1-29-23 Sermon Matthew 5:1-12 "Blessed" 16 Minutes

Matthew 5:1-12

This morning I'll be reading Matthew chapter 5 verses 1 through 12. And I'll be reading from the Holman Christian Standard Bible. Matthew 5:1-12 This morning we will look at these 12 verses of the "Sermon on the Mount". They contain what we know as the "Beatitudes". Matthew 5:1–12 (HCSB) — 1 When He saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain, and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He began to teach them, saying: 3 “The poor in spirit are blessed, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. 4 Those who mourn are blessed, for they will be comforted. 5 The gentle are blessed, for they will inherit the earth. 6 Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed, for they will be filled. 7 The merciful are blessed, for they will be shown mercy. 8 The pure in heart are blessed, for they will see God. 9 The peacemakers are blessed, for they will be called sons of God. 10 Those who are persecuted for righteousness are blessed, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. 11 “You are blessed when they insult and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of Me. 12 Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you. The word of God for the people of God,,, thanks be to God! God bless the reading and the hearing of your word this morning. Let us pray: Dear Lord,,, as we begin this morning,,, with everyone here today and all that are listening and watching by video,,, we ask that you open our ears to hear and our hearts and minds to receive the message that you have for us today,,, In Jesus' name I pray,,, Amen. ___________________________________ Last Sunday we looked at Matthew 4:12-23 and we seen that the “Obedience” of the 4 fishermen that Jesus called,,, was what we needed to copy,,, or use as examples,,, to guide our own actions when God calls us.

Do your best to copy their actions,,, follow their obedience,,, by truly putting God first in your life,,, and living each day for Him!

Because we are still trusted with the same job that these fishermen had,,, to be fishers of men,,, and to do that,,, we must answer in “Obedience” just as they did,,, so many years,,, ago!

This morning we will look at these verses in Matthew 5:1-12 and see how they help us in our walk with God this week.

___________________________________ Verse 1 said: 1 When He saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain, and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him.

Since the crowds have continued to flock to Jesus,,, He went up on a mountainside,,, sat down as He began to teach them.

And it was the custom of Rabbis,,, during that time,,, to sit as they taught.

So as He sat down,,, His disciples came to Him and He began to teach them.

Just as Moses declared the Old Law at Mount Sinai,,, on that mountain chosen by God,,, so does Jesus,,, set forth the New Law on this mountain,,, that He chose,,, as well.

___________________________________ Verses 2 and 3 said: 2 Then He began to teach them, saying: 3 “The poor in spirit are blessed, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

The sermon opens with the Beatitudes,,, or blessings.

And “blessed” means,,, happy,,, or,,, fortunate.

The qualities Jesus mentioned in this list, “the poor in spirit,” “those who mourn,” “the meek,” etc.,,, obviously could not be an imitation of the Pharisees righteousness.

The Pharisees were worried about external qualities,,, the impressions that they made to others,,, the way that they looked on the outside,,, but the qualities Jesus mentioned are internal.

These come only when one is properly related to God through faith,,, when one places his complete trust in God.

These set forth the ideal citizen of Christ’s kingdom.

Also,,, the qualities described and approved in these verses,,, are the opposite of those that the world considers important.

The poor in spirit,,, that’s when we consciously depend on God,,, not on ourselves; --

We are “poor” inwardly,,, since we have no ability to make our situation better,,, and,,, we have no way to please God.

Once we realize our spiritual need,,, realize that we cannot fulfill it,,, and then,,, we find it given to us by God,,, free of charge,,, then we realize that we are blessed!

___________________________________ Verse 4 said: 4 Those who mourn are blessed, for they will be comforted.

Those who mourn,,, recognize their needs,,, and present them to the One who is able to supply them.

Mourn in this context,,, according to my commentary,,, means to experience sadness or grief as the result of depressing circumstances or the condition of persons,,, the reference here is not to grieving or mourning for the dead,,, instead,,, it refers to sadness and grief because of wickedness and oppression

It is the sorrow which one experiences because of fellowship with the Lord Jesus.

It is an active sharing of the world’s hurt and sin with Jesus.

Therefore,,, it includes,,, not only sorrow for one’s own sin,,, but also sorrow because of the world’s terrible condition,,, it’s rejection of the Savior,,, and the doom of those who refuse His mercy.

These mourners shall be comforted in the coming day when,,, as it says in Revelation 21:4,,, “God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes”.

Believers do all their mourning in this life; — -- but for unbelievers,,, the mourning is just a taste of the eternal sorrow that they will experience.

___________________________________ Verse 5 said: 5 The gentle are blessed, for they will inherit the earth.

Not the mighty,,, but the gentle,,, will inherit the earth (cf. Psalm 37:11).

