The Life of Christ

Mt. 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

To see God does not mean to see Him in a literal sense.

• Jn. 1:18 says no man has seen God at any time.

• To see God is to perceive what He is doing.

• The religious leaders of the day saw Jesus but couldn’t see God because their hearts were not pure.

• Pureness of heart is what keeps our spiritual antennas operational.

Mt. 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”

The peacemakers are those who involve themselves in the ugly affairs of contention between individuals, corporate leaders, or even large people groups.

• Using the principles of humility and straight forwardness, they attempt to bring each hostile party into alignment with biblical principles.

• Their objective is to make peace, not merely keep the peace.

• History has shown us that sometimes in order to make peace there first needs to be war, in this case the confronting of error or even sin.

Mt. 5:10-12 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are you when men cast insults at you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of Me. Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

One of the highest realms of blessedness is when we are persecuted for righteousness sake.

• Seasons of martyrdom and severe persecution draw out the greatest waves of God’s blessing.

• The end of this age will culminate with a season of persecution unlike any other; along with it, however, will come the strongest waves of God’s presence and power ever experienced!

SECTION 66

Mt. 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty again? It is good for nothing anymore, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.”

Before the days of refrigeration, salt was applied to perishables in order to draw the moisture out of bacteria, thus killing the bacteria.

• As Christians, part of our call is to counteract the sinfulness of this age. This requires that we raise our voice against evil continuously.

• However, once salt has lost its savor, it cannot perform this function any longer.

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