The Beatitudes (Part 4) | Joy Teh

You're listening to a message to go from ex Church. We hope this message

will light up your day. So we're going to read Matthew chapter five,

Versus one to twelve again just as a refreshing of our memory, and we

are going to focus on the six and the seventh be attitude today. So

taken from Matthew chapter five, verse one to twelve. Now and seeing the

multitudes, he went up on a mountain, and when he was seated,

his disciples came to him. Then he opened his mouth and taught them,

saying, Blessed are the point Spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. The second

be attitude. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. And that was

the last be attitude that I shed on, and today going to look at.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed

are the peacemakers, for day shall be called sons of God. Blessed are

those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

And there is the eighth be attitude, the last one, that we

will keep it for another time. And following that verse we have verse eleven

and twelve. Blessed are you when they revive and persecute you, and see

all kinds of evil against you falsely for mind's sake, Rejoice and be exceedingly

glad, for great is your reward in heaven. For so they persecuted the

prophets who were before you. So just a quick recap on the last be

attitude, which is the fifth beattitude. Now why because as I think I

mentioned before, the eight beattitudes is grouped into two main groups, the first

four being in a group and the last second four being in another group.

So the fifth, sixth, and seven BE attitudes do link up in some

way, and they and with the final beatitude, which we will look at

another time. So the last beatitude, the reason one was Blessed are the

merciful in verse seven, for they shall obtain mercy. Now we talk about

how God's prior mercy that he has shown to us and enables us to be

merciful. Right, So we didn't choose him first. It was God who

first chose us. We didn't come to him first. It was God who

came to us first and then drew us to himself. We did not recognize

Christ first. It was God who opened our eyes. And all these we

can find in the Gospels, in John and in Matthew. So it depends

not on human will or exertion, but on God who has mercy. And

we can find this in Romans chapter nine, verse sixteen. So we are

all born anew and sanctified by the mercy of God. So you and I

are seated here today only by the mercy of God. Mercy just means getting

what we don't deserve, right, We don't deserve to be in God's kingdom,

to be part of his family when we have seen and fallen short of

his glory. But God, by his mercy, allows us in. So

that is the mercy of God. So, but the promise is that when

blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. And I talk about

this as well. There's this shall there's a sense of a future tense right

in the beattitudes, except for the first and the last one, okay,

meaning some of the part of the promise we experience it today, but part

of it we will experience it later when we see Jesus. Right. So

it's almost like saying, when we get to the judgment seat of God,

it's almost as if God is going to say, you are still a sinner,

but I see in your life the distinguishing fruit of my son's mercy.

Your mercy on others is the evidence of my mercy in you. So our

mercy to others is the evidence of God's mercy in our lives. And for

Jesus's sake, because Jesus are on the cross for us, I will now

is that God saying to us, I will now show you mercy again.

That's why they shall obtain mercy. Come inherit the kingdom prepared from you from

the foundation of the world. Right. So that's how is how we imagine

God saying this to us. So just a reminder to us on the beetitude.

So the Bettitudes is the beginning of a sermon that Jesus pitched on a

mountain. Right. So the Sermon of the Mound starts from chapter five and

ends in chapter seven. Okay, three chapters worth of a sermon. So

the beginning part, the starting part is the be attitude. So this is

just a portion of what Jesus was teaching his people, his disciples. So

the setting is that Jesus was teaching his disciples, so speaking to his disciples,

So when he was teaching them on the beatitude, he was actually congratulating

them. Blessed are you, yeah for a blessed are you who are pure?

And her blessed are you who are merciful. So he's congratulating those who

are in his kingdom, his disciples. But of course listening in is a

multitude of people, a crowd who may not yet choose to follow Jesus,

but they are listening in. And we pray that even if there's a crowd

today those of you, that you will also come and draw near to Jesus.

Amen. Amen. So when Jesus was teaching on the Mountain, the

discernment of the Mound, he's not making optional suggestions. So just a reminder

to us that when we read the Beattitudes, Jesus is not making suggestions.

