The Be-Attitudes
The Greatest Sermon Ever • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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It’s a new year and time for a new sermon series. Over the next few months, we are going to go through the greatest sermon ever…no, not any sermon of mine, but a sermon by the greatest preacher ever - Jesus. We find this sermon in the book of Matthew starting in chapter 5. If you have a Bible that has the words of Jesus in red letters, you’ll see that these 3 chapters are entirely in red with the exception of the first two verses.
Before we get to the meat of the passage today, I want to start with Matthew’s introduction to this sermon and it’s conclusion. It starts in Matthew 5 with this:
1 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them. He said:
And ends in chapter 7 with this:
28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.
In between these verses is a lengthy teaching by Jesus that has been labeled The Sermon on the Mount. There are some parallels to some of what is captured in these chapters to what Luke wrote in his Gospel. Some weeks we’ll take a look at some of what is written there as well.
***Title Slide***
Today we are going to look at the first 12 verses that is called the beatitudes. You’ll see I’ve titled today’s message the Be-attitudes. I saw another pastor title his message this way and thought it was pretty clever. He was likely not the first and I will likely not be the last.
Really, though, beatitude is just one word with one less t in it. It comes from a Latin word beatitudo which can literally be translated blessedness. As we read through these next few verses, you’ll see why this section is labeled beatitudes or blessedness.
Before we read them I want to make a few general observations.
These blessed statements are all in present tense. This blessing is for here and now.
These blessed statements are all characteristics of those who follow Christ - of those who are saved, but they are not a requirement for salvation. As we head the teachings of Christ and apply them in our lives, we will see greater blessedness as these become true.
These statements are all counter cultural. Theses statements are all signs of “success” as a Christ follower, but the opposite is often celebrated in a more worldly mindset.
The beatitudes follow a structure of “Blessed are…for...”
These are not the only beatitudes in scripture. Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Isaiah, Job and Luke also have “Blessed are…for...” statements.
With that as the backdrop, let’s read the beatitudes in Matthew 5 starting in verse 3...
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Let’s spend a little time on each of these “Blessed are…for…” statements. Inside each of them are instructions on how we are to see ourselves and the one who came to save us. I don’t think you can be too much of any of these statements. I think a person who lives these out in their life is someone who probably looks a lot like Jesus.
Let’s look at the first one:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
A financially poor person is someone who has little money and little possessions of value. A person in this condition would not argue about their “poorness”.
Unfortunately, our culture wants to teach us that we are not poor in spirit. We hear things like “You’re good enough.” We are told that we should be self reliant and independent. A humanist worldview celebrates the achievements of humans and how great we are.
Someone who is poor in spirit recognizes that our personal spiritual bank account is in the deficit and only because of God’s grace and the saving work of Jesus is that deficit paid off and a deposit made on our behalf. Not because we’ve earned it, but because God gifted it to us.
Someone who see themselves as rich in spirit is prideful, self-reliant and ultimately doomed. Yet, a person who sees their own individual poverty in spirit is one who can then receive the blessing of the Kingdom of Heaven that Jesus came to give.
This is what Isaiah says...
1 This is what the Lord says: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be?
2 Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?” declares the Lord. “These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word.
Let’s look at the next beatitude
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
On the surface, this might seem like a statement for those have gone through a terrible situation…such as a loss of a loved one. I don’t think that is what Jesus is getting at.
This is not anything new in the world. This has been done for ages by those who would rebel against God, against righteousness…but the world has a tendency to celebrate sin. Maybe not celebrate, but certainly makes excuses for and even lightheartedly deals with issues of sin and rebellion.
All throughout Jesus teaching is a need for repentance and a contrite or sorrowful heart.
Here’s what the Psalmist says...
129 Your statutes are wonderful; therefore I obey them.
130 The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.
131 I open my mouth and pant, longing for your commands.
132 Turn to me and have mercy on me, as you always do to those who love your name.
133 Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me.
134 Redeem me from human oppression, that I may obey your precepts.
135 Make your face shine on your servant and teach me your decrees.
136 Streams of tears flow from my eyes, for your law is not obeyed.
Honest question…when was the last time you mourned over your sin…that streams of tears flowed from your eyes?
The beautiful thing about our repentance and mourning over our sin is that it is met by God grace poured out through Jesus on the cross. Jesus says bring your mourning over your sin to me and I will comfort you with my grace.
Let’s look at verse 5
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
I want to read from one of my commentaries as they say it well...
The Gospel according to Matthew 2. The Beatitudes, 5:3–12
We should not miss the point that in all three of the opening beatitudes the truth is brought out that the follower of Jesus does not aggressively insist on his own rights but displays genuine humility. Meekness is not to be confused with weakness: the meek are not simply submissive because they lack the resources to be anything else.22 Meekness is quite compatible with great strength and ability as humans measure strength, but whatever strength or weakness the meek person has is accompanied by humility and a genuine dependence on God. True meekness may be a quality of the strong, those who could assert themselves but choose not to do so. The strong who qualify for this blessing are the strong who decline to domineer. Self-assertion is never a Christian virtue; rather, it is Christian to be busy in lowly service and to refuse to engage in the conduct that merely advances one’s personal aims.
