Part 13 How to be a Peacemaker Last time we looked closely at Matthew 5:9, the seventh of the eight Beatitudes Jesus spoke on the mount above the Sea of Galilee. Jesus said; ““Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” Those who profess faith in Jesus and claim to follow…

Part 12 What is a Peacemaker The Beatitudes found in Matthew 5: 1-12 show us a beautiful picture of how disciples of Jesus are to act and appear. In previous posts, we have seen that on the inside, a disciple of Jesus is humble, aware of his or her shortcomings, displays a meekness because they…

Part 11 True Purity of Heart: Realizing the Promise Last week we discussed the sixth Beatitude, found in Matthew 5:8. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” We learned that Jesus is talking about those who are pure in their innermost being; in the heart, where the Bible says our and…

We come now to the sixth Beatitude. Matthew 5:8: ““Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” In part 2 of our study of the Beatitudes, we learned that when Jesus talked about those who were poor in spirit, He did not mean people who lack material possessions. Instead, by ‘poor in…

The Obstacles to Being Merciful By Pastor Don Strand The fifth beatitude; the blessing that comes from the Father to those who are in Christ, is for those who are merciful.  We learned last week that Jesus defines the ‘merciful’ as those who develop a quality of helpful compassion, a quality of sympathetic interest and…

Jesus shifts His focus By Pastor Don Strand The Beatitudes can be a problem for people and for many churches.  Today there are many churches that are, what Michael Horton has termed, the “happy-clappy” variety.  The characteristic of Happy-clappy churches is their relentless stream of feel good, positive messages.  God is a God of love. …

The Importance of Imputation By Pastor Don Strand Matthew 5:6 says ““Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” and,  But to get the full effect of Jesus’ words, I need to give you a small bit of Greek grammar.  Stay with me here for the discussion is worthwhile. …

The Righteousness that Qualifies By Pastor Don Strand So far, the description of a disciple, one who follows and learns, of Jesus has been negative in nature.  The first three “Beatitudes,” the “blessed are” statements of Jesus from His Sermon on the Mount have been about lacking.  A follower of Christ is poor in spirit,…

What’s all this talk about meekness? By Pastor Don Strand The early church theologian, John Chrysostom, was once asked, what are the three most important Christian virtues.  His answer, “first, humility, second, humility and third, humility.”   With these first three beatitudes; how those who are poor in spirit, who mourn over personal sin and the…

Why Are Those Who Mourn Blessed? By Pastor Don Strand Jesus continues, with the pronouncement of eight attributes that are seen in a disciple of Christ which will bring God’s blessing, with this second Beatitude.  ““Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4, ESV). How is it, that a condition of…