Surely We Are Blessed

Introducing the Text

This morning we observe something called All Saints’ Day, a day that the Christian Church has set aside each year to remember those saints who have gone before us into glory. We also were blessed to hear the witness of Caleb and Jason, and in a little bit we will bear witness to their confirmation of their baptismal faith. With all of that going on this morning, the text in front of us might seem a little strange. This morning, our text is from Matthew 5, a passage that you might be familiar with that is often labelled “The Beatitudes.”

Now if you look at this text and see some sort of checklist, you’re very right. It doesn’t make a ton of sense to talk about these blessings if we’re remembering those who have gone before us - they’re already gone. It maybe makes some sense for Caleb and Jason as they take this next step into their faith, but it doesn’t quite sound right if I look at these young men - if I look at any of you for that matter - and say “yes, I would like you to be poor in spirit.”

On the other hand, if we realize that these Beatitudes are Jesus’ proclamation of Gospel blessings, if we recognize Jesus’ authority in proclaiming the saving and transforming truths of God to us, then this text becomes more meaningful for us as we reflect on the saints who have gone before us, on the confirmation of these two young men, and for our own, individual lives as saints as well. So I would like to walk through these blessings with small stories to illustrate what they look like in our lives and what they looked like in Jesus’ earthly ministry.

The Poor in Spirit

Matthew 5:1–3 (ESV)

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.

In His ministry, Jesus saw the people in the crowds that followed Him. He saw people who were burdened by those who were supposed to proclaim truth to them. He saw people who were buried by the weight of their sins. He saw them and He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless - like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus saw people who had no spiritual resources - with no one to teach them, with leaders who only took advantage of them and burdened them with legalistic requirements.

So He came Himself, and He sent others after Himself, to give the spiritually poor the kingdom of heaven. Because, the reality is that each and every one of us is poor in spirit. None of us have the spiritual resources to take care of ourselves, so He gives us Himself. When we look at ourselves honestly, we realize that we are spiritually poor and that Jesus promises us the kingdom of heaven. Surely we are blessed.

Those Who Mourn

Next, Jesus says

Matthew 5:4 (ESV)

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

Many of us have experienced loss in our lives. We know the pain of losing someone. Whether it’s a friend, a parent, a spouse, a sibling, or someone else close to us - we have felt the hole that these people leave behind. And as we sit and think about them, the memory hurts, because they are gone and we don’t know when we’re going to see them again.

But as Christians, we know that we are going to see them again. The saints who have gone before us are in eternity with God, and we will meet them there one day. It doesn’t take away the pain, because we miss them and we don’t know when we will see them again, but we receive comfort in that knowledge that, even if we don’t know when, we will see them again. When we look at ourselves, we realize that we all mourn with the loss of those close to us at one point or another and that Jesus promises us comfort in eternity. Surely we are blessed.

The Meek

Jesus continues to point us to the future as He says

Matthew 5:5 (ESV)

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

And I can think of no better example than the thief on the cross next to Jesus. Jesus hangs there, dying, next to a thief. This man was lowly and powerless. He had no power, he had no influence, he had no ability to save his own life, he had no control over his circumstances - he hung there next to Jesus dying. He turns to Jesus and he simply asks Jesus to remember him when He comes into His kingdom. Jesus responds - today you will be with me in paradise.

Just as we are all poor, we are all powerless. We have no power, no influence, no ability to save ourselves, no control over our eternal circumstances. We turn to Jesus and He promises us that we will inherit a new heaven and a new earth. When we look at ourselves, we realize that we are meek and lowly and that Jesus promises us an eternal inheritance. Surely we are blessed.

Those Who Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness

Jesus goes on to say

Matthew 5:6 (ESV)

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

If you are a people pleaser, or a firstborn if the stereotypes are anything to go by, this will resonate with you. If not, you probably know someone like this. Think of a person who cannot stand to have someone upset with them. This person really wants everyone to like them, wants to be viewed positively in everyone’s eyes. Sometimes this even gets to ridiculous lengths, where this person’s friends have to tell them “it’s ridiculous that you’re doing that for so-and-so, you shouldn’t have to do that.” This is kind of what it looks like to hunger and thirst for righteousness, but when it happens with God - you can never do enough to get there on your own.

