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Matthew 5:1-12 "The Better Life"
Rev. Christopher Hall
Practicing the Way of Jesus: Sermon on the Mount
Recorded September 15, 2024 at Buck Creek Community Church
buckcreekchurch.org
Who has "made it"? Lemme guess. They look good. They have money. They are respected. They have power. They are healthy.
We all have a different definition of the Good Life. And so does Jesus.
Matthew 5:1-12. Blessed are the poor in spirit. The mourning. The meek. Those who hunger for righteousness. The merciful. The pure in heart. The peacemakers. The persecuted.
Rejoice and be glad.
Sounds good. But so do unicorns. I don't see any of that happening on a grand scale. More month at the end of the money. The weak getting crushed. Every day I wake up and miss people I love who are gone.
We think blessed means healthy, wealthy, powerful, free from worry. Jesus associates blessed with the outsiders. The pitiful. The hungry. The desperate.
Jesus has a different scorecard. A different definition of the Good Life.
For Jesus, blessedness is rooted in truth. Not circumstances. He says it. It's true. You are blessed.
I grew up in church. Knew the rules. Broke the rules. Sitting in my S10 at Lemery Park one day. Late winter. Overcast skies.
"God, if you help me I'll only do what You want."
I thought following rules would make God happy and my misery go away. I walked on eggshells waiting for Him to zap me. To me God was a crusty old man with a list, waiting for me to slip up.
I wanted just enough God to feel good enough. And I was miserable.
First there was nothing except God. Father Son Spirit. Eternal.
Then He spoke and everything came into being. The last thing He made? People. Made in His image. His masterpiece. Created to bear His image. Reflect His goodness. That is our purpose.
But our first parents disobeyed. One bite. Then Cain killed Abel. All of creation cursed. Death. Pain. Toil. Sin condemns all to die.
We do bad things because we are bad people. Our nature is corrupt. Romans 3:23.
But our story doesn't end there.
God kept pursuing us. He made a covenant with Israel. Faithful to them. They were unfaithful. Four hundred years of silence. Then one quiet night in Bethlehem.
Instead of a General, God sent a baby.
Jesus. Working class. Dumpy little Nazareth. Tempted like every human. Except whenever He had to choose obey or disobey, Jesus chose to obey.
Their response to Him? Arrested. Kangaroo court. Spit on. Beaten. Mocked. Cross. Nails.
He saw us at our worst. A holy God would've been justified to wipe them out. Instead He said, Father, forgive them.
It wasn't nails that held Him there. It was love.
Jesus lived the perfect life you and I fail to live. Jesus died the death you and I deserve.
Three days later He walked out of His own tomb. The sacrifice was enough. Paid in full.
He didn't die for good people. He died for His enemies. Romans 5:8.
All your sin. All your shame. Buried in the grave.
Confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord. Believe in your heart God raised Him from the dead. You will be saved.
Christianity is not about what you do. It is about what Christ has done.
I believed I had to live a certain way to be loved by God. And I was miserable.
When I realized Jesus lived the way I was supposed to live. Died the way I was supposed to die. My sins buried with Him in the tomb.
That changed everything.
Not to get Him to love us. Because He loves us. The difference is gratitude.
Blessed are the poor in spirit. Not the confident. Not the mighty. Those who admit they are spiritually bankrupt. In God's Kingdom you gain by losing. Feel weak? Right where you need to be.
Blessed are those who mourn. Jesus plants His flag among the brokenhearted. He comforts through His Spirit. Through His church. Do you mourn? Be blessed.
Blessed are the meek. Not victims. Victorious. Self-forgetfulness. Not thinking less of yourself. Thinking of yourself less. Be meek. Be blessed.
Blessed are those who hunger for righteousness. God will bring justice. If not in your lifetime, when He returns. Hungry to make things right? Be blessed.
Blessed are the merciful. Forgiven people forgive people. Loved people love people. Need to forgive someone? Be blessed.
Blessed are the pure in heart. You can't do this on your own. You need a new heart. Jesus gives you one. Read your bible. Believe the truth. Be blessed.
Blessed are the peacemakers. Not peacekeepers. Peacekeepers avoid conflict. Peacemakers get their hands dirty. Mend fences. Reconcile. Be blessed.
The life God blesses is shaped by the cross.
We're just a bunch of weak, broken, hungry outsiders stumbling toward the true Good Life.
Jesus Christ.
Together.
