Matthew 5:1-12
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1 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.
2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
In looking back at the end of Chapter 4, Christ has been performing miracles and healing. As He did, his fame grew, a crowd followed him (scripture says) from Galilee and the Decapolis, from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.
For whom were the Beatitudes intended?
After starting His ministry, He realized there were many following Him. Maybe they were following Him for salvation, maybe they were following Him for the healing and miracles. Regardless, He was drawing a crowd and decided to go into the mountain along with His disciples who followed Him. Notice that the Sermon on the Mount was intended for the disciples NOT the multitudes. He knew He had to prepare the disciples for the ministry the multitudes would require. What we find is a compassionate Savior whose concern was not on Himself, but on His disciples and others.
1 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.
2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
What did Christ show to the multitudes?
Compassion - we see Christ looking down at the multitudes, knowing each and every need and concern in their lives, and He had compassion on them. As Christians, regardless of how big or small our congregation is, we must focus on compassion. Who is in need? What is their need? How do we meet that need? Without this compassion, the needs of the congregation and the world around us might be overlooked. This goes back to placing our focus on others more than ourselves. Yes, we can get down and out, woe is me, pitiful me, look at where I am in MY life, but I have noticed when we focus on the needs of others, we don’t have near as much time to worry about what is going on in our own life. It is soothing, it is healing, but most importantly it is serving - and a servants heart will grow to have compassion for others more than self.
When Christ sat down with His disciples, He was intent on teaching them.
Overall, do we as Christians (the Church) focus enough on teaching?
If we look at the example of Christ, He taught as much if not more than He preached. To equip the disciples, He had to teach them.
15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
We must have teachers and students of the Word so we can grow in the manner acceptable to God. We must become scholars of Scripture, learning to determine what is correct interpretation and application. But it isn’t just for church, preaching and teaching should be done wherever people come together. While crowds are nice, and important, it only took a small group of disciples to accomplish the great commission. As we come together on Sunday evenings and Wednesday evenings it’s nice to fellowship, but our responsibility is to train one another, sharpen one another as iron sharpens iron, so that we (as a small group of believers) can advance the ministry (the Gospel Message) to the multitudes.
Jesus opened His mouth and taught.
What was it Jesus taught?
Beatitudes - blessings. Blessed (makarios): spiritual joy and satisfaction that lasts regardless of conditions; that carries one through pain, sorrow, loss, and grief. To be blessed is what many of us seek after. Unfortunately, we normally see earthly things as our blessings; position, money, fame, power, and pleasure. But when we ONLY seek the blessings of this world, it shows the carnal, corruptible, sinful mindset of mankind. It proves we have been deceived and blinded, and in need of a renewed spirit. Instead, Christ focuses on the spiritual blessings of those who may not have “worldly” blessings.
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
What does it mean to be poor in spirit?
Jesus taught to acknowledge those in spiritual poverty. He does not mean that a person has to be destitute and financially broke, but poor “in spirit”. To acknowledge our helpless nature, our need for salvation, our reliance on our Creator to meet our every need. We have nothing that has not been given to us by God. If we do not acknowledge this need, then we face a life and an eternity separated from God. The blessings of life and eternity come only when we have accepted Christ as our Savior. Even after salvation, we must acknowledge we are no better than anyone else. No matter what we achieve in this world, it is only by and through the grace of God. It is with that humbleness in spirit, acknowledging our need and reliance on Jesus, that we inherit the kingdom of heaven.
What is it a believer receives / inherits?
Forgiveness of sin.
Fellowship with other believers.
The gift of eternal life.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
What does in mean to mourn?
To have a broken heart. It is like the deep mourning and wailing that occurs over the death of a loved one. It is sorrow—a desperate, helpless sorrow. It is a sorrow for sin, a broken heart over evil and suffering.
