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Sermon on the Mount - The Book of Matthew · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. But I say unto you, love your enemies,
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  Speaker 1: bless them that curse you, do good to them that
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  Speaker 1: hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you
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  Speaker 1: and persecute you. Matthew 5.44 Dear Lord, as I listen
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  Speaker 1: to the truths in today's reading, I thank you for
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  Speaker 1: giving me the beatitudes of how I'm supposed to be
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  Speaker 1: in order to live a life full of abundance and freedom.
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  Speaker 1: As I begin to honor the way that I am
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  Speaker 1: called to live, I thank you that as I pray
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  Speaker 1: to you, I do not have to worry about where
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  Speaker 1: I'm going to eat or where I'm going to sleep,
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  Speaker 1: because when I live in divine obedience to you and
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  Speaker 1: your word, you continually provide all that I need. Therefore,
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  Speaker 1: I declare that worry, and fear will no longer be
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  Speaker 1: a part of my story. For I know that like
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  Speaker 1: a good parent, you too desire to feed and provide
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  Speaker 1: for every need I have. In addition, I acknowledge that
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  Speaker 1: my greatest command is to love you and to love
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  Speaker 1: my neighbors as myself. With these truths fastened tight around
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  Speaker 1: my heart, I will live at a higher level. I
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  Speaker 1: will serve with greater humility. And I will lead with
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  Speaker 1: my way of being so others may see life and
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  Speaker 1: follow you, Lord. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you for
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  Speaker 1: praying with us today. Continue your time with God by
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  Speaker 1: listening to today's Bible story, brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 3: Sermon on the Mount In our last story, we saw
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  Speaker 3: Jesus through the eyes of Peter. His mighty works of
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  Speaker 3: healing and acts of compassion brought Peter to his knees.
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  Speaker 3: He truly saw that Jesus was a man worth following,
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  Speaker 3: and he would soon come to the understanding that Jesus
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  Speaker 3: was God himself. Now we listen to the heart of
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  Speaker 3: Christ through the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus declares what
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  Speaker 3: the kingdom of heaven looks like when it is acted
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  Speaker 3: out on earth. People awe at his eloquence, wisdom, and authority.
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  Speaker 3: Inspired by the book of Matthew.
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  Speaker 4: Hello, this is Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of
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  Speaker 4: The Bible in a Year. We are so thankful for
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  Speaker 4: each one of you. So many have joined this podcast
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  Speaker 4: over the past nine or 10 months. In fact, well
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  Speaker 4: over 20 million people have joined us and we're grateful
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  Speaker 4: for each of you. In our previous episode, we heard
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  Speaker 4: how Jesus called Peter and other disciples to become fishers
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  Speaker 4: of men. We saw how when they obeyed him in faith,
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  Speaker 4: he provided more abundantly than they could have ever imagined.
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  Speaker 4: And we saw how Jesus' healings ministry began to grow
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  Speaker 4: and spread in the region. But in all this business,
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  Speaker 4: Jesus never neglected to find time in solitude to seek
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  Speaker 4: God's presence, the Heavenly Father's strength. Today, we'll hear from Jesus'
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  Speaker 4: most well-known sermon and his words concerning God's kingdom and
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  Speaker 4: what that looks like when we live out kingdom principles
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  Speaker 4: and priorities here on earth. It's called the Sermon on
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  Speaker 4: the Mount. So let's hear the word of God.
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  Speaker 3: Jesus scanned the crowds as they followed his every step.
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  Speaker 3: His popularity was growing rapidly, and thousands of people followed
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  Speaker 3: him into the valley outside Galilee. Their hearts were hungry
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  Speaker 3: for truth. They were longing to know what the kingdom
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  Speaker 3: of God truly looked like. Jesus gathered them at the
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  Speaker 3: bottom of a small hill. He climbed to the top
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  Speaker 3: and sat. The wind carried his voice for all to hear,
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  Speaker 3: and they listened to every word flowing from his mouth.
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  Speaker 3: Blessed are those who are poor in spirit. The kingdom
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  Speaker 3: of heaven belongs to them. Blessed are those who hurt,
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  Speaker 3: for the time will come for them to be comforted.
