MATTHEW 5:1-6 - Happiness Is...

Introduction

This morning we are beginning a new series on the Sermon on The Mount—Jesus’ teachings as found in Matthew 5-7. This sermon has been called “the greatest sermon ever, delivered by the best Preacher ever.” Mohandas Gandhi, known as “Mahatma” Gandhi, was said to have read the Sermon on the Mount every morning, along with the Hindu text, The Bhagavad Gita, saying that the Sermon on the Mount “went straight to his heart”. But not everyone shares such a warm view of these chapters. Ayn Rand, the author of Atlas Shrugged, “regarded its prescriptions as among the vilest ever uttered… She [also] regarded Christian morality as a poison” (Quoted in Akin, Danny; Holman Reference Staff. Exalting Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount (Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary) (p. 13). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.)

Over the years there have been no shortage of opinions about these chapters, and what exactly Jesus was getting at with His Sermon. Some interpreters have said that these chapters represent a utopian ideal of life that is impossible and unrealistic, and that obedience was never the point. Others say that Jesus believed the world was about to end, and so He was telling people how to live in the few years they had left before the End of Time arrived. Still others say that the Sermon is a depiction of the way life will look in some future millennial kingdom, but should not be regarded as valid for our present day.

Others will say that Jesus was advocating radical political and economic upheavals in these chapters—the socialists and anarchists of every age (including ours) latch on to phrases like “blessed are the poor” to attempt to further their class warfare and societal envy.

But of all of the interpretations of the Sermon on the Mount, I believe the absolute best and most biblical understanding comes from Dr. James Boice, longtime pastor of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia. In his commentary on these chapters, he writes:

…The Sermon on the Mount shows us the absolute necessity of the new birth. Show me a man who claims that he is living up to the standards of the Sermon on the Mount, and I will show you a man who either has never read it, does not understand what it is teaching, or is lying… The Sermon on the Mount calls for a pure righteousness that flows from a regenerated heart. (Boice, J. M. (2002). The Sermon on the Mount: an expositional commentary (p. 11). Baker Books.)

So it’s for this reason that we have titled this series on The Sermon on the Mount “A New Way Of Being Human”. In these verses, Jesus is laying out for us what life looks like when you have been transformed by the Holy Spirit through hearing and believing the Gospel.

The context of the Sermon on the Mount points us in this direction—Matthew’s Gospel starts with a description of Jesus’ birth (chapters 1-2) followed by His baptism (Chapter 3) and His temptation in the wilderness (Chapter 4). His cousin John is arrested in Matthew 4:12, which prompts Jesus to begin His public ministry:

Matthew 4:17 (ESV)

17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

In verses 18 through the end of Chapter 4, Jesus chooses His twelve disciples, and then immediately in Chapter 5 He sits them down along with the crowds that are following Him and unpacks what He means by “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand”. Matthew 5-7 is Jesus’ declaration of the Kingdom He has come to establish.

In the Old Testament, Moses established the nation of Israel through the giving of the Law. And here Jesus is likewise establishing His Kingdom by a declaration—not merely introducing a new Law, but introducing a whole new life by the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. The members of the Old Testament Kingdom were defined by their adherence to a Law outside of themselves. But Jesus is declaring a Kingdom that is defined by a Law written on the heart. The Sermon on the Mount is the fulfillment of God’s declaration that we read earlier in Jeremiah 31--

Jeremiah 31:33 (ESV)

33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is declaring that He is establishing a Kingdom based on a whole new way of being human. And the first twelve verses of this Sermon describe what kind of person belongs to this Kingdom. These verses are commonly called “The Beatitudes”—from the Latin word for “blessed” (beati) that begins each verse. Jesus begins His declaration of the new life He is inaugurating with a description of what it means to be happy.

But as Jesus describes what He means by “happiness” or “blessedness”, we quickly come to realize that He is talking about an entirely foreign concept. Because happiness of the citizens of His Kingdom is the opposite of what the world expects—this is why Thomas Watson called the Beatitudes “the sacred paradoxes of our Savior’s sermon”:

Whereas philosophers contend that one contrary expels another, that is to say, something cannot coexist with its opposite, “here one contrary begets another” (39). Poverty is thought to be the negation of riches: here poverty begets riches. Mourning is thought to expel joy: here mourning is the precondition of joy. Persecution normally yields misery: here it gives birth to happiness.” (Quoted in Storms, S. (2016). Biblical Studies: The Sermon on the Mount. Sam Storms.)