View all episodes
By Buck Creek Community ChurchRev. Christopher Hall
Practicing the Way of Jesus: Sermon on the Mount
Recorded September 15, 2024 at Buck Creek Community Church
buckcreekchurch.org
Who has "made it"? Lemme guess. They look good. They have money. They are respected. They have power. They are healthy.
We all have a different definition of the Good Life. And so does Jesus.
Matthew 5:1-12. Blessed are the poor in spirit. The mourning. The meek. Those who hunger for righteousness. The merciful. The pure in heart. The peacemakers. The persecuted.
Rejoice and be glad.
Sounds good. But so do unicorns. I don't see any of that happening on a grand scale. More month at the end of the money. The weak getting crushed. Every day I wake up and miss people I love who are gone.
We think blessed means healthy, wealthy, powerful, free from worry. Jesus associates blessed with the outsiders. The pitiful. The hungry. The desperate.
Jesus has a different scorecard. A different definition of the Good Life.
For Jesus, blessedness is rooted in truth. Not circumstances. He says it. It's true. You are blessed.
I grew up in church. Knew the rules. Broke the rules. Sitting in my S10 at Lemery Park one day. Late winter. Overcast skies.
"God, if you help me I'll only do what You want."
I thought following rules would make God happy and my misery go away. I walked on eggshells waiting for Him to zap me. To me God was a crusty old man with a list, waiting for me to slip up.
I wanted just enough God to feel good enough. And I was miserable.
First there was nothing except God. Father Son Spirit. Eternal.
Then He spoke and everything came into being. The last thing He made? People. Made in His image. His masterpiece. Created to bear His image. Reflect His goodness. That is our purpose.
But our first parents disobeyed. One bite. Then Cain killed Abel. All of creation cursed. Death. Pain. Toil. Sin condemns all to die.
We do bad things because we are bad people. Our nature is corrupt. Romans 3:23.
But our story doesn't end there.
God kept pursuing us. He made a covenant with Israel. Faithful to them. They were unfaithful. Four hundred years of silence. Then one quiet night in Bethlehem.
Instead of a General, God sent a baby.
Jesus. Working class. Dumpy little Nazareth. Tempted like every human. Except whenever He had to choose obey or disobey, Jesus chose to obey.
Their response to Him? Arrested. Kangaroo court. Spit on. Beaten. Mocked. Cross. Nails.
He saw us at our worst. A holy God would've been justified to wipe them out. Instead He said, Father, forgive them.
It wasn't nails that held Him there. It was love.
Jesus lived the perfect life you and I fail to live. Jesus died the death you and I deserve.
Three days later He walked out of His own tomb. The sacrifice was enough. Paid in full.
He didn't die for good people. He died for His enemies. Romans 5:8.
All your sin. All your shame. Buried in the grave.
Confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord. Believe in your heart God raised Him from the dead. You will be saved.
Christianity is not about what you do. It is about what Christ has done.
I believed I had to live a certain way to be loved by God. And I was miserable.
When I realized Jesus lived the way I was supposed to live. Died the way I was supposed to die. My sins buried with Him in the tomb.
That changed everything.
Not to get Him to love us. Because He loves us. The difference is gratitude.
Blessed are the poor in spirit. Not the confident. Not the mighty. Those who admit they are spiritually bankrupt. In God's Kingdom you gain by losing. Feel weak? Right where you need to be.
Blessed are those who mourn. Jesus plants His flag among the brokenhearted. He comforts through His Spirit. Through His church. Do you mourn? Be blessed.
Blessed are the meek. Not victims. Victorious. Self-forgetfulness. Not thinking less of yourself. Thinking of yourself less. Be meek. Be blessed.
Blessed are those who hunger for righteousness. God will bring justice. If not in your lifetime, when He returns. Hungry to make things right? Be blessed.
Blessed are the merciful. Forgiven people forgive people. Loved people love people. Need to forgive someone? Be blessed.
Blessed are the pure in heart. You can't do this on your own. You need a new heart. Jesus gives you one. Read your bible. Believe the truth. Be blessed.
Blessed are the peacemakers. Not peacekeepers. Peacekeepers avoid conflict. Peacemakers get their hands dirty. Mend fences. Reconcile. Be blessed.
The life God blesses is shaped by the cross.
We're just a bunch of weak, broken, hungry outsiders stumbling toward the true Good Life.
Jesus Christ.
Together.