Pure in Heart, Peace makers, Persecuted

Let us continue our study in Christian Be - Attitudes -

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.

You remember this section of the Sermon on the Mount, as these  3 P’s

1. Pure Heart - Internal Purity - Matter between a person and God.
2. Peace makers - External activity before God.
3. Persecuted - Standing for the Right thing.
Blessed are Pure in Heart - A Christian Internal life - Matter of Heart which nobody can see - Only God can see Secret life of Purity.....
Bible says the condition of Human heart is

1. Desperately wicked - Jeremiah 17:9 - The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick;
who can understand it
2. Thoughts of heart - evil - Genesis 6:5 - The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually
3.Hard and Impenitent Heart - Romans 2:5 - But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.

David when he sinned, he expressed the need for the clean heart - A man after God’s own heart felt the need of the new heart - when he sinned with Bethseba - in Ps 51:10  - Create in me a clean heart O God and renew a right spirit within me.

We need transplant - A Heart transplant, It is regeneration. God promised that he would give
New heart  - Ezekiel 36:26 - And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh

Is your heart pure before God? How can my heart be pure? If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness - 1 John 1:9


Someone has said: “It is not enough for a gardener to love flowers; he must also hate weeds.”

Holiness should be highest goal of every believer. Peter writing to believers in Pontus, Galatia, Myasia,  Cappodocia, Asia and Bythnia, He says that we ought to be holy in all manner of conduct because our God who called us is Holy.

1 Peter 1:15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16     since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

Holy God cannot dwell with Unholy people, Holy God cannot dwell with impure people, Holy God cannot live with ungodly people. If we cannot use unclean cups on our dining table, How can God use people who are unclean.

Without Holiness - No one can see God

God requires holiness to stand in his presence....It is biblical principle from Old testament.

Psalm 15:1-6
O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? 2 He who walks blamelessly and does what is right  and speaks truth in his heart; 3 who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend; 4 in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but who honors those who fear the Lord; who swears to his own hurt and does not change; 5 who does not put out his money at interest and does not take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.

Psalm 24:3-4- Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.

Hebrews 12:14 - Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

Here is an example
Isaiah 6:1-6 - Isaiah see the LORD of glory in heaven.... He confesses, I am a man of unclean lips, neccessity of cleansing, Sin will be removed by the angel touching the lip of Isaiah with coal from altar and then he was sent by God.

One Pastor said - Lord strike me and kill me right when I touch another mans wife.


Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God

A Christian ought not to live like a monk or Hermit, but as actively involved. This Be- Attitude calls for Christian disciples to be active in the community and society they live in, Spiritually bringing peace by proclaiming the gospel and social peace by harmonious living.

Blessed are peace makers....

Jesus Christ our Lord.... Is the Prince of peace.. Isaiah 9:6
They that are disciples are peace makers.

Peace with Whom
1.Peace with God
2.Peace with man

Peace with God
2 Corinthians 5:18-20: All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19     that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20     Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

We need to preach the gospel, we bring people to God through Christ Jesus.... We bring real peace to humanity and human soul.

 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ - Romans 5:1

and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross - colossians 1:20

That is the reason, Gospel is called gospel of peace - Ephesians 6:15. Gopel has several attributes, here are few of them 1. Eternal Gospel - Rev 14:6 2. Glorious gospel 1 Tim 1:11 3. Gospel of Power - Rom 1:16 and 4. Gospel of Peace - Eph 6:15

Peace with men - Christian has to live in peace with everybody...    Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. Hebrews 12:14

We have to live in peace with all men...Some times it is not possible with some folks who do not follow Jesus Christ.

Those who bring peace for people with God and men are following in the foot steps of Jesus Christ making reconciliation.


Lack of peace stems from Promotion of self interest and Self Agenda......But when Gods interest is kept forward the real peace will take place. There will be a time when the entire earth will be in peace....When Christ rules ... The Prince of peace rules, till then.....the true disciples of Christ Jesus...A True christain should strive for peace.


