Fall Retreat 2022: Saturday Morning Session

Please open in the scriptures to Matthew's gospel again.

We're going to look again at the passage we began last night,

Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, beginning in verse 1 of Matthew 5.

I called an audible last night.

I didn't run this by Sean, but thinking about our time limitations,

I actually did this morning's message last night.

That's why when you got into your small groups,

you're looking at your devotional questions, your application questions,

they seemed a little bit out of sync.

They complement each other.

When we did this at Crossway, we did both passages two weeks in a row.

So I'm actually doing the message that originally was planned for last night

because we have more time this morning, although I won't be that much longer,

and we can linger.

But they're complementary.

So those of you who are leading those small group discussions,

I'll give you some questions to jot down,

and that will just make that transition a little simpler for you.

But let's read the scripture, and then I will pray for our time together.

This is God's word to us.

Matthew 5, beginning in verse 1.

Verse 1.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they shall be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

Blessed are the poor 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.

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.

You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste,

how shall its saltiness be restored?

It's no longer good for anything except to be thrown out

and trampled under people's feet.

You are the light of the world.

A city set on a hill cannot be hidden,

nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket,

but on a stand,

and it gives light to all in the house.

In the same way, let your light shine before others

so that they may see your good works

and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Thanks be to God for his word.

Let's pray.

Father, as we've already sung this morning,

we are dependent on you,

and so, Lord, we bring now this time before your word,

and we invite the work of your Spirit in our hearts

that we might grow in our mission mindfulness

and in growing, join Christ more faithfully,

more fruitfully in the mission that he has called us to.

Help us to do that together,

and Lord, minister to us

out of your great love this morning.

We pray this in Jesus' name.

Amen.

If you were asked the question,

what was the most read article in the New York Times

in 2021,

what would you say?

Was it an article about the economy?

Certainly would be worthwhile

in light of the economic difficulties we face.

Was it an article about politics

because of the current rancor

and discord and political conversations?

Was it an article drawn from the culture wars,

which the church often finds itself

in the crosshairs of?

Maybe it was an article about Harry Styles

and his residency in Las Vegas.

It was none of those articles.

And you think about the New York Times.

It's read by millions of people every day

throughout the world.

It was an article about mental health.

The most read article in 2021

was not written by journalists,

nor by a political reporter,

nor by someone embedded on the war front.

It was by Adam Grant,

industrial psychologist,

Wharton Business School.

And he wrote this.

There's a name for the blah you're feeling.

It's called languishing.

How many of you have heard of that article?

Good.

I hadn't heard of it

when someone introduced it to me.

And I read a lot of articles

on the New York Times.

It's what Dr. Grant wrote.

At first, I didn't recognize the symptoms

that we all had in common.

Friends mentioned

that they were having trouble concentrating.

Colleagues reported

that even with vaccines on the horizon,

this is 2021,

they weren't excited about 2021.

A family member was staying up late

to watch National Treasure.

You know what that movie is.

Even though she knows the movie by heart.

And instead of bouncing out of bed

at 6 a.m., Adam writes,

I was lying there until 7,

playing Wordle with friends.

It wasn't burnout.

We all had energy.

It wasn't depression.

We didn't feel hopeless.

We just felt joyless.

And aimless.

And it turns out there's a name for that.

Languishing.

Languishing is a sense of stagnation

and emptiness.

It feels as if you're muddling through your days.

I love this.

He's such a good writer.

Looking at life through a foggy windshield.

I've had a few foggy windshields this fall.

It's really cold in the morning

or it's really warm outside.

It's cold in your car.

Imagine going through life

with a foggy windshield

and you're defrosted or snot.

And it might be the dominant motion of 2021.

In psychology, I'll conclude with this.

We think a lot about mental health

on a spectrum from depression to flourishing.

Flourishing is the peak of well-being.

You have a strong sense of meaning,

mastery, mattering to others.

Depression can be a valley of ill-being.

You feel despondent, drained, and worthless.

Languishing is the neglected middle child

of mental health.