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  Speaker 3: Blessed are those with strength, but use it for good,
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  Speaker 3: for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who
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  Speaker 3: long for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are
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  Speaker 3: the merciful, for they will receive mercy in return. Blessed
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  Speaker 3: are those who are persecuted for doing what is right,
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  Speaker 3: for the kingdom of heaven will reward them greatly. The
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  Speaker 3: crowd was completely silent as they listened to Jesus. You
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  Speaker 3: all are salt, but if the salt loses its flavor,
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  Speaker 3: how shall it be used? You are also a light
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  Speaker 3: meant to guide and direct people to safety, and a
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  Speaker 3: light is of no use hiding under a basket. Let
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  Speaker 3: your light shine so they might glorify your Father in heaven.
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  Speaker 3: Jesus could see the crowds processing his words. What he
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  Speaker 3: spoke were old truths, but it seemed new to them.
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  Speaker 3: Jesus smiled and held up his finger. Do not think
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  Speaker 3: that I came to abolish the laws or the prophets
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  Speaker 3: you have learned since your youth. I have not come
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  Speaker 3: to destroy the law, but bring it to fulfillment. For
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  Speaker 3: you have heard it said, Do not murder. But I
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  Speaker 3: tell you, whoever harbors hatred in his heart or insults
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  Speaker 3: his brother is judged the same. You have heard it said,
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  Speaker 3: Do not commit adultery. But I have come to tell
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  Speaker 3: you that whoever lusts after a woman in his mind
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  Speaker 3: or treats a woman as an object is committing adultery
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  Speaker 3: in his heart. The crowd began to stir a bit.
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  Speaker 3: What Jesus was saying was revolutionary and changed the way
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  Speaker 3: they saw themselves. Then Jesus said something that would change everything.
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  Speaker 3: You have heard people say, An eye for an eye.
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  Speaker 3: But if anyone slaps you on the cheek... You ought
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  Speaker 3: to turn the other cheek. Do not return evil for evil.
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  Speaker 3: Love your enemies. Bless those who scorn you. Everyone is
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  Speaker 3: good at loving those who love them in return. However,
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  Speaker 3: the mark of a pure heart lies within someone who
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  Speaker 3: is able to love the unlovable. Jesus looked at the crowd.
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  Speaker 3: He could see a group of Pharisees glaring at him
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  Speaker 3: in the corner of his eye. Jesus' tone was gentle
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  Speaker 3: yet firm. He spoke clearly, saying, There is a trap
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  Speaker 3: that many people fall into. They desire to only do
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  Speaker 3: good when people are watching. For them, their reward is
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  Speaker 3: in the validation of others. Beware of this. When you
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  Speaker 3: give to the needy, do not sound a trumpet like
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  Speaker 3: some do in the synagogues. Give in secret, for your
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  Speaker 3: Heavenly Father sees you. When you pray, do not add
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  Speaker 3: spectacle or poetry to come off as righteous to others.
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  Speaker 3: Some love to stand on the street corners and proclaim
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  Speaker 3: their devotion to God, When you pray, do so just
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  Speaker 3: between you and the Lord. Some of Jesus' disciples interrupted
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  Speaker 3: him and asked, Then teach us how to pray. Jesus
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  Speaker 3: answered and said, Our Father, holy is your name. May
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  Speaker 3: your kingdom come and your will be done here as
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  Speaker 3: it is in your perfect will. Provide our daily needs
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  Speaker 3: and forgive us of all our sins. And may we
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  Speaker 3: also forgive those who have trespassed against us. Lead us
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  Speaker 3: away from temptation. and deliver us from evil. The prayer
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  Speaker 3: was simple yet profound, and it spoke of the relationship
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  Speaker 3: man ought to have with God. Do not be anxious
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  Speaker 3: for anything, Jesus said. Look at the birds of the air.
