Dr. Robert Jeffress

Robert Jeffress - The Crux of Christianity (Part 1)

January 29, 2026 | 27:29

Pathway to Victory offers a practical application of God’s Word to everyday life through the clear, biblical teaching of Pastor Jeffress.

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Dr. Robert Jeffress | Robert Jeffress - The Crux of Christianity (Part 1) | January 29, 2026

♪ music ♪
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From the pulpit of the
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First baptist church of dallas, texas,
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This is "pathway to victory" with dr. robert jeffress.
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Hi, i am robert jeffress.
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And welcome again to "pathway to victory."
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In his famous sermon on the mount,
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Jesus delivered a groundbreaking message based on a sequence
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Of paradoxes.
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"blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs
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Is the kingdom of heaven.
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Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth."
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It sounds completely backwards, doesn't it?
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Well, maybe from our point of view,
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But when you view things from jesus' perspective,
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These statements start to make a lot more sense.
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My message is titled the crux of christianity
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On today's edition of "pathway to victory."
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♪ music ♪
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Each day millions of lost people
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Are searching for hope and truth,
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Through "pathway to victory"
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God's word is reaching into homes across america
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And around the world, but there are still so many
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Who haven't heard the saving message of jesus christ.
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You can help change that by becoming a pathway partner.
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With the life-changing power of the cross.
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♪ music ♪
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Chuck swindoll tells a great story about a couple
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That lived in new orleans.
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The husband loved his wife desperately,
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But he hated his wife's cat.
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(group laughing)
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Some of you can relate.
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Every night he'd come home from work
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And that cat would curl itself around his leg.
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The cat would jump up in his lap while he was trying
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To eat dinner.
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At night the cat would insist on sleeping
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At the end of the bed.
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One weekend his wife had to leave town for a few days
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To go visit her mother
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And the husband thought this was his big chance.
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So while his wife was gone, he took a burlap sack, loaded it
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With rocks, put the cat in there, went down
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To the mississippi river and threw the cat
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And bag into the mississippi river.
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He knew his problem was over.
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Comes back home sunday night.
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His wife returns from visiting her mother,
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And of course the first thing she wanted
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To know was where was her cat?
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He said, well, i guess the cat ran away.
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She burst into tears.
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And so trying to console his wife, he said, look,
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"i'll try to retrieve your cat for you."
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And so the next day he put an ad in the newspaper,
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$500 reward for missing cat,
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And he put his phone number in there.
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Of course, there was no response.
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That night, his wife again began to sob uncontrollably.
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And so he said, well,
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Let me put another ad in the newspaper.
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So the next day he took out an ad, $1,000 for missing cat
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And put his telephone number.
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Later in the day, a coworker said,
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"hey, i saw that ad in the newspaper for the missing cat,
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And i recognize your phone number.
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That sure is a lot of money to offer for a cat."
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The husband smiled and said, "when you know what i know
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You can afford to be generous."
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(group laughing)
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Some of you can't get past the cat in the river,
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I know that.
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(group laughing)
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But just try for a moment, okay?
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You know, jesus said something very similar
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In luke chapter 6, not about cats,
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But the message of luke chapter 6 is very clear.
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When you know what jesus knows,
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You can afford to be generous in your attitude
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Toward difficult circumstances and difficult people.
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And that's the theme of the message
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We're going to look at today.
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If you have your bibles turn to luke chapter 6.
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We've come in our study of luke to some
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Of jesus' most familiar words.
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We call them the sermon on the mount,
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And there's some of jesus' most familiar teachings,
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But also some of his most misunderstood words.
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He talks about love your enemies, turn the other cheek.
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If somebody asks you for your coat,
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Not only give them your coat but your shirt as well.
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And a lot of people realize these words seem
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Impossible to keep.
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How in the world can they apply in a world like ours today?
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And so i've noticed throughout the ages,
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People have gone to one of two extremes when it comes
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To these words that we call the sermon on the mount.
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Some people say, this is a list of requirements of
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What you must do to go to heaven when you die.
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Now, if that's true, if jesus was giving us a list
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Of impossible requirements to keep,
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Then jesus was no better than the pharisees.
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Remember what he said about the pharisees?
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They tie up heavy loads on the backs of men so
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That they cannot enter into the kingdom of god.
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The pharisees had all of these do's
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And don'ts that made it impossible for anybody to keep.
