Matthew 5:6-12 "The Blessed Ones Part 2"

Marc Transparenti
Calvary Chapel Lake City
Matthew • Sermon • Submitted 4 years ago • Presented 4 years ago • 44:31
Matthew 5:6–12
The Beatitudes
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The Sermon on the Mount: Beatitudes
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﻿Good Morning CCLC! Turn in your Bibles to Matthew 5. 

Last week we began to look at the Sermon on the Mount- The Message of the King- Jesus. This is the longest recorded sermon of Jesus in the scriptures, and it addresses the kingdom of heaven- specifically entrance into the kingdom and the character traits of kingdom citizens. This is a sermon about who we are as believers and what we are becoming, but not a list of what we must do to be saved. Remember, as we began to look at the Beatitudes last week, they are the BE-atitudes, not the DO-atitudes. 

The first and last Beatitude have the same reward...the kingdom of heaven. In Biblical Studies, this is a literary structure, known as an "inclusio," which establishes everything included within the bracket or envelop concerns the repeated phrase. Since "kingdom of heaven" sandwiches or stands as bookends, all the verses in between relate to this central idea- the kingdom of heaven. You will find the inclusio literary structure in various places throughout scripture and it will help your studies to understand this concept. 

Last week we covered the first 3 Beatitudes, and we observed Jesus had His eyes on the multitudes and taught His disciples, about how blessed believers are. We have much to be joyful about...blessed is deeper than our modern word happy...blessed is a joy that is out of this world, a joy no matter our circumstance...it's the joy of the Lord. 

As a recap on the first 3 Beatitudes, remember Jesus is teaching in a progression...each Beatitude builds on the next. And, each Beatitude has an application here and now in the temporal, with an ultimate application in eternity. 
1st Beatitude: The poor in spirit (people who recognize they are spiritually bankrupt and cry out to Jesus) are blessed for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of heaven is a members only club, and the price of admission is accepting the free gift of God...faith in Jesus Christ. As we humble ourselves before God, we are not to lose that humble attitude especially as we look on the multitude.
2nd Beatitude: Is a response by the believer, they mourn, not only over their own sin, but over the state of the world! It's a mess...people are enslaved to feeding the desires of their flesh...it's a doggy dog world, and everyone is trying to get theirs. The believer mourns, like they would over the loss of a loved one, but they are blessed because they will be comforted, now in part through salvation and by the Holy Spirit, but in full, in that yet future time, when Jesus Himself will wipe away every tear from their eyes. 
3rd Beatitude: describes a character trait of the believer. They are meek (gentle, humble, exhibiting strength that is under God's control; just as Jesus surrendered His strength to God's will, God's control). As we recognized our spiritual condition, and the grace God extended to us, our meekness should extend in our attitude toward others...especially when we are provoked. As a result, we are blessed because we shall inherit the earth which looks forward to the 1000 year Millennial reign of Christ, and into eternity. 

Today, we pick up in verse 6 of Matthew Chapter 5 continuing with the theme of "The Blessed Ones." And, after the message today, we will partake in Communion.

Let's pray and then we will continue in the Beatitudes. 

Matt 5:6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled."

