2819 Church - KINGDOM GEMS | Law & Order | Matthew 5:17-48 | Philip Anthony Mitchell

Episode Date: January 4, 2025

In LAW AND ORDER, Pastor Philip A. Mitchell recounts Matthew 5: 17-48. Welcome to the official Youtube channel for 2819 Church. This channel features powerful and life-impacting messages from Philip Anthony Mitchell and guest communicators. As you listen to these sound biblical messages you can expect to be challenged, stirred, matured and inspired in your faith and walk with God. For more information about us visit 2819Church.org.

I'm telling you, I believe one of the reasons the church is so anemic in this nation is because we rush God. We want a little 45-minute sprinkle on Sunday and expect our lives to change. When you spend six days a week in the presence of the devil and the world, and we, on Sundays, we want to rush in and rush out. This country don't have no patience to sit in God's presence and to bear up under the teaching of the word.

God forbid we stay longer than time and we rush into meals with broken souls. We don't got no stamina for things that are spiritual. Man, Paul preached one sermon from sun up to sun down

until a man fell asleep in a window and fell out and died and Paul went down there and laid hands on him and resurrected him from the dead. Man, we can't even stomach God's presence for a while. He didn't say, give me a holy hour. Give me a day, a Sabbath devoted to me. So fed up with American cultural Christianity. It's why we're so weak and pathetic now. It ain't like this outside this nation.

I preached outside this country. I remember the first time like this outside this nation. I preached outside this country. I remember the first time I preached outside this, they said, you better not come with anything less than two hours of the God's word. Feed us, man of God. It's what they shouted under a tent.

Rain coming through the roof. Feed us us man of God. Your little patty cake message is little 15 minutes and a half a song. That's why we come off the soapbox, Philip. I don't care. If you are guests, welcome to the presence of God. Welcome to 2819 Church. To our complete online family watching me right now live in cities around the country our friends and pockets around the world our sister who watches every morning i don't know

how you do this from australia i have no idea what time it is but you write on my page every sunday afternoon whatever time you gotta get up to watch this we bless you my sister in australia I have no idea what time it is, but you write on my page every Sunday afternoon. Whatever time you got to get up to watch this, we bless you. My sister in Australia, you already know who you are. And for those of you who crowd this chat across YouTube every Sunday, we see that our online presence is growing and we give honor to the man you never see, an 18-year-old teenager named Malachi Anthony Mitchell. A teenager who took over this production some six months ago and has grown this online following. For all of you who keep writing us every single week that this is your home church from your couch, your car, your living room. Man, you pray for that 18 year old and for the teenagers watchers you don't

gotta wait till you are in your 20s 30s 40s or 50s to serve the Lord Jesus Christ you can make a difference now as a teenager like Malachi man y'all ready for this word if you are guests we are walking through the book of matthew matthew was an outcast jew who was chosen by jesus to follow him in the first century a.d he wrote for us the most widely read him in the first century AD. He wrote for us the most widely read document in the history of the world, the gospel that bears his name called Matthew,

set first in the New Testament. It builds a bridge from the Old Testament to the New Testament. We just wrapped up a series called the king is here talking about the coming of christ the birth of christ the first persecution of christ the first worship of christ the baptism of christ the temptation of christ the birth of the ministry of Christ. And I don't know about you, I want to just talk for myself. Man, as I'm studying through this book, I've been reading this book for 20 years, but as I've been studying Matthew, man, this thing has been wrecking me in my office,

it's been wrecking me in my prayer time. I keep pushing away from my table and falling down on my knees shedding tears as as these words that i have read for so many years are working something new on the inside of me how though eric because the word is alive you could be reading it 20 times and god would work something fresh into you the word will be relevant to Jesus return heaven and earth will pass away but the word will never pass away and this thing has been wrecking me as I have been studying I want you to hear me I say to you in front of everybody as I'm preaching to you I'm also preaching to me I am in a process too I am in a journey of sanctification too i am being changed as i'm preaching to you

too and my prayer is that some way somehow i don't know because all of you don't write to me on ig but i'm just praying that you're getting something out of this out of this study through matthew i'm just hoping that god wrecks your life by the time it's over and it may last more than a year it may last two years or three years god told me the other night in my prayer room don't rush the teaching and i had to repent before the lord because i'm an organized man and i got a preaching calendar and they're supposed to end three weeks before the new year and the lord rebuked me punch me my soul says by whose standard? Don't rush the word. He said son take your time.

And so we might be here till 2025. I don't know. I don't care. We're going to eat this bread. Somebody say amen. Today is the opening week of a brand new series called Kingdom Gems.

And if you hear anything during this series that makes sense to you on a profound level just shout gems yeah if something hits you in your soul from your seat I don't care if you I keep talking to all my introverts, you can shout gems. If something hits you and you got the stomach, just shout gems. That's for me, Lord.

Kingdom gems. This is a series through Matthew chapter 5, 6, and 7. Yes, sir. It is Matthew's recording of the greatest sermon ever preached in the history of humanity. Commonly called the Sermon on the Mount. It is the beginning of five major teachings or discourses or collection of teachings that Matthew records from Jesus. If you read Matthew, you'll bump into five big chunks of teaching. This is the first of five big chunks.

And those five discourses answer five different questions. They answer these questions. How should disciples of the kingdom live? The second question they answer. How should traveling disciples when I'm in other cities or places. How should I conduct myself? They answer this third question. What important parables did Jesus teach

they answer this fourth question what future warnings did Jesus give and the last course of teaching on the back side of Matthew it answers this final question how will human history end these are the five big teachings discourses sections in matthew the sermon on the mount is the first discourse that answers the first question how should citizens of the kingdom live so matthew 5 6 and 7 answers this question how should citizens of the kingdom live i know you i know you call yourself a christian on ig but matthew 5 through 7 answers this question how should citizens of the kingdom live if i'm saved this is how i should live if i'm a disciple this is how i should live by the time we get to the end of seven you should know how you should live if that's the profession that you like.

Because the word Christian is not defined in the scriptures. That's why anybody can call yourself that. We got all manner of people we see in society that are wicked and evil, but say, I'm a Christian. Well, that can't be defined in the scriptures, but the word disciple can be defined. And so Matthew 5 through 7 teaches us how disciples, followers of Jesus are supposed to live as citizens

of the kingdom. It's going to take us a few weeks to unpack it. Maybe about two months, three months or so. Don't rush me. Don't rush me. I said don't rush me. I said don't rush me.

I said don't rush me. At the time the sermon was preached, it was a religious shock. It was a cultural paradox. A paradox means something that is counter-cultural. And even to this day, it still stands as a revolutionary teaching in modern culture. Arguably, I'm staying right here today. The Sermon on the Mount is arguably the most famous sermon in the history of the world. It attracts deep theological studies

from saved people and unsaved, from believers and unbelievers. The sermon is the heart of Jesus for all his disciples. So powerful is the principles in the Sermon on the mount that one of its number one devotees one of its most famous was a man named gandhi a revolutionary in india who was not a believer but when he read the sermon on the mount it gripped him so bad he tried to live by its principles. I think I need to say that one more time. Gandhi, who on his deathbed said, let me paraphrase, man, I've tried to live right my whole life, but I felt like something was missing.