I suggest you be merciful so that you can receive mercy. I suggest that

you be poor, in spirit, I suggest that you want. Jesus is

not making suggestions in fact or in truth. Jesus is describing the pathway to

have and he's talking about his kingdom ways. So we are on the theme

this year that says that all may know, so that all may know that

we may know His kingdom ways. So we are looking into the world of

God, the world of God, that Jesus has taught us about his kingdom,

about the pathway to heaven. So this is the word of God to

urge all of us, you and I on this pathway. And if we

are on it, he's urging us to stay on it. Right, Yes,

So today we're looking at blessed are the pure in heart, for they

shall see God so that we can see God. And blessed other peacemakers so

that we can be called sons of God. Now, so let's move in

into the six be attitude, which is the pure in heart. So let's

start with looking at the heart. Now, do you think Jesus is concerned

with the heart, which is very good and very timely that we sang the

song today, I'm coming back to the heart of worship because it's all about

the heart, not to say that outur is not important. It's important we

dress our best for Jesus. Right, there's a way of dressing when we

meet the king. Correct, he's the king of kings, So we dress

our best when we meet the king. But God looks at our hearts,

all right, and the heart is what is most important to God. So

let's look at scripture. Now, I might have to go quite fast versus

quite a lot of scripture. So if you can, as much as possible,

flip your Bible for fifty film and you'll be very expert after. Okay,

if not, then because he is also shown on the screen to assist

us. All right, okay, let's look into now, let's look into

the heart person Matthew, Chapter twenty three, verse twenty five to twenty eight.

Now I will read us mostly from the New King James, but sometimes

I will also allude to the New Living Translation, just to draw out from

the different translation the meaning of the verses. So verse twenty five in Matthew

twenty three, what sorrow awaits you teachers a religious law, and you phariosis

hypocrites, for you are so careful to clean the out of the cup and

the dish. But inside you are filthy, full of greed and self indulgence.

You blind pharisees. First wash the inside of the cup and the dish,

and then outside will become clean too. What sorrow awaits you teachers of

religious law, and you pharioses hypocrites, For you are like white washed tombs,

ouch beautiful on the outside, but filled on the inside. We dig

people's bones and all sorts of impuity. Very strong words. Not me and

Jesus. Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled

with hypocrisy and lawlessness. Foo strong words. And Jesus is like every verse

anthomony, buggy, buggy, buggy, now the phirases and I pray none

of us are in that category. Okay, none of us. But it

shows how serious Jesus is. Mensa, you're outside now, it's not that,

it's not you're showing a front only. Okay. So Jesus is coming

to the point of talking about the heart. So what is the heart and

why is the heart so important? So the heart is who you are.

Turn to your neighbor and see the heart is who you are, who you

really are. So in the secrecy meaning sometimes people don't know your thoughts man,

right, your secrecy of your thought and feeling when nobody else except God

knows. So that is your heart and that is the real you. Okay.

So take a tree, for example, or a planet tree. Okay.

What is visible to us will be the trunk, the branches, the

leaves, the fruit, and may be the flowers. Right. What is

not visible to us the roots exactly. So just telling the am Church,

I like indoor plants, Okay, I wanted to show a picture of my

indoor plant that I bought. A recently brought an indoor plant, small one

of that and then exists that it will live and he will do anything it

can live inside the house or whatever whatever connors okay, okay, okay.

So I bought this plan less than ten days brown and diet. Okay.

So I brought it back and I didn't do anything to it. That's how

bad My house is a baby, okay. So I brought it back to

the customers. So this can warranty one. So I brought it back and

they promised that they will replan for you within I think a two months pew

or something that. Okay, so we planted, but just said they cannot

guarantee the exact same plant. Okay, okay, okay, so it's a

different planner. But never mind, so they we plan So I asked,

what was the problem, because I didn't do anything to the plant, okay,

and I don't really know a lot about gardening. I know some of

you experts, you can tell me it was the problem. But so they

say it's a root problem. They've got some problem with the roots, are

okay, that's all all right? So fine, So now the new plant

is still surviving. Hell early, I hope you're not die. Okay,

just don't do anything, the guy said, just don't do anything. You

think they need to water? No, they say, don't water. Okay,

Now, my name, my long story. Okay, what the one's

a money small and okay, all right, So I'm following exactly what they're

saying. Okay, So why because see what is not seen? It's actually

more important. Now, of course both also important, the sin and the

unseen. Okay, so the heart is as important. So the Bible says,

what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart. So let's do

a Matthew fifteen, verse eighteen to nineteen. It says, but the words

you speak come from the heart. That's what defaults you, not what you

eat right, not what goes in, but what comes out. For from

the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adult tree or sexual immorality type lying

slender. Now you move further up Tree chapters mettal Twelve, Verse thirty three

to thirty four. A tree again, talking about a tree is identified.

But it's fruit. If a tree is good, it's fruit will be good.

If a tree is bad, it's fruit will be bad. Sound so

easy, White king, you brute of snakes? Who yo, Jesus?

Okay, how could evil men like you speak what is good and right?

