Jesus Trains the 12
Notes
Transcript
The Beatitudes - Mathew 5.1-12
The Beatitudes - Mathew 5.1-12
Just as a review of where we have been the past several weeks
Jesus was born - Christmas
Joseph, Mary and Jesus fled for Egypt to avoid Herod’s slaughter - probably 2 years later
He comes back from Egypt and grows up in relative obscurity.
Jesus seeks out John the Baptist and is baptised in the Jordan River. - Once Jesus comes up… God is well please with him. This launches His public ministry.
Jesus immediately is recognized as Messiah and his core of group of disciples leave everything and follow Him.
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We don’t know how long the interval was from gathering the disciples but what we do know is that each of the disciples has had a chance to see Jesus minister to people, heal them, they may have even seen a miracle or many miracles being done.
Jesus was building his credibility with his disciples. He started gather large crowds as says
25 Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.
Mt 4
Jesus knew that he needed some training time with these disciples. Remember they were as green as green. Jesus saw his disciples following him, he saw the influence they had on others and he knew his time was short so he needed the biggest bang he could for least amount of effort.
These disciples in their prior lives were fisherman, carpenters and a mirage of other occupations.
I’m sure they gathered in Jesus name, broke bread, prayed, shared in everything. There is a certain richness to a new found faith. I experienced it and you may have too.
At the church were I got saved, they traditionally sent the deacons out with another person, two-by-two. To go visiting (without an appointment) telling people about the church, offering to pray with them and in a very pointed fashion offered them salvation and redemption from their sin. I was pretty wild!!!
Not the most effective means today… Or maybe it is and we have just chickened out?
Jesus Training of the Twelve!
BTW… if Jesus disciples needed training we certainly need that same training and more.
1 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him,
2 and he began to teach them. He said:
Mt 5
We have to note that teaching and preaching were NOT Christ’s main purpose in coming to earth. His main purpose was THE CROSS!
There are some that talk about Christ as a great teacher or great healer but ignore His greatest work at THE CROSS.
If you leave out the cross, you leave out the Gospel and Christ’s main reason from coming in the first place… “To seek and save the lost.”
I’d like you to stand if you can as I read these ten verses we call The Beatitudes.
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Mt 3
Even though Christ and His disciples stole away to a private spot, it didn’t last that long until “a large crowd” gathered.
Let’s look at that teaching now.
In an almost every week exercise we look back into the Old Testament and find some teaching or prophecy that Christ is now making come alive. This passage is no different
29 Blessed are you, Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord? He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword. Your enemies will cower before you, and you will tread on their heights.”
To our passage for today!
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Mt
I can’t help but think why did Jesus chose these things to talk about. Of all the virtues that it takes to make a disciple, Christ chose these.
The text doesn’t say but maybe Christ was reacting to situations they had already experienced while out in the countryside, teaching, discipling, baptising, healing.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit” - I’m sure Jesus and his boys talked to many who were spiritually arrogant!
They heard a boasting about being a Jew and what God had done for them.. all of them. Jews would have said we are the chosen ones!
Jesus is asking those around him to recognize their spiritual poverty! And be “poor in spirit.” Then immediately follows that up with… if you are poor in spirit yours “is the kingdom of heaven. Jesus is the way-maker!
I’ve got to speed up a bit we are going to be here until next Christmas...
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Mt 5.4
As many of us have experienced mourning in our lives, I think that we today would say, Blessed are those who have experienced loss. Not that they remain in “mourning” but that they will be comforted.
Jesus want us, His disciples to be sensitive to those around us who have experienced loss.Our response should be a ministry of presence, and to offer comfort. Jesus is the way-maker
5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
How do we describe “meekness” — soft, spineless, compliant, milch toast, wishy-washy, timid,
Not what Jesus had in mind AT ALL!!
By definition...
Meekness is the condition of God’s people in their respect of God and submission to God. We should approach God in a meek manner. It is a gentleness of purpose, a strength of purpose.
There is great reward for the meek…maybe because it is the most difficult to attain. No way I can do this… Jesus is the way-maker.
