't like that title.  First of all, because well, once you see the little rolling hill where Jesus preach this, it's hardly a mount and we're used to a mountain of 10,000 plus feet right outside our door.

And you'll see this little lake lamp(ph) and they'll say, "This is the mount where the Sermon on the Mount was preached," and you're going to go, "really, that's it?"  It sorts to takes the steam away, the thunder away.  So it's not accurate.  Second, there's no information in the title the Sermon on the Mount.  That's like if I said Sunday morning, "The name of my sermon this morning is called the Sermon from the Pulpit."  Doesn't introduce to any theme, it just tells you where I'm preaching it from and what's in front of me.  So I don't like calling it.  It's really not the Sermon on the Mount.  It's a Mountain of a Sermon.

Here's a better title, the Sermon of the Monarch.  It's the king giving the manifesto of the kingdom, that's what it is.  This is kingdom living.  This is someone whose life is under the authority of King Jesus.  This is what their life will be like.  This is how they enter the kingdom.  This is how they walk in the kingdom, et cetera.

The Sermon of the Mount is the greatest sermon ever preached by the greatest person whoever lived, how is that?  And when he was done preaching it, the people went, "Wow!" you go, "really I've never read that.  I never read wow."  Well, that's the NSV, that's the New Skipped Version translating -- look at Matthew 7 Verse 28, so it was when Jesus had ended this things that the people where astonished at his teaching.  I translate that as, "Wow that was awesome Jesus," for he taught them as one having authority and not as describes.  It was a riveting sermon.  It's a powerful sermon showing their relationship to the law, their relationship to the kingdom, three incredible chapters.  It's a Mountain of a Sermon, it's a Sermon of the Monarch.

Now in Verse 1, it says, "I've seen the multitude," he went up on the mountain.  And look at this, when he was seated, his disciples came to him.  He opened his mouth and he taught them saying, Jesus didn't stand for the sermon.  He didn't stand in front of a pulpit for the sermon.  That's a really a western idea, we stand and you seat.  In those days, it was reversed.  The pupils would stand, the teacher would seat.  The Rabbi often taught his disciples in number of ways.  If you wanted to teach them sort of casually, he would walk with them but that was considered informal, unofficial.  If the Rabbi wanted to give an official teaching to demonstrate authority, he would be seated.

Now, if you are familiar with the university system, you've heard this statement, that professor has a chair in the university we call it.  I mean it's a position of honor and authority.  He's a chaired professor.  He's speaking from a seated position or authoritative position that comes from this practice.  If you are Roman Catholic, you're familiar with the term "Ex Cathedra."  I remember hearing that term as a child.  The Pope has spoken Ex Cathedra; that means from the chairs seated upon the chair in Saint Peters, he's giving a church dogma.  And if he says that Ex Cathedra, they consider it as good as the scripture unfortunately.

But it's a position of authority, so Jesus as the Rabbi was seated.  And noticed something, he's not teaching the crowds.  He allows them to eavesdrop.  It says his disciples came to him and he taught them thing.  He saw the multitudes, he sat down, his disciples came to him and he taught them, that is the disciples.  It's a very important key here because a lot of people say, "Well, you know the Sermon on the Mount is the standard of salvation.  If you want to be saved, you need to practice and do these things in the Sermon on the Mount and you can get to heaven."  Good luck.  Do you think that Ten Commandments are hard?  We'll get to this topic.  Other says well this is a charter of nations and I've read where authors have encouraged heads of the state to employ the Sermon on the Mount to bring peace on earth, goodwill toward men.  Listen, telling an unbeliever to act like a Christian is idiocy.

There's no transformation.  There's no new birth yet.  They need a new birth.  Jesus has to change the earth.  The King has to reside in there.  The Kingdom of God hasn't come yet to that person.  Now, this is the king giving the manifesto of the kingdom that is enabled and I'll show you how to enter the kingdom, how to walk with the king, how to grow with the king.  I'll show you that whole transformation process, but this is not telling an unbeliever how to be saved.