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So jesus is no better than if he gives us this list
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And says, this is how you go to heaven.
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I don't think that's what this is,
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But other people go to the opposite extreme.
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In fact, it's the extreme that most evangelicals go to
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And that is saying that these words have no application
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For our world today.
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In fact, i attended a seminary,
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One seminary that taught that.
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Well-known professor used
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To say about the sermon on the amount
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That this has no application for today.
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This is the constitution for the millennial kingdom,
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And this is the way we're all going
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To act when we get into the millennium,
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But we can't do that today.
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Is that what jesus is saying?
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As i read these words, there's nothing to suggest
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That this is for some future generation.
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Jesus is talking about how we are to act as christians.
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And yes, it's difficult.
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If you believe this world is all that there is,
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These commands are impossible to keep.
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There's no motivation for keeping them
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If this is all that there is.
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But remember the theme,
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When you know what jesus knows about the future,
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You can be generous in your attitude toward
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Difficult circumstances and difficult people.
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Now, before we get into the summary
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Of the sermon on the mount, let's first of all,
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Look at the setting for this sermon,
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That's key to understanding what jesus is saying.
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Look at luke 6:12.
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"and it was at this time that jesus went off to the mountain
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To pray and he spent the whole night in prayer to god."
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It was at this time that jesus prayed all night.
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Now, of course, the question is
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What time are you talking about?
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Well, the answers in the preceding verse, verse 11,
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"but they themselves were filled with rage
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And discussed together what they might do to jesus."
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The pharisees had been enraged by jesus,
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What he was teaching.
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They decided we've got to get rid of this guy.
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And so they were plotting to kill jesus.
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Jesus is now aware that his time on earth is very,
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Very limited, and at this time he goes off
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To pray all night.
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By the way, have you come to grips with the fact
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That your time on earth is limited?
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Have you come to grips with the fact that you are going
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To die and it's going to come sooner
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Than you can possibly expect?
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All of us are going to die, every one of us,
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And the inevitability of death produces
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One of two reactions.
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One reaction, the most common reaction is
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Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die.
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If this life is all there is,
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Grab all the gusto you can get, have all the pleasure,
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The recognition, pile up all the money you can
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Because one day you're going to die.
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That's one reaction.
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The other reaction, the one that lasts
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Beyond your death is to decide
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To invest your life in something that will outlast it.
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You know, the bible says there are only two things
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That are going to last for eternity.
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People, everybody's going to live forever, some in heaven,
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Some in hell, but people are eternal
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And god's word is eternal.
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"thy word is settled in heaven forever."
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And if you want to have a life that continues
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After you die,
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You're going to spend your life investing god's word
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In the lives of other people.
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And that's what jesus decided to do.
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He decided to instill his teaching in other people.
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And by the way, that's what discipleship is all about.
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Discipleship is spending your limited time on earth helping
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Other people be faithful followers of jesus christ
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By instilling his word in them.
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Remember what paul said to timothy,
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Paul knew his life was limited.
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And so he said to his young protege in 2 timothy 2:2,
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"and the things which you have heard from me in
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The presence of many witnesses, these entrust
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To faithful men who will be able to teach others also."
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Paul knew that the continuation
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Of christianity depended upon him having someone
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To carry on his teaching after he died.
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My friend, bill spears, who is a member of our church,
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Has a great saying, i repeat it all the time.
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"success without succession is failure."
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A wise ceo is one
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Who realizes his time in the seat is limited.
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He better prepare for somebody who's going to succeed him.
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And that's true for us who are christians.
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You know, dr. crystal.....used to say all the time,
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I remember him saying this all the time,
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"every civilization is only one generation away
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From paganism."
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Every civilization, only one generation away from paganism.
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If we fail to pass on the christian truth
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To the next generation, we become a pagan people.
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And that's what discipleship is.
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It is investing our lives
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And instilling god's word in the lives of other people.
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Of course, for those of us who are parents,
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Our most important discipleship project is our own children.
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To teach our children to follow god and to imitate christ.
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But our children aren't our only discipleship project.
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We need to be entrusting our faith to other men
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And women who will carry on the faith.
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Jesus knew his time was limited.
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He didn't have any natural children,
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But he decided to pass along his faith to 12 men
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Who would be entrusted with the christian faith
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To spread it throughout the world.