It's the void between depression and flourishing.

The absence of well-being.

You don't fit the grid of symptoms of mental illness,

but you know you're not the picture of mental health.

You're not functioning at full capacity.

Languishing dulls your motivation,

disrupts your ability to focus,

triples the odds that you'll cut back on work.

It's beginning to appear more common

than major depression

and in some ways may be a bigger risk factor

for mental illness.

Part of the danger when you're languishing

is you fail to notice it.

You don't catch yourself slowly slipping into solitude.

You're indifferent to your indifference.

Understanding it better can help you

and help others like you.

I was talking to a millennial, an urbanite.

I'm a suburbanite, so I depend on these urbanites

to tell me what they're feeling.

And she said, describing herself and her peers,

she didn't use the word languishing.

She said, right now, I feel trapped.

Trapped?

Trapped by what?

And she began to describe a series of boundaries in her lives,

financial boundaries, living arrangement,

limitations, social, network, relational,

difficulties, job ceilings where advancements

didn't come in a timely way, emotional.

And I asked her, how does it feel to feel trapped?

This is a Christian woman.

And the word we agreed on, you're languishing.

What is the good news to a church on mission,

to a culture that is struggling with something

they can't even put a word to?

What is the good news to us when we, in honesty,

or a friend points out to us that spiritually,

we're languishing?

Don't hear what I'm not saying.

You can be very busy.

You can be full of energy.

You can be an extrovert in your personality,

or you can be an introvert.

You can be very radical.

What is the news of the gospel,

and how does it intersect with our mission,

mindfulness, when it comes to pointing people to Jesus?

I think it's found in the Beatitudes, among others.

It's found in those opening verses that we just read.

It's not the only thing the New Testament says,

but it says enough in these verses to remind us two things,

that being blessed in Christ, my first point,

motivates us to obey Christ in mission,

and that being blessed in Christ equips us,

equips us to bless others in mission.

So at the end of this message,

I want you to ask yourself the question,

not only what is a practical application

from today's message for my life,

but how does the blessed person in Christ

experience sufficient grace to be blessed?

You should be able to answer that without pause

when called upon by your small group leader.

How does the blessed person in Christ,

which describes every genuine Christian,

you are blessed in Christ,

according to Matthew 5 and 2 Corinthians 5,

where Paul says,

therefore you are a new creation.

How does the blessed person in Christ

experience grace sufficient to bless others?

Let's look at the text together,

put it in context briefly.

You are well taught by Dr. Wu,

although he's not a doctor right now.

And so I don't feel the need to belabor

some of these exegetical points.

But Jesus is seated on a mountain,

which denotes authority,

and he is teaching his disciples,

his soon-to-be Christians.

And he opens his mouth,

and he begins to announce to them

a series of blessings.

Verse 3,

blessed are the poor in spirit.

Verse 4,

blessed are those who mourn.

Verse 5,

blessed are the meek.

Verse 6,

blessed are those who hunger

and thirst for righteousness.

Verse 7,

blessed are the merciful.

Verse 8,

blessed are the pure in heart.

Verse 9,

blessed are the peacemakers.

Blessed are those who are persecuted

for righteousness' sake.

Blessed are you

when others revile you

and persecute you

and utter all kinds of evil

against you falsely.

And following each of the blessings

that he describes

is attached a promise

to the person

who fits that bill.

So for the poor in spirit,

theirs is the kingdom.

For those who mourn,

they shall be comforted.

For the meek,

they shall inherit the earth.

For those who hunger and thirst,

they shall be satisfied.

For the merciful,

they shall receive mercy.

For the pure in heart,

they shall see God.

For the peacemaker,

they shall be called sons of God.

For the persecuted,

for righteousness' sake,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

And for those,

when others revile you

and persecute you

on account of Christ,

your reward is great.

It's quite a set

of declarations

and promises

which begs the question,

how do we receive

these blessings?

How do we receive

these blessings

through putting our trust

in Jesus Christ?