If this is true happiness according to Jesus, then how do we obtain it? Happiness in poverty? In mourning? In persecution? This is what I believe the Sermon on the Mount (and the Beatitudes in particular) will show us today; that

True happiness can only GROW in a HEART that has been REBORN by the GOSPEL

The Sermon on the Mount is a declaration of a new way of being human; it is a description of what a life looks like that has been transformed by the power of the Gospel. This is the kind of life that is impossible to achieve apart from the transforming power of God working through the Good News of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.

And in the first three verses of the Sermon, Jesus tells us that Gospel happiness grows in a heart that understands its

I. Spiritual BANKRUPTCY (Matthew 5:1-3)

Matthew 5:1–3 (ESV)

1 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Now, contrary to the insistence of so-called “Christian Socialists”, who want to use Jesus’ words here to promote their class warfare of the inherent virtue of poverty and inherent evil of wealth, this verse is not talking about physical poverty. Nor does He mean, by the phrase “poor in spirit” that we are to be constantly wallowing in a state of self-pity or cowardice or inferiority. The word translated “poor” here in this verse means to be utterly destitute, with no means of self-support; it describes someone who is entirely and wholly dependent on someone else for their sustenance. When Jesus says that the Kingdom of heaven belongs to those who are “poor in spirit”, He is saying that they recognize that they have no goodness or worth in themselves to deserve membership in that Kingdom.

This is Gospel-happiness that characterizes the reborn heart—even though you deserve nothing

God’s GRACE is MAGNIFIED in you (cp. Ephesians 2:12-13)

As the Apostle Paul would write to the church in Ephesus decades later

Ephesians 2:12–13 (ESV)

12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

As Thomas Watson wrote,

“Till we are poor in spirit, we are not capable of receiving grace. He who is swollen with an opinion of self-excellency and self-sufficiency, is not fit for Christ. He is full already. If the hand be full of pebbles, it cannot receive gold. The glass is first emptied before you pour in wine. God first empties a man of himself, before he pours in the precious wine of his grace” (Quoted in Storms, S. (2016). Biblical Studies: The Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5:3). Sam Storms.)

True happiness can only grow in a heart that has been reborn in the Gospel—a heart that recognizes its spiritual bankruptcy, and in verse 4, Jesus says that the path to true happiness begins with

II. A Guilty CONSCIENCE (Matthew 5:4; cp. Joel 2:12-13)

Matthew 5:4 (ESV)

4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Once again, Jesus is not talking about an outward mourning—He is not referring to the person who behaves like Eeyore, always moping and complaining with a pessimistic outlook on life. He is not describing someone who is always wallowing in self-pity or perpetually grieving over what a raw deal life has dealt you.

The mourning that Jesus says is blessed is the mourning that takes place when you realize the depth of your sin and helplessness before God. It is one thing to be spiritually poor and acknowledge it; it is another to grieve and to mourn over it. Far too many people are quick to acknowledge that they are “sinners”—but then they treat their sin like a joke, something to laugh about or make light of.

But that kind of lighthearted, blithe disregard of sin has no place in the Kingdom Jesus is announcing. The blessing of belonging to this Kingdom starts with recognizing the depth of your offense against God. To have a conscience weighed down with guilt and shame—not merely shame because you got caught in a sin or guilt over the consequences of sin, but a heartbroken mourning over how deeply you have offended a holy God! It is a mourning that is described in the Old Testament book of Joel:

Joel 2:12–13a (ESV)

12 “Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; 13 and rend your hearts and not your garments...”

Gospel-happiness begins with a guilty conscience, because when you mourn over your spiritual bankruptcy,

God COMFORTS your GRIEF over sin (cp. James 4:9-10)

Joel goes on to say that when there is true grief and repentance over sin, and when we come to the Lord in repentance,

Joel 2:13 (ESV)

13 …He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.

