THE BEATITUDES

Pastor Carolyn Sissom \ April 4th, 2010 (7589 views)

THE BEATITUDES

 

“A declaration of blessedness”

 

(Matthew 5: 1-12 and Luke 6:20-26)

 

Preached by:  Pastor Carolyn Sissom

 

Sunday, April 11, 2010

  

Matthew 5 is the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount which is a series of discourses through chapter 7.   If the Lord gives us the grace, we will continue the study of the Sermon on the Mount during the month of April.

 

 

   “And seeing the multitudes, He went up into a mountain: and when He was set, His disciples came to Him: And He opened His mouth, and taught them saying:   

This teaching to the disciples is to explain to them the Laws of the Kingdom of God.  It is the New Testament equivalent of the Ten Commandments.  Note, “He went up into a mountain.  This law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus is a declaration to the citizens of the Kingdom in how to live by the power of the indwelling life of Christ. Here he gives us the key that as Peace-Creators in the image of the King of Peace that we then become spiritual warriors in the image of the Commander and Chief of the Armies of Heaven.

  

It is the constitution of the Kingdom of God.  It is the commandment of an impossible life-style.  The key to living this impossible way is a change of nature.  This sermon is not lived by duty, but by nature.

  Old Testament                                                                       New Testament

Tables of Stone                                                                      Tables of our Hearts

External-Flesh                                                                        Internal – Spirit

What we do                                                                             what we are

Condemned the Act                                                               Condemned the thought

Law of sin and death                                                              Law of the Spirit of Life

Moses the mediator                                                               Jesus the Mediator   

The word beatitude means “a declaration of blessedness.”  In these statements, the King is declaring those blessed qualities that should be in the character of the citizens of His Kingdom.

  

The Beatitudes are the preamble to the Constitution of the Kingdom of God.  We hear a cry from the bowels of our nation to preserve the Constitution of the United States of America.  As a nation, if we will return to the Constitution of the Kingdom of God, we can turn the nation back to the original intent of the founding fathers.

  

These are the “blessed attitudes” which are a standard for every believer.  All these beatitudes are working in their pattern in the life-style of the children of God (a way of life).

  

Blessed means happy, to be envied, great, rich and prosperous.

  

They are the key to understanding the Sermon on the Mount:  Unless these inward workings have been wrought in us, we cannot operate in the various principles of the Sermon which manifest themselves in our external world.

  

Overall Pattern:

  

1. Matt. 5:3-6 ---Receiving the life and nature of King Jesus.
2. Matt. 5: 7-9 ---Releasing the life and nature of King Jesus.
3. Matt. 5: 10-12---The resulting conflict and clash between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness (spiritual warfare).

  

1. RECEIVING THE LIFE AND NATURE OF KING JESUS:

  

(a)    “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. This is the first step which will cause a man to call on God.  These are people with a conscious and confessed need of the King.  This is an attitude that says, “I need you Lord!”  My personal cry is “Help me Jesus”.   This is when we face life’s challenges and we know that there is no way through, around or over unless the Lord moves for us.  The word for poor here is helpless, those in poverty, empty, those who need help.

 

(b)    “Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted.    All who realize that they don’t have all the answers and who are tired of living behind a religious façade will admit their need and then, secondly, experience an inward sorrow.  This that Godly sorrow that produces true repentance in the life of those who allow it to work.

  

I continue to be transparent to this congregation with my own walk with the Lord.  As I make this journey, hopefully something in my life will be a testimony to others as they experience challenges, losses and victories.  The past four months, the Lord has had me in “Divine Grief”.  I have had much to learn about this special hiding place in the Lord.  I have been sheltered from inappropriate reproaches, judgments, and speaking from people who would not  or could not be understanding or compassionate during this season of my life.   Perhaps there are those who have spoken, but the Lord has sheltered me.

  

This week I encountered three different situations from three different people that were arrows intended for hurt.   One really shook me up and it took me a few hours to regain my inner-calm.  The light-bulb went on that the Lord had allowed the protective shield of this Divine Grief to be slightly pushed back.  This was not to test me, but for me to have a measuring stick of where I am in my recovery and healing.  Also, a sample of some of the battles I will have to face in the days ahead. He is again strengthening me for the spiritual warfare of ministry.   This teaching today is also for me to regain strength in  those areas that have been weakened during the long battles.  I pray you, too, will find strength for the journey.

