SERMON: THE MEASURE OF A CHRISTIAN (BEATITUDES): BLESSED ARE THE MERCIFUL

 I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Matthew 5:1-12

 

Matthew 5:1 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them, saying:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 Blessed are those who mourn,

for they will be comforted.

5 Blessed are the meek,

for they will inherit the earth.

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they will be filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful,

for they will be shown mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart,

for they will see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they will be called children of God.

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

 

            -- There is a story told about a mother who came to Napoleon on behalf of her son who was about to be executed -- The mother asked the ruler to pardon her son for his crimes -- when Napoleon heard her plea, he pointed out that it was the man's second offense and that justice demanded that her son be put to death for his crimes

            -- the woman replied, "I don't ask for justice -- I plead for mercy." -- Napoleon spoke up again, "But your son doesn't deserve mercy." -- "Sir," the mother replied, "it would not be mercy if he deserved it, and mercy is all I ask." -- Her son was granted the pardon.

 

            -- this morning, we are continuing in our sermon series on the Beatitudes that I have entitled, “The Measure of a Christian” -- as you remember, these Beatitudes are the attitudes and behaviors and attributes that we are seeking in our lives as we grow more and more like Jesus -- as we become more and more mature as Christians

            -- each Beatitude that Jesus gave us represent a step of progression in our Christian lives -- we started with the call to be poor in Spirit and respond to the grace that is offered us at the cross -- next, we were made aware of our sins as we mourned them and began the arduous path of sanctification

            -- we learned to experience and express the power of the Spirit in our lives through meekness -- not prideful of God’s presence in our lives -- not boastful of our position -- but power in control -- power exercised for our good and the good of others

            -- and then last week, we talked about continuing growth in Christ as we realized that this Christian life is all about our relationship -- being in a right relationship with God by living lives focused on God through the power of the Spirit within us as we hunger and thirst for righteousness

            -- this week, we are looking at the fifth Beatitude which informs us how we are to live with those around us -- especially those who have wronged us

            -- as we begin, let me read verse 7 for you again

 

7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

 

II.  Defining Mercy

            -- when I was in school, one of my professors constantly quoted from Voltaire in the middle of his lectures -- he would say, “If you would converse with me, define your terms.” -- that’s pretty good advice

            -- in the church we have developed this Christianese language -- we have this list of words and phrases that we use all the time and we just assume that everyone knows what they mean -- but that’s not always the case -- so, before we begin looking at this Beatitude in depth, let’s start by looking at some definitions so that we all know what we’re talking about

            -- let’s start with mercy -- what is mercy? -- if you’ve been in my Bible studies, you’ve probably gotten this question thrown out at you several times

            -- mercy is not getting what you deserve -- it’s really a legal term -- mercy describes a situation where you’ve done something wrong -- you’re guilty -- you deserve punishment -- but you are set free without having to pay the penalty that you rightfully owe

            -- “When you forget to do your homework, and your teacher lets you turn it in the next day with no penalty, that's mercy -- When a police officer catches you running a stop sign and decides to let you off with a warning, that's mercy.”¹

            -- as Brian Wilkerson put it, “Mercy is kindness or compassion where it's not expected, because the person showing mercy is under no obligation to show it, or because the person's suffering was somehow deserved -- Mercy goes beyond what might be considered normal and natural.”

            -- mercy is not justice -- it is not fair -- it is not getting what you deserve

 

            -- mercy is often paired with grace, so I wanted to mention grace quickly before we move on -- grace is often defined as God’s unmerited favor -- a good way of thinking about grace is that while mercy is not getting what we do deserve, grace is getting the blessing we don’t deserve

            -- grace is always a gift -- it is a kindness or a blessing that we don’t expect -- that we don’t earn -- that we don’t deserve -- but that is given to us because of the greatness of the One who bestows it

 

            -- mercy deals with our sins -- grace has to do with our relationship with the Father

            -- the Bible tells us that everyone of us has sinned and deserves the punishment of death for our sin

            -- God showed us mercy by not punishing us for our sin and by forgiving us for what we had done

            -- God showed us grace when He let the righteousness and holiness of Christ take the place of our sinful natures and restored us to a right relationship with Him again

            -- so, that’s what grace and mercy are -- that’s what those words mean when we see them in our Bibles and poured out in our lives

 

III.  Mercy Displayed (Matthew 18:21-35)

            -- so now that we know what mercy is, the real question before us, then, is “What does mercy look like in the life of a Christian?” -- or, to put it a little differently -- “How do we show mercy to others?”

            -- Jesus says here, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy”

            -- What does that look like?

 

            -- I think to really answer this, we need to look at another passage of Scripture -- if you would, flip over to Matthew 18, and let’s look at verses 21-35

 

Matthew 18:21-35

New International Version

The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant

21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”

 

22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

 

23 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

 

26 “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

 

28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.

 

29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’

 

30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.