And in the New Testament as well, we read in the book of James:

James 4:9–10 (ESV)

9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

The heart that mourns over a guilty conscience of its sin before a holy God will have the joy of God Himself comforting them in His neverending faithful love for them in Christ!

The Sermon on the Mount is our Savior’s declaration that He has inaugurated a new way of being human. True happiness according to Jesus can only grow in a heart that has been reborn by the Gospel—a heart that understands its spiritual bankruptcy, a heart that mourns over its guilty conscience before God. And in verse 5 of Matthew 5, Jesus goes on to tell us that Gospel-happiness grows in a heart of

III. Humble HELPLESSNESS (Matthew 5:5; cp. Romans 12:3)

Matthew 5:5 (ESV)

5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Indiana University basketball coach Bobby Knight was famous for saying “The meek may well inherit the earth, but they don’t get a lot of rebounds!” Once again, Jesus is not pointing to weakness or laziness or apathy here—meekness is the opposite of malice, or pride, or revenge. It is the attitude that Paul commends to us in Romans 12--

Romans 12:3 (ESV)

3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

Meekness, among other things, is “living in accordance with the abilities God has given us, neither as if we had more nor less; neither pressing ourselves into situations we are not equipped to handle (for fear that if we don’t people will lose respect for us), nor shying away from those we can” (Storms, S. (2016). Biblical Studies: The Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5:5). Sam Storms.)

To be meek in the context of the Beatitudes, then, is to have an honest and forthright understanding of your helplessness before God. It is your acceptance of His assessment—without arguing or self-justification—that you are utterly incapable of any good apart from Him. And it is the complete and utter acknowledgement that you have no goodness, no joy, no ability for happiness apart from Him! Meekness can joyfully sing with the psalmist:

Psalm 16:2 (ESV)

2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”

Gospel-happiness grows in the heart of humble helplessness, Jesus says, because

God REWARDS your DEPENDENCE on Him (cp. 2 Corinthians 6:8-10)

Jesus says that those who look to Him with humble helplessness will be rewarded—that they will “inherit the earth”. Not in the sense that they will own gold mines or oil fields—although God has promised that the day will come when His Kingdom will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. But even now, there is a Gospel-happiness for those who freely rest in their utter dependence on God. Paul describes this kind of contentment in the midst of his humiliation in 2 Corinthians 6--

2 Corinthians 6:8–10 (ESV)

8 through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9 as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.

True happiness—the happiness that Christ promises those who inhabit His Kingdom, who have hearts reborn by the Good News of His Gospel—is a happiness that is born of our acknowledgement of our spiritual bankruptcy, our mourning over our sin, our acknowledgment of our helplessness outside of God’s grace. And there is one more characteristic of a heart where true happiness grows in the next Beatitude that Jesus declares in verse 6—true happiness is found in a heart that has a

IV. Desperation for HOLINESS (Matthew 5:6; cp. Matthew 18:8-9)

Matthew 5:6 (ESV)

6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

The heart that recognizes its own spiritual bankruptcy before God, and mourns over that bankruptcy; the heart that recognizes its utter helplessness to please God on its own is a heart that is desperately desiring to please God. Jesus is saying that true happiness begins when we are as desperate for righteousness as a starving man is for food, or a victim of dehydration in the desert is for water. This is akin to His statement later on in Matthew where He says

Matthew 11:12 (ESV)

12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.

In other words—are you so desperate for this Kingdom’s righteousness in your life that you will go to any lengths to obtain it? Are you ready to tear out your own eye, cut off your own hand, castrate your own organ in order to be found worthy to enter this Kingdom?

Matthew 18:8–9 (ESV)

8 And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.

No one enters the Kingdom of Heaven without utter, complete and comprehensive righteousness. In every iota of your life. at every single second of your life. There is no happiness to be found, in this life or the next, without this perfect righteousness. Jesus will say this very thing later in His Sermon:

Matthew 5:48 (ESV)

48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

This is Gospel-happiness, when you realize that the perfection of God is forever out of the reach of your best efforts, when in your desperation for acceptance before God you realize your utter helplessness; you come to the conclusion that the weight of your guilt and sin will never be relieved by anything you can do, and that realization breaks your heart so that you would do anything to be made right with God. When you have come to that place, and you cry out to Jesus for mercy, you find the greatest, most perfect, most unstoppable happiness that can ever be obtained:

