The Beatitudes
Pastor Joe Butler
Matthew 5:1-12
With the Beatitudes, Jesus set up a standard that aligns us with His Word. It is through His Word that we must compare our lives; not revelation. If the revelation doesn’t line up with the manifestation of this Word, it’s not a revelation. Jesus wanted to make sure that we had the right understanding about money, possessions, and authority as the sources of our happiness. He wanted us to rely on His word as the true source of our happiness. In Matthew 5, Jesus gives us 8 characteristics of a blessed person. Blessed means “happy”, pointing inward condition of the person. The Beatitudes don’t show you how to be saved; it describes a person that has been saved.
Blessed are the poor in spirit…
The poor in spirit is not you confessing your insignificance or lack of value because we are very valuable. The poor in spirit are humbled by the grace of God, acknowledge their sins, and recognize that they are in need of a Savior on a daily basis. The poor in Spirit is placed first on the list because it puts the following in perspective and gives direction.
Blessed are they that mourn…
We don’t want to be happy while we mourn, but they mourned over their sins and the separation that it creates between them and God. When we sin, we should be mourning, repenting and asking God to remove it.
Blessed are the meek…
In the Greek, meek means “strength under control”. It shows willingness to submit and work under proper authority and at times a willingness to disregard one’s rights and privileges. It doesn’t mean that you’re passive. However, they submit quietly to God and bear insult.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness…
We hunger and thirst for many things, but how many of us really hunger and thirst for righteousness? People are going into debt because they are trying to fill a void that only God can fill.
Blessed are the merciful…
They reach out to help those in need with demanding that the person deserve such help. A merciful person realizes that, had it not been for God on their side, they would have been in the same situation. If misery loves company, let us take mercy over there and tend to it. If you want mercy from God, you should be merciful, it’s that simple.
Blessed are the pure in heart…
Their lives have been transformed by the grace of God. They are not sinless, but their positions before God has been change (how God sees you). They shall receive intimacy with God. This relationship with God must be our greatest motivation for purity.
Blessed are the peacemakers…
They are in peace with God and desire to be at peace with all men. They bring peace by overcoming evil with good. Anywhere you go, you should change the atmosphere. Only, those who have the qualities of a changed life shall be called citizens in the Kingdom. It is our job to help people understand that they can be children of God if they are willing to line up our lives with His word.
Blessed are those that are persecuted for righteousness sake…
We must be opposite of the way that the world does things. If you are going to live for Christ, you are going to be persecuted. People will talk about, lie on you, and may even hit you. But you must start bragging about God who is our protection in any situation that He sends us in.
Blessed are they that are reviled and persecuted for My sake…
This does not speak of persecution for your sake—for His sake. If they persecuted the Prophets for His sake—and now they are persecuting you for the same reason—that is good company to be in. It means that you are not running with the Devil and the Holy Spirit is dwelling in you.
Key Scriptures to help you develop this attitude:
· Humbleness: James 4:7-10
· Humbleness: Psalm 51
· Humbleness: Matthew 11:27-30
· Hunger and Thirst: John 16:5-11
· Merciful: Ephesians 5:1-2
· Pure Heart: 1 John 3:1-3
· Peacemaker: Romans 12:9-21
· Persecution: 2 Timothy 3:12
Fulfillment of a Promise
Pastor Joe Butler
Joshua 1:1-8
We first heard of Joshua when he went out with the 11 other spies. Moses sent them out to scout out the land. Of the spies that went out, only Joshua and Caleb came back with a good report. You have to make sure that you know who you’re spending time with. Joshua chose to spend time with Moses. During this time Joshua became one of Moses’ closest friends and best servant. In Genesis, God promised that they would receive the Promised Land, but it would happen in His timing.
Joshua was Moses’ field commander and personal aide for 40 years. This experience left him well prepared to succeed his master. This is why we can’t despise our beginnings. Joshua was God’s choice to succeed Moses. A lot of times we think that we choose God, but the bible says that He chooses us. And even though He had promised this land to them, they still needed to do their part in possessing the land. So if you are not satisfied with the fulfillment of your promise it’s because you haven’t wanted more of it. I don’t know what God has promised you, but you need to want it bad enough to go through the battle. Jesus wanted it bad enough to die on the cross for us. But because we don’t go after or stick to the promise that He told, the bible says that we fall short of the promise.
In order for us to receive our promise, it must first be perceived within us. God had already set up His reputation in the land that was Promised Land so much so that they fear the Israelites for forty years. But because the Israelites were stuck in Jordan dealing with their own issues, God allowed them to stay in the wilderness for 40 years while their old thoughts died out. How long have you been just looking at what God has promised you when all you have to do is reached over and pick it up?
Once you have settled in your heart that you are going after the promises of God, you must develop a strategy of how to go after it. Many times were face issues in our lives that are so huge that we don’t want to deal with them. But until you face them, they will keep coming back. While Joshua was planning how to carry out this promise, an angel appeared who told him exactly how he was going to conquer the land. The angel told him that for next 7 days he was going to walk around the city, and then on one particular day shouting and blowing trumpets. Sometimes you need to walk around your situations in order to get a better view—this is very different from walking away. With such a great wall before us, most of us would be defeated from the start. But Joshua had a relationship with God, had seen Him move in their lives, and received instructions on how to deal with his situation. If the Spirit of God is in us and He is our Priest, we should be able to ask God about whatever situation that comes our way.