This is our 4th in a series of 8 Beatitudes. The poor in spirit person that mourns over sin, and has a meek character, now has a spiritual hunger...a spiritual appetite.
Last week, we discussed how mankind is a Trichotomy made up of Body, Soul, and Spirit, as we see in 1 Thes 5:23 "...may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 
And, every aspect of us hungers and thirsts. 
The body hungers and thirsts for food and water. 
The soul hungers and thirsts for emotional connection, love, intellectual stimulation, and so forth. 
And the spirit hungers and thirsts for spiritual things...things of God...which would include righteousness. But, how many Christians actually crave righteousness...how many have a true spiritual hunger? 
There is a major problem, a crisis of spirit that occurs when a person tries to fill their spiritual hunger with things of the world. And, we see this all the time. People are fooled, not you people, people at other churches...they are fooled into thinking if I can just buy more, have more nicer and newer things, then I will be satisfied, but the spirit is never satisfied by the material.
How many poor and middle class people are miserable believing in the illusion that money will buy them happiness? True it is when Paul said, "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil..." 1 Tim 6:10
How many rich people are miserable? Feeling empty and ensnared by their riches? Never knowing a true friend from someone who just wants to nestle up to their wealth. Only temporarily gratified by new possessions, positions, and power, but never truly satisfied...never content. 
And, don't get me wrong...it's not a problem to have wealth, as long as the wealth does not have you! 
Do you remember the Parable of the Rich Fool? Luke 12:16-21 "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17 And he thought within himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?' 18 So he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry." ' 20 But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?' 21 "So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."
This parable illustrates to us that possessions are not the main thing in life, and that time is controlled by God. God breathed into us the breath of life, and every breath from birth to death is borrowed time. It's all His! 
This rich fool thought he could just store up for himself treasures on earth and then retire! Sounds like the American dream! He didn't consider that perhaps God was blessing him, and maybe with this abundance he could bless others and store up for himself treasures in heaven. 
Scholar William MacDonald said, "We might well ask ourselves the question, "If Christ should come today, whose would all my possessions be?" How much better to use them for God today than to let them fall into the devil's hands tomorrow! We can lay up treasure in heaven with them now, and thus be rich toward God. Or we can squander them on our flesh, and from the flesh reap corruption."
Back to Matthew. 
This 4th Beatitude is stating that this believer is blessed because they have a spiritual hunger for righteousness.
Hunger is not a craving for a snack...this is the same word in Gk that described what Jesus felt after He fasted 40 days and 40 nights. This is a very strong word that could be rendered 'starving' or 'famished.'
This believer is blessed because they are starving for righteousness...they desperately crave righteousness...both in their relationship with God, and their relationship with fellow mankind.
With God, the believer desires more to be right with God. They are already saved, justified and viewed as righteous because of Jesus...this is what "poor in spirit" is all about, but now they long for a righteous nature...for righteousness to be manifested in their life...to be sanctified, holy...
Righteousness by definition means 'equity' (of character or act) by implication 'innocent, holy' especially for Christians.
With fellow mankind, Righteousness can be seen in the believers' life as they are living in a way pleasing to God and recognized by man- honesty, integrity, just, and holy; and they want to be used as a vessel to promote righteousness in the world. 
As a result, they are blessed, they are joyful "For they shall be filled."
Filled means 'to feed, fatten, fill, or satisfied." The spiritual appetite for righteousness is satisfied. 
God promises that if you are starving to be right with God and right with man, you will be satisfied. 

continue to verse 7

Matt 5:7 "Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy."

The person who was poor in spirit, and is now saved, mourns over their spiritual bankruptcy, and surrenders their power to God displaying meekness...now they have a spiritual appetite (all characteristics of kingdom citizens)- and kingdom citizens are also merciful...meaning to be actively compassionate. 
Mercy, generally speaking, is withholding punishment even though it is deserved. It carries a judicial idea. 
Other Judicial terms: 
Judgment is a sentence of condemnation. It's receiving the punishment deserved. 
Grace, from a judicial standpoint, is not only receiving mercy, but also receiving an undeserved kindness, a blessing. 
We deserved judgment, but we received mercy and grace from God. 
God showed us mercy by forgiving our sins, and the judgment of sin, when we had faith in Jesus Christ. As we demonstrate mercy, or compassion, towards others we are behaving like kingdom citizens...we are imitating a characteristic of God- mercy. God was actively compassionate towards us, and we are to extend that same active compassion towards others. 
Practically speaking, this means we will show mercy to the less fortunate; have compassion on the broken hearted; we will forgive others and work towards healing and restoring broken relationships; we will think the best of others and extend the benefit of the doubt; we will show mercy to the person living in sin and be compassionate towards them. 
There is a relationship between kingdom character traits of meekness (3rd Beatitude) and mercy. The meek are the merciful. A meek person has power, but withholds it. 
In the Garden, Jesus could have called down some 30-60k angels, on the religious leaders and guards who had in their hearts to kill an innocent man (which they did). But, they received mercy, as Jesus displayed meekness. Jesus even prayed, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." 
As you are merciful, you will be blessed for the promise is you "...shall obtain mercy."
There are more times in life that you will regret not being meek and merciful, than the times you are meek and merciful. And, in this lifetime, you will more often receive mercy, when you extend mercy. 
Take road rage for example, if you are cut off while driving and you retaliate...you typically will receive judgment because the other driver is going to get you back. And, then you may find yourself in a dangerous road rage exchange.
But, if you just suck it up...no it's not right...yes they were wrong...if you just let it go and practice mercy (active compassion), you will receive the mercy of not being engaged in a ridiculous road rage exchange. 
And, there are many other scenarios where you can apply mercy, and see the fruit of mercy in the here and now. 
From a future standpoint, some scholars suggest that as we extend mercy to others, we will receive mercy at the Bema Seat judgment when our works are judged. Our mercy, in this lifetime, will result in God's mercy as our works are tried as spoken of in 1 Cor 3:12-15. 

continue to verse 8

Matt 5:8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God."

