The End Of Me, Part 2

Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhart challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ. The analogy that he uses.

I can remember when I was preparing this I had one of those rare but wonderful month. Moments like you never done a good meeting Scripture I see something I'm not seen her before and it's this happiness is an outcome. Happiness is an outcome is a process of sowing and reaping. That's what happiness is an outcome. Notice what he says.

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine action that may be compared to advisement. No, you can't wiggle your nose up at the house and is not instant the building joining us today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor will your part Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana going pastor go get her now is once again he shows us how God's word will have a spiritual appetite if you don't have a spiritual appetite will never be spiritually satisfied and if you're never spiritually satisfied will never be happy.

She that's just the way this works. He said you have to have an appetite for this yet the hunger and thirst varies. Maybe the strongest of all human motivations you have to hunger and thirst. He says for righteousness. She just don't absorb it. You don't absorb it, you have to initiate verse seven. Happy are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy with love and mercy. As long as you're receiving it. Member grace is getting what you don't deserve and mercy is not getting what you do deserve to see and only just love that so much as you're okay trooper bends that everyone and said this just a warning, mercy. I just love mercy.

Yeah, the receiving and we love, but that Jesus, in speaking about the receiving end is speaking about the giving end. Happy are the merciful, extended people what they don't desire people who are relationally generous for givers. Happy are those who forgive.

Maybe the most prevailing damaging thing I've seen in believers lives are all these years is a spirit that's unforgiving. It's amazing what it does. It just comes into your life like one little seed, and then just like one cell going bad with cancer begins to metastasize and spread before you know it your old bitter person in your bitterness to find you all, because you would not show mercy polity fusion said we need to forgive as we have been forgiven while every single day God forgives me every single day and what's amazing.

And you know in your own life, he forgives you for the things you do over and over and over and over and over again and we say look, I forgive you once, but not twice. See if that's your attitude you're not happy and you will be you know why you are surrounded by sinners there everywhere. There are people that were hurt and offend you everywhere. He says happy are the merciful God says that so important to me. Notice what he said. He said, but happy are the merciful will receive mercy. You want to be merciful, don't expect a great deal relational mercy from God.

My turn up when you just a little too you learn this lesson.

Then he says in verse eight. Happy are the pure in heart for they shall see God black that was one of the ones that I read that I thought that can't be me. You see, that's what that's about as a hard word when you think yourself pure. You know if you have any conscious all you know one thing you're not. You're not pure. See you know that, but that's not exactly what Jesus means that term pure in heart is an idiom in the language and it means if I was going to say it in a way that we would all understand that he would say happy are the authentic, as opposed to the hypocrites if there's one thing Christ to test its hypocrisy. He just detested you see this idea the pure in heart, kind of an interesting thing here. He warns us about that. By the way he warns us in chapter 6 and verse one he says beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them. Otherwise you have no reward with your fathers in heaven CRE authentic non-hypocritical this hard to tell, especially in this context.

You guys are your absolute spiritual best in lobby when the service ends you like going wonderful people.

You are all wonderful morning are you good to see you. I will not wonderful they are and you get your car and is not as wonderful.

Many get the restaurant back home.

It's not as wonderful.

You go to work tomorrow. It's not as wonderful Lord because that hypocrisy. You see, the idea of being authentic just being real.

Being transparent. Those are the kinds of things he says you really have to watch. It's an amazing thing when you think about it why we hypocritical pride. You see it's our pride. One of the worst things about being a Christian is this I want you to believe a more spiritual and righteous that I am. It's almost like I'm dedicated to that and that is hypocrisy. Turn with me will come back in. But go with me to Luke 18 Luke chapter 18 see this all comes from our pride. Notice verse nine of Luke 18, Luke writes. He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves, and were right and were righteous, and viewed others with contempt. These are but self-righteous people. People who are hypocrites. The poster boy for hypocrite and new Testaments.

The Pharisee so Jesus says this two men went to the temple to pray one of Pharisee and the other tax together. He says the Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself, God, I thank you now that that's a great way to start right gratitude got I think you want to think you got I think you that I am not like other people's wonders unjust, adulterers, and even like this man, the tax collector while she what is he saying he is saying God I thank you for the miracle of me is like to thank you for that I Jesus using hyperbole or sense, but I wonder how many of us do that kind of thing. How much better we are than those people. At least I don't whatever the blankets I'm not like that person knows what he says and how religious he is. He said I fast twice a week I pay ties of all I get. I am a good religious person. I love this but the tax together tax collector, standing at some distance away, was even unwilling to lift his eyes to heaven. What was beating his breast, saying God be merciful to me, the center there is a man poor spirit.

