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Matthew 5:6 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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Please take out your copy of God's Word and turn to the Gospel according to Matthew chapter 5.
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! While you're getting there, Alex, I never heard the battle shield verse of Be That My Vision.
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! That was great. Thank you, brother, for sharing that one with us.
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That may need to be a permanent fixture in that song.
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Clay said the next step is that we sing it in Gaelic.
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This morning we're going to continue our careful consideration of the Sermon on the Mount.
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Recall that this sermon is a declaration of the Kingdom of Heaven.
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And we rightly understand that the Kingdom has come because the King has come.
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Matthew records for us in Matthew chapter 4 and verse 17.
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From that time, Jesus began to preach the beginning of His ministry, saying,
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Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.
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Recall also that Jesus begins His sermon with declarations of blessedness for a people with particular characteristics.
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He's showing us what those who are citizens of this coming Kingdom look like.
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He has declared blessed those who recognize their spiritual poverty.
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Those who come before God with nothing in their hands but an appeal to the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
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And He says they're blessed because theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
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He has declared blessed those who mourn over their sinful state and over the sinful state of the world around them.
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The sin-sick nature of the place in which they live.
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And He declares them blessed for they shall be comforted.
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He has declared blessed those who understand what they truly deserve.
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Do not seek retribution when wronged, but trust in God's sovereign goodness and His final making of all things right.
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And they're declared blessed for they shall inherit the earth.
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So join me now in considering the fourth of Jesus' declarations of blessedness in Matthew chapter 5, verse 6.
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Before I read it, beloved, I remind you that this is God's Word to us.
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It was written for His glory and for our good.
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And as such, we would all do well to listen to it in order to believe its promises and obey its commands.
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Matthew chapter 5, verse 6.
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Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
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Now, as I've done over the past few weeks, I want to work through the single verse with a series of questions.
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And I am going to take you elsewhere in the Scripture today.
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So I'm going to encourage you to pull your ribbon marker out and stick it in Matthew chapter 5 as I take us to other places.
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The first question I want to ask is simply, and most importantly, what is meant by those who hunger and thirst for righteousness?
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Let's first think a little bit about this phrase, hunger and thirst.
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Now, last week's text, Matthew 5, verse 5, was a direct citation of Psalm 37, verse 11.
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I helped explain that to you and showed you a bit of the context of Psalm 37.
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In Matthew 5, verse 6, Jesus is not directly citing any Old Testament text,
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but he is drawing on metaphors that his listeners would have been familiar with.
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It is understood that Jesus' primary audience, the Sermon on the Mount, would have been Jewish listeners,
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and that Matthew's account, his gospel account, is particularly aimed at Jewish listeners.
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That means we have to do a little extra work.
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I'm assuming most of us, maybe none of us, are of Jewish descent,
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certainly not familiar with the Old Testament text the way they would have been.
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But these metaphors that he draws on, they would have been extremely familiar with.
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I'm going to show you just two examples that are statements of hungering and thirsting
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that end up with negative results,
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but he's drawing on these types of metaphors to help us understand what it means to hunger and thirst
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for anything, in this case, righteousness.
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The first is from Isaiah chapter 55, verse 2, and the first half of verse 3,
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which reads,
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So God, speaking metaphorically through the prophet Isaiah, says,
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Stop trying to satisfy yourself with anything other than me.
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He's saying, I am the rich food that your soul needs.
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I am your sustenance.
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Another text, an example of this metaphor Jesus is drawing on,
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Jeremiah chapter 2, verses 12 and 13.
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This is from our Bible reading a couple of weeks ago,
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if you're keeping up with us on this,
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where we read,
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Be appalled, O heavens, at this.
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Be shocked.
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Be utterly desolate or dismayed,
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declares the Lord,
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for my people have committed two evils.
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They have forsaken me,
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the fountain of living waters,
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and hewed out cisterns for themselves,
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broken cisterns that can hold no water.
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This time, God, speaking through the prophet Jeremiah,
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speaks metaphorically of himself as an unending source of life.
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Water bringing forth life.
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And an ending source of it.
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A fountain of living water.
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And he accuses his people of seeking life in a way that will never satisfy their thirst.
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They're digging for themselves wells that won't hold life-giving water at all.