 

32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

 

35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

 

            -- before we start talking about this passage in depth, let me give you the background and context so you’ll know what’s going on -- remember what I’ve said -- you have to always interpret and understand scripture in context -- and I would encourage you to go back and read the rest of this passage in detail because it will help you really understand what is going on here and what Jesus is calling us to do in this fifth Beatitude

 

            -- this passage from Matthew 18 is found within a larger teaching by Jesus on how we should live holy lives as Christians

            -- Jesus begins by warning His disciples to avoid sin and to be careful that their actions don't lead anyone else into sin -- especially children and little ones in the faith -- "Don't be the person who causes someone else to fall," He tells them

            -- Jesus tells His disciples the parable of the lost sheep and calls His disciples to respond the same to the sinner in their midst -- to those who have fallen into sin in the church -- that they should go after them and bring them back into the fold

            -- and then He teaches His disciples how they should act when someone sins against them -- that they should seek to offer mercy and forgiveness and the opportunity for the sinner to repent of their sins and come back into a right relationship with the Father and with the church

            -- their first move should always be to offer forgiveness and mercy to their offenders

            -- "when someone sins against you," He says, "try to work it out between you first -- offer God's forgiveness to them and forgive them of what they have done -- try to restore the relationship"  

            -- which brings us to verse 21 and Jesus’ story of the unmerciful servant

 

            -- look back at verse 21

 

21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”

 

            -- now Peter has been standing there listening to all of Jesus' teachings on sin and forgiveness -- and it seems like he just wants to puff himself up before the others -- he's trying to establish himself as the leader and as the one who really gets it -- someone who really understands what Jesus has been saying -- so he turns to Jesus and asks, "how many times should I forgive someone who sins against me -- even up to seven times?"

            -- you get the sense that Peter is fishing for a compliment -- I think that he hoped that Jesus would praise him for his question -- you see, the Talmud -- the teachings of the rabbis based on the Old Testament law -- said that you only had to forgive someone three times -- the fourth time, it was up to you how to respond -- you could forgive them or you could hold it against them and make them suffer the consequences of their sin

            -- Peter is, in essence, saying to Jesus -- "Look how holy and merciful I am -- I would forgive someone not just three times -- but all the way up to seven times -- isn't that the right way to do it?"

            -- but Peter doesn’t get the response from Jesus that he expected

 

            -- verse 22

 

22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

 

-- you can almost sense the humor in Jesus' reply -- "Peter, not seven times but seventy-seven times" -- some translations say "seventy times seven times" -- this was an enormous number -- the only way you could do that would be to carry a book around with you and keep track of how many times someone wronged you

            -- Jesus was trying to make a point -- the mercy you show to others -- the forgiveness you offer -- should be like the Father's -- the Father doesn't keep track of how many times you sin and how many times you come before Him -- He doesn't quit forgiving you at three or seven or seventy-seven -- He forgives every time -- His mercies are new every day -- and this is the way we should forgive those who wrong us -- this is how we should show mercy to them, too -- by telling Peter to forgive seventy-seven times, Jesus is saying, "don't limit your forgiveness but let it flow out of your heart without ceasing" -- always be merciful to others

 

            -- to make His point, Jesus then told a story -- a parable -- to help everyone understand what mercy and forgiveness looks like -- verse 23

 

23 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.

            -- every sin that we commit is a debt to God -- as David said in Psalm 51, "Against you and you only have I sinned" -- all of our sins are stacking up against us as a debt against God -- we’re borrowing against His mercy -- and at some point, that debt is going to have to be paid -- when we die and stand before the Great White Throne, He's going to settle His accounts with us, just as the king here started to settle accounts with his servants

 

            -- verse 24

 

24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

 

26 “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

 

-- so Jesus gives us the picture of a man who owes a lot of money to the king -- ten thousand talents in today's money would be somewhere between one and ten million dollars -- we're talking about a lot of money here -- this is not just some pittance -- this is significant

            -- this debt that he owed is like the sin debt that we have racked up before God -- the number of sins that we commit in our lifetime just grows larger and larger and larger until they reach an amount that we never could hope to repay

            -- so, when the king brought this man before him and demanded to be paid, there was nothing this man could do -- he couldn’t pay that sum back -- he fell to his knees and begged for mercy

            -- the king listened to this man as he pleaded for mercy -- he understood the man’s hopeless situation -- there was no way he was going to be able to work off that debt, try as he might -- and so the king had pity on the man and showed him mercy and grace

            -- mercy -- not giving him what he deserved -- not selling the man and his wife and his children into slavery to repay the debt like he deserved -- and grace -- giving him what he did not deserve -- wiping the man's debt totally clean -- marking the account "paid in full"

            -- what a beautiful picture of the forgiveness of the King -- of the mercy and the grace of God through Christ Jesus -- forgiving us a debt so great that we could never hope to repay it -- no matter how long we worked -- no matter how many sacrifices we made -- through Christ we have the complete forgiveness of our sins -- through Christ we know what mercy and grace look like

 

            -- verse 28

 

28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.

 

29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’

 

30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.

 

 -- now this fellow who has been forgiven a debt of over one million dollars goes out and finds a fellow servant who owes him only a hundred denarii -- that's less than $100 -- and he demands that the servant pay him back immediately -- and when he can't, he has him thrown into prison until the debt is paid back in full

            -- the one who was shown mercy shows none to another -- the one who was shown grace offers none to another

 

            -- verse 31

 

31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.

 

32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

 

-- the master calls this man a "wicked" servant -- not wicked because he had accrued a debt of over a million dollars -- but wicked because he has refused to show mercy to another

            -- after being forgiven so great a debt, how could this man not forgive such a lesser debt owed him? -- and so the king has the man thrown into prison to be tortured until he can pay back all of the money he originally owed

 

            -- now look at Jesus' final summary of this parable and of all His teachings on the topic of mercy and forgiveness -- verse 35

 

35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

 

            -- this parable makes it clear -- as a Christian, we have a duty to forgive -- to show mercy to others -- it is not a choice, but a requirement -- if we are going to enjoy the forgiveness of God for the sins that we have committed against Him -- if we’re going to receive the mercy God offers -- then we have to extend the same mercy and forgiveness to those who sin against us -- to those who hurt us -- especially to those we are in a relationship with

            -- God always calls us to return mercy and grace and forgiveness to others in the same way it has been given to us -- remember what we pray in the Lord’s prayer? -- “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us” -- in other words, “forgive us our sins in the same way that we forgive those who sin against us”

            -- the exact same thing that Jesus teaches us in the fifth Beatitude -- blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy -- the mercy and the grace you pour out on others will be returned to you in kind

 

IV.  Closing

            -- let’s bring this to a close -- Ray Stedman wrote, "Not a day goes by but that we do not stand in desperate need of the forgiving word of the great King -- Again and again he cancels out [our] debt as we come in our guilt and abandon, in the consciousness that we have terribly failed, hearing anew the tender forgiving word

            -- "And yet, when someone offends us, how quickly we revert to the basis of justice and start demanding, "Pay me what you owe." -- "I demand an apology." -- "Give me my rights." -- "Let me have what's coming to me." -- "Treat me like I deserve." -- "I demand to be treated with respect."