Facts. On his deathbed, felt like I've tried to live right my whole life, but I felt like I've tried to live right my whole life but I felt like something was missing so powerful was this sermon that even the reformer of India tried to live by his principles because he knew something I'm about to teach to you this morning the sermon is the will of Jesus for the character of his disciples, what they should be like. The sermon is the vision of Jesus for ultimate thriving and human flourishing. Before we jump into our first text, the sermon, by the time we get to the end of it, is going to tackle subjects like how to deal with influence. How to manage strong emotions. How to steward finances. how to steward relationships, how to deal with marriage, how to deal with reconciliation.

It's going to answer questions like how you deal with difficult people. It's going to teach how do you deal with difficult people we all need that part right it's going to teach us things about spiritual disciplines it's going to teach us about faith it's going to teach us how to handle worry and fear and anxiety it's going to change your life by the time we get to the end of it. Can I just read you something really quickly before we jump into our text? So powerful was this teaching that by the time we get to the end, this is what Matthew recorded for the people who were listening to the teacher.

This was their response in matthew chapter 7 and verse 28 at the very end and when jesus had finished saying all these things the crowds were astonished at his teaching not his prophecies not his healings not his miracles although they came because they walked when they were formerly lame when it was over they were not moved by miracles and they were not moved by prophecy they said they were astonished by his teaching for he was teaching them as one who had authority and not as their scribes. By the time we get to the end, this is the outcome of the sermon. When they heard everything he had to say, they were blown away. I pray you would join them in this confession.

For my note takers, all my students with Bibles and phones and apps and all these things open we're gonna camp out today in matthew 5 1 through 12 i love the fact that y'all take notes i just see y'all going straight like this may god bless the note takers matthew was a note taker matthew, 1 through 12 is where we're going to camp out today. And we're going to tag a title to this text. Blessed are they. Blessed are they, Father.

In the name of your son, Yahshua HaMashiach. We yield our hearts and our minds to you. We are in no rush to get out of this room or get out of this chat. We want all of your word and

all of what you have to say to us through this weakened earthen vessel. Spirit of the living God. Speak to the hearts of the sons and daughters of Elohim. Speak to the unbeliever that has crept up in the room. Or crept up in this chat. God we feel your spirit.

In this room. It's so heavy. We want revelation and insight. We want to be convicted. We want to be challenged. We want the weight of the word to come to bear on our thoughts and our philosophies. We don't want to keep coming in here and leaving the same. Transform us as we sit at the table of this bread. We pray in the mighty, in the majestic, in the matchless name of our Lord and risen Savior Christ Jesus say amen thank you so much blessed are they Are they?

I see y'all tagging me on stuff while I'm talking. All right. Apple watch. If you got an Android, we pray for you. I prophesy a day will come when my entire family will be blue in the faith that we will send out a group text out and only blue will return all my apple users say amen amen Amen. Are you listening? Can I talk to you?

I want to start this series by talking to you about a very complex and nuanced reality or realities that we call in our society happiness or thriving or flourishing or winning. I want to talk to you about all the people we look at. We say that they're winning. They're happy. They're thriving. I want to talk about these massive concepts of happiness and thriving because although they are concretely defined in your english dictionary these massive concepts can change in definition and expression as you move from various contexts. What is happy to an American may not be happy to a Jamaican. And what is happiness for an American may not be happiness for a person living in a remote place in Africa. And so happiness, although you can define it on your app it's such a broad and nuanced complex concept and

construct that can vary as it moves from context to context and even deeper happiness as a construct can vary as it moves from person to person and how we define happiness and how we say who's thriving and who's really winning and who you put your thumbs of approval on pay attention pay attention in our culture america i don't know where you're watching from but in america our culture largely defines thriving, winning by tangible externals. Zeros in the bank account. Spacious homes. Dope wheels that we're sitting on on the way to 2819 church.

Bank accounts that are blowing up. Connections with critical or well-known people, fame, fortune, celebrity, perfect health. We define these things as the pursuit of the things that will bring human beings happiness. And for those who have them in abundance, we automatically tag them as thriving, winning, balling. We want to be like them. Right. All these things are rooted mostly in acquisition and accumulation. For in America, happiness is born out of happenings. If circumstances are right, I am happy.

If I'm sipping a dope margarita in the Caribbean, I am happy. If I check my bank account, I can pay my bills with no problem, I am happy. If my car never breaks down and it's within five years of the year we're in, I am happy. If my sleigh is always right and my edges are perfectly laid, my baby here is tight, my tides are paid, man, I am happy. If my closet is full of tags that you can't buy at Southlake Mall, like... If I got tags that only come from lennox man i'm happy like come on fendi's not in south lake like fendi not there

okay there but but as americans let's be honest if i have no problems and all of the accoutrements of comfort we say that we are happy facts or no yet when i was preparing this message the holy spirit reminded me of a man named solomon who the scriptures tell us was the wisest man that ever lived and in his day probably the wealthiest man that ever lived in his time he lived in the 900s bc he would have been the modern elon musk jeff bezos scripture tells tells us about Solomon that any pleasure he wanted, he did not deny himself. He built a palace that was like nothing the world had ever seen before.

His courts and the way he expanded Jerusalem was so great that people came from all around the world to listen to his teaching. Before we had everybody that was making all these online classes, man, Solomon was the first continuity entrepreneur that ever existed. For the scripture says year after year, people came up to Jerusalem to pay him just to hear his teaching. So he was the first person with a continuity stream of income before any of us the scripture says a queen came from africa and when she saw his courts and his officials and his administration and his kingdom when she listened to telling the scripture says she passed out she said everything she saw Solomon, it took her breath away. The scripture says Solomon had men, thousands of horses and a massive stable.

That stable is still standing today in the ruins in Israel. Food denied himself nothing. Alcohol denied himself nothing. Women, man, you talk about polygamy. You talk about I'm tired of my wife. The man had a thousand wives, 700 to be exact. And of the 700 wives he had, not enough shapes, sizes, colors, thick, petite, tall, short, white, black, brown. He had 300 concubines in addition to his 700 wives.

So every day of the week, he can lay down and lay up and nut off and come out of something brand new every single day of his life. Ain't no dude balling like that. Your eyes are wide open. Don't sanitize the Bible. Don't sanitize the Bible. It's not like he had a thousand women and he was just admiring their beauty no he was busting off and enjoying himself and a thousand women I'm tired of Tanisha bring me Juliet I'm tired of Juliet bring me Gabrielle I'm tired of Juliet. Bring me Gabrielle. I'm tired of Gabrielle.

Bring me Tawana like every day. Ain't that what our men are craving right now? Your wife is not enough. Your girlfriend is not enough. Beyonce is not enough. Kim K is not enough. Like this man, he need pornography. He need it. You should have had your children in here. That's why we have to anyway so that's

why we have four mission kids. Look look look look right at me. Look right at me. For all of us who have struggled with lust and still struggle with lust, which is a real struggle. God don't condemn you. Here's a man. Every time he felt that urge, satisfied. You got phony kings trying to live that way now. We'll never do what Solomon did. Gold, unheard of.