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  Speaker 3: They do not toil and worry, yet their heavenly Father
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  Speaker 3: feeds them. You are more important than they, so trust
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  Speaker 3: that the Lord will provide. No one ever added one
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  Speaker 3: moment to their life by worrying. Do not be anxious
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  Speaker 3: about tomorrow. It has its own troubles. Live today. Jesus
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  Speaker 3: could see that some of the people were beginning to
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  Speaker 3: look to one another. The nature of humans is to
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  Speaker 3: look at the flaws in one another instead of inward.
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  Speaker 3: Jesus knew this and gave a stiff warning to all
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  Speaker 3: who were listening. Be careful not to judge others, for
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  Speaker 3: you yourself will be judged. Why would you point out
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  Speaker 3: the small piece of sawdust in someone else's eye when
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  Speaker 3: you have a large wooden plank stuck in your own?
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  Speaker 3: There was a chuckle from among the crowd. JESUS SMILED,
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  Speaker 3: BE MINDFUL TO UNDERSTAND YOUR OWN FLAWS BEFORE MENTIONING THE
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  Speaker 3: FLAWS OF OTHERS. YOU WILL SERVE THEM BETTER IF YOU
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  Speaker 3: DO SO. JESUS WELLED UP WITH LOVE FOR THE PEOPLE.
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  Speaker 3: HE SAW THEM AS GOD DID, CHILDREN IN NEED OF
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  Speaker 3: A LOVING PARENT. ASK GREAT THINGS OF GOD. SEEK HIM
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  Speaker 3: AND HE WILL ANSWER. HOW MANY OF YOU PARENTS WOULD
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  Speaker 3: DENY YOUR CHILDREN BREAD AND INSTEAD GIVE HIM A STONE?
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  Speaker 3: If you, being sinful, would not even do this, even
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  Speaker 3: more so God will give happily to those who seek
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  Speaker 3: his favor. There was a pause and Jesus stood to
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  Speaker 3: his feet. The wind blew from behind him and his
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  Speaker 3: robe flowed in the wind. He stepped down once and
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  Speaker 3: raised his voice. He did not want anyone to miss
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  Speaker 3: his next words treat others the way you wish to
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  Speaker 3: be treated this is the true heart behind the law
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  Speaker 3: of god and understand this that the gate to the
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  Speaker 3: kingdom of god is narrow the easy path is wide
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  Speaker 3: and open however its ease is deceptive it is the
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  Speaker 3: way of death The true path of God is hard.
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  Speaker 3: It requires sacrifice, struggle, and humility. This is why many
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  Speaker 3: will choose to avoid it. Ultimately, a tree is judged
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  Speaker 3: by its fruit. Every healthy and good tree bears fruit
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  Speaker 3: that people can enjoy. Every bad tree produces thorns and poison.
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  Speaker 3: The same is with our hearts. A good heart will
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  Speaker 3: produce good actions. Likewise, a bad heart will produce corrupt actions.
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  Speaker 3: Make no mistake, words are not enough. Not everyone who
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  Speaker 3: declares to know the Lord will enter into the kingdom
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  Speaker 3: of heaven. Jesus began to walk down the hill. When
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  Speaker 3: he looked upon a firm stone on the ground, he
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  Speaker 3: picked it up and smiled. He held the stone up
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  Speaker 3: in the air and said, Everyone who hears these words
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  Speaker 3: of mine and does them is like a wise person
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  Speaker 3: who builds their house on a firm rock. When the
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  Speaker 3: rain fell and the floods came, their house was sturdy.
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  Speaker 3: Yet those who do not listen and do not do
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  Speaker 3: these things are like people who build their homes on sand.
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  Speaker 3: When troubles come, they will be washed away. Jesus dropped
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  Speaker 3: the stone and walked away. The crowd stood there, astonished
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  Speaker 3: that he held so much authority in his words.
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  Speaker 4: As we begin today's reading, a large crowd is gathered
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  Speaker 4: outside of Galilee to hear Jesus speak. Jesus stood on
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  Speaker 4: top of a mountain, a place where his voice could
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  Speaker 4: reach far and wide so that all in the crowd
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  Speaker 4: could hear what he had to say. Because what he
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  Speaker 4: had to say was life-changing. He began by telling the
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  Speaker 4: people what it means to be blessed. These weren't blessings
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  Speaker 4: as we understand them. It wasn't about good fortune or
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  Speaker 4: wealth or health. It was something far greater, much deeper.
