Matthew 5 Verses 1 to 12 The Be-Attitudes April 7, 2024 Sermon on the Mount Lesson 1

Matthew 5 Verses 1 to 12 The Be-Attitudes April 7, 2024

Kingdom Power Class Lesson 1 Presentation Notes AAAAAA

Background Scriptures:

· Luke 6:20-23 (NKJV) 20 Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said: "Blessed are you poor, For yours is the kingdom of God. 21 Blessed are you who hunger now, For you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, For you shall laugh. 22 Blessed are you when men hate you, And when they exclude you, And revile you, and cast out your name as evil, For the Son of Man's sake. 23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.

· Galatians 5:22-25 (NKJV) 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who areChrist's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Main Idea:

· Jesus brings blessings to His followers even in the difficult seasons of life.

Study Aim:

· We should seek to experience the true fulfillment in Christ even in life’s most difficult challenges.

Create Interest:

“Be holy in all your conduct” (1 Peter 1:15).

Consider each Greek word in turn:

· Be: to “become” or “enter a new state of being”; this is a direct command from God

· Holy: be fully dedicated to God and set apart from the world

· In all: in every aspect of our lives

· Your conduct: our daily behavior and lifestyles.

· In the biblical worldview, the expectations about lifestyle run counter to the secular lifestyle. Jesus called His followers to live as He did. Christians are to live based on the values and priorities of the kingdom of God.[1]

Lesson in Historical Context:

· Matthew was written approx. A.D. 50-60. To demonstrate the carpenter, Jesus of Nazareth was the long-awaited Christ.

o Matthew was born a Jew. He chose to be a hated tax collector for the occupying Rome and was called by Jesus to be one of His followers.

· Jesus, we learn, wasn’t simply a great teacher, and if we try to describe him like that we will misunderstand him. This passage is the beginning of the famous ‘Sermon on the Mount’, which runs through chapters 5, 6 and 7 of Matthew’s gospel, and sets out, in Matthew’s presentation of it, the main themes of Jesus’ proclamation. People often say what wonderful teaching the Sermon on the Mount is, and that if only people would obey it the world would be a better place. But if we think of Jesus simply sitting there telling people how to behave properly, we will miss what was really going on. These ‘blessings’, the ‘wonderful news’ that he’s announcing, are not saying ‘try hard to live like this.’ They are saying that people who already are like that are in good shape. They should be happy and celebrate😊.

· Jesus is not suggesting that these are simply timeless truths about the way the world is, are about human behavior.

o If he was saying that he was wrong. Mourners often go uncomforted, the meek don’t inherit the earth, those who long for justice frequently take that longing to the grave.

§ This is an upside-down world, or perhaps a right-way-up world; and Jesus is saying that with his work It’s starting to come true.

o This is an announcement, not a philosophical analysis of the world. It’s about something That’s starting to happen, not about a general truth of life. It is gospel: good news, not good advice.

· Follow me, Jesus said to the first disciples; because in Him the living God was doing a new thing, and this list of ‘wonderful news’ is part of his invitation, part of his summons, part of his way of saying that God is at work in a fresh way and that this is what it looks like.

o Jesus is beginning a new era for God’s people and God’s world.

§ This era is The Kingdom of Heaven mentioned 32 times by Matthew. It reflects the messianic kingdom foreseen by Daniel.

📷 Daniel 2:44 (NKJV) 44 And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.

o From here on, all the controls people thought they knew about are going to work the other way round. In our world, still, most people think that wonderful news consists of success, wealth, long life, victory in battle.

§ Jesus is offering wonderful news for the humble, the poor, the mourners, the peacemakers.

· The word for ‘wonderful news’ is often translated ‘blessed’, and part of the point is that this is God’s wonderful news. God is acting in and through Jesus to turn the world upside down, to turn Israel upside down, to pour out lavish ‘blessings’ on all who now turn to him and accept the new thing that He is doing. (This list is sometimes called ‘the Beatitudes’ because the Latin word ‘beatus’ means ‘blessed’.)

o The point is not to offer a list of what sort of people God normally blesses.

§ The point is to announce God’s new covenant.[2]

Before we study each of the beatitudes, let’s note the following:

· The beatitudes are not pious hopes of what shall be; they are not glowing, but nebulous prophecies of some future bliss; they are congratulations on what is.

o The blessedness which belongs to the Christian is not a blessedness which is postponed to some future world of glory; it is a blessedness which exists here and now.

o It is not something into which the Christian will enter: it is something into which he has entered.