The scripture says so rich was Solomon that silver was like rocks in the street during his day. Solomon was so rich they didn't even wash the temple courts with water. They washed the temple courts with oil. Rich. And he said of himself during my lifetime i denied myself nothing that i wanted now everybody watch let's look right at me this is the words of the wisest man who ever lived look right at me

all of us who are thirst buckets look during my lifetime since you're trying to get to a mountain that when you get there is going to betray you at the top you'll get to the top of that mountain you try to get to and look over and realize it was not everything i thought it would be look here is the wisest man who ever lived who said in my lifetime am i telling the truth i denied myself nothing so whatever you want fill in the blank he has that and 10x that watch but in his old age he writes a journal a memoir called Ecclesiastes. I already know this is about to be hard. I already know. I already know. I got 24 minutes. I already know. When he's an old man, after you've had all the women you want all the money you could possibly have the biggest palace the

world had ever seen any food you could desire like venison nothing that's like a cheese sandwich in his old age he writes a journal called ecclesiastes and he starts shouting this word throughout the journal vanity vanity so jaded you got to read the scriptures so jaded is Solomon he don't even say his name in the journal he just said the preacher said vanity vanity vanity vanity and he comes down to the last line he said now now that i'm at the end of everything i'll figure out the whole purpose of man to know god and serve him with your whole life he had to get to the end of his life to realize all the mountaintops he climbed left him watch vanity You know what vanity is translated in? He, empty.

So that can't be. Oh, like wealthy people have never committed suicide. You think these things bring true happiness, yet you have a Kate Spade purse in your closet of a woman who took her life. The man who had more than any one of us would probably have in our lifetime said,

I came to the end and I realized all of it was vanity. Pay attention. Pay attention. But there is a more fulfilling construct of happiness and thriving far greater than the narrative our society keeps shoving down our throats. And while this narrative that I'm about to tell you is not against wealth. It's not set against things.

God is not against you having things. Whoever preached that to you is bad doctrine. Because Abraham was wealthy and David was wealthy. So God is not against us having material things but the the happiness the different the the greater construct of happiness that I'm about to share with you it is spiritual and it begins deep on the inside and it works its way out as opposed to the narrative the world keeps shoving down our throat starts on the outside since if you get all these things on the outside it'll make you happy on the inside

but i'm about to show you a new version of happiness a new version of thriving that starts deep on the inside and it works its way to the outside the greater version of happiness the greater version of thriving and watch it was revealed this is so deep to me by the creator of human beings the best person to teach me how to use an iphone is apple oh i just realized the other day you can correct, you can edit a text. What? Watch, you're laughing at me, but watch. I just learned a couple weeks ago that you can edit a text that you sent. You can go back in there, as long as you ain't got no subject header, you can go back in there, press on it, it gives you an option to edit,

and now you can finally not put the little arrow to add something that you missed in a text you can edit a text watch had i read the manual i would have known that had i read the fine print of the of the most recent download i would have discovered that when the download hit my phone. Nobody reads the fine print. We just scroll to the bottom and say, agree. Ain't got time for this. Keep it moving. And we treat the scripture the same way. so we don't know somebody shout happiness

here is a download coming for you this morning but you will not scroll and say agree you will read the fine print with me and then when it's over you can choose to say agree or not agree so here is the context in which this new construct comes to us about happiness here is the context in which the teaching was born i'm not even going to be long we got to go back to matthew chapter 4 verse 23 okay matthew chapter 4 verse 23 i'm going back to last week christ came christ grew christ burst onto the scenes of public ministry after his baptism and then we read these words in verse 23 and he went throughout all galilee pay attention teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and

healing every disease and every affliction among the people pay attention so his fame spread throughout all syria which is northern the north part of israel north and they brought to him all the sick those afflicted with various diseases and pains those oppressed by demons those having seizures and paralytics, and he healed them, all of them. Pay attention. And great crowd, pay attention. Watch. Verse 25.

Great crowds. This is what every preacher is in their closet begging God for. Great crowds. You know what great is? Tens of thousands of people what do they do followed him from galilee and the decapolis which is 10 cities deca means 10 like decalogue the 10 commandments polis means cities decapolis 10 cities and, and from Jerusalem and Judea and beyond the Jordan. Can you count how many places that is?

Galilee, one city. Decapolis, 11 cities. Jerusalem, 12 cities. All of Judea, multiple cities and regions. And beyond the Jordan, this is an entire nation with an S crowding Jesus because of his healing. Now, my brothers, watch. This is the context. Listen, pay attention. The ministry of Jesus is

born. The fame of Jesus spreads. The disciples of Jesus grow. The crowds come around Jesus. They grow. He's blowing up on social media. He's blowing up on the city. He's blowing up around the nations. Watch. He has the air of multiple cities. He has the air of the culture. He has the air of the nations watch and just like an American preacher I got all these thousands of people listen to me man perfect opportunity for the prosperity gospel let me tell them right sow this seed into my ministry and you're gonna be blessed by next week I got all these people now is a good time watch watch, to feed their emotions. Why? Because I want to keep this crowd.

I want you to notice the context. He has the ear of nations, cities, and the whole culture. What a perfect opportunity, watch, to give them prosperity gospel, to tell them what they want to hear, to itch their ears, watch, to make himself more famous. Like, man, I've never had a crowd. Look at, can you imagine Jesus? I've never had a crowd this big before. Watch, now I got to tell them what they want to hear, watch, to keep them. Ain't that what we do in our nation? Oh, now, let me tell them what they want to hear so i can keep them never mind what they need thank you pastor kenny and staring over this crowd here is the catalyst of the beginning of the sermon

on the mount how is this for cultural christianity matthew 5 verse 1 okay i'm gonna speed through this seeing the crowds you know when the scriptures was written there were no chapters and verses you do understand that these were added in the 1500s so you got to learn how to read through chapters sometimes to understand context crowds are following jesus he's famous now man you could tell him anything you want to tell him pay attention seeing the crowds he went up on a mountain and when he sat down his disciples came to him and he opened his mouth and he taught them singing now pause i want you to notice right here in this text four things really quickly i want you to first notice the preacher who is jesus and what does the preacher do it says he ascends a mountain. This is such

pictorial language of the former great preacher of the Old Testament, a man named Moses, who went up on a mountain, who got the laws of God from the top of a mountain and came back down to give it to humanity. When Moses went up on the mountain to get the laws, God told the people, stay away. I don't want y'all near me as I'm about to give you this truth. Now the crowds are allowed to come close and listen.

In the Old Testament, we see law, stay away. In the New Testament, we see grace, come closer. In the Old Testament, we see a prophet named Moses. In the New Testament, we see a prophet named Moses. In the New Testament, we see a greater prophet named Jesus.

In the Old Testament, we see a man who struck a rock. In the New Testament, we see a man who is the rock. In the Old Testament, we saw a prophet that leaned on God. In the New Testament, we see a prophet who is God. I feel this in my belly. He ascends into the mountain like the Moses of old, and watch what he does next. He sits down as scribes would do when they teach.

This is not how teaching used to be in the Old Testament. Y'all would be standing and I would be sitting. You know why? It would force the people not to fall asleep. Y'all want to try it? Everybody stand up. Y'all want to try it? Everybody stand up. Y'all want to try? Look, Janelle said, no, I don't want to.

Janelle said, no, man of God, I don't want to get up. Y'all going to stay right here until i'm done a pastor got on heels i didn't eat my meal you ready alexis i ain't gonna do that to to y'all. But that's the way it was. Look how fast y'all sat down. I didn't tell you to sit down. Y'all are so disobedient. No, sit.

Yeah. They made the people stand up. So that they can't fall asleep during the preaching of the word. Y'all ain't going to fall asleep during Rihanna's halftime performance. You want to be nodded off while the word is coming to you? I know nobody said gems then. watch jesus did what he sat down you know what it is that's a seat of authority that's the seat of i ain't stressed that's the seat of everything i'm about to tell you it's already finished it's just your choice if you want it or not.

