Now from the Word of God, I want to show you how you can live the satisfied life! A life of abundant joy and absolute peace!
What some of you are breaking your neck to get, God wants to give it to you! Satisfaction Guaranteed! That’s what Jesus was talking about one day while sitting on top of a mountain! The secret to the satisfied life!
That’s how much God loves you! Not only does He want to save you, He wants to satisfy you! If all you have is conversion without contentment, you’re missing out on God’s best!
And you need to know that what was true for those on that mountain top was also true for those down in the valley! And whether you’re living on the mountain top today or down in the valley, if you’re going to live the satisfied life of abundant joy and absolute peace, you’ve got to start doing things God’s way! And His way is found right here in Matthew chapter 5!
Look if you will with me to Matthew chapter 5. We’re picking up where we left off last Sunday morning as we learn the secret to the satisfied life!
Now I want you to notice that nine times in the first eleven verses Jesus says ”Blessed.” Now, what does that mean? Well, the word translated ”blessed” comes from a Greek word that means ”great joy, lasting satisfaction, to be filled with joy, complete satisfaction.”
That’s what Jesus is explaining! How to live a life of great joy! How to live a life of complete satisfaction!
Now, if you’re life is lacking satisfaction and joy, I want to show you from God’s Word how you can live the satisfied life! I’m talking to some teenagers today and you’re life is empty! You’ve tried drugs and alcohol and sex trying to experience acceptance and satisfaction and it’s left you feeling guilty and empty! And oh, how you long to live the satisfied life!!
Well, I’ve got some wonderful news for you! Satisfaction is guaranteed when you do things His way! You ask, ”What is His way?” His way begins in Matthew 5.3, ”Blessed are the poor in Spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Do you know what it is to be ”poor in spirit?” It’s realizing that you don’t deserve forgiveness from a holy God! And when you reach that point, when you realize the devastation that your sin has brought into your life that causes you to mourn and grieve.
Verse 4, ”Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” And that word translated ”mourn” was used in that day to describe the grief and sorrow over the death of a loved one!
No wonder you’re miserable! No wonder your life lacks satisfaction! You haven’t shed any tears over your sin! You haven’t mourned over your sin!
That’s the way to living the satisfied life! First you realize that you don’t deserve forgiveness from a holy God. That realization causes you to mourn and sorrow over you sin!
Look what happens next! Verse 5, ”Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Who are the meek? Those who have surrendered to God! It’s placing your strengths under His control! It’s the opposite of pride! And do you know what happens next? Verse 6, ”Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.”
Do you know why most people are not living the satisfied life? The same reason their not living the joyful life! They don’t want to be righteous! They don’t want to get right with God!
Friend, until you decide to get right with God, you can forget about having abundant joy and absolute peace! Until you decide to get right with God, you’ll never live a life of joy!
Now I want you to see what happens after you get right with God! Look at verse 7, ”Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” Do you know why you can’t get along with people? Because you’re not getting along with God! The way to get along with people is by getting along with God!
Listen, when you get right with God ..you’ll get right with your fellowman! Are you holding a grudge? Are you refusing to forgive? You say, ”I can’t forgive.” No, you won’t forgive!
Who do you think you are that you won’t forgive? If Jesus Christ who is fully God and fully man can forgive you of all your sin, who are you not to forgive a brother? ”Blessed are the merciful!” Anything you do that benefits somebody in need is being merciful!
If you want to live unfilled then you be a taker! If you want to live fulfilled then you be a giver! But you will not be satisfied and selfish at the same time!
Now look please to verse 8, ”Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” So, what does it mean to be ”pure in heart?”
Do you see the word ”pure?” (katharos) It’s where we get the English word catheter or catheterize. It means to cleanse from filth, to remove impurities. They would use that word to describe the process of refining metals until all the impurities were removed leaving a pure metal.
