where I'm from. That's what I would expect from Lancaster County. So let's try this again. Good evening! It's a little bit better. A little bit better. Well, as Jim said, my name is Ben Wenger. I'm from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, with Piercing Word. In Piercing Word, our mission is to ignite passion for the Word of God in the heart of the church. And we do that by presenting Scripture in dramatic and musical presentations, word for word, from the ESV Bible. So, as Jim said, quite literally, the scripture is our script. Now, Piercing Word is a full-time, non-profit ministry based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, supported solely by the generosity of individuals and churches who believe in the ministry. Now, we don't just memorize scripture. But we challenge everyone everywhere we go to memorize scripture for themselves So I know that some of you are probably already memorizing scripture and that blesses me Immensely and I'm going to offer you a new challenge today and that is to take the psalm of your age challenge So it's pretty simple Open up the psalms find the psalm that corresponds to your age. And do we have anyone here? Who's 119? No, okay, so I think we're all in the clear but memorize and I just challenge you to Devote to memorizing that psalm this year and the great thing about this challenge is every year it renews So this is me challenging you to memorize the psalm of your age now also, I'd like to tell you guys about our growing internship program called ignite and This, our Piercing Words Internship Program is a next step for high school or college graduates or for college students who are looking for a summer internship opportunity. Ignite participating interns will have the opportunity to learn professional skills spiritual theatrical and Professional skills and then they will be sent out to perform scripture in many different places Interns can either choose a performance track or a production track and all interns will be challenged to go deeper with Christ through small group Bible studies scripture memorization and High-impact workshops and master classes so let us know if you or someone you know would be interested in taking part of this opportunity to spend a summer or a year with piercing word as an intern and Now it is my privilege to introduce to you sermon on the mount This is Jesus most famous sermon and it is recorded in the gospel of Matthew chapters 5 through 7 in this sermon Jesus is calling us to reconsider who God is and what He desires for His people. We learn that God is our Father and He sees and cares about the heart, not just external religion and righteousness. So let's enter into this experience together as we listen to and meditate on the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. Seeing the crowds, He went up onto the mountain. And when He sat down, His disciples came to Him, and 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 theirs is the kingdom, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive 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 others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven. For so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. You are the salt of the earth, But if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden, nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota Not a dot will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For truly, I say to you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, You will never enter the kingdom of heaven. You have heard that it was said to those of old, you shall not murder. And whoever murders will be liable to judgment. But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment. Whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council. And whoever says, you fool, will be liable to the hell of fire. So, if you were offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you were going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge the guard, and you be put in prison. Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny. You have heard that it was said, you shall not commit adultery. But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell. It was also said, whoever divorces his wife, let him give to her. But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife makes her commit adultery. And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. Again, you have heard that it was said to those of old, you shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn. But I say to you, do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God. Or by the earth, for it is His footstool. Or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply yes or no. Anything more than this comes from evil. Again, you have heard that it was said, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the left cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go with him one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you. and do not refuse the One who would borrow from you. Again, you have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For He makes His Son rise on the evil and on the good. and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You, therefore, must be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect. Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Thus, when you give to the needy, Sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the street corners, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received the reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret, and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and in the street corners that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room, shut the door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases like the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them. Your Heavenly Father knows what you need before you ask. Pray then like this. Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. And when you fast, do not look gloomy. Like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting might be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face that your fasting may not be seen by others, but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body. your eye is healthy, your body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness! No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. Therefore, I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air. They neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet, Your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you, by being anxious, can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They neither toil nor spin. And yet I tell you, even Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore, do not be anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or what shall we drink, or what shall we wear? For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your Heavenly Father knows, knows that you need them all. But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Judge not that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce, you will be judged. And with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye when there is a log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, Let me take the speck out of your eye, when there is a log in your own eye. You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. Do not give to dogs what is holy. Do not throw pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot, then turn to attack you. Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. And the one who seeks, finds. And to the one who knocks, it will be opened. Or which one of you? If his son asks him for a loaf of bread, we'll give him a stone. Or if he asks for a fish, we'll give him a serpent. If you then, who are evil, know how to give good things to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him? So, Whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them. For this is the Law and the Prophets. Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction. And those who enter by it are many For the gate is narrow, and the way is hard that leads to life. And those who find it are few. Beware of the false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits are grapes gathered from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles, So every healthy tree bears good fruit, but a diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the oven. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven. But the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven, on that day many will come to me saying, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and cast out demons in your name and do many mighty works in Your name, then will I declare to them, I never knew you. Depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness. Every one then who hears these words of Mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock, and the rains fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall. It did not fall because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rains fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, and it fell. And great was the fall of it. When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were astonished at His teaching. For He was teaching them as one who had authority and not as their scribes. Now I would remind you, brothers, of the Gospel. That Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures. That He was buried. That He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve. For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. Whoever believes is not condemned, But whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning His Son. And this is the testimony that God gave us eternal life. And this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life, but whoever does not have the Son does not have life. Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this, that one has died for all. Therefore, all have died, and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves. but for Him who for their sakes died and was raised. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come. All this is from God who through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ. Making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ Be reconciled to God He made him to be sin who knew no sin So that in him we might become the righteousness of God For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God but God shows his love for us in that while our We were still sinners. Christ died for us. For the wages of sin is death. But the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. It is a gift of God, not a result of works so that no one may boast. Because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart, one believes and is justified. And with the mouth, one confesses and is saved. For all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved. Praise God. Thanks so much, Ben, and praise the Lord for his word, and getting to hear it like that is a wonderful thing. I wonder if any Psalm 119 thoughts came into your minds as you heard those words of Jesus. Psalm 119 begins with what word? Well, I'll preach that sermon again. Blessed. And then he says it again, blessed. And Jesus' teaching impressed the people because he taught on what it meant to be blessed in a way that was with authority. And I wonder if, just briefly, so as not to preach a second sermon, you'd walk with me through those Beatitudes And remember that Psalm 119 starts out with the thought, blessed are the undefiled in the way who walk in the law of the Lord. And Jesus tells us that he did not come to destroy the law or the prophets, but to what? To fulfill. And that our righteousness is a righteousness that he gives us, but it's a righteousness that exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees. I hope you noticed over and over again in the Sermon on the Mount. that phrase that tells us the context of that relationship, and that is the phrase, Your Father. Twelve times in the Sermon on the Mount, the phrase Your Father or Your Heavenly Father tells us that this is the behavior of those who follow Christ and have God as their Father, who are children of God. Twelve times, Your Father, Your Father, Your Father. And so rather than offering us some way of working our way to heaven, the Sermon on the Mount tells us the behavior of the children of God. You know, when we defined what it means to walk in the law of the Lord from Psalm 119.1, we focused on the word that's translated undefiled. Blessed are the undefiled in the way who walk in the law of the Lord. And we said that that word, tamim, is a word that's translated perfect, pure, undefiled, complete. And in the New Testament, it's replaced by a word that also carries the idea of maturity and that in which nothing is lacking. And so Psalm 119 says, blessed are the undefiled in the way who walk in this kind of a pathway. And Jesus comes as the authoritative teacher to tell us what that pathway looks like. And he gives us eight definitions of what it means to walk in that pathway. We know those as the Beatitudes. And it's interesting, if you think about the concept of purity, usually we define purity or being undefiled in the negative. That is, something that is pure has no impurity. Something that is blameless and perfect has no imperfection. And if you think about the Beatitudes that Jesus articulated, the blessings that he pronounced, they all can be defined by something that they lack, something that is missing. Let's take the first one and we'll go back to the Sermon on the Mount and stay there for just a few more moments. Blessed are the poor in spirit. What is Jesus blessing? What is he putting his official, his lordship, is putting his seal of approval on people who lack something? When someone's poor in money, they lack financial means. When you're poor in spirit, what you are lacking is self-sufficiency. What you're lacking when you're poor in spirit is this attitude that says, I'm good enough, I don't need God. What you have when you're poor in spirit is the attitude that John 15 says, for without me, you can do how much? Half as much? Quarter? One-eighth? No, without me you can