THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT (part one)
Read intro in study bible. Beatitudes mean declarations of blessedness. Blessed means more than just happy, since happiness is dependent on circumstances. Blessedness refers to the ultimate well being and distinctive spiritual joy of those who are saved. In all the nine beatitudes we see a declaration of blessedness followed with the reason why. Blessed are the…for they...
One would look at this list of what brings blessedness and probably be confused because if we were asked ‘what does it mean to be blessed’, our answers would not be what we find here in this list. But as we so often see in the bible, our way of thinking contrasts God’s way.
And there’s the struggle we face-conforming our way of thinking to God’s; continuing to progress in performing Rom. 12:2-being transformed by the renewing of our mind. In the beatitudes we gain a new understanding as to what brings blessedness. Let’s take a look at the beatitudes to find out what our attitude should be. Today-first three.
1) Blessed are the poor in spirit.
Matt. 5:1-3, "Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them, saying: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
The term poor in spirit is deceiving. We might think it would be something undesirable. Who wants to be poor in anything? But being poor in spirit is a good thing. Being poor in spirit means I’m someone who has recognized my own spiritual poverty and wretchedness. I have recognized my sinfulness. Being poor in spirit is a blessing because it represents humility. And humility is a blessing because it opens the door to the kingdom of heaven.
Matt. 18:1-4, "At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."
Pride makes me think I'm someone great. Pride will cause me to feel I'm worthy of heaven. But humility allows me to see my great need for atonement. Being poor in spirit brings me to the place of recognition that I've done nothing to deserve heaven but because of Jesus' sacrifice I have the privilege of going there. And being poor in spirit allows me the blessing of God's revival.
Isa. 57:15, “For this is what the high and lofty One says—he who lives forever, whose name is holy: “I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.”
To revive means to restore. When someone's heart stops beating the paramedics try to revive the person. That's what God does with us. When we find ourselves kneeling at the foot of the cross in humble submission he will revive us; he will renew us. One of the synonyms for revive is breathe life into. That's what God is doing when we come to him. He is breathing the Holy Spirit into us. He is coming to live with us.
God takes up residence in the hearts of those who have godly sorrow and repentance. Does he live in the hearts of the proud and arrogant? No. Why? Because they think they don't need God. Or they think they already have God; they're confident of their own righteousness.
Luke 18:9-14, "To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
One of these men was religious; the other was not. One felt he was entitled to God's favor; the other knew he didn't deserve it. One gave God his resume; the other gave God a cry for mercy. One went home justified; the other did not. The one who would've been the likely candidate for God's approval didn't receive it. The difference is one was humble and one was not.
Those who think they have done enough to earn God's favor have put themselves in a precarious situation. Those who refuse to acknowledge that the path to salvation is trod in contrition will be humbled by God. But those who realize that they can do nothing to earn God's favor except to kneel before him in lowliness of spirit will be exalted-lifted up by God; elevated to a status of forgiveness and blessedness. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God.
2) Blessed are those who mourn.
Matt. 5:4, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."
According to Adam Clarke’s commentary this pertains to one recognizing their spiritual poverty. Mourning over the understanding of how spiritually impoverished they are and it causes them to call out to God for relief. This is similar to being poor in spirit but it relates more to the manifestation of the contrition. I'm spiritually impoverished; therefore I mourn.
It's a response to the acknowledged reality. This can be connected to godly sorrow. Godly sorrow can involve weeping over one's spiritual bankruptcy. Those who are brought to this point of spiritual despair will be comforted by the Lord’s provision of peace and rest.
Matt. 11:28-30, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Jesus calls to those who realize they are spiritually drained and afflicted. Those of you who have been trying to follow the law with your own power. Those of you who have been weighed down with worry and fear. Come to me, and I will give you rest. I will relieve your spiritual burdens and I will replace your weariness with rejuvenation. I will provide strength for the journey and hope for the future. I will give you rest for your souls.
No more will you need to wonder if you're good enough. No more will you feel you need to earn God's favor. You can live in spiritual security and confidence. Come under my control and I will show you a life filled with joy. Don't be afraid of my authority; for I am a master who will treat you with gentleness, love and patience. I understand your struggles and hardships.
How great a comfort is it to have the Lord by our side? How comforting is it to have assurance for our souls? To not have a wishful hope but a secure one. Those who mourn over recognizing their spiritual hopelessness will be comforted by Jesus' spiritual assurance of their salvation when they trust in him.
Blessed are those who mourn applies to those who literally mourn also. When we grieve over a serious loss God is there to comfort us. 2 Cor. 1:3-4, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God."
The Father of compassion and God of all comfort. What a privilege we have as children of God. Not that God doesn't comfort those that aren't Christians but the promise is for those who are. Blessed are we because we have the promise of God's comfort when we are deeply distressed.
How sad it is for those who don't believe in God or don't know Jesus. Who do they turn to for comfort? They may have a family member or good friend and that can help but it's not the same as the comfort God provides. He is all about compassion and comfort. People, though well intentioned, can't come close to the depth of compassion God has.
We can empathize and sympathize but it won't come close to God's level. I can love you but God loves you more. I can care but God cares more. He made you-he's watched you grow. He hated some of the things that have happened to you. He knows how deeply you hurt; he knows the level of your pain.
