SERMON ON THE MOUNT PART (2)

Verses 8-12

INTRODUCTION:
 

KJV Matthew 5:8-12
8.  Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
 9.  Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
 10.  Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
 11.  Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

I.  WHAT IS A PURE HEART (Verse 8)

CLEAN HANDS AND A PURE HEART
KJV Psalms 24:3-5
 3.  Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place?
 4.  He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.
 5.  He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

AIM FOR A CLEAN HEART
KJV Proverbs 20:9
 9.  Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?

LOVE FROM A PURE HEART
KJV 1 Timothy 1:3-6
 3.  As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine,
 4.  Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.
 5.  Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:
 6.  From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling;

FOLLOW WITH A PURE HEART
KJV 2 Timothy 2:22
22.  Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

A TRUE HEART APPROACH
KJV Hebrews 10:22-27
22.  Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
 23.  Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
 24.  And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
 25.  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
 26.  For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
 27.  But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.

LOVE WITH A PURE HEART
KJV 1 Peter 1:22
 22.  Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:

THE HEART IS THE SOIL
KJV Luke 8:15
15. But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.
 

II. PEACEMAKERS or NOT?  What is making peace?(Verse 9)

FOLLOW THOSE THINGS WHICH MAKE FOR PEACE
KJV Romans 14:19
19.  Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.

RIGHTEOUSNESS NEEDS TO BE SOWN IN PREACE
KJV James 3:13-18
 13.  Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
 14.  But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
 15.  This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
 16.  For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
 17.  But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
 18.  And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

CHRIST CAME THAT WE SHOULD FOLLOW, WHICH MAY CAUSE SOME UNPEACEFULNESS
KJV Matthew 10:32-40
 32.  Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
 33.  But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
 34.  Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. (EPH 6:17) – the sword – the word
 35.  For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
 36.  And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
 37.  He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
 38.  And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
 39.  He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
 40.  He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.

GOD IS NOT A RESPECTER OF PERSONS
KJV Acts 10:34-36
 34.  Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
 35.  But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.
 36.  The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:)

FOCUS ON THE SPIRITUAL THINGS
KJV Romans 8:6
 6.  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

III.    THOSE WHO ARE PERSECUTED FOR THE SAKE OF CHRIST ARE BLESSED
(Verses 10-11)

NOTHING CAN SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF GOD
KJV Romans 8:35-39
 35.  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
 36.  As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
 37.  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
 38.  For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
 39.  Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

PAUL TOOK PLEASURE IN SUCH PERSECUTIONS – FOR CHRIST’S SAKE
KJV 2 Corinthians 12:10
 10.  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

DO SO WITH PATIENCE, LOOKING FORWARD TO THE REWARD
KJV 2 Thessalonians 1:4-5
4.  So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure:
 5.  Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:
 

CONTINUE IN THE THINGS LEARNED
KJV 2 Timothy 3:11-17
11.  Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.
 12.  Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
 13.  But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
 14.  But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;
 15.  And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
 16.  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
 17.  That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

III. THE REWARD FOR ENDURANCE

WE MAY BE HATED HERE, BUT WE WILL BE LOVED THERE
KJV Luke 6:22-23
 22.  Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake.
 23.  Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.

THE REWARD IS TO THOSE WHOM SERVE
KJV Colossians 3:24
24. Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.

HEAR, BELIEVE, REPENT, CONFESS, AND BE BAPTIZED INTO THE CHURCH OF OUR LORD, FOR THE REMISSION OF YOU PAST SINS!

Keep up with this study!
 
 

Copyright 2000 by Brian Yeager may be reproducted for non-commercial purposes at no cost to others. www.christianlibrary.org


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