BLESSED ARE THE MERCIFUL (6 OF 9)
by Jim Perdue
Scripture: Matthew 5:7
This content is part of a series.
Blessed Are the Merciful (6 of 9)
Series: Blessed
Jim Perdue
Matthew 5:7
Intro/Attention
This morning we continue our study in the Beatitudes in Matthew 5. It's a series entitled Blessed. We're talking about what it means to live a blessed life. Jesus uses that word 9 times in the first 12 verses of this chapter; revealing to us what it means to walk in the favor of God.
Before we dive in to verse 7 I want to take a moment and remind you about what's going on here. In the Beatitudes, Jesus is describing what a true Christian should look like. This isn't reserved for some super-Christian or special-ops Christian; it is the way of life for everyone who claims the name of Christ.
Everything He mentions in the Beatitudes is not a natural characteristic. We don't live like this on our own with God. This is not about our natural abilities but about our supernatural gifts through the Holy Spirit.
Also, and this is important, these Beatitudes focus more on who we are, not what we do. You see, true Christianity emphasizes a change of heart before a change of action. ''A Christian is something before he does anything; and we have to be Christian before we can act as Christians.'' - Lloyd Jones.
*Far too often we reverse this truth. Just like the Pharisees, we think that what we do earns us favor in the sight of God. It is not what you do, it is what He has already done. And then His grace changes who you are so what you do will naturally change and grow.*
Today, we come to the fifth Beatitude READ TEXT You may want to think of this Beatitude paraphrased like this: Those who have obtained mercy from God discover His favor and are naturally merciful to others.
Remember also that these Beatitudes follow a precise logical progression. There are no words of Jesus Christ that are ever wasted and it is abundantly clear here. This Beatitude follows a sequence and comes out of all the others, specifically the previous one in verse 5.
You see, when ...
Series: Blessed
Jim Perdue
Matthew 5:7
Intro/Attention
This morning we continue our study in the Beatitudes in Matthew 5. It's a series entitled Blessed. We're talking about what it means to live a blessed life. Jesus uses that word 9 times in the first 12 verses of this chapter; revealing to us what it means to walk in the favor of God.
Before we dive in to verse 7 I want to take a moment and remind you about what's going on here. In the Beatitudes, Jesus is describing what a true Christian should look like. This isn't reserved for some super-Christian or special-ops Christian; it is the way of life for everyone who claims the name of Christ.
Everything He mentions in the Beatitudes is not a natural characteristic. We don't live like this on our own with God. This is not about our natural abilities but about our supernatural gifts through the Holy Spirit.
Also, and this is important, these Beatitudes focus more on who we are, not what we do. You see, true Christianity emphasizes a change of heart before a change of action. ''A Christian is something before he does anything; and we have to be Christian before we can act as Christians.'' - Lloyd Jones.
*Far too often we reverse this truth. Just like the Pharisees, we think that what we do earns us favor in the sight of God. It is not what you do, it is what He has already done. And then His grace changes who you are so what you do will naturally change and grow.*
Today, we come to the fifth Beatitude READ TEXT You may want to think of this Beatitude paraphrased like this: Those who have obtained mercy from God discover His favor and are naturally merciful to others.
Remember also that these Beatitudes follow a precise logical progression. There are no words of Jesus Christ that are ever wasted and it is abundantly clear here. This Beatitude follows a sequence and comes out of all the others, specifically the previous one in verse 5.
You see, when ...
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