The Sermon on the Mount: Blessed are the...
Sermon on the Mount • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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The Sermon on the mount is arguably the most famous sermon that Jesus gave. It is given in its full form in Matthew 5-7 and it is replicated in part in Luke 6, and through out the other Gospels.
This sermon was probably a collection of teachings that jesus would give as he traveled from town to town. He probably said many of these things over and over, which is why, when Matthew wrote his gospel many years later he was able to recall so much of Jesus’s teachings.
Matthew then presents this as Jesus’s core teaching to his followers.
Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.
We are going to look at the first part of His sermon today, called the Beatitudes - latin for blessings: Jesus wants to teach us what a blessed life looks like.
And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
I’ve heard these described many ways, but the one I like best is understanding that those who follow Christ will live in these ways, and that by seeking these blessings we will grow closer to Christ.
Lets take a look at each of these and what they mean:
Poor in Spirit
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
What does it mean to be Poor in Spirit?
Why didn’t Jesus just say blessed are the poor
He has plenty of other teachings where he says that the poor are better off than the rich
The Rich young man
For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”
But wealth and riches are not inherently sinful
It is when riches become more important that God
Jesus is saying that no matter how much you have, no matter how rich or poor you are, to live a blessed life and inherit the kingdom of God, you should live as though all you have is a gift from God.
Mourning
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
This seems a bit backwards. “happy are those who mourn”
Mourning is the opposite of happiness, right?
Those who mourn are blessed because they will be comforted.
This blessing from Jesus is actually a direct reference to a prophecy about his coming:
Isaiah 61:1–4 (ESV)
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;
to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.
They shall build up the ancient ruins;
they shall raise up the former devastations;
they shall repair the ruined cities,
the devastations of many generations.
Jesus has come to comfort those who are mourning, and turn their sorrow into Joy.
I think it is also interesting that Jesus is saying that mourning is a good thing.
it is okay to mourn when we lose someone close to us, in fact it is encouraged.
God did not originally intend for death and loss to be part of this world, they are the results of our own fallen nature, it is okay to be sad in the face of death.
Jesus wept at lazarus’s grave, even though he was planning on bringing him back to life.
Meekness
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Growing up i never really understood the word meek.
Meek sounds like weak.
It makes me think of a mouse.
The word here means Gentle or Humble, not weak.
True gentleness is not being weak, but being strong enough to do harm and taking care not to.
True humility is not just treating others better than yourself, it is putting the needs of others before your own desires.
Interestingly Jesus is quoting another part of the old testament here as well:
Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
For the evildoers shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.
In just a little while, the wicked will be no more;
though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.
But the meek shall inherit the land
and delight themselves in abundant peace.
Notice here that the meek (gentle and humble) are equated with those who wait for the Lord, not taking action when they want to, but waiting for the Lord to bring about his promises.
Hunger and thirst for Righteousness
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Righteousness is related to Justice.
Jesus is saying that those who want justice to be done, they will be satisfied.
We live in an unjust world, But God promises to bring justice.
Its not always the way we would want, or expect
Our God is a god of Justice.
He will not let wickedness go unpunished.
HE cannot, as that would not be just
Whoever is steadfast in righteousness will live,
but he who pursues evil will die.
Those of crooked heart are an abomination to the Lord,
but those of blameless ways are his delight.
Be assured, an evil person will not go unpunished,
but the offspring of the righteous will be delivered.
People sometimes say that “A good God would not send people to hell”
but it is that very action that makes God good
Some people out there deserve everything that they have coming to them.
If you long for justice, you are blessed, for God will bring justice.
Mercy
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
Jesus follows up the idea of justice with mercy.
Mercy and grace are related, but they are two different things
Grace is giving someone a gift they did not deserve
Mercy is not giving someone the punishment they deserve.
Jesus constantly talks about how being merciful, and forgiving others leads to our own forgiveness.
A just God is terrfiying to sinners, a merciful God is our only salvation
God promises to be merciful to us if we show mercy to others,
It works the same way with grace
Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord,
and he will repay him for his deed.
Be kind and good to others, and God will be kind and good to you.
Pure in Heart
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Purity in heart
This is in opposition to having visual purity.
Like the pharisees
They looked holy and righteous but had all sorts of problems
Jesus is calling his followers to be pure in heart
Someone who’s intentions match their life, and are devoted to God.
Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to what is false
and does not swear deceitfully.
He will receive blessing from the Lord
and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah
Clean hands, not bloody, innocent
pure heart.
Peacemakers
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Jesus says that those who strive to make peace will be called sons of God,
Jesus is The Son of God
the way to be most like Christ is to strive to make peace.
Peace is not just the absence of war or violence.
Shalom - Wholeness, completeness, the world as it should be.
As we work to bring God’s will to earth “on earth as it is in heaven” we are working to create peace, and becoming more like Christ.
THe Persecuted
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Living for God and following Christ is not easy. The world will not like you if you truely try to live for Christ.
We have it easier here in America, but it gets harder with every passing year.
In other parts of the World Christians risk death every day.
This is nothing new.
The world has always been set against God
If we wish to follow Christ, we will look backwards to the World, we find poverty a blessing, rejoice with mourning, treat others better than ourselves, await God to bring justice while forgiving those who hurt us, seeking peace in a broken world.