The Beatitudes and the Gospel of the Kingdom

Matthew 5:1–12 ESV

Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Announce Cody’s resignation:

Being a foster parent is tough. The physical and mental weight it takes on the parents make it a special job for someone to take on. When we first became foster parents we heard of all the stories of what to expect. Never did we realize we would be experiencing every struggle in the world. From our cars being keyed, medicines being thrown down the toilet, to being accused of child abuse.  Four years ago we were falsely accused of child abuse and it took us 9 months to get our kids back. Once we got them back, it took our family over a year to get through the trauma of it.  That's when the pandemic started. Now we see our kids struggle every day with fitting in everywhere.  The behaviors and struggles in todays culture has caused our children to take a huge step back in education.  I'm stepping away from the church to be a better dad and be there to help guide them along.  I want to be a symbol of stability for my kids.  I want to set a great example for my boys.  

This morning, we begin a new series of talks on what we call the Sermon on the Mount. It is one of the largest group of Jesus’ teachings recorded in the Bible.

We will focus on one each week, but today, I want to talk about them as a whole in the context of Jesus’ ministry.

Why are they called the Beatitudes? Does someone have to meet each of these conditions to have salvation or eternal life? How do they apply to our life today? Do they celebrate the power of God in the disciples and what does that mean to me?

Let’s begin by opening our eyes wider to the context of the Beatitudes.

The context of Matthew

Matthew 4:23 ESV

And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.

Jesus made it his ministry to preach the coming of the kingdom, to teach the way of the kingdom, and to demonstrate the purpose and power of the kingdom.

Jesus preaches, teaches, and heals.

Matthew 9:35 ESV

And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.

The almost exact words show up in this text.

So what do we see in between Matthew 4:23 and Matthew 9:35?

Matthew 5-7 is a series of Jesus’ teachings on what we now call the Sermon on the Mount.

Matthew 8-9 is a series of stories mainly about Jesus’ healings.

So what we see is Matthew putting together 5 chapters to tell us what Jesus is talking about - a collection of teaching about the way of the kingdom; and typical healings and miracles to show the power of the kingdom.

Why is this important?

Primarily so that we don’t treat and isolate each verse from the context of Matthew.

Secondly, Matthew is the author and he is putting together the materials of Jesus’ life to share with us the story of Jesus.

We should care about how he put it together. This is how Matthew wants us to hear the story of Jesus and the gospel of the Kingdom.

Jesus and the gospel of the Kingdom

You can’t have the Jesus of the Sermon on the Mount without the Jesus who does miracles.

Matthew gives us the account of Jesus who preaches, teaches, and heals.

Jesus is simply not just an ethical teacher to be admired.

You cannot believe that he is a moral person and choose to ignore that he also performed supernatural acts like calming a storm and casting out demons.

On the other hand, you may have the opposite temptation.

You may be fascinated with Jesus the charismatic and powerful miracle worker and ignore what he said.

You talk about how Jesus has the power to do miracles and choose to dismiss when he says, don’t call your brother a fool, don’t lust, don’t swear, don’t return evil for evil, love your enemies.

You can’t have Jesus who will heal your disease and ignore him when he intrudes into your personal lifestyle.

Matthew points out that the Lord who teaches the Beatitudes is the same Lord who calls us to follow him through our life and depend on his power.

Jesus’ work and power cannot be separated from what he teaches.

The disciples and the crowd

Matthew 5:1 ESV

Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.

Matthew 7:28 ESV

And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching,

The immediate context of the Sermon on the Mount and the Beatitudes seems to be that Jesus is primarily speaking to the disciples. But at the same time, the crowds was also listening.

So what we see is two concentric circles; one inner circle is the disciples, and the outer circle is the crowds.

It is clear that Jesus wanted both to hear what he wanted to say.

Jesus is primarily speaking and teaching the disciples.

But Jesus wanted the crowds to hear what he was saying to the 12 who are professing to follow him .

That is what I would like to do today.

I want to address those of you who are followers of Jesus and those of you who are curious, onlookers, watching online, skeptical, doubters, searchers who are coming to GracePointe, watching us online like the crowds who gathered behind the disciples as Jesus taught them.

So how does Jesus begin.

The Beatitudes

Jesus begins by pronouncing a certain kind of fortunate person. A “blessed” person.