For what ever is in your heart determines what you say. And this is

the nalty. But in the New King James, it says, for out

of the abundance of your heart, the mouth speaks. So how many of

you sometimes, like me, I admit, when you are upset, you

hold for a while. Later it's going to come up. Okay, you're

not not not nothing, So just me and you're okay. That's me.

Some of you can hold. I don't know how long you can hold,

but mine, because it's abundantly so lordly, then it's going to come out.

Okay. So the heart is utterly crucial to God. Now one more

scripture we're going to see in the Old Testament, who shows us clearly that

God is concerned about the heart. Very famous verse in First Samuel sixteen,

when they are Samuel prophet. Samuel was supposed to annoint the next king of

Israel, the famous story. Okay, okay, So First Samuel sixteen,

verses six to seven. Now, when they arrived, as in Samuel and

I think a lot of other people, Samuel took one look at Illop.

Illip was the eldest son of Jesse. Jesse had eight sons, okay,

and he thought, surely this is the Lord's annoyed. I don't know what

makes Samuel say that. Maybe he look anointed. You can look annointed,

okay, right, But the Lord said to Samuel, don't judge by his

appearance or height, for I have rejected him, or that said I Forigod,

when never say that was okay. The Lord doesn't see things the way

you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at

the heart. So I think we're all convinced now, Okay, God looks

at heart so what we are in the deep private recesses of our lives is

what he cares most about. So Jesus did not come into the world simply

just to help save us from some bad habits. That okay, yeah,

definitely we have habits that needs to be broken. But he came into the

world because I know it may sound a little bit harsh. We have such

dirty hearts that needs to be pure. Can we say amen to that?

I say amen to that. And God came to wash my dirty heart,

right, all right, Our hearts need to be purified. So we look

at the heart. Now, now we're going to move into the promised part

because you say it's blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see

God. So let's move into the promise first, and we'll come back again

to the pure and heart. What is it to see God? What's so

big deal about seeing God? Okay, Now, in God's word, let's

look and understand what it means here from the world of God. Now,

from the word of God, we can tell that when we say see God

is being admitted into his presence. Let's look at a passage in Exodus chapter

ten. Now, so after the plague, right, of darkness in Egypt,

right, Pharaoh was so mad at Moses, okay, and he exploded

with these words we're going to read now. So in Exodus chapter ten,

verse twenty eight and twenty nine, Pharaoh Pharaoh saying to Moses get out of

here. Pharaoh shouted at Moses, I'm warning you never come back to see

me again. The day you see my face, you will die. I

can't imagine how upset he was. Okay, it was really upset with Moses,

and Moses is like, very well, Moses replied, I will never

see your face again. So what do you think, the king men,

men, I will never see never see my face again. It just meant

that you will never be allowed into my presence again. So that's what it

meant, all right. So in the same way, when we make a

call to make an appointment to see a doctor, so we say, can

I see doctor Lee today? So what does it mean. It doesn't mean

see him from afar, It doesn't mean take his picture and see his picture.

It just means an appointment, a face to face appointment to see the

person. Right, Okay, So basically, seeing God just means being admitted

into his presence. It also means, according to Psalm twenty seven, okay,

being comforted by his grace and being helped by God. Now let's look

at some twenty seven now, and David wrote most of the Psalms. Okay,

So twenty seven is a sum written by David. And what was David

crying out for? Okay? Now? In verse seven to verse nine,

David said in Psalms twenty seven, here, o, Lord, when I

cried with my voice, have mercy also upon me and answer me. When

you say he's talking to God and he's having a conversation with God. When

you say, seek my face, my heart said to you your face,

Lord, I will sink. Then David say, do not hide your face

from me. Do not turn your servant away in anger. You have been

my help. Do not leave me, nor forsake me, Oh God of

my salvation. So again again again, if you read the Psalms a lot

of time, David cried out many times to God to not hide his face

from him. So what does it do not hide your face means? Is

actually saying God be gracious to me, help me, right, It just

means God helping and God being gracious to us. So seeing God's face is

considered to be a sweet and comforting experience when God shows his face to us.

So when God shows his face, we are helped. But if he

turns his face away, we are dismayed. And that's why the benediction is,

may you shine your face upon us. And that's how important the face

of God is towards us a man. So this is the promise for the

pure and heart, that you will be admitted into God's presence and you will

be helped and comforted by his grace. Isn't it an amazing promise? Haillelujah.