“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven


Persecuted...Blessed are the persecuted...Jesus stand for Righteousness...He wants his true disciples take a stand for righteousness.

Christian should be persecuted for doing right than doing wrong...1 Peter 3:14
But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled

For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, 1 Peter 3:17-18

If you do right and are persecuted...Then you are blessed.
At work....
1. If you stand for what is right and lost your promotion....You are blessed. You will have true pomotion in heaven.
If you do right and landed in trouble at home...mistreated by spouse...You will have reward in heaven
If you do right in community and society and are persecuted...Looked down, troubled, bullied by the ungodly in the society. Great is your reward in heaven.

Society cannot tolerate a personal stand for righteousness. Communities, nations are slowing drifting from righteousness - doing right to the doing what is wrong in the sight of God.

Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted - 2 Tim 3:12

Jesus says for theirs is kingdom of Heaven......Jesus Christ is not promising that God will take your side and fight for you. There will be day all the left will be made right. All wrong in the society will be wiped out, in that day..You will partake in it.


Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you

If people talk evil of you and that is true..... It is bad in the sight of the Lord
If people talk evil of you and this is false.....It is good, rejoice and be glad great is your reward.

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world - John 16:33

Think about the disciples, History says that Peter was crucified upside down, Paul was beheaded in Rome.

Blessed are those who are hungry and Merciful

Two More Be- Attitude... Right Christian Attitudes.....

In every one of these Be-Attitude, it has 2 part pattern

Blessed is the person who has the attitude
1.  Virture/Attitude
2. Result of Having the attitude...

Let us learn about
1. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness sake, for they shall be satisfied
2.Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness sake

Blessed are those who hungry....Biblical Principles are always opposite to world says.....

1.World says....Blessed are those who eat good food and never fast... Bible says Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness
2. World says...Blessed are those who save the most they will have the most...Bible says Blessed are those who give, they will receive
3. World says....Blessed are those who are rich....Bible says Blessed are those who are poor in spirit

Lord Jesus is not saying that blessed are those who hunger for food and thirst for water...But to be right with God. Are you hungry and thirsty to be right with God?

Every person will be hungry to feed his soul what he/she craves for, What are you craving for?
Some crave for Choclate, Cofee, Meat, Alchohol, Video Games, etc....

We should all have spiritual hunger and thirst for God, Many of the Psalmist David expressed this desire...
O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water - Ps 63:1 

Sons of Korah are expressing their desire for God in one of well know psalms.. As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? Ps 42:1-2

Here is an example... of a young man..who wanted eternal life...Rich Young ruler came to Jesus Christ  - What can I do attain eternal Life? - Matthew 19:16-22, Jesus answered keep the law, He said, I have been doing it since my childhood, He said, what still do I lack, Jesus answered and said, Go give what you have to the  poor and come follow me. Young ruler went away sad, because he had much possessions. This rich young ruler had thirst but could not receive it.

We can never be right with God with our own effort, We have to hunger and thirst, it is God who satisfies us. Another example is from Church History, Martin Luther life as monk in a Augustinian Order, in Erfurt Germany can be explained as Life that is Hungry and Thirsty to be right with God. Living a very strict life living in a very small cell, with no physical comforts, He still confessed his sin to his Supervisor Staupitz  for 6 shours. Staupitz told Luther, that he should confess some big sin, not small petty sins of mind. But Luther knew it well that even slightest sin before God cannot make him right with God.  He was sent to teach the as a Professor of Bible at Wittenburg, Germany. There reading the Bible discovered the truth that God has to make a person righteous. Righteousness can never be attained by works, but has to be received as a free gift of God.

Here is how a person be righteous before God....
We can never be righteous before God by ourselves...No one is justified by the works...Gal 2:16; If a person could righteous before God by works, Christ died for no purpose. By our own thoughts, works, and deeds. We can be hungry....It is God will satisfy us. We cannot satisfy ourselves with Self righteousness.

yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. Galatians 2:16

I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose. Gal 2:21.

