"THE WAY TO HAPPINESS" I. THE UNIVERSAL DESIRE FOR HAPPINESS. A. A reminder that the word blessed literally means happy, or Oh how happy. As in Psalm 1 "Blessed is the man." Many times the same Hebrew word eh sher is translated happy in the Old Testament, such as in Psalm 144:15 "Happy is that people whose God is the Lord." The Hebrew word bless is baruch which is praise or b...
"BLESSED ARE THE MERCIFUL" I. "OH HOW HAPPY ARE THE MERCIFUL." A. Again we need to see how these beatitudes follow a perfect order. 1. It all begins when we have a true encounter with God. 2. This brings us to a true evaluation of ourselves, for we now see ourselves in the light of God's righteousness. a. Like Job, we abhor ourselves and repent in dust and ashes. b. Like Pete...
"BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART" I. THE BIBLE CONSTANTLY EMPHASIZES THE IMPORTANCE OF THE HEART OF MAN. A. The controversy that Jesus had with the Pharisee's was due to the fact that they put the emphasis on the outward man, while He put the emphasis on the heart. 1. He said to them: MAT 23:25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of ...
" MATTHEW 6:1 " I. TAKE HEED THAT YOU DO NOT YOUR ALMS (RIGHTEOUS ACTS) BEFORE MEN TO BE SEEN OF THEM. A. Again Jesus is striking at the heart of the matter, and the matter is the heart. 1. A man's attitude is more important than a man's actions. 2. As we have noticed this was the main problem with the Pharisee's. There actions were right, but their attitudes were wrong. 3. Je...
"BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS" I. WAR AND STRIFE BEGAN BEFORE THE HISTORY OF MAN. A. It began when Satan pitted his will against the will of God. 1. The five I will's of Lucifer as recorded by Isaiah. ISA 14:12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! [how] art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! ISA 14:13 For thou hast sa...
" MATTHEW 6:10 " Intro. We are looking at the Lord's prayer not so much as something to be repeated verbatum, but as a model or sample form for prayer. We saw that it began with the address, "Our Father which art in heaven." then it entered into worship, "Hallowed be Thy name." I. WE NOW COME TO PETETION AS INTERCESSION. A. It is important to note that the first petition does no...
"FASTING" I. MOREOVER WHEN YOU FAST. A. The assumption is that you will fast. 1. The disciples of John one day asked Jesus: MAT 9:14 Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not? MAT 9:15 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be ...
" MATTHEW 6:19 " I. "LAY NOT UP FOR YOURSELVES TREASURES ON EARTH, BUT LAY UP TREASURES." IN HEAVEN." A. This begins a new section of the Sermon, where Jesus is now going to talk about treasures, earthly and heavenly. B. The believer must guard against the world, the flesh, and the devil. 1. In this next section Jesus is going to be dealing with the battle against the world. 2...
" MATTHEW 6:2 " Intro. This next section is under the heading, "Take heed to yourselves that you do not your righteous acts before men to be seen of men." Don't let your motive be the acknowledgement or the praise of man. The first of the righteous acts involves our giving and how we give. I. WHEN YOU GIVE YOUR ALMS. A. We should give for the work of the kingdom of God. 1. A li...
" MATTHEW 6:22 " I. THE LIGHT OF THE BODY IS THE EYE. A. What does this have to do with treasures on earth and treasures in heaven? 1. Jesus has declared that where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 2. So the issue is the heart of man. Your perception of life. B. Sin upsets the normal balance of man. 1. Man was created a threefold being, spirit, mind and body. ...
" MATTHEW 6:25 " I. "THEREFORE" THIS WORD ALWAYS TAKES US BACK TO THE PREVIOUS THOUGHTS. A. The thought here is laying up treasures on earth. Why do people seek to lay up treasures on the earth? 1. Because they are fearful or worried about the future. 2. When I am no longer able to work, will I have enough to survive. 3. I do not believe that the Lord is saying that we should ...
" MATTHEW 6:31 " I. THEREFORE TAKE NO ANXIOUS THOUGHT. DON'T WORRY. A. Therefore always refers back to the previous facts. 1. Because your Father takes care of His creatures, the birds, and His creation the flowers, He will surely take care of you His child. 2. In Matthew 10:31 Jesus told the disciples that they were of more value than many sparrows. 3. The key is relationsh...
I. "WHEN YOU PRAY." A. The assumption is that we will pray. 1. Sometimes we forget to pray. James said, "You have not because you ask not." 2. Many times it is just as simple as that. We have not prayed about it. B. "Be not as the hypocrites, who love to pray in the synagogues and on the street corners." 1. They wish to be known as men of prayer. 2. Jesus said of the scribes ...
" MATTHEW 6:9 " I. AFTER THIS MANNER PRAY. A. He is clearly giving to the disciples a model or form for prayer. 1. It is not something to be repeated by rote in vain repetition, for He has just warned against vain repetitions in prayer. 2. He has given to them a model. B. In Luke's gospel, Luke tells us that on another occasion the disciples came to Jesus and said, "Lord teach...
MATTHEW 7:1 I. "JUDGE NOT THAT YOU BE NOT JUDGED." A. This is the basic principle. Jesus according to His style in the sermon will now go on to amplify and illustrate this statement. B. The law was written on two tables of stone. The first table of stone had the commandments that dealt with your relationship with God. 1. This is primary, it is basic. If your relationship with...
I. "ENTER YE IN AT THE STRAIT GATE." A. Jesus in the sermon is teaching that entering into the Kingdom took more than just being a descendant of Abraham. It was more than observing religious rituals. 1. Remember the statement, "Except your righteousness exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 2. Many people today have much of the same...
I. BEWARE OF FALSE PROPHETS. A. This comes in the context of entering the straight gate and walking the narrow path. 1. The false prophets will always be seeking to broaden the gate and the path to heaven. 2. There rational is usually, we don't want to drive people away by being too narrow. 3. My response is I do not want to send them to hell by being too broad. 4. The scriptu...
Intro. We are under the general heading of "Judge not lest you be judged." We have seen that Jesus is not saying that we should not be discerning, for in a few sentences He will be telling them to not cast their pearls before swine. It is more of the critical spirit that Jesus is making a reference to. Often in our minds, there are some people that we think can do no good. If they ...
" MATTHEW 7:21 " Intro. This line of thought began back in verse 13 where Jesus talked about the straight gate and the narrow way. He warned against the broad way. having warned them about false prophets who would come in sheep's clothing, He told them that by their fruit they would know them. He now warns them: I. NOT ALL WHO SAY,"LORD, LORD," ARE GOING TO ENTER THE KINGDOM OF H...
I. WHOSOEVER HEARS THESE SAYINGS OF MINE AND DOES THEM. A. Again Jesus is pointing out the importance of our not just hearing, but doing the things He has commanded. 1. In Revelation 1 we read: REV 1:3 Blessed [is] he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time [is] at hand. 2. Again, James tel...