And then how do these blessings

inform the ethics

of a Christian

who is missionally mindful

and not culturally captivated?

Well,

this is the simple explanation.

To receive the blessing

of the Beatitudes,

you have to put your trust

in the blesser,

Jesus Christ.

to receive the blessings,

you have to put your trust

in through faith in

as you turn from your sins

to him in Jesus Christ.

When I first became a Christian,

I was introduced

to the ministry of R.C. Sproul.

I love R.C. Sproul.

When I read his book,

Holiness of God,

on an airplane in California,

I was with my family on vacation.

I was like 21, 22 years old.

It was a game changer.

I read several other books,

went to Ligonier conferences,

subscribed to Table Talk.

I was a Ligonier junkie

in the early years

of my Christendom.

But Holiness of God,

I've read it since then

two or three times,

stands alone.

And he introduced me

to a teaching

in Reformed theology,

which you are,

you are Reformed,

where it talked about

the order of salvation.

And if you don't know

what that is,

Sean can break it down

more articulately,

can I again?

But basically,

that when someone comes to Christ,

there is sovereignty

in God's election, right?

And then,

through the calling

of the gospel,

there is regeneration

and then conversion.

And then from conversion,

there is justification.

We receive Christ's righteousness

by faith.

Amen?

Isn't that glorious?

And then we're adopted

into his family.

And then there's growth

into Christlikeness.

And then there's glorification.

We see Jesus face to face

through perseverance.

And because I'm a slow student,

George,

and I don't listen carefully

a lot of times,

I began,

and I imagine you have never done this,

I began to separate

the blessings,

like links on a golden chain,

from the blesser.

In other words,

I began to think more about

the blessing,

which are enormously significant,

and not the person

who bestows the blessing.

And so,

I was learning

these links in the chain,

and my mind was being blown open,

and my heart was being

renewed and revived,

and I was a new Christian,

and things just seemed

to be coming together.

But over time,

I became more focused

on the links in the chain,

and I lost sight

of the person of Christ.

And although the links

in the chain analogy

is helpful,

it's woefully inadequate.

If we think of salvation

more of the blessings

than we've received,

than the person

that each of those blessings

points to.

And that's why I think

the deficit of teaching

on union with Christ

is hurt the church.

Because we think

more about

what we've received

from Christ

than we think about

when we receive Christ,

we get it all.

We get it all.

So I'm worshiping

this morning with you,

and I'm feeling,

even with two gallons

of Costco cold coffee in me,

not quite spiritually

like I should be,

and I have to speak,

and there's this little voice

of condemnation

that's beginning

to ping in my soul.

Where do I go

in that moment?

Well, if I go

to the blessings

that I'm justified

in Christ,

that's good,

but instead,

I went to 2 Corinthians 5

and said,

no,

I'm a new creation

in Christ.

I'm fully accepted

in Christ.

I am justified

because He

has joined Himself

to me.

I am being sanctified

because Christ

is in me.

I will one day

be glorified,

not because I'm being faithful,

but because He

is committed

faithfully to me.

And as I grow

into that reality,

I begin to realize

I, you,

are blessed

in Christ.

Somebody say amen.

That's what I always

gig up.

Thank you.

I know you're there.

You folks have

a lot of energy.

I was thinking,

they're going to be tired.

They drove two and a half

hours last night.

Are you kidding?

You guys were up

partying at two

in the morning.

I'm trying to sleep

last night.

There's a lot of energy

in this room.

Wonderful.

So,

Jesus often says

hard things,

but the blessings

of the beatitude

is an invitation.

And for the Christian,

it's a reminder

that spirituality

in Him

is not a superficial thing.

When God's grace

invades your heart

through the person

of Christ,

when God's grace

invades your heart

through the person

of Christ,

it initiates

blessings.

One gentleman

who I studied,

David Turner

and his commentary

on Matthew,

wrote this.

This isn't projected,

so just listen

and be encouraged

by this.

He's talking about

receiving Christ's blessings.

