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Matthew 5:1-12
Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went
up on a mountainside and sat down. His
disciples came to him, 2 and he began to
teach them. He said: 3 “Blessed are the poor
in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for
they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the
meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for
righteousness, for they will be filled.
Matthew 5:1-12
7
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be
shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in
heart, for they will see God. 9 Blessed are
the peacemakers, for they will be called
children of God. 10 Blessed are those who
are persecuted because of righteousness, for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:1-12
11 “Blessed
are you when people insult you,
persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil
against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be
glad, because great is your reward in heaven,
for in the same way they persecuted the
prophets who were before you.
Two assumptions about Jesus:
 When Jesus speaks, he always tells the truth.
• Truth-telling is a practice that exposes the
lies of the powers that are in this world and
what they keep feeding us.
•
Jesus speaks the truth in love in such a way
that challenges these people in power who
tell these lies.
Two assumptions about Jesus:
 Jesus was a story-teller.
• Not only did Jesus tell stories, but he told the
best stories, offering the world a new reality.
•
Not only does Jesus tell the truth, but he
tells the people the story of God in the
world so that they can see the new Kingdom
that is already in their midst.
• Jesus not only tells this story, but then He
lives this story with His own life, His death,
and His resurrection.
So What Is The Responsibility of the Church?
 The church is defined as the present day
expression of the works of Jesus Christ, so we
will do the things Jesus did.
• Jesus exposed this world for what it was by
telling the truth, and so the church too must
be willing to tell the truth, as uncomfortable
as this may be at times to do.
So What Is The Responsibility of the Church?
 Just like Jesus, we too are challenged with
providing a vision for what this world can be.
• The church has the job of showing the world
what it could be like according to God’s plan.
• The church has the job of showing the world
what the blessed life really looks like, not the
lies that the world tells.
So What Is The Problem We Normally Run Into?
 Instead of telling one consistent story of God’s
Kingdom, we start telling our own version of the
story. Discussions about what we think a good
story should look and sound like.
• Jesus simply painted a picture of God’s
Kingdom centered on the fact that the
Kingdom is now at hand. But many fail to
see it.
• A Kingdom that consist of God’s people who
end hostility, bring the quarrelsome
together, and overcome evil with good.
Ephesians 2:13-18
13
But now in Christ Jesus you who once
were far away have been brought near by
the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our
peace, who has made the two groups one
and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing
wall of hostility, 15 by setting aside in his flesh
the law with its commands and regulations.
His purpose was to create in himself one
new humanity out of the two, thus making
peace,
Ephesians 2:13-18
16 and
in one body to reconcile both of them
to God through the cross, by which he put to
death their hostility. 17 He came and
preached peace to you who were far away
and peace to those who were near. 18 For
through him we both have access to the
Father by one Spirit.
Jesus Blessed The Peacemakers Of This World, For
They Will Be Called Children Of God.
• And rightfully so, for they sure do look like the
Son of God.
•
They are the ones who are living the family
name well.
• We’ve got to challenge ourselves to tell Christ’s
story in a way that looks and sounds like Christ.