So that is the reward for all those of seeing God all right,

for those who are pere in heart, of course, in part now,

but fully later in the age to come right. So coming back again to

the heart, So the beatitude is blessed are the pure in heart? Forday

shall see God. So we talk about how important the heart is to God.

But what is it to be pure in heart? What's the meaning and

what is it pure and heart? So we're gonna look at scripture again and

I'm going to draw three paths to put together and to help us understand what

it means to be pure and hard. Now, we're going to go from

Old Testament to New Testament. Okay, so according to David. Right,

So we're going to David now again in the Psalms, David wrote this,

and it's very similar. It sounds very similar to our be attitude. So

Psalms twenty four, verse three to six. Psalms twenty four, Verse three

to six. Now, and this psalm sounds familiar also because we have a

song that goes something like the sum as well. Okay, So it says

in verse three, who may climb the mountain of the Lord, who may

stand in his holy place? Now, the amount of the Lord also signifies

the presence of God, all right, So who may climb the mountain?

Who may stand in God's presence? Only those whose hands and hearts are pure,

who do not worship idols and never tell lies. In verse five,

they will receive the Lord's blessing and have a right relationship with God, their

savior. Such people are you, pay attention here, may seek you and

worship in your presence, Oh God of Jacob. Sounds familiar to the be

attitude. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

And see God means being admitted into his presence, hallelujah. Only so verse

four, only those whose hands and hearts are pure. And you remember the

song, give us clean hands, give us pure hearts, let us not

live our souls another the song, I believe is written drawing out from Psalms

twenty four. So only those with clean hands and pure hearts, so according

to Day, so that is what is mean. So if you look into

the psum, the other parts of the psum explains what it means to have

clean hands, pure hearts. Right, those who do not worship idols,

those who never tell lies. Basically we can see here it has nothing to

do with falsehood. So pure and heart means truthful and free from all deceitfulness.

Now, so that is according to David in Psalms. We're going to

look at James now, so turn with me to James chapter four. We're

going to look at specifically two verses in James four. Are you staying with

me? Yay? We only at the start though, okay, okay,

James chapter four. We're looking at verse eight and later on your move and

look at verse four. So verse eight, what does it say famous verse

that we all know now in the New Living transition. It says, come

close to God, and God will come close to you. But what is

next So about coming close to God coming into presence, it comes hand in

hand with something else as well. Wash your hands, you sinners, purify

your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. In

the New King James, it's a bit more familiar. Draw near to God

and he will draw near to you. Coleanse your hands, you sinners,

and purify your hearts. You double minded. So we always memorize the first

part, right, joining to God and He will join it to you.

You expaise a lot, but don't forget the second part. We have to

have clean hands and pure hearts. Right. So it's similar to Psalms twenty

four when it says clean hand and pure hearts. Has also to do with

not having double mindedness, right, having know our loyalty not divided between God

and the world. So again as a preparation for drawing near to God.

Again, you blessed adults who are pure in heart, for they will see

God. Is the pure and heart part, right, Yeah, it's the

purity of our lives, imn our hearts. So again you notice that who

are the ones who need to proivide their hearts. In this verse, it

says men of double mind. All right, So the impurity of double mindedness

is explain a little bit above in verse four. So let's look up into

verse four and it talks a little bit about that. It says, you

a doubterous Why adulterous? Because you're double minded? Double standards? Right,

don't you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God?

I say it again much of James not in not one time? Say again,

if you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself

an enemy of God. Can we see that now? So it's explaining again

the impurity. So the double minded men in verse eight has his heart divided

between the world and God. Okay, much in Chinese they call it your

Okay, like a wife who has a husband and a boyfriend who or a

husband who has a wife and the girlfrid Yeah, why not? Okay,

so you can understand that, okay, all right, So purity of heart,

so that's double minded? No, all right, okay, So towards

God, I'm talking about loyalty towards God. So purity of heart just means

this to wield only one thing, and that is full and total allegiance to

God. And there's the word of God, not I say, God says,

right. Okay, Now that is according to James. We look at

James. Now, let's see what Jesus said. Jesus didn't say so exactly

like that. But what did Jesus say? Okay? So in the gospels,

Jesus explained the purity of heart when he gave us the greatest commandment.

