Prayer Works Bible Study: October 12, 2025

"What Did Jesus Say"

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Heavenly Father, thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you for the opportunity. Thank you for the opportunity to stay together. To learn more about you from our from your word, Heavenly Father, I just thank you for all who are present.  

I thank you for all who may have wanted to be present, but couldn't be present, Father. I thank you for our earthly shepherd, Pastor Zee. Thank you for covering him wherever he is Heavenly Father and thanking you for the seeds that he has sown and that are bearing fruit Heavenly Father in Jesus name. 

So I pray now Heavenly Father that the words of my mouth will be acceptable to you that you will fill my mouth and Calvin's mouth with your word so I thank you Lord and I give you all praise glory and honor in Jesus name Amen, Amen, Amen.  

All right, so I'm going to share my screen here. So tonight we are going to look at what did Jesus say? And for those of you who regularly join us in the morning devotions, you know that Pastor Zee has been leading us in what did God say in scriptures that cover thus says the Lord.  

So today we're going to take a look at what did Jesus say during his time here on earth. And we're going to look at the teachings and commands of Christ in the gospel according to Matthew.  

We're going to first start off with what Jesus said to John the Baptist about his mission. But before we get there, the reason why we're spending time in what did Jesus say is because as Jesus prophesied, in the final days, there will be great deception.  

But how will you know if you're being deceived if you don't know what the Bible says? So this is just a very high level overview of some of the key principles that Jesus said. So if you hear someone going sideways or bringing in other things into the gospel. 

If you know what Jesus said, immediately there'll be a quickening in your spirit if something is off alright. And we're going to see how the enemy uses scriptures in incomplete ways to trick and fool and deceive people.  

Now, the deception that is coming is not the deception of the world. It's the deception in the church. The world is already deceived, but Satan will like nothing better than to deceive the children of God.  

So we have to do all we can to make sure that we are not counted among the number who in the final days will be deceived. Let that not be us. So today, let's start with what Jesus said to John the Baptist about his mission, will you read this? 

Okay, and so this is Matthew 3:13-15. And it says, then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent him saying, I need to be baptized by you, and you are coming to me.  

But Jesus answered and said to him, permit it to be so now. But thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness then he allowed him. And here we see, this is among some of the first words that Jesus said. And here we see so much about who he is and his great humility is modeled in these, just these two, these two scriptures alone.  

Here's John the Baptist. He recognizes that Jesus is the Messiah. And he's like, Wait, how is it that you, the Messiah, the Son of God, are coming to me, lowly me to be baptized? And Jesus in all humility was like. 

Yes, let it be so that you baptize me because this is the righteousness of God, my Father. So even though Jesus was from on high, He humbled himself to be baptized by a prophet who is a human being who should have been being baptized by him.  

But he's like, no, no, no, I'm here at the will of the Father. And this is part of what it means for the righteousness that I represent here on this earth. So yes, baptize me. And what a model is for us.  

Jesus did not make himself high and mighty to say, you know, he didn't turn the table and say, hey, John, let me baptize you. He said, no, John, baptize me because this represents obedience to God, my Father, and I don't consider myself higher than God the Father.  

So let's continue on. So after this, after Jesus is baptized, the gospel records that he's confronted in the wilderness by Satan. So let's look at what happened to Jesus in the wilderness.  

Now, this is soon after he's been baptized, the heaven has heavens have opened and God has said, this is my beloved son and I'm well pleased with him. And immediately after that, the Holy Spirit leads Jesus into the wilderness.  

So before he even starts his ministry, he's already being tested so let's see what happened. It says, then Jesus was led up by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when he had fasted 40 days and 40 nights afterward, he was hungry.  

Now, when the tempter came to him, he said, if you are the son of God, command that these stones become bread. But he answered and said, it is written man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.  

Then the devil took him up into the holy city, set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, if you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, He shall give his angels charge over you, and in their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.  

Jesus said to him, it is written again, you shall not tempt the Lord your God. Again the devil took him up into an exceedingly high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.  

And he said to him, all these things I will give to you, if you will fall down and worship me. Then Jesus said to him, away with you, Satan. For it is written, you shall worship the Lord your God, and him only you shall serve. Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and ministered to him. 

Now, isn't it interesting how Jesus shows us, in this, we see how Jesus, unlike Adam and Eve, was able to confront the temptations of the enemy and reject him and overcome him. So let's take a deeper look into what Jesus said.  