God initiates

His salvific blessings

by graciously sending

His Son

to save sinful

and broken people.

They respond

to Christ's invitation

to receive God's

promised salvation

by repenting

of their sins

and turning to Christ.

Christ's followers,

in turn,

respond to Him

by blessing God

with praise

and obedient living.

Their present experience

of God's kingdom

through faith

in Christ

motivates them

to live

in light

of its future

fulfillment.

The sermon's pattern

is to highlight

the character

of the blessed person

and then explain

the promise of God

realized through

a relationship

with Jesus.

The sermon's pattern

is to highlight

the character

of the blessed person

and then explain

the promise

of God

realized through

a relationship

with Jesus.

So when we receive

Jesus,

we receive

all of these blessings,

but that doesn't mean

we experience

all of these blessings

in the same way,

in the fullest way,

all of the time.

We progressively

grow into them,

right?

We progressively

grow into our experience

of what it means.

Let's look at the

first one,

to be poor in spirit.

It's a great blessing.

to be poor in spirit,

as I flip through

my notes here,

is to be completely

dependent

on Christ.

Not on the gifts

Christ has given you,

not on the gifts

that Christ the creator

endowed you with,

but to be poor in spirit

is to completely

depend on,

there's few things

that more challenge me

than to be completely

dependent on Christ,

particularly in the areas

where I'm gifted.

where I'm already

good,

where I have experience

and I have skills

and I've shown

effectiveness in it,

like public speaking

or teaching

or my superior

athletic abilities

that Will can tell you

about.

My first instinct

is not to be

completely dependent

on Christ.

My first instinct

is to be dependent

on me.

And so I'm

progressively

over time

growing into

this new reality

of saying,

Lord,

thank you for the gift.

Thank you for the ability.

Thank you for

how you have helped me

to serve others.

But Lord,

this morning

I just commit

my words,

my mouth,

my arms

that seem to move a lot

when I speak,

I commit it all

to you.

Make me more

dependent on you.

Why?

Because it's a blessing

to be blessed

by Jesus

through a relationship

with him.

How about

blessed are those

who mourn?

Verse 4,

for they

shall be comforted.

The mourning

in that

is to take

sin

seriously.

The same word

is found

in 1 Corinthians 5,

2,

and James 4,

and both use

the word mourning

to describe

a deep sense

of grief

and conviction

enabled by the Holy Spirit.

It's specific.

It's pinpointed.

It's not condemning,

but it is,

it is penetrating

when we mourn

over the sin

of ourselves

or over the sin

of others.

Psalm 119,

136 says,

my eyes shed

streams of tears

because people

do not keep your law.

People do not

walk in covenant

with God

according to the psalmist

and it causes

him to mourn.

The sense

of this blessing

is that Jesus

calls his people

to a view of life

that shuns

the light-hearted

attitude

regarding

serious issues

of sin

in our own hearts

and in our context.

And yet,

it promises

his comfort

comfort to those

who genuinely

take sin seriously.

There is comfort

in genuine repentance.

Do you remember

the comfort

that came to you

when you first

believed

the joy

of the revelation

that your sins

have been forgiven

through the atoning work

of Christ

on the cross?

I remember that

as if it happened

last night.

I was blessed

by the blesser

with the beatitude

of being

mournful.

and it fueled

my repentance

and it has fueled

my worship

since then.

We are to receive

and to grow

more into Christ

through this blessing

as we perhaps

get out of ourselves

in looking to him.

I'll do one more

and then we'll move

to mission.

I like this one.

Power under control.

Meekness.

Hmm.

Meekness.

Two things

less described

in the eyes

of the culture today

than meekness.

Gentleness.

Lowliness.

Meekness.

That's a mark

of a true disciple.

That's a distinguishing

evidence of grace.

Sinners were drawn

to Jesus.

Broken people.

Outliers.

Outcasts.

And some.

Elites.

Yes, he spoke

with authority.

Yes, he worked miracles.

But his meekness

made him

approachable.

My wife,

who I love to boast

and she'll be here

later.

