Jacked Series, Week 4 Notes from: Jason Haymaker
Our lives are headed somewhere. Could it be toward... settling?
Matt 5: Blessed are those... (Happy, or fulfilled, "Jacked")
4 Different Indicators of pursuing the Jacked Life:
1. Grace Motivates You
Blessed are the poor in spirit... meaning, those who get that they need a Savior, needing grace.
Regardless of how much time I spend in church, read my Bible, what I attend- I am not good enough to make it in to heaven. You don't deserve heaven, no matter what the body of work of your Christian life has been. You're saved by grace when you believe- grace is something we are given that we do not deserve.
Jesus came to earth to pay the penalty for our sins- its by His grace that we have opportunity to know Him, to be saved. My friends... we need saved. A recent study said that 86% of evangelical Christians said that you go to heaven if you're "good enough." It's not a reward; it's a gift.
"Poor in Spirit" means that you know you need Jesus and you are set free by Him.
2. Sin Frustrates You
Question for us as a Church: "What if we're supposed to walk in the church and not feel good? What if times because of authentic spiritual conviction you don't feel right? What if we're supposed to be frustrated with our sin?" People living the "Jacked" life are people of conviction. Not necessarily of guilt, but being broken and to mourn that the sin that you and I give ourselves to. The church was never intended to be a place where we come and pretend like everything is ok. We traded authentic brokenness for inauthentic fake behavior.
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." - Blessed are the people whose heart breaks for their sin.
"We're most honest over beer and wings and the Lizard." Could we be like that?
"The church needs to be a place where it's okay to not be okay."
3. You Long for Growth
You'll do anything to see more people trust Him. People that are living the Jacked life is that we are constantly growing. Healthy things grow. People will surrender things because they just want to see the Kingdom advanced. "They're being authentically transformed, not hypocritically informed."
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Meekness = strength under control.
You can back it up- but you don't always need to. Secure. It's about we, not me. I don't have to be in control, I don't have to win the conversation.
What are you doing to actively serve the body of Christ?
Also- grown up people feed themselves. Don't look to someone else to "feed you."
"Some of you need to exchange your bib for a fork and start to feed yourself."
4. You Are Generous
People that live the Jacked life love to give. Freely receive, freely to give.
There are some that felt the sting of the economy's struggles more than others in the last few years. However- is it because things are genuinely difficult...
Or is it because a few years back your god died?
Where are treasure is, there are heart is also.
You can't live the Jacked life without giving generously to God... and you also need to be generous with others.
On a personal note (Josh)- years ago I delivered pizzas for a side job. Every time I drove up to a place where there was a car in the driveway with a religious bumper sticker, or some kind of religious figurine in the garden or a scripture plaque on their house... I was like, "oh great... won't get a good tip here." I'm telling you, Christians most of the time are the worst tippers. That should never be- should be the opposite. If you count out exact change for tip, or it's anything less than 15-18%, even for just one person- please don't tell them you're a Christian.
Your Life is headed somewhere. Don't settle.
What more does God have in mind for you as an individual?
What more does God have in mind for Western Reserve as a church?