I think it's so dope that Matthew started with this sermon because the Old Testament ends with a curse in Malachi. The New Testament with this place opens up with what Jesus is about to say so powerful about blessing the place watch this for all my preachers it just has a mountain it don't say Mount Zion everybody look at me it don't say Mount Hermon I don't say none of those mountains that I love it just says a mountain such a sign to us that God wants the gospel to preach

anywhere, everywhere, anytime that we need to be ready in season and out of season. And you don't need no platform to preach the gospel. I don't need a conference to preach the gospel. He just sat down on a mountain, not the mountain or Mount Zion. It don't matter where it is. Let this gospel go forth. It could be in a park or a palace. It could be on a stage or in the street. Some of y'all think I got like this because I got a microphone. Man, I was preaching like this in parks when I first got saved true story no cap Eric and I was out there in these streets preaching the gospel before there was no church in the street the people it says the crowds came around who are the crowds this mixed multitude like this church

in that mixed multitude you got believers you got unbelievers you got skeptics you got people that just want another free lunch. You want everybody that loves social services. I want to get healed again. You got all these people coming for wrong reasons. Some people coming for right reasons. Some people coming with an eyebrow raise. Some people come to see, is he for real?

People trying to get close. Like, I want to get healed by the master. You got all these people packed in for all these different reasons. Just like every Sunday morning, rooms packed in for all these different reasons. Just like every Sunday morning, rooms are packed with people with different motives. Some people got dragged there by a family member. Some people just want to check the box and go home. Some people really want to be changed. Some people want to fulfill their conscience. Say, man, if I just go to church on Sunday and then have my way, God is pleased with me. You just want to ease your conscience.

Man, all kind of different people in the room. A mixed multitude. Right? And watch. What was the plan for the mixed multitude? Prophesy. Tell them that this is going to be their best year ever. No. Tell them here comes your husband and wife no tell them sow a seed and god is gonna raise you no i know false prophets like that in

new york who charge people for prophecy you paid them twenty,500, they'll be your personal prophet. What foolishness is that? What prophet are we talking about? P-R-O-F-I-T. Lies. Especially those of y'all that look like me, you love prophets. You crowd them and fund their

ministries and you don't listen to what they're saying. They never talk about Jesus. They'll never open the word. They just keep telling you what's on their heart, what God showed them. And you can't back any of it up with scripture. Side note for all these false prophets. That keep deceiving God's people with your smiles and your outfits and your big whatever. Woe to you.

False prophets who deceive God's people with lies and false and empty promises. If everybody loves you, you're not a real prophet. Woe to you. Woe to you. Find me one prophet in the entire scriptures when everybody loved them. I'm awake. Text me one. There wasn't one real prophet that everybody loved.

Where there's a real prophet, your feelings will get hurt and God's will will be confirmed. I need to teach y'all. I got to protect my church. I don't care about their following or how much money they got. All that foolishness we see in New York and cities across this nation. Everybody want to put a prophet in front of their name. If everybody loves you, we better watch you. You can't find me one prophet from the Old Testament.

Not even the man who Jesus the greatest man who ever lived John the Baptist and and everybody loved them real prophets were despised that wasn't using people's feelings and emotions and vulnerability to tell them what they want to hear. You're sowing seed into nonsense. That's why one of the greatest things you can pray for is discernment. So that the spirit will bear witness with other spirits. So you're not just led astray by pompous and raucous and noise and crowds and charging people for prophecy in New York.

Woe to you. In whatever city they find themselves, woe to you. Who deceive God's people that's a lot of blood you're going to have on your hands repent says the Lord I repent first. What was Jesus' program for the crowds? Teaching. I don't see y'all crowding stadiums for that.

Teaching. Where's your love for teachers? Where's your support for teaching ministries? When was the last time you got on a plane and went to hear a good teacher? Stop watching me online and just drive over here we know you're creeping in youtube just drive over here just just pull up ain't perfect but we try it yeah right i listen i'm I don't know why. This is the Holy Spirit. I've been praying over y'all that you would love teaching.

I want you to crave it like chocolate. Crave it like your next fix. I want you to love teaching. It is the most efficacious means of bringing lasting transformation in the hearts of human beings. A prophetic word can move you for a moment, but it is teaching that sustains you and builds you up. Especially us. We love that stuff

jesus sees a crowd he'll prophesy he teaches pay attention are you paying attention are you paying attention yes sir all right Are you paying attention? All right. I got to show you this really quickly before I speed through these Beatitudes. Why is Jesus teaching? Isaiah 53 verse 14 for all my students. He's confirming prophecy from a real prophet, Isaiah. Look at what Isaiah said about the coming Messiah when he comes all your children

shall be somebody shout the word shout the word the prophecy from 700 years before Jesus is born is that when the Messiah comes all your children, all your sons and daughters they shall be taught by the Lord and watch the blessing and great shall be their peace. You think peace

comes by me prophesying to you you're going to get fill in the blank this year. Then your heart is at peace. No, it is teaching that transforms you on the inside that brings your mind peace. Peace. Seen a prophet on Facebook the other day talking about i probably shouldn't what was what was elena you're not saying nothing i've seen a prophet declaring this year it was the the year of the billionaire that every

every person that followed him was going to be a billionaire the year of the billionaire and all in the comments you know what we do amen amen amen i received that yeah and and and and and and on new year's eve this year when you're not a billionaire you know what happens you'll be mad at god like he was a liar that's why god rebuked prophets that spoke not in his name. Here's a real prophecy. Some of us will die middle class. That's what the scriptures teach. here's another prophecy some Christians will die in poverty

because Jesus said the poor you will have with you always Because Jesus said, the poor you will have with you always. Now you see nobody throwing no money at me while I'm teaching. Come on, bring your offering. Sow a seed into the man of God. You're going to be wealthy by this time next month bring your seed why y'all not moving

somebody just crumble up a hundred dollar bill and throw it at me so I can feed my family when this is over it's six of us it's like $80 a meal anybody want to feed the man of God amen so good meal. Anybody want to feed the man of God? See, I already know this. Some of them ain't

coming back next week. They don't want to be taught. You know what this is? Can I just be honest? I know I gotta finish this message. I'm gonna get through this. This is just called love. Yes. Thank you. I love you, sister, wherever you are.

I love you, too. It's just love. I'm just so tired of the foolishness that we call... All right. Everybody now watch. Let's run through these really quickly. Everybody watch. And what Jesus said next after he sat down, all right everybody now watch let's let's run through these really quickly everybody watch and what jesus said next after he sat down

what jesus said next after he sat down to all his followers in the crowd who could hear her is commonly called the beatitudes which is a latin word which means blessings eight blessings and one he repeats okay it's not nine it's eight and one he repeats. Okay, it's not nine. It's eight and one he repeats. Eight beatitudes, eight blessings. Everybody watch. Pronunciations. Now watch how Jesus shocked his disciples and the people who were listening. Let's run through them really quickly. Matthew chapter five, we're going to speed through them. Verse three. You ready? One through eight. All y'all note takers, you like your eight here's your eight points point number one okay point number one blessed how about this blessed are the poor in spirit how is that for the crowd he looks out over a crowd it's a perfect opportunity to give them

prosperity gospel it's a perfect opportunity to keep them prosperity gospel it's a perfect opportunity to keep them he looks out over a crowd of people and he shouts at them blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven now family before we run through these eight i just gotta i gotta parenthetically insert this let me just teach you for a second we gotta deal with this word blessed now everybody look at me look at me anybody here Let me just teach you for a second. We got to deal with this word blessed. Now, everybody look at me. Look at me. Anybody here is a writer? Like you keep a journal, right? So I have kept a journal for 20 years, okay? I made my last entry like two nights ago. I've been keeping this journal since I was saved, since I was 24 years old. Words are tools to communicate ideas and stories and thoughts.