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  Speaker 4: This was about the blessing of joy and of total
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  Speaker 4: satisfaction and to live in the fullness and the wholeness
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  Speaker 4: of God's grace. Jesus then went on to describe the
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  Speaker 4: attitudes that will lead to this fulfillment, the perfect satisfaction.
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  Speaker 4: These were attitudes that we call the B attitudes. And
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  Speaker 4: these attitudes are the attitudes that we should see. Not
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  Speaker 4: only attitudes towards ourselves, but attitudes towards others. The Beatitudes
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  Speaker 4: Jesus describes here stand in stark contrast as to how
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  Speaker 4: the world sees what is important. These were deep, deep
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  Speaker 4: teachings and not easy ones to follow. He then reminded
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  Speaker 4: the people of the purpose of these Beatitudes, that we
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  Speaker 4: were called, all of us who follow Jesus, to be
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  Speaker 4: salt and light. to be agents of preservation and illumination
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  Speaker 4: in a dark and desperate world. We are still called
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  Speaker 4: to do that today, to be salt and light in
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  Speaker 4: our world, in our culture, to make a difference in
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  Speaker 4: people's lives, to turn on the light of the gospel,
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  Speaker 4: and to be salt in the earth. Next, Jesus turned
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  Speaker 4: his attention to his own purpose. He told them in
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  Speaker 4: no uncertain terms that he did not come to abolish
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  Speaker 4: the law or the writings of the prophets, but to
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  Speaker 4: bring them to fulfillment. This is very important. God had
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  Speaker 4: outlined in the Ten Commandments the requirements for holy living,
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  Speaker 4: a life set apart for God. This is the law
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  Speaker 4: that he gave to Moses. This was the standard by
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  Speaker 4: which people were expected to live and principles that we
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  Speaker 4: can live by even today. The Ten Commandments spoke of
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  Speaker 4: murder and adultery and divorce and swearing oaths and vengeance
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  Speaker 4: and love. And for each of these, Jesus began with
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  Speaker 4: the basics of the law. But rather than lowering the
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  Speaker 4: standards of the law, Jesus raised the standards. He was
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  Speaker 4: showing them that the real perfect standard was not just
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  Speaker 4: weighty and burdensome. It was impossible in our own power.
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  Speaker 4: This is why we need a Savior. Jesus came to
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  Speaker 4: fulfill the law and the prophets for us. And when
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  Speaker 4: we trust in him, his righteousness becomes our righteousness. He
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  Speaker 4: was also teaching them and all of us something else.
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  Speaker 4: The issue of sin and disobedience to God is an
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  Speaker 4: issue of the heart. Without changed hearts, it is impossible
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  Speaker 4: to live a righteous life. They didn't know this yet,
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  Speaker 4: but the one speaking to them was their only hope
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  Speaker 4: and our only hope for a life changed, a heart changed,
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  Speaker 4: the only way that any of us could meet the
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  Speaker 4: high and holy standard that God has established. Jesus cautioned
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  Speaker 4: people against acting righteously for the sake of recognition, that is, self-righteously.
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  Speaker 4: especially with regards to caring for the poor. Again, he
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  Speaker 4: was pointing them to the heart of the matter, their
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  Speaker 4: own hearts. The Lord then began to teach the people
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  Speaker 4: about prayer, starting with the posture of prayer. Prayer is
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  Speaker 4: not to be a spectacle, a show for others to see.
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  Speaker 4: It is rather a personal conversation with the God who
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  Speaker 4: created us. Jesus himself lived by this example, often retreating
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  Speaker 4: in solitude to pray. When asked how they were to pray,
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  Speaker 4: Jesus gave them a pattern for praying, an outline, if
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  Speaker 4: you will, as to how to pray. We know it
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  Speaker 4: as the Lord's Prayer, and it is a beautiful model
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  Speaker 4: for how to speak to our Father in heaven. It
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  Speaker 4: is a prayer that has endured to this day, one
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  Speaker 4: that speaks to our relationship with God, our submission to
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  Speaker 4: His will and dependence upon His provision and forgiveness, and
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  Speaker 4: our need to forgive others as God has forgiven us.
