January 22, 2012
Morning Worship
Text: Matthew 5:1-6
Subject: The Beatitudes – Part 1
Title: Receiving the Blessing God Has For You
We have been talking about the Kingdom of God and the message of the Kingdom for the past couple of weeks. I hope that these sermons are helping you to see in a new way the plans that God has for your life in this age. You are living in the power and authority of God’s kingdom right now and because of who He is and who you are In Him you have the opportunity to receive His blessings right here - right now!
The promise of blessing from God began when God called Abraham out of his homeland to a place he did not know. And it continued with a nation that He Himself called out of captivity under the leadership of Moses. As the nation of Israel wandered in the desert God spoke through His servant Moses and pronounced blessings upon them. These blessings had a contingency clause – Deuteronomy 28:1-2, 1 If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. 2 All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God…
And then the Lord begins to list the blessings… territorial blessings - 3You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. family blessings - 4 The fruit of your womb will be blessed…; financial blessings - the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. Victory blessings - 7 The LORD will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven. Political blessings - 10 Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will fear you. 13 The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. Again, the condition attached - If you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them
Now it can easily be assumed, if you want to take that step, that this promise was for the nation of Israel alone and has nothing to do with the church. That is a really illogical step for several reasons. 1) We (the church) have been grafted on to the vine along with Israel… 2) the word promises blessings to all according to Psalm 34:7-9, 7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. 8 Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. 9 Fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing. 3) As the body of Christ we are intended to be full participants in the kingdom, which includes God’s blessings. Ephesians 1:18-23, 18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
I think we can safely assume that the Lord wants to bless His people. That desire continues on into the New Testament as well.
Today we want to look at the Beatitudes that Jesus taught in His Sermon on the Mount and see how they relate to the kingdom message that we are hearing.
God wants His servants of the Kingdom to be blessed.
Read Matthew 5:1-12,
Lord, I believe this is Your word…
I believe it is for me…
I accept it as mine…
And I appropriate it to my life today…
In Jesus’ name…
Let’s start by looking at the first two verses. That will give us a jumping off point. 1 Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them, saying: Here, when Matthew uses the word disciples he is not referring to the twelve apostles. This is the crowd that was following Him. Notice that it says that they came to Him. He didn’t go to them. What caused them to come to Him? 4:24-25, 24 News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them. 25 Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him. The NIV says, and he began to teach them… This message is just a beginning. Now let’s look at the message…
The word “blessed” is used nine times in this passage. I think it is important to get an understanding of what it means. There are three Greek words that are translated “blessed”. The word used here means “to pronounce as extremely blessed or extremely fortunate”… Many try to equate “blessed: with being happy. So they would say, “happy are the poor in spirit…” That is not the case here. Another meaning of the word is well off! Perhaps this is the better translation in this context. Those who do what Jesus says are extremely well off. As we begin this study of the Beatitudes we will see that those who does these things will be pronounced as extremely well off!
1. 3 “Blessed (extremely well –off) are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The first of the beatitudes gives a direct definition of what it takes to be partakers of the kingdom life. You have to be poor in spirit. Some misinterpret what this is saying by trying to make it look like those who are poor on earth will experience something better when they are in heaven. But this is about recognizing your own lack in the spirit realm. Our righteousness is as filthy rags according to Isaiah (64:6). It is only when we see ourselves as we really are and ask Jesus into our hearts to live that we become part of the kingdom. When we were kids we were poor, but we never would have known if it we hadn’t known others who were rich. The same is true in the spirit realm. It is the responsibility of the “rich – those who have the kingdom connection – to show others their poor estate. And we can do that by living out the kingdom life in our own lives; Lives of faith and power and authority and blessing that belong to kingdom subjects. Since this first beatitude tells us about the kingdom, we should look at it as saying, “If you are kingdom people, then you should expect these kingdom blessings…”
2. 4 Blessed (extremely well –off) are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. The word “mourn” here means, “to experience grief”. It’s an emotional response that takes place when one feels great loss. It doesn’t make much sense, does it, that one can at the same time mourn and yet be blessed? Unless… we understand that as kingdom servants we are told that we should walk the way that Jesus did and one of the things we see in Jesus’ life that stands out is His compassion for the multitudes. Turn over to Luke 19. In verses 41-44 we see Jesus weeping over the city of Jerusalem. 41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42 and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. 43 The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. 44 They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.” Jesus’ concern, His weeping, His mourning wasn’t because Jerusalem was going to be destroyed, but it was because they did not accept their Messiah while He was right there in their midst. So if we are being changed into His image with ever - increasing glory, shouldn’t we have the same sense of loss and mourning for those who are lost that Jesus has? And if we do, then doesn’t that mean we would want to tell them about the kingdom the same way Jesus did? And if that is the case, then won’t we be comforted? That comfort will come two ways. First, we will be like the angels who rejoice when one lost sheep is brought into the sheepfold. Second, we have the comfort of eternal life. We can weep and mourn for the nations today, but we will be with Jesus for eternity.