Pure in heart...this is an interesting phrase that has many scholars unsettled. 
Pure means clean or innocent. The heart in scripture extends beyond the circulation of blood by one of our most vital organs. In scripture, the heart represents our conscience, intellect, perception, understanding, imagination, all kinds of emotion, volition as in purpose and will, morality not just toward fellow mankind, but also toward God. 
What's in view, in this verse, is that blessed saint who has a pure heart. 
Spurgeon on this verse, and the Beatitudes as a whole, stated..."Christ was dealing with men's spirits, with their inner and spiritual nature. He did this more or less in all the Beatitudes, and this one strikes the very center of the target as he says, not 'Blessed are the pure in language, or the pure in action,' much less 'Blessed are the pure in ceremonies, or in raiment, or in food;' but 'Blessed are the pure in heart.'" 
It's been said, "the heart of the matter is a matter of the heart." And, we will see often in scripture that a heart issue is the most basic and fundamental issue with mankind. At our core there is a heart issue, a sin issue, our motivations are self-centered. 
In Jeremiah 17, the LORD pronounced..."Cursed is the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the Lord. 6 For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, [skip a couple verses, and God continues with a contrast] "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord. 8 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, [and then God reveals why man chooses to be sinful...] 9 "The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?" 
At our core, our hearts depart from the Lord...there is a deceitful and wicked condition that leads us to stray from God and the things of God. How vital it is to abide in the vine, lest we drift away!
Matthew Henry wrote, "The heart, the conscience of man, in his corrupt and fallen state, is deceitful above all things. It is subtle and false; ...It calls evil good and good evil, puts false colours upon things, and cries peace to those to whom peace does not belong. When men say in their hearts... that "there is no God," or "He does not see," or "He will not require," or "they shall have peace though they go on;" in these, and a thousand similar suggestions, the heart is deceitful."
And, so in this beatitude, we see a contrast from the deceitful heart...we see a Christian with a pure heart.
They have a single-minded devotion to God. Their heart is not divided between God and the flesh -or- God and the world. They are completely sincere towards God...they are not hypocrites. There is not room in their heart for moral filth...they are not grieving the Holy Spirit.
They are storing up treasures in heaven as their works are done for God's glory, not with a motive of selfish gain. Holiness, set-apartness from the world is paramount in their lives. They have a clean conscience before God and man in their thoughts and deeds. 
They don't have a perfect heart, but a pure heart. Only Jesus was perfect. But, you and I, can be pure as we continually confess our sins, whereby God will cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 
And the promise is "...they shall see God..." therefore they are blessed. 
In this lifetime, Christians see God...
As His Holy Spirit in-dwells us, and can overflow out of us. 
We see God in His word, and enjoy greater intimacy with God than possibly fathomed. 
We see Him move in the natural as He opens and closes doors in our lives; and how He uses us in the lives of others and how He uses others in our lives. 
And, we see God through the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit, maybe even in dreams or visions. 
God is indeed visible in this lifetime if you are not spiritually blind... if you have had those spiritual scales removed from your eyes. 
The blinding effect of sin is lifted in the believers life and we are blessed because we shall see God. 
The ultimate fulfillment of this promise is when the believer's time on this earth is over and then they are present with the Lord. Then they shall see God face-to-face, and that is the ultimate blessing...the ultimate joy...as He welcomes us into heaven with the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord." 

continue to verse 9

Matt 5:9 "Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God."