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And so he needed guidance from his heavenly father,
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Which 12 men should i choose?
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And so he goes and has an all night prayer meeting
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For god's wisdom in making the right choice.
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Now, i could get real sanctimonious here if i wanted to,
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And i could say, what is it you're so concerned about
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That you've ever stayed up all night and prayed about?
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I could do that if i wanted to, but i'd be a hypocrite
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Because the fact is i have never purposefully stayed up
00:11:28.010 --> 00:11:32.715
All night to pray about something.
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Now, i have had times when i couldn't go to sleep at night
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And what i was so concerned about something
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That i would pray and then i would drift off to sleep
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For a little bit and then i would wake up
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And start praying about it again and drift off to sleep.
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Many of us have had that experience,
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But honestly, i've not stayed up all night
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Purposefully to pray.
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So i'm not going to ask you that question.
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Here's the question i am going to ask you.
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What are you so concerned about in your life right now
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That you would devote just five minutes a day to pray for?
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Is there anything in your life, your children, your work,
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The health concern of a friend or yourself?
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Anything that you're willing
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To spend five uninterrupted minutes a day praying for?
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Jesus knew how important prayer was,
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And so he prayed all night and the result verse 13,
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And when day came, he called his disciples to him
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And he chose 12 of them whom he also named as apostles.
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Now, let me say a word, you might want to write this down
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About the difference between a disciple and an apostle.
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A disciple is a follower of a rabbi.
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A disciple is somebody who is so enthralled with a rabbi
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That he seeks to imitate not just his words,
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But his example.
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To be a disciple of jesus means to model your attitudes,
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Actions, and affections after jesus.
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It means to love what jesus loved, act like jesus acted,
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Think like jesus thought in every situation.
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The simple definition i gave you a few months ago
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Of a disciple is this, to be a disciple means for me
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To live my life as jesus would live my life if he were i.
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How would jesus operate if he had your job?
00:13:30.866 --> 00:13:34.536
How would jesus relate to your family members?
00:13:34.536 --> 00:13:37.539
How would jesus relate to your friends?
00:13:37.539 --> 00:13:40.342
How would jesus handle the amount
00:13:40.342 --> 00:13:41.911
Of money he's entrusted to you?
00:13:41.911 --> 00:13:43.512
That's what it means to be a disciple.
00:13:43.512 --> 00:13:46.548
But out of the disciples came 12 apostles.
00:13:46.548 --> 00:13:50.786
These are the ones who would be sent forth a unique group
00:13:50.786 --> 00:13:54.890
To proclaim the message of jesus to the jews
00:13:54.890 --> 00:13:57.793
And the gentiles.
00:13:57.793 --> 00:13:59.528
Now, i could spend sermon
00:13:59.528 --> 00:14:00.763
After sermon talking about these apostles.
00:14:00.763 --> 00:14:03.799
I'm not going to do that.
00:14:03.799 --> 00:14:05.334
Let me just give you three observation about the list you
00:14:05.334 --> 00:14:08.837
Find in verses 12 to 14,
00:14:08.837 --> 00:14:11.607
And you find the similar list in matthew and mark.
00:14:11.607 --> 00:14:15.077
Number one, the lists begin with simon peter.
00:14:15.077 --> 00:14:19.048
All three lists of the apostles begin with peter.
00:14:19.048 --> 00:14:22.418
He was the leader. but you know what?
00:14:22.418 --> 00:14:24.486
What's interesting?
00:14:24.486 --> 00:14:25.888
He was the greatest failure of all of the apostles.
00:14:25.888 --> 00:14:27.890
Here's a guy who denied jesus, not once or twice,
00:14:27.890 --> 00:14:30.960
But three different times.
00:14:30.960 --> 00:14:32.828
He was a major screw up as an apostle,
00:14:32.828 --> 00:14:36.865
And yet jesus chose him to be the leader.
00:14:36.865 --> 00:14:40.269
Doesn't that give you hope?
00:14:40.269 --> 00:14:41.870
It doesn't matter how much you failed, what is in your past?
00:14:41.870 --> 00:14:45.240
God can take your mistakes, forgive them and redeem them.
00:14:45.240 --> 00:14:49.578
Peter is at the beginning of every list.
00:14:49.578 --> 00:14:52.114
Secondly, the list ends with judas iscariot.
00:14:52.114 --> 00:14:56.051
You know, iscariot, is comes from the hebrew word ish, man.