So the basic meaning of this word is to make pure by removing dirt and contamination. It’s also used in the field of counseling. The word ”catharsis” (ka thar sis) describes the process of cleansing your mind or emotions.
That’s what the word translated ”pure” means. But what does Jesus mean here when He says, ”Blessed are the pure in heart?” Well, the word translated ”heart” is where we get the English word ”cardiac” or ”cardiology.” It’s used in the Bible to describe our motives and emotions. It describes our thinking process.
Proverbs 23.7, ”For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” You see, the heart is the control center of your mind and emotions! And when Jesus says, ”Blessed are the pure in heart”, He’s saying, ”don’t have a divided allegiance!”
Do you know why so many people today are miserable? They don’t have enough courage to serve the Devil and not enough grace to serve God! Their half in and half out! Their miserable when they come to worship and their miserable when they drink their beer watching the Super Bowl! Their half in and half out!
If God be God, then serve Him! Get in! Your divided allegiance is robbing you of the satisfied life!
You say, ”Pastor, I want to be pure in heart, I’m tired of being half in and half out. What do I do now? How does it happen in my life? What’s involved in the process of cleaning up my mind and motives and emotions?”
All right. That’s a fair question and I want to give you a firm answer for your fair question. Do you have your Bible in front of you? Now, you have it opened to Matthew 5. Go to the right until you find the book of John. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and then comes John.
Once you find the book of John, turn to chapter 15. And once you find chapter 15 look down to verse 3, ”You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.” Do you see the word ”clean?” That’s the same word Jesus used back in Matthew 5.8, ”Blessed are the pure in heart.”
Now let me ask you a question about John 15.3. How did they become clean? How did they get a pure heart? By the word!!! By the word!! What word? The word of God!! And what is the word of God? It’s that word in your hand! The problem is, it’s not getting in your head! And if it’s not getting into your head, it’s not getting into your heart!
No wonder your heart is impure!! You’re not getting into the word! ”You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.”
You’ll never have a pure heart without the Word of God! You take God’s Word and start reading it. Set a time each day for Bible readings and prayer! Be transformed by the renewing of your mind! Put the Word of God in your mind and throw out the trash! That’s the way to have an undivided allegiance! That’s they way to live the satisfied life!
All right. Keep reading. Matthew 5.9, ”Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” Now what does it mean to be a ”peacemaker?” Does that mean we’re to make peace at any price? Does that speak of the absence of war? What is peace?
Peace is having a right relationship with God! Romans 5.1, ”Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” The only way you can have a right relationship with God is to have peace with God. And the only way you can have peace with God is through Jesus Christ!
You say, ”That is sure narrow minded!” You better believe it is! Truth is narrow minded! 2+2=4 and not 6! ”That sure is narrow minded,” somebody says! Sure it is because it’s truth! And the truth is you’ll never have peace until you get right with God. And the way to get right with God is through Jesus Christ!
All right. Now follow me. Peace is a right relationship with God. That leads to a right relationship with your self which guides you in a right relationship with others! That’s what peace is! Peace is the result of righteousness, of being right with God!
Now, some of you are struggling about being right with God and I want you to remember something. And the only way you’re going to remember it is if you write it down. Here’s what I want you to remember: There is no peace without purity!
Psalm 85.10, ”Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” There’s a love affair between righteousness and peace!! You can not separate peace from purity! First comes purity: ”Blessed are the pure in heart.” Then comes peace: ”Blessed are the peacemakers.”
James 3.17, ”But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable.” Do you see it? First pure, then peaceable!
The peacemaker is one who first makes peace with God and then helps others to make peace with God and by making peace with God they can make peace with their fellowman!
Soul winners are peacemakers! That’s why we’re having a Reasons for Believing Crusade in March, because we’re peacemakers! Because we have peace with God we want others to have peace with God and by having peace with God, they can have peace with themselves! And once they have peace with themselves . .they can have peace with their fellow man! You’ll never no peace without the prince of peace. There’s no peace without purity!
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