 Salvation and Righteousness are mentioned as garments in Old testament....
Isaiah 61:10 - I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels

God is the one who clothes with garments of Salvation and Robe of Righteousness...like how he clothed Adam and Eve by the garments of skin.

Righteousness as a gift of God...
Romans 3:23-28:for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.

Abraham is justified - Made righteous by Faith
Romans 4:2-7 - For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered;

Do you hunger and thirst for righteousness?

George Whitefield at the age of 16 became deeply convicted of sin. He tried everything possible to erase his guilt through religious activity. He wrote, “I fasted for 36 hours twice a week. I prayed formal prayers several times a day and almost starved myself to death during Lent, but only felt more miserable. Then by God’s grace I met Charles Wesley who put a book in my hand which showed me from the Scriptures that I must be “born again” or be eternally lost.”  Reading the scripture he came to Jesus Christ.

George Whitefield was hungry for righteous before God, He was made righteous because of the blood of Jesus Christ.

Blessed are the Merciful ....they shall receive mercy...

Mercy...What is mercy?Merriam Webster dictionary defines...Mercy as compassion or forbearance shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one's power

Compassion - forgiveness shown to the Offender....Blessed are those who show mercy to others....Why should we even show mercy? Those who offend us, those who hurt us, those who do us harm. Show mercy to them...Blessed is the person who shows mercy to others.

To the question Peter asks...How many should I forgive my brother... Jesus answered..
Jesus Christ tells us about a parable in Matthew 18:23 -

King and a servant who ows - 10,000 talents.. Servants pleads the pardon....King pardons the the huge amount. In turn the servant goes and finds a man who ows him 100 denarri.He did not forgive the person and put him in prison. The fellow servants..saw....and reported the event to the king. King put him in prison. When God forgave so much , How can we not forgive others and show mercy.

Let me ask you this personal questions.
Do you hate anybody in your life?
Are you not able to forgive any person in your life?
Are you unable to forget How your friend or spouse hurt you?
Look at the Cross today and see How much Jesus Christ forgave you? Then you will be able to forgive them.

Such people who forgive others and show mercy, they themselves find mercy.
Our God is merciful God,
The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
Exodus 34:6Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his Mercy endures forever. Ps 136:1

Blessed are poor in spirit, theirs is kingdom of heaven.

Jesus starts with 9 Be-Attitudes..Attitudes of a true disciple of Jesus Christ.

For each of the 9 Be-attitudes - Pattern is
Blessedness in having the
1. Attitude - A Believer should have
2. Reward  - God who gives the reward.  

Let us study the First one....
1. Blessed are the poor in spirit, theirs is the kingdom of Heaven - Matthew 5:3.

How can spiritual poverty be any blessing? What does Jesus mean?

Blessed is the one who realizes his spiritual bankruptcy.
Blessed is the one who realizes, that he has spiritual need.
Blessed is the one who is realizes, longs, and desires the spiritual blessing from God.   
Blessed is the one who recognizes the utter helplessness before God for spiritual life.
Blessed is the one who recognizes that Spirit filled life comes only from God.

Matthew 5 does not stand in vaccum, attached in the succession to  Matthew 4 - The First ever message preached by Jesus Christ - Repent for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand. Interpreting the Blessed is the poor in the spirit in context, means blessed is the one who comes to God for spiritual life, blessing and gift of Holy Spirit.

David when he sinned...realized that need recorded for us in Psalm 51. Every believer should have Psalm 51 of its own. "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me" - Ps 51:10. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise - Ps 51:17.



Today, if you realize then you can find the blessing of Kingdom of Heaven...


