Pastor Dale Benson

Matthew 5:5-6 (NLT)

This is a message for everyone... Anyone wanting to understand what God seems to say we are to be like if we are going to be a part of His Kingdom.

Matthew 5:5 (NLT)

Humble = Meek = praus = The “Golden Mean"

Far Left - The Golden Mean - Far Right

Cowardice - Courage - Rashness

Stinginess - Generosity - Extravagance

Sloth - Ambition - Greed

Secrecy - Honesty - Talking Too Much

Depression - Good Humor - Buffoonery

We live in a day and age where people have run to extremes, and we are beginning to gather around those extremes. We blame all the world's problems on our enemies while rarely looking to see if we have ventured too far the other way.

We twist words to win. We contort to make our way of life seem normal. The way of the kingdom of God seems so contrary to us because we have contorted ourselves to the way of the world.

Matthew 5:6 (NLT)

In his book "Reflecting the Divine Image," H. Ray Dunning directs us toward a very relational understanding of Creation, The Fall, and its effects on how we view the world relationally. And as a result, how we should live ethical lives considering a relational understanding.

Dikaosune - Justice/Righteousness = Right Related:

- To God

- To Others

- To The World

- To Self

This is a message that is not just meant for fathers. It is meant for all of us who are a part of raising our children, which is all of us.

When we dedicate our children, we all agree to pray for these families. We agree to be a community of right-relatedness. We vow to be a place where children are led to Christ; A place where Christ is reflected in our lives.

I am going to demonstrate this through an illustration that may be new to some of you but is at the heart of how we see the lives of our families around here.

The Jars of Marbles:

This particular jar was used when my daughter was in 7" grade. I am now down to the last two marbles for my youngest son, and I have joked that I am losing my marbles, but that isn't true. You see the intentional discipleship of my children was not a job I did all by myself.

- Teachers at The Childcare and Grove City Christian School

- Small group leaders and volunteers in every area of NextGen

- Upward coaches and coaches at Grove City Christian School

- Family friends, pastors' staff, faculty, prayer ministry volunteers

Being able to live in the right relatedness is a blessing. As I put this together, I could almost visualize the faces of people in the congregation and online beginning to have a slight epiphany or maybe even be inspired to attempt to do better to work on their relationships. But that is not what the passage is saying.

It says, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after these rightly ordered relationships, for they will be filled." It is not enough to have a nice nostalgic feeling about working for these relationships. It takes a deep hunger. It takes work.

Finding the Golden Mean is a difficult task. To find that middle way, what the early Anglican Church used to call "The Via Media" is no simple task.

- We are told in scripture to STRIVE to maintain the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace.

- We are told to FLEE temptation.

- We are told to THROW off the sin that so easily entangles us.

- We are told to submit our bodies as living sacrifices.

- We are told that we will be blessed if we hunger and thirst for righteousness.

We will be filled.

Matthew 5:5-6 (NLT)