Heaven's Heart-Beatitudes

IT’S THE MONTH WE CELEBRATE THE RESURRECTION!
PRAISE THE LORD!

Our theme this month to grow in the stature of Christ is the Heart Beat-itudes. In case you didn’t know, the beatitudes are found in Matthew 5, at the beginning of the sermon on the mount, which is considered the greatest speech of ALL TIME.

Matthew 5:1-11
And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a 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 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.

Jesus Christ shifted the WORLD when He spoke. He moved things from the head, to the heart.

Our spin on the beatitudes HAS to be a pun. Would we be who we are if we didn’t use a pun? God created us with a heartbeat. He created us with a rhythmic instrument that keeps us alive called out heart.

Right now in the world, we have an Epidemic of academia

• “I’m not a biologist”
• ADHD study
- The Replication Crisis
• "Religion is the opiate of the masses", statistically the low iq people are those who follow religion

The world is fulling the words of Festus in Acts 26:24 "Too much study has made you crazy!”

THE HEART is what matters. The HEART is what God looks at. The Kingdom does not come by observation. Paul was the most learned of Men yet he KILLED Christians until he had a change of HEART.

This WEEK: REDEMPTION.

The Joy of a redemption story speaks DIRECTLY to our hearts. Ultimate redemption in the world - Stephen Donald.

What is redemption?
Redemption: “ To buy back”

Boaz & Ruth.

When the Israelites took the land God promised them, it was divided up among the tribes, and then among the members of the tribes. This land was an inheritance that had been given to individual tribes and families, and it was not to be sold permanently.

What God had given a family could be sold for a time, but God gave that family the right to purchase that property back, to redeem it, because it was their family’s inheritance.

God goes on to explain how this should work. If a member of the family “becomes so poor he has to sell part of his property”, then it is incumbent upon the family to go purchase that property back. If the man has no kinsman, but eventually earns enough money to buy back the land, he should do so. If the man never has enough money, the land will still be returned to his family on the year of jubilee.

In the case of Elimelech, Naomi and Ruth, it worked like this:

• Elimelech was a “man of Bethlehem in Judah”. This idea of him being “of Bethlehem” implies that he lived there with his family who had been given land in and around Bethlehem.
• Elimelech and his family left Bethlehem and stayed in Moab due to famine. During this time, Elimelech died and any land he owned would be passed on to his children. Unfortunately, his two sons died as well, leaving the land with Naomi.
• After Naomi and Ruth return to Bethlehem, Naomi knows that there is land that belonged to Elimelech that needed to be redeemed. The land is passed on through males in the family, and it is not hers to keep; the land belongs to the family of Elimelech. This is why Naomi suggests Ruth asks Boaz to be the redeemer. Boaz is a rich relative of Elimelech that had been exceedingly kind to Ruth.
• Boaz, knowing the law, first has to consult the closest living relative to Elimelech. Not only must that relative redeem the land to keep it in the family, but he would also need to marry Ruth so that the legal line of Elimelech could continue to own the land in the future. This is the snag that makes the closest relative pass.
• Boaz is next in line, and he accepts the role of redeemer. He declares, “…I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech, and all that belonged to Chilion and Mahlon. Moreover, I have acquired Ruth the Moabitess, the wido of Mahlon, to be my wife in order to raise up the name of the deceased on his inheritance, so that the name of the deceased will not be cut off from his brothers or from the court of his birth place…”

Our Redemption:

We were given dominion over the world. Adam was the first of us, and through him we were to inherit eternal life and the world. Not only that, but we were supposed to walk in a perfect relationship with God. However, we fell.
Because of the fall, “sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men” (Rom 5:12). We became slaves to sin. We traded our inheritance for the things of the flesh. Instead of enjoying the position of right standing with God, we chose to try to be like Him.
This separation from God because of sin is spiritual death. As long as we have this sin counted against us, we cannot regain our right standing with God, we cannot continue to live, and we cannot enjoy His creation.
Thank God, there is a redeemer!

Romans 5:6-11 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

Galatians 4:4-5
But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

The highest value transaction of all time. Christ’s blood, for the redemption of our souls.

Redeeming the time:

Now that WE are redeemed, We can redeem.

Ephesians 5:15-16 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Colossians 4:5-6 Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.

Redeem People
Redeem Dance
Redeem Music
Redeem the Nations