00:14:57.219 --> 00:15:01.957
Cariot is probably a derivation of kerioth,
00:15:02.858 --> 00:15:05.361
A town of judea,
00:15:05.361 --> 00:15:06.829
Judas, the man of kerioth.
00:15:06.829 --> 00:15:09.598
We all know about judas.
00:15:09.598 --> 00:15:11.133
He's the one who betrayed jesus for 30 pieces of silver
00:15:11.133 --> 00:15:15.104
And led to his crucifixion.
00:15:15.104 --> 00:15:16.805
Now, at first reading, we have to think, well,
00:15:16.805 --> 00:15:18.707
Why did jesus choose judas?
00:15:18.707 --> 00:15:21.710
Did he make a mistake?
00:15:21.710 --> 00:15:23.679
Maybe jesus should have spent even longer praying
00:15:23.679 --> 00:15:25.881
About this selection
00:15:25.881 --> 00:15:27.149
So he didn't make a mistake like judas.
00:15:27.149 --> 00:15:29.852
No, all of this was a part of god's plan.
00:15:29.852 --> 00:15:33.989
Jesus chose judas for a reason,
00:15:33.989 --> 00:15:36.158
Because jesus knew god could use the evil
00:15:36.158 --> 00:15:39.862
In judas's own heart to accomplish his purpose.
00:15:39.862 --> 00:15:42.631
I'm going to say more about that in a moment.
00:15:42.631 --> 00:15:44.767
But god can take evil people, he can take evil circumstances
00:15:44.767 --> 00:15:49.538
That are used against you,
00:15:49.538 --> 00:15:51.140
And he can still use those for your good
00:15:51.140 --> 00:15:53.842
And his eternal purpose.
00:15:53.842 --> 00:15:55.811
The final thing i've noticed about these list is they are
00:15:55.811 --> 00:15:58.547
Comprised of young men.
00:15:58.547 --> 00:16:00.449
You know, when we think about the apostles,
00:16:00.449 --> 00:16:02.051
We think about these old white guys with beards,
00:16:02.051 --> 00:16:05.988
And thinking the 60, 70 year olds, no.
00:16:05.988 --> 00:16:09.658
Most bible scholars believe these men were
00:16:09.658 --> 00:16:11.794
Probably in their late teenage years,
00:16:11.794 --> 00:16:14.229
Early 20s at the most when they were chosen
00:16:14.229 --> 00:16:17.032
To be apostles.
00:16:17.032 --> 00:16:19.234
Now, having said all of that, verse 17 tells us
00:16:19.234 --> 00:16:23.305
That when jesus descended to a plane,
00:16:23.305 --> 00:16:26.508
There was a great multitude of his followers there.
00:16:26.508 --> 00:16:29.478
And verse 20 says,
00:16:29.478 --> 00:16:30.679
"turning his gaze on his disciples."
00:16:30.679 --> 00:16:35.184
What i want you to notice is this message we're going to look
00:16:35.184 --> 00:16:37.586
At for just a few moments is not a message for the unsaved.
00:16:37.586 --> 00:16:42.091
There's nothing in this passage that will tell you how to go
00:16:42.091 --> 00:16:44.393
To heaven when you die.
00:16:44.393 --> 00:16:45.894
There's nothing about god's forgiveness through jesus
00:16:45.894 --> 00:16:48.530
Or the cross or the blood of christ.
00:16:48.530 --> 00:16:50.532
This was a message for his disciples, his followers.
00:16:50.532 --> 00:16:55.904
You know, it's interesting, jesus was in the midst
00:16:56.905 --> 00:16:58.173
Of relentless criticism from the pharisees,
00:16:58.173 --> 00:17:01.176
But jesus did not spend his time answering the criticism
00:17:01.176 --> 00:17:05.547
Of the pharisees.
00:17:05.547 --> 00:17:06.882
In fact, in this passage, jesus doesn't try
00:17:06.882 --> 00:17:09.051
To answer the pharisees.
00:17:09.051 --> 00:17:10.586
Instead, he invest his time
00:17:10.586 --> 00:17:13.822
With his disciples, his followers.
00:17:13.822 --> 00:17:16.291
And here's a great leadership principle
00:17:16.291 --> 00:17:18.093
That won't cost you anything extra,
00:17:18.093 --> 00:17:20.229
But i want you to write it down.
