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Kingdom People - Part 2 — 10/16/2024 10:00 AM
Dr. Trevin Wax continues his 2-day series on the Beatitudes, and states that they give guidance for how we can be recognized as citizens of God's Kingdom. His text is Matthew 5:1-12. Dr. Wax serves as Vice President of Research and Resource Development at the North American Mission Board.
Notes
Trevin Wax, Vice President of Research and Resource Devlopment for NAMB, led the chapel through Matthew 5:1–12, focusing on how we can live more like Jesus. He reminded the chapel of two important points:
1. Jesus is deliberately turning the world upside down for God’s Kingdom.
Jesus has stepped into this broken, fallen, and sinful world and messed with the gears. He oriented our broken lives into a new future.
2. The beatitudes are like a portrait. God is painting these brush strokes of the beatitudes into a glorious picture of His people. Sin has disfigured us, but Jesus came to wash away our sins and restore the painting. The Lord is painting your story right now.
Following these reminders, Wax presented his outline and went through each of the last four beatitudes:
- The Merciful
- The Pure in Heart
- The Peacemakers
- The Persecuted
Mercy
Sacrifice without mercy is meaningless. All God desires is mercy. Mercy is crucial because it gets to the heart of how we see God, not ourselves. God treats us with so much care, gentleness, and patience. We are to treat others the way God treats us. Some questions to ask yourself are: What has God done for you? How would you want God to treat you when it’s time for you to stand before Him? You wouldn't want the Lord to deal harshly with you and turn you away. So why would you treat other people that way?
The Pure in Heart
A pure heart is about our moral purity and our outlook on life. Sin warps our understanding and blurs the lines between right and wrong. Think about the way you conduct yourself and treat others. If you do something nice for someone else with an ulterior motive, you’ll question other’s motives whenever someone does something nice for you. Having a pure heart also refers to single-mindedness. The pure in heart will see God. We need to renew our minds and get rid of the clutter. Cry out with the psalmist to unite your heart to do the Lord’s will.
The Peacemakers
We know that peacemakers will be called sons of God. But what even is peace? Peace is the absence of strife, yet the Bible talks about peace more holistically. Peace is something that can break out and spread. Peace spread rapidly through Jesus, our King and the absolute Peacemaker. He made peace between us and God. He also made peace when He calmed the storms, healed the sick, cast out demons, multiplied the loaves of bread and fish, and more. As His children, God calls us to be peacemakers just like Jesus.
The Persecuted
Jesus came to turn everything upside down, but not everyone wants change. Many people lashed out and persecuted Jesus for changing their way of life. People are going to treat you with the same hostility, but God says to rejoice anyway. He blesses you and everyone who is persecuted for His name, because you will have a great reward in heaven.
Some questions to ask yourself in reflection are:
- How much do you want to look like Jesus?
- How much do you want your life to reflect Him?
- Are you willing to sacrifice your life to live out these characteristics?