· The beatitudes in effect say, “O the bliss of being a Christian! O the joy of following Christ! O the sheer happiness of knowing Jesus Christ as Master, Savior and Lord!”

o The very form of the beatitudes is the statement of the joyous thrill and the radiant gladness of the Christian life. In face of the beatitudes a gloom-encompassed Christianity is unthinkable.

· Human happiness is something which is dependent on the chances and the changes of life, something which life may give, and which life may also destroy. The Christian blessedness is completely untouchable and unassailable. “No one,” said Jesus, “will take your joy from you” (John 16:22).

o The beatitudes speak of that joy which seeks us through our pain, that joy which sorrow and loss, and pain and grief, are powerless to touch, that joy which shines through tears, and which nothing in life or death can take away.

· The world can win its joys, and the world can equally well lose its joys. A change in fortune, a collapse in health, the failure of a plan, the disappointment of an ambition, even a change in the weather, can take away the fickle joy the world can give.

o But the Christian has the serene and untouchable joy which comes from walking forever in the company and in the presence of Jesus Christ.

· The greatness of the beatitudes is that they are not wistful glimpses of some future beauty; they are not even golden promises of some distant glory; they are triumphant shouts of bliss for a permanent joy that nothing in the world can ever take away.[3]

Bible Study:

Matthew 5:1-2 (NKJV) 1 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:

· As the multitudes continued to flock to Jesus (cf. 4:25), He went up on a mountainside and sat down. It was the custom of Rabbis to sit as they taught. His disciples came to Him and He began to teach them. Matthew 5–7 is commonly called “the Sermon on the Mount” because Jesus delivered it on a mountain. Though the mountain’s exact location is unknown, it was undoubtedly in Galilee (4:23) and was apparently near Capernaum on a place which was “level” (Luke 6:17). “Disciples” refers not to the Twelve, as some suggest, but to the multitudes following Him (cf. Matt. 7:28, “the crowds were amazed at His teaching”).

· Jesus instructed them in view of His announcement of the coming kingdom (4:17). Natural questions on the heart of every Jew would have been:

o “Am I eligible to enter Messiah’s kingdom?

o “ Am I righteous enough to qualify for entrance?”

§ The only standard of righteousness the people knew was that laid down by the current religious leaders, the scribes and Pharisees… and that standard only showed them how badly they sinned.

§ Would one who followed that standard be acceptable in Messiah’s kingdom?

o Jesus was about to share His life changing thoughts.

· Jesus’ sermon therefore must be understood in the context of His offer of the kingdom to Israel and the need for repentance to enter that kingdom.

o The sermon did not give a “Constitution” for the kingdom, nor did it present the way of salvation.

§ We have learned in previous study emphasized most recently in our study of Galatians that salvation is found by faith in Christ through God’s grace. There are no other requirements.

o The sermon showed how a person who is in right relationship with God should conduct his life.

§ We will remember that Abraham was made righteous with God “because he believed God”. We learned that others in the Old Testament found their eternal life with God the very same way. But now we have Christ in whom we believe totally by faith.

§ While the passage must be understood in the light of the offer of the messianic kingdom, the sermon applies to Jesus’ followers today for it demonstrates the standard of righteousness God desires in His love of His people for them to experience the “Fruit of the Spirit” in their daily lives thus enjoying eternal life while alive in the best and the worst of times….and all in between… and beyond the grave.[4]

Thoughts to soak on:

· Life in the kingdom can be hard. Jesus does not call his people to follow him with the promise of unbounded wealth or perfect health. He does promise blessings, but sometimes they will be experienced in the pain of rejection and loss.

· However, to be ‘blessed’ means to relate to God in a particular way. Some modern translations substitute the word ‘happy’ for the word ‘blessed’ and make the whole thing into a feeling.

· But Jesus is not talking about our feelings in this passage.As John Stott says, ‘Happiness is a subjective state, whereas Jesus is making an objective judgement about these people.’ This is what God says about them.

o It is to those who have nothing in themselves that God gives the kingdom of heaven, the comfort of heaven, the earth as their inheritance, the satisfaction of his provision, the mercy and vision of God, the right to be called his sons and the greatest of all rewards: a place in his kingdom.

