{"id":849,"date":"2023-01-31T14:49:28","date_gmt":"2023-01-31T20:49:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/sensingt\/?p=849"},"modified":"2023-01-31T14:49:28","modified_gmt":"2023-01-31T20:49:28","slug":"the-blessed-life-of-the-kingdom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/sensingt\/2023\/01\/the-blessed-life-of-the-kingdom\/","title":{"rendered":"The Blessed Life of the Kingdom"},"content":{"rendered":"

Focus:<\/strong> God calls us to an honorable and flourishing life.<\/p>\n

Function:<\/strong> To exhort the congregation to embrace a virtuous and blessed life in God.<\/p>\n

Plotline:<\/strong> * The pursuit of happiness is foundational to the American Dream. * Yet people are looking for happiness in all the wrong places. * Even at church, we look for happiness in all the wrong places. * Jesus calls us to a different way of being in the world. * You might not always feel blessed now, but rest assured, God is stretching out strong hands of blessings with a word of power.<\/p>\n

Matt 5:1\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cWhen Jesus\u00a0saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him.\u00a02\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:<\/p>\n

3\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>\u2018Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.<\/p>\n

4\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>\u2018Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.<\/p>\n

5\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>\u2018Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.<\/p>\n

6\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>\u2018Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.<\/p>\n

7\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>\u2018Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.<\/p>\n

8\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>\u2018Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.<\/p>\n

9\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>\u2018Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.<\/p>\n

10\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>\u2018Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness\u2019 sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.<\/p>\n

11\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>\u2018Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely\u00a0on my account.\u00a012\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.\u201d<\/p>\n

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  1. The pursuit of happiness is foundational to the American Dream. To call Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence<\/em> a masterstroke of political theory is to condemn it with faint praise. It has been revered and memorized by generations of Americans and has inspired similar documents around the world. One of its most famous phrases declares that “all men are created equal” and “are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.\u201d Since then, happiness has been taken for granted as a God-given absolute part of the American destiny.<\/li>\n
  2. Yet people are looking for happiness in all the wrong places. What we watch in Hollywood or see on Social Media fools us that our modest dream is not enough. There is something missing. We have the right to pursue happiness \u2014 but instead, people pursue a lifestyle characterized by freedom from responsibilities and encumbrances. The right to pursue happiness is measured by money, possessions, pleasure, comfort, and ease. Millions of dollars are made in profits because merchants capitalize on people’s desire to be happy. The Culture Wars are fought because people fear their happiness is being attacked and their freedoms restricted. They fear their way of life in America will be robbed from them. And they look for happiness in all the wrong places. From the hottest political issue to toothpaste, from the latest health craze to investment strategy, people are seeking fulfillment in life. In our world of affluence \u2014 happiness is still evasive. In our world of the latest technological advancements, happiness eludes us. People look for happiness in all the wrong places.<\/li>\n
  3. Even at church, we look for happiness in all the wrong places. The Christian mother of three came into the preacher’s study in tears. Her story: Raised in the church by Godly parents. Baptized at the age of 12. Taught Bible classes. Took a summer to go on a foreign mission. She went to a fine Christian college. Faithful. Married a Christian man. Family devotionals every night. Involved in the visitation and benevolent programs. “All my life,\u201d she says, \u201cI have done exactly what the church expects of me.” But I am so unhappy. There is a hollow pit in my stomach that is filled only by an aching sadness.”<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n