There is a man who has a purity of righteousness. See, just God be merciful to me, I know who I am. Notice what Jesus said, I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other.

For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he will humbles himself will be exalted. See how we see ourselves back to the Beatitudes, pure in heart. Then he says in verse nine. Blessed are the peacemakers called the sons of God, happier people who make peace happier people to go about reconciling people to themselves and other people does not define you at all you peacemaker. Now some people, by the way of peacemakers but that's only because are so passive. In other words that's called passive aggressive and that is what you do whatever you want if you just leave me alone kind of peace that is now in Jesus talking about Jesus, the Prince of peace. Jesus brought the reconciliation of the holy God to sinful people. He's a peacemaker and he said, happier people who make peace. On the other hand, think of how many meet people, so discord how many people that's one of the great dangers of gossip. By the way you so discord and friendly little whisper source Christian student prayer request and you you so this discord among other people and you're happy with yourself, but not really is a blessing to the peacemakers. You see people who make peace. Why, because that's what I am. You see, you keep saying this over and over again. You want to be happy.

Be like me if you want to be happy see happiness the way I see it.

Then he says this in two verses, he says.

Blessed are those are happy are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Happy are you when people insult you and persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Notice how that's not our categories. You never think you getting up I want to be happy today. I hope someone insults me. I hope someone really good criticizes me for being a Christian you see what he is saying them. He is saying this, I am happy to be persecuted for the sake of my king and his kingdom. I'm happy to do that.

Is he so often we care so much about what other people think of us. We don't really care what the Lord who saved us thinks of us and either through apathy or indifference or a plan.

We don't stand for and more than other people like us better boy, that's not the road to happiness. Remember, facing the tension of this when I went to the University of Pittsburgh in the first few times I was in philosophy classes or whether I should during the discussion times let people know that I move morning and an evangelical Christian and I decided to do it and when I did it I thought, oh boy, because it was a professor found that out than he was going to have a lot of fun with me and it started just sort of belittling the whole idea that there is a God that Jesus Christ is God incarnate that again all that kind of thing. But you know what the thing I like best about it was simply this once I did, and how much better I thought about myself instead of just sitting there nodding my head all the time when some atheistic existential guys up front telling me that life stinks and then you die.

Now that's pretty much all he had to say and so to stand for Christ. Maybe it felt good. By the way side. Mark give me opportunities to share the gospel with other students, you know, it's just the way it works. But the idea of it is. Are you willing to do that.

Are you willing, in a sense not be with that crowd, or that group because you believe in Jesus Christ and you stand forum.

You see, Jesus said that's what can make you happy notice.

Then he says rejoice and be glad, that's all. You see it's all about happiness happy happy happy now. Rejoice and be glad. He says, for your reward in heaven is great.

It's just terrific. The idea of happiness.

You'll be happy when you're totally dependent on God will be happy when you mourn sin and its consequences will be happy when your content to be what God intended you to be. You'll be happy when you have a spiritual appetite you're committed to the right thing you'll be happy when you're relationally generous and forgiving and merciful to others. You'll be happy when your authentic and not hypocritical, and you'll be happy when you embrace the ministry of reconciliation peacemaking with other people and you'll be happy when you persecuted for your king and his kingdom. The question comes and if I just couldn't convince myself about my going to be happy. Not right away necessarily want to go to the end of the sermon.

Chapter 7 verse 24.

That's the beginning of the sermon. I was go to the end of the sermon all the things that Jesus says between the Beatitudes and I put them altogether and is basically going to say now I want to tell you how to utilize this in your life.

I want to tell you what's gonna be like in your life and what it's going to require from you. He says therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. There's the analogy that he uses. I can remember when I was preparing this I had one of those rare but wonderful month moments like you've ever done at your meeting Scripture I see something I'm not seen her before and it's this happiness is an outcome. Happiness is an outcome is a process of sowing and reaping. That's what happiness is.

