Matthew 5
1 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.
2 Then 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 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 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 they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.
12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Look at verse 1 again:
1 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.
Jesus’ ministry had just started, miracles were happening, and multitudes were flocking to hear Him.
2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:
Jesus began His teaching ministry with a message of repentance. Now, He begins to teach principles of the kingdom that drew a stark contrast between true believers in God and the phony religiosity that these people were witnessing in their day.
Let me just say that we all need to keep our guard up because if we are not careful we can end up “talking it” and failing to live it.
Listen to this warning from the writer of the book of Hebrews:
Hebrews 12
14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:
15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;
16 lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright.
17 For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.
Let me take you back to the Old Testament account that is referred to here. Abraham and Sarah had a son Isaac, Isaac had two sons, Esau and Jacob. As the eldest Esau had was heir to the birthright and to the blessing of Abraham. But Esau sold the birthright to Jacob for a pot of stew, and has his father’s blessing stolen by Jacob. This is what happened when Esau found out about his brother deceiving his father into blessing him:
Genesis 27
34 When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, "Bless me — me also, O my father!"
35 But he said, "Your brother came with deceit and has taken away your blessing."
36 And Esau said, "Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright, and now look, he has taken away my blessing!" And he said, "Have you not reserved a blessing for me?"
37 Then Isaac answered and said to Esau, "Indeed I have made him your master, and all his brethren I have given to him as servants; with grain and wine I have sustained him. What shall I do now for you, my son?"
How sad that there was only one blessing to be given. That special blessing passed on to the heir, the “blessing of Abraham” included these words:
Genesis 22:17-18 “blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed…”
Each time the blessing was passed on it spoke of their “seed.” Listen to what Paul wrote in the book of Galatians.
Galatians 3:16 Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, "And to seeds," as of many, but as of one, "And to your Seed," who is Christ.
Jesus was the “seed” that was mentioned in the blessings. Something incredibly important was said about the seed.
► God spoke about the “seed” to Abraham
Genesis 22:16-18 “By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son — blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
► God spoke about the “seed” to Isaac
Genesis 26:3-4 “Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed…”
Through this “seed” blessing would come upon all the earth.
And here is the seed, the recipient of the blessing, providing a way for all the earth to be blessed!
Do you want to be blessed? Jesus tells us what will bring God’s blessing into our lives on a day to day basis.
Do you want to be blessed?
Be poor in spirit…
Being “poor in spirit” does not mean that one is financially poor. The word here does not say blessed are those who are materially poor, but rather, blessed are those who are spiritually poor.
It is important that we understand how spiritually bankrupt we are on our own.
Romans 3:10-12 As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one.”
Our works are unacceptable to Him.
Isaiah 64:6 But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; we all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
Being spiritually poor means that we recognize our need for God in our lives.
Matthew 9:12-13 When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
As Christians we can never lose our understanding of how much we need God.
Revelation 3
14 “And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, ‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God:
15 I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot.
16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.
17 Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing' — and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked —
18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.
20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
Even if we have gotten off course, we can get back on course by hearing His voice and opening the door!
How are the poor in spirit blessed? They are given the kingdom of heaven
Jesus continues…
Do you want to be blessed?
Don’t be afraid to mourn…
We know that mourning brings something amazing into our lives.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
Look at what we learn from these verses:
· The God of all comfort
Jesus described the ministry of the Holy Spirit this way:
John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever
The comfort that God gives us does not come from the outside in, but from within us
John 14:17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
God is the source of comfort, and He lives inside of you.
· He comforts us in all our tribulation
He doesn’t just comfort you in some of your difficulties; He comforts and helps you in all of your trials.
· We may be able to comfort others
God not only gives enough comfort to get you through your times of difficulty, but He gives you enough comfort that you will have extra to share with others.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.
If you find yourself mourning, you are in a position to be blessed.
How are those who mourn blessed? They are given comfort.
Want to be blessed?
Be meek…
The world equates meekness with weakness because that is how it appears to them. But meekness is strength that is purposely restrained. Listen to Paul’s words:
Ephesians 4:1-3 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness , with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Having lasting peace with others is only possible because of your spirit of meekness.
Remember that any time you try to help someone who has fallen, meekness is mandatory.
Galatians 6:1 Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.
Even though you may think you have it together there will be a time when you need mercy too.