            -- how many times do we utter such words? -- how many times do we joyfully receive the grace and mercy and forgiveness of God but turn in anger and unforgiveness against our brother and sister?

 

            -- blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy -- in this Beatitude, Jesus calls us to a different way -- He tells us to stop living according to the pattern of this world -- to stop doing what the world would expect and demand us to do -- and to start doing what God would want us to do

            -- be merciful, Jesus says -- when others wrong you -- when others do things that demand justice -- show mercy and offer forgiveness because of the mercy and grace you have already experienced and continue to enjoy in your daily life

 

            -- In one of his radio spots, Chuck Colson tells a story from Iraq about a U.S. triage facility that was doing its best to save the lives of two Iraqi insurgents -- two enemy soldiers who had been fighting against our troops in Iraq -- these men had been wounded in the attack, but when our soldiers found them after the battle, they rushed the two wounded enemy soldiers to the hospital

            -- The medical team worked on them to heal their wounds -- they had done everything possible to save the lives of the insurgents, but one of them was not going to survive unless he got 30 pints of blood, which this triage unit did not have on hand

            -- The call went out through the facility for volunteer donors, and within minutes, dozens of American soldiers had lined up to donate blood -- At the head of the line was a battle-hardened soldier named Brian -- When a reporter asked if it mattered to him that he was giving his blood to an enemy soldier, Brian replied, "A human life is a human life."

            -- That's a picture of mercy in action -- unexpected kindness to a person who doesn’t deserve it -- forgiveness to those who have wronged you

            -- blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy

            -- go, and do that

 

            -- let us pray

 

 

 

References:

¹[Bryan Wilkerson, pastor of Grace Chapel in Lexington, Massachusetts, http://www.preachingtoday.com/sermons/sermons/2008/september/changeofheart5.html?start=1]

 

 

SERMON: THE MEASURE OF A CHRISTIAN (BEATITUDES): BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO HUNGER AND THIRST FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS

 

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Matthew 5:1-12

 

Matthew 5:1 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them, saying:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 Blessed are those who mourn,

for they will be comforted.

5 Blessed are the meek,

for they will inherit the earth.

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they will be filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful,

for they will be shown mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart,

for they will see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they will be called children of God.

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

 

            -- Socrates was a renowned philosopher in ancient Greece -- he was known world-wide for his wisdom and understanding of life -- one day, a devoted follower of Socrates came to him and said, “I want to know as much as you -- how do I become wise?”

            -- Socrates led the man to the ocean and as they stood on the shore watching the waves roll in, he asked the man, “What do you want?” -- the man said, “I want knowledge”

            -- Socrates led the man into the water until it was chest deep and he paused in the breaking waves and asked the man, “What do you want?” -- the man said again, “I want knowledge”

            -- Immediately, Socrates grabbed the man and plunged him underneath the water -- The man struggled to free himself, but Socrates kept his head submerged -- Finally, after much effort, the man was able to break loose and emerge from the water

            -- Socrates then asked, “When you thought you were drowning, what one thing did you want most of all?” -- Still gasping for breath, the man exclaimed, “I wanted air!”

            -- Socrates paused for a moment and then wisely commented, “When you want knowledge as much as you wanted air, then you will be wise!” (Adapted from Our Daily Bread, RBC Ministries)

 

            -- Jesus tells us here in the fourth Beatitude that this concept of Socrates is true for righteousness, as well -- look back with me at verse 6

 

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they will be filled.

 

            -- in other words, Jesus is saying that when we want righteousness as much as a drowning man wants air, we will find it -- when we want righteousness as much as a starving man wants food or a thirsty man wants water, then we will find it

            -- when righteousness and holiness become the overwhelming desire of our heart -- when they become all we want and all we need and all we seek -- then we will find them

 

            -- this morning, as we continue in our sermon series on the Beatitudes, we are going to be exploring this concept of desiring righteousness in our lives

            -- just like the earlier Beatitudes we looked at, this Beatitude builds on the first three and continues to move us higher and higher on the ladder of faith -- helping us to become more and more like Jesus as we seek His presence and desire His presence and power in our lives

            -- in a very real sense, this Beatitude is the first test of our devotion to Christ -- previously, we talked about how the first three Beatitudes were the foundation of a life with God and a life in Christ

            -- in the beginning, we find ourselves poor in the spirit -- being made aware of our condition and our need for a Savior -- aware that we need forgiveness and salvation at the cross

            -- next, we mourn our sins as we become aware of the true depth of our sinfulness and of the vast gulf between us and God -- and we cry out for complete forgiveness and cleansing through God’s mercy and grace

            -- which leads us to the third Beatitude -- beginning the first steps of a holy life -- realizing the power of God within us -- exercising the power of the Holy Spirit and allowing Him to start us on the path of sanctification -- the path of holiness and righteousness

            -- and, now, in this fourth Beatitude -- blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness -- we are confronted with the question, “Are we progressing in our spiritual lives?”