Who is it so full of grief that he cries and weeps and utters groanings deep from within? The person who is desperately sorry for his sins and unworthiness before God. He has such a sense of sin that his heart is just broken. The person who really feels the desperate plight and terrible suffering of others. The tragedies, the problems, the sinful behavior of others—the state, the condition, the lostness of the world—all weigh ever so heavily upon the heart of the mourner. The person who experiences personal tragedy and intense trauma.
We should not me proud of our sin. It is only when we are convicted of our sin and it literally breaks our heart to think of how we have hurt God that we can humbly confess our sins to God and ask forgiveness. When we find ourself in this state, then we are comforted. We are comforted with a peace, with assurance of forgiveness, and with joy, for eternity.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
What is meekness?
To be strong, but tender and humble. It is a strong, yet teachable, spirit. It is not being weak, bowing or spineless. It is a man who is strong, very strong, yet he is humble and tender. A believer who is humble and disciplined because they are controlled by God. An humble spirit leads us to inherit the earth. They enjoy the experiences and good things here on earth. They are comfortable with themselves, and with where God has placed them. They know who they are (as Christians) and are strong and confident, but understand it was only by God’s grace, keeping them tender and humble.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
What does it mean to hunger and thirst for righteousness?
Literally to have a starving spirit. It is real hunger and starvation of soul. It is a parched and dying thirst. It is a starving spirit and a parched soul that craves after righteousness. But there is something more: righteousness means all righteousness. The true believer is starved and parched for all righteousness
A Christian should be craving a life that is filled with righteousness. They want to not only be righteous, but to do righteous things. At times, we may only want bits and pieces. Trying to satisfy us for the moment. But that leads us to false security. We are never full. We can’t just believe in Jesus, but we have to LIVE like Jesus, doing good and living as we should (obeying God and serving man).
Notice Christ does not say, “Blessed are the righteous,” for no one is righteous (Ro. 3:10). He says, “Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness.” Man is not righteous, not perfectly righteous. His chance to be righteous is gone. He has already come short and missed the mark. He is already imperfect. Man has but one hope: that God will love him so much that He will somehow count him righteous. That is just what God does. God takes a man’s “hunger and thirst after righteousness” and counts that hunger and thirst as righteousness
Seeking righteousness brings us satisfaction, contentment, peace.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
Who are the merciful?
Those who have a forgiving spirit and a compassionate heart. We have to be able to show mercy, benevolent, forgiving, and many other things. It is a deliberate effort, an act of understanding another person and meeting their need by forgiving and showing mercy. By showing mercy, we receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
What does it mean to be pure in heart?
To have a clean heart; to be unsoiled, unmixed, unpolluted; to be cleansed, purged, forgiven; to be holy; to have a single purpose, that of God’s glory. It does not mean to be perfect, as we cannot be perfect, but only to be on OUR best behavior and be pure in our motives, asking forgiveness when we fail.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
What does it mean to be a peacemaker?
To make peace between men and God; to solve disputes and erase divisions; to reconcile differences and eliminate strife; to silence tongues and build right relationships. He conquers the inner struggle, settles the inner tension, handles the inner pressure. He takes the struggle within his heart between good and evil, and strives for the good and conquers the bad. The person who strives at every opportunity to make peace within others. He seeks and leads others to make their peace with God—to conquer their inner struggle, to settle their inner tension, to handle their inner pressure. The person who strives at every opportunity to make peace within others. He seeks and leads others to make their peace with God—to conquer their inner struggle, to settle their inner tension, to handle their inner pressure.
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
Who are the persecuted?
Those who endure suffering for Christ; to be mocked, ridiculed, criticized, ostracized; to be treated with hostility; to be martyred. The person who lives and speaks for righteousness and is reacted against. The person who lives and speaks for Christ and is reviled, persecuted, and spoken against.
Believers are warned we WILL be persecuted. If Christ suffered persecution, then if we are LIKE Christ, we will suffer persecution too. Why? Simply because the sinful world does not know God or Christ.
12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
What comes to the perecuted?