Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
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The Downward Path
Blessings come to those who live as kingdom citizens
Add transition.
This series of blessings describes peoples’ current status rather than exhorting people to become like this.
bracketed by the phrase “for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven” in 3 and 10
The first four describe a downward path.
(Poor, Mourn, Meek, Hunger and Thirst)
Realistic rather than Idealistic
isa 61 1-3
1. blessed are the poor in spirit
Jesus is talking to those who are physically and spiritually poor.
The kingdom life is surprisingly led by those who recognize their need for Christ.
They are not self sufficient.
Theirs is the kingdom of Heaven (Matt didn’t use “God”)
Q: How is this possible?
Do we ever get to a place of spiritual fulness?
The people I most admire spiritually get this.
They recognize their own sinfulness perhaps more than most.
IL: John Piper - accolades by many people on his retirement....“you don’t know me”
APP: we need not fear or hide spiritual gaps in our development.
2. blessed are those who mourn
mourning for what?
Life.
Our God favors the underdog.
An immediate application follows the first beatitude.
Those who are spiritually poor mourn their condition.
3. blessed are the meek
meekness is not weakness.
Meekness is strength under control.
It waits for God.
Here Jesus cites Scripture from .
David - anointed and crowned with a huge gap of time between them.
psa 37:3-9
the people on the mountainside were those who had been defeated by an adversary.
They were those who had their lands taken - or they had sold their lands in order to pay taxes to the oppressors.
In Israel, those without lands were considered “the poor”.
And so Christ indicates that there is a new Kingdom that operates radically different from physical kingdoms.
Land is attached to the fulfillment of all of God’s promises.
blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness
mat 5
In the Old Testament, “righteousness” means preserving the peace and wholeness of the community, and is sometimes parallel with “shalom” (peace) and, more often, “justice.”
Its meaning is very close to social justice that delivers from alienation and oppression into a community with shalom
blessed are those who hunger and thirst for a justice that delivers and restores to covenant community, for God is a God who brings such justice.
This is the justice of God to restore his people to the covenant community.
Conclusion: Grace
We don’t live under the heavy weight of law.
These words of Jesus are words of Grace!
Q: Do you see yourself in these beatitudes?
Yes? God is on your side and is leading you in a kingdom of Grace and blessing.
Kingdom citizens live under grace and as we’ll learn in a few weeks, we extend grace to others.
we extend grace to those without Christ and are spiritually poor.
We extend grace to those who mourn and become the kind of comfort Jesus spoke about
We extend grace to the meek - those who are oppressed and weighed down
We extend grace by seeking the justice and righteousness of the new kingdom.
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