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Good Morning. If this is your first time to
to worship with us, you are our guest...If you have
been here twice, three or more times, you are one of
us now....We have adopted you.
Text: Matthew 5 : 1-2
"And seeing the multitudes, He went up into the mountains: and when He was set,
His disciples came unto Him: And He opened his mouth, and taught them, saying
..."
Jesus went into the mountains and taught His disciples--what? What did Jesus
teach?
There is a practical message in everything the Lord does.
He preaches much to those who are His followers --those already saved.
In comparing this message, I compared it to a Christian
Ladder. Each of us is on one rung of that ladder.
On the ground level, are the unsaved -- those who have never
accepted Christ.
The first rung are those who are
poor in spirit. What does it mean to be poor in spirit? It
is those people who are consciously aware of their need for God, but still hold
back. You must know you can't do it by yourself! I depend on
Him for everything....I can do nothing by myself. From the day I received Him
as my Savior, He has been my Rock.
Many people will not seek salvation because of pride. But
God has no place for pride. We must come to Him humbly.
The second rung: blessed are the mourners, for they
shall be comforted. He's talking about those
who are broken-hearted. This means more than
being sorry but truly having a broken heart. It's mourning the fact that you
are a sinner, in need of forgiveness. You cry out, “I'm tired of this sin,
Lord, I don't want to live this way any more.”
The third rung: blessed are the meek, for they shall
inherit the earth. Notice, how we enter into a new birth--a new life,
if you will. If any man be in Christ, old things are passed away, Behold!
all things become new.
The fourth rung: blessed are those who do hunger and
thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled. Feed your mind
and body on the things of God, and you shall never go
hungry or thirst again.
The fifth rung: blessed are the merciful, for
they shall obtain mercy. The Bible always compares Jesus to a Lamb.
He is always meek and merciful. John the Baptist
said; “Behold the Lamb of God, He hath come to take
away the sins of the world.” There is not another creature as meek as the Lamb.
How we deal with people is what counts--let people see
Jesus dwelling in you. Handle them with a meek heart.
The sixth rung: blessed are the pure in spirit, for
they shall see God. We see so much darkness around us, we have grown
accustomed to it But
our body is a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit. The Christian life has
restrictions. God knows what's best for us, and He should pick what we do and
where we should go.
The seventh rung: blessed are the peacemakers, for
they shall be called the children of God. I want the whole world to
know I'm a child of the King. There are times in our life when things can
become sticky, but God expects us to handle them in a
Christ-like manner.
The eight rung: blessed are they which are persecuted
for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven......At the
top of the ladder is Jesus waiting.......Finally Home!
Church, let's don't be content to stay on one rung of the
ladder too long. Let's climb to the top together.
Sermon edited by Mary King
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