 

It is not important the direction satan uses to attack.  It is important that we respond in our inward workings with the nature of the King.  The issue then is how do we react or respond?

  

I prayed yesterday that the Lord would have someone to call to minister to me.

  

Yesterday when I picked up my voice mails, Terry Deckard had called and left me a message of encouragement and a Word that whatever I was facing that the Lord would settle the circumstances and I would have wind behind my sails.  Thank you Lord for intercessors and for her faithfulness to make that call.  

  

© Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth.  Humility is an aspect of the Divine Nature (11 Pet. 1. 1:1-4).  This is the spirit of the New Covenant (Ez. 36: 24-27).  Meekness is not weakness, but meekness toward God.  In the Hebrew language, “meekness” means “worn out.”  We have exhausted all human strength.  The “fight” is gone out of us.  We are willing for the King to rule us.  We are no longer proud and self-sufficient.

 

 

 (d)   Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled.”  There is no growth without appetite, and no spiritual maturity without righteousness.  No longer proud, we now can be filled with the King’s love, presence, and anointing. We have tasted and seen that the Lord is good (Ps. 34:8).  He is righteousness, and we hunger and thirst after him.

  

2. RELEASING THE LIFE AND NATURE OF KING JESUS:

  

(a)    “Blessed are the merciful; for they shall obtain mercy.  We now begin to release the Lord from within.  Because we have experienced His mercy, we can minister His mercy. (Tit. 3:2-3).  We take on the attitude of god.  A religious spirit is harsh and cruel, for the law of sin and death is a hard taskmaster.  Those who bear the image of the King are merciful, and then receive mercy as their reward.

 

(b)    “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.”  Those who have cleansed from within can release a pure ministry from within (Rev. 22:1-2) “Carolyn teach New Jerusalem as purity”.  This speaks of that people whose eyes of understanding have been enlightened to see Him. ( Job. 42: 1-6; Isa. 6:1-7)  Eph. 1:18: “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.”

  

In a deeper sense, not only are those sons of God who shall and do rule with Jesus merciful, but they shall manifest the God that they see because their eyes have been enlightened.   They are delivered from the impurities of selfishness – they are after the heart of God. (Pr. 4:23).  From the saints a river of reconciliation can flow. 11 Cor. 5: 17-18: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.  And all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation.”  This is the new Divine Nature.

  

© “Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the children of God.”  Only those who are merciful and pure in heart can produce His peace.  This is a deeper ministry than most folk realize.  A novice has no business coming between two warring spirits.  A real mark of being a Son of God is being a peacemaker.  In a deeper sense, the sons of god are going to deliver this creation from the abomination of condemnation.

  

God is a PEACE-CREATOR.  Those in his image also have a creative word of reconciliation in their mouth. (Col. 1:20) “And having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things to Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.”

 

 

  As Ministers of the Gospel, when we loose our peace, we are disqualified to minister into a situation.  All of us have lost out peace one time or another.  This is what happened to me this past week when I was shaken over circumstances.  However, I knew I had to get myself straight.  That is the key.  When you know you have lost your peace, disqualify yourself from the race until you are able to regain that inward working of the peace that passes all understanding.    

Satan knows the power of the spoken creative word.  The only way he can stir up trouble in the home or local church is with the tongues of men.  A peacemaker (peace-creator) is not just peaceable.  He is a producer and manufacturer of peace.  And this peace is not mechanically made, but flows from a changed nature (James 3: 13-18).  This changed nature is the nature of King Jesus, who is the Prince of Peace.

  

A peacemaker is concerned with the GLORY OF God among men.  He knows that trouble distracts.  Thus this mature ministry intervenes to make peace.  The proof that we are a Son of God is that we are a peacemaker.

  

The enemy attacks the house of God with the tongues of men.  Slander is speech that injures another, whether true or false.

  

A peacemaker gives no ear to slander.  A peacemaker learns how to keep their mouth shut.  ‘Is it true?”  “Is it necessary to say?”  “Is it kind?”  A peacemaker minds their own business.  They are not busy bodies wanting to know what is “going on”. 

  

The talebearer himself has deep problems.  He belittles others to exalt himself.  He makes a short man tall by cutting a tall man’s legs off.  He is often under tremendous condemnation.