So Jesus sat down.  The disciples came to Him, Verse 2, He opened His mouth and He taught them saying.  Now, I just can't resist saying this because it's right here.  A modern church strategist would just read this and, "Oh, no.  Why did he do that?"  I mean, He's got a crowd out there.  Beyond these few disciples, He's got a crowd of very interested people who have seen miracles.  These are unbelievers.  They're unconverted.  They're religious but they're unconverted.  The disciples are already part of the Kingdom.  This isn't time to do church.  This is time to hold a crusade.  Jesus should've been preaching how to get saved and telling them that whole repentance message and going in-depth.  Why teach the disciples?  Because that's the disciples' job.

Again, I can't resist and what do we care if we finish Chapter 5 this week or next week or the week after.  So, turn with me to Chapter 9 -- Matthew Chapter 9.  I'll breeze through it.  Yeah, right.  Matthew 9, watch this, watch the pattern just so you understand Jesus thinking and how He is doing things.  Matthew 9 Verse 35, "Jesus went about all the cities and villages teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing every sickness, every disease among the people," very similar to what we read, "But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them because they were weary and scattered like sheep having no shepherd."

Now listen to what Jesus -- he didn't say, "Hold on boys.  Bring him here.  Let me say a few words to them."  He said to his disciples, "The harvest is truly plentiful, but the laborers are few.  Therefore, pray that the Lord of the harvest send out laborers into his harvest."  See where he's thinking here?  He's thinking, "We need more helpers out here.  There's a big field."

So, "When He had called His 12 disciples to them, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease."  Their names are given, Verse 5, "These 12 Jesus sent out and commanded them saying, 'Do not go into the way of the gentiles.  Do not enter a city of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  And as you go, preach saying, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand."

Do you see the pattern of Jesus?  He's going to teach His disciples the truth and then He's going to turn the disciples lose.  That's Jesus' method -- teach them truths, turn them lose.  Teach the disciples, get them to preach and let them go out and do it.  So he said, "Pray to the Lord of the Harvest."  Probably, I don't know.  But could it be between Chapter 9 and 10, they started praying, "Hey, did you hear what Jesus said?  Did He say we have to pray for more laborers?  "So Peter, you go ahead.  You're the guy I've already mentioned first.  So why don't you lead us in prayer, Peter."  "Okay.  Lord, I pray to You to send a whole lot more people into the harvest field and do the work like Jesus said.  Amen."  Then you get to Chapter 10 and Jesus says, "Boys, your prayers have been answered.  Go, I'm answering your prayer by sending you into the harvest field."

So do you understand why teaching, equipping saints is so important because it's God's people who will go out into the community?  A lot of people get saved at this church.  A lot of people come to Christ Wednesday nights, Saturday nights, Sunday mornings.  It's not because I'm some great preacher.  It's because you're obedient to Christ, you're well taught, you're well fed, you go out, you do evangelism, you invite them to Church, I'll just throw out the net from time to time and all of your work in cooperation with the spirit of God they get caught in the net and we all rejoice together.  So Jesus trains the disciples and dispatches them into the world and they go out.

So, back to Matthew 5 -- wow, we made it to two verses, "He opened his mouth and he taught them, saying, 'Blessed."  That's a word you find in every one of these beatitudes.  That's why they're called "Beatitudes" because it begins with the word "blessed".  Now these are beatitudes, it's been often said, it tells us who a Christian is.  It's our character.  It's not what we do.  It's who we are.  They're not called do-attitudes.  They're called be-attitudes.  This is what you are and I am to be by the grace of God.

It begins with the word "blessed", "Makarios" in Greek, A better term -- blissful, happy, contented, not a surface temporary joy but something deep and abiding.  "Oh, how happy to be envied.  Oh, how blissful --" he says, "-- are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

This is how you enter the kingdom:  To enter the kingdom of heaven, you have to come humbly.  You don't come proud.  You don't come puffed up and saying, "Well, I'm this and I'm that, and I've earned," you come poor in spirit.  The word poor is the Greek word "Ptochos", and it literally means threadbare, poverty-stricken.  It speaks of abject poverty.  Destitute would be a better term.  Bankrupt would be another term.  In classical Greek, it described a person who had one hand over his face not to be recognized by the crowd on one hand out for a handout.  But he put one hand over like, "Don't look at me."  That's poor in spirit.  "I'm so poor.  I'm so bankrupt.  I have no resources in and of myself."  That's how you enter the kingdom.