Bible records that Kingdom of heaven is promised for certain people...Let us see who they are

1. Person who is Poor in spirit - Matthew 5:3

2.  For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:20
3. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it Mk 10:15
4.  “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3
 5.  “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God - John 3:5

Here is a real incident in life of Al Johnson...
At nineteen, Al Johnson had joined two other men in robbing a Kansas bank. The case was closed by police after two other convicts were killed in an auto crash and mistakenly identified by bank officials as the robbers. Al felt sure he would never be caught. He married a Christian girl and pretended to be a Christian before her. She knew nothing of his past crime. Then someone sent him a tract in the mail, titled “God’s Plan of Salvation.” Reading it, he noticed that one of the Bible verses said, “Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” The realization struck that salvation was for him. He could be forgiven and his conscience set free. He knelt in prayer and accepted Christ. His life changed. He stopped a lifelong habit of lying. And after much thought and prayer he confessed his crime. His confession made television newscasts and newspaper headlines even in Canada. Under a Kansas statute of limitations, he was set free, although he chose to repay his share of the stolen funds to the bank. Today, Al Johnson is the manager of a service station, the father of three admiring children, and an outstanding Christian layman. 

 Realize you are a sinner, know that Jesus Christ is the only way for Salvation. Repent of your sin you will have eternal life.



 

Sermon On the Mount - Introduction

Sermon on the Mount - The greatest sermon --- Jesus Christ our Lord preached. Gospel of Matthew records it, Chapters 5-7, 111 verses.

Lord Jesus seeing the crowds, he went up to the mountain he sat down and his disciples came to him.

God speaks from mountains... Here are few Examples....
1. God spoke to Moses on Mount Horeb - Exodus 3 - through the burning bush.
2. God again spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai - Exodus 19-20; Where he gave the Law - 10 commandments
3. God spoke to Elijah on Mount Horeb - 1 Kings 19:8-15
4. God spoke about Jesus Christ on Mount of Transfiguration - Matthew 17:1-6

 Some  theologians say this message is for the Millennial rule because of the high standards set for believers in this message.  I disagree with them. Here are the  reasons why, the text is very clear that is the Life of true disciple of Jesus Christ,  few verses which illustrates the essence of the message. 1. Matt 5:20 - Your righteous has to exceed the righteousness of Pharisees,  2. Prayer Jesus taught disciples to pray - commonly known as Lords prayer - Matthew 6:9-14; 3. "I say to you - Statements" - Jesus standards for his disciples. Sermon on the Mount is a practical righteousness of a believer before God. We are positional righteous because of the death of Jesus Christ on the Cross, We have to practice righteousness - 1 John 2:29.

Sermon on the Mount starts with 9 Be-Attitudes, attitudes a disciple of Jesus Christ should possess. Please note the progress of the virtues. The Greek word for Blessed is "Makarios" - One theologian compares it to Ho Makarios Isle - The Cyrus Isle - Which is so fertile, so serene that people would not have look beyond their shoreline. Blessedness is in having these virtues before God.

Blessedness in having a virtue...Each of the Be-Attitude has 2 parts  -
1. Attitude  - Disciples should have
2. Reward/Result - Disciple will receive from the Lord.

This message has transformed the lives of millions of people including these famous ones.
1.Leo Tolstoy - after studying the Sermon on the Mount - departed from the Russian Orthodox church. Wrote The Kingdom of God is within you.
2. Mahatma Gandhi - Reading Sermon on the Mount and Tolstoy work "The Kingdom of God is within you" transformed the life of M.K.Gandhi and has learned the "turning the other cheek" principle from it, which led to non violent movement in the freedom struggle of India from the colonial rule of Great Britain, which was 
3.  Martin Luther King Jr, was impacted by Sermon on the Mount examples mentioned by Gandhi in his works. The sermon of Mordacai Johnson, president of Howard university professor who just returned from India has influenced Martin Luther King Jr to read about Gandhi and his nonviolence movement and its impact on freedom of India. 

He opened his mouth...Another biblical expression to preach, teach and speak for God. Ezekiel 3:27.