            -- this Beatitude asks us to pause and think about how we are living and what we are living for -- what do we spend our time and energy on? -- what desires fill our hearts? -- what drives us on a daily basis? -- are we seeking after God or are we still following the ways of this world and the desires of our flesh?

            -- so, let’s look at this Beatitude now and see what we can learn about living for God on a daily basis

 

II.  Righteousness

            -- let’s start by thinking a moment about righteousness -- Jesus tells us here, “blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness”

            -- what is righteousness? -- that is a common word in the Bible -- both in the Old Testament and the New Testament -- we use it a lot in our churches -- we sing about it in our hymns -- we read about it in our devotions -- but what is it? -- what does that word really mean? -- what does Jesus mean when He tells us to hunger and thirst after righteousness?

            -- really, Jesus means two things -- first, He means that we hunger and thirst after a right relationship with God -- we seek to be right with God

            -- I think most of us here have been in a relationship of some kind -- whether it’s a romantic relationship or just a friendship with another person -- and I guarantee you, at some point in that relationship, you had a fight -- you got into an argument -- something happened -- somebody did something wrong or said something wrong and the other person got hurt

            -- and what happened to the relationship at that moment? -- it suffered, didn’t it? -- it was strained -- it was broken -- it wasn’t…right

            -- and what had to happen to make that relationship right again? -- the person who messed up had to make amends -- they had to apologize or buy flowers or whatever it took to repair the hurt and to make that relationship right again

            -- that’s part of what Jesus means here by righteousness -- He’s telling us we are all called to be in a right relationship with God -- but when sin comes into our life, it damages that relationship -- God cannot be where sin is -- and until we deal with that sin -- until we take steps to get that sin out of our life -- it’s not right

            -- and we can’t make it right -- there’s nothing we can do -- we can’t make it right by going to church or by doing good things or by tithing or by giving money to good causes -- we can’t make it right by reading our Bible everyday or by doing “churchy” things

            -- we can only make our relationship right with God through faith in the atoning death of Jesus on the cross for us -- by believing that Jesus paid the price for our sins with His own body and blood and asking Him to forgive us for our sins -- we apologize for what we have done -- we repent of our sins and turn from ourselves and the world and turn to God -- we ask Jesus to make amends for our sins with His body and His blood

            -- and God’s grace, through our faith and trust in Jesus’ atoning death and resurrection, saves us -- it puts us back into a right relationship with God -- that’s part of what He means here when He says that those who hunger and thirst after righteousness are blessed

 

            -- the second part of righteousness is keeping that relationship from getting broken again -- and how do we do that? -- by being true and faithful to God -- by living holy lives -- by doing the right things -- the things that God wants us to do -- turning away from temptations and sins and living for God with our whole hearts and mind and strength

            -- to be righteous means that we try to live lives of integrity and character and holiness through the power of the Holy Spirit within us -- that we try to live the way God wants us to live so that our relationship with Him grows stronger everyday

 

III.  Hungering and Thirsting for God

            -- that’s what Jesus means by the word, “righteousness,” in this Beatitude

            -- which leads us to the next question -- how? -- how do we become righteous? -- how do we stay righteous? -- how do we keep our relationship with God right?

 

            -- one night at a campfire, an elderly man took the opportunity to teach his grandson about the inner struggles with right and wrong that he had dealt with his whole life -- he told his grandson that inside of him were two wolves -- one of the wolves was mean and evil -- the other wolf was good -- and they fought constantly for control of his life

            -- the young man stared at the fire for a moment and then asked, “Which wolf ends up winning?” -- the old man paused a moment and said, “the one I feed the most”

 

            -- it’s the same way with us in our daily lives -- every day we wake up with desires in our hearts and in our flesh -- we wake up with wants and wishes -- we have needs to be met

            -- in this Beatitude, Jesus uses the analogy of a person who is hungry or thirsty to describe what it is like to have a desire in your life -- the point He is trying to get across here is that our desires are natural -- they are good -- they have their source in God Himself

            -- think about it like this -- why do we get hungry and thirsty? -- because our body needs food and water to survive -- God put this desire in us because He knew it was something that we needed -- hunger and thirst are good things, because they remind us to get food and water so that we can live

            -- all of the desires that you have are things that God knows you need -- things like food and water -- things like relationships and marriage and sex -- things like houses and possessions and jobs -- things like spiritual satisfaction -- all of these are desires that God has put in us because He knows that we need them to live and to be happy -- these are all good things

            -- but the problem comes in when we begin to try to fulfill our God-given desires in ungodly ways -- by trying to get more than we need or by trying to fulfill our desires in places or in ways that God does not approve of

 

            -- this Beatitude forces us to ask the question, “what wolf am I feeding?” -- “where do we go to have our desires met? -- what do we do when we seek to be filled and satisfied?”

            -- really, there are only two choices -- we can go to God or we can go to the world

            -- if we go to God, then our desires will be met in Godly, righteous ways and our relationship with Him will be right

            -- if we go to the world, then our natural tendency is to meet our desires in ungodly ways -- and, as a result, our relationships with God and with others may be strained or broken

 

            -- let’s use food as an example of what I’m talking about -- we need food -- getting hungry is a God-given desire that meets that need in our life -- we all know that, right?

            -- now, let me ask you this -- how many of you have ever paid attention to the way grocery stores are designed? -- how the groceries are placed on the shelves?