We call these pronouncements “The Beatitudes” - from the Latin word to mean happy or blessed.

There are eight beatitudes worded the same way.

Verse 11 could be viewed as a ninth one, but is really an expansion of verse 10. The reviling in verse 11 is a specific description of one who is persecuted in verse 10.

You can see that these verses, Matthew 5:3-10, form a unit. Look at the first and eight beatitude.

Matthew 5:3 ESV

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

Matthew 5:10 ESV

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

The first and last beatitude have the same promise - “that theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

The other six sandwiched between these two are different.

Verse 4 - “they shall be comforted”

Verse 5 - “they shall inherit the earth”

Verse 6 “they shall be satisfied”

Verse 7 “they shall obtain mercy

Verse 8 “they shall see God”

Verse 9 “shall be called sons of God”

Future promises and present assurance

All of the promises of verse 4-9 are future…shall be comforted, inherit the earth, satisfied, mercy, see God, called sons of God...

But verse 3 and 10 says, the promise of the first and last beatitude says “theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Jesus implies that this is a present reality.

The disciples are given the assurance that “theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Why would Jesus do this? and more importantly, why would Matthew write Jesus’ teaching this way?

I believe there are primarily two implications.

First, the Blessings of the Kingdom include: comfort, inheritance, satisfaction, mercy, see God, and called sons of God.

By sandwiching these verses, Jesus tells his disciples that when you enter the kingdom of heaven there is a future blessing offered to you.

People who have the kindom of heaven have these six blessings of the kingdom.

In other words, there are six things you can count on when you enter God’s kingdom.

When you are a part of the kingdom of heaven, you will have these things.

This is what the kingdom brings - comfort, inheritance, satisfaction, mercy, you see God, and have an awesome title, as sons of God.

You don’t have to pick or choose.

They are all yours if you are part of the kingdom.

These promises all belong to the kingdom.

Second, a present and future kingdom.

The first and last beatitude is present tense - theirs is kingdom of heaven; while the six in between are future tense.

Jesus is telling his disciples that the kingdom is present now, but you will have to wait for the full manifestation of the kingdom in the age to come.

Jesus is telling those who are listening that in some sense, if you are part of the God’s kingdom, you will experience NOW the kingdom of heaven.

“Another way to put it is that Jesus has brought the kingdom of heaven to earth in his own kingly power and fellowship, and we can enjoy foretastes of it here and now; but the full experience of the life of the kingdom will have to wait for the age to come.” John Piper

You can see this right here in the beatitudes.

For example, Comfort.

Matthew 5:4 ESV

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Revelation 21:4 ESV

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Now look at Matthew 5:11-12

Even though comfort is reserved for us in heaven, we can now rejoice in the midst of suffering.

Why?

Because joy is the foretaste of the future promised comfort.

You can’t have joy without some element of comfort!

Mercy.

Matthew 5:7 ESV

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

In the parable of the unforgiving servant, Matthew 18:22-35, Jesus tells the story of servant who owed 100K and asked his master to forgive his debt. And the master did. But the servant saw a man who owed him $100 and threw him in jail. And Jesus said, you wicked servant,

Matthew 18:33 ESV

And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’

Jesus teaches that we just don’t receive mercy in the age to come, but because he is here, we get mercy now!

We taste God’s mercy now when we receive his forgiveness for our sins.

Sons of God.

Matthew 5:9 ESV

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Paul in Romans talks about the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of Jesus’ followers.

Romans 8:23 ESV

And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

Paul points that the full benefits of sonshp will have to wait in the resurrection. But he also reminds us that we already have the firstfruits of the Spirit…we have the downpayment of sonship because we have the Spirit inside of us while we wait for that day!

Romans 8:16 ESV

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

The Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are already sons of God!

God already is our Father…we are already his sons and daughters!

The point I am trying to make in these examples is that the kingdom of God is already here, but the full expression of that kingdom is still in the future.

We have a taste of what God is preparing for us!

We won’t experience the full banquet and wedding feast until Jesus comes and establishes God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.

That’s why v 3, and v 10 is a present reality, “yours is the kingdom of heaven,” while v 4-9, tells us that the promise of the kingdom’s blessings are still in the future!

Staff Wednesday - brought Isaiah; he had taken a little small bag of chips; told him that he could have a handful if he would sit quietly while we had staff; come and get another handful when he was finished.