Nobody is in the Kingdom of God who has entered as a proud, self-asserting, a person who has earned it, but someone who recognizes, "I'm bankrupt."  "Nothing in my hand I bring," is that old hymn.  Rock of Ages goes, "Nothing in my hand I bring simply to thy cross I cling." "I'm bankrupt before God."

If you send a sinner to school, you'll have an educated sinner.  If you send a sinner to psychiatrist, you'll have a well-adjusted sinner.  Give a sinner money and you'll have a wealthy sinner.  Give a sinner religion, have him sign a pledge card and join a church and you'll have a religious sinner.  But Send a sinner repentant of his sin to the cross, and you'll have a forgiven sinner.

So the idea is I recognize my, "I'm broke before God.  I'm poverty-stricken.  I can't make it on my own," that's how I enter -- lowly, poor, bankrupt.  Then Verse 4, "Blessed are those who mourn:  for they shall be comforted."  Because I realized I'm bankrupt, I come number one humbly, I come number two sorrowfully.  I'm mourning over my sin.  "Oh God, forgive me, forgive me."

Now, notice it doesn't say, "Blessed are those who moan."  This isn't a scripture, "Oh, I can complain.  It's right their in the bible.  It's my favorite verse.  I can whine.  It doesn't say, "Blessed are the whiners."  Whiners aren't blessed and anybody around them is not either.  Mourning is different than moaning.  Oh, by the way.  In the first beatitude, it doesn't say, "Blessed are the poor."  I've heard this mistranslated, "Blessed in spirit are the poor," it didn't say that.  There's nothing that's a spiritual blessing about being poor.  It's a spiritual condition, "Blessed are the poor in spirit," poverty-stricken in spirit.  That is, "Spiritually, I have nothing with which I could ever approach God in and of myself," that's being poor in spirit.

That causes number two that I mourn over my sin, sorrowful over my sin.  "Blessed are those who mourn: they shall be comforted."  Now, this sounds like an oxymoron -- "blessed" or "Oh, how happy are those who mourn."  One translation says, "Happy are the sad."  See, that doesn't compute to us at all.  It didn't make any sense because in America, in the west here, we think that the way to happiness is to avoid sadness, to avoid the pain, to avoid ministry -- misery.

No, that wasn't a Freudian slip.  Ministry is pure joy.  But the avoidance of bad things brings happiness.  "Happy are the sad," that's Phillip's translation.  It doesn't compute.  It's an oxymoron.  It sounds like a self-contradictory statement.  But it's blessed because I'm going to get comforted because I realized, in and of myself I have nothing, I come to God in that condition, I'm mourning over my sin and I'm comforted because of the forgiveness that comes because of it.

I wish we had time to go through it but we don't.  But right in the margin of your Bible, or look it up later -- Luke Chapter 18, Jesus gives a parable about two people approaching God.  One of them is a Pharisee and he prays out loud, "God, I thank you that I'm not like other people.  I'm not like that person or that person.  I'm really cool and I'm really awesome and I'm fast and I tied(ph)."  I'm taken a little bit of liberality in translating it.

But then there was someone else, a tax collector.  Now, everybody hated tax collectors and this tax collector had the right idea.  He knew that he was bankrupt before God and he wouldn't even lift eyes up toward heaven, that's poor in spirit.  He looked down and he beat his breast, that's mourning.  He said, "God, be merciful to me -- a sinner," right?  Remember the story?  There's a man who is poor in spirit and there's a man who is mourning over his poverty of spirit.  And Jesus said, "That man went away justified."