00:17:20.229 --> 00:17:22.164
Here's a mark of a true leader.
00:17:22.164 --> 00:17:24.099
A true leader doesn't invest his time with problem people.
00:17:24.099 --> 00:17:29.838
He invest his time with people with potential.
00:17:30.739 --> 00:17:34.576
Let me say it again.
00:17:34.576 --> 00:17:36.044
A real effective leader, invest his time,
00:17:36.044 --> 00:17:39.114
Not with people with problems,
00:17:39.114 --> 00:17:41.483
But people with potential.
00:17:41.483 --> 00:17:43.919
He doesn't invest his time with people
00:17:43.919 --> 00:17:45.754
Who are causing trouble and are upset all the time.
00:17:45.754 --> 00:17:48.590
He invest his time with the people who have potential.
00:17:48.590 --> 00:17:52.261
You see that over and over again,
00:17:52.261 --> 00:17:53.629
The mistake of focusing your attention on people
00:17:53.629 --> 00:17:56.832
Who just have problems.
00:17:56.832 --> 00:17:59.334
You know, we see this in families.
00:17:59.334 --> 00:18:00.969
There's a problem child in the family,
00:18:00.969 --> 00:18:03.172
The parent that votes all the attention
00:18:03.172 --> 00:18:05.374
And emotional issue to this child with the problems
00:18:05.374 --> 00:18:08.010
And neglects the rest of the children in the family
00:18:08.010 --> 00:18:10.779
Who have great potential.
00:18:10.779 --> 00:18:12.481
Or you see this in businesses.
00:18:12.481 --> 00:18:13.916
A business is all hung up on this one
00:18:13.916 --> 00:18:16.585
Or two problem disgruntled customer they have,
00:18:16.585 --> 00:18:19.922
And they forget all
00:18:19.922 --> 00:18:21.123
Of the potential customers they could be
00:18:21.123 --> 00:18:23.692
Devoting their resources toward.
00:18:23.692 --> 00:18:25.894
You see this in a church, i see this time
00:18:25.894 --> 00:18:27.863
And time again in churches.
00:18:27.863 --> 00:18:29.898
A church has a little handful of disgruntled members
00:18:29.898 --> 00:18:33.402
And the leaders of the church are focused
00:18:33.402 --> 00:18:35.304
On these disgruntled members.
00:18:35.304 --> 00:18:36.838
Oh, what did we do to offend you?
00:18:36.838 --> 00:18:38.740
Or what could we do to make you happy?
00:18:38.740 --> 00:18:40.842
And the pastor stands up
00:18:40.842 --> 00:18:42.277
And he focuses on that little group,
00:18:42.277 --> 00:18:44.146
And he's just lambasting them week after week after week,
00:18:44.146 --> 00:18:47.482
Forgetting that 99% of the people in the church
00:18:47.482 --> 00:18:49.851
Are happy with the church.
00:18:49.851 --> 00:18:51.653
They're excited about what's going on,
00:18:51.653 --> 00:18:53.255
But he focuses on the few with problems.
00:18:53.255 --> 00:18:56.191
Again, a real leader is somebody
00:18:56.191 --> 00:18:59.328
Who doesn't focus his attention on people
00:18:59.328 --> 00:19:01.563
Who are causing problems, but people with potential.
00:19:01.563 --> 00:19:04.333
And that's what jesus did.
00:19:04.333 --> 00:19:05.567
He focused this message on the ones
00:19:05.567 --> 00:19:07.703
Who would carry on his faith long
00:19:07.703 --> 00:19:10.572
After he had ascended back into heaven.
00:19:10.572 --> 00:19:12.608
And that brings us to the substance
00:19:12.608 --> 00:19:14.776
Of the sermon beginning in verse 20.
00:19:14.776 --> 00:19:18.213
Let me remind you, this is just a summary
00:19:18.213 --> 00:19:21.650
Of the sermon on the mount.
00:19:21.650 --> 00:19:23.018
You find a longer version in matthew 5 through 7.
00:19:23.018 --> 00:19:26.822
This is a short version of it.
00:19:26.822 --> 00:19:28.790
Some people get hung up on that.
00:19:28.790 --> 00:19:30.325
Well, wait a minute, pastor, why are the accounts different?
00:19:30.325 --> 00:19:34.496
It's just a summary.