Hopefully she's on her way.

As soon as you meet her,

you'll say,

hmm,

he traded up

in marrying her.

He got a break.

That was kind of gone.

She works in a,

on a college campus

in the arts department

and it is,

has a large population,

staff and students

of

LGBTQ

people.

Students,

faculty,

staff.

We're using more

personal pronouns

in a workday

than,

you know,

my,

my passwords

to my phone

has digits.

She does it

to be respectful

and because she's been

told to do it

and required to do it.

Meanwhile,

a local church,

a church that preaches

the gospel,

but a,

nonetheless,

a local church

in the town

where we have,

do our services,

is holding up signs.

talks about

the fags.

God hates

the gays.

God hates

and they're out there

protesting

the LGBTQ

group

that's there

on campus.

Everyone in the shop

knows

you're a Christian.

In fact,

even worse,

you're married

to a pastor.

How do you respond

to that?

Well,

first,

she's grieved.

She's grieved

for those students

first that

their identity

has become now

anchored in

these realities

that our culture,

that breaks her heart.

Then she's angry

because she's being

grouped in

with this group

of protesters

that

isn't there

every week

but is there

enough

that the whole

campus is on edge

when they're there

and the staff

look at her

and say,

you're one of them.

They may not say it

to her,

but they're thinking that.

And so,

no,

this might surprise you.

You don't get invited

to drinks on Friday night

when you're one of them.

You don't get invited

to the pre-year

cookout

when you're one of them

because you hate

LGBTQ.

LGBTQ.

And so,

one by one by one

beginning with her supervisor

because she,

she has grown

in meekness.

She has

ministered Christ

to them

through her words

and through her actions.

she has

been salt.

She has

been light.

And where she

has not compromised

and said,

I simply affirm,

affirm,

affirm,

agree,

agree,

she has been

very clear

in her character

and in her speech

that Christ

does not

hate

sinners.

sinners.

And now,

we're getting

invited to cocktail

parties.

Praise the Lord.

Seriously,

I'm going

golfing with one

of these people soon.

You never golf

with someone

if you think

they hate,

you know.

she has

grown

in

the blessing

of the

blesser,

the character

of meekness

in the face

of hostility

instead of

reacting

to it

and becoming

defensive

in response

to it

or even

starting to get

into this

whole conversation

about my rights

are being violated

and you won't

speak to me

that way.

And the

kingdom of

Christ

advances

through the

meekness

of my wife.

I tell her,

except for what I

believe about

complementarien,

she should be

the pastor

of Crossway Church

because I'm ready

to slug some

of those people

with the signs

and so I need

more

of the

blesser.

My lack

of meekness,

it's under

prioritizing

in my conduct

and behavior.

God

says to me,

Lord,

help me

to grow

through

standing

and receiving

more of

being transformed

by the grace

of God

that I celebrate

in my singing

may it invade

my heart

that it would

overflow

against people

who say

I'm their enemy.

That's what it

means to begin

to become

mission mindful.

We begin

to walk

and talk

on mission

with Jesus

in the blessings

that he has

shared with us

knowing that

it's not a

golden chain

of benefits

but rather

it's a relationship

with him

where he shapes

us

providentially

in relationship

with others

into

the ethics

of grace.