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So food and water are the most basic of human needs.
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And I think we take that for granted.
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There is food and water everywhere in the place that we live.
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You can walk out in the hallway and drink as much filtered water as you want to
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from a water fountain right now.
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Right?
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We don't quite appreciate in Jesus' day how much work it was to obtain sustenance
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and to have clean, safe water for drinking.
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But surely this is at the very core of life.
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A person does not last long without one,
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and certainly not long at all without both.
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So Jesus is speaking of our most basic human need
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as he picks up this metaphorical language.
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It's very possible that none of us have really ever,
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in the temporal sense, hungered and thirsted.
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The way these people would have understood what it means to be hungry and to be thirsty.
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So we have to apply our mindsets.
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We have to try to imagine the type of longing that Jesus here is speaking of.
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And what is it that he says we should hunger and thirst for?
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Righteousness.
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Why did Jesus say that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are going to be satisfied,
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are blessed,
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and not instead those who hunger and thirst for God?
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In Isaiah 55.3, which I just read to you,
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what does he say is the place of sustenance?
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What is the bread, the rich food that God's people should buy?
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He says it's himself.
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He says, come to me.
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In Jeremiah 2.13, which I just read,
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there's two evils.
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First, that they've forsaken me.
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They've turned away from me,
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this source of water, living water,
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and they've turned elsewhere,
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failing sources of water.
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An additional Old Testament reference,
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Psalm 42, verses 1 and 2,
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likely familiar with,
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as a deer pants for flowing streams,
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so pants or thirsts my soul for you, O God.
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My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
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When shall I come and appear before God?
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So why?
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Why does Jesus say,
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those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
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and not those who hunger and thirst for God?
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I have to imagine,
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and I think that good exegesis
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has to be intermingled with a bit of imagination,
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that his listeners cocked their heads a little sideways
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when he said that,
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instead of hungering and thirsting for God,
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because they would have been familiar with these texts.
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Isaiah 55, Jeremiah 2, Psalm 42.
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Why does he say,
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hunger and thirst for righteousness?
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At the outset of our study,
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just a few weeks ago,
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I posited to you
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that in the Sermon on the Mount,
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two major things emerge.
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The second of those that I posited to you,
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which we have been dealing with now at length,
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and will continue to deal with,
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is this idea of human flourishing,
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blessedness.
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What does it mean for us to be doing well in the world?
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Citizens of God's kingdom,
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Jesus is saying to us,
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will flourish.
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They will have joy,
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and comfort,
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and peace,
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and satisfaction.
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We have seen,
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and we're going to continue to see,
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that the type of flourishing
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that happens in God's kingdom
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often runs,
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rubs right up against,
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pushes against,
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stands in contradiction
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to the world's concept of the same.
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So that's one theme we've been looking at,
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and we'll continue to.
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The first that I presented to you
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was the idea of whole person
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righteousness.
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Whole person righteousness.
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Jesus corrects in this sermon
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the misunderstanding that God is only concerned
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with action.
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Citizens of God's kingdom
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will not only honor God with their actions,
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but also with their thoughts,
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and their intentions,
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and their motivations,
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and their motivations,
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and on,
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and on,
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with every bit of their being.
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We sang Deuteronomy 6-5 this morning
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with the kids.
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Not by design,
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but how wonderful,
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a song for us to sing.
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This very command
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that we should love the Lord our God
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with all of us.
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Every bit of us.
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Leveraged off into His direction.
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This beatitude
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picks this up.
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This theme speaks to this whole person
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righteousness theme.
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Let me show you
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elsewhere in the sermon.
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So in Matthew 5,
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verse 20,
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Jesus says,
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For I tell you,
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unless your righteousness
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exceeds that of the scribes
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and Pharisees,
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you will never enter
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the kingdom of heaven.
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So He's addressing
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this issue of the day.
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A great issue in Jesus' day
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and a great issue
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in our day as well
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of rampant hypocrisy.
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Many declared
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and declared
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to love God with their lips,
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put on a pretty good show
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to convince others
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of the same,
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the outward trappings
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of religion,
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of devotion to God.
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But they denied
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and deny
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a love for Him
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which totally
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permeated
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their lives.
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Thoughts,
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intentions.
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John the Baptist
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says,
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You brood of vipers
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to the Pharisees.