            -- to get to the fruits and vegetables, what do you usually have to do? -- walk past rows of freshly baked doughnuts and cakes -- you have to walk past the smells of doughnuts fresh out of the oven or fresh-baked bread -- and it just feeds your senses

            -- to get to the milk and dairy section, what do you have to do? -- you have to go all the way to the back of the store -- you have to walk past displays and end caps with potato chips and cokes and cookies -- and that’s not by accident -- it is intentional

            -- the store is using your God-given desire for food, but they’re trying to get you to meet those desires in a way you probably shouldn’t -- doughnuts and potato chips may be less expensive than healthy food, but the stores know they won’t satisfy you, so you’ll buy more and more of them to satisfy you -- like the potato chip ad says, “Bet you can’t eat just one”

            -- and those doughnuts and potato chips look so good and smell so good and we’re so hungry and they’re right there in front of us, so we grab the potato chips and the doughnuts and start eating them in the car on the way home -- and while they may taste good and take away your hunger for a moment, they won’t meet your nutritional needs like a healthy meal would -- and in just a little while, you’ll get hungry again and you’ll come back and you’ll buy more -- that’s their goal

            -- if they can get you to meet your God-given desire for food by spending more of your money on things you don’t need, then they’re happy

 

            -- it’s the same way with getting any of your desires met -- you’ve got two choices -- you’ve got the world’s way and you’ve got God’s way -- you can either choose to let God meet your desires in His healthy ways, or you can give in to temptation and try to get your needs filled in ungodly and unhealthy ways

 

IV.  Filled with the Presence of God

            -- in the context of this Beatitude, Jesus is not only talking about the physical desires and needs that we have, but also our spiritual desires and needs -- God made us with this place in our heart that can only be filled by His presence -- in other words, we need God in our lives and in our hearts

 

            -- Psalm 42:1-2 makes this clear -- “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?”

            -- God put this desire for Him and His presence in our hearts and in our spirits -- He wants us to pant for Him -- to thirst for Him -- or, as Jesus puts it here in this Beatitude, to hunger and thirst for His presence -- to desire Him and a relationship with Him more than anything else that this world has to offer

            -- and, when we choose Him over this world -- when He is our desire -- our all-in-all -- when He is what we are seeking more than anything else -- He promises that we will be filled

 

            -- filled with what? -- obviously not food and drink -- but filled with the presence and power of Christ in our lives

            -- filled with the very righteousness and holiness of God as the Holy Spirit works in our lives -- from the inside out -- to help us to become holy as God is holy

            -- in the church, we call this sanctification -- that’s just a ten-dollar term that means that we are becoming more and more like Jesus everyday -- this means that we are not only following Jesus, but we’re starting to act like Jesus -- we’re starting to think like Jesus -- we’re starting to look like Jesus -- inside and out

 

            -- this means that in our daily lives, we are showing those around us the same love that Jesus showed to those in His day -- this means that we are choosing to walk past the displays of doughnuts and potato chips and alcohol and drugs and sex and pride and arrogance and all the other temptations that the world throws at us and we are choosing to follow God and to follow His ways

            -- to hunger and thirst for righteousness means that we are living for God -- we are desiring God -- not just on Sundays -- but every day

 

            -- think about what this Beatitude says -- blessed are those who hunger -- blessed are those who thirst -- those are active words -- those are words that indicate this is an on-going situation

            -- right now -- this moment and every moment -- we should be actively hungering and thirsting for God -- we should be seeking His presence and His ways and choosing to follow Him, forsaking all others

            -- this isn’t something that we do one time and get the t-shirt and go home -- no, this is something that needs to become a part of us -- just like breathing -- it’s something that we do without even thinking about it -- it becomes our reason for living -- it becomes our life

            -- what Jesus is telling us here is to keep on hungering and keep on thirsting for righteousness -- and when you do that, He promises that God will fill you with His presence and His power

 

            -- remember that I said that this Beatitude is a good test of your relationship with God -- of the depths of righteousness that you have obtained

            -- if you are truly hungering and thirsting for righteousness -- if you are truly hungering and thirsting for God in your life and are walking in His ways -- then you should see be able to see where a change has happened

            -- you should be able to look back on your life six months -- one year -- five years ago -- and be able to say, “I’m better than I was then -- I’m more righteous than I was then -- I’m more holy than I was then -- I’m choosing God over sin more now than then”

            -- when we hunger and thirst after righteousness, God promises to meet us and to fill us with His presence so that we might continue to grow in grace and become more and more like His Son, Jesus

 

V.  Closing

            -- C.S. Lewis wrote, “We are half hearted creatures, fooling around with drink and sex and ambition, when infinite joy is offered us -- like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a [vacation at the beach], we are far too easily pleased”

 

            -- it is too easy to go through this life chasing and being satisfied with what the world has to offer while ignoring the true gifts that God has waiting for us

            -- too many of us waste our time and our energy and our resources by trying to have our wants and wishes -- desires and needs -- met by this world rather than by our Creator

            -- Jesus tells us that if we would turn our eyes from the glitter and glamour of this world and would instead hunger and thirst and chase after God, that He would fill our lives with His power and His presence and His glory

            -- this Beatitude tells us that the path to a full life does not lay in the temporary satisfactions of this world but in the righteousness of God and in a relationship with Him

            -- joy comes from being in a right relationship with God and from living life according to His plan and His will

            -- so, as we close in prayer, let me encourage you to take a moment and think about where you are in your life -- are you making mud pies in a slum instead of enjoying a vacation at the beach? -- are you gorging on potato chips rather than feasting on the riches of God’s heavenly banquet? -- are you living the life that God wants you to live?

