Wonderful Reconstruction

Matthew 5

You’re Blessed

1-2When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught his climbing companions. This is what he said: 3“You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule. 4“You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you. 5“You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought. 6“You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat. 7“You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for.

8“You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world. 9“You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family. 10“You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom. 11-12“Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.

God promises a wonderful blessing. It’s not based on your emotions or feelings. No, Matthew 5 describes God’s wonderful reconstruction of the heart. check out the sequence in the Beatitudes. 

We recognize we are in need, we’re poor in spirit (You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope). Next, we repent of our self sufficiency, we mourn (You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you). We quit calling the shots, we’re meek (You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less). We are so grateful for his presence that we want more, we hunger and thirst (You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God). We forgive others, we’re merciful (You’re blessed when you care). We change our outlook, we’re pure in heart (You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right). We love others, we’re peacemakers. We endure injustice, we’re persecuted.

It’s no a casual shift of attitude. It is a tearing down of the old and a creation of the new. The more radical the change, the greater the joy. And it is worth every effort, because this is the joy of God! A wonder blessing....a wonderful reconstruction.

Avoid running on empty

“Come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand” - 
(Psalm 95:6-7)

Most Christians view worship as an event instead of a lifestyle. But our day of worship is not supposed to replace our weekday and weekend worship. Sunday is supposed to launch us into our week of worship. Worship is meant to be a lifestyle, not an event. To be filled with the Holy Spirit and with a heart full of worship for our great God and King, we must be like a car pulling up to a filling station to receive a full tank of gasoline. Once we are filled up, do we park our vehicle and sit there the rest of the week? No, we go to a filling station to get what we need to leave the station. We have a destination and need full tanks to get there. A problem occurs when we leave the station. As soon as we walk out of our Sunday worship, people begin to burn up that fuel inside them. Our spouse's , children, and work burn it up. When we leave our church, we are full of God’s presence and glory from our time in corporate worship. But Satan’s job is to burn up that fuel. The worst thing we can do is to wait until next Sunday to worship. We need to drink continually to stay filled. What we do on Sunday must become a way of life to remain filled with the Holy Spirit.