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Who everyone else
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would have looked at them
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and said,
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They've got it together.
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These men know
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how to rightly
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worship God.
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And they were indicted
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for being
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whitewashed tombs.
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Jesus declares
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the woe to them.
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Whitewashed tombs.
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You look nice
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on the outside
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but inside
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you're full
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of dead people's bones.
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Jesus is trying
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to correct this.
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He's saying
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it's not just outside.
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That you can put on
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the trappings
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of religion
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that all of you
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is devoted
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to me.
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Further on,
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in the conclusion
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of this sermon
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in Matthew chapter 7.
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And these should be
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scary words to us,
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beloved.
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Verse 21-23.
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Jesus says,
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In a warning to us
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to not deceive ourselves,
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He says,
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Not everyone
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who says to me,
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Lord, Lord,
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will enter
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the kingdom of heaven,
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but the one
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who does the will
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of my Father
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who is in heaven.
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On that day,
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the end day,
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many will say to me,
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Lord, Lord,
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do we not prophesy
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in your name
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and cast out demons
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in your name
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and do many mighty works
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in your name?
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And then I will declare
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to them,
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I never knew you.
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Depart from me,
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you workers
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of lawlessness.
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So we see here
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that there are people
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who are doing things
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in the name of Christ
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and it would seem
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miraculous things
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in the name of Christ.
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I don't know any of you
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who have done miraculous things
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in anybody's name,
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but here are people
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who at least appear
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to have done
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some rather miraculous things,
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but they're not keepers
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of God's law.
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They don't have
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this whole person righteousness
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that we're talking about here.
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Jesus says to them,
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I never knew you.
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Depart from me.
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the Beatitudes,
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beginning in Matthew 5,
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and everything that follows
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in this sermon
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is Jesus' very careful work
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of teaching His listeners
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then and this morning
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that a life that is pleasing to God
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encompasses our whole being.
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He's getting in
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and He's mixing it up.
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He's making very careful,
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precise cuts
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to help us to see
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that there's nothing
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we can do
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to be accepted
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by God.
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Poor in spirit.
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By His grace to us
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in the personal work
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of Jesus Christ,
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we can stand right.
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We can be righteous
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before Him.
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And all of our lives
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can and should
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be given to Him.
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those who belong
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to the kingdom of heaven
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who have
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been saved by God
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through the personal work
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of Jesus Christ
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will,
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at our core,
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long,
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desire,
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deeply desire,
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hunger and thirst
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for righteousness.
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We will desire
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above every other desire
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to serve the King
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of the kingdom
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that we are citizens of.
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On your bulletin this morning,
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a C.S. Lewis quote for you.
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I hope this one's familiar to you,
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but I think it's apt
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in this particular spot.
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He wrote,
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If I find in myself
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a desire,
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so read there,
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hunger and thirst
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for righteousness,
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a desire which no experience
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in this world
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can satisfy,
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the most probable explanation
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is that I was made
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for another world.
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I'm a citizen
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of a different kingdom
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because nothing
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in this world
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can satisfy
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this deep longing
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in me
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for righteousness.
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I want to make this point
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just a bit further.
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I'm answering the question
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still,
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in case you lost me.
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Why did Jesus not say
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hunger and thirst
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for God?
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Why this righteousness
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theme here
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in verse 6
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of Matthew 5?
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So let me show you
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just a little bit
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further
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by showing you
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a little bit
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about the structure
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of Jesus'
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blessed declarations,
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these beatitudes
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that we see.
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So look,
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if you will,
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Matthew 5.
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There are
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eight declarations
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of blessing.
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We've got
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one per verse
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through verse 10.
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Excuse me,
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verse 10.
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And then we understand
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verse 11,
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although he does say
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at the beginning of it,
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blessed once again,
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but to see it
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as a further
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explanation of
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verse 10,
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the declaration
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of blessing
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found in verse 10.
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So there are
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eight total.
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And they are
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grouped
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into
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two sets
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of four.
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Before we talk
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about those
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two sets of four,
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though,
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I want to show you
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that the very first
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beatitude
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begins with
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the kingdom
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of heaven,
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for theirs
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is the kingdom
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of heaven.