He is learning to receive because he obeyed. He couldn’t have it all…a handful at a time!

I’m his father and he is the son. I know that it wasn’t good for him for me to give him the entire bag at one time!

Lesson from the gospel of the Kingdom

One of the most important lesson is found in the sermon on the Mount. And you can’t have insight on the Christian faith unless you understand the gospel of the Kingdom.

Let’s look at our world today. We have become intolerant. We have chosen to be divided.

We are unforgiving. We want to take sides, and if you’re not on my side then you are....(just put a label on it!)

God is intolerant, hateful, and lacks compassion and mercy! Why would a God of love send someone to hell?

Matthew 5:7 ESV

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

Will God extend his mercy only in the future?

We have seen already that Jesus teaches that the king has already extended his mercy to the unforgiving servant!

God’s mercy is extended to us and we have the power of the Holy Spirit to extend mercy to others.

God is not waiting in the end like a Judge to extend mercy to the merciful, but he is present now extending mercy to him who doesn’t deserve mercy!

Jesus is God’s example that God is willing to give us mercy.

The powerful expression of the mercy of God is the person of his son and the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

God says, “You have received mercy, go and extend the same to others!”

Why would God say this to us?

God is casting out the net of his mercy to the people of the earth.

God is drawing people to Christ by opening their eyes to Jesus.

John 6:44 ESV

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.

John 6:65 ESV

And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”

God’s mercy is already in the world.

Matthew 16:17 ESV

And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.

You see Peter, I am the Christ…I didn’t wait for you to see it, as a matter of fact, God my Father opened your eyes! Flesh and blood didn’t do it!, God has!

You did not choose him, God chose you. John 15:16

You did not come to him first, he first drew you! John 6:44

You did not recognize Jesus first, God opened your eyes to his son!

And all of this is God’s mercy! Mercy! Mercy!!!!

Romans 9:16 ESV

So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.

The Scriptures are full of passages that show and teach that God will show mercy on us in the future if we live a certain way now.

There are also passages that teach that God has already shows us mercy, and that mercy helps us live a life in a certain way now.

This is not inconsistent.

This is biblical.

This this the lifestyle of God’s kingdom.

We are born anew by the mercy of God. We are sanctified by the mercy of God. And when we get to the judgment seat of God, he will say, “I see you are still a sinner. But I see in your life the fruit of my Son’s mercy, and for his sake, I again now show you mercy again. Come and inherit the kingdom prepared for you before the world began.

The Beatitudes show us that God is announcing people who are in the kingdom are blessed!

You are blessed because the power of the Kingdom is already at work in you!

You are blessed because the blessings of the Kingdom are yours forever and ever!

You are blessed! Blessed! Blessed!

But that’s not all.

The Beatitudes is an invitation to those who are listening that you can become this kind of person.

Sermons from John Piper (1980–1989) The Beatitudes and the Gospel of the Kingdom

The disciples sit at Jesus’ feet and hear his words as congratulations. “O how fortunate you are, my dear brothers! O how fortunate you are to be chosen of God, to have your eyes opened, to be drawn to the Savior, to be poor and mourning and meek and hungry and merciful and pure and peaceable! Rejoice! Rejoice and give thanks, my beloved disciples, that you are this kind of person, for it is not your own doing! It is the reign of God in your life.” So the disciples hear the beatitudes as words of celebration about the work of God in their lives.

But what about the crowds standing behind the disciples? How do they hear these words of congratulations? How should they hear them, if they are not poor in spirit, if they are not mourning or meek or hungry for righteousness or merciful or pure or peaceable? What do these words mean for them? They are certainly not congratulations. You can’t congratulate a guest on his wedding garment if he doesn’t have it on (Matthew 22:11–14).

How do you respond to this kind of congratulation when you feel that you can’t attain it? Is it too difficult to be poor in spirit, merciful, pure, or peaceable? What do they mean for you?

The gospel of the Kingdom is that God is already working on you by helping you and opening your eyes to truth.

You are now asking the right question,

You can’t do it. You need God’s help and his power.

And that is the good news. He is able and He wants to do it.

Practical Takeaway: You can inherit God’s kingdom today!

Let’s pray. (Lead them to pray a prayer of faith)