We want to be right with God, we want to be righteous. And we hunger and thirst for it because it is a deeply rooted need we have that we cannot fill within ourselves. We turn to Jesus and He gives us His righteousness, His body for our hunger and His blood for our thirst. When we look at ourselves, we hunger and thirst for righteousness and Jesus promises to fill our need. Surely we are blessed.

The Merciful

The approach in the rest of the verses takes a little bit of a shift, Jesus goes on

Matthew 5:7 (ESV)

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

And the story that comes to mind immediately is a parable Jesus told. He tells of a servant who owed his master an unimaginable debt, several lifetimes of wages wouldn’t fix his problem. The master forgives the man and tells him that his debt is forgiven. The servant then turns around and has a fellow servant put into prison over something like twenty dollars. The master hears about this and decides to demand the original debt from the first servant.

We have experienced incredible mercy, Jesus has forgiven all of our sins. That mercy transforms us, it changes who we are. This isn’t a call to be merciful, it’s describing the change that happens in us when we receive God’s incredible mercy. When we look at ourselves, we see the incredible mercy that God has given to us and the transformation that it elicits in us. Surely we are blessed.

The Pure in Heart

Jesus continues to describe those who follow Him with these words

Matthew 5:8 (ESV)

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

I want you to imagine this kind of person. This is the person that you always see at church, and I mean always. If there’s a work thing that someone tries to schedule on Sunday, they skip the work thing. If there’s a vacation, they get up early on Sunday to go to the closest church to where they’re staying. If a friend invites them to something, they can’t go until Sunday afternoon. Not only that, but they are always trying to help with the ministry of the church, always asking how they can help and serve. This a person that has clearly made the church community and their relationship with God the highest priority in their lives.

When Jesus talks about purity of our hearts, He is talking about God being the only God in the heart of those who follow Him. The idols of leisure, of family, of money, of power hold no sway. Those who worship God and God alone, they will see God face to face and worship Him. When I look at you all, when we look at ourselves, God rules and reigns in our hearts - and sometimes our lives might not reflect that because we are poor in spirit - but ultimately we worship the one, true God together and we will see His face one day. Surely we are blessed.

The Peacemakers

Jesus goes on to speak further

Matthew 5:9 (ESV)

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

In Jesus’ earthly ministry, He sends His disciples out into the world to heal and to tell people about Jesus. But He tells them that if a place will not receive their Good News, that their peace will return to them. The most important conflict to deal with, the one that Jesus’ disciples are actively dealing with, is the conflict between fallen people and God. And when people are told the Good News of the Gospel - peace has been made.

When we look at ourselves and the witness we bear, Jesus calls us peacemakers as we bear His message to a hurting world. What’s more, He calls us sons and daughters of God, He calls us heirs! Surely we are blessed.

The Persecuted

Jesus closes these blessings by saying

Matthew 5:10–12 (ESV)

“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.

When He walked this earth, people did not all treat Jesus kindly. He was insulted and persecuted - and God put everything in all creation under His feet.

When we live by our faith, when we speak the truths of God, when we proclaim Good News to a world - we cannot expect to be treated any better than Jesus was. But Christ has promised us the kingdom. Surely we are blessed.

Surely We Are Blessed

As we celebrate this All Saints’ Day and remember those who have gone before us, as we celebrate Caleb and Jason’s confirmation, the Beatitudes bring us comfort because the tell us how God deals with our brokenness. Though we are poor in spirit, though we mourn, in our meekness, in our hunger and thirst for righteousness we are blessed with God’s gifts. In our blessings, we are transformed into merciful witnesses, pure hearted followers, and peacemakers. And though that transformation sometimes brings struggle and difficulty, we are reminded of our eternal inheritance in heaven. Surely we are blessed. Amen.