Now listen to me about words. Words, when they are written, they are born in a context. And when words are written, they are frozen in a context. So if you're going to understand words, you must understand its context. Like for example, if you saw my journal for 20 years, my journal is a catharsis of sorts. It's the outpouring of the inside of a man who is trying to live this life for Jesus. You will read about highs and lows, tears and sorrows and joys and loves and betrayals and all these things. It's like a catharsis in my journal if you read my first journal when i was 25 you

will read about challenges i had as a young husband with two young kids and now going into ministry and trying to follow jesus and trying to figure out all these things and you would read about all the struggles i was having then trying to navigate all of this that's 20 years ago. Watch. If you go back and read that and don't put it in its context, that I was 25, that I was in North Carolina, that I had just gotten saved, you would read that and think I'm the same person. Why? Because you would read my journal and you would read something out of context.

You're never going to forget that. So when you read the words of authors, you need to know the context of which the words were born out of that context. It's like I was saying to my daughter Israel, who's a songwriter. I heard her singing a song two months ago and I thought dang that song is dope what radio station is that on and I learned from her sister Abigail that Izzy had wrote that song and then all of a sudden God just poured out his spirit on Israel and now she just she's just writing songs and her songs are beautiful they're powerful i mean her songs are so good the church should be singing them they're so pure and anointed and she should just

be sitting in her room strumming her guitar and writing these powerful songs watch and the other night it was last night or night before she was sitting on my bed and i was like she was like i don't want to put out this song because it's it's really emotional and I'm like Izzy people love emotional songs and and I pulled out my phone and I put on my life for Mary J Blige gems don't nobody want to say that that's so that's so spiritual and and I put and I let her listen if you look in my life and see what you know the rest if you look in my life and see what I see. You know the rest? If you look in my life and see what I see. Right.

She wrote that when she was depressed. When she was broke. When she was now coming on scenes. Those songs are frozen in a context so if i want to understand what mary was doing or feeling during that time i gotta understand the context in which she wrote it anybody's a songwriter a journal keeper you understand your words are always written in a context the scriptures are no different so you can't just read them in 2023 without understanding the origin in which the words were born when you do that you don't understand the authors thank god for teachers Now listen to me. This word blessed is a, I would say a poor translation of this word.

On your lap sits an English Bible. And the words in your Bible are English. But these 66 documents that are preserved for us in the scriptures were not written in English. They were written in three languages, Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic. These languages are far superior to English. For that reason, translators over the years have had trouble finding English words for Hebrew words. And English words for Greek and Aramaic words. So sometimes they just do the best they can with the limited English words for Greek and Aramaic words so sometimes they

just do the best they can with the limited English words that we have so this word blessed when you see this you first think man this is God pronouncing a favor on me because when we hear the word blessed, we just think some kind of divine endowment. That's in English. This word blessed is a powerful, powerful Greek word called makarios. Remember that word, makarios. M-A.

How you spell that? K-A. R-I-O-s makarios what does it mean watch what it means it means happy extremely fortunate flourishing thriving is the person described makari ism is not a pronunciation of blessing like if you watch if you do this you will be blessed. Macari-ism is an observation that people who already do that are already blessed. It is the observation of those who live this way are happy. Those who live this way are flourishing. Those who live this way are thriving. Not it will come to you if you do it. As you

do it, they come to you. It is a description of a state of being for those who live this way. Gems for me. Now let's read these eight real quick what does the first one say blessed change it to the original language right happy extremely fortunate thriving are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Oh my God.

This word poor is not talking about finances. It's not talking about socioeconomic status. Poor in spirit are those who are bankrupt on the inside who says, I need God. God, this is so... Lord, help me get this out. A person who's poor in spirit is the person who says to himself, I can't do this life on my own. Watch this. And when you pour in spirit, you say, I need God. I am a beggar for him. I need him. I must have him. I want him. I want all of him. If I'm

going to get through, I must have him. If I'm going to get this new job, I must have him. If I'm going to build this business, I must have him. If I'm going to have a good marriage, I must have him. If I'm going to be in my right mind, I must have him. When a person is poor in spirit, they are a beggar for God almighty. They are empty of, watch this word, self-sufficiency.

The opposite of being poor in spirit is thinking that I can do life on my own. Watch. I don't need God so watch because you love society society says to the wealthy atheists they are happy Jesus says to the one important spirit no you are really happy watch you are better off than the person who has more than you but don't have me happy extremely fortunate thriving flourishing as the one who is a beggar

for god's presence. What is their reward? The kingdom belongs to them. You missed that. This is the doorway into the kingdom. So you can't tell me you're saved and you have no desire for God. Makarios is not on your life. You want point two? Point two?

Man, if you're not there, man, like god make me want you god make me hungry like god god watch empty me of myself so there's room in me for you like that song make space if you don't have that say god empty me of myself so i may make space for you right here's your second point right point two matthew 5 verse 4 watch what jesus continues to say blessed are those who macarius are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Now, family, mourning is normal. I'm going to speak to these. Mourning is normal.

People cry. We mourn. We shed tears over losses. If you've ever been to a funeral, you've mourned at a funeral. The last funeral, i had to teach the people that grief is not bad grief is a gift from god to take out of your system deep pain i should do a sermon called the gift of grief some of y'all trying to bury grief which is mistake. If you want to be emotionally healthy, you need to lean

into your grief. God gave you that emotion as an access to drain your system of deep pain. So if you have trauma from your past, cry. If you got trauma in your life, cry, mourn, be grieved about it. That's God's access point to leak your system of deep pain. If it wasn't for the emotion of grief, we could not handle death. So mourning, we know that mourning is normal. Crying is normal. Having grief is we know our morning is normal crying is normal having grief is normal feeling sad is normal but my brothers and sisters that's not this morning that's not this this morning is not feeling sorry for yourself it's not crying over a loved one it's not it's not being it's not being grieved over something from your past. This morning are those who grieve their own

sin, who feel bad about the mistakes that they make. This morning is grieving over your sin. It's when I hurt other people. I'm lustful. I'm jealous. I'm envious. I'm bound to pornography. I'm bound to masturbation. I want to love my husband and wife but I do a bad job I keep falling into sin I keep coming out that club and then going to church mourning is when is when we is when we sin and we feel bad for it it's grieving your sin can I go? It's grieving the sin of others. It's looking out over our nation and saying, dang it, our nation is so sinful and so dark and so vile.

It's grieving the ills of humanity. It's grieving injustice and innocent people that go to prison and guilty people that go free. It's saying something about it on social media. That is mourning. No, Isaiah. People that go free. And saying something about it on social media. That is mourning. No. Isaiah.

In Isaiah chapter 6 he mourned. When he saw God. How he lifted up. He said I saw the Lord. How he lifted up. And when he saw how holy God was. He said watch. Woe is me.