It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. So Satan is tempting Jesus. You know you're hungry. You know you have the power to make these stones into bread.  

Go ahead like he told Eve, you see this fruit on the tree so desirable. It can make you look like God. Go ahead, go ahead. He tried the same tactic on Jesus. Look after your belly. You know you want to satisfy your belly and your taste, go ahead.  

It'll be so easy for you. Just like for with Eve. It's so easy. It's right there. Just reach out your hand, pull it down. Who's going to know? You know? And Jesus right away says, man shall not live by bread alone.  

And where is he getting this scripture? He's getting it from Deuteronomy chapter eight, verse three. So, he humbled you, allows you to hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know that he might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone.  

But man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. Why is it important for us to understand that we don't live by blood alone? This is where fasting comes in. And I have to confess, I am not a disciplined faster. 

But I understand why fasting is so important, why we have to be able to tell our bodies no, because it is often through our bodies, our desires, our hungers, that Satan can come and tempt us.  

And our appetites often become an opening for the enemy to lead us astray. But Jesus is like, nope, man doesn't live by bread alone. So, can we really say that? Can we say, I know I don't live by bread alone and I'm not letting this piece of cake, this life of cake, conquer me.

You know I can't say I'm 100% there yet but I'm trying Lord I'm trying. Um Jesus also said and you notice Satan is coming at Jesus with the word and isn't it interesting how Satan came with Adam and Eve didn't have the word. 

They didn't have the Bible but they had the word of God direct from the source and Satan went against that word from the beginning. He's been going against the word of God, because what did he say to Eve?  

Did God really say? So he's doing this now with Jesus. But the Scriptures, the Old Testament has been written. The words have been written, so he knows them, but he knows them well enough to distort them.  

So we have to be careful. So what he says was incomplete. And Jesus said, no, it's written again, you shall not tempt the Lord your God. And Jesus is getting this from Deuteronomy 6:16. 

Where it says you shall not tempt the Lord your God as you tempted him in Massa, so Massa was when the Israelites now they have been freed from Egypt they have seen the parting of the Red Sea they have seen their enemies destroyed but they get hungry and thirsty and they start complaining. 

And they started complaining against the most high God and so when their water supplies began to run low, they began questioning the faithfulness of God. And this is again another temptation that Satan uses first he's like gets you to question well what did God say doubt, so doubt. 

And then the second thing is oh because you're suffering that means God doesn't love you, he doesn't you know you know make him prove that he loves you make him prove it by getting you out of this situation and Jesus says no you shall not tempt the Lord your God.  

Alright and then the third thing uh Jesus says that since Satan scattering away with you. Satan can we say that we and we know when Satan is coming at us whispering in our ear telling us this that and the other about ourselves. 

Getting us to try to get us to doubt our faith to doubt God and Jesus just says away with you Satan for it is written you shall worship the Lord your God and him only you shall serve and he's getting this from again Deuteronomy 6:13. 

You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are all around you for the Lord your God is a jealous God among you lest the anger of the Lord your God be aroused against you and destroy you from the face of the Earth. 

So, Jesus is like no I will not worship you Satan I don't care what you say you can give me I worship the Lord God only. Now Adam and Eve They showed in the Garden of Eden that they worship their appetites more and their desire to be like God more than obeying God.  

But here Jesus is like, no, no, no, I don't worship my belly. I don't worship being powerful. I don't worship riches. And I sure enough, I'm never going to worship you no matter what you tell me.  

So away with you, Satan. Can we all just say that just for the fun of it? Away with you, Satan. Away with you. I will worship the Lord my God and him only will I serve Alright. Ooh, this feels good saying that. 

Alright, alright then from that, so this is after Jesus went through these temptations, after Isn't that a lesson for us? After he went through these temptations, from that time on, he began to preach and to say, now what did he say? 

This is something that is not being taught, repent. He didn't say, fill out a card with your intention. He didn't say, open say a few little words and you're good what did he say repent for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand. 

Now how has this, how is this not being taught in the church repent oh no, no it's okay God is love. You the way you love he does, he does, you have to do an about face repent, repent. 

So that's one of the one of the one of the greatest deceptions being told in the church right now. No need for repentance God loves you oh he's a loving God you know you just come to him as you are again as Satan's did in the in the wilderness with Jesus. 

Distorting the word or truncating it cutting off the whole word, you know the word says repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand alright. So Repent does not equal saying sorry, being sorry, feeling sorry.  

