Sermon on the Mount: Kingdom Character / Kingdom Action

Kingdom Character

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Developing Kingdom Character:

Matthew 5:3 ““Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Complete dependance upon God. Matthew 5:3

Matthew 5:4 ““Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

Heart alignment with God Matthew 5:4

Matthew 5:5 ““Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”

Focused agenda of God Matthew 5:5

Matthew 5:6 ““Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

Focused relationship with God Matthew 5:6

Living The Kingdom Lifestyle

Matthew 5:7 ““Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”

Merciful in the VERB form of Matthew 5:7 is used only one other time in the New Testament Scriptures.

Mercy is an attribute of God, and those in his kingdom reflect this truth of God. With Christ as our example:

Those living in the kingdom should have their default setting as “Merciful & Compassionate”

Hebrews 2:17 “Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.”

God’s Compassion is on display as his Character is to be Merciful towards us.

Ephesians 5:1-2 “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

We reflect in our lives the person of Jesus.

Your mission: to look more like Jesus.

Displaying the compassion of God Matthew 5:7

Matthew 5:8 ““Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

Singular inward devotion to God - Matthew 5:8

Normally we think of the heart as the seat of emotion, but to Jesus it is much more than this.

Matthew 15:19 “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.”

An outward appearnce of Godliness can be counterfiet, but inward devotion to God cannot be faked

There’s a mindset at work here too

Those pure of heart look for God in all situations.

If the heart is the wicked it will expect and see the worst in others.

I’m not speaking of a nieve optimision, but of a Godly compassionate wisdom.

A heart that is able to weigh things against the backdrop of eternity and God’s person.

Matthew 5:9 ““Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”

Advocating the Peace of God Matthew 5:9

Notice here, Jesus did not say “Peace-keeper” but “Peace-Maker” - this is the only use of the Greek word for “peacemaker” in all of the New Testament.

We follow the ministry of Christ who came to make peace between God and Man.

But the title “peacemaker” is not qualified here in this verse. Wether it is to be understood as spiritual or physical.

I believe there’s a little bit of both here.

As we follow in the ministry of Christ, we will advocate for people to be reconcilied to God

But as Christians, we step into situations and bring people together to make peace.

We weigh into the messy and difficult, peacemaking is not easy.

This is so important that it should be a defining characteristic of the followers of Jesus…. that we are promoters of peace and we should be known for this.

Enduring Kingdom Suffering on Earth

Matthew 5:10 ““Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Suffering Well with God Matthew 5:10

1 Peter 2:21 “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.”

Think of how upside down this is: IN fact, it stands in opposition to us as sinful man. Our default setting is not to walk with a Kingdom Mindset or Kingdom Character.

Poor, Mourn, Meek

Hungry, Thirsty, Merciful, and Pure of Heart

Advocating for Peace between God and Men

It’s not a good sales hook Jesus… to talk of persecution.

If we are going to follow this path, we are going to experience the beautiful suffering that comes with serving Christ.

It’s not easy to sit with someone who is suffering

It’s not easy to make peace between people who are at war

In my life, persecution hasn’t taken the form of physical tourture or imprisonment.. it looks more like broken relationships and burned bridges.

It’s been walking towards a calling that has brought pain into my life and into the lives of my family.

For some, it’s opening their homes and letting go of comfort

Kingdom living is real and it impacts us here and in eternity.