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  Speaker 4: As He continued to teach the crowds, Jesus poured out
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  Speaker 4: wisdom from God's heart. He called people to invest in
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  Speaker 4: God's kingdom, to be generous, storing up treasures in the
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  Speaker 4: life to come, treasures that will never decay or be destroyed.
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  Speaker 4: He called the crowds to release their worries to God,
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  Speaker 4: trusting that he will provide for their every need. And
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  Speaker 4: he urged them and us to boldly ask God to provide,
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  Speaker 4: reminding us that the Father in heaven is infinitely gracious
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  Speaker 4: and kind and giving good gifts. to all who ask. Finally,
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  Speaker 4: Jesus concluded the message with an illustration. He said in
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  Speaker 4: Matthew chapter 7 and verses 13 and 14, Enter through
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  Speaker 4: the narrow gate, for wide is the gate, and broad
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  Speaker 4: is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter
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  Speaker 4: through it. But small is the gate, and narrow the
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  Speaker 4: road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
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  Speaker 4: So with this is an illustration and a warning. He
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  Speaker 4: warns us about those who would lead us astray, false
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  Speaker 4: prophets and false religions, disguised disciples who claim to follow
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  Speaker 4: the Lord but are way, way lost. Jesus' words would
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  Speaker 4: stick to some that day. Those who heard and held
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  Speaker 4: on to his teaching would build their foundation, their lives
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  Speaker 4: on a solid rock, and they would be prepared to
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  Speaker 4: weather the storms of life. It is so important that
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  Speaker 4: you build your life on the foundation of Jesus Christ.
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  Speaker 4: As Jesus taught us, we must not build our lives
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  Speaker 4: on the sifting sands of time that crumble, but upon
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  Speaker 4: the solid rock who is Christ himself. At the center
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  Speaker 4: of Jesus' famous sermon is the theme of true righteousness
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  Speaker 4: and the truth that righteousness is not a result of
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  Speaker 4: our action, but a condition of our hearts. And ultimately, Jesus'
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  Speaker 4: words would remind us that our hope, our only hope
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  Speaker 4: for righteousness is him, Christ himself. He is the ultimate
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  Speaker 4: good gift of the Heavenly Father, who knows our needs
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  Speaker 4: and provides for them in every way so that we
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  Speaker 4: could accomplish His purpose and will for our lives. Let's pray.
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  Speaker 4: Thank you, dear God, for this powerful sermon from the
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  Speaker 4: very lips of Jesus and how it points us to
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  Speaker 4: our great need of you. You have told us to
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  Speaker 4: be perfect even as the Heavenly Father is perfect, and
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  Speaker 4: we know we are not perfect, but you are. So
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  Speaker 4: we thank you for your perfect sacrifice for us on
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  Speaker 4: the cross, for your resurrection, that we might have forgiveness
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  Speaker 4: of our sins and be given your righteousness, that we
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  Speaker 4: may live in the eternal hope of heaven. Help us
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  Speaker 4: to live, putting you first in all things, to seek
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  Speaker 4: first the kingdom of God and your righteousness, Lord, knowing
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  Speaker 4: that you will bless us with everything we need in
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  Speaker 4: life and in the life to come. Amen. Thank you
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  Speaker 4: for listening to today's Bible in a Year. I'm Pastor
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  Speaker 4: Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. You can download the Pray.com
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  Speaker 4: app and make Bible study and prayer the priority of
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  Speaker 4: your life. And if you appreciate this podcast, please share
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  Speaker 4: it with someone else. I also want to encourage you
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  Speaker 4: to go to JackGraham.org. That's JackGraham.org, for we have resources
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  Speaker 4: that are free and available for you so that you
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  Speaker 4: may know Christ and grow in Him. God bless you.