And if you want evidence of that, look at Judas. He was sorry he had betrayed Jesus. Oh, he felt so sorry. He knew he was wrong, but he didn't repent. He couldn't face the guilt of his sin.  

So what did he do? He took his life so that he would not have to face Jesus and be accountable for what he had done. Whereas Peter, he also betrayed Jesus. He denied him three times.  

But what did he do? He had a, he wept bitterly. He. repented, when Jesus gave him the opportunity to really take a look at himself and confirm his love for him three times, he indicated that he had repented.  

He had a change of heart. He had come to see himself for who he was. And he was boisterous and proud and said, I will never, I will never betray him. Even if all these other little people do it, I will never, because I'm Peter and I love you.  

I will never, but he had to come. He had to be humbled and come to see himself for who he is. And in order for us to repent, it requires us to see ourselves for who we are. And it's painful.  

And this is, and repentance is an ongoing thing. Excuse me. We can't think, oh, I repented once and that's it, excuse me. Every day we might have something to repent about just like King David you think about King David oh excuse me. 

I don’t know why I'm coughing so much. Think about King David a man after God's own heart he was capable of doing some of the most horrendous thing adulterer murderer but he repented and God forgave him and blessed his children for the sake of David, his servant.  

So let's not be confused. Repent does not mean sorry. And that there's a there is a sorrow that that comes from the world, but it only brings death. So what does repent mean? It means a change of mind, as Calvin was saying about sin.  

You change your mind. You're like, wait, I don't want to do this anymore. This is wrong and you turn from it. And you turn from it to God, to the one who paid for it and who can forgive it.  

So you're going to change your behavior. So if someone is, if there is no change in what we used to be to where we are now, you really got to examine. We really got to examine ourselves to see if we are indeed in the faith. 

As the scripture tells us, examine yourself. Don't be counted among those people who at the end of the age, Jesus will say, I don't know you because you kidded yourself about the state of your faith. 

You are a new creation, you are a new creation. So you can't be the same person that you were before you were born again. Because if you are, then you aren't born again. That spirit that Holy Spirit is not working the work in you that it needs to. 

And it's not that Spirit's fault it's your fault for not doing an about face for not as V was saying truly, truly being repentant. Yes, yes so I encourage you all you know and people in your family people around you. 

You know we can't judge where people's state of faith or we don't know, we're not God, but we can look at ourselves and be honest with ourselves. And are we going to be perfect? No. We might still be do foolish, stupid things, but we don't want to.  

We don't want to do it anymore. We try to avoid it, we try to avoid it. And there are things that we used to do back in the day that now it would pay, it would give us physical pain to do those same things again.  

That's the state of repentance that we all need to be in, excuse me. I don't know why I'm coughing. Anyway so after all this, excuse me. Jesus said to his disciples when he called them.  

Follow me and follow me and I will make you fishers of men. Are we fishers of men? Isn't that something? Have we been successful through the Holy Spirit in leading someone to Christ?  

Have we drawn people in to even be curious about Christ? It's quite a question, but that is the responsibility of being a disciple of Christ. And that is also a standard that you can use to measure and observe is someone in the faith?  

Are they really following Christ? Evidence of a follower of Christ is that they will be fishers of men. We got to be fishers. We got to be fishers. Alright now we're going to get to the focus.  

The main focus of this evening is what Jesus taught his disciples in the Sermon on the Mount. The Sermon on the Mount, this is big. This is one of the biggest things, the biggest sermons, the first sermon after the temptation in the desert, after Jesus has called his disciples to him.  

Let's look at what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount. Before we, before Calvin reads it, let's look at a few points about the Sermon on the Mount. It's a collection of Jesus's teachings and this body of teachings and sermon, another word for sermon is discourse.  

So the Sermon on the Mount is a collection of Jesus's teaching. The Sermon on the Mount communicates God's will, God's commandments, and his promises to humanity. The Sermon on the Mount provides Kingdom of Heaven principles to guide Christian living.  

So if you don't know what Christ said, how? How are you going to be able to distinguish what is true and what is not true? How do you know what are the what are the standards for the kingdom of heaven? 

The Sermon on the Mount is contained in the Gospel according to Matthew 5-7. So at the end of this, I'm going to encourage you all sometime this week, please read Matthew 5-7 for yourself.  

And I have a little bit of a little homework assignment for you at the end. I'm giving you a preview, read chapter Matthew 5-7. Okay, so let's begin to look at some of the headings that will give you a clue to what topics and principles are being discussed in the Sermon on the Mount. So Matthew, chapter 5. 