            -- if not, then I want to encourage you to make a change right now -- this morning

            -- start feeding the good wolf -- chase after God -- hunger and thirst for His righteousness -- so that you will be filled and satisfied and happy living in God’s presence

            -- come to Him now -- turn to Him -- for the forgiveness of your sins -- for new life with Him -- and for a change that will last forever

            -- let us pray

SERMON: THE MEASURE OF A CHRISTIAN (BEATITUDES): BLESSED ARE THE MEEK

 

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Matthew 5:1-12

 

Matthew 5:1 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them, saying:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 Blessed are those who mourn,

for they will be comforted.

5 Blessed are the meek,

for they will inherit the earth.

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they will be filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful,

for they will be shown mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart,

for they will see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they will be called children of God.

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

 

            -- when I was a kid, the circus came to town -- this wasn’t a big circus -- this wasn’t like Ringling Brothers or Barnum and Bailey -- this was one of those tiny little circuses that used to make the circuit between the smallest communities around the country

            -- I remember when it rolled into town -- it set up in an open area south of Adel -- with one large tent and a few smaller tents and the ubiquitous carnival stands with games of chance that no one ever seemed to win at

            -- I was probably only about 5 or 6 years old -- and I don’t remember a great deal about the circus -- but the one thing I do remember is the elephant -- this was the first time I ever really saw an elephant in person

            -- this circus just had one elephant -- and when it wasn’t in the tent doing its act, they had it tied up outside the tent for people to look at -- I was amazed at this large creature -- how powerful it was -- at the quiet strength that was hidden right below the surface -- it’s one thing to see an elephant on TV -- it’s another thing to be that close to an elephant in person

            -- you just knew that this animal could break loose if it wanted -- the only thing that kept it in place was a metal stake driven into the ground and a chain that went from the stake and around the elephant’s foot -- even at my young age, I knew that that chain and stake couldn’t hold that elephant if it wanted to leave -- it was too strong -- it was only the power of the relationship between the trainer and the elephant that made it stay there enduring the gazes of little boys and girls

 

            -- this elephant is a perfect example of the Beatitude that we are going to be discussing this morning -- today, we are continuing in our sermon series on the Beatitudes and are going to be focusing on the third Beatitude, which we find in Matthew 5:5 -- look at that with me again

 

5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

 

            -- as you remember, we can think of these Beatitudes as rungs on the ladder of faith -- as the steps to Christian maturity as we seek to become true disciples of Christ

            -- keep in mind that, while the definition of a disciple is someone who follows another, to be a disciple of Jesus means more than just following Him -- it means striving to become like Him -- to take upon yourself the very nature and character of Christ as you follow Him and learn from His example

            -- the first step on the road of discipleship with Christ is seen in the first Beatitude -- blessed are the poor in spirit -- we cannot begin our spiritual journey of faith until we become aware of our spiritual condition -- until we become aware of our need for a Savior -- the first Beatitude is the step of salvation and being justified through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus

            -- the second Beatitude -- blessed are they who mourn -- calls us to begin to grow in our faith and in our walk with Jesus as we become aware of our sinfulness and of the depth of forgiveness that Jesus showed us from the cross -- as we discussed last week, knowing how great a sinner we are leads us to mourn over our sin and to rejoice over the fact of just how great a Savior we have -- recognizing our sins -- turning from them in repentance -- and striving to live holy and righteous lives through the power of the Holy Spirit is the beginning of sanctification in our lives -- becoming more and more like Jesus as we let go of the past and take up our cross and follow Him in righteousness

 

            -- we find the next step on the path of Christian discipleship and spiritual maturity in the third beatitude -- blessed are the meek

 

            -- as we go through this series, the one thing I hope that you are starting to recognize is the supernatural quality of these characteristics -- by calling us to live counter to the ways of the world -- by calling us to live counter to our natural inclinations and our natural way of thinking and living -- Jesus is asking us to do something and to be something that we cannot do or be on our own

            -- we cannot simply choose to become poor in spirit -- we have to respond to a call from God to do so -- we have to respond to His prevenient grace -- the grace that calls us to move from where we are to the cross of Calvary -- it is a supernatural act of God that creates in us the condition that Jesus calls “poor in spirit”

            -- in the same way, we cannot simply choose to become aware of our sinful nature and mourn our condition and our sin -- it is a supernatural awakening to the fact of who we are and how we compare to a holy God

            -- and, in the same sense, we cannot simply choose to become meek -- we become meek only when God gives us the power to truly submit ourselves to Him -- body, mind, and spirit -- and we respond to His call and willingly place ourselves under His lordship

 

II.  Meekness

            -- so, as we begin this discussion of the third Beatitude -- let’s start with the question, “What is meekness?” -- when you hear the word, ‘meek,’ what comes to mind?

            -- in preparing for this message, I read an article where the author went out into the street with a tape recorder and asked this question to a lot of people who were passing by on the street

            -- “What does the word, ‘meek,’ mean?” -- invariably, the answer came back the same -- almost to a person, each of them said that meekness was the same thing as weakness -- to be meek was to be weak -- wimpy -- cowardly -- frail -- afraid

            -- that is what this word has come to mean in our day and age -- but that is not the true biblical definition of what it means to be meek -- think about the people that the Bible lifts up as being meek men

            -- Numbers 12:3 - “Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.” 