Not the greedy,,, but the godly,,, will gain the inheritance.

Gentle,,, or meek as it’s used in the King James Version,,, does not mean weak or timid,,, instead it means humble and trustful.

It means accepting God’s will rather than asserting one’s rights.

___________________________________ Verse 6 said: 6 Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed, for they will be filled.

These people have a passion for righteousness in their own lives; -- they long to see honesty,,, integrity,,, and justice in society; -- they look for practical holiness in the church.

Righteousness means “a life fully conformed to the will of God in thought,,, word,,, worship,,, and act.

___________________________________ Verse 7 said: The merciful are blessed, for they will be shown mercy.

To be merciful means to be actively compassionate.

One example,,, would be to withhold punishment from offenders who deserve it.

In a bigger picture,,, it means to help others in need who cannot help themselves.

God showed mercy in sparing us from the judgment which our sins deserved and in demonstrating kindness to us through the saving work of Christ.

We imitate God when we have compassion.

___________________________________ Verse 8 said: 8 The pure in heart are blessed, for they will see God.

The pure in heart,,, will be all Christians who have put their trust in God and are living a life of integrity through the help of the Holy Spirit.

They have acknowledged their sin and are continually watching out for sin in their life.

The expression they shall see God may be understood in several ways.

First,,, we,,, as Christians,,, can see God now,,, through fellowship in the Word and the Spirit.

Second,,, some might have a supernatural appearance,,, or vision,,, that God brings to them.

Third,,, we will see God when Jesus returns again.

Fourth,,, they shall see God in eternity.

___________________________________ Verse 9 said: 9 The peacemakers are blessed, for they will be called sons of God.

Notice that the Lord is not speaking about people with a peaceful disposition or those who love peace.

He is referring to those who actively intervene to make peace.

Whereas the worldly approach is to watch arguments or problems from the sidelines,,, we see this a lot today from those filming things when they could be trying to help remedy the situation.

The Godly approach,,, would be to work towards a positive solution rather than just watching.

Here,,, Peacemakers are called,,, sons of God.

This is not how they become sons of God,,,— that can only happen by receiving Jesus Christ as Savior (John 1:12).

By making peace,,, believers show themselves as sons of God,,, we are different than the people of the world,,, and God will one day acknowledge us as people who show the world,,, what the family of God truly looks like!

___________________________________ Verse 10 said: 10 Those who are persecuted for righteousness are blessed, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

This deals with those who are persecuted,,, not for their own wrongdoings,,, but for righteousness’ sake.

The kingdom of heaven is promised to those believers who suffer for doing right.

Their integrity condemns the ungodly world and brings out its hostility.

People hate a righteous life because it exposes their own unrighteousness.

___________________________________ Verse 11 said: 11 “You are blessed when they insult and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of Me.

This verse seems to be a repetition of verse 10.

But,,, there is one difference.

In the previous verse,,, the subject was persecution because of righteousness; ---- here it is persecution for Christ’s sake.

Jesus knew that His disciples would be mistreated because of their association with,,, and loyalty to,,, Him.

History has confirmed this: — we know that from the beginning,,, the world has persecuted,,, jailed,,, and killed,,, followers of Jesus.

___________________________________ Verse 12 said: 12 Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

When we experience persecution,,, we should rejoice because of the reward that we will receive!

We join those who have been persecuted before us,,, those that we use as examples,,, to guide us in the way that we face our own persecutions,,, we join them in receiving our reward in heaven! ___________________________________ So we can see that we are “Blessed” as Christians,,, or,,, we should feel “Blessed” knowing that the reward that we will receive will last forever!

We need to act like we are “Blessed” so that the world can see what a true Christian looks and acts like!

When we show these characteristics,,, especially in the face of persecutions or trouble,,, people take notice,,, because they can see that we have the peace of God that helps us in any situation,,, and it makes them wonder,,, if they need that too!

We shouldn’t act or respond to problems like everyone else does,,, because we are “Blessed"!

We know that God loves us,,, and He will take care of us,,, today,,, tomorrow,,, and,,, forever!

And it’s “forever”,,, “eternity”,,, that is key to our joy and peace that we experience today,,, knowing that the sorrows that we might experience today,,, pale in comparison to the joy that awaits us in heaven!

___________________________________ So as Christians today,,, let us begin our week,,, remembering that we are “Blessed”,,, and show the world around us,,, each one of us,,, the way that true Christians act,,, and help them to find God,,, or,,, help them figure out that they want to find God,,, when they see us,,, living a life,,, that shows the world,,, that we “are”,,, truly,,, “Blessed” ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ Hymn: 337 - Oakdale Hymn: 337 - Seminary Benediction -----------------------------------------------------------