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And the last one,
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just before the
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further explanation
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of it,
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in verse 10,
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Jesus says the same,
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for theirs
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is the kingdom
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of heaven.
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So we have
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this book ending
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of the Beatitudes
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with this idea
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of citizenship
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in the kingdom.
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John Piper
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referred to this
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as a kingdom
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of heaven sandwich,
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which really
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made me laugh
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at the time,
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and now that I'm
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reading it,
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it's not that funny,
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but he talked
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about the meat
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in between,
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I guess.
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But anyway,
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I chuckled
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and I wrote it down.
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So now,
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when we look
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at these two
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groupings
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of four,
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the first four
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are passive,
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if you'll allow
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the word.
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They're happening
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within.
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They're attitudes
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of heart.
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They're understanding
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of condition.
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They're not
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retaliatory
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in the case
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of meekness.
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It's happening
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within.
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It's who we are.
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And then the second
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four are active.
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They're evidencing
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of who we are.
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So verse six,
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where we are today,
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blessed are those
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who hunger and thirst
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for righteousness,
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ends these first four,
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this grouping
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of these first four.
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We're hungering for it.
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We're lacking it.
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We want it.
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We want it to be ours.
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We want to be filled
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with righteousness.
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righteousness.
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And then at the end
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of the second grouping
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of four,
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we see the result
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of having been
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filled.
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Blessed are those
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who are persecuted.
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For what?
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For righteousness'
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sake.
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So they are now
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expressing righteousness
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and people are seeing
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righteousness
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in God's citizens
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of his kingdom.
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And because of that,
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they are persecuted.
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So the first four
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beatitudes describe
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the broken,
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grieving,
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quiet person
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who hungers
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and thirsts,
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wants to be filled
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with righteousness.
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And the next four
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beatitudes describe
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the merciful,
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pure peacemaker
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who is persecuted
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because of this
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righteousness.
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So,
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whole person
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righteousness,
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both inward
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and outward,
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right?
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He's expressing
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what the citizens
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look like
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under the lordship
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of their king,
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Jesus Christ.
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I'm going to show you
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a bit more
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about righteousness
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and what this is
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going to look like
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and express
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in our lives.
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And to do that,
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I want you to turn
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to Psalm 1.
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This is our public
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scripture reading
22:03
from last
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Lord's Day.
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very interestingly,
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the Septuagint,
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which is the
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Greek translation
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of the Old Testament,
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I'm going to talk
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a little bit more
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about what the
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Septuagint is
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in just a second.
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The Septuagint
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translates
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the Hebrew word
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into Greek.
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I'm not going to
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tell you the Greek word.
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It's not important.
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I probably won't
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pronounce it all
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that well anyway,
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but it's the same
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in the Greek translation
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of the Old Testament
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as it is here
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in Matthew chapter 5,
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the same Greek word.
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Now,
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as a bit of an aside,
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because I know
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that I throw
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the word Septuagint
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out.
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If you're reading
22:48
well,
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you're going to see
22:49
this particular
22:51
piece of literature
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referenced.
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Septuagint
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is our
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Anglicanized word
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of Latin,
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of course.
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You should study
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Latin.
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of the longer
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title,
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Versio Septuaginta
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Interpretum.
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I think I said
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that right,
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which means
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translation of the
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70 interpreters.
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So,
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the translation
23:14
of the 70
23:15
and its abbreviation
23:17
the LXX.
23:18
So,
23:19
you're reading a book
23:19
and you see LXX,
23:21
that's the Roman numeral
23:22
for 70,
23:24
right?
23:24
is derived,
23:26
this title is derived
23:28
from a legend
23:29
that 72
23:30
Jewish scholars,
23:31
that's six
23:32
from each of the
23:33
12 tribes of Israel,
23:34
worked independently
23:36
to translate
23:37
the whole of the
23:38
Old Testament
23:39
into Greek
23:39
and ultimately
23:41
produced identical
23:42
versions.
23:42
I don't buy into
23:43
this legend at all.
23:44
I don't believe
23:45
that the Septuagint
23:45
is inspired.
23:48
However,
23:49
it's useful,
23:51
right?
23:51
So,
23:52
more likely,
23:53
we don't know
23:54
exactly the dates,
23:55
but the work
23:55
of translating
23:56
into Greek
23:57
began in the
23:59
3rd century B.C.
