"The Beatitudes"_Matthew 5a_May 12 2024
God With Us - Discovering the Gospel of Matthew • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Scripture Reading
Scripture Reading
[An outline to the SOTM:
Chapter 5:1-16 - God’s kingdom and how it relates to us, personally
5:17-48 - The kingdom and how it relates to the Law
Chapter 6: The kingdom and how it relates to God
Chapter 7: The kingdom and how it relates to others]
Welcome
Series: God With Us
Bibles: Matthew 5
Communion at the end
Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. 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.
(Pray…)
The Sermon on the Mount
The Sermon on the Mount
So far in Matt -
very few lines of dialogue from Jesus - and now, three chapters devoted to his sermon
(Illustration: My early 20’s, personal crisis: stemmed from the very words of Christ…)
“Blessed are the poor in spirit?”
“Blessed are those who mourn?”
“Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven?”
“Everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment?”
“Whoever says ‘you fool’ will be liable to the hell of fire?”
“For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life?”
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven?”
“And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me’?”
I tried to read my Bible
These were the exact quotes of what Jesus said
They bothered me because I didn’t put them in proper context
I didn’t understand the right context
I didn’t take the Sermon on the Mount in context -
to see it in the bigger picture -
how it relates to the rest of the Bible
But over the years, I have read the Bible many times
And I’ve meditated on these quotes of Jesus for decades
When I read the epistles in the NT - particularly Paul’s letters - it puts it all in the right context
This past week
I've had some apprehension about preaching on this
I want my words to honor the Lord
After all, this sermon is directly from Jesus
My sermon is today is about the greatest sermon in the world
My first reaction is to just read it out-loud from the Bible - and let you come to your own conclusions
How could my sermon do justice to his sermon?
Most of you have probably heard sermons about the SOTM
But I want to be obedient to the Lord - and maybe offer an application you might not thought of
What I want to do, for the next couple of weeks - is to take an overview of the SOTM in its proper context
Why did Jesus preach this?
How does this relate to the gospel?
How does it relate to us?
What was the main point Jesus was getting at?
I want to first point out - Jesus is mainly focused on his kingdom
Secondly, the SOTM is to be obeyed - and we can only obey it through the righteousness of Jesus Christ
1) The SOTM is kingdom-focused -
2) the SOTM is to be obeyed
In Matthew’s gospel, the word, “kingdom” is mentioned 54 times - most translations
56 times in the KJV
Just in this sermon alone, Jesus mentions his kingdom eight times
During his life, Jesus preached “kingdom” all the time
We can’t ignore what he meant by “kingdom”
The SOTM is three chapters of Jesus’ sermon
If you break it down, there are more than 2,300 Greek words contained in this sermon
Some people have estimated that given this many words, his original sermon might have lasted between 15-18 minutes
My sermon is probably longer!
So it’s tempting for me to just get up here and read it out-loud - and then sit down
But I know the Lord would have me preach and teach his word
I know the Lord wants us to read his Word on our own
But he also wants it taught - so here I am
When you learn about putting a sermon together
They say it must contain an application
What do you do with all of this information
I want to take a peek at the end of his sermon -
Jesus gives a wonderful application
I want to skip to the end to show you what I mean when I say we need to obey the SOTM
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
That’s the application Jesus gave
That’s our goal! We want to obey Christ
But we can’t obey his words unless we understand his words
That’s why I want to take some time for us to understand this wonderful message
There is a criticism out there - that Jesus and Paul preached separate gospels
Paul preached justification through God’s grace - Jesus preached God’s kingdom
This is a common criticism
But ask yourself: What is it we seek through the cross and the resurrection?
We seek to enter his kingdom
We want to be part of the kingdom of heaven, right?
Jesus is setting the stage and making it clear - what the kingdom of heaven is like - and how we enter his kingdom
It’s impossible to say that Jesus was not about the gospel
Jesus is the only reason we have the good news of the gospel!
Remember, the SOTM is before the death and resurrection of Jesus
We are justified by faith through grace in no other way than by the blood of Jesus on the cross
Jesus lived the good news of the gospel for us
Christ died in my place - that’s the Gospel!