This is such a counter cultural thought. Our culture generally rewards those who fight and demand what they have coming for them. Honestly, if this is your approach, you’ll likely get what you are demanding. Yet, whatever it is will fall way short of inheriting the earth. So often people trade the rewards of the here and now for the greater reward of eternity.
Verse 6...
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Funny story…growing up I spent a lot of time with my aunt and uncle. The anniversary of his death was just a week ago. I have a lot of fond memories of him. One of the things uncle Dave would do is get up in the middle of the night and eat. If he knew there was something sweet, that would be the go to. My aunt Linda knew this and she would hide the cake or brownies or cookies so he wouldn’t eat them all in the middle of the night.
Somehow though, his hunger for the sweets drove him to find where they were. No cabinet was unchecked, no bowl unturned. He was on a mission, and most times he was successful, no matter how good of a spot Linda chose.
Can you picture the hunger a man has in order to find a hidden cake while he sleep walks?
What do you hunger for? What do you thirst for? What is unfortunate for us in our flesh is that we hunger and thirst for sinful things. Jesus says here that if we can redirect our hunger and thirst for righteousness, He will fill our lives with that.
Alright…halfway there. I probably could have split this into two lists....
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
I have a real high need for justice. I cheer in the movies when the bad guy gets what’s coming to them…what they deserve. I’ve at times in my life have needed to get some form of revenge when I’ve been wronged. Fortunately, God has been working on this one with me. These urges are less today than they used to be, but I still have to fight it.
Showing mercy when I’ve been wronged is hard. Showing mercy doesn’t mean we allow the wrong to continue, mercy means we don’t seek vengeance or retribution. It’s one thing to set up a health boundary, it’s another thing all together to want to get back at someone.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
When Jesus says heart here, he is referring to our inner being. When our inner being is pure, we will see God. This is not a natural condition of our heart…later in Matthew, Jesus says this:
17 “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18 But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.
As long as we are in these fleshly bodies, we are going to fight this war in our hearts. A war between purity and sin. Between our fleshly desire and the desire to follow Jesus.
Here’s the progression I have seen in my own live. When I am aware of my poorness in spirit and my need for Jesus, when I mourn over my sin and repent, when I approach the world with humility and meekness, when I hunger for righteousness and I show mercy, then the condition of my heart is pure and I am able to see God clearer than when any of those things are not true.
Being pure in heart all the time is not possible for us in the flesh, but when we reign in the impurity, our ability to see God and how he is working and leading becomes easier.
Three more…verse 9
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Jesus came that he might bring peace. Not peace from war like we understand it, but peace with God. If you remember from Luke 2 when the angels announced the birth of Jesus… “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
To be a peacemaker is to do what is necessary to bring hostile parties together and offer a means of reconciliation and peace. When we are able to do that, we are doing what Jesus did. This doesn’t mean we bend our values or skew the truth. Jesus never did that would not want us to either, but it does mean doing what we can to find a place of peace even if it means there is still some level of disagreement.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Persecution is cruel or unfair treatment, and in this case Jesus says because of righteousness.
The Bible tells us that this will become more and more prevalent when the end time approaches. I am not qualified to say whether we are in a greater time of persecution or not. As I read about what happened to the apostles and followers of Jesus in the book of Acts, I don’t think we’re anywhere near that kind of persecution here in America.
This should be an encouragement to us. I know none of us want to have to endure persecution, but if/when that day comes, we can all ourselves blessed because ours is the kingdom of heaven.
Last one…this is in part a continuation of verse 10...
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Notice there is a change in this beatitude in the person/people being addressed. In this one, Jesus uses directs this statement to us directly…to you. Blessed are you.
Another thing to note is the world when. Blessed are you when…This implies that what Jesus is talking about will happen to us, it is just a matter of when.
Jesus says we are blessed when that happens. I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t feel quite like a blessing. Then, he takes it a step further and tells us…verse 12 is an imperative…it is something he is saying to do. We are to rejoice and be glad.
It is when Jesus says stuff like this that I want to act like a snotty teenager and come up with a reason why I don’t want to. But, but, but…what if…then I don’t have to rejoice and be glad…right? Wrong.
When it say to rejoice and be glad, that “be glad” is a Greek word that has a deep meaning that just be glad…it is an action word that means to be in a state of such great joy and gladness that it is expressed outwardly. It is not just something that we feel or experience, it is also something that is to be expressed outwardly. This type of gladness is evident to others as it is expressed through our body language and our actions.
***Title Slide***
In just 10 verses, Jesus sets the foundation for the greatest sermon ever. So many challenges to us as we follow him. This is just the beginning of some of the greatest teaching the world has ever heard.
Over the next few months, we are going to continue in Matthew as we dig deeper into the greatest sermon ever.
As I was praying going into this new year, I ask God to provide a word heading into 2024. The word he gave me is from Isaiah 43...
Isaiah 43:18–19 (NIV)
18 “Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
19 See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
Specifically, the word is New. I get the sense that God is wanting to do something new in and through this church. I am not 100% clear on what that means yet, but I am certain that He will be faithful to lead and guide in whatever that is.
I believe the new thing starts with each of us individually. For the several weeks at least, we are going to end the service a little differently than we have. I believe God wants to speak and we need to be willing to ask and then listen. There are two questions we are going to ask, then leave a bit of quiet time to listen prior to leaving. Here are the questions:
God, is there anything I heard today that I need to act on?
God, are you calling me to make a decision?