And I'm sure we can we can memorize, yes, okay, so in

Medil twenty two, verse thirty seven, and we can find this in all

the gospels. So Jesus replied in verse thirty seven, you must love Mussa,

not a suggestioner. You must love the Lord your God with half your

heart ninety nine point nine percent. Okay, No, with all your heart,

with all your soul, and all your mind. Tell your neighbor on

your left all, tell you the other neighbor on your right. Oh,

our ly Lylijah, thatly dear Jesus is speaking to me. Yes, so

we must love the Lord of God. Jesus said that one commandment, and

that's it. No need to talk anymore. Lin it case close, full

stop. You love the Lord your God with all your heart. There's never

in anywhere there is partially, half, a fraction or whatever. Okay,

it's full and total allegiance to God. And that is what it means to

be pure in heart. So it's not part of our hearts, not a

double or a divided heart. That would be impurity. Okay. So purity

of heart again is no deception, no double mindedness, no divided allegiance.

Purity of heart is to wield one thing, namely God's truth, God's value

in everything that we do. And the aim is to align itself with the

truth of God and to magnify the worth of God. So if you and

I want to be pure and heart, let's pursue God with aucter single mindedness.

Immen, halle lilijah. But do you feel like the disciples sometimes because

I think Jesus was talking to disciples on another occasion about the rich young ruler,

and he said that it's very hard for the rich man to enter the

King of God. And then the disciples ask Jesus, which I feel that

is a very valid question, So how then, who in the world can

be safe? The disciples actually asked Jesus that question in Matthew nineteen. But

what was Jesus's answer. Jesus answered them a very good answer and very comforting

answer. He said, humanly speaking in the New Living Translation, it is

impossible, but with God all things are possible. Amen. So what is

trying to What Jesus is trying to say is that God creates a purity for

and in us, so that we can pursue purity. Do you know that

it's mamma from God in the first place. That's why even the disciples he

looked at his rascals disciples right, no, seriously, and he still can

say, blessed are the pure in heart? No, true, not,

So Jesus look at us today and say, blessed are the pure in heart.

Congratulations. So it was a congratulations to the disciples, blessed are the

peer in heart because he knows that it is God he is He will create

in us, and that so that we can pursue purity. And it is

by his grace and by his grace we must seek this gift of purity.

And the world of God also taught us how to pray, just like David

pray. So this one I would like us to turn to Psalms fifty one.

Now turn to some fifty one and let's learn from King David. King

David made many mistakes. Do we know that? Many? Many? And

this psalm was written after he has committed a great sin. But in verse

ten and eleven, what did David prayed? David prayed, create in me

a clean heart of God. So there is such thing. You and I

can pray the same prayer to create in me a clean heart of God.

And reknew a state fast spirit within me. And other transitions, and the

New Living says, a loyal spirit. The new King James says, stay

fast, do not again again. Clean heart and presence of God always come

together. Verse eleven, do not cast me away from your presence, and

do not take your holy spirit away. David knew right without clean hands,

you will not have the presence of God. And the person of God was

so important to him. Is it important to you? If important to you

to see God, then let us all have our hearts pure? Amen?

Amen. So creating me a clean heart, O God, And we knew

a state fast spirit within me, so we pray. And in Titus this

is also to encourage all of us. In Titus chapter two, verse fourteen,

it says he is in. God gave his life to free us from

every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very

own people totally committed to doing good. Bits, hallelujah, aren't you glad?

Let's read it one more time. He gave his life to free us

from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his

very own people totally committed to doing good. This so when God already given

his life to us, Amen, hallelujah. And yes, with God,

nothing is impossible. And as we pray and as we rely on his grace,

he is the one who cleanses. He is the one who creates in

us a clean heart, and he's the one who helped us immen. Now,

so let's pause for a moment to pray. Right now, Okay,

let's pray before we go into our next be attitude. And I believe the

Lord is already speaking even into our hearts. Thank you, Jesus, Holy

La Lord, Thank you Lord. We pray like how David prayed that God,

you create Lord in us. Lord, we know that our heart's Lord.

If we come before you and you see right true you look into our

hearts. God, you can see our heart's Lord, you can see the

deceitfulness. You can see in bm. We say the correctness of our hearts.

Lord, because Lord, we are all undone. Lord, Lord,

we are not perfect. But God, thank you Lord, by your grace.

And Lord, we pray, just like David prayed, create in us

Lord, a clean, a clean heart. God. And we knew Lord,

that loyal, that loyal spirit that will have no not a divided spirit,

Lord, meaning our heart will be oil to you God and not divided

with the world. Lord. So God created that in us thought. We

thank you. We praise you in Jesus name. Amen. Amen, Amen.

So we move in into our next be attitude quickly. Okay. So

this is the seventh be attitude that blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall

be called sons of God. So our first day established first of all that

we are all sons and daughters of God. Do you believe that? Yes?