· This is the very opposite of a worldly outlook. Jesus is promising the greatest of all blessings to those who are part of his kingdom.

o These are blessings both for the present and for the future.

o They are blessings of usefulness, for those whose lives are portrayed here are the salt of the earth (v. 13) and the light of the world (v. 14).

§ They are in a position of influence and good in which they are able to stem the tide of corruption and darkness that engulfs a fallen world.[5]

Matthew 5:3 (NKJV) 3 "Blessed arethe poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

· Being a master Teacher, our Lord did not begin this important sermon with a negative criticism of the scribes and Pharisees.

o He began with a positive emphasis on righteous character and the blessings that it brings to the life of the believer.

· The Pharisees taught that righteousness was an external thing, a matter of obeying rules and regulations. Righteousness could be measured by praying, giving, fasting, etc.

o In the Beatitudes and the pictures of the believer, Jesus described Christian character that flowed from within.

· Imagine how the crowd’s attention was riveted on Jesus when He uttered His first word: “Blessed.” (The Latin word for blessed is beatus, and from this comes the word beatitude.) This was a powerful word to those who heard Jesus that day.

o To them it meant “divine joy and perfect happiness.” The word was not used for humans; it described the kind of joy experienced only by the gods or the dead.

o “Blessed” implied an inner satisfaction and sufficiency that did not depend on outward circumstances for happiness.

§ This is what the Lord offers those who trust Him![6]

· Just as no one can come to Christ without poverty of spirit, no one can continue to grow apart from an ongoing poverty of spirit.

o Poverty of spirit is foundational because a continual sense of spiritual need is the basis for ongoing spiritual blessing. A perpetual awareness of our spiritual insufficiency opens us to continually receiving spiritual riches. Poverty of spirit is something we never outgrow. In fact, the more spiritually mature we become, the more profound will be our sense of poverty.

§ It is because of this that every believer should consider committing the Beatitudes to memory and make the first Beatitude, especially, his or her conscious refrain: “Blessed are the beggarly poor in spirit”; “blessed are the spiritually bankrupt, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”[7]

Matthew 5:4 (NKJV) 4 Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.

· Mourn (penthountes): to have a broken heart. It is the strongest word possible for mourning. It is like the deep mourning and wailing that occurs over the death of a loved one. It is sorrow—a desperate, helpless sorrow. It is a sorrow for sin, a broken heart over evil and suffering. It is a brokenness of self that comes from seeing Christ on the cross and realizing that our sins put Him there (see Js. 4:9).[8] When you realize you’re a sinner and when you mourn over your sin, the Lord will come to you and say, “I don’t condemn you. Go your way and sin no more.”

o That’s what the woman caught in the act of adultery heard, as did the prostitute who fell at the feet of Jesus weeping.

o “Leave her alone, Pharisees,” Jesus said. “The one who is forgiven much, loves much.”

§ In the state of realizing our poverty and in our mourning, we truly enter into the kingdom and are comforted.[9]

Matthew 5:5 (NKJV) 5 Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth.

· Meek,” like “poor in spirit,” speaks not only of those who are in fact disadvantaged and powerless, but also of those whose attitude is not arrogant and oppressive.

o “Meek” is a characteristic of Jesus himself (see 11:29; 12:15–21; 21:5.)[10]

· A “meek” person is not the “wallflower” we often think of when we use the word but one who is humble, gentle, and not aggressive. Nevertheless, in the ancient Greco-Roman world, such humility was no more valued than in our world today.

· Inheriting the earth as future compensation suggests that the meekness in view also included a lack of earthly possessions.

o Most poor people in Israel did not own their own land and were subject to the whims of oppressive landlords (Jas 5:1–6).

o The future reward echoes Ps 37:11 but generalizes the promise of inheriting the land of Israel to include all the earth.

· Christian hope does not look forward to inhabiting a particular country, but to living eternally with Christ over all the globe and ultimately to enjoying an entirely re-created earth and heavens (Rev 20–22).

Matthew 5:6 (NKJV) 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.

· The fourth beatitude tells us that we are to aim at being righteous. We are to “hunger and thirst after righteousness.” A person who is desperately hungry or thirsty can think of nothing else. Hunger and thirst are the most basic and demanding drives of our physical nature. No one can ignore them for long.

o Blessed is the person who has an equally strong desire to be like Christ.