00:19:34.496 --> 00:19:36.198
You know, in the english language we have quotation marks,
00:19:36.198 --> 00:19:39.768
And in your text it probably shows quotation marks.
00:19:39.768 --> 00:19:42.771
In the english language,
00:19:42.771 --> 00:19:44.473
Quotation marks means this is a word for word,
00:19:44.473 --> 00:19:47.809
Exact quotation of what somebody said.
00:19:47.809 --> 00:19:50.812
In the greek language, there were no quotation marks.
00:19:50.812 --> 00:19:54.016
This is an indirect paraphrase of what jesus said,
00:19:54.016 --> 00:19:58.186
And that's why luke emphasizes some things
00:19:58.186 --> 00:20:01.290
That matthew doesn't.
00:20:01.290 --> 00:20:02.691
Matthew emphasizes something that jesus doesn't,
00:20:02.691 --> 00:20:04.926
So don't get hung up on that.
00:20:04.926 --> 00:20:06.828
This is a paraphrase of what jesus said.
00:20:06.828 --> 00:20:09.998
Now, having said that, remember the theme,
00:20:09.998 --> 00:20:12.234
When we know what jesus knows, we can be generous,
00:20:12.234 --> 00:20:15.103
First of all in our attitude toward difficult circumstances.
00:20:15.103 --> 00:20:19.241
Let's just look at some of these.
00:20:19.241 --> 00:20:20.542
Verse 20.
00:20:20.542 --> 00:20:21.810
"and turning his gaze on his disciples,
00:20:21.810 --> 00:20:24.146
He began to say, blessed, literally happy are you
00:20:24.146 --> 00:20:28.717
Who are poor for yours is the kingdom of god."
00:20:28.717 --> 00:20:32.888
Now, he's not talking about material poverty.
00:20:32.888 --> 00:20:35.657
There's nothing blessed about being poor financially.
00:20:35.657 --> 00:20:39.227
Automatically, matthew adds the words,
00:20:39.227 --> 00:20:41.963
"blessed are the poor in spirit."
00:20:41.963 --> 00:20:46.301
That is blessed, happy are those of you
00:20:46.301 --> 00:20:49.104
Who recognize your spiritual poverty.
00:20:49.104 --> 00:20:51.673
I like the way one commentator says it.
00:20:51.673 --> 00:20:53.742
"blessed are those who realize they are spiritual zeroes"
00:20:53.742 --> 00:20:59.014
For one day, yours will be the kingdom of god."
00:20:59.948 --> 00:21:01.350
You ever feel like a spiritual zero?
00:21:01.350 --> 00:21:03.752
You just feel like you're not succeeding
00:21:03.752 --> 00:21:04.953
In your christian life.
00:21:04.953 --> 00:21:06.788
You know you ought to pray more and read the bible more,
00:21:06.788 --> 00:21:09.157
But you just can't do it,
00:21:09.157 --> 00:21:10.459
And you don't react like you should
00:21:10.459 --> 00:21:12.127
And you wish you could be better than you are.
00:21:12.127 --> 00:21:14.830
He said, relax, be happy
00:21:14.830 --> 00:21:18.266
Because one day that struggle you have
00:21:18.266 --> 00:21:20.602
In your christian life is going to be satisfied.
00:21:20.602 --> 00:21:23.238
Yours is going to be the kingdom of god.
00:21:23.238 --> 00:21:25.841
In verse 21, "blessed, happy are you who hunger now
00:21:25.841 --> 00:21:29.211
For you shall be satisfied."
00:21:29.211 --> 00:21:31.947
Again, another version says, "blessed are you who hunger
00:21:31.947 --> 00:21:34.950
And thirst for righteousness."
00:21:34.950 --> 00:21:37.953
He's talking about a spiritual hunger
00:21:37.953 --> 00:21:39.921
And thirst for righteousness.
00:21:39.921 --> 00:21:42.424
Do you ever wish we lived in a world where justice reigned?
00:21:42.424 --> 00:21:46.027
Do you wish we had a world where there was no dallas
00:21:46.027 --> 00:21:50.065
Or baton rouge or terrorist attacks?
00:21:50.065 --> 00:21:53.869
Do you wish there was a world in which evil would be
00:21:53.869 --> 00:21:57.406
Overcome by good every time?
00:21:57.406 --> 00:21:59.908
That's what he's talking about.