We are? Okay? Now I'm going to show you in scripture in

case you are doubting. Are you am I and honnor of God? Yes

you are? Okay. So in John chapter one, verse twelve. But

to all who believed him and accepted him. So as long as today you're

seated here, you believe in him, you accepted him. He gave the

right to become children of God. Amen. In Galations, chapter three,

verse twenty six, it says, for you all are children of God through

faith in Christ Jesus. Now if you were here last Sunday, elder being

who preached about this, we are saved by grace true faith. The word

is conjunction, I remember, am, I couldn't think of this English way.

So the conjunction is different, all right, save by faith, saved

by grace, true faith. So we are all children of God true faith

in Christ Jesus. Now. In the New King James, it says sons

of God all right. So it's used interchangeably, either sons of God or

children of God. All right. So we become sons of God by trusting

in Christ for our forgiveness and our whole. So, as children of God,

we resemble our heavenly Father. Do you agree? So do you resemble

your earthly dad and mom? Most of us do, even not. In

the faith, it's either. In the Hangar they say the better, got

some better, the same. The way we walk we stand. I've seen

grandpa, grandfather and grandson stand the same one. Nor the certain pattern is

the one. I don't know how to explain it. But it's just because

you are each other. You are then or sama. Okay, is that

because it's your dad. That's that simple, No need to explain. Okay.

So two children resemble their father, and I pray we all will resemble

our heavenly Father. Now, next thing, they're going to go into ace.

Now we're talking about peacemakers. Our heavenly Father is a god of peace.

Okay, let's go into the Word of God. Yeah, to see

how and when it's mentioned. So in First Tessalonians, chapter five, verse

twenty three. So First Tessalonians, chapter five, verse twenty three, it

says, now, may the God of Peace make you holy in every way.

It may your soul, spirit, and soul and body be kept blameless

until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. Now many times God was referred to

as the God of peace, even in Romans sixteen twenty, he Brews the

teen twenty. But of course, for the sake of time, I'm not

going into all of these, but to show us that in the Bible out

of all the god of something, it was chosen as God of peace.

All right. So our heavenly Father is a god of peace. But more

than that, our heavenly Father is a peace loving and a peace making God.

So when God said, blessed are you peacemakers? For you because sons

of God is because by being a peacemaker you are directly reflecting above Father,

because he is a peace maker. How to Jesus now, okay? So

Second Corinthians five and nineteen. And this is the whole gospel they were talking

about, all right? Is God making peace with men to his son Jesus,

to the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross for us. So Second

Corinthians five, verse nineteen, it says, for God was in Christ reconciling

the world to himself, no longer counting people's sins against them, and he

gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation immen. So God sent his son to

reconcile us to himself. Without Jesus, we are not reconciled to God.

So we stand here today because of what Christ has done. Now in colloss

Chapter one, verse nineteen to twenty, it also says this for God in

all his fullness, was pleased to live in Christ, and through him,

God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on

earth by means of Christ's blood on the cross. Hallelujah. Do you know

how powerful the ah the death and the resurrection of Jesus. He made peace

with everything. So by coming in the likeness of men as a man and

taking our sins on the cross, he reconcile earth, not only us to

God, he reconsiled the whole world to God. Amen, hallelujah. And

he made peace. So the whole history of redemption climaxing at the death and

resurrection of Jesus, is God's strategy to bring about a just and lasting peace

between who rebel or rebellious men like you and I and God right, and

also between us, between us men and fellow men as well. So the

whole story of redemption is bringing peace between us and God and between fellow men.

So we are children of God, and we are God's children. And

because we are God's children, we have the character of our Father. And

our Father is a peace living and peace making God. And that's what he

did once and for all right and so what he loves, we should love.

Right. What he pursues, we pursue because we are his children,

and we can know his children by whether or not we are willing to make

the same sacrifice for peace like what Jesus did. Amen. Amen. So

we establish that that God is a peace making God, and we are his

children. And that's why blessed are the peace makers, for you will be

called sons of God. Now, not only that the Holy Spirit is also

a spirit of peace. Hmm. So in Romans chapter eight, verse fourteen,

it says for all who are led by the Spirit of God are children

of God. Hallelujah. So being led by the spirit again always includes bearing

the fruit of the Spirit. Now the fruit of the spirit, we know

right have a lot of the elements of the fruit of the spirit, number

one to number nine gorata. Not For the fruit of the Spirit is love,

joy, and peace. I learned this when I was a young girl.

Okay. So this is the fruit of the spirit. So when we

have the Spirit in urse, we will bear the fruit of the Spirit.