Beatitudes, believers are salt and light. Christ fulfills the law. Murder begins in the heart. Adultery in the heart. Marriage is sacred and binding. Jesus forbids oaths. Go the second mile. Love your enemies.  

In Matthew chapter 6, Do good to please God. The model prayer. Fasting to be seen only by God. Lay up treasures in heaven. The lamp of the body. You cannot serve God and riches. Do not worry.  

Matthew chapter 7. Do not judge. Keep asking, seeking, knocking. The narrow way. You will know them by their fruits. I never knew you. Built on the rock. Oops, sorry okay. Build on the rock.  

So these, I just listed out for you the chapter headings that were put in there just to kind of help us get a high level overview of what's going on in all of these chapters. However, it is very important that we know what these principles are and we apply them to our lives.  

So again, I'm going to encourage you all to read Matthew chapters five, chapter six, and chapter seven. Today, we're just going to look at the Beatitudes. So we're going to do a study of the Beatitudes.  

And the Beatitudes mean blessed. So we're going to look at the blessed of God the Father. What did Jesus mean by saying, blessed are those? We're going to understand the character of God's children and the principles and promises of the kingdom of heaven.  

Okay, so let's first read. This is the Beatitudes and it reads, and seeing the multitudes, he went up on the mountain, and when he was seated, his disciples came to him. Then he opened his mouth and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.  

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  

Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. 

And I'm sure we've all read the Beatitudes. We've all read this. But today I'm going to challenge us to go a little bit deeper into what these things mean, because we can think that we really understand, but these are kind of complicated.  

When you really stop to think about it, some of these things are not quite that clear. For example, what does poor in spirit mean? You know, what does it mean to be meek? What does it mean to be pure in heart? So let's begin.  

I'm going to give you a few, a little food for thought on these principles. So first one, blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. So blessed, that means deep, abiding, unshakable joy.  

It's a happy and fulfilled state in which the goodwill and favor of God is being experienced. And it's now. Notice it says, blessed are. We are blessed. So it's, and it's not just about material things.  

It's about eternal spiritual life lived in peace with God who is at work in our lives, leading us in the right path. So we're blessed. That's what blessed means. It's not about how much money you have in the bank, how big your house is, the type of car you have.  

It's we are blessed because God knows us and counts us as one of his children, and he is ordering our lives. Let's look at something else, poor in spirit. So poor in spirit is not about lack of money or economics.  

It's about because a person can be poor and still be worldly. A person can be rich and be godly. So it's not about money, okay? It's about mindset and awareness of our sinful nature and spiritual poverty.  

It's also a willingness to empty ourselves and submit ourselves to God's authority. So that's what poor in spirit means. We don't consider ourselves I. We know, we acknowledge we're all sinners in the kingdom of heaven. 

So the kingdom of heaven is under the rule of the eternal sovereign God who's over all creation. As Jesus told Pilate, my kingdom is not of this world. So the kingdom of heaven is the opposite of every world system.  

So anyone that would try to connect their type of church denomination, their politics, their race, their economics with the kingdom of heaven, they've got it all wrong because Jesus said, what the world looks at as the standard is not the kingdom of heaven. 

It is the exact opposite in the kingdom of heaven it's the poor in spirit who are the greatest. It's the lowest who's the highest, it's the highest who's the lowest, it's the last who's first, it's the first who's last. 

So the kingdom is not of this world is the opposite of every world system so we cannot try to mix the two, we can't. Um and its entrance involves repentance. Again, we get to that word repentance and being born again.  

So that's our ticket. That's our, uh, that's what makes us citizens of the kingdom. If you think about your circumstances, your situations, things that have occurred in your life, and I'm going at this from even my own life.  

It wasn't, God didn't respond. If you really look at your life, God did not respond to you when you were doing good, when you were doing well in your own strength. It's when you hit a brick wall and you were at wit's end.  

And as Vee was just saying, you had to get to a place where you emptied yourself because you realized, I can't do this. and now you call on God and he answers. But before that if you're walking in your own pride if you're walking in your own strength. 

If you're believing that you can do this God doesn't bother with you, he kind of lets you go until you hit a brick wall so just bear that in mind you know when you speak about Jesus emptying himself coming down to the world as a baby. 

And then being baptized by John the Baptist as the son of God you talk about humility there it is for you to see and so that's what we have to get to we have to throw away our worldly pride about what we think and put God first and what he thinks and reach to him so that he can be our banner.  