· None of the world’s religions can satisfy the human craving to be good. It is not in man’s fallen nature to be righteous, and all religion can do is cultivate his fallen nature. We are made righteous practically by the Holy Spirit.

· According to the Epistle to the Romans, righteousness is first revealed, then required, then received, and only after that, reproduced. (The word righteousnessoccurs in thirty-three verses in Romans.)

o We are constituted righteous positionally by receiving as ours the righteousness of Christ.

o Our standing before God is thereby made perfect. We are made righteous practically—and righteousness is the key to practical Christianity—by the work of the indwelling Holy Spirit, who imparts to us the divine nature and enables us to overcome our old Adamic nature.

§ This work deals with our state, which is imperfect. Our standing and state will be in perfect harmony when we receive our resurrection bodies. Then we will be like Him for all eternity.

§ In the meantime, the regenerated individual hungers, and thirsts after righteousness in the happy anticipation that this desire is not going to be left unfulfilled. One of the horrors of Hell is the fact that God will ultimately say to the lost, “He that is unjust [unrighteous], let him be unjust [unrighteous] still” (Revelation 22:11). Lost people will crave righteousness with utter hopelessness. Not one drop of the water of life will be able to reach them where they are.[11]

Matthew 5:7 (NKJV) 7 Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.

· That is, those who are so affected by the sufferings of others as to be disposed to alleviate them. This is given as evidence of devotion, and it is said that they who show mercy to others shall obtain it. The same sentiment is found in Mat. 10:42: “Whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only, in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you he shall in no wise lose his reward.” See also Mat. 25:34–40.

o This should be done with a wish to glorify God; that is, in obedience to his commandments, and with a desire that He should be honored, and with a feeling that we are benefiting one of His creatures. You can see the sentiment of this verse, that the merciful shall obtain mercy, more fully expressed in 2 Sa. 22:26, 27; and in Ps. 18:25, 26.[12]

Matthew 5:8 (NKJV) 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.

· Purity in heart refers to moral uprightness and not just ritual cleanliness. The Pauline theme of the impossibility of perfect purity in this life should not be imported here.

o Rather, as with “righteousness” in general for Matthew, what Jesus requires of his disciples is a lifestyle characterized by pleasing God.

· What a contrast “the pure in heart” make, when viewed in the light of the most evil of men. Their thoughts are described by Paul in Phil 4:8: “whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely … think on these things”.

o But the evil hearts of men are naked and opened before the eyes of Him with whom they will have to do.

o Daniel, who would not defile himself inwardly or outwardly (Dan 1:8), was privileged to see “the Ancient of days” and “one like the Son of man” (7:9, 13).[13]

· This quality is a natural by-product of the preceding blessings and character qualities.

o Purity in heart is not manufactured by the believer, but is granted by the God of mercy (5:7):

§ to those who mourn their spiritual bankruptcy (5:3–4)

§ to those who seek his righteousness (5:6).

· When God grants purity of heart, He gives not only judicial purity (forgiveness, absolution from guilt), but also the actual removal of corrupting impurities from the heart.

o This comes about through the empowerment of the believer to grow into holiness and out of these impurities.[14]

Matthew 5:9 (NKJV) 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.

· A peacemaker is a person who labors for the public good. Instead of fanning the fires of contention and strife, he uses his influence and wisdom to reconcile divided parties, adjust their differences, and restore them to a state of reconciliation and unity. The peacemaker is also one who, having received the peace of God in his own heart, brings peace to others.

o They have been reformed by the regenerating power of the Gospel.

o They are peacemakers because they themselves are at peace with God.

· The peacemaker is not simply one who makes peace between two parties, but one who spreads the good news of the peace of God which he has experienced. As all men are represented to be in a state of hostility toward God and each other, the Gospel is called the Gospel of peace, because it tends to reconcile men to God and to one other. They have entered into the peace of Christ and thus are able ambassadors of God’s message of peace to a troubled world.

o The peacemaker is concerned about peace between men and God. He strives to get men right with God.

· The title “peacemaker” reveals interesting insights when you break down the word. First, there is the word “peace.” In the Greek language, the word is eirene {i-ray ‘-nay}, and in the Hebrew language it is the more familiar word shalom.

o In Hebrew, peace does not only mean the absence of trouble, evil things and conflict. It also means everything which makes for a man’s abundant blessings and God’s highest good for him … It bears the idea of wholeness and overall well-being. Soak on this thought

o In the Middle East when a man says, “Shalom” to another, he is wishing the enjoyment of all good things as well as the absence of trials and burdens for that person.[15] Discuss this and use of the Shalom.

