Beatitudes Part 1

Introduction: As you know, we just finished our series on leadership. When we began the series we started off with a lesson on earning trust and in the last lesson we referred back to earning trust as the basis of a successful leader. We also went over the fact that in order to earn trust one must have character. The question then arose in my mind: what is character and why is it important?

Character kind of sounds a little old fashioned doesn’t it? We live in a society where it seems that character and infamy have traded places. Many today are applauded the loudest when they sin most flagrantly.

Can you think of any examples?

As Christians, we are commanded not to conform to the image of this world, but instead to be transformed by the renewing of our minds so that we can

1 Thessalonians 5:21–22 NKJV

Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.

In a world that is so dark it is necessary for us to have good character because good character is a reflection of the nature of God Himself. All character traits are gifts from God and, when developed, all good character is traced back to God.

Matthew 5:16 NKJV

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Character is important because it is the Christian’s most powerful tool.

Character is also a source of confidence for the Christian.

1 John 2:4 NKJV

He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

So the remaining question is: what is character?

That is the question we will seek to answer over the next 7 weeks.

Humility

As we begin our look into character we will turn to .

The Beatitudes are found in one of the most familiar texts in Scripture and are Jesus’ opening words to the Sermon on the Mount. One of the key statements in the sermon is

Matthew 5:48 NKJV

Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

So the sermon is an exaltation of moral perfection. In other words the beatitudes are the epitome of good character. It sets a standard that is so high that Jesus said

Matthew 5:20 NKJV

For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

The Jewish audience must have gasped in disbelief. In the Jewish world at the time the Pharisees were the epitome of personal righteousness. However, the Pharisees approach to God was all wrong. The Pharisees attempted to manufacture their own righteousness and so instead of being humbled by considering what true perfection actually is, they made themselves proud and calloused.

The Sermon on the Mount starts with a blessing for those who have character quality #1.

Matthew 5:3 NKJV

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

When it comes to our relationship with God, there is absolutely nothing that we can do to earn God’s favor because we are all fallen sinners in need of his steadfast and loving mercy.

Character starts with that realization. I am broken. If you do not yet realize that about yourself go home and begin reading Leviticus and Deuteronomy. Consider and meditate on the law of God and the reality that even one broken commandment is enough to condemn us.

James

James 2:10 NKJV

For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.

Reality is, we have not broken God’s law once, but we have broken God’s law countless times. We must be humble in order to further develop our character because our development into the image of Christ is dependent on the realization that every single one of us is spiritually needy.

Spiritual Sorrow

When Jesus says that

Matthew 5:4 NKJV

Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.

When Jesus says that those who mourn will be blessed He is not referring to earthly sorrow. He is referring to someone’s sorrow over their own sin and guilt.

Isaiah uses the same type of language in .

Isaiah 61:1–2 NKJV

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn,

Isaiah’s prophecy foretold a time when God’s people would turn from their sin and mourn over them and God would then respond in spiritual renewal by replacing their sorrow with joy. In other words, “Blessed are those who repent.”

So, character begins with humility and leads us to repentance. Paul spoke of this kind of sorrow

2 Corinthians 7:10 NKJV

For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.

The message of sorrow is this: sorrow that leads to repentance results in forgiveness. Repentance, then, is the unregrettable answer to all of our regrets. This kind of sorrow is not a wordly sorrow.

What kind of sorrow do you think the world feels about sin?

The world is not sorrowful over sin but is sorrowful over its consequences. This kind of sorrow leads to death.

Example: Judas and Peter

Meekness

Matthew 5:5 NKJV

Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth.

What is meekness?

Clearly meekness does not mean weakness because Moses was commended as being the meekest man on earth.

Numbers 12:3 NKJV

(Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.)

Meekness is strength under control. It is closely related to “poor in spirit,” but meekness expresses itself in patience.

Meekness is when you are disrespectful to your dad and he doesn’t throw you through the wall.

Meekness is when Jesus says

Luke

Luke 9:56 NKJV

For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” And they went to another village.

Meekness is when Jesus enters Jerusalem as king, not on a stallion prepared for war, but on a donkey

Matthew 21:5 NKJV

“Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ”

Meekness is when Jesus endures the cross and despises the shame even though he has unlimited power.

Jesus was the epitome of meekness. Jesus is king and the meek will inherit his kingdom. It is not the vengeful warrior but the meek that will have a place in God’s kingdom.

Meekness is when you are poor in spirit to the point where it controls your actions.

Hunger and Thirst

Matthew 5:6 NKJV

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.

Matthw 5:

The word for blessed could also be translating “truly happy.” This is important when discussing the next quality we must all cultivate.

Truly happy are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled (satisfied).

The paradox of the beatitudes signify this: the deepest kind of soul satisfaction cannot be found in what this unsatisfying world has to offer. If you want to be filled, be hungry and thirsty for righteousness. A person with good character seeks righteousness.

Humility and thirst go hand in hand. Realize you are desperately poor and seek to be satisfied with righteousness.

Conclusion: We must all be men and women of character. In our pursuit of character we must be humble, we must be sorrowful over our sin, we must allow our humility to control us, and we must seek righteousness as the answer to our desperate condition.