He can be our healer. He can be the one that takes us through where we are to go, not where we want to go, because we know he orders our steps where he wants us to go, Amen.  

Let's look at the next one. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. And for years I thought mourning in this sense meant I'm crying. I'm I've lost something you know and because I've lost something or someone, I'm blessed because God will comfort me.  

That is true, but that's only part of the story. Let's look at something to think about. Mourning is not just about sadness over things or people we've lost. It's about a deep grief over our sins and separation from God.  

That's what we're mourning about. It's a part of repentance. So yes, God does bring comfort to us when we, when we lose people and we lose, you know, things happen to us in our lives and we're mourning about them.  

Yes, but it's only part of the story. It's having such a deep awareness of where we are, where we've been, and we mourn about that. Sometimes I mourn about the wasted years, the wasted years of not being in a right relationship with God makes me mourn.  

Because I could have, what I could have done with when I was younger and had more energy and now I'm tired, you know, I'm achy, you know, I mourn about that. But God comforts and what does comfort mean?  

It means our mourning is temporary. Our repentance turns mourning into joy. And we can look forward to the day when God will wipe away every tear from our eyes. That is a promise.  

So if we are mourning, we will be comforted. We will be comforted. We have to let ourselves be comforted by the most high God. Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.  

So meek, meek, what is that? It's mildness, it's gentleness of spirit. It's humble, being a humble servant. It's not, meek is not weak. Because when you think about what it takes to be a meek person, it means you have the right or the power to do something.  

But you refrain from doing it for the benefit of someone else. And you look around in our society, those who are powerful will exercise that power to intimidate, to destroy, because they can. 

But the truly meek in Christ, Christ, think about Christ. He had the power of heaven, but he came down, as Calvin was just saying, in human form and how many times he could have called down the angels to destroy all of Rome to get him down from the cross and he didn’t. 

And he said that even in the Garden of Gethsemane when the soldiers came to take him and uh the disciple cut off the ear of one of the soldiers he says this has to happen do you not think that I couldn't right now ask my Father to send 12 legions of angels. 

But then the scriptures wouldn't be fulfilled, exactly. So inherit the earth. What does that mean? If you look in Revelation, Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth have passed away.  

So all of this that we're seeing, will pass away. But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.  

And remember, I remember Jesus telling his disciples after he had sent them out two by two. To cast out demons perform miracles and they came back and they were so proud and happy. 

Lord we did this and we cast out demons in your name we were able to do this, he said hey don't rejoice in all that rejoice that your name is written in the man's book of life Amen. Your name Mary, Dorothy, Nadia, Calvin, Mother Jones I can't see everybody that's online Monica, Nina, Sarge, your names are written in the book of life.  

So this temporary body that we're in, this temporary life we're going through is nothing compared to what awaits us. What we will inherit because we believe by faith in Christ Jesus and we are children of the most high God.  

I think it's like, we just, we become so used to just saying, yeah, I believe, you know, I'm a child of the king. And it just kind of rolls over our tongue so easily. But if you actually stop to think, it's like your brain can't even contain it.  

My brain can't even contain it how the creator of the universe has my name written in the Lamb's book because I believe and I submit to his will. The creator of the universe, Jesus Christ, who was with the Father from all time, came down in human form to show us the way to be reconciled to his Father. 

We can't even contain, it's beyond us, but all we can do is trust and believe that because we are not, well, we do not defile the heavens, the spirit of God. We do not lie. We're not an abomination.  

We shall inherit the new earth. We shall, we shall, believe it. Then the next thing, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. I mean, can you think about the last time you were so hungry and so thirsty, you would do anything for something to drink or something to eat.  

I mean, we live in the United States. Not many of us get to that state, you know, but just imagine we can kind of imagine when we were really hungry and really thirsty, but the way we hunger and thirst for food and drink.  

Imagine if you felt that way about righteousness, for they shall be filled. Now, what does that mean to hunger and thirst for righteousness? So righteousness is not being a good person.  

As Jesus said to the guy who tried to flatter him, why you call me good? I'm not good. No one is good. Only the Father is good. So I didn't want to tell you, oh, well, I try to be a good person.  

No one's good because God's standard to be just and right is greater than the world's standard. And it's all about righteousness is all about a right relationship with God. True and perfect righteousness is not possible for man to attain on his own. 

Remember the previous page we said no one no one is going getting into the new earth and new heaven defiling it but in our own human flesh we're natural defilers. We are made righteous in the sight of God on account of what Jesus has done. 