00:21:59.908 --> 00:22:01.410
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
00:22:01.410 --> 00:22:04.846
For one day you will be satisfied.
00:22:04.846 --> 00:22:08.750
One day the tables are going to be turned
00:22:08.750 --> 00:22:10.852
And god is going to right the wrongs of this world.
00:22:10.852 --> 00:22:14.156
He goes on to say, "blessed, happy
00:22:14.156 --> 00:22:15.891
Are those of you who weep now for you shall laugh."
00:22:15.891 --> 00:22:20.095
♪ music ♪
00:22:20.095 --> 00:22:24.299
At first these words of jesus may sound like a paradox,
00:22:25.434 --> 00:22:29.571
But those who suffer here on earth will be blessed
00:22:29.571 --> 00:22:32.507
Eternally in heaven.
00:22:32.507 --> 00:22:34.943
Now in closing, i want to share an encouraging note from mitch
00:22:34.943 --> 00:22:37.779
In north carolina.
00:22:37.779 --> 00:22:39.014
He wrote, "i love pathway to victory"
00:22:39.014 --> 00:22:41.616
Because i know you are sharing god's word
00:22:41.616 --> 00:22:44.352
To a country that needs it.
00:22:44.352 --> 00:22:46.054
Your teaching and encouragement mean more than
00:22:46.054 --> 00:22:48.457
You will ever know.
00:22:48.457 --> 00:22:50.425
I attend church to worship every sunday,
00:22:50.425 --> 00:22:53.128
But i'm able to worship every day with you
00:22:53.128 --> 00:22:56.164
Through "pathway to victory."
00:22:56.164 --> 00:22:58.099
Well, thank you for those encouraging words, mitch.
00:22:58.099 --> 00:23:00.936
It's testimonies like that
00:23:00.936 --> 00:23:02.871
That remind me why this ministry matters so much.
00:23:02.871 --> 00:23:06.842
When you support "pathway to victory,"
00:23:06.842 --> 00:23:08.643
You're helping people like mitch deepen their faith
00:23:08.643 --> 00:23:11.847
And grow closer to god.
00:23:11.847 --> 00:23:13.882
I'm especially grateful
00:23:13.882 --> 00:23:15.484
For our pathway partners whose faithful support provides the
00:23:15.484 --> 00:23:19.154
Foundation for this ministry.
00:23:19.154 --> 00:23:21.857
Your partnership with us enables us to be a daily source
00:23:21.857 --> 00:23:25.927
Of biblical truth for millions of people across our nation
00:23:25.927 --> 00:23:29.831
And around our world.
00:23:29.831 --> 00:23:31.633
Now, please stay with us
00:23:31.633 --> 00:23:33.001
I'll be back with more in just a moment.
00:23:33.001 --> 00:23:36.037
When jesus spoke, he wasted no time in getting straight
00:23:37.172 --> 00:23:40.108
To the heart of what matters most.
00:23:40.108 --> 00:23:42.177
♪ music ♪
00:23:42.177 --> 00:23:49.951
Did you realize that his famous sermon on the mount
00:23:50.952 --> 00:23:53.421
Can be read in only 18 minutes?
00:23:53.421 --> 00:23:56.157
And now in my book called "18 minutes with jesus,"
00:23:56.157 --> 00:23:59.895
I'll unpack the radical teaching that jesus shared
00:23:59.895 --> 00:24:02.964
With his followers in the famous sermon on the mount.
00:24:02.964 --> 00:24:06.968
In his sermon on the mount,
00:24:06.968 --> 00:24:08.503
Jesus delivers straight talk about the issues that matter
00:24:08.503 --> 00:24:11.773
To you most, things like your happiness, faith,
00:24:11.773 --> 00:24:15.076
Relationships, prayer, money, eternity and more.
00:24:15.076 --> 00:24:19.447
Request the brand new book,
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"18 minutes with jesus" when you give a generous gift
00:24:20.882 --> 00:24:24.019
To "pathway to victory."
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And when your gift is $75 or more,
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We'll also send you the corresponding study guide
00:24:28.456 --> 00:24:31.393
With thought provoking questions and activities for you
00:24:31.393 --> 00:24:34.296
Or your small group or sunday school class.
00:24:34.296 --> 00:24:36.831
Plus, you'll also receive the complete
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"18 minutes with jesus" teaching series on cd and dvd.
