A Word from THE WORD

Good Morning Happy Church,

Today is Tuesday, May 31^st, 2016. Today is the 152^nd Day of 2016.

There are only 214 days left in this year; and, there are only 19 days left until Father’s Day; and, there are only 208 days left until CHRISTMAS…

THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT – “CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CITIZENS OF GOD’S KINGDOM”

Matthew 5:1-12
¹ “Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.
² And 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.
⁵ “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
⁶ “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
⁷ “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
⁸ “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
⁹ “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
¹⁰ “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
¹¹ “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
¹² Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

In direct contradiction of the false teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees of HIS day, Jesus gives this first of five sermons recorded in Matthew to show how the right application of God’s Law in the life of HIS people result in their being “blessed.”

“Makarios” (the Greek Word translated “blessed”) means to be “spiritually prosperous” or to be “fortunate because of the blessings of God.”

The Right Response to the Condition of our Soul

⁴ “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

When Jesus points out that those who mourn will be comforted, HE is pointing out those who mourn over the condition of their soul.

Like the rest of this passage, Jesus is addressing believers. We HAVE come to mourn over our soul and repented of our sins. We have trusted Jesus to save our soul.

But even after we are saved, we are continually broken over the sinfulness that remains in our flesh and in our mind. We STILL love and crave sin.

The good news is that when we see and rightly evaluate the condition of our soul, Jesus leads us to repent of our continuing sins and we are then comforted by the ever-present HOLY SPIRIT.

We who believe in Jesus need not despair over our continuing battle with sin. HE, HIMSELF, will deliver and comfort us as we follow HIM.

Do not miss the opportunity for Mid-Week Prayer and Bible Study Wednesdays from 6:30 – 8:00pm. We are studying the Second Coming of Jesus and the events that follow into the Eternal State.

The lesson for next tomorrow evening is “Three 2’s of the Second Coming” pointing out three key elements of the future that come in Twos in the Scripture.

Each Wednesday will feature a stand-alone lesson, so even if you can’t make them all; be sure you catch as many of these lessons as you can.

Carpe Diem!