When you think of a peacemaker, this not a description of a hippie that is peace loving...or a person with a peaceful disposition. A peacemaker is not describing a person who aspires to live in peace without any disruption or conflict. 
A peacemaker is one who rolls up their sleeves and actively intervenes to bring about peace, even as personal cost.
I remember one time I was outside the zoo in Sacramento, CA and a group of girls ran across the street and jumped another girl...all of them appeared very rough city girls. Multiple girls attacked this one girl...punching and kicking her...seemingly in retaliation for some prior action. And, for whatever reason, I pulled over my car and gently tried to stop the fight. I was right next to the girl stomping on this other girl, and I had another girl behind me yelling at me to back off...and cursing at me. I was expecting they would attack me, but they didn't. I didn't attack the girls, but gently tried to pull the attacker off and eventually shouted, "Call the Police!" I was the only person in a crowd of about 50 people who did anything to try to end this conflict and I did. And, I prayed the Lord would touch their hearts and bring them true peace. And, I prayed especially for the victim that she would recognize the hand of God in that moment and turn to Him. 
But, in this example, I was not being a peacemaker, I was a peacekeeper. I was keeping the peace, which is still a good thing. But, for those girls, I only stopped their skirmish...they were not reconciled one to the other...there was no true peace between the parties.
In this Beatitude the Blessed Ones are peacemakers...they not only end a quarrel or hostility, but also bring the opposing parties together.
In this lifetime, you may be led to a ministry of reconciliation between two parties. You may be called to provide counsel and share truth in love to heal a divide in a family or friend relationship -or- breaking down a wall between different people groups or even denominations. In this way you are bringing peace between man and man on the horizontal plane.
But, the most important task of a peacemaker comes in the reconciling ministry of sharing of the Gospel. To be an ambassador of peace between man and God on the vertical plane. 
Rom 5:1 "...we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ..." 
2 Cor 5:18-19 "Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation."
Jesus came to reconcile and to redeem...to heal the divide between man and God which was caused by our sin. 
We are to emulate Jesus in the ministry of reconciliation...in being a peacemaker. 
Satan, our enemy, is a peacetaker...God is a peacemaker. Jesus came to reconcile us to God, and the enemy only seeks to divide. 
John Stott said "It is the devil who is a troublemaker; it is God who loves reconciliation and who now through his children, as formerly through his only begotten Son, is bent on making peace." 
The blessing to the saint who is a peacemaker is "...they shall be called sons of God."
This is not the OT rendering of "sons of God" that we see in Gen and Job...whereby the "sons of God" are angels. 
In the NT, the Sons of God refers to true children of God. 
You become one of the sons of God when you are poor in spirit and cry out to Jesus...by receiving Jesus as your Savior. 
John 1:12 "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name..."
The blessing of being a peacemaker is the recognition both in the temporal and eternal that you have been with Jesus. You are one of His own. You have a quality about you that clearly identifies you as one of the children of God...as you bear the likeness of your Father in heaven. 

continue to verse 10

Matt 5:10 "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

We now come to the 8th and final Beatitude, and this is a fun one! Blessed are the persecuted...yeah! Oh how happy are the persecuted...oh joy- persecution!! 
Calvary Pastor Damien Kyle defined persecution as "the inevitable clash between two irreconcilable value systems." 
If you value righteousness, if you carry the Christian torch...if you hunger and thirst for righteousness, and you actively stand against the things in the world that are not right with God...expect persecution...your value system will surely clash with the world.
James 4:4 states, "Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." 
And, the opposite is also true "...friendship with God is enmity with the world." 
Jesus said, "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you, 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you." Jn 15:18-20.
If you stand for righteousness, expect persecution because your righteous living will expose the unrighteousness of the world.
As Jesus stated, "...everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed." Jn 3:20.
Please take notice that Christians are blessed when "persecuted for righteousness' sake..." and for Jesus' sake ("for My sake" in the next verse). This does not say blessed are you when you are persecuted...period. The persecution must be a result of your dedication to righteousness (that which is right according to God), and for Jesus' name. 
Peter addressed suffering for God's glory verses our own wrongdoings in 1 Pet 4:14-15 "If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people's matters."
If you are persecuted for your own wrong doings...If you are weird and persecuted for weirdness sake...or if you are offensive and persecuted because you are abrasive and have poor social skills...any of the fallout and persecution from these things...that's on you...you will not be blessed for that kind of persecution.
As in the first Beatitude, the promise is the same in the 8th "...theirs is the kingdom of heaven." 
Since we have the kingdom of heaven, we are blessed, and therefore persecution follows. The world and the gates of hell despise our blessing and will come against us as a result. 

continue to verses 11-12 to close out The Beatitudes and look at the application to our lives. 