God GRANTS you His own RIGHTEOUSNESS (2 Corinthians 5:17, 21)

This is what Jesus came to earth to do—to give you the righteousness of God Himself! This is the Good News—this is the Gospel:

2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

This is what it means to have a heart reborn by the Gospel—to be a completely new person. To enter into a whole new way of being human; a life that you live beyond what your own abilities or so-called goodness could ever achieve. Because in His death on that Cross, Jesus Christ took your sin on Himself. He took all of your hatred, all of your anger, all of your bitterness and lust and selfishness and perversion and failure and twisted darkness of your soul—all of it—and wrapped His arms around all of it and took it with Him as He descended down into a death He did not deserve under the wrath of God in your place.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV)

21 For our sake [God] made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Your hunger and thirst for righteousness is filled when you come by faith to Jesus Christ. When you live in Him, you live in the perfect righteousness God requires; the perfect righteousness that you hunger for.

And consider for a moment the description of the heart the Beatitudes describe—by these standards, Jesus Christ is the happiest Man Who ever lived! He was a Man of Sorrows, well acquainted with grief (Isaiah 53:3)

He was the One who was poor in spirit but possessed the Kingdom of Heaven:

Philippians 2:8–10 (ESV)

8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

He was the One Who mourned and was comforted

Hebrews 5:7 (ESV)

7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.

He is the meek One, He is the One who hungered and thirsted after righteousness, He is the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemaker, the One persecuted for righteousness’ sake—Jesus Christ is the Perfect Man who is the Perfect demonstration of Perfect blessedness, perfect happiness. And when you come to Him for salvation, that perfect happiness becomes yours!

Did you come here this morning because you had it in the back of your mind that your attendance at church would make you more acceptable to God, that your spiritual bankruptcy would be somehow lessened because you spent this hour here instead of in bed? Or are you here because you are desperate for the holiness God requires?

Are you mourning over the fact that you got caught in sin this week? Are you heavy hearted because you don’t like the consequences of your sinful behavior? Or would you be mourning over your sin even if no one else ever found out about it?

Do you reflexively lash out at anyone who thinks ill of you or calls your goodness into question—are you defensive of your own virtue, or do you accept their low opinion of you because you know that you are actually far worse than they know?

What do you hunger for this morning? Some spiritual experience, some vague sense of “blessing” from God; more of the Holy Spirit’s power, more sense of God’s presence in your life, more understanding of the Bible? Or are you desperate for His righteousness this morning? Are you hungering or thirsting for better self-esteem, more respect from people that you think will be impressed by your church attendance, or are you so desperately starving for a right relationship with God that you will do anything, suffer anything, lose anything, risk anything to have it?

If so, then the perfect, spotless, unshakeable, blessed happiness of God Himself is offered to you today—not in what you can offer God, but in what He has offered you in the Gospel. Come to Him in complete and total confession of you utter bankruptcy, lay before Him all of your sin, all of your pride, all of your shame, all of your brokenness, all of your rebellion against Him and cry out for the blood that was shed on that Cross to cover all of it. He stands ready to hear your cries, to forgive your sin, and to give you all of the blessings and happiness of a new way of being human—a new heart, a new life, and a new start. Happiness is coming to this Man Who has purchased it all for you by His blood, so come—and welcome!—to Jesus Christ!

BENEDICTION:

Ephesians 3:20–21 (ESV)

20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION:

Matthew 5:1-3 teaches that those who recognize they are spiritually bankrupt will possess the kingdom of heaven. How does recognizing your spiritual bankruptcy affect the way you live each day? How can you cultivate this identity more?

Gospel happiness starts with grieving over their sin and sin in the world. Are there some sins that seem easier for you to grieve over and some that you too often overlook? Why or why not?

What does Jesus mean by “meekness”? What is the relationship between meekness and pride? How does a meek spirit before God lead to real happiness in your life?

What are some things that you “hunger” for in your life? What appetite do you have in your heart for the perfect righteousness God requires? What does the presence or absence of your desire for a right relationship with God say about your spiritual condition?