last point

the labor

and so

how do we

then

bring this

blessing

into

our work

into our school

into our

neighborhoods

how can we

practice

these realities

in our

relationships

with one

another

in the church

be discipled

mutually

with one

another

be encouraging

one another

be growing

and catalyst

for growth

if

Christ's

blessing

of us

with himself

motivates us

to obey

him in

mission

our being

blessed

my last

point in

Christ

equips us

in mission

first

be

it's real

simple

I teach high

school students

go I keep

it real

simple

be the word

blessed

be

be

prayerful

be

prayerful

every

turning point

in Jesus's

ministry

in the

gospels

recorded for

us

is preceded

by prayer

followed

by prayer

so much

so that

the disciples

say to

Jesus

and all

the gospel

accounts

teach us

how to

pray

we don't

know how

to pray

we're

religious

people

we don't

know how

to play

we're

religious

Jews

we don't

know how

to pray

teach us

how to

pray

sure

our

father

it's

relationship

you're

in me

I am

in him

Colossians

3

and the

spirit

is in

you as

well

be

prayerful

L

listen to

God

the spirit

and listen

to the

heart of

others

when Linda's

here you can

ask her about

my listening

and she'll

tell you

he's growing

but I

stink at

listening

my mind's

so busy

and I

know so

much

if you

knew as

much as

I knew

Linda

you'd

listen

more to

me

I've

said

things like

that

can you

imagine

31 years

of marriage

it convicts

me

begs the

question if

I struggle

listening to

my wife

who's

meek

am I

really

listening to

God the

spirit

who is

meek

too

he's the

gentle

spirit

he's a

humble

holy

spirit

he doesn't

come in

and kick

tables over

and turn

up the

CGI

and you

know

whatever

calls the

room and

shake and

says I

got a

message for

you

I wish

he did

sometimes

and maybe

he does

occasionally

it's

remarkable

isn't

how many

times in

the

gospels

Jesus is

asked a

question

how does

he respond

he responds

with a

question

that means

he was

listening

he was

listening

he wasn't

leading with

just

announcements

and pronouncements

he was

listening

and as he

listened to

their question

he could

hear their

heart

he could

hear

their pain

he could

hear their

confusion

and he

answered

the person

that was

really there

not many of

you have

heard of

this man

Will knows

him

we've talked

about him

Jonathan

Charks

T-J-A-R-K-S

he was a

senior editor

for the

ringer

how many of

you have

heard of

the ringer

so I know

my audience

here

good

and he

was

he did

a very

award winning

NBA podcast

so you know

where I'm going

to go with

this

if you know

who Jonathan

Charks is

T-J-A-R-K-S

Jonathan

didn't grow up

in the church

he's not

on the grid

like many

of your

neighbors

he doesn't

have a

copy of

the scriptures

multi-generational

biblically

illiterate

he doesn't

know who

Peter and

Paul are

not because

he's dumb

but he's

just not

he didn't

grow up

with any

kind of

exposure

that

never been

to church

doesn't have

a bible

doesn't have

any

biblical

storyline

resident in him

his best

friend when

he was

writing for

the ringer

turned out

to be a

Christian

who's writing

for the ringer

and covering

another NBA

team

Jonathan loves

basketball

Will loves

basketball

did you know

that

I don't

love basketball

I like

baseball

but that's

right

I follow

along

so

love

basketball

and his

best friend

writes for

the ringer

about a

team

Jonathan

writes for

the ringer

about another

team

and he does

this award

wedding

podcast

and his

best friend

didn't know

this but

Jonathan

is searching

he is

spiritually

searching

he's 24

25

no purpose

in life

he's tried

everything

spiritually

tried it

all

finding

nothing

and he

meets

his friend

ready

for a

meal

and his

friend says

I want to

invite you

to Trinity

Cambridge's

life group

is that what

you call

your small

groups

community

groups

he says

what

I want

to invite

you

to our

community

group

Jonathan's

like

why am I

good at

that

you can

imagine

what he's

thinking

people do

in a

community

group

animal

sacrifices

or

Costco

cults

you know

right

because in

my community

group

there are

people

who genuinely

care for

me

and there

are people

I genuinely

care for

and I'm

investing in

and ready for

this

we meet

every

week

John says

okay

now what he's

not acknowledging

is he's

starving for

this

he's

he's

languishing

and so he

goes

and he just

doesn't have a

category for

it like he

thinks Christianity

is a Sunday

service where you

sing songs he's

never heard and

you listen to a

message that he

can't understand and

you go home maybe

you get a cup of

coffee on the way

out and that's it

and he goes

again

it was good the

first time he goes

again and yeah he

didn't understand

everything that was

being said and