And the spirit is peace. So the children of God and summary must be

peace makers because we resemble our father. And it is by the spirit of

God that we are made chutdren of God. And the spirit of God is

the spirit of peace. Right, so if we are not but in other

words, if we are not peacemakers, then we don't have the spirit of

Christ. Then we are not children of God. Okay, But it's something

to think about, all right. Okay? So now what does it mean

to be a peacemaker? Okay? So we believe we are all. God

is a God, it's a peace making God. But what does it mean

to be a peacemaker? Now in the world of God? In chapter five

itself, in the Beatitude chapter and in the Sermon of the Mound, as

Jesus continue to preach, Jesus gave quite specific examples, and we're going to

quickly look at it, all right. So in the same chapter of the

Beatitude, chapter five of Metthu, now we're going to read verse forty three

to forty five first, and then later on we'll continue two more verses.

Okay, So let's read verse forty three. Are you still with me?

Can? Yes? Come, let's do this together. Verse forty three.

You have heard the Lord that says love your neighbor and hate your enemy.

But I say Jesus is saying, Ah, love your enemies, pray for

those who persecute you. In that way, you will be acting as two

children tak no nah, true children of your Father in heaven. Sounds familiar

to the beatitude Sons of God, children of God. Okay, when you

act as what when you love your neighbor, when you love your enemies and

pray for those who persecute you. For He gives his son like to both

the evil and the good, and his sends rain on the just and the

unjust Alike. Now in the New King James. The New King James,

somehow in verse forty four is a little bit more elaborated. It says,

but I say to you, love your enemies. It's got some more.

Bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and

pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you. So note this in

verse forty five, as I say that that you may be sons of your

Father in heaven. And again this is parallel to verse nine earlier on,

when he says that blessed are you who are peace makers, for you be

called sons of God. Hence we see here that we must. So it's

in the context of verse forty three to verse forty five, it says,

we must love our enemies. We must bless those who curse you, do

good to those who hate you, and pray for those who persecute us,

if we are to be called sons of God. So Jesus is referring to

peace making as all the acts of love by which one we are trying to

overcome the enmity we have between us and other people. Right, and if

we look at specifics here, Jesus gave us two examples. He specifically say

pray for those who persecute you, and he specially says love your enemies.

Right. So when we pray, what can we pray for? If we

sincerely, Okay, if we really don't like somebody, what do we pray

for? He will knock a car and die? He will, the dog

will die, his care will die. A hagget oh your way, gowan,

what you're gonna pray? No, let's talk real. We really want

to pray for? Yeah, even if we are, it's not happy.

We felt that we were unfairly treated, We felt that we were accused,

or we felt misjudged, misunderstood, or that person took away our share of

something I don't know. Okay, so what can we pray now? The

next chapter in chapter six is the lord's prayer. Why don't pray the lord's

prayer? But Jesus said, pray the lord's prayer. So it's almost like

saying, pray, Pray that your enemy will hello God's name. Pray that

God's kingdom will be acknowledged in your own life. Pray that God's kingdom will

be acknowledged in his life. Pray that he will do God's will. The

angels do it in heaven. In other words, pray for if he's not

safe, pray for his conversion, Pray for himself that. Pray for peace

and purity. Pray that you can only pray like that when you are pure

and heart true or not. If your heart is not pure in heart towards

God, you won't be able to pray like that. All right, Yes,

pray, So that's what God, Jesus said. And Jesus also said,

love your enemies. Now you're going to read two more verses after verse

forty five, so you're going to read verse forty six and forty seven.

In Matthew five, it says, if you love those who love you,

what reward have you do? Not? Even the text collectors do the same

Verse forty seven. If you greet your brethren only, what do you do

more than others? Do? Not? Even the text collectors do that.

Now you notice that it says here love your enemies. But there's one other

action that is specifically mentioned by Jesus, and what is that? Greed?

Okay, So, in other words, if there is someone who opposes you,

Jesus is trying to say, don't nurse that gruge. Don't feed the

animosity by ignoring or avoiding that person. Now that's the natural way I would,

honestly, I admit, I also will avoid. Wouldn't you avoid?

Okay? If you know that person, or you just upset with that person.

Instead of saying anything not nice, just don't say loud, right,

keep quiet and try to avoid. Walk this way, I walk that way?