The first men didn't go away justified.  He went away proud.  He was a religious prideful person, "God, I thank you that I'm not like a lot of these other creeps around here.  Hallelujah, praise God!"  Jesus said, "He's not justified."  If you're not poor in spirit, you don't mourn over your sin.  If you don't mourn over your sin, you are not justified before God.

If you're poor in spirit, you will mourn over your sin.  When you mourn over your sin, it brings you into the state of justification that's called repentance, that's called repentance.  And it's lacking in modern preaching and it's lacking in modern Christianity and it's a hallmark of the New Testament.  And Jesus said, "That's how you enter the Kingdom," recognizing you're bankrupt, mourning over your sins, and that turns you into a person who is meek, Verse 5, "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth."

We'll finish it up there next week, from there.  I'll give you a little bit of a teaser for next week.  I'll explain what meekness is.  But here's a sort of a shortcut.  Just take the word "meek" and cut in two and you'll get the idea, "me-ek".  That should help.  You see, the first beatitude comes from seeing who God is.  And in seeing who God is and seeing how amazingly pure God is, it makes you realize, "I'm bankrupt spiritually.  He's amazing.  It causes you to mourn."  And as you mourn, part of that mourning is you are now seeing yourself in light of who God is and it creates this powerful transformation of meekness and I'll explain it in more detail next week.

Father in heaven, thank you for the ministry that happened around Galilee and Jerusalem, and how the Gospel has gone forth from Jerusalem through Judea, into Samaria and then to the uttermost parts of the earth, and one of those uttermost parts is our little town here and our little lives here and how the good news has reached us.  And as You called those disciples to follow you, You've called us to follow you.  Some of us have a capacity of what has been called fulltime ministry.  But in reality, all of us were called to follow You and serve You fulltime.  No matter what is our paycheck from or our means of living, we're followers of Christ.  We're disciples.

Lord, show us how we can fish for men and women souls.  Lord, I would pray for anyone who's here tonight, who's not a part of the kingdom, the king -- King Jesus, is not reigning in their hearts.  He's not ruling in their lives.  They never ask Him to sit upon the throne of their heart.  Up to this point, they've been very content to rule their own lives.  It could be, Father, I don't know but it's probable that some lately, have seen the fallacy in that, the emptiness and self-rule and the need to be ruled by Christ.

Lord, we want to give you an opportunity to speak and to bring men or women into that gospel net(ph) tonight, if it is cast once again and we trust that Your spirit Lord would do that work of convincing and convicting, drawing and ultimately saving.

As we're praying right now, and we're about to close in a song, could be that some of you tonight are not believers?  It's not personal to you.  You're not really following Jesus.  You never made a conscious personal decision to make Jesus Christ your savior and your Lord.  You've never asked Him to forgive your sins and to become your savior and your master.  And maybe you are experiencing right now that drawing work of the spirit of God.  He's telling you, "Come to me.  All you who labor under heavy laden, I will give you rest.  Come to me.  Broken as you are, acknowledging your imperfection and your sin and I'll forgive you just as you are."

Maybe you're hearing that clear voice to come to Jesus tonight.  It could be that some other still made some decision when they were younger, but that was sidelined.  It was the emotion of a moment.  It was a good feeling for a few months but you're not walking with the Lord tonight and Jesus is speaking to you and saying, "Come home."

And Father, we thank you for our time together.  Thank you for the blessings that we've gleaned as we have studied through this short little section of Matthew and his testimony.  In Jesus' name, amen.