It's an outcome. Notice what he says. Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them may be compared to a wise man who built his house. You know you can't wiggle your nose and put a house on the rock. It's not instant you have the building. That's the analogies building the house building a house is a process you have to build the house, it takes a certain amount of time it takes a certain amount of effort even goes further though, he says. Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them.

I can't tell you how important it is I did I realize at times in my flesh I can be a little cynical.

I get that but I one of the things I have a tendency to say is someone will come up afterwards.

And as Dr. Hensler said glorify the warm that's when they say nice things to me and I and also while that was really a great message of that was really convicting, and again my responses almost always nonverbally. My thought is, and sometimes oh cynical not to say it will see you don't don't save that was great. We'll see, Jesus didn't say you said to Jesus arm out. I gotta tell you something that might be the best someone ever heard Jesus would say will see you then act on these words. Are you act on these words as if you are not to act on while you listen, you don't become spiritually biblically happy because you memorize verses or you go to church.

That's not gonna happen. James knew that he said you had to be a door that were not just to hear, yet you have to act upon them. We all want to happiness.

We just don't want to put in the work we don't want to act upon these things, the action becomes almost everything. Let me put it this way and this is so important for you there's a man, that tub is a unique human being's name is Forrest Fenn he's a multimillionaire from New Mexico in 1988 he was told he had terminal cancer and so subtle leaving his mark.

He thought at that time you going to the wilderness and I but to leave his mark. He thought of something he would like to do. He took and put a treasure chest full of gold coins diamonds and emeralds incredible minor wealth in a buried and hidden somewhere in the Rockies, and anyone let everybody know. By the way, he didn't die of terminal cancer is still alive today is 82 years old. He wrote a poem and that told me put nine clues of how to try to find that treasure, and since then 1988 people what you taking notes for your first now you're saying something I you realize how against the theme of happiness.

That is anyway people looking and his reason for doing it. Is this he said too many people just sit soap and sour. They just sit in a chair and live vicariously through other people. I want people to have a joy for life and adventure in their own lives to do something worthwhile so you you can get this unless you go out and start looking for isn't it ironic that in Matthew 13 Jesus likens the kingdom of God is a treasure hidden in the field.

You see, it's a treasure. He says you gotta go look for you gotta do something. You gotta act upon it. You gotta build the house because if you don't do that you never going to be happy. By the way he gives in this little section. Here, a great test of happiness is the test and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slam against the house, and yet it did not fall for the been founded on the rock and everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish mental built his house on the sand. The rain fell, the floods came the winds blew and slam against the house, and it fell in great was what's the test storms. The biblical happiness, and I'm talking about is storm proof. So it's a kinda happiness you can have when you had the worst week of your life. You see, there might be sorrow, and other might be morning and I we can that's appropriate, you could still be as Jesus said blessed happy. So the question comes down to whether you have a kind of happiness is Jesus talking about or you're pursuing a kinda happiness that you instinctively think you want.

How have you done when the storms of the see how they done how you don't, you have that inner joy, that sense of peace and hope you come all apart and pray that God would just change the circumstances so you can be happy again.

One great lesson for the whole series to me at the end of me. I can find happiness in him.

The spring father. We live in a world that is tremendously motivated to be happy. The problem with that is father that it's not the kind of happiness the last.

It's not the kind of happiness that is real was certainly not the kind of happiness that is described by Jesus Christ. We live in a world where we think that pleasure itself will give us ultimate happiness and it never does. We live in a world father that believes that if we can only get the circumstances do agree with our agenda than we can be happy, but somehow that never really happens. Father I pray that each one of us are challenged by the words of Jesus Christ. Each one of us look at these Beatitudes may say look, I can see that this describes my Lord and Savior. For the most important question is does it describe me, and if it doesn't. Father maybe listen to his words and ask ourselves the question do we act upon this that when ever you say something to us. It's very very clear for your glory and for our good. We not only memorize it or highlighted. We, through the power of your Holy Spirit act. Appointment father when we do we find this wonderfully rich treasure. The treasurer of the kind of happiness you intended. Father we pray for that outcome in each and every one of pastoral government on the radio ministry of fellowship Lord you ever miss one of our broadcasting or maybe you dislike. Listen to the message one more time. Remember, you can Google great website called one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen the fellowship and the word online that website you will find on with today's broadcast but also many of her previous audio program.

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