Matt 5:1-12 BRCC SS 4/30/00 Lesson 2
Matt 5:1-2
1 Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him,
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Really great Bible lessons are hard to come by. In your lifetime you may have heard as many as 2 or 3 thousand sermons and SS lessons. How many of them really stand out in your mind as fitting into the category as "GREAT?"
In the church Susan and I attended in Michigan, I taught a Sunday school class similar to this one. Well, similar in age but the difference was that they all came all of the time <PAUSE>…Anyway, after one of my lessons, a dear saint came up to me and said, "John, that was the finest lesson I have ever heard. You are really a great SS teacher."
As I squeezed my head into the car after church I remarked to Susan, wanting to be humble of course, "Mrs. Wagner told me she thought I was a really great SS teacher and that the lesson I taught this morning was the best she had ever heard."
Susan made no response. <PAUSE>
After a few minutes, I decided to go fishing for a conformation from my wife. So I said, "how many really great SS teachers do you think there are in the world?"
And Susan said immediately, "One less than you think, my dear!"
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Well the fact is that no greater sermon has ever been preached and no better lesson has ever been taught in all of history than the one we are looking at over the next several weeks.
We begin this morning with what has been called the beatitudes. Before we dig into each on individually, I’d like to read them to you just as Jesus said them when he was sitting on that hillside so long ago. Listen to them as if you had never heard them before.
Matt 5:3-11
3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
Without notes, and certainly without having an opulent platform from which to speak, Jesus sits down with his disciples and encourages them with 8 of the most wonderful statements to have ever been spoken.
What is meant by blessed? <PAUSE>
The Greek word that Jesus used was used to describe two different conditions.
First, it was used to describe the social stratum of the wealthy who, by virtue of their riches, lived above the normal cares and worries of lesser folk.
Second, the term was also used to describe the condition of the Greek gods who, because they had whatever they desired, existed in an unbelievable state of well-being, satisfaction and contentment.
By Jesus repeating this word "blessed" 9 times, he reassured them that qualities such as delight, contentment, fulfillment, and deeply entrenched joy were theirs to claim. In other words, He promised that by tossing aside all the extra baggage that accompanies religious hypocrisy and performance-oriented lifestyle, we will travel the road that leads to inner peace.
In other words, we will be blessed.
Though these words sound simple, each beatitude is rich with reassurances and power. This morning, I want to look at each one individually.
The first one: Blessed are the poor in spirit.
What does that mean? Poor in spirit? <WAIT>
The word "Poor" has nothing to do with material riches. Jesus is placing value on a humble spirit. He is saying that those who know they are spiritually bankrupt in and of themselves will be blessed.
Many of us are the kind of people who say, "I can handle this. I am in control." And we go around doing everything possible not to let others know how hurting we are inside.
That’s conceit. The fact is we can’t handle things on our own through our own strength and Jesus doesn’t want us to anyway.
Turn to Luke 18.
Do you remember the story of the Pharisee who stood praying aloud with his words dripping with arrogance, while the tax collector cried in the corner? Look at Luke 18 beginning in verse 9.
9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable:
10 "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
11 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.
12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'
13 "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.'
14 "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."
I love this story because it reminds me that I am more like the Pharisee and need to be more like the tax collector.
In Revelation 3 John tells us about the condition of the church at Laodicea. The people in the church said, "I am rich and have become wealthy and have need for nothing." Sound familiar?
But this church was rebuked. They were called, "wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked."
The tax collector cried, "Lord, be merciful to me, the sinner."
In the famous song, Rock of Ages, the hymn writer penned:
Nothing in my hand I bring
Simply to Thy cross I cling
Naked, come to Thee for dress
Helpless, look to Thee for grace
Foul, I to the fountain fly,
Wash me Savior, or I die!
So Jesus said in this first beatitude, Blessed are the poor in spirit, those who know the state of their depravity and their utter dependence on the Savior, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
The second on is Blessed are those who mourn? What are they mourning about? <WAIT>
This word mourn is the strongest Greek term that Jesus could have used to convey the idea of a passionate lament – the utter sorrow of a broken heart, a desperate ache of the soul.
Has anyone ever been to an Italian wake? Let me tell you Italians know how to weep and wail. I have personally seen grown men throw themselves on the floor in front of a casket and cry aloud with grief.
But Jesus isn’t talking about those who cry over the loss of a loved one. He is expressing that one who mourn over their own sin and the sins of others against God are blessed.
After Peter denied Christ for the third time the Bible says "he went out and wept bitterly." He was mourning over his sin.
When David acknowledged his sin with Bathsheba, the Bible says that he was "groaning all day long…"
Turn over to Psalm 51. The beatitude says, Blessed are those who mourn, that is those who refuse to ignore their own sin, but rather weep bitterly over sin, "for they shall be comforted."
Psalm 51 beginning in verse 16 says:
16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
God does not expect months or even years of penance or