And I think that's what people don't understand. Like oh you Christians you think that you're the only ones who will be saved. Like well have you ever been to heaven do you know how to get there? 

Jesus came from heaven. He's the one to tell you how to get there. And throughout the Old Testament, it was a foreshadowing of what would be required for us to be saved. So Jesus doesn't only cover our sins, he totally blots them out from God's memory. 

So when God sees us, he sees the reflection of his son every day, if we allow ourselves, if we allow the Holy Spirit to do the transforming and the healing and it's painful, because who God loves, he chastens, he prunes, he polishes, he bumps, he puts in the fire, he takes out of the fire and it's all good.  

It's all good but we got to go through the process. And don't think that because you're going through the process, you're out of the will of God. Look to Jesus, the ultimate, the ultimate everything he went through because of the will of the Father.  

So how are we filled and here's a scripture. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and go and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  

And you will seek me and find me. When you search for me, how? With all your heart, with all your heart. So this is not just going to church like a dutiful Christian, checking in, checking out, and think you're covered.  

It's important to assemble. Neglect not the assembly of yourselves. It is so important. Yes, but let's not forget that the seeking is with all our hearts. What if I were to tell Calvin, oh, I love you on Sundays, Monday through Saturday I don't know who you are.  

I'm seeking all the time and it's a daily thing. Sometimes it's minute by minute you know, seeking to understand what he needs. And it's hard because sometimes I don't want to think about, you know, what he needs. 

Sometimes it's all about me, you know, but anyway, what God says, you will call upon me, then you will call upon me and go and pray to me and I will listen to you and you will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart.  

So don't stop searching. Don't stop seeking because you will find God alright. We just got a few more. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Now, what does merciful mean? What does that mean? Let's see want to read that? 

Show forgiveness and compassion to others. God being merciful basically means that when we deserve punishment, he doesn't punish us and in fact blesses us instead. Mercy is the withholding of a just condemnation.  

Just as God shows mercy to us, we too must show mercy to others. Let's think about that. It is hard to be merciful to someone who deserves to be whipped. It's hard, it's hard, but that's part of the Christian walk because God showed mercy to us first.  

Read the next thing? Obtain mercy therefore, know that the Lord your God He is God, the faithful God, who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love him and keep his commandments Deuteronomy 7:9. 

For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. Hosea 6:5-7. Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever Psalms 23:6. 

I'm sure we've all heard these scriptures before Jesus even told the Pharisees go and learn what this means for I desire mercy and not sacrifice they didn't understand that so it was 400 years of silence between Malachi and Matthew 400 years of silence. 

And in 400 years the Pharisees yeah they kept the rules, they kept remembrances of what God has said in his word but they got it twisted. They thought that if I follow everything according to the law no matter how my heart feels about it. 

No matter what my motives are about it I'm good and Jesus like no, no, no, no I desire mercy. Don't give me your sacrifices. I don't care how many lambs and bulls and whatever you slaughter. You think that's enough for me? No, I want you to be merciful. Don't give me your offerings, your fake offerings.  

Be merciful to one another okay because God is mercy. And as David said, surely, surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, surely. So when you're feeling like beat up, Calvin and I say this every night, surely, surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.  

Alright, so we just got a few more to go. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. I think I kind of messed up this one okay alright. So what does it mean to be pure in heart?  

It means clean, blameless, unstained by guilt. It means no hypocrisy or hidden motives. When we have pure hearts, we reflect God's goodness. If you don't have a pure heart you can pretend but eventually the mask will slip and people will see that there's no love of Christ in you.  

We all have bad days. We all have bad days. Yes, you know, but the pure in heart reflect God's goodness. So it also says they shall see God. Now, what does it mean to see God? God told Moses, Moses, Moses, Abraham. Oh, Lord, help me. 

I don't know where you are. What are you? Where are you? He said you can't see Moses. Okay because Moses said, I want to see your face. 

You can see me face to face and you die so same God doesn't mean literally see God face to face but it means we have a clear understanding of who he is and we see his work in our lives and scripture says with the pure you will show yourself pure and with. 

And with the devious you will show yourself shrewd and another scripture the statutes of the Lord are right rejoicing their heart the commandment of the Lord is pure enlightening the eyes. 

So all these commandments and are having a pure heart when we walk in that without any ulterior motives. Without doing things just for what we can get out of them because we're doing them because we desire to please God when we do that he opens our eyes 

to so many things. 