Matthew 5:10 (NKJV) 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

· All of these characteristics which Jesus labels as blessed are usually not welcomed in the world at large. Hostility may well arise against Jesus’ followers, but even persecuted people are seen by Christ as fortunate.

o This persecution, however, must be the result of righteous living and not due to individual sin or unkindness (cf. 1 Pet 3:14; 4:14–15).

o What is even more tragic is when one Christian persecutes another, allegedly “because of righteousness,” when the persecution actually stems from too narrow a definition of Christian belief or behavior.

Matthew 5:11-12 (NKJV) 11 "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

· Because this life is just a fraction of all eternity, we can and must rejoice even in persecution.

o The joy commanded here, as elsewhere in Scripture (esp. Jas 1:2), is not an emotion but an attitude.[16]

· One must not fail to note that it is those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake (Vs.10) that are blessed.

· When persecuted, the Christian is to rejoice, and be exceeding glad (Vs.12).

o Jesus cites the example of the prophetswho were persecuted in Old Testament times. But He himself is the supreme Example of what is described in verse 11.

o Someone has said that the Beatitudes are an autobiography of Christ.[17]

A closing thought by Dr. Adrian Rogers July 9, 2000

· I’m telling you, when this world sees in us, not arrogance, but genuine love; when they see us being willing to suffer in the name of Jesus and not retaliate, but to reign in life, to rejoice in the Lord, and to respond in love, I’m going to tell you something, friend: that is different, and they’re going to want the Jesus that we have.

· I believe that with all of my heart. We’re going to be persecuted—no fine print. In a moment I’m going to ask you to give your heart to Jesus Christ and to suffer persecution. You say, “Ooop, I don’t think I’ll come.” That’s your business. But, I’m going to tell you one thing: if I had a thousand lives to live, I’d give every one to Jesuswith all my heart. He’s the only One worth knowing and worth serving.•[18]

Grace and peace to all who read/listen to this lesson😊

[1]Robert J. Dean, Family Bible Study, Fall 2003, Herschel Hobbs Commentary (LifeWay Christian Resources, 2003), 7. [2]Tom Wright, Matthew for Everyone, Part 1: Chapters 1-15 (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2004), 36–37. [3]William Barclay, ed., The Gospel of Matthew, vol. 1, The Daily Study Bible Series (Philadelphia, PA: The Westminster John Knox Press, 1976), 88–90. [4]Louis A. Barbieri Jr., “Matthew,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 28–29. [5]Iain D. Campbell, Opening up Matthew, Opening Up Commentary (Leominster: Day One Publications, 2008), 43–44. [6]Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 21. [7]R. Kent Hughes, The Sermon on the Mount: The Message of the Kingdom, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2001), 22. [8]Leadership Ministries Worldwide, The Gospel according to Matthew: Chapters 1:1–16:12, vol. 1, The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible (Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide, 2004), 59. [9]Jon Courson, Jon Courson’s Application Commentary (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2003), 25. [10]R. T. France, The Gospel of Matthew, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publication Co., 2007), 166–167. [11]John Phillips, Exploring the Gospel of Matthew: An Expository Commentary, The John Phillips Commentary Series (Kregel Publications; WORDsearch, 2014), Mt 5:6. [12]Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament: Matthew & Mark, ed. Robert Frew (London: Blackie & Son, 1884–1885), 45. [13]John Heading, “Matthew,” in Matthew and Mark, What the Bible Teaches (John Ritchie, 2000), 80. [14]Stuart K. Weber, Matthew, vol. 1, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000), 60. [15]Rod Mattoon, Treasures from the Sermon on the Mount, vol. 1, Treasures from Scriptures Series (Springfield, IL: Rod Mattoon, 2006), 117–118. [16]Craig Blomberg, Matthew, vol. 22, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 99–101. [17]Ralph Earle, “The Gospel according to Matthew,” in Matthew, Mark, Luke, Beacon Bible Commentary (Beacon Hill Press, 1964), Mt 5:10–12. [18]Adrian Rogers, “When Christians Are Persecuted,” in Adrian Rogers Sermon Archive (Signal Hill, CA: Rogers Family Trust, 2017), Mt 5:10–12.