The New Covenant - The Beatitudes
The New Covenant • Sermon • Submitted
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· 7 viewsExplain the Beatitudes and how they demonstrate to us spirituality vs. carnality
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Introduction
Introduction
3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
Reiterate the similarities between Moses receiving the law on Mt. Sinai and the people receiving Jesus’ law on this Mount.
Both received on a mountain.
Both issued from God and received by man.
Both issued in a new covenant between God and man.
The New Covenant emphasized internal, spiritual qualities vs. the external qualities of the Old Covenant.
Jesus points to a time when His law will be internalized.
Jesus points to a time when we will be given the power to live righteously.
13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
The Beatitudes
The Beatitudes
The righteousness of the Pharisees could never attain these spiritual results.
In fact, the Pharisees were running entirely contrary to these principles.
These can only come from one who is properly related to God through faith. When one has placed their complete trust in God.
Detail the spiritual nature of the beatitudes
The emphasis is on the inner man, not on external circumstances
The last part talks of external circumstances (persecution), but even here the emphasis is on our spiritual response to them.
The Beatitudes do not tell us how to act, but how to be.
3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed means “happy”, or “fortunate”.
Poor in Spirit is one who consciously depends on God, not on themselves.
They have no ability in themselves to please God.
They realize their complete and total dependence on God for all things.
Theirs is the kingdom of heaven means they come to possess God’s kingdom on earth and become heirs of God’s kingdom in heaven.
4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Mourn means to recognize our needs and call out to God who can and will meet those needs.
Like a baby crying out when they’re hungry.
They shall be comforted means God will completely meet the needs we brought to Him.
When the baby is fed, dry and rested, all the needs are met. The baby is content.
5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Meek means to be humble, gentle, to know our position in God’s kingdom and to be comfortable with it.
To be meek demonstrates spiritual maturity and strength
28 He that hath no rule over his own spirit Is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.
Meekness does not mean weakness.
Acknowledges and demonstrates their humility by stepping aside and allowing God to fight for them, and to receive all the glory.
3 (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)
Inherit the earth - To those who demonstrate their acceptance of the position God gave them, and fulfill it, God will cause them to inherit positions of great authority.
12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Hunger and thirst after righteousness - Those who acknowledge that they are unrighteous and condemned before God, and so have an intense appetite and desire to be righteous like Jesus Christ.
They shall be filled - God will satisfy them by clothing them with His righteousness.
7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Merciful - Those who forgive others who do them wrong because they understand the debt of mercy they owe Jesus.
They shall obtain mercy - When you forgive others, Jesus will forgive you.
If we, who have had our impossibly large debts forgiven, cannot forgive someone else’s very small debt, how would we expect Jesus, who is perfect, who owes us nothing, to forgive us?
If we cannot forgive, Jesus will not forgive us.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Pure in heart - Those who are pure on the inside through faith in Jesus Christ, and who continue to be on guard against their old nature.
In other words, holiness
Define “Holiness”
They shall see God - Only by being washed in the blood of Jesus can we become clean in God’s eyes. Only then can we enter into the presence of a Holy and a Righteous God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Peacemakers - Those who are not always arguing, not always striving for their own viewpoints or their own agendas, but who can give place to others, and who strive to be at peace both with God, and with their fellow man.
Shall be called the children of God - Jesus was never flustered. Never nervous. Never worried. He was always at peace, even in the midst of conflict and strife.
There is never a moment in our lives when we need to worry, or stress.
There’s never a moment in our lives when we have to fight for our rights, or our own personal opinions.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, Yet he opened not his mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, So he openeth not his mouth.
We are at peace with God, with ourselves, and with our fellow man.
10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
If you will live righteously, the world will hate you, just as it hated Jesus.
You will lose the world, with its sinful, temporal pleasures, but you will gain heaven, and all its pure, eternal pleasures.
4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Jesus experienced this during His trial, and during His crucifixion. The world, and those in the world, will do this to you.
If you experience this, you are BLESSED! God sees what you endure for His sake, and He will be there with you, comforting you, blessing you, strengthening you.
33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
We are to rejoice in the midst of persecution and trial and test!
41 And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.
We can rejoice because we’re looking forward to a great reward because of the things we endure here on earth for His sake.
We stand in good company!
1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,