Additional Messages in this Series

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9/7/2011
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Matthew 1:1-18
Matthew 1:1-18
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As we turn our attention to the New Testament, Pastor Skip explains what transpired during the 400 years of silence since the Old Testament. Our firm grasp of the political setting, language, and Matthew's purpose and perspective establishes a solid foundation for understanding his gospel. In Matthew 1, we see Jesus revealed as the royal Heir to the throne of David—the Messiah, Immanuel: God with us.
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9/14/2011
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Matthew 1:18-2:23
Matthew 1:18-2:23
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Every year people around the world recognize the birth of a poor Jewish child born in an insignificant city. The birth of Jesus Christ, as recorded in the Scriptures, beckons us to worship and obey the King of the Jews. Let's examine Matthew's account of the miraculous circumstances of the nativity and the prophecies it fulfilled.
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9/21/2011
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Matthew 3
Matthew 3
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Jesus called John the Baptist the greatest man among those born of women. John saw himself in the light of who Jesus is: not even worthy to loose His sandal. From the womb, he was filled with the Spirit, continually pointing people to Christ. Let's consider this powerful prophet, his ministry, and the message he preached.
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9/28/2011
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Matthew 4:1-17
Matthew 4:1-17
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Prior to the start of Jesus' public earthly ministry, He was led up to be tempted by the devil. As we review His encounter with Satan, we uncover important principles of spiritual warfare. We consider not only when and how Jesus was tempted, but also how He fought—and the ministry that began on the heels of the battle.
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10/19/2011
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Matthew 5:5-16
Matthew 5:5-16
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The economy in God's Kingdom is quite different from that of the world: it's paradoxical; it's progressive. Let's consider the Beatitudes and discover what kingdom living looks like, and how it impacts those around us.
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10/26/2011
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Matthew 5:17-32
Matthew 5:17-32
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The multitudes listening to Jesus teach were undoubtedly shaken by His powerful statement: "Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:20). How, then, could one be saved? As we continue our study of the Sermon on the Mount, we remember that salvation is not available through human achievement--only by divine accomplishment.
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11/2/2011
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Matthew 5:33-6:8
Matthew 5:33-6:8
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As we continue our study of the Sermon on the Mount, we'll grow in our understanding of the contrasts between the world and the kingdom of heaven. Followers of Jesus are called to a righteousness that exceeds that of the scribes and the Pharisees—a righteousness based on our genuine relationship with Christ, rather than mere outward obedience.
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11/9/2011
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Matthew 6:9-34
Matthew 6:9-34
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Jesus taught His disciples to pray in this manner: "Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10). As we continue our study of the Sermon on the Mount, we learn that when we make God's kingdom our focus, He provides everything we need.
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11/16/2011
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Matthew 7
Matthew 7
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Jesus calls His followers to live differently from the world -- to live a kingdom lifestyle. In this study from the Sermon on the Mount, we consider what kingdom living looks like in both our relationships with others and our relationship with God.
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12/7/2011
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Matthew 8:1-26
Matthew 8:1-26
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Throughout his gospel account, Matthew presents Jesus as the Messiah. Building upon the foundation of fulfilled prophecy, Jesus' identity is authenticated by miraculous signs. As we examine Matthew chapter eight, let's consider the compassion and grace Jesus demonstrates.
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1/18/2012
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Matthew 8:23-9:9
Matthew 8:23-9:9
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Matthew carefully crafted his gospel to speak directly to the hearts of his Jewish audience. Through his detailed record of Jesus' genealogy, fulfilled prophecy, Jesus' actions, instructions, and miracles, Matthew proves that Jesus is Messiah. Let's take a close look at several of those miracles, and gain a firm grasp of His Deity.
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1/25/2012
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Matthew 9:10-31
Matthew 9:10-31
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To the Pharisees, tax collectors and sinners were part of a lower, unpleasant class. But Jesus longed for fellowship with all people. He shared intimate meals with them, ministered to their needs, and reached out to the unlovely. As we study this passage in Matthew 9, we learn how we are also called to be heralds of the good news that brings spiritual health and enduring joy.
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2/1/2012
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Matthew 9:32-10:31
Matthew 9:32-10:31