00:24:38.900 --> 00:24:43.738
This sermon is more of a constitution for life
00:24:43.738 --> 00:24:47.242
In the kingdom of god,
00:24:47.242 --> 00:24:48.977
Not something that happens after you die.
00:24:48.977 --> 00:24:50.845
It's how to live now.
00:24:50.845 --> 00:24:52.347
Your generous gift to "pathway to victory" empowers us
00:24:52.347 --> 00:24:55.817
To equip christians in a dark and decaying world.
00:24:55.817 --> 00:24:59.220
So please keep standing with us that we might reach
00:24:59.220 --> 00:25:02.123
As many people as possible with the truth of god's word.
00:25:02.123 --> 00:25:08.129
If you believe this world is all there is,
00:25:09.030 --> 00:25:11.900
Then jesus sermon on the mount makes no sense.
00:25:11.900 --> 00:25:15.003
But when you know what jesus knows about the future,
00:25:15.003 --> 00:25:18.173
You can be generous in your attitude
00:25:18.173 --> 00:25:20.642
Toward difficult circumstances.
00:25:20.642 --> 00:25:23.211
Well, circumstances aren't the only thing
00:25:23.211 --> 00:25:25.880
That can be difficult.
00:25:25.880 --> 00:25:27.382
People can test our patience as well.
00:25:27.382 --> 00:25:30.418
And next time, we will look at several practical ways
00:25:30.418 --> 00:25:33.021
For dealing with problematic people
00:25:33.021 --> 00:25:35.624
Stemming from jesus' teaching in the sermon on the mount.
00:25:35.624 --> 00:25:39.427
Stay tuned for a preview
00:25:39.427 --> 00:25:40.662
Of what's coming up next in our series
00:25:40.662 --> 00:25:42.797
"18 minutes with jesus."
00:25:42.797 --> 00:25:46.067
Every one of us here today is building some kind of life.
00:25:46.067 --> 00:25:50.238
We have a limited amount of time, energy, resources.
00:25:50.238 --> 00:25:55.043
You can build a life built around material accumulation,
00:25:55.043 --> 00:25:59.447
Or you can build your life around not just hearing,
00:25:59.447 --> 00:26:04.019
But applying jesus' words.
00:26:04.019 --> 00:26:06.521
Set your dvr
00:26:06.521 --> 00:26:07.889
And join us next time for part two of the message,
00:26:07.889 --> 00:26:10.158
The crux of christianity here on "pathway to victory."
00:26:10.158 --> 00:26:17.999
[narrator] experience a journey
00:26:18.633 --> 00:26:20.068
That will refresh your spirit and renew your faith,
00:26:20.068 --> 00:26:23.038
On the pathway to victory cruise to alaska,
00:26:23.038 --> 00:26:25.640
June 13 through 20, 2026.
00:26:25.640 --> 00:26:28.376
Sail aboard holland america's luxurious koningsdam
00:26:28.376 --> 00:26:31.746
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00:26:31.746 --> 00:26:35.417
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00:26:35.417 --> 00:26:38.119
To the charming frontier towns of juno,
00:26:38.119 --> 00:26:40.755
Ketchikan, and skagway.
00:26:40.755 --> 00:26:42.891
You'll witness god's handiwork on full display.
00:26:42.891 --> 00:26:46.494
[narrator] imagine standing on deck,
00:26:46.494 --> 00:26:47.996
Surrounded by towering glaciers and snow-capped mountains,
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While enjoying powerful bible teaching from dr. jeffress,
00:26:51.199 --> 00:26:54.703
Then enjoy spirit-lifting worship led by michael o'brien,
00:26:54.703 --> 00:26:58.573
And share plenty of laughter with dennis swanberg,
00:26:58.573 --> 00:27:01.209
America's minister of encouragement.
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[dr. jeffress] this is more than just a vacation,
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It's a sacred pause to reconnect with the lord.
00:27:05.580 --> 00:27:09.050
[narrator] to reserve your cabin
00:27:09.050 --> 00:27:10.485
On the 2026 pathway to victory cruise to alaska,
00:27:10.485 --> 00:27:13.288
Call 888-280-6747 or visit ptv.org.
00:27:13.288 --> 00:27:13.288

Robert Jeffress - The Crux of Christianity (Part 1)

January 29, 2026 | 27:29

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