they were reading

the Bible but he

was just struck by

the investment in

one another and

the care in one

another and then

someone came up to

him and said to

Jonathan can I

pray for you

wow pray for me

I don't even

believe in the

supernatural yes

pray for me but

this is just hocus

pocus you know

what are we talking

about

Jonathan would go

to that life

group and become

friends with people

in that life

group and come

to faith in

Christ through

gospel realities

being displayed in

that life group

and then the

message before he

ever went to

church and then

two or three years

after he became a

Christian he was

diagnosed with one

of the rarest forms

of cancer I can't

pronounce it it's a

sarcoma where it

just metastasizes and

goes everywhere there's

no cure and he's a

two-year-old son and

he has a young bride

and he writes the

article for the

ringer do you know

my son do you know

my son you know he's

talking about in that

article on the ringer

this is Bill Simmons

right he's like the

CEO of the ringer

my life group knows

my son and will be

caring for him and

my wife after I die

is that what's going on

in your life group

is that what's going on

in mine or are we like

intellectualizing and

analyzing and

overthinking some

aspect of a text or a

theological debate and

missing missing the

blessing that when we're

with others we've now

an opportunity to listen

to God but we can

listen to their hearts

and begin to move

towards them as those

who have been invaded

by the grace of God

yes truth is important

doctrinal discussions are

vital but if that takes

the place of caring for

one another then there's

whole pages of our

Bible we have to rip

out because there's so

many commands to care

for one another encourage

one another pray for one

another fulfill the law

of Christ and carry one

other's burdens that to

spend most of our time

doing anything else we're

not receiving the

blessings from the

blesser of the

beatitudes and we're

missing mission because

what Jonathan wants

E is to have a meal

with you and to

cultivate friendship with

you like Jesus did with

Zacchaeus and countless

others he not only was

he not anxious he teaches

disciples not to be

anxious about what they're

going to eat and drink

chapter six but he taught

them to be generous with

their food generous with

their table generous with

what God has provided with

non-believers we're trying

to grow as a church I'm

trying to grow as a

pastor I'm trying to grow

as a follower of Christ if

to have people into my

home but if they won't

come into my home then

I'll come in theirs and if

they're too scared to let

me in their home I'll join

them at the bar and if

they won't join me at the

bar I'll go to the football

game I'll be with the

people that I'm supposed

to be on mission with to

cultivate friendship so I

was so honored I was so

humbled I was it brought

me to tears I was so

blessed when a colleague

who objected to a local

high school having me in

the classroom I mean this

was this was like wow Lord

this I don't know are you

coming back soon he invited

me to play tennis with him

he's a really good tennis

player not as good as you

but he's a really good

tennis player and this was

someone that was outspokenly

hostile to bringing a pastor

who's on YouTube into the

classroom to take the space

of a another teacher who's

sick with cancer and is

failing and here we are that's

how I hit my backhand and I

won which made it even

better but Christ won because

Bauer the pastor who's in

Christ spent two and a half

hours of his Saturday with

with someone he's my

Jonathan I don't know if he

has cancer but spiritually

it's just as if he does who's

your Jonathan Charks right

now providentially don't

overthink it who right now is

the Lord causing you to

intersect with they're not

too sick they might be writing

for the ringer they might not

play good tennis it's George but

someone is and if they're not

Christ invites you to have your

eyes opened first the blessing

of the Beatitudes but secondly to

be an overflow of that grace to

that person pray today pray in

your small groups pray to listen

to him for the heart of others eat

together and cultivate friendships

through food and drink and tennis

and activities share the gospel

right in John in Matthew 6 Jesus

is our greatest treasure he is our

greatest treasure we get him we get

it all and then suffer patiently

when you're Jonathan

projects you

first time I saw myself on a meme by

high school students ready to kill

them

and what made it worse it was on the

big screen in my classroom and what

made it equally grating is it was based

on a sermon I had just preached from

Acts about Jesus being the king and I

walked in and there it was and I wish I

could say I was more holy but I was

ready to take that screen throw it out

the window and then find that and then I

thought and said hmm it was spirit of

God I guess they're watching you