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The Lord calls His followers to proclaim His message to the world—we are appointed to carry out a divine purpose. We learn in this study that we, like the apostles, find abundant life only in letting go of our own ambitions, plans, and comfort.
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2/8/2012
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Matthew 10:32-11:19
Matthew 10:32-11:19
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In His second major discourse of Matthew, Jesus equips and instructs His apostles about going into the world and reaping the spiritual harvest. In this passage, Jesus expounds on the courage needed to complete the mission and warns His followers of certain persecution. He reminds us that while not all who hear will believe, God's wisdom is powerfully demonstrated in changed lives.
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2/15/2012
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Matthew 11:16-30
Matthew 11:16-30
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In order to truly worship God, you must know Him. Speaking clearly and openly in this passage, Jesus proclaims some of His strongest warnings and makes some of His most intimate promises. He reveals the Father to His followers and assures us that life lived under His rule yields peace and rest.
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2/22/2012
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Matthew 12:1-21
Matthew 12:1-21
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Though God intended the Sabbath to be a day of rest, keeping the Sabbath became difficult work by New Testament times. The oral traditions of the Pharisees had become weighty burdens-burdens the Lord did not mean for His people to bear. In this passage, Jesus demonstrates mercy and the true intent of the Sabbath as He and His disciples meet physical needs in the face of strong opposition.
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2/29/2012
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Matthew 12:22-42
Matthew 12:22-42
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Though our current culture embraces a form of spirituality, the biblical view of God, Satan, and good versus evil has been dismissed by most. Ignorance and indifference cause them to relegate Satan to the stuff of fairy tales and myth. In this study from Matthew 12, Jesus demonstrates His authority over the devil and his minions--giving us a glimpse into the supernatural and a reminder that, "He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4).
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3/7/2012
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Matthew 12:43-13:17
Matthew 12:43-13:17
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Jesus consistently brought His message of hope to the common man: He spoke in parables to bring revelation to His followers and to conceal heavenly truth from the hard-hearted. In this message, we examine parables of our Master Teacher and Holy Judge, and discover that truth can be a blessing, but also a curse--we must be diligent to understand and apply God's Word to our lives.
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3/14/2012
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Matthew 13:18-52
Matthew 13:18-52
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Jesus often used parables to explain spiritual truth to His followers. In Matthew 13, His seven kingdom parables are recorded--word pictures which explain the beginning, opposition, expansion, and culmination of His kingdom. Let's consider His teachings and apply these lessons, so that we may be fellow workers with Him in spreading the good news.
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3/21/2012
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Matthew 13:53-14:36
Matthew 13:53-14:36
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In this passage from the gospel of Matthew, we see powerful examples of the results of both faith and the lack of it. Those who might have known Jesus best failed to trust in Him and missed out on His work in their lives, while others were carried through the storm in His care. As we consider our own trials, we should rest in His hands, knowing He has power to change us and use our lives for His glory.
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3/28/2012
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Matthew 15
Matthew 15
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God is less concerned with the outward appearance than He is with the inward attitude. In this passage, Jesus boldly proclaims truth in a confrontation with the Pharisees, warning his followers to avoid hypocrisy. We also witness His tender response to the persistent faith of a Gentile woman, and His mercy for the multitudes. As we study Matthew 15, let's consider our own approach to Him: Do we recognize that we cannot live without Him?
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4/11/2012
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Matthew 16:1-20
Matthew 16:1-20
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Through stern rebuke, gentle prodding, and powerful teaching, Jesus instructs those around Him about who He is and how we can know and serve Him. Matthew 16 records several lessons in faith - warnings and wisdom which encourage us in our own spiritual journey.
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4/25/2012
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Matthew 16:21-17:27
Matthew 16:21-17:27
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Jesus calls His followers to deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Him. From this passage, we gain a clearer understanding of what it means to exalt Him as King in our lives and also get a preview of His future glory, when He will reign over all the earth.
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5/2/2012
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Matthew 18
Matthew 18
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How should sin be dealt with? As we examine Matthew 18, we learn not only to deal radically with sin in our own lives, but also the steps toward reconciliation with a sinning brother.
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6/13/2012
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Matthew 19
Matthew 19