            -- is Moses someone you would call weak or cowardly or frail? -- think about what this man did -- at the age of 80, he stood in front of Pharaoh -- the most powerful leader in the world -- and pointed his finger at him and said, “Thus saith the Lord, let my people go”

            -- it was Moses who led the people out of Egypt and through the Red Sea with the entire Egyptian army hot on their heels -- it was Moses who brought them to the edge of the Promised Land -- who led them in the wilderness -- we served as their judge and their leader and their visionary -- who planned their battles and led them to victory against those nations who tried to destroy them -- who spoke to the Lord God Almighty face to face and lived -- who saw God’s glory and heard His name as He passed by Moses on the mountain while all the Israelites trembled in their tents

            -- does this sound like a weak or cowardly man? -- no -- and yet the Bible tells us he was very meek -- meeker than any other man on the face of the earth

 

            -- who else? -- turn over to Matthew 11:29

 

Matthew 11:29, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

 

            -- in the KJV, Jesus says here to take His yoke and learn from Him because “I am meek and lowly of heart” -- Jesus called Himself meek -- and there is no way you can call Jesus weak or cowardly or afraid

            -- even before you get to the cross and the fact that Jesus willingly carried His own instrument of death to Golgotha and willingly sacrificed Himself for us, think about what Jesus did as a man

            -- while others around Him fled in the presence of people who were possessed by demons, Jesus looked evil in the eye and commanded a whole legion of demons to come out of the man at Gerasene and to leave him alone

            -- Jesus went into the temple and turned over the tables of the money changers -- He made a whip out of cords and ran those merchants out of God’s house

            -- He associated with the dregs of society -- with the sinners and the tax collectors and the murderers and thieves -- with those people that good society would have nothing to do with out of fear

            -- He was friends with prostitutes and priests -- and He stood toe-to-toe against the Pharisees and the religious leaders, calling them out for the wrong they were doing

            -- does this sound like the actions of a weak and cowardly man? -- not at all

 

            -- so, meekness is not weakness -- a meek man is not wimpy or girly or cowardly or afraid

            -- the true definition of meekness is “great power under control” -- the willing laying aside of your power and your nature and your will to another without the need to express your strength or authority over them

            -- think about that elephant I told you about -- that elephant was much stronger than its trainer -- it was more powerful than that little chain that held it in the ground -- if it had wanted to, it could have ripped that stake up and took off down the street -- it could have easily broken loose and killed its trainer -- but it didn’t -- it was the epitome of what it means to be meek -- it submitted its will to another -- and its great power was under control

            -- other ways to describe meekness are humbleness -- being lowly of spirit -- being gentle -- to be meek means that you are strong and you know it, but that you have chosen to not use your strength over another -- that you have surrendered your strength to another

 

            -- the true measure of meekness comes through our relationships with others -- meekness is expressed through how we treat those around us -- to be meek means that we move past the point where anger and bitterness and hatred rule our lives -- meekness is curbing the "natural" desires to rebel, fight, and have our own way -- to push ourselves forward and to demand our right and what we should be getting

            -- to be meek is to be kind and considerate to others, even to those who oppose us -- to be meek is to be easily approachable, not prideful or resentful, not temperamental or harsh -- to be meek is to submit your will to the Lord so that you might act like Jesus in all situations

            -- in other words, when you exhibiting meekness, you are making a choice to respond rather than to react -- you are choosing to express love and respect and grace rather than anger or harshness or pride

            -- the greatest definition of meekness is the description of Jesus that we read in Philippians 2:5-8

 

Philippians 2:5-8

New International Version

5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

 

6 Who, being in very nature[a] God,

did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;

7 rather, he made himself nothing

by taking the very nature[b] of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

8 And being found in appearance as a man,

he humbled himself

by becoming obedient to death—

even death on a cross!

 

 -- Jesus demonstrated the attitude of meekness when He chose to lay aside His power and His glory and came to earth to be one of us -- the Creator of the universe willingly became a baby in a manger -- and during His time here on earth, He never once demanded what was rightfully His as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords -- through His life, Jesus showed us the true image of meekness -- power under control and submission to the Father’s will

 

            -- don’t miss how radical a concept this was to everyone in first century Palestine, Jews and Gentiles alike    

            -- the Jews were very proud of their heritage and their race -- they were proud of their position as God’s chosen people -- and this was instilled in them at birth -- they considered themselves powerful in spirit and greater than all around them because of their relationship with God

            -- similarly, the Romans were renowned for their military might and strength -- they were in control of the whole world at that time as one of the great empires of history -- and they flaunted their power and their strength from Africa through the Middle East to Europe -- all the way to Britain

            -- we’re not that different from them today, are we? -- as American Christians, we are proud of our country -- proud of our heritage -- we rejoice in the fact that we are the world’s last remaining superpower -- we have a swagger in our step

            -- and even in our personal lives, we are told that the way to get ahead is to promote ourselves -- never be weak -- never look weak -- but instead, become stronger and more powerful than those around you -- strive to rise to the top -- go for the gold -- be the best you can be

            -- this is what we are taught -- this is what we strive for -- this is what the people we admire look like -- that’s why America makes idols of athletes and movie stars and men and women of great power in business and politics

 

            -- but Jesus comes along and says, “let me show you a different way” -- and He tells us, “blessed are the meek”

            -- blessed are those who don’t express their strength -- blessed are those who aren’t prideful -- who don’t demand their own way -- who don’t fight for their rights -- blessed are those who submit to the will of God -- blessed are the meek

            -- it goes against logic -- it goes against everything that we know and everything that we have been taught -- to become meek basically comes down to this

 

            -- we accept Jesus as our Savior when we come to the cross -- when we ask Him to forgive our sins and to give us eternal life -- no one has a problem with Jesus as Savior

            -- but when Jesus calls us to be meek -- when He calls us to lay aside our strength and our power and what we consider our rights in order to allow God’s will to be done -- He is calling us to make Him both Lord and Savior

            -- He is telling us to choose whether we are going to be the god of our lives or if we are going to let Him be God -- He is calling for us to surrender our strength and our power and our rights to Him -- to let Him make all the decisions -- to let Him be our God and our King and the Lord who directs our path -- He is calling for us to say, “not my will, but yours be done” -- and that is hard