As in one of my favorite scriptures no eye has seen nor ear heard, nor has it into is the heart of men the things that God has prepared for those who love him. Lord let us see, let us hear let us be counted among those who see the goodness of the Lord. Who see you and as you see you in everything. 

And in the last example and Pastor Zee says this scripture a lot. Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord or who may stand in his holy place. He who has clean hands and a pure heart who has not lifted up his soul to an idol nor sworn deceitfully. 

He shall receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is Jacob the generation of those who seek him who seek your face they are lift up your heads oh you gates. 

And be lifted up you everlasting doors and the king of glory shall come in who is the king of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, lift up your heads. 

Lift up your hands clean hands and a pure heart. Alright and we are got two more to go blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God. Are you going to read this?  

Peacemakers, worldly peace is temporary, there is no peace says the Lord for the wicked Isaiah 48:22. The source of our peace comes from our restored relationship with God. Peacemakers carry the message of peace between God and those who have repented and become reconciled to God through Christ. 

Let's pause right there, so we hear about all the peace treaties all the peace deals. You name one peace treaty that was established through war in the world and see where it is now, gone with the wind. 

That's not the kind of peace we're talking about we're talking about a peace that recognizes that God we have been reconciled to God through Christ. We are at peace with God and that is a peace that the that the world does not understand. 

Sons and children of God only children of God can bring the peace of knowing God to others. We must have a real relationship with God before we can witness for Christ and help someone else know God. 

Children of God share their faith, serve others in the name of Jesus and our ambassadors for God's peace. So you see people causing ruckus in the church hmm okay blessed are the peace makers, that's not an option. 

Yes, there are times when we must fight and stand for the Lord, but we cannot be causing ruckus in the church. 

We are to be peace makers we are to bring people into a real relationship with God, they need to see that we have a real relationship with God before they can believe how can they believe if they have not seen and have not heard. 

So we're ambassadors brothers and sisters we are ambassadors for God's peace and finally blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake but theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

Living according to God's standard is offensive to the world and we will suffer because of our faith in and witness of Christ. Our righteousness is highly visible and uncompromising even in the face of threats abuse or death. 

The son of man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed and be raised on the third day, then he said to them all if anyone desires to come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 

Oh my Lord do we understand what that means? Do we understand if anyone tells you that the Christian life is an easy life, oh once you know if you're a Christian you're all set you know you're prosperous you got this, you got houses, you got land, you got this, you got that. 

If anyone leaves out this part they have an incomplete understanding of what it means to be a Christian, we cannot get away from this part, if, if anyone desires to come after me to follow Jesus deny himself and take up his cross. 

Once a year, once a month no daily, daily and follow me, so now taking up our cross is going to be different things to different people. I don't know what cross you have to take up every day but you know what it is you know where you're suffering because of righteousness sake. 

I'm not saying suffering because of decisions that we make crazily suffering because you're trying to obey and follow after Jesus that kind of suffering. Jesus says we have to be willing and understand this is going to happen, we will suffer however. 

So, Jesus answered and said assuredly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands for my sake and the gospels who shall not receive hundredfold now in this time. 

Houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands with persecutions and in the age to come eternal life but many who are first will be last and the last first. 

There's our promise yeah we're going to suffer, we gotta take up our cross daily however there are promises for us now as he says something you may have to let go of some people you may have to let go of but God will bring to you a hundredfold. 

Now in this time houses and brothers and sisters our family our kingdom family has expanded beyond our wildest dreams. Think of your kingdom family and he says it's not only for now this time but in the age to come eternal life. 

And that's what we really kind of need to think about in the age to come eternal life, eternal life, this is temporary the conflicts we're going through now over chaos that we're seeing going around us this is temporary. 

We are promised eternal life eternal life and I know it's difficult even think about it we can't even conceive of it, we just gotta keep telling ourselves I have eternal life, I have eternal life with Jesus. 

And so finally as a refresher God blesses the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. The merciful the pure in heart, the peacemakers and those persecuted for righteousness sake. 

This is the beginning of Christ laying out for us the character the expectations and the promises of those who follow him. This is us put your picture right there and you put your picture right there, that's you, that's us. 

Alright so for homework please read Matthew chapters 5 to 7. I'd like you to write down the verses that stand out for you and you know what are some spiritual nuggets you know that you gleaned from those chapters. 

And I'm going to ask you know going to ask you before Calvin is going to lead next week. I'm going to ask for a couple of volunteers to kind of just share some nuggets from Matthews from chapters 5 to 7. 