“You will inherit the earth!”
From
11 But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity.
God’s people may be pushed around now and stripped of their goods by their persecutors, but the future for the meek is one of gain not loss. The meek have a great future ahead of them.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Like the previous three…this one is seldom practiced!
Analytical Bible Expositor: Matthew 3. The Beatitude for the Pliant (Matthew 5:5)
God’s people may be pushed around now and stripped of their goods by their persecutors, but the future for the meek is one of gain not loss. The meek have a great future ahead of them.
What goals are laid out in this beatitude...
Not a goal, or desire for riches, fame, or fortune. But a spiritual desire.
A desire to be Holy! To be set apart for God, regardless of what you do and who you are or have been.
That’s impossible… Jesus is the way-maker
7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
This beatitude has some requirement, some stipulation. A great big challenge!
To have mercy on! To give help to the least of our world, rescue those without a way or purpose to pick themselves up.
There is NO MERIT IN MERCY!
Mercy is an activity! It’s more than an attitude, it’s doing from the gifts that we have received.
This is NOT the mercy that tolerates evil and sin or crime that we see around us everywhere.
But it is a mercy that comforts, counsels THOSE INDIVIDUALS caught up in a life of evil, sin, crime and worst that society has to offer us.
The “reward” here rings very true… show mercy and it will be shown to you! We all have opportunities to show mercy every day. It starts in our homes, with our spouse and kids. It goes to work with us, it goes to play with us. It’s always near… Jesus is the way-maker
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
The HIGHEST AIM that anyone could have… Jesus put it out there as a HUGE CHALLENGE!
Pure … clean, clear, unsoiled, no false allegiance. This is NOT talking about perfection. It’s talking about the condition of your heart.
The world…our world is in heart trouble…not the physical heart, the spiritual heart. People we need to get right with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
The world…our world is in heart trouble…not the physical heart, the spiritual heart.
I can’t my heart is too DIRTY, FILTHY, I’M TO FAR GONE...
Jesus is the way-maker.
Mt
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
This one is CLEARLY an indictment on the world…which we are part of.
If there were peace…we would not need peacemakers.
It’s easy for us…we live in the most powerful nation in the world
We wield our power around the globe with little to stop us.
We parley our power everywhere we go…what would happen if we took that power and turned it around for peaceful purposes.
We could take a nuclear bomb and make a nuclear reactor.
But we are also the largest of peace makers…wars and conflicts around the world are stopped because of who we are.
This is an individual example… do you want to known as a fighter in everything you touch or a peacemaker, that makes it right!
This is the reward of a life, lived well. It’s a jewel in our crown. This isn’t a salvation issue… it is a reputation maker.
Jeff, i don’t have any of these… OK ask Jesus to provide opportunities to be a peacemaker. Jesus is the way-maker.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
persecuted has three parts… none are to pleascent
Pursuit, Pain, Persistency…the Greek here emphasizes that the persecution is unrelenting!
Thank you God we do not currently have to face this everyday. Just open a news site or read a newspaper. FELLOW BROTHERS AND SISTERS AROUND THE WORLD ARE REGULARLY DYING FOR THEIR FAITH!
Theirs is the kingdom of heaven! The same reward that you had from the first beatitude…for being “poor in spirit” is given for being persecuted.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
When, not if these things happen it you… First thing you must do is avoid the trap of thinking that I am the only one that has ever experienced such a problem… Your NOT!
You will be slandered, lied about, insulted, persecuted, evil will be said against you. How much and how hard you fight back is up to you. But the battle is the Lord’s and war has already been won by the blood of Christ… Jesus is THE way-maker!
Finally… after being run through the wringer in multiple verses and teaching from Jesus for who knows how long. There is an end!!!
12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
What Jesus has done is he has taken the idea of being a “big shot on campus” and turned it upside down for his sake and his glory. This is not limited to our culture, we are the one who probably heard it last. This attitude has been going on around the world since the first century and will be here until Jesus comes again.
In V. 12…because of all of this, Rejoice and be glad… because Jesus is the Way-Maker.