We'll devote approximately one week to each be attitude up until Palm Sunday.

Approximately because today, which is one of the eight weeks that we would devote to one whole beatitude,

I want to just step back and try to see the cluster of beatitudes as a whole, and ask the question, what is a be attitude? What are these things? Are

they conditions of salvation laid down which we must fulfill in order to inherit eternal life.

Are they celebrations of the work of God in the life of disciples? Could it be both? How do we know? So the first thing I want us to do is open

our lens and take in about five chapters worth. Let's look first at chapter 4

verse 23. Chapter 4 verse 23. It's a summary statement of Jesus earthly ministry. It goes like this.

And he went about all Galilee teaching in their synagogues and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom

and healing every disease and every infirmity among the people. So one way to state a summary

of what Jesus did when he was here on earth is to say that he preached, that is he announced, he heralded the coming of the kingdom.

Behold, the kingdom of heaven is at hand, repent.

Secondly, he teach, he teach, he taught the way of the kingdom he taught the way of the kingdom

what what is the ethic or the way of life one lives when he is gripped by the kingdom

and third he healed he did mighty works to show the

power and the purpose of the kingdom now let's look at chapter 9 verse 35 chapter 9 of Matthew. This is almost verbatim from chapter 4 verse 23.

Jesus went about all the cities and villages teaching in their synagogues and preaching

the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every infirmity.

Now when you see something like that, your ears should perk up and you should say, why did he repeat that? And the first

thing I do when I see something like that is I look in between those two pieces of bread to see what the sandwich is like inside.

And when you look inside the sandwich, what you find are two slices.

You find a slice called chapters 5 to 7 sermon on the mount and a slice called chapters 8 and 9, a cluster of stories about the miracles of Jesus mainly his healings and you say aha

I think I got it.

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