  

Ultimately if a talebearer persists, he is to be “marked” and the saints are to separate from his company. (1 Cor. 5:11; 11 Thess. 3: 11-14)

  

So what is the key that a peace-creator is also a spiritual warrior and is continually involved in spiritual warfare?

  

(c)     “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs in the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are you, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake.  Rejoice, and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in heaven; for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”

  

Persecution is proof of a changed nature.  Persecution is part of the preparation of a Kingdom instrument.  Testing is part of the preparation of a Kingdom instrument.  Now that we have received the life of Jesus christ (Matt. 5:3-6) and released the life of Jesus (Matt. 5: 7-9), we come into conflict and clash with the kingdom of darkness.  This must be so, for we as peacemakers have declared war on anything that disturbs HIS PEACE.

  

This clash of two kingdoms is spiritual warfare.  The key to understanding persecution is to understand the importance of the written and spoken word.  The instruments in this spiritual warfare are men.  Saul will always try to pin the man after God’s heart to the system (wall).  Persecution is proof that one is under the rule of God (1 Tim. 3:12) “Yea, and all that will live Godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”  The word “will” means “desire” and points to our new nature.  Putting on the whole armor is not any option. 

  

Here is another Key.  We must understand why we are persecuted---it is for righteousness’ sake.  However, we must be sure that we are being persecuted for righteousness sake and not for our own folly:  foolish and unwise- novice; self-righteous-proud look; overzealous without knowledge-“shotgun” evangelism”;  a nuisance of busybody-always butting in; Good, noble or sacrificial---and letting everyone know it;  God’s right-hand man” – always doing; God’s savior; healer – saving and healing everybody; God’s spokesman – everybody has to hear what He says; my message or my sermon; God’s sacrifice’ somebody need to tell this brother that human sacrifice went out with Isaac; God’s judge – this critical spirit is going to straighten everybody else out.

  

The Positive aspect of persecution is because of this Christ nature in us (Jn. 15: 18-21).  We are “godly” and are channels of His light and life.  We have been changed and now possess the nature of the King.  This light exposes darkness and darkness hates this exposure (Jn. 3: 19-20). 

  

We must be careful that the persecuted does not become the persecutors.  We can trace church history to the present.  Each time god brought his people a step further out of darkness; men would stop moving with God, write down their doctrine, and become apostate.  Those who at one time were persecuted now must become the persecutors, for God moves on into HIMSELF (LIGHT) and in Him there is no darkness!)

  

We are told to rejoice in persecution.  We do not rejoice only because of persecution, nor do we have a “martyr’s complex” as in the early church, but we know that persecution is proof of our son-ship and our reward.  We understand that God deals with us as Sons.

  

We do not retaliate.  We do not respond with feelings of resent or bitterness.  We do not become depressed.  Depression is caused by a failure to have the right attitude toward conflicts (problems). 

  

In order to understand the Sermon on the Mount, it is essential that we understand the importance of the Beatitudes.  They must be experienced and demonstrated in our lives.

  

Every Kingdom instrument is tested before God will honor ministry.  If we have a ministry that means God has honored that ministry.  Everything must be after the pattern of Jesus.

  

Jesus was born of the Spirit.  He was baptized in water was filled with the Holy Ghost. Col. 1:19:  “For it pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell.”

  

Jesus was tested before any anointed ministry:

  

(1)    The Lust of the Flesh:  The anointing and one’s own gain; Self-satisfaction.

(2)    The Lust of the eyes:  the anointing and a love of money; materialism and a craving for things; Discipline brings us to a place where God can trust us with all things.

 

(3)    The Pride of Life:  The anointing and man-worship; this is the acid test of motives---personal attention, popularity, wanting to be seen of men; Discipline brings pure motives.

  

We receive the anointing of the dunamis power after testing in these three areas.  So many are deceived into thinking that one receives this anointing along with the Holy Ghost Baptism.  There is no “dunamis” until we are proven and disciplined.  We must follow the pattern.  There is a death process through this testing and dealing of God that will even deny us justice at times.

  

Next week we have Bishop Wilbert and Addie Scott here for both services.  I will then continue with the Sermon on the Mount with the Principles of Kingdom Living.

 

 

  Tonight we have our Eastgate Mighty Worshipers presenting their Celebration of the Risen Lord Jesus Christ in music, song and reading of the scripture.   

Carolyn Sissom, Pastor

 

Eastgate Ministries, Inc.