see that's my trash can it's not my

trash it's my reputation they're moving

your trash can ridicule they're having

fun at your expense I'm an American

Christian you don't have fun at my

expense I have rights I'm a person of

authority I deserve respect I'm an old

person too this is ageism it was the

same goofy you know and then Jesus is

king I never did find out who memed it

but I realized I didn't need to because

ultimately it was the Lord he was

discipling me and in kingdom ethics

rejoice that means they're listening to

you they may not understand it they may

not respond to it but rejoice when your

reputation is diminished the faculty

heard about it my department heard about

they ridiculed me about it at lunch I was

defenseless at lunch I just they were

like did you see the meme is that a book

in the Bible Acts you go to a church yes

it's one of the best books of the whole

Bible

you said Jesus is a king we're in a

democracy what are you talking about

seriously I was to talk about that lunch

I I felt like this small when we got out

there trying to explain but then I've

just oh no Lord you're discipling me you're

teaching me you're helping me grow into

this blessing rejoice when people ridicule

you for great is your reward what's the

reward I don't know Jesus he's the

blesser I get more of him the story has a

happy ending I don't know if she was

responsible for the meeting when I closed

this but one of the students I had when

she was a freshman then again as a

sophomore and then senior year so I met

her when her teacher was sick I continued

on walk teacher being sick and then

after her teacher passed I took the

class I had her senior year I remember

when we were teaching about the great

awakening and my Bible in my classroom

although I wasn't reading from it I was

showing them you know the great

awakening and she said mr. Evans can

you explain again what is a you

evangelical a you angelical and she's a

sweetheart I'm like a you angelical and

she's pointing down to the word

evangelical she'd never seen that word

before and so you know because I'm

because I'm somewhat of a I don't know

what's that called mischievous I walked

right up and said I'm a you angelical

and I explained well Whitfield was a you

angelical and he would go out amongst the

people in the fields and he talked to

them about Christ of the Bible in ways

they could understand he didn't say come

to the city and attend the big cathedral

he said I'll meet you in the cornfields I'll

make you in the tree stump and he had this

oratory this voice he'd be heard you

know for miles and he had humor let's

say he was a perfect man but he could

preach God was anointing him and he he

explained the gospel in terms so I said

to her I'm a Christian I'm a follower of

Jesus he died for my sins I got that much

out before I thought this is when they

fire me she's now in college coming home

for homecoming two weeks and although she's

not a you angelical God in his providence

she just met a guy who's with campus

crusade and he seems to have her attention

hmm and she's getting more than you

angelicalism she's getting the character

of Christ in her context and realizing

something like Jonathan sharks I long for

this let's pray Lord we are here because

you have brought us here ultimately to not

just make us mindful of our mission but to

open our eyes to the people in our world the

relationships in our in our different

settings and spheres where we have the

privilege imperfect but nonetheless clear

privilege to demonstrate the realities of the

blesser Jesus Christ in our character in our

conduct and in our conversation and so Lord

where it's appropriate may there be specific

conviction specific not broad specific

conviction where we we have in our

relationships followed an artificial or

superficial spirituality reducing Christian

living to being nice putting out our

recyclables and not being mean to animals

Lord open our eyes to to see first your great

love for us in giving us everything everything

we need and want in you and then move us out of

ourselves and more into Christ that we can

first display in our character and then Lord

through our consistency in our relationships and

then through our conversation the reality of the

gospel the hope of glory Christ in us for your

glory for our joy we pray these things Jesus

said amen for our discussion times if I can

just do this Sean is that right just to give him a

question here's the question discussing

letters first how has Christ blessed you right

which was the question we began with last night but

let's go back to it how has Christ blessed you in

your relationship with him in order to be a blessing

to others and then secondly whom has Christ put in

your life who's your Jonathan right now and take a few

moments and pray for that person they may not have

cancer they have something far worse and we want to

pray being united and okay hope that serves you this

morning thanks

you