I'm going to pray, I'm going to pray for you, I'm going to pray for all of us, let's all pray together with me please. Thank you, thank you together with me please. Oh Heavenly Father, Heavenly Father we need you Father Lord we need you now more than ever Heavenly Father. 

Lord we know Satan would like nothing better than to shake our faith in you Heavenly Father. Which is why you call us Heavenly Father to go deeper into your word so that we will not be shaken. 

So that we will understand the times that we were in Heavenly Father but always turn our face to you knowing Lord that you are Lord of all Heavenly Father. 

Satan will not have the last word. Satan will not have the victory we know the enemy has come to steal, kill and destroy but you have raised a banner around which all of your children. 

Even those of us gathered on this call Heavenly Father. We are gathered around your banner Heavenly Father and you have given us the weapon of faith the weapon of your word Heavenly Father. 

The weapon of our coming to you, our unshakable belief Heavenly Father in you as Lord of hosts Heavenly Father. We don't know the wise we don't know the wherefores we don't know why you allow things to happen Heavenly Father. 

But we will not question your grace Heavenly Father. We will not question your goodness. We will pay attention to the signs Heavenly Father as Jesus warned us to do pay attention to the signs so that we may remember whose we are. 

That we may hold the ground Heavenly Father, that we may lift our voices in prayer and in praise Heavenly Father and we thank you Heavenly Father for your protection and your covering over Debbie and the children Heavenly Father. 

We thank you that they were able to arrive home unhurt Heavenly Father and we're lifting up now Heavenly Father this state of Mississippi Lord. Lord you know the land in the South has been so defiled Heavenly Father and you know it is not just the South it is all of the America Heavenly Father. 

You know the unredeemed blood that has been shed, you know the land is crying out Heavenly Father. So we lift our voice Heavenly Father crying out to you Lord that you will push back the enemy Heavenly Father. 

That you will let him know that he does not have the final say that even in this Heavenly Father you will get the glory. Even in this people will come to you and on bended knees knowing that surely without you in their lives Heavenly Father things will become so much worse Heavenly Father. 

Things will become so much worse without you. So, we thank you Heavenly Father that you have assigned us to be your soldiers, you have assigned us to stand guard at the gate you have assigned us to symbol together Lord and raise our faith Heavenly Father. 

And we pray Heavenly Father that you will bring more laborers into the field Heavenly Father, we pray that you will strengthen each and every one of us on this call Heavenly Father. 

Gathered here hungry and thirsting after you. You said in your word if we humble ourselves if we pray, if we seek you we shall surely find you. So, we are seeking you Heavenly Father most earnestly and we are trusting you Lord. 

And we have thank you Heavenly Father that you have not given us the spirit of fear but of power of love and a sound mind Heavenly Father. We thank you that you have planted us where you have planted us to be your ambassadors of peace to raise a standard, to hold ground Heavenly Father for the kingdom. 

To resist the enemy and he will flee, so in Jesus name Heavenly Father I pray that you will give each and every one of us a fresh filling of your Holy Spirit so that we may have a power, we may have the only power Heavenly Father that is needed to push back the enemy. 

To not fear, to not dread but to rejoice, rejoice because you are with us, you are showing us all of this, to show us how as like my dear sister said all hands on deck. Let us not cower let us not be afraid let us not take for granted this mission. 

This responsibility we have to be the last standing to raise your standard to guard your people. To bring your light into the darkness Heavenly Father. Lord I thank you Lord I thank you Lord that you have worked and moved on our hearts to seek you, to stand for you. 

Now I pray Heavenly Father as we disconnect from this call, that you will equip us with all we need Lord that you will give us the strength, the wisdom, the discernment, the power of both the most of all Heavenly Father your peace and your presence. 

Thank you for restoring Debbie and her peace and her mind a strength her faith thank you for covering each and every person here and I pray Heavenly Father that you will bless you will bless you will cover you will protect all gather here and all connected with them. 

We love you Heavenly Father, we will not question you we will not be afraid, we resist the enemy and we pray for Heavenly for our Heavenly Savior Jesus Christ to rebuke the enemy for our sake Heavenly Father. 

Let your name ring forth Heavenly Father that the name of Jesus be raised Heavenly Father so that the name of Jesus every knee shall bow in Heaven on earth under the earth Heavenly Father. 

Every need shall bow in every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and on this we stand, we believe, we love you Lord, we praise you, we give you all glory and honor in Jesus precious name, Amen.