24:00
and was completed
24:01
in 132 B.C.
24:04
So,
24:04
it was a work
24:05
done across
24:05
a bunch of time,
24:06
more likely.
24:07
But the way
24:08
it's helpful to us,
24:09
right,
24:10
not being
24:10
speakers of
24:12
Hebrew
24:13
or of
24:14
Koine Greek
24:15
and we're trying
24:16
to take
24:16
our English minds
24:18
and get them
24:19
connected to
24:20
this very,
24:20
very ancient text
24:22
is that men
24:23
who are much
24:23
closer to
24:25
the original
24:26
Hebrew text
24:27
of the Old Testament
24:28
who were also
24:29
Greek speakers,
24:31
helped us.
24:32
What did they
24:33
understand the word
24:34
to mean?
24:34
Like,
24:35
how did they
24:35
read Psalm 1,
24:37
blessed is
24:38
the man?
24:39
And they brought
24:39
it over
24:40
into this
24:41
Greek word
24:42
that is inspired
24:43
in Matthew chapter 5.
24:44
Are you connecting
24:45
with me?
24:45
I hope that you are.
24:46
I haven't lost you
24:46
completely.
24:47
It's helpful for us
24:48
in drawing connection
24:49
between the Old Testament
24:50
and the New Testament
24:51
simply as the minds
24:54
of the readers
24:54
help us
24:55
understand the
24:57
original language.
24:59
Ask me more questions
25:00
later if I've lost you
25:01
entirely.
25:01
It's helpful.
25:02
So if you hear people
25:03
refer to the
25:03
Septuagint
25:04
or to the LXX,
25:06
this is what they're
25:07
talking about
25:08
as we look at these words.
25:09
So,
25:10
Psalm 1,
25:12
the very first word
25:13
in the Greek version
25:15
of the Old Testament
25:16
is the same
25:17
as the word
25:18
in Matthew chapter 5
25:19
verse 6.
25:22
Blessed
25:22
is the man
25:23
who walks
25:25
not in the counsel
25:25
of the wicked,
25:27
nor stands
25:27
in the way of sinners,
25:29
nor sits
25:29
in the seat
25:30
of scoffers.
25:32
But his delight
25:32
is in the law
25:33
of the Lord
25:34
and on his law
25:35
he meditates
25:35
day and night.
25:38
He is like
25:38
a tree
25:39
planted by streams
25:40
of water
25:40
that yields
25:41
its fruit
25:42
in its season
25:42
and its leaf
25:43
does not wither.
25:45
In all that he does
25:46
he prospers.
25:49
The wicked
25:49
are not so,
25:51
but are like chaff
25:52
that the wind
25:53
drives away.
25:55
Therefore the wicked
25:56
will not stand
25:56
in the judgment
25:57
nor sinners
25:57
in the congregation
25:58
of the righteous.
26:00
For the Lord
26:01
knows the way
26:02
of the righteous,
26:04
but the way
26:05
of the wicked
26:05
will perish.
26:07
So you can see
26:09
here this man,
26:10
this flourishing man
26:13
and we can see
26:13
the way
26:14
in which he
26:15
flourishes.
26:16
Again,
26:17
a metaphor.
26:18
Verse 3,
26:20
he's like a tree.
26:22
A tree that's
26:23
planted by water,
26:25
has all
26:25
of the sustenance
26:27
it needs,
26:28
does the work
26:29
that it's supposed
26:30
to do,
26:30
that is yielding
26:31
its fruit
26:32
at the proper
26:33
time.
26:34
its leaf
26:35
never dries up,
26:37
it's always
26:38
productive.
26:40
And we see
26:41
the contradiction
26:42
to that,
26:43
the wicked
26:43
who are like
26:45
a byproduct
26:46
of the harvest
26:46
that's no good
26:47
for anything
26:48
and the wind
26:48
simply blows
26:49
it away.
26:52
And so there's
26:53
a way
26:54
of the wicked
26:55
and there's
26:56
a way
26:56
of the righteous.
26:58
righteous
26:59
and the man
27:00
who walks
27:02
in the way
27:02
of the righteous
27:03
is declared
27:04
blessed.