For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live amongst a people of unclean lips. He mourned. David, if you read the Psalms, he mourned over the sin of the nation. He mourned over his own sin. Who else? Help me, Holy Spirit Spirit Jeremiah spent 40 years mourning he wrote a whole book about mourning called lamentations he was weeping over a people that was about to endure judgment because they would not repent so he cried and cried and cried over them like I wailed and I cry over you help me Holy Spirit Peter mourned please go away from me Lord I am a sinful man help me Holy Spirit Jesus mourned when he looked out over Jerusalem and says man y'all rejected me you Jews rejected me and he wept over

them he mourned if the people of God won't cry for the nation. If you drive through Atlanta and you don't feel grieved by poverty in the streets. If you don't feel grieved by mothers who are single trying to do their best. And husbands that won't be. If you're not grieved over fathers that abandon children. If you're not grieved over corruption in politics. If you're not grieved over corruption in politics, if you're not grieved over corruption in the church and lying preachers,

if these things don't, if we don't cry out, who's going to cry out? I mean, come on, Christians. What are you shedding tears over? How do you strum social media and not be grieved how do you listen to people blaspheme jesus and not be grieved but what did jesus says he says happy extremely fortunate thriving are people who cry out over sin. What promise do they get?

They shall be comforted. Say, I don't like that promise, yeah? How about keep your sin to yourself with no cross to nail it to? No comfort comes to the unrepentant sinner so the person says lord watch for um help me holy yeah ain't no superstars um let me help somebody take notes the back side of romans chapter 7 paul the superstar of the New Testament. You want to hear mourning? Man, the things I want to do, I don't do. The things I should not be doing, I keep doing. And when I keep doing the things I don't want to do, man, I find this thing is at work on the inside of me.

My flesh fighting against the spirit of God. Oh, what a wretched man that I am. That's mourning. Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God. To the Lord Jesus Christ. And in Greek, those words are present tenses. Which means we will do this over and over and over and over again

until the lord come back to get us can i be honest i'm gonna get through the rest of these real quick i was talking to a pastor friend the other day and we was talking about suffering and how god says it rains on the just and the unjust we was talking about christians who suffer and i was saying bro you know it's so theologically complex that god allows us to suffer but i thought about this listen to me watch it's so wise for god to not remove suffering right now and to allow us to to go through why i've been through so much pain i've cried out maranatha i've seen so much pain I've cried out Maranatha come quickly Lord Jesus bring an end to all of this the mess that we deal with in this life is supposed to give us a hope for something that is coming that's why you will never have utopia down here you can't if God gave us utopia down here

you will have no longing for heaven. I'm trying. All right, what point are we on? What point are we on? That's verse five, right? Almost done. Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth. Happy, fortunate, thriving are the meek. Man, the meek, man, that's a sissy word. Nobody never call me meek. Nobody ever tag me on a post and say, oh, Pastor Phillip, he's meek. It sounds like such a soft, sissy word. Y'all can pray for me.

I know I ain't all the way meek. I already know. I got problems. I know I'm a little rough around the edges. I know. I know, Lena. I know. Lena's meek.

I know I ain't all the way meek. I know I'm still rough around the edges, and I got issues, and I say some things I shouldn't say, and I fight trolls every now and then on then on social media and I should not but meek sounds like such a sissy word to me meek ain't nobody ever tagged me on a on a dm said man pastor you're so meek but you know meekness is not weakness. Meekness is humility. It's gentleness. It's generosity towards others. Meekness is strength under control. It's the ability for somebody to trash you on social media and you not respond.

It's like Jesus being persecuted and not responding, being spit on and not responding, snatching out his beard and not responding, being beat and not responding, yet he can call a legion of angels. He was meek. He was strength under control. Meekness is never getting mad for the same Jesus saw people playing dice in the temple and selling stuff. He went in there kicking over tables and took out his belt and beat men over their back. Watch, meekness is vengeance for the things of God, but strength under control. Now will you call me meek no I'm still not there yet pray for me but watch this he says people who have control over their strength they are happy fortunate they miss that because the opposite of that is to have no control over your strength

and then you are just constantly lashing out on everybody because people who are meek are controlled and they know submission wives who like to emasculate husbands meekness another word for this submission that you don't make your husband a puppy and then you can't be mad at him why he won't lead when you trash him and tear him down and make him a puppy on a leash and power him to lead and if he wants to make a leash. Empower him to lead. And if he wants to make a decision for the house and you don't like it, pray. Use your influence to talk to the head of the house.

It turns the head. Use your influence. Like, boo, I hear what you're saying, but that ain't right. I know you feel that way, but that ain't right. You think we should pray about this? You think we should make this decision?

Have you thought this all the way through? That part. That part. Verse 6. Blessed. Happy. Thriving. Extremely fortunate are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.

For they shall be satisfied. This is not the righteousness that comes with salvation. That was poor in spirit. Everybody hungers and thirsts. That's normal. I'm hungry right now. I'm thirsty right now. I'm thirsty right now. Let me get a glass.

Let me get a drink of water. Watch. I'm thirsty. Righteousness. But we don't drink in righteousness like that. We drink in righteousness like that. We drink in sin like that. Watch. Hunger and thirst, watch, that's the most strongest desire you have after lust watch this and if i stop doing that i will die

that means you have to keep coming back to it he said blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness what is this this is people who are desperate to want to live right listen i messed up on monday but i'm gonna get up on tuesday saying lord i'm gonna try to live right today i want to live right i want to love right i want to do relationships right. I want to forgive right. I want to be nice. It's like, it's this desire to, it's like, I want my father to be pleased with me. That's hunger and thirst for righteousness. I shut down gossip. I shut down slander. I don't want to tear people down. I want to live right. I want to read more of my word. I want to learn how to pray.

I want to serve faithfully. Jesus, I want you to be pleased. It's like, it's this constant drinking of, I want to be right. Verse seven. Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy I'm not going to spend a lot of time here but this one is extremely serious because this one is given to you in the context of this word

that I call offenses you're not going to stay in a church and not be offended. You're not going to be married and not be offended. You're not going to have girlfriends and not get offended, dude friends and not get offended. No one is going to make it through this life and not be offended. The New Testament already prophesies you're going to be offended by people. That's why we have all the one another's love one another be kind to one another be patient to all that is a prophet it's a promise to you someone is going to offend you you can't even you can't even say i'm happy fortunate blessed if you're not merciful because

this comes in the context of the only one that That is reciprocity. For they shall receive the same thing. They give out. Right. You. Mercy is compassion. It's grace. It's forgiveness. It says you make me sick.

But I'm going to let you go watch this. Again. Now some of you say man. It's forgiveness. It says you make me sick, but I'm going to let you go watch this again. Now, some of you say, man, I don't care. I don't want that blessing. I don't want to be that happy. You cannot look at the cross and turn away and not give mercy. For everyone in here is a recipient of mercy. For you have highly offended a holy god with your sin and your lifestyle yet every morning watch this his mercies are renewed lamentations chapter three

every morning you wake up with the breath that he gives you you are shown mercy so how could you stare at the cross and not give mercy to people that offend you? Husbands, pay attention. Wives, pay attention. Mercy. Friends, pay attention. Mercy. Teammates, pay attention.

Mercy. Mercy. Your first response to offense should be mercy. Not blessed are those who hold grudges watch this you're talking about happy you cannot treat your heart like an apartment and put people in there and leave them there for rent and be happy you cannot flourish with unforgiveness you cannot flourish with grudges you cannot thrive with grudges your heart is not an apartment you have to release people from there it's not a prison you have to release people from there man they hurt me but i'm gonna show them watch mercy

you hurt the lord all the time say no i don'm righteous. No, you haven't read the scriptures in this context. Ephesians says that it says, do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God. That word grieve and Greek means to emotionally wound. So every time we mess up, we hurt God's heart. But every morning you rise with what? Mercy. And not just all mercy. I got to do this.

