January 19, 2025
SERMON SERIES: MOVE INTO BLESSED LIVING
(A STUDY OF THE THE BEATITUDES) Tommy C. Higle
Matthew 5:1-12
SERMON # 1: YOU HAVE TO START RIGHT
Matthew 5:1-2
It is highly recommended that everyone have a regular physical checkup to make sure all is well inside the body. In the same sense, it is also important that a believer entrust himself on a regular basis to the Great Physician for a spiritual checkup. Why? Because we can suffer from spiritual sickness just as quickly (if not more so) than physical sickness. And we must be honest enough to look inside and evaluate our true condition.
If your spiritual life could be x-rayed, what kinds of things would be seen?
Would your heart be pure?
Would your heart be broken because of the suffering of others?
Would your mind be programmed to be meek and gentle?
Would your backbone be strong enough to endure persecution?
Would your lungs be filled with heaven’s air as you prayed?
Would your stomach be filled with righteousness?
Would your eyes look only toward godliness?
Would your mouth speak peace and comfort to those who need mercy?
Jesus words concerning the Beatitudes are just as forceful today as they were when he shared them with His first disciples. Seldom in history have so few words been spoken with so much meaning. The Beatitudes of our Lord are powerful, holding before the world a descriptive picture of the true disciple of God. The Beatitudes cover the glorious hope and reward the believer can expect, now as well as in eternity.
The Great Sermon On The Mount covers Matthew 5:1-7:29. The Beatitudes is the introduction to this great sermon. And, the Beatitudes teach us how to “move into blessed living.”
In this sermon series, “Move Into Blessed Living”, Sermon # 1 – YOU HAVE TO START RIGHT! Requires two actions.
I. AVOID THE WRONG PURSUIT
Many people pursue a blessed life seeking happiness in all the wrong places.
Worldly pursuits are activities or desires that are more concerned with the things of this world than with spiritual matters. Examples of worldly pursuits include:
Material things – The pursuit of wealth, food, drink, and other material goods
Self- indulgence – Immoral behaviors like sexual sins, gluttony, and substance abuse
Pride – The desire for attention. Praise, and applause
Excessive spending – The of trendy clothes, accessories, and other items
Entertainment – The pursuit of entertainment like video games, movies, and parties
Idol worship – The worship of idols and other objects that are not God
In Matthew 6:19-20, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.”
In Ecclesiastes chapter 2, Solomon records his wrong pursuit. He lets us know that Worldly pleasures are meaningless.
In the first two verses of this text, Jesus saw the multitudes. Jesus avoided the wrong pursuit. His mind was on Discipleship.
A. Compassion: Jesus saw their spiritual need.
B. Discipleship: Jesus realize that one person cannot accomplish the task alone. Others must be taught to help in the great commission.
C. Jesus did avoid the wrong pursuit.
To get the right start on a “move into blessed living,” avoid the wrong pursuit. Then………
II. ABIDE IN THE RIGHT PURSUIT
When you abide in the right pursuit, you understand the word that opens each beatitude. Blesses! Blessed! Blessed!
Blessed – spiritual joy and satisfaction that lasts regardless of conditions; that carries one through pain, sorrow, loss, and grief. It is having “divine delight.” You are happy within yourself.
Being blessed is a selective part of God’s divine nature. The only way we can be blessed is to have a personal relationship with God through Jesus.
It is through Christ Jesus we are blessed. That means we have every blessed thing Jesus talks about in the Beatitudes.
It is through Christ that we take on the very nature of God (2 Cor. 5:17).
Responsive Reading: 5:1-12
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