27:07
This kind
27:08
of living
27:09
is a great
27:10
work of God
27:11
on our behalf.
27:13
Beloved,
27:14
this is not a thing
27:15
we do ourselves.
27:16
Just like poverty
27:18
of spirit
27:18
is not a thing
27:18
that we produce
27:19
ourselves
27:20
or deep sadness
27:21
over our sin
27:22
and the sin
27:22
of the world
27:23
is not a thing
27:23
we produce
27:24
in ourselves
27:25
and meekness
27:26
is not a thing
27:28
that's accomplished
27:29
by ourselves.
27:31
In the same way,
27:33
this type
27:33
of hungering
27:34
and thirsting
27:35
to walk
27:36
in the ways
27:37
of God
27:37
is a great
27:38
work of God.
27:41
John 15
27:42
verse 5
27:43
about in the middle
27:45
of what we call
27:46
the upper room
27:47
discourse
27:48
Jesus said
27:49
I am the vine
27:50
you are the branches
27:53
whoever abides
27:55
in me
27:55
and I
27:56
in him
27:56
he it is
27:58
that bears
27:58
much fruit
28:00
for apart
28:01
from me
28:01
you can
28:03
do
28:03
nothing.
28:06
And just
28:07
before this
28:07
in the very
28:07
same discourse
28:09
in chapter 14
28:10
verses 15
28:11
through 17
28:12
Jesus said
28:14
to his disciples
28:15
if you love me
28:16
you will keep
28:18
my commandments
28:19
and I will ask
28:20
the father
28:21
and he will give
28:21
you another helper
28:22
to be with you
28:23
forever
28:24
even the spirit
28:26
of truth
28:27
whom the world
28:28
cannot receive
28:29
because it neither
28:29
sees him
28:30
nor knows him
28:31
you know him
28:33
for he dwells
28:34
with you
28:34
and will
28:35
be in you.
28:38
And when we read
28:38
that John 14
28:40
verse 15
28:40
and following
28:41
in light of
28:42
John 15
28:43
5
28:44
I think it's
28:46
right to
28:46
restructure it
28:48
a bit
28:48
to hear Jesus
28:50
saying
28:50
if you love
28:51
me
28:51
I've given
28:53
you the helper
28:54
in fact
28:55
the fact that
28:56
you love me
28:56
is a sign
28:57
that I've given
28:57
you the helper
28:58
and he
28:59
will help you
29:00
to keep
29:01
my commandments
29:03
and it's
29:06
these people
29:06
I hope it's
29:08
you people
29:09
I praise God
29:11
that it's
29:12
me
29:12
that hunger
29:14
and thirst
29:15
for righteousness
29:16
that have this
29:18
declaration spoken
29:19
over us
29:20
of
29:21
blessed
29:22
Jesus says
29:23
we're the ones
29:24
that are
29:25
flourishing
29:27
that are
29:27
doing well
29:28
in the place
29:29
that we live
29:31
and will
29:32
forever
29:33
why are
29:35
those who
29:36
hunger and thirst
29:36
for righteousness
29:37
declared
29:38
a blessing
29:39
right
29:39
because
29:40
they shall
29:42
be
29:43
satisfied
29:44
and this
29:46
statement by
29:46
Jesus has
29:47
both present
29:48
and future
29:49
implication
29:50
those of us
29:52
who hunger
29:52
and thirst
29:53
for righteousness
29:53
will be
29:55
satisfied
29:56
in three
29:57
ways
29:58
first
30:00
and all of
30:01
these are
30:01
from the
30:01
book of
30:01
Philippians
30:02
if you
30:02
want to
30:02
go there
30:03
I'll read
30:03
carefully
30:04
to you
30:04
we will
30:07
be satisfied
30:08
in three
30:09
ways
30:09
first
30:10
we are
30:12
found
30:12
righteous
30:13
in
30:13
Jesus
30:14
Christ
30:15
those of
30:16
us who
30:16
are citizens
30:17
of God's
30:17
kingdom
30:17
finding in
30:19
us working
30:20
this longing
30:21
to be
30:22
righteous
30:23
before God
30:24