Jesus is declaring his kingdom - and btw, the Church is not the kingdom of heaven
That’s like saying everyone who goes to church will go to heaven
Part of the Church is included in God’s kingdom
The kingdom of heaven - the kingdom of God will include everyone who has placed their faith in Jesus
That’s a big difference from saying, “The kingdom of God will include everyone who goes to church”
You don’t receive eternal life because you go to church - you inherit eternal life only through your true faith in Jesus
Jesus must be your Savior - and if he is to be your Savior, you must make him the Lord of your life
No one goes to Heaven without Jesus as their Lord and Savior
You don’t go to Heaven because you dazzled God with your religious devotion
The Beatitudes
The Beatitudes
Jesus begins his sermon brilliantly
He begins unconventionally, uncharacteristically, and counter-intuitively
He doesn’t say, “Blessed are the religious”
“Blessed are those who keep the law”
“Blessed are the powerful and connected”
“Blessed are those who a very moral”
“Blessed are those who don’t sin too much”
Remember, he is speaking to a large crowd - and the crowd is made up of Jews and Gentiles
Imagine what was going through their minds
We know that he was becoming famous - it says in Matt 4 that his fame was spreading
We don’t normally talk about how Jesus was famous
But I count four times in the NT that talks about the fame of Jesus
All four times in Matt
He was preaching the “gospel of the kingdom” - and he was healing everyone in Galilee
The crowd knew who he was - they knew that he was a Jew
He had been teaching in their synagogues - and they would know him as a rabbi, or “teacher”
And here is this Jewish rabbi with tremendous charisma and mystique among the people
And I think they were blown away by the opening to his sermon
We know that they had received teachings from the scribes
We know this is true because at the end of his sermon -
It says that the crowd was “astonished at his teaching” (Matt 7:28)
And that unlike the scribes, he taught as one with authority (Matt 7:29)
And this is how he begins his sermon
And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Notice, it says that he taught them - he opened his mouth and taught them
He wasn’t just talking - he was teaching them
He doesn’t get after them about all their sins
He doesn’t lecture them about their lack of church attendance
He doesn’t condemn them for their immoral acts
He immediately identifies with the “poor in spirit” - the ones who don’t have it all together
Not the theologically sophisticated pious Pharisees who had it all together
He taught these beatitudes to the people who were anxiously waiting for the kingdom of heaven
There is the humility expressed in the phrase “poor in spirit” (Luke: “poor”)
“Poor in spirit” is a trait - a characteristic
It’s what the person is
There are nine “blessed are” beatitudes
They describe the traits of a person who is ready for the kingdom of heaven
With all nine “blessed are” beatitudes - there is a corresponding comfort from God
With the poor in spirit - you have God’s comfort: “theirs is the kingdom of heaven”
It’s God grace on display - there’s nothing you do receive these comforts
May I expand on what Jesus said in verse 3?
Forgive me, but I think he’s implying a little extra - and I think the crowds would have felt it
I think what’s implied here is this:
“Blessed are those who know and acknowledge they are poor in spirit”
Forgive me again - I’d like to sum up the list of Beatitudes with one word - humility
I think the thrust of the Beatitudes - and the thrust of the entire SOTM is humility
Specifically, our humility
Our humility and God’s mercy
Our proper stance as sinners - and God’s grace for us
This is an overarching theme in the SOTM
Can I point out something?
We can’t follow and serve Jesus without humility
We can’t even repent of our sins without humility
We cannot enter the kingdom of heaven without humility
Remember the story of Israel in the book of Exodus
And it starts off with Moses delivering his people
But before all of that, Chapter 2 of Exodus talks about how the Israelites were trapped in slavery under Pharoah
And when they had had enough, it says the people “groaned” and cried out for the Lord to help them
I think it highlights their humility because they acknowledged their need of a savior
That’s the point -
You and I need to acknowledge our need for Jesus
We are in need of being in need
Here’s my point - all of us need to acknowledge our need
None of us have it together
The essence of the Christian life is to lean on Jesus and trust him - and to come to him in humility
God does not favor the ones who think they don’t need him -
He favors the humble
We don’t come to him when after we become a good person
We don’t straighten out all our affairs - and then come to the Lord
We come to him now - because we see that we need him
God wants you to acknowledge your need of him
That’s how you come to God -
You cry out to the Lord
You groan, and tell him you need him
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Notice - there is the characteristic of the person - and then God’s comfort
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
If you look in a Greek dictionary for the meaning of the word, “meek”
Gentle, humble, kind
“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.
Jesus switched gears here
He is promising persecution in the future for those who follow him
He’s laying out the cost of following him
Nowhere in the SOTM, or in the Bible - are we promised health and wealth
We know from the epistles that this righteousness Jesus is talking about is his righteousness
It’s called Double Imputation
Jesus took our sins,
And gave us his righteousness
Jesus later said, “unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees. you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
He also said, “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Well, the NT is clear -
The only way I’m perfect - the only way that my righteousness can exceed the Pharisees - is because I received the perfection and the righteousness from Jesus when I placed my faith in him
That’s how we’re righteous before God
When we come to him:
We repent of our sins
And we place our faith and trust in him
And he forgives us - all of our sins
And Jesus gives us his righteousness
And the Father declares us righteous because of Jesus - not because of what we do
This last beatitude is like the the one before it
But he gives a lot more clarification
He also changes it a little
Instead of saying, “Blessed are those,”
He makes it personal and says, “Blessed are you”
“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.
In verse 10, he says, “those who are persecuted for righteousness sake”
But in verse 11, he says all these things will happen to you, “on my account”
Jesus is clearly talking about following him
Becoming one of his disciples
Placing your faith and trust in him
Going all-in with Jesus
Jesus is saying that there is a cost to following him
But Jesus finishes up with, “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
This is a wonderful comfort
We are comforted even if we receive persecution in the world
Jesus placed all of his followers - and he places us, in the same camp as the prophets. Amazing
Provided - we come to him in humility
Conclusion
Conclusion
Have you ever cried out to Jesus in your life?
In the final analysis, we need to cry out (and groan) to Jesus everyday
Because he is our daily bread
Come to him in your proper stance as a sinner - in humility
Don’t be like the world -
And cross your arms
And pretend you don’t need him
Come to him now
(Pray…)
Communion
Communion
Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.
For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.