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Blessed are You
Matt. 5:1-12
The Main Idea: The Sermon on the Mount presents a counter-cultural message.
Life Application: Kingdom values differ from the selfish values of the world.
INTRODUCTION
When we study the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus outlined what it takes to make it in his heavenly kingdom. Someone mentioned this message is the most well-known and the least obeyed in history. In a self-centered culture, blessings enable sufficiency and success. Perhaps, you have seen T-shirts or license plates with the word blessed, depicted in bold letters. In the church world, we talk about the blessings of God and usually refer to good health, great relationships, or stable finances. However, the values of the kingdom of God have little in common with those of the world. The spirit of the world encourages arrogance, pride, and selfishness. Jesus calls us to purity, humility, and mercy—traits considered weak by human estimation. While the world tells us to oppose our enemies with violence, Jesus encourages us to live in peace. We are encouraged to affirm our rights, but Jesus said to rejoice in persecution.
Within the Beatitudes, we sense a radical but transformational emphasis. They describe a lifestyle that is impossible to attain by our volition. To measure up to their standard requires divine assistance. While some may try to explain away the meaning of the Beatitudes, “they depict human life and human community under the gracious rule of God” (Stott). He calls his people to a unique lifestyle that runs cross-grain with their former manner of living. Within the message, we see a vivid expectation for all who profess to love and follow God. Through human efforts, Jesus presents unattainable standards. John Stott says, “To put them beyond anybody’s reach is to ignore the purpose of the sermon; to put them within everybody’s reach is to ignore the reality of man’s sin.” Only through the New Birth is the inner self changed, so the outer life is acceptable to God.
Transition Statement: Who are the blessed in the kingdom of heaven?
1) Beatitudes of Need
Blessed are the poor in spirit. Although Jesus is not speaking primarily of earthly poverty, He is referring to those who understand and acknowledge their spiritual poverty in the eyes of God. The blessedness of those who are poor in spirit is an inner happiness not contingent on earthly influences. While the world flaunts independence, God requires dependence upon his grace and mercy. Recognizing our spiritual bankruptcy causes us to bow our heads and pray, God, have mercy on me, a sinner. “God rejects our phony fullness, not our obvious poverty” (Mackey).
Blessed are those who mourn. While mourning is often considered a negative reaction, Jesus pronounces a blessing on those who need comfort. He heals and restores those who are sick and marginalized by society. Those who are a part of the kingdom of heaven have tears and joy. Charles Wesley wrote: “He speaks, and listening to his voice, new life the dead receive; the mournful, broken hearts rejoice, the humble poor believe.”
Blessed are the meek. Although sometimes confused with weakness, meekness indicates self-control and gentleness. A meek spirit refuses to respond with malice or vengeance, even when someone points out our personal shortcomings. While the world promotes those who are strong and aggressive, the meek will ultimately inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who have the humility to know their ignorance, weakness, and need” (Barclay).
2) Beatitude of Righteousness
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled. In the natural realm, hunger and thirst are only satisfied by food or water. If we take this beatitude seriously, we conclude we have as much righteousness as we want. God does not torment us with a hunger and thirst he will not satisfy. God wants to satiate us with his holiness, to quench our spiritual thirst and hunger with a continual supply of grace.
3) Beatitudes of Action
Blessed are the merciful. God extends his mercy to those who do not deserve it. Since we have received mercy, we should be willing to give it to others. Although closely related to forgiveness, mercy extends a generous and intentional attitude to see things from the viewpoint of another. It is not prone to taking offense or gloating over the shortcomings and failures of someone else (France). Merciful people are willing to get down in the trenches with those going through difficult times.
Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. In a world filled with innuendos and perversions, purity seems impossible. The Greek word translated as pure is katharos— unadulterated, unmixed, and unalloyed. A legalistic checklist does not create a pure heart. Only God can cleanse and make a heart pure. Commentators do not always agree on what constitutes a pure heart. Is it moral purity or a single-minded spirit? However, between the two is no division since one cannot have purity without a single-minded obedience to God. “Sham, deceit, and moral impurity cannot coexist in [our] devotion to Christ” (Carson).
Blessed are the peacemakers. As we consider the chaotic world around us, we see a lack of peace. Whether in the struggles between nations, political parties, or relationships, peace is in short supply. The peace characterized in the kingdom of heaven is not dependent on signed documents but on transformed hearts. Just as it is impossible to legislate morality, it is equally impossible to enact peace by human laws. In their desire for reconciliation, peacemakers are willing to set aside their agendas and rights for the general well-being of others. “Those who seek peace when there is division and strife embody what it means to his children” (Snow). Jesus is the Prince of Peace.
The final blessing made by Jesus is for those persecuted because of righteousness. Such a blessing is counterintuitive to human reasoning. To westernized Christianity, the idea of persecution sounds bizarre. After all, aren’t we supposed to have wealth, health, and awesome relationships, the proverbial best life now? Where does the heretical prosperity teaching fit into the life of Jesus or the lives of the apostles? It doesn’t! It was not accidental for Jesus to move from peacekeeping to persecution. Those who cherish prejudice and hate rarely appreciate peacekeepers but choose to persecute them. Their opposition should not surprise those who follow Jesus, for he represents a value system different from the one embraced by the world. However, the reward of those persecuted for righteousness corresponds to those poor in spirit—the kingdom of heaven. Jesus encourages the persecuted to do more than endure their persecutions but to rejoice and be glad because great is your reward in heaven.
Transition Statement: If we intend to follow Jesus, we will embrace a counter-cultural message.
CONCLUSION
As we move through the message preached by Jesus, we see a consistent theme, a contrast between the kingdom of the world and the kingdom of heaven. The words of Jesus are motivational and confrontational. They convict us for our spiritual ignorance. However, by heeding the words of Jesus, we can transfer our allegiance from the region of darkness to the kingdom of light.
While those in the church sometimes criticize the youth for their lack of interest, my question is this, “Why would they involve themselves in something with no life-changing power?” I believe the younger generation wants a purpose and a challenge. We do them a great disservice by coaxing them to follow Jesus without encouraging them to count the cost. They see whether our professions make any difference in our everyday conduct. They want something genuine, something to hold on to when the storms of life assail.
If there is no difference between the world and the church, the message of the church is compromised. Conforming to the mold of the world destroys the mission of the church. God calls his followers to live in a counter-cultural relationship. Following Jesus is not for the faint-hearted or the one who will quit when times are tough. “Anyone who enters into fellowship with Jesus must undergo a transvaluation of values” (Thielicke). Are you serious about following Jesus or are you undecided? This is no time to be riding the fence. Choose wisely, today! As we close this observation on the greatest message ever preached, we make a conclusion. Those whom the world praises, Jesus pities but calls those blessed whom the world rejects. (Stott).
Prayer
Lord God, we humble our hearts in your divine presence. As we consider the challenge of following Jesus, we realize we cannot follow half-heartedly. Forgive us when we praise what you reject. Lord, we want to live acceptably in your sight, even though the world will not understand us. Help us to acknowledge our spiritual poverty. Enable us to show mercy. May we be peacemakers in a chaotic world. Cleanse our hearts, O God. Give us an insatiable thirst for your holiness and righteousness. Grant us, Lord, a place in your heavenly kingdom. We pray in the precious and holy name of Jesus, Amen!
BENEDICTION
As we go, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life (Jude:20).