are
30:25
found
30:26
righteous
30:27
in Jesus
30:27
Christ
30:27
we have
30:28
been
30:28
declared
30:29
righteous
30:30
there is
30:31
a status
30:32
of being
30:33
righteous
30:35
Philippians
30:36
chapter 3
30:36
verse 9
30:37
Paul says
30:39
not having
30:40
a righteousness
30:41
of my own
30:42
that comes
30:43
from the
30:43
law
30:44
but that
30:45
which comes
30:46
through faith
30:46
in Christ
30:47
the righteousness
30:49
from God
30:50
that depends
30:51
on faith
30:52
and so
30:54
in Jesus
30:55
coming to
30:56
earth
30:56
incarnate
30:58
becoming a
30:58
man
30:59
fully
31:00
taking
31:00
on
31:01
being
31:01
100%
31:02
man
31:03
while also
31:03
being
31:04
100%
31:05
God
31:06
he came
31:07
and he
31:07
lived
31:07
a perfect
31:08
life
31:09
he kept
31:10
the law
31:10
in every
31:12
possible
31:13
sense
31:14
no one
31:15
else has
31:15
ever done
31:16
this
31:16
right
31:16
except
31:17
the God
31:17
man
31:17
Jesus
31:18
Christ
31:19
and so
31:20
righteousness
31:21
was his
31:22
and by
31:23
faith in
31:24
him
31:25
that
31:26
righteousness
31:26
is credited
31:27
to our
31:28
account
31:28
so we
31:29
positionally
31:29
stand before
31:30
God
31:30
as
31:31
righteous
31:31
as those
31:32
who hunger
31:33
and thirst
31:33
for it
31:34
right
31:34
we're
31:35
satisfied
31:35
because we
31:36
have it
31:37
in
31:38
Christ
31:39
in this
31:40
declarative
31:41
sense
31:41
we've been
31:42
justified
31:43
before God
31:44
he has
31:44
looked at us
31:45
and said
31:46
righteous
31:47
secondly
31:49
the second
31:49
way
31:50
is that
31:52
we will
31:53
be
31:53
increasing
31:54
in
31:55
righteousness
31:56
the
31:57
day to day
31:58
practice
31:59
of obedience
32:00
to God
32:01
the
32:02
declaration
32:03
is
32:04
waving
32:05
over us
32:05
as a
32:06
banner
32:06
and yet
32:07
we're still
32:07
meant to be
32:08
turned out
32:09
in appreciation
32:09
for what
32:10
Christ has
32:11
done for
32:11
us
32:11
in the
32:12
pursuit
32:13
of
32:13
holiness
32:14
Paul
32:16
writes
32:16
again
32:17
in
32:17
Philippians
32:17
chapter 2
32:18
verses 12
32:18
and 13
32:19
I'm actually
32:19
working backwards
32:20
through the
32:20
book
32:20
he says
32:22
therefore my
32:22
beloved
32:23
as you
32:24
have always
32:25
obeyed
32:26
so now
32:26
not only
32:27
as in my
32:27
presence
32:28
but much
32:29
more in
32:30
my absence
32:31
work out
32:33
your own
32:33
salvation
32:34
with fear
32:36
and trembling
32:37
now what
32:38
he's saying
32:38
here
32:39
is not
32:40
work for
32:41
your salvation
32:42
but evidence
32:44
your salvation
32:45
right
32:46
be about
32:47
the work
32:48
of one
32:48
who is
32:48
saved
32:49
one
32:49
who is
32:49
a citizen
32:50
of the
32:50
kingdom
32:51
don't
32:51
delude
32:51
yourself
32:52
and think
32:52
that you
32:52
can live
32:53
however
32:53
you want
32:54
to
32:54
those who
32:55
have been
32:55
saved
32:55
by God
32:56
who have
32:56
been
32:56
drawn
32:57
into his
32:57
kingdom
32:57
who have
32:58
been
32:58
declared
32:59
citizens
32:59
are so
33:01
glad
33:02
to live
33:02
in this
33:03
place
33:03
to be
33:04
citizens
33:04
of the
33:04
kingdom
33:05
of heaven
33:05
and therefore
33:05
serve
33:06
the king
33:08
so work
33:09
out your
33:09
salvation
33:09
with fear
33:11
you can
33:11
say
33:11
with
33:11
awe
33:12
and with
33:12
trembling