Matt 5:11-12 "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

Some scholars combine verse 10 and 11 into one beatitude as both speak about persecution...specifically "persecution for righteousness sake" in verse 10 and "persecution...for My sake" in verse 11. And, I see that...
But, another view is verses 11 and 12 are the personal application for us from all the 8 prior Beatitudes and we see this by the change of pronouns. 
Notice most of the Beatitudes express "Blessed are the..." or "Blessed are those...", but starting in verse 11 it becomes personal, "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven...."
And the application is simple...look at verse 12...REJOICE and BE EXCEEDINGLY GLAD, for great is your reward in heaven...
Verse 12 does not say we rejoice over the persecution...it says to rejoice over the reward...
Rejoice [it's an imperative /a command] for great is your reward in heaven, and because of your heavenly reward you will be reviled [denounced, insulted] and persecuted because you are blessed...
Don't expect a warm embrace from people who love the world...expect reviling, persecution, and false speech against you because you stand for Jesus.
But, when you have an eternal perspective; when you mind is on the kingdom of heaven, you will be able to bear the persecution...
Just as the prophets who were before you...
Just as the Apostles and millions of Christians who suffered a martyrs death...
Just as Jesus...
You are in good company with these Blessed Ones...and great is your reward in heaven.
We not only have eternal life, but also kingdom blessings now in this life...
Jesus promised that in the regeneration [when Jesus reigns on earth in the Millennium], when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, "...everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life." Mt 19:29.
Those who are persecuted for Jesus' sake, also can expect great rewards that far outweigh any persecutions in this lifetime.
One final application...listen closely to this...
Calvary Chapel Pastor and Scholar, David Guzik, wrote, "Our persecution may not be much compared to others, but if no one speaks evil of you, are these Beatitudes traits of your life?"
Wow "...if no one speaks evil of you, are these Beatitudes traits of your life?"
I think we all should take a walk with that this week. 
Don't be salt that has lost it's flavor or a lamp hidden under a lampstand. 
Don't let people say, "Oh, I didn't know you are a Christian." 
Be bold in your faith and welcome the reviling as a result. You live in America...the persecution is minimal...we have no excuse not to be bold. 
These Beatitudes should be traits in your life. It's no accident that in the Sermon on the Mount, immediately following the Beatitudes, Jesus will say, "You are the salt of the earth...You are the light of the world...Let your light so shine before men..." 

Worship team come...

So, there we have The Beatitudes...the blessings of the kingdom citizens of heaven...

Let's close by putting them all together one more time, and let me personalize this...
* You are blessed...how joyful are you because great are your rewards now and in heaven...yours is the kingdom of heaven...you will be comforted...you will inherit the earth...you shall be filled, obtain mercy, see God, and be called a child of God because... 
* You became a kingdom citizen when you were poor in spirit...you humbled yourself before God and were saved. 
* Now you display the character traits of God...you mourn over sin and the state of the multitudes of the world.
* You are meek...tremendously powerful, yet under God's control.
* You have a spiritual appetite...starving and thirsting for righteousness.
* You are merciful to the multitudes, just as you have received mercy.
* You are pure in heart...you're devotion to God is undivided. 
* You are a peacemaker...active in the ministry of reconciliation between fellow mankind, and between mankind and God as you share the Gospel.
* You are persecuted for righteousness sake...for Jesus' name sake because these beatitudes are a trait in your life, and because you are so blessed. 

I don't know about you, but I know I am not perfect in all of these. I know I need the Holy Spirit's help for these traits to be more evident in my life. Well, how perfect is it that we are now about to take communion. You will have time right now to pray to God and ask Him to forgive you where you are failing and strengthen you where you need help, and to praise Him for where you are victorious. 

Let's me Pray to close out the Sermon and then we will take communion. 




Communion: 1 Cor 11:23-29
"...the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me." 25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me."
For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes.

Examine Yourself
Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body."

Ushers please come...

As the ushers are coming around, please take a moment search your soul and silently confess anything you need to God...maybe meditate on where you are in comparison to the Beatitudes. As Paul exhorted, we are to examine ourselves and take communion in a worthy manner. Once you are finished doing business with God, go ahead an take the communion elements, individually, when you are ready. We are not going to take the elements together, I want you to have an intimate time of prayer and communion with the Lord. Our worship team will play two worship songs, and then close us in prayer. 

If you are not saved, if you have never confessed Jesus is your Lord, you have a couple options, either let the cup pass and do not partake in communion because then you would be taking the communion in an unworthy manner, -or- the better option... if you want to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, come up to me as the ushers are distributing the bread and the grape juice, and we will pray together, and you can partake in communion today. 

Ushers please distribute the elements...
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