Ezekiel 18 and Psalm 136. We're going to continue our series on happiness redefine.

Jesus stands up in the midst of a religious and a political culture that is exactly opposite of what he's going to talk about

and announces how to be happy.

And we've said this before.

All of these beatitudes are paradoxical. All of them seem

to be opposite of what we think. But I want to remind you that this is the introduction.

The beatitudes or the introduction to the most successful

sermon ever preached.

And like any good preacher in the introduction, he is setting up his sermon and I want to also remind you that the

beatitudes are about being not about doing and Martin Lloyd Jones made this statement.

Listen to this statement, this is incredible to me.

A Christian is something before he does something.

That's what the Beatitudes are. He is saying, this is who you are if you'll come into

the kingdom. This is who you can become if you'll come into the kingdom so that you can do

these things that you read about in the law.

He goes on from here to say, you have heard it said, you have heard it said talking about the

law.

And yet he takes it even further.

You've heard it said don't murder.

I say don't hate. You've heard it said don't murder I say don't hate you've heard it said don't

commit adultery I say don't lust well let me ask you some questions here how can

you love your enemies unless you're merciful how can you turn the other cheek unless you're meek? How can you

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