Never forget that meekness gets you noticed by God. In The Beatitudes Jesus referenced Psalm 37:11
Psalms 37:11 But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
Here is the promise:
How are the meek blessed? They inherit the earth.
Want to be blessed?
Hunger and thirst for righteousness…
Jesus did not say, "Blessed are the people who live without any desire to do good."
He told us righteousness should be such a desire, that we actually hunger and thirst for it.
The word "righteousness" comes from a root word which means "straightness"
Righteousness—Holy and upright living in accordance with God's standard.
Righteousness is not something that we can fake. Any time we try to fake it we become hypocrites.
True righteousness is given to us by God
Philippians 3:9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith
Paul drew a contrast in that verse between the self-righteousness that he had as a Pharisees and the righteousness he now has as a believer.
How are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness blessed? They will be filled.
Want to be blessed?
Be merciful…
Jesus did not say, "Blessed are those who are judgmental and condemning." He spoke about those who extended mercy to others, which is only possible because of God’s mercy being extended to them.
Colossians 3:12-13 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.
Jesus gave us a lesson on forgiveness in Matthew 18
23 Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.
24 And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.
25 But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made.
26 The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'
27 Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.
28 "But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!'
29 So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'
30 And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt.
31 So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done.
32 Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.
33 Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?'
34 And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.
35 "So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses."
Forgiveness has to come from the heart, and it has to be forgiven without any strings attached.
Matthew 10:8 “Freely you have received, freely give.”
Here is the benefit of being merciful
How are the merciful blessed? They receive mercy.
Want to be blessed?
Be pure in heart…
The religious leaders in Jesus days were phonies and hypocrites, who only pretended to be spiritual. Jesus said:
Mark 7:6 He answered and said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.’”
Jesus did not say, “Blessed are those who never make mistakes,” but blessed are those who have a pure heart.
You may not be perfect, there may still be things that you are struggling with…but you can still maintain a pure heart!
Pureness of heart is what caught God's attention in David,
1 Samuel 13:14 But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be commander over His people,
It is still the thing that catches God's attention today:
2 Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.
Can I point out a contrast?
"the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth" (2 Chronicles 16:9)
"the devil walks about like a roaring lion" (1 Peter 5:8)
God runs to bring blessing and the devil walks to bring destruction.
How are the pure in heart blessed? They will see God.
Want to be blessed?
Be a peacemaker…
Peacemaking does not come naturally. Jesus did not say, "Blessed are those who stir up strife, who get people arguing, and love bickering."
Peacemakers “those who band together, gain, give, make, provide, raise up, secure, and show peace.”
Peace must be pursued
Hebrews 12:14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord
If you want to reap the right harvest, you must sow the right seed the right way
James 3:18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
You must do all you possibly can to make peace happen
Romans 12:18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.
You will be blessed because of it.
How are the peacemakers blessed? They are called a child of God
Want to be blessed?
If you are persecuted…
Jesus told us, if we ever suffer persecution, don’t quit!
Matthew 10:23 When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
Don’t throw in the towel, just move on. Persecution wins if it stops us.
Jesus told us not to fear anything that is ahead.
Revelation 2:10 “Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”
James told us not just to endure life, but to enjoy it!
James 1:2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
The teaching from the Sermon on the Mount keeps us on track, and also keeps our feet on the ground. It prevents us from becoming so heavenly minded that we are of no earthly good!
How are the persecuted blessed? They get the kingdom of heaven.
Want to be blessed?
If they speak evil about you…
You will not be the first one that terrible things are said about, and you won’t be the last.
Listen to what they said about Jesus:
Luke 7:33 For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’
John 8:48
Then the Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?”
Listen to how Jesus responded to all that was said about Him.
1 Peter 2:23 who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously
Our natural response to those who speak evil of us is to speak evil of them. But Jesus did not speak evil of them, or threaten them. He committed Himself to God who judges righteously.
Psalms 10:14 But You have seen, for You observe trouble and grief, to repay it by Your hand. The helpless commits himself to You; You are the helper of the fatherless.
When they speak evil of you don’t make it your problem, make it God’s. You do that by committing it to Him.
How are those who are evil spoken of blessed? They get a great reward in heaven
· The poor in spirit are given the kingdom of heaven
· Those who mourn are comforted
· The meek inherit the earth
· Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled
· The merciful will receive mercy
· The pure in heart will see God.
· The peacemaker is called a child of God
· The persecuted get the kingdom of heaven
· The evil spoken of get a great reward in heaven