3. 5 Blessed (extremely well –off) are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. The English translation of the Greek word does not do it justice. As a matter of fact the English understanding of the word is almost the opposite of what it means in other Greek literature. Here is Webster’s definition; 1: enduring injury with patience and without resentment: 2: deficient in spirit and courage: 3: not violent or strong… But in Greek literature the word is “praus” and it really means, strength under control. Meekness shows a willingness to submit oneself to the authority of another, and then to use that authority to bring about a desired result. It is the same idea as in Matthew 11 and verse 12, From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it. 5 Blessed are the meek… for they will inherit the earth. The power and authority that we have been given is only because we are willing to submit ourselves to our King. And because we do that then we now have His authority on earth to see His will done on earth as it is in heaven. We have been given the keys to the kingdom. We are the church of Jesus Christ and the gates of hell cannot prevail against us. We have everything we need to pull down strongholds – all because we are meek.
4. 6 Blessed (extremely well –off) are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Last week we heard Jesus tell satan, ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. This is a principle that was established with Abraham and continues till this day. Genesis 15:6
Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.
Romans 4:3 What does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” What was it that Abraham believed? He believed God. Hebrews 11:8-12, 8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore. Do you see how hungering and thirsting for righteousness is connected with faith, and how it is connected to God’s word? Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God…We long to see God’s word and God’s will and God’s righteousness accomplished. We will be filled.
3 “Blessed (extremely well –off) are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed (extremely well –off) are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed (extremely well –off) are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed (extremely well –off) are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Can you see the kingdom connection in these first four New Testament commands? Just as the kingdom must first find its root in your spirit man through salvation, so also these beatitudes must be rooted in the attitude of your heart.
The world's view of life is completely the opposite than what Jesus’ view is. The world always says, “Me first” but Jesus says, “if you belong to me you will always places others first.”
Are you poor in spirit? Do you see your sinfulness and your inability to do anything about it? Give it to God and invite Jesus into your heart and you will be extremely blessed because the kingdom of heaven is yours.
Do you mourn for lost souls? Are you concerned about the condition of the world? Are you bothered by the fact that Jesus is going to come soon and gather His church but billions will be left behind lost in their sin? If you mourn for them you are extremely blessed and you will be comforted.
Are you meek? Not weak, but meek? Do you operate according to the spirit man in the power and authority of Jesus Christ? Or do you try to force your will on others, or even on God, to get what you want? If you are walking in the power of the Holy Spirit under His anointing, then the controlled power of God in you – the meekness of Jesus Christ – will rise up in you and you will be extremely blessed and will inherit the earth.
Do you hunger and thirst for righteousness? I’m not talking about the condition of the world around you. We all would like to see a better world – a world that turns to Jesus. But my question is, “Do you hunger and thirst for more of God, the righteousness of God, the power of God, the authority of God in your own life?” If you do then you are extremely blessed and will be filled.
It is time for all of us to take a serious look at ourselves to see if it we are what God wants us to be – a church that is outward reaching while at the same time looking inward to see if there is a reflection of Christ shining in us. Then you will be pronounced as extremely blessed and well-off.