Why not anyone not like me? Ah, you're already good, I

admit, oh, I will be rather like Okay, now mind I take

that away. Now I take that will leave, I go down the long

way. Never my address thought. Don't meet that person. I'm not yeah,

okay, because it's a natural thing to do. And Jesus specifically say,

if you greet your brethren on me. So, if I'm happy with

Alex Xander, I said good morning Alex, a no issue. But if

I'm angry with Alex Martin, it's like you feel get colder, right,

going money, okay, okay, are you good morning? You're like angry?

Right okay. But the word of God Jesus is saying that if you

only greet those you are happy with, it's the same as everybody else in

the world. Cay, So Jesus is suggesting, so peace making is like

trying to build a bridge with other people. And it does not want this

animosity to remain. It wants reconciliation in state. So this is a courtesy,

a simple curtesy. Then generally even your enemy won't be jegna if you

sincerely greet a like good morning and look him in the eye and say good

morning, not trying to pretend. All right, okay now, And when

we do it, we do it with longing for peace in our hearts,

not trying to put a cover or a mass. So by that way again

again remembering that that God is a peace making God, that God first sent

his son to make peace and to reconcile us to himself. And that's why

we are also called to be peacemakers. But then you might ask me a

question or a tough question. But let's say the divide o gay between me

and a brother or a sister is or not a brother can be anyone.

It's due to something that you did that was right. Maybe you stood for

your faith and the person just didn't like it. And it's not your fault.

You had done everything you could to make peace, but the other person

is not willing, all right. So what does the word of God says?

Now, Let's look in Romans chapter twelve eighteen, because sometimes there are

circumstances where we may think that, oh, are we then now not being

peacemakers? Paul said in Romans twelve, verse eighteen, if it is possible,

as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men in a

new living transition, it says, do all that you can to live in

peace with everyone. That means there might be some circumstances sometimes that is not

possible, all right. So the goal is as slong as it depends on

me, I will do it right. I will not fit the grudge,

right, I will not feed the animosity. I want to reconcile now.

Jesus also said in Matthew Chapter ten, verse thirty four to thirty six.

He says, Jesus said, do not think that I came to bring peace

on earth. Now it sounds like God, you're contradicting yourself. Right,

Okay, I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I

have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against his mother,

and a daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's

enemies will be those of his own household. So what is Jesus trying to

say? In other words, Jesus is saying, you must love peace,

and you must work for peace. You must pray for your enemies. Love

your enemies, do good to them, pray for them, greet them,

and long for that reconciliation or the barriers between you both to be overcome.

But you must never abandon your allegiance to me and my word, no matter

how much animosity it will cause. So it's again, it's not to say

that every circumstance you have to make peace. You make peace already. And

I said so when it comes to allegiance to God and to God's word that

one we cannot compromise. Amen. But as long as it's within our ability

to as much as it depends on us in the world of God. In

Romans, it says we must live peaceably with everyone, Hallelijah. So you

are not in the wrong. If your life of obedience and your message of

love of truth elicit Again, there will always be hostility from some, but

affirmation from some. Some will love you for your message of love to them,

but some it's just going to hit you just because you love Jesus right,

and that is not your fault. Amen. So blessed are you peace.

Make us who pray for your enemies, who greet your opponents with love

and sacrifice, that you're having, Father, for the reconciliation of peace or

people to God and to each other. For you will be called sons of

God, and you will inherit eternal life in the Kingdom of the Father.

Amen. I'm joining to a close. Our extreme team can come. So

just to put it in again, a quick summary of our tree most recent

beattitudes. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Bless are

the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Bless the other peacemakers,

for they shall be called sons of God. Again our yes, definitely,

our whole salvation from the beginning to the end is all grace. Again,

we are saved by grace, true faith. But it also seems that

our final salvation is also not unconditional. Right. We must become a new

creation if we are to inherit eternal life correct or not. There is always

an action and last week PICI, but there's action on our side. We

need to believe in our hearts and to confess with our mouths unto salvation.

There is an action and a response that we all need to have, and

that is a response that we need to have today. So we must become

a new creation and allow God to renew us. If we are to have

eternal life, we must have a new heart. Without a merciful, pure

peace making heart, we cannot obtain mercy. We cannot see God or be

called sons or children of God at the judgment day. So again a reminder,

and we're going to sing the finals the last song. How or were

okay? From the start? Okay? Jesus is not making again optional suggestions

in the Beatitudes. But this is his word to us to tell us that

this is his Kingdom way, and this is his word, his way,

pathway to Heaven. Amen, and Church, just to encourage all of us

to stay on this path. Amen. We hope you've been blessed by this

message. For more information on our church, please visit aschurch org. We

are also active on Facebook and Instagram. We're believing that this week is going

to be a good week. I hit for you. God bless