Rank Top - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

• Rank Top 10 New Years resolutions for 2015

1. Lose Weight 2. Getting Organized 3. Spend Less, Save More 4. Enjoy Life to the Fullest 5. Staying Fit and Healthy 6. Learn Something Exciting 7. Quit Smoking 8. Help Others in Their Dreams 9. Fall in Love

• 10. Spend More Time with Family

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Percent of Americans who usually make New Year's Resolutions 45 % 2. Percent of Americans who infrequently make New Year's Resolutions17 % 3. Percent of Americans who absolutely never make New Year's Resolutions 38 % Resolutions 38 % 4. Percent of people who are successful in achieving their resolution 8 % 5. Percent who have infrequent success 49 % 6. Percent who never succeed and fail on their resolution each year 24 % 7. People who explicitly make resolutions are 10 times more likely to attain their goals than people who don't explicitly make resolutions

• 1. Self Improvement or education related

resolutions 47 %

• 2. Weight related resolutions 38 %
• 3. Money related resolutions 34 %
• 3. Money related resolutions 34 %
• 4. Relationship related resolutions 31 %

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• 1. Percent of people in their

twenties who achieve their resolution each year 39 % resolution each year 39 % 2.Percent of people over 50 who achieve their resolution each year 14 %

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1.Resolution maintained through first week 75 % 2.Past two weeks 71 % 2.Past two weeks 71 % 3.Past one month 64 % 4.Past six months 46 %

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• I will not bark each time I see my reflection in the entertainment

center.

• I will not steal shoes belonging to my owners and then dance

all over the house with them.

• I will not chew red crayons or pens, because my master will

think that I am hemorrhaging. think that I am hemorrhaging.

• I will not roll my toys behind and underneath the furniture.
• I must shake the rainwater out of my coat BEFORE I enter the

house.

• I will not bring my bowl of water into the living room to show

everyone how much water is left in my bowl.

• I will quite mistaking people’s hands and feet as chew toys.

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Matthew 5:1?12 (NIV) New International Version

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Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount

• them.”

This sermon was a collection of truths designed to prepare His followers for His kingdom, which involved a lifestyle radically different from the world’s.

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• What does this mean?
• Simply this: “We must be humble in our spirits. If you put the

word “humble” in place of the word “poor,” you will understand what He meant.” what He meant.”

• “In other words, when we come to God, we must realize our
• wn sin and our spiritual emptiness and poverty. We must not

be self?satisfied or proud in our hearts, thinking we don’t really need God. If we are, God cannot bless us. The Bible says, “God

• pposes the proud but gives grace to the humble”

(James 4:6).” (Rev. Billy Graham)

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• What Does This Mean?
• "If you cry, it will get better" is the meaning of this second Beatitude,

says Brittany, age 6. Brittany is right, if you cry for the right reasons, you will indeed get better because God will comfort you. you will indeed get better because God will comfort you.

• In the Bible, usually means "happy." But in the context
• f Matthew 5, most likely indicates "an enviable state.“
• The term means “to experience deep grief.” In keeping with His

theme of spiritual blessedness, Jesus seems to indicate that this mourning is due to grief over sin. The people who agree with God about the evil of their own hearts can attain an "enviable state of blessedness," due to the comfort they receive from communion with the Holy Spirit. $%##&'

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#! We must understand what “meek” means. The Greek word translated “meek” is praeis (PRAYUS) and refers to mildness, gentleness of spirit, or humility. refers to mildness, gentleness of spirit, or humility. Meekness is humility toward God and toward others. It is having the or the to do something but refraining for the benefit of someone else.

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• Understanding the fourth beatitude turns on understanding

what Jesus meant by righteousness In ancient Judaism, righteousness meant “to acquit, vindicate, restore to a right righteousness meant “to acquit, vindicate, restore to a right

• relationship. The righteous are those who maintain right

relationships—with God and with the people around them. On the basis of right relationships, and because of Jesus, those who commit infractions are acquitted of guilt. In other words, if I am a “forgiven person” then I must be a “forgiving person”.

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##! To be merciful is to show forgiveness and compassion to those in need. Jesus frequently spoke of this trait. In the Lord’s Prayer, He says, “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Matthew 6:12). In Matthew 9:13 Jesus forgiven our debtors” (Matthew 6:12). In Matthew 9:13 Jesus instructs the Pharisees, “Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” We are blessed if we are merciful because mercy is something God Himself displays.

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• The Greek word for “pure” in Matthew 5:8 is $,

'. It means to be “clean, blameless, unstained from guilt.” Interestingly, the word can refer specifically to that which is purified by fire or by pruning. The Greek word for “heart” purified by fire or by pruning. The Greek word for “heart” in Matthew 5:8 is $&-'

• This can be applied to the physical heart. But it also refers to

the spiritual center of life. It is where thoughts, desires, sense

• f purpose, will, understanding, and character reside. So, to be

pure in heart means to be blameless in who we actually are.

• The only way we can be truly pure in heart is to give our lives to

Jesus and ask Him to do the cleansing work.

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• The Greek word translated "peacemaker" is used in only one
• ther place in the New Testament, in a slightly different
• form. Colossians 1:20 says, /001
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• Jesus laid down His life to make peace between God and

sinners, and when we can carry that message of peace to

• thers, we are peacemakers.
• Only children of God can bring the peace of knowing God to
• thers. A person must have a real relationship with God before

he or she can help someone else know God.

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• The eighth and final beatitude may strike us as negative. Up to

this point, the beatitudes have focused on humility, meekness, right relationships, mercy, purity of heart, and peacemaking— all positive qualities. But Jesus includes the possibility of all positive qualities. But Jesus includes the possibility of “persecution for righteousness’ sake.” This arises from the previous seven, because the forces that oppose God’s ways still hold great power in the world.

• Even the best organizations and most admirable people are still

tainted by the Fall. None are perfect. The eighth beatitude serves as a reminder to us that working in a fallen world requires courage.

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## # 2 45# ## #! “IN THE FACE of persecution, Jesus' followers have two “IN THE FACE of persecution, Jesus' followers have two reasons to rejoice and be glad. First, they know that God rewards those who suffer for their faith, and that their reward will indeed be great in heaven. L The second reason Jesus' followers can rejoice in tribulation is that they stand in good company: 6## # Jesus says.” 4+ Matthew

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If we were to summarize the Sermon on the Mount in a single sentence, it would be something like this: How to live a life that is like this: How to live a life that is dedicated to and pleasing to God, free from hypocrisy, full of love and grace, full of wisdom and discernment.