33:13
verse 13
33:15
for it is
33:15
God who
33:15
works in
33:16
you both
33:16
to will
33:17
and to
33:18
work
33:18
for his
33:19
good pleasure
33:20
so this is
33:22
the process
33:23
of
33:24
sanctification
33:25
we've been
33:26
justified
33:27
we are
33:28
being
33:29
sanctified
33:30
biblical
33:31
sanctification
33:32
is often
33:32
called
33:32
progressive
33:33
sanctification
33:34
we're getting
33:34
a little
33:35
bit better
33:36
one degree
33:37
of glory
33:37
to the
33:38
next
33:38
as we
33:40
work
33:40
and God
33:41
works
33:41
in us
33:42
for his
33:44
good pleasure
33:44
and so you
33:46
want this
33:46
to be true
33:47
of you
33:47
you want
33:48
to not only
33:49
say
33:49
hunger
33:50
and thirst
33:51
for righteousness
33:51
but evidence
33:52
your hunger
33:53
and thirst
33:53
for righteousness
33:54
by doing
33:55
good works
33:57
by being
33:58
obedient
33:58
by pursuing
34:00
righteousness
34:00
by in the
34:01
temporal sense
34:02
being filled
34:03
with
34:04
righteousness
34:05
righteousness
34:06
and then
34:08
thirdly
34:08
third way
34:11
we'll be
34:11
satisfied
34:12
as we
34:13
will one
34:13
day
34:14
be
34:14
completely
34:16
righteous
34:17
Philippians
34:19
chapter 1
34:20
verse 6
34:21
Paul writes
34:22
to the
34:22
Philippian
34:23
church
34:23
and I
34:23
am sure
34:24
of this
34:24
that he
34:26
who began
34:26
a good
34:27
work
34:27
in you
34:28
will bring
34:29
it to
34:29
completion
34:30
at the
34:31
day
34:31
of Jesus
34:32
Christ
34:33
so the
34:34
day will
34:34
come when
34:35
Christ will
34:35
return
34:36
or will
34:37
go home
34:38
to be
34:38
with him
34:39
whoever
34:40
comes
34:40
first
34:40
and will
34:42
set aside
34:43
the burden
34:44
of his
34:45
bodies
34:46
of death
34:46
our
34:48
having been
34:49
delivered from
34:49
sin
34:50
still our
34:50
sinful
34:51
inclinations
34:52
and we
34:53
will have
34:53
no choice
34:55
but to live
34:55
rightly before
34:56
God for
34:57
forever
34:57
all of our
34:58
living will
34:58
be given
34:59
in worship
34:59
to him
35:01
and while
35:02
we await
35:03
that glorious
35:03
day
35:04
we'll be
35:04
set free
35:05
from the
35:05
hindrances
35:05
of our
35:06
flesh
35:06
and we'll
35:08
experience
35:08
the full
35:09
devotion
35:09
to God
35:11
we will
35:12
stand
35:12
confident
35:13
before him
35:14
in the
35:14
accomplished
35:15
righteousness
35:15
of Jesus
35:17
Christ
35:17
and
35:19
work
35:20
to become
35:20
righteous
35:21
by the
35:21
power
35:22
that he
35:22
works
35:23
within us
35:24
we will
35:25
hunger
35:25
and thirst
35:27
for
35:29
righteousness
35:29
righteousness
35:29
the
35:32
contemporary
35:32
pastor
35:33
John
35:33
Piper
35:34
I don't
35:34
think I have
35:34
to tell
35:34
you who
35:35
he is
35:35
but anyway
35:35
said this
35:37
in a sermon
35:38
on this
35:38
text
35:39
which I
35:39
appreciated
35:40
he said
35:41
the great
35:42
tales
35:43
of the
35:44
future
35:44
will be
35:44
written
35:45
about
35:45
real men
35:46
and women
35:47
who are
35:47
passionately
35:48
committed
35:48
to one
35:49
thing
35:50
the
35:51
righteousness
35:51
of God
35:52
Jesus
35:55
speaks to
35:56
us
35:56
today
35:57
blessed
35:59
are those
35:59
who hunger
36:00
and thirst
36:01
for
36:02
righteousness
36:02
for they
36:04
shall be
36:05
satisfied
36:05
join me
36:07
in prayer