do nothing. And those who are poor in spirit lack that self-sufficient attitude. And so Jesus puts his blessing on those people who know their need, who find themselves dependent on the Lord. What is somebody who is mourning lacking? Somebody who mourns, someone who grieves, someone who weeps. I'll tell you, someone who mourns in the way that the Bible blesses lacks calluses. You know what a callus is? That's that part of your skin that doesn't feel anymore because it's been bruised so much or roughed up so much that you're no longer feeling things. But actually, Psalm 119 says later on in the Psalm, rivers of water run from my eyes because men don't keep your law. A person who mourns lacks the ability to act like everything is okay when it's not. I was recently with someone who apologized to me because he had cried and was telling me that he was sorry that he had cried so much during a given time. And I thought to myself, you know, there are many things that deserve to be cried about, many things that deserve to be mourned. And Jesus puts his blessing on the person who lacks the ability to act like everything is okay when it's not. What's the third blessing that Jesus gives? Jesus said, blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are those who mourn, and blessed are the, what's the third one? The meek. And this word is translated gentle. You know, those who walk in the law of the Lord sometimes have the reputation of being the loudest person in the room or perhaps even proud of their of their righteousness. And there's a biblical phrase that sometimes gets applied to us if we have that kind of an attitude. It's an attitude that's called a holier than thou attitude. And Jesus surprises us by saying, blessed are the meek. First Peter 315 says, But set apart Jesus as Lord in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense for the hope that is in you, and people usually stop the verse right there, and the rest of the verse says, with meekness and fear. James 3.17 says, the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable. What's the next quality? gentle and willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruit. And so Jesus tells us, blessed are the meek, blessed are the gentle, because they lack the selfish attitude that takes no thought for the feelings of others or is so full of itself that it's rough with others. It's domineering. It's arrogant. And someone who is meek, someone who is gentle, has a very different attitude from the know-it-alls of the world. Blessed are the poor in spirit. Blessed are those who mourn. Blessed are the meek. What's the fourth one? Blessed are those who what? Hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. What do people who are hungry lack? Food. Okay, that's an easy one. People who are hungry lack food, but those who hunger and thirst for righteousness lack the righteousness that they know that God gives. You know, the New Testament does not set out to replace the 613 laws of the Old Testament with new laws. Rather, it shows us the heart of the law. Jesus tells you, I've not come to destroy but to fulfill, to tell you what the law was really about. Romans chapter 8 says that the righteous requirement of the law, what does that mean? What the law was always after might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. God gives us His righteousness. He became sin for us, as Ben quoted, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. Those who hunger know that they lack that. The next beatitude, Jesus says, Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. You know what someone who is merciful lacks? Someone who is merciful lacks a grievance. Because so often when we fail to show mercy to others is because we have this attitude that, you know what, I need to give a little payback here. I need to take some vengeance. I need to take this out of his hide or I need to retaliate. And yet the Bible tells us there is a different way. It's been noted by scholars that the early Christians didn't out-think, out-muscle, out-fight, or out-finance the Roman world. They out-loved the Roman world because they would reach out to elements of the population that no one else would reach out to. And the Christian ethic had an ethic of love that the Roman gods and the Roman religions had no answer for. So Jesus says, blessed are the merciful. What's the next one? Matthew 5.8 says, Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me, Psalm 51 says. And those who are pure lack compromise with the world. You know, we're told over and over again to just kind of get used to what the world dishes out. But the pure in heart lack that compromise that keeps us from seeing God. Hebrews chapter 14 says, pursue peace, or Hebrews chapter 12 verse 14 says, pursue peace with all men and holiness without which no one will see the Lord. And lastly, Jesus puts his blessing on those who are persecuted. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile you 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. When Jesus puts his blessing on the persecuted, he blesses those who are willing to suffer persecution. As 2 Timothy 3 says, yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. And so when Psalm 119 says, blessed are the undefiled in the way, blessed are the perfect in the way who walk in the law of the Lord, Jesus comes in the Sermon on the Mount and tells us what that blessed life looks like. He gives us these eight signposts, these eight mile markers to tell us what that blessed life looks like. And he says, you shall be perfect. You shall be blameless, which is what Psalm 119 blesses, just as your father in heaven is perfect. It is a life that has the qualities, the character that Jesus himself had and the life that he wants us to mature, to grow up into, to look and act and be like our father in heaven. And he tells us that's the blessed life. That's the life. that Jesus died to give us. Let's pray together. Heavenly Father, thank You for this light on our path, and I pray that we would take it to heart. Thank You, Lord, for Ben sharing it with us. And Father, I pray that we would think deeply this week about how Your Word illuminates Your Word. Thank You for how the Sermon on the Mount helps us understand what Psalm 119 says and vice versa. And so, Lord, this week, help us to walk in the law of the Lord. Help us to walk in these qualities of being poor in spirit and mourning and meek and hungering and thirsting for righteousness and being gentle and being merciful and being pure in heart and being willing, if necessary, to be persecuted for righteousness sake. Father, we ask that you would sanctify these things to our good. We pray that you'd minister to Pastor Drake and Barb and their family where they are. And Father, we lift up our other needs to you as well. We are poor in spirit, Lord. We need you to fill us with your spirit if we are to show any of these signs of the family likeness of your son. Father, thank you that you do make all things work together for good to those who love you, to those who are the called according to your purpose. And we pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen.