• Review of last week

  • Beatitudes

    • Purity of heart

    • Peacemakers

• Beatitudes, continued

  • Persecution – rejoice (Matthew 5:10-12), continued

    • We have to display evidence of our faith in our life.

    • Persecution generally causes God’s message to spread, even if some people initially shrink with fear. Those who persecute eventually come to naught.

    • Heaven is the ultimate reward for withstanding persecution.

  • Salt and light – remember who you are! (Matthew 5:13-16)

    • Salt of the earth

      • Salt enhances flavor and is necessary for life.

    • Light on a hill

      • When you are a light in the darkness, people will see you.

      • Light NOT under a bushel.

        • I Thessalonians 1:6-7

        • I Timothy 4:12

        • Titus 2:7-8

  • Righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 5:17-20)

    • Followed the form

      • Not just as written

      • Falsely interpreted – Matthew 15:2-20

      • Neglected foundations of the law

  • Roots of murder (Matthew 5:21-26)

    • Attitudes

    • Practical advice

      • Worship vs. anger

      • Ephesians 4:26

    • Progression: anger, contempt, hatred

      • Murder’s mileposts

      • I John 3:15

The basic, root structure of our relationship with God

• Leviticus 26:12
• Genesis 17:7-9 – This relationship was part of the covenant with Abraham.
• Leviticus 20:26; 26:12 – God’s desire for a relationship with His people
• Jeremiah 24:7; 31:33 – what God continues to want from His people
• Revelation 21:3 – In the end, God ultimately desires the same relationship as in the beginning.

Relationship

• It takes two. Each participant has roles and responsibilities.
• God’s part: I will be their God.
• Our part: They shall be my people.

God’s promises

• God has always honored His responsibilities.

  • Genesis 2 – Adam and Eve

  • Genesis 6:13-8:29

  • Leviticus 20:24

  • John 6:40

  • John 6:35

• God has always honored His responsibilities by providing instruction on how to gain the provisions He promised.

  • Genesis 2:16-17

  • Genesis 6

  • Acts 2:38; Mark 16:16; Romans 6:4

  • God tells us how to maintain our relationships with Him.

  • I Timothy 1:17; Deuteronomy 33:27 – God is eternal and unchanging.

• God has always honored His responsibilities by giving His very best.

  • God made the ultimate sacrifice for us when He gave His only begotten Son to die for us.

  • James 3:16

  • Hebrews 10:8-16

But do we honor our responsibility of “being His people?”

• John 14:15 – Abide in His love.

• Matthew 22:36-37 – the greatest commandment

• Romans 8:14 – We are the sons of God.

• We must love God’s instruction, the truth of His Word.

  • Truth sets us free. John 8:32

  • Malachi 2:8 – Do not depart from the truth of God’s message.

  • Romans 1:28-32

  • Hebrews 4:12-13

• We must give God our best!

  • God expects our best. Malachi 1:7-8, 12-13

  • We must give the sacrifice of worship, praise, ourselves (Hebrews 13:15-16), and in our very living (Romans 12:1-2).

  • We cannot expect to receive God’s blessings if we are not participating in the relationship.

  • Matthew 6:33

  • We must give our best by teaching our children to love and serve God. Deuteronomy 6:4-12

  • III John 1:4

“I will be their God and they will be my people.”

• God is always the same. His expectations have never changed.

• Put on … good speech

  • James 3:1-12 – Our words are incredibly important!

    • Speech is responsible for regulating our relationships, forming our reputation, doing a lot of a Christian’s work, and revealing our character.

  • Think! Then speak.

    • Proverbs 10:19 – Much speaking makes it easier to sin.

    • Proverbs 15:1-2 – Speaking gently helps to turn away wrath.

    • Proverbs 15:28

    • Proverbs 25:11-12 – Good speech is very valuable to those who hear it.

    • Proverbs 29:20 – Don’t be hasty in your words!

    • James 1:16-22

      • v18 – We are a kind of firstfruits of God’s creation. We are the most precious of His creation and as such, should be sacrificed to Him.

  • Develop better attitudes.

    • Matthew 12:33-37 – If you say lots of rude, mean, or untrue things, it indicates a problem with your heart. Your speech reflects what is in your heart.

• If our purpose in life is to go to heaven, that is focusing on us instead of God and we won’t make it.

Glorify God

• Psalms 86:12
• Matthew 5:16
• Romans 15:6, 9
• I Corinthians 6:20
• I Corinthians 10:31
• Ephesians 3:21
• I Peter 2:12
• I Peter 4:16
• I Corinthians 6:19
• It is plain that God’s people live to glorify Him. Those who have the purpose to glorify G od will receive the prize. Philippians 3:13-14

How does one glorify God?

• By keeping one’s life pure.

  • I Timothy 5:22

  • James 1:27

  • Ephesians 5:25-27

• By keeping the plan of salvation pure.

  • Romans 10:17

  • Romans 5:1

  • Acts 17:30

  • Acts 10:10

  • Acts 22:16

  • Colossians 1:13

• By keeping his worship pure.

  • Ephesians 5:19 – singing

  • I Corinthians 11:27 – Lord’s Supper

  • I Timothy 2:8 – prayer

  • Acts 20:7 – teaching the Word

  • I Corinthians 16:2 – taking up a collection to support the work of the church

• By keeping functions of local church pure.

  • I Corinthians 14:23 – Assemble to worship and edify.

  • I Corinthians 11:23-29 – Partake of the Lord’s Supper.

  • I Corinthians 9:14 – Support the preaching of the gospel.

  • Acts 6:1-6 – Relieve needy saints.

  • I Corinthians 5:1-9 – Discipline unruly members.

• By keeping local church structure pure.

  • Philippians 1:1 – Saints, elders, and deacons.

  • Acts 14:23 – Elders ordained in every church.

  • A church should strive to develop qualified elders.

• By keeping the gospel pure.

  • Romans 1:16

  • Matthew 15:8-9

  • II John 1:9

Conclusion

Am I so living as to glorify God?

• Review of last week

  • Secular application?

  • Those who hunger and thirst

  • The merciful

• Beatitudes, continued

  • Pure in heart – filled (Matthew 5:8)

    • II Timothy 2:22

    • Titus 1:15 – If you are pure in heart, everything around you is pure.

    • Acts 15:9

    • I Peter 1:22-23

    • I Corinthians 5:7 – A little impurity cause the whole to be impure.

  • Peacemakers – sons of God (Matthew 5:9)

    • What kind of peace? Peace with God.

    • Acts 8:1-5

    • Colossians 1:19-20 – Jesus’ blood brought peace to the world by allowing us to be reconciled to God.

    • James 3:17-18 – Description of the peace between God and man.

    • Isaiah 52:7

    • Romans 10:15 – Those who spread the gospel help men to find peace with God.

  • Persecuted – rejoice (Matthew 5:10-12)

    • Romans 8:35-39 – We are the only thing that can separate us from God. We should consider ourselves already dead for Christ, just as soldiers going in to physical battle must consider themselves already dead.

    • Reactions – Acts 9:22-25; 22:25-29; Matthew 10:22-23

      • Paul wasn’t asking for persecution, but he was not afraid of it. It also was not wrong for Paul to escape persecution when he could. We must endure persecution, but that does not mean we have to stand and take it if there’s a way out.

    • Desire it? – I Timothy 2:1-4

    • Why rejoice? John 15:20

      • Persecution will eventually find us, just as it found Jesus.