            -- a friend of mine said he had a woman come to the altar after the service one time to be saved -- as he spoke to her about what it meant to be a Christian -- to receive forgiveness of your sins and to start following Jesus -- to let Him be her Savior and her Lord -- to start living for Him and not her or the world any longer -- she balked

            -- she said she wanted to be saved, but she wasn’t ready to follow all the rules -- to obey Jesus in everything -- to give up her life and the things she was doing -- in other words, she wanted Jesus as Savior -- as a fire escape -- as a “Get out of Hell” card -- but she didn’t want Jesus as Lord -- as someone who would tell her what to do -- my friend suggested she wait to respond until they could meet and discuss what it meant to truly follow Christ

            -- a lot of us live that way, myself included -- we come to Jesus as our Savior -- we come seeking the forgiveness of our sins -- but we find it hard to lay down our lives and pick up our crosses and submit to Jesus as our Lord -- to rearrange our lives to the point where we are submitting to God and His way of living -- where we stop demanding our way and our will and, instead, let Jesus be Lord and call the shots -- but that is what Jesus is saying is required when He tells us here, “blessed are the meek”

            -- to become mature in our faith -- to become a true disciple of Christ who not only follows Jesus in salvation but who takes up the character and nature of Jesus -- laying down our rights and our will in meekness is the next step -- we have to submit our will to His and allow Jesus to not only be our Savior, but to be our Lord and King

            -- and the reward for this, Jesus tells us, is that we will inherit the earth

 

III.  Inherit the Earth

            -- what does it mean to inherit the earth? -- it is simple a recognition of the state of mind that accompanies the Godly characteristic of meekness

            -- a meek person is satisfied -- content -- joyful in their position with the Lord regardless of their position on earth

            -- in Philippians 4:11-12, Paul wrote, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. -- I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. -- I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”  -- and that secret? -- Paul tells us in verse 13, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me”

            -- when you walk through this life without having the burden of chasing after the American dream -- without running to the end of each rainbow looking for the pot of gold -- without striving for everything that the world tells us makes a person full and complete -- without demanding your will be done and getting mad when people slight you or cut you off in traffic or ignore you or your rules -- then you have truly arrived as a disciple of Christ

            -- you can enjoy life, because while the world is running around, you can sit and rest in the presence of God -- knowing that in Him you have all things -- that every need is being met -- and that He is with you and His presence fills you

            -- to inherit the earth means that you are experiencing the best of life from a spiritual and supernatural perspective -- right here, right now

           

            -- there is also a future component to this promise from Jesus -- while a meek person goes through this life satisfied and contented, this is also a promise for eternity -- for the future inheritance that we will receive when Jesus comes again and His Kingdom is established

            -- the Bible tells us that when Jesus returns, there will be a new earth -- an earth established -- not on the principles that drive it now -- not on pride and wealth and power -- but on the Kingdom principles of love and grace and mercy

            -- the glimpse of peace and contentment and joy that a meek person realizes now will be truly expressed in the new earth as we enjoy God’s presence forever

 

IV.  Closing

            -- so, how do we become meek?

            -- the answer is easy, but not easy to do -- the simple answer is...we surrender

            -- we surrender ourselves -- our hearts -- our minds -- our will -- our strength -- to God

            -- as John the Baptist put it -- we decrease so that Christ might increase

 

            -- this is not an easy thing to do -- this is really not even possible for us as humans in our own strength -- we are born selfish, demanding our will be done, and this just gets worse the older we get -- it’s part of who we are and we can’t break that on our own -- we just don’t have the strength

            -- the only way to become truly meek as Jesus calls us to here is through His power and the presence of the Holy Spirit within us -- it is an act of grace that begins with a decision on our part to surrender ourselves to God -- to lay aside our wants and our wishes and to submit our will to God

            -- to become meek, we have to first choose to let Jesus be the Lord of our life -- and we have to choose to go against our nature and our flesh and say, “not my will, but yours be done”

 

            -- secondly, you cultivate a relationship of faith and trust with God -- as you walk with God on a daily basis -- as you become more mature in your faith, you will naturally begin to trust Him more and more as you see how He has been with you and worked on your behalf in the past

            -- look for the fingerprints of God in your life -- keep track of the ways that God has moved and has made a difference -- and then choose to let Him do so again and again and again instead of always demanding your way and your will be done

            -- finally, we measure ourselves in our relationships with others -- before you react to another person -- before you take offense at what someone has done -- take a moment to think about that old question, “What Would Jesus Do?”

            -- when someone says something against you -- when someone hurts you -- think, “how would Jesus react?” -- would He react with anger -- with harsh words -- with cutting comments -- or would He respond with love and kindness and grace?

            -- and then you respond in the way you think Jesus would

            -- as R.K. Hughes wrote, the ultimate "test as to whether we are truly meek is not whether we can say we are poor sinners, but rather what we do when someone else calls us vile sinners.” -- your response displays the level of meekness and humbleness in your heart

 

            -- if we are to be disciples of Christ -- if we are to become mature in our faith -- then we must seek to have the same mind and attitude that He displayed on earth -- Jesus modeled meekness for us with His life -- and we must strive to do the same with ours

            -- our Christian lives begin with salvation, with asking Jesus to forgive our sins -- it continues through sanctification -- recognizing the depth of sin in our lives and repenting of them -- turning from them to righteousness in Jesus’ name -- and it leads us to meekness -- to surrendering our will to God and choosing to live for Him rather than ourselves

            -- blessed are the meek -- blessed are those who lay down their lives and pick up their crosses and follow Jesus and His ways in all things

            -- let us pray