HAPPY AND FORTUNATE ARE THE PERSECUTED

A. Kingdom attributes (5:1–12)

1. The poor in spirit (5:3)

a. The role (5:3a): God blesses those who realize their need for him.

b. The reward (5:3b): The Kingdom of Heaven is given to them.

2. Those who mourn (5:4)

a. The role (5:4a): God blesses those who mourn.

b. The reward (5:4b): They will be comforted.

3. The meek (5:5)

a. The role (5:5a): God blesses the gentle and lowly.

b. The reward (5:5b): The whole earth will belong to them.

4. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (5:6)

a. The role (5:6a): God blesses those who seek after justice.

b. The reward (5:6b): They will receive it in full.

5. The merciful (5:7)

a. The role (5:7a): God blesses those who are merciful.

b. The reward (5:7b): They will be shown mercy.

6. The pure in heart (5:8)

a. The role (5:8a): God blesses those whose hearts are pure.

b. The reward (5:8b): They will see God.

7. The peacemakers (5:9)

a. The role (5:9a): God blesses those who work for peace.

b. The reward (5:9b): They will be called the children of God.

8. Those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness (5:10–12)

a. The role (5:10a, 11): God blesses those who are persecuted because they live for God.

b. The reward (5:10b, 12): The Kingdom of Heaven is theirs

Willmington, H. L. (1999). The Outline Bible (Mt 5:1–10). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.What is not persecution for Righteousness

· Self-Causes

o Causes that we may be passionate about, but they in themselves are not the righteousness of God

o Religious fanaticism

§ Polity ≠ Righteousness

· Denominationalism

o Mark 7:7-13

§ Overzealousness

· Example you can fight to preserve your right to pray and worship but cannot fight to force everyone else to have to pray and worship as you do.

· Religio-political reason

o Nationalism ≠ Christianity

o Democracy, Socialism, Communism, or any other Economic Model ≠ Christianity

o Political Party ≠ Christianity, i.e Democrats or Republicans

§ All the Sins that caused Israel to miss the truth of the Messiah

· I Peter 4:12-19

o What are our struggles with this text

o Misunderstanding of what real spiritual persecution

o A need for the Worldly and Fleshly gratification

§ People

· Place

· Things

What is Righteousness

· It speaks to what God has declared in his Word to be right and just measured by the standard of his Word alone!

· It is the position and posture of how we as Christian, honor and worships God in our thinking (Philosophical Beliefs) and our Behaviors within ourselves and towards others, based solely on the standard of God’s Word.

o Daniel 3 Hebrew Boys & 6 Lion’s Den (Prayer & Worship)

o Moses vs Israelites in the Desert Stone

o The Prophets speaking Godly Truth to what was supposed to be the People of God (Church)

o Paul thrown out of cites because he preached the Gospel and people believed

Stephen being Stoned for telling the truth about the hardness of a religious mobs heart

It is our Lord Jesus being Crucified on the Cross for doing good, healing people and peacefully honoring the father.