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In the U.S., the lifestyle of Christians often mirrors that of unbelievers--divorce, self-indulgence, misaligned priorities. Using God's Word to teach lessons about divorce and eternal life, Jesus exhorts his followers to enter the kingdom of heaven--to live in wholehearted faith and obedience to the Him. Let's consider what Scripture says about godly living and the reward Jesus promises to His faithful followers.
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6/20/2012
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Matthew 20
Matthew 20
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As followers of Christ, what awaits us in eternity? In this study, we consider not only our eternal home but also our eternal reward. Saved by grace through faith, we must see beyond the circumstances and status of this world, and look toward our future glory.
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7/11/2012
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Matthew 21:1-32
Matthew 21:1-32
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In this intriguing passage, Jesus enters Jerusalem in a precise fulfillment of prophecy. It's an exciting study, where those who know they need forgiveness find refreshment and hope—and those who rely on their own righteousness receive a stern rebuke.
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7/18/2012
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Matthew 21:33-22:22
Matthew 21:33-22:22
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Jesus taught with complete authority, denouncing the misconceptions of the religious leaders of the day. With skill and precision, Jesus uses parables and their own words to silence their challenges and expose their motives. Let's consider His words, heed His warnings, and remember that He alone is righteous and worthy of praise.
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7/25/2012
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Matthew 22:23-23:39
Matthew 22:23-23:39
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In dealing with the Pharisees and Sadducees, Jesus speaks wisely, uncompromisingly, and with the authority of heaven—His Words shoot straight to the heart. Though many try to fit Jesus into their pre-conceived mold—to accept Him and His Words only as far as they are comfortable—we learn here danger of that the perilous position.
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8/1/2012
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Matthew 24:1-30
Matthew 24:1-30
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In this passage—the Olivet Discourse— Jesus provides a summary of end time events: the future of the world. We look forward to the Rapture and the Second Coming of Jesus, but those found outside of Christ face unparalleled suffering and judgment. Let's contemplate the wrath of God that's in store for this world—and share the hope of the gospel with those who don't yet know Him.
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8/8/2012
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Matthew 24:31-25:46
Matthew 24:31-25:46
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In this section of the Olivet Discourse, we consider Jesus' Warning Parables. As we examine the text, let's remember that while the church escapes judgment, many are left to suffer the Great Tribulation. We must be righteous, be ready, and be responsible.
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8/15/2012
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Matthew 26:1-30
Matthew 26:1-30
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As Jesus gathered with His disciples to observe the Passover one last time, He brought fresh meaning to a festival which had been celebrated for thousands of years. Rather than a memorial to their physical deliverance from bondage in Egypt, the meal represents His broken body and shed blood—and spiritual deliverance from sin for those who believe.
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8/22/2012
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Matthew 26:31-75
Matthew 26:31-75
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Following the Last Supper, Jesus entered the Garden of Gethsemane and willingly surrendered Himself to the will of the Father: Jesus was crushed for our sin, abandoned to the Cross, so that we might have fellowship with Him. As we study Matthew 26, we consider the spiritual battle before us, the choices we make, and the ultimate victory that is ours through Jesus Christ.
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8/29/2012
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Matthew 27:1-50
Matthew 27:1-50
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In this message, we see the ultimate demonstration of God's love—the cross. Jesus, the King of the Jews, was betrayed, falsely accused, illegally tried, scourged, and ultimately crucified. As we consider the details of His crucifixion and death, how could we be anything except amazed and humbled?
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9/19/2012
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Matthew 27:50-66
Matthew 27:50-66
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As He hung on the cross, betrayed by his friends and separated from His Father, Jesus declared "It is finished!" Victorious, not defeated—He completed the work the Father gave Him to do. In that dark hour, the grave gave up some of her dead, the earth quaked, and in the temple, the curtain that separated men from God was torn from top to bottom. As we study this text, let's consider the price Jesus paid to redeem us and the personal, intimate fellowship with God now available.
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9/26/2012
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Matthew 28
Matthew 28
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Jesus' resurrection: great news for His disciples—troubling news to his enemies. As the chief priests grappled with a cover up, the disciples met with the risen Lord and were commissioned to "Go and make disciples of all the nations." As we consider our text, we discover the good news for ourselves: Jesus is not dead—He's alive and has all authority in heaven and earth.
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There are 36 additional messages in this series.
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