Even if we tell someone else about it we can only put it into words so well. It may capture the essence of it but never the true intensity of it. But God knows how deep it goes. This makes him the perfect one to minister to us when we're grieving. And we know how gripping our despair can be. In our grief we feel lonely and depressed. It can feel like darkness surrounds us.
Counter that with how blessed it feels when God brings us comfort. It's the difference between being wrapped in sandpaper verses a fuzzy blanket. We go from a grimace to a grin. We go from wanting to sleep all day to becoming mobile and active again. We go from anxious to calm; from worry to peace; from fear to hope. We go from seeing only the dark tunnel to seeing the light at the end of it. This is what the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort can do for us. It's uplifting; even enlightening.
But it doesn't stop there; we need to dispel that comfort to others. As we have received it-so we give it away. We are there for those who need comfort. We won't be perfect at it-but with the spirit of Christ inside us we'll be better at providing comfort than we ever could be without Christ. Blessed are those who mourn-for they will be comforted.
3) Blessed are the meek.
Matt. 5:5, "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth."
We can see the essence of humility in the first three beatitudes. One who is meek is of a kind, gentle spirit rather than those who are arrogant and pompous. Quiet rather than loud. The problem with meekness is how it's seen in the world. Meek means weak. If I'm meek I'm a pushover. If I'm meek I'm naive. If I'm meek I'm an easy target for deception and manipulation. One would say there is no strength or power in meekness, but they would be wrong.
It's sad how meekness has lost its value in today's society. We know the phrase that starts many a show, 'ladies and gentlemen'. These titles are all about meekness. They used to be respected terms but nowadays they're seen as comical. Being ladylike is boring and prudish. A gentleman is seen as a wimp.
Being mild-mannered has lost all its luster. Now, it's more acceptable for a woman to be flamboyant; in your face and wild. It's more acceptable for a man to be tough and macho. One would never think of meekness accomplishing anything. You can't be nice and get anywhere; you have to be a brute. If you're a woman you have to be a cold, heartless 'b' if you're going to get what you want. Nice guys finish last.
So when we hear Jesus say the meek will inherit the earth we might think that sounds contradictory. Meek means you'll allow everything to be taken away from you. There's no gain to be had in meekness. But one would fail to understand that being meek doesn't mean you can't be assertive. Meek doesn't mean you don't set boundaries. Meekness doesn't mean you can't stand firm on your convictions. Meekness just means you're going to do these things with respect and self-control.
Although it's true that people sometimes get their way when they're loud and threatening; what they won't get is respect and admiration. And many times, being rude and pushy will only get you pushed out the door. However, if you approach someone with meekness and respect, you can get further with them. You've heard the phrase, 'you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar'?
But what about the phrase, 'the squeaky wheel gets the grease'? Sometimes this is the case but no one likes that wheel too much, do they? "That's ok, I'm not here to be liked". Good, because you probably won't be. And you can say that all you want but I'm sure deep down you resent those who are well liked. And you really resent them when you see they're liked not because they buy their friends or kiss-up to the boss but because they're respectful and friendly.
The disrespectful loudmouth probably won't get promoted to a better position unless they know someone. Even if they're qualified, the position will likely go to the one who has the skills and is also a good people person. They are the ones who earn the respect of their employees. The forceful boss gets things done because they are feared but the meek boss will probably get more things done because they are respected.
Another meaning of meek is submissive. We see this in the willingness to serve. I can't really be a good leader unless I first have been a good follower. I won't be a good authority figure unless I have done well in submitting to it. Jesus was the perfect model of meekness. He was Lord yet he humbled himself and washed his disciples' feet.
The guards came to arrest him and take him by force yet when Peter cut off one of their ears Jesus turned around and healed him. Peter wasn't being meek at that moment but Jesus was. I wonder how differently that guard saw Jesus after he had done that? What do we stand to gain when we go around "cutting off ears"?
We can see the value of meekness when we see the behavior of Jesus. Remember how he described himself in Matt. 11-gentle and humble? Was Jesus weak? No-he was bold and courageous. He stood up to the religious leaders and told them what they needed to hear. He defended the sanctity of his father's house when he flipped the money changers' tables. He didn't do these things in arrogance or rage but in love and zeal. Jesus was meek but he was anything but weak.
Meekness is strength under control. Meekness is seen in the fact that I could pound this person into the ground but I will choose to be respectful and walk away. That is choosing the greater good. That will be seen as weak but it isn't. In fact, the greatest display of strength is restraint. Although some people don't see the value in meekness, others do. And God especially values it in his people.
Jesus said the meek will inherit the earth. In Psalm 37:11, it says the meek will inherit the land. This is referring to the promised land, the land of Canaan. So with Jesus speaking from a spiritual sense, the meek inheriting the earth can mean inheriting the promised land of heaven.
But there is also a physical aspect to this too. Everything belongs to God and so God will bless those who are meek because meekness is the character of Christ. When we honor God with choosing to live his way he blesses us with the fruit that comes from that. You may get certain material rewards, like the promotions I mentioned earlier or maybe a store manager being willing to work something out with you when there's a problem with a product or return.
However, the far greater gain is seen in rewards like the respect and honor you get from being kind and gentle. Or the reward of obtaining something through integrity and honesty. A good name is of great value and meekness can grant that. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