I got to forgive them. See, it's so easy to say, I'm a Christian, I'm this, I'm that. Are you living this? Profession is easy easy living is truth I am impressed by nobody's profession I'm watching you for your fruit oh it's only like two more no no they don't want me to take my time no no you don't uh verse eight let's man if you struggle if you are grudge holder man i pray as god to give your heart of mercy to keep and and listen mercy ain't for people you love all the time and are perfect mercy are for

people who agitate you and who hurt you. Like the other day, Lena had to give me mercy. I came into the bedroom. Lena came into our bedroom and she wanted to tell me something about her mother. And I opened my phone and I tried to show her something else. Immediately she was offended. She got hurt and she stormed out of the room. The next day, she had to show me

mercy. You know, honey, I forgive you. I apologize. I apologize first, brothers. Give my phone. so I heard I heard her really bad the other day right and then after I heard her um I said to her I said um I said uh good morning this is Tuesday good morning because I know how she likes to receive these things. Send me a text first.

Let me think about it. Let me think if I want to give you mercy. Let me think of it. Let me get with God and see if I got to give you mercy. No, no, he already said show mercy. You ain't got to pray about mercy. He said give it. Let me pray if I should show them mercy. The devil is a liar it's if it's

written it's his will you if it's written it's his will and let me pray if I should show that person mercy if it's written it's his will see and watch because I know the word I already know man if I don't make this right God ain't gonna hear my prayers. It was Tuesday, and I know my first study day is Wednesday. And I'm thinking, I was praying that day like, God, I'm praying, but I don't know if you're listening to me, because Lena and I are still agitated at each other. And then you know that, well, if you got beef with your brother, leave your gift at the altar. That's back half of Matthew. Go make that right, then come back.

I'm like, dang, I got to study in the morning, but Lena's mad at me. But I'm like, dang, I don't want to. She should have listened to what I was going to show her. And I was like, dang it. She should have listened to what I had to tell her. But I knew I had to study the next day. And I'm like, man, I got to make it. God.

Lord ain't going to listen to my prayers. I said, good morning. Good morning. I was in the basement like, good morning. Tuesday. Watch watch I am very sorry for not allowing you to share first what was going on with your mother I hope things are okay with your mother in that moment I was not being considerate by sharing my request with you. I say a bunch of things in the middle. Where my brother's at?

I gotta get some stuff off my chest too. So I let her have it in the middle. Can I tell them? I let her have it. I offloaded in the middle about how she hurt me. I ain't gonna read you that part. I don't want you looking at me some kind of way. Pray for the man of God. I said something.

But at the end, I thought I rebuked her for what she did wrong. I said at the end, after I rebuked her for what she did wrong, I said at the end, I said, nevertheless, true story. No cap. Nevertheless, can I finish? I said, after I said what I had to say, because she wasn't no angel too. Because she lashed out on me in that bedroom. You wasn't listening to what I got to do. Right?

So after I said what I got to say, I won't put the woman of God out there. Let me protect the woman of God. I said, I better be a covering. I said, nevertheless, I seek nothing from you regarding my apology. I'm not sharing for sympathy or an apology from you. I just need to share out of respect for transparency for us. I know I have not been the best listener either. And so again, I am sorry for the hurt and frustration that I have caused you and I have been causing you. I'm going to the gym and then I'm going to do some work before my doctor's appointment I did not

wait for her to get right even though I felt offended blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy and watch you better pay attention because you're going to need

mercy mercy and watch you better pay attention because you're going to need mercy you can't even stare at the cross and hold somebody We got like two more. Verse 9. Blessed are. What verse we on? Oh darn. Verse 8. Blessed.

Happy. Extremely fortunate. Thriving. Are the pure in heart. verse 8 blessed happy extremely fortunate thriving are the pure in heart for they shall see God this one don't even need no explanation your heart is wicked and so is mine

it is the seat of all your decisions in the direction of your life the closer you get to Jesus the more pure your heart becomes and the more pure your heart becomes the more revelation you have about God if you can't understand God you probably just have to get closer to the Lord the closer you get to the Lord the clearer God becomes to you so if, man, I really don't understand him. That's okay. If you pursue Jesus, your vision, like you wear glasses, your vision starts to get clearer. You get a new lens from a heart that is

growing in purity. And as your heart grows in purity, you start to see God more clearer. okay verse 9 blessed happy extremely fortunate thriving are the peacemakers for they shall be called the sons of god there's only one more after this uh i everybody look right at me because this one is extremely serious. Notice what it says. Blessed are the who? Peacemakers. So this already assumes what?

Conflict. This is not talking about like the inner peace from salvation. This is talking about that state of being that is lost during conflict can i say something to you conflict is inevitable you almost cannot avoid it and when conflict comes peace sometimes leaves. Husbands, wives, friends. But notice what it says. It says, blessed are the peacemakers. Watch, not the peacekeepers. Not those who be in conflict and say, well, I'm good. I got my peace. No. Blessed are the peacemakers. You know what make means? You go out of your way to reconstruct peace. It don't matter if you got conflict. You

say, well, I'm good. I got peace. No. Blessed are those who go out of their way to take a brick and rebuild peace. Even if you're good, you go out of your way to rebuild it. When it is lost, you pursue it. You get it back. You bring it back to the marriage, back to the friendship, back to the person that wounded you. Now watch. Can we go deeper?

Look at the text. What does it say about peacemakers? They shall be called what? The sons of God. The evidence that you're truly a follower. Is that you do your best to try to make peace. What is the opposite of this? I'm about to rebuke some of y'all. If you call yourself a Christian and you love drama,

you are a fraud and you need to repent. If you love drama and you love keeping it going for long periods of time and you call yourself a Christian, you are fraud and you need to repent. You are ruining your Christian witness.

How good and pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unities like peace this one is important because the lord doesn't like to see his children fight all the time it doesn't say blessed are the peace keepers blessed are those who go out of their way to rebuild peace. Them and them only, when you see them, that is a real son of God. A real daughter of God. So you can sit there in your drama from now until you're on your deathbed. You rob yourself of your Christian witness. The last beatitude, put it up there. Blessed are those happy. It's crazy. Fortunate, thriving are those who are persecuted

not for foolishness, for righteousness. Sake. Theirs is the kingdom of heaven. So watch this. Man. Blessed are you when people misunderstand you, tear you down,

trash you, slander you, betray you, persecute you. Sometimes they're members of your own family. Not for you doing them wrong, just for you being righteous.

That if you are righteous and persecution follows that, the Lord said you are blessed. He's talking to people who were being killed, fed to animals, sawn in two. The whole New Testament was written

in the context of fierce persecution. It's the first century AD. They're living under Roman occupation. And then Jesus says, vengeance is mine. You ain't got to retaliate. Don't retaliate. It's immature. I'm praying for me because I be checking trolls on social media every now and then and I gotta stop doing that the other day somebody came on my page and said something about me

I was somebody the church put out a video with me praying and they said look at it look at these guys they want to be seen praying and I was I wrote I was about to lash out and I said no you tagged me trashing me for praying for my church and I said you know what that that was that was that was ill but since you tagged me all your haters know who I am now. They might go read some stuff on my page and come back to you and say he ain't that bad.

A couple years ago I saw a bunch of Christians who were in an Islamic nation were captured and a radical group of extremists led them down. Man of God you've seen this? Led them down to the beach in orange jumpsuits. You saw this? Brother Nip.

Made them kneel down. Bound. Brother New, made them kneel down, bound. They ain't denouncing Christ. Wives and children ain't never going to see them again. Denounce them, they will not. Say you're not a follower of Jesus they will not death threats as they knelt on a beach not one of them in that group denounced the Lord Jesus

all of them beheaded on the beach not sliced slowly cut through the neck like you're cutting a piece of meat as they screamed and they wailed, and one head fell off next to a brother,

and then he knew his turn was coming. Knife comes to his throat. Will not denounce Jesus. Slowly cut through that head. That one falls right next to another brother. The next one comes. He will not denounce Jesus. Knife to the throat. The next one comes. He will not denounce Jesus. Knife to the throat.

Like 20 of them. They ain't make it out. American Christians. Always praying to get out of everything. When some of these things is for his glory. Some of these sufferings is for his glory. Some of these hardships was glory for paul wrote to the church at rome for i would say that the sufferings of this present world they're not

worthy to be compared to the glory that shall be revealed but every time we feel uncomfortable our first prayer is out and not lord show me what you're trying to do in me while I'm in this. And the only way to escape persecution or trolls or haters on social media is to denounce Jesus and not live for real. Compromise will keep you safe. the martyrs of old they saw it as honor to die for the Lord Jesus Christ give me the next verse so important is this one

that he repeats it twice it's not nine beatitudes it's eight and a repeat blessed are you when people revile you talk bad about you and persecute you slander you and utter all kinds of evils against you some of them falsely for my name's sake when they trash you for following me even members of your own family don't feel vengeful they don't even know every time they trash you they just adding a reward to your heavenly bank account for he said great is their reward in heaven. I want you to notice

that there are eight beatitudes. The first and the last one are present. Theirs is the kingdom of heaven. It's now. The ones in the middle are all promises for now and then. We'll be comforted. We'll inherit the earth.

We'll be filled. We'll be shown mercy. We'll see God. These are God's promises in between his insurance. And then I want you to notice the progress of the Beatitudes. Look at all eight of them how they one builds on the other blessed are the poor in spirit that is if you if you want God deeply he brings you into the kingdom once you've brought into the kingdom then you begin to mourn

once you begin to mourn you become more meek and more humble once you become more humble you start having greater spiritual hunger once Once you have greater spiritual hunger, you are transformed. You start being more merciful. Once you're more merciful, we see that you really have a pure heart. Once you have a pure heart, you will enjoy more peace. And once you live like this, you're

going to be persecuted and misunderstood. stood. The world defines happiness as external things, homes, cars, money, status, fame. All these things we think make people happy. And I'll tell you, if you talk to some of these people you're jealous over, they lay down in bed at night and they're still empty. But Jesus says there is a greater happiness, one that's far superior to all these external things. Poverty and spirit, mourning, all these things are much greater. Hunger and thirst for righteousness,

merciful, peacemaking. All these things are much greater. They lead to a greater pathway of peace, purity. My fear is that like Solomon, many people are gonna make the mistake they're gonna come down to the end of their lives with the wrong notion of happiness they spend their whole lives dating a shadow and they can never put

their hands on because you'll get everything you want and still be empty these are the beginning of christian values if we don't see this in you we don't see faith in you and so i want to pray while i'm even on my knees thank god i want to pray for you look at me my brothers and sisters that these eight things will be seen in your life. And for some of you who says, I feel none of those, that means you're not in the kingdom. And we're about to try to pray you in.

So every head bowed and every eye closed. Holy Father, I pray over these, my brothers and my sisters. Come, Lenaena take that off the stage for me don because this is serious don't nobody move this is so serious because we always posting about our christianity you got christian in your profile and you tell everybody you're a Christian, but here is the evidence. This is so serious. Father, I pray over my sons and daughters, my brothers and my sisters. I pray in this moment, there will be such a weight of conviction that we will search our own hearts.

To see is this fruit coming out of our life is there any evidence of the Beatitudes in the life of the one who claims to be a disciple where your sons and daughters are falling short. God, I pray. Lord, bring change in our hearts now in this moment. The world is watching. We are your representatives. I pray we will lean into the

beatitudes, Lord. We will cry out for these graces to be made strong in our lives. We want them all. Where we have transgressed them, give us a revelation. We know it in our belly. God, we want to be better representatives for you. Church is not enough. So I pray over my sons and daughters, my brothers and sisters, God, bring conviction, bring change, bring the freedom of these beatitudes that truly leads us to happiness and flourishing and thriving and peace in our minds. I pray for a

spirit of peace, a spirit of mercy, a spirit of forgiveness God, a spirit of peace, a spirit of mercy, a spirit of forgiveness, God, a spirit of poverty, a spirit of meekness, a spirit of hunger and thirst and desperation. Fall on these, your children. And now I talk to you. You, sir, you, ma'am, who sat in here, listened to me,

talk for over an hour and you feel nothing. You're not poor in spirit. You don't want God. You're not poor in spirit. You don't want God. You're not thirsty for righteousness. You love sin. You're not merciful. You're not meek. You're not a peacemaker.

These things mean nothing to you, my friend. You sit under the wrath of almighty god but in his love he brought you here that your eternal state could change right now in a moment i'm so serious no cap you could walk out of here brand new man a brand new woman this ain't no joke the lord is already pulling on your heart he already knew by his sovereign grace before the foundation of the world he would win you to himself in this moment you say pray for me preacher that's me i want my name to be written in heaven i want to be a daughter of god a son of god i want my sins to be forgiven i want to know a happiness that will satisfy my soul because everything else I'm chasing, it leaves me bankrupt and empty. You already know it. You said, pray for me, preacher.

If that's you, I'm going to count to three. Nobody can't even see you. It's private between you and God. My eyes are closed. When I count to three, just throw your hand up. And I want to see who I'm praying for. Preacher, I want to leave here saved, forgiven. I want that happiness. One, Jesus is calling you. Two, this is the greatest moment of your life. It's just an acknowledgement of what he's already done. Three, throw your hand in the air and leave it

there. One, I see that hand. Leave it there. Two, I see that hand. Leave it there. Three, leave it there. Four, leave it there. Five, leave it there. Six, seven, eight, leave it there. I can't see. 10, 11, I see you. 12, 13, 14, 15, 15, 16, 16, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17 17 17 17 17 You 17 people Oh 18 18 19

19 19 19 Oh 20 God already knew you would be here 20 20 20 right there just ask God to forgive you for your sins he's already working in your heart tell him you surrender tell him you're sorry he mad at you he'll help you build your business he'll help you in your marriage he'll help you with the things that's in your heart he'll help you with your past he'll help you

with your trauma he'll make your son and daughter. He loves you. Just tell him Lord. I'm sorry for my sin. Just confess He loves you. He already knows you don't got to be afraid of him. You're his He says my daughter you are mine my son. You are mine. This is the greatest moment of your life And Now father I pray over these 20 brothers and sisters. They already belong to you before the beginning of the world. They're just making, oh 21, they're just making a public declaration to let the world know that you've already done a work in their hearts. I pray now, oh my God, I feel something heavy that things will break over them, break over them, even right now in the name of Jesus.

I don't know. I come against fear and anxiety and worry and trauma from the past. I pray healing for somebody's mind and their heart. I pray for them that they would be filled with the Spirit and that they would love your presence and love your word and love the gathering of the saints their lives are about to change are you praying with me are you lifting your hand are you lifting your hand are you praying with me oh 22 22 22 lord i thank you that they belong to you.

She is your daughter. He is your son. She is forgiven. He is forgiven. She is brand new. He is brand new. Her name is in heaven. His name is in heaven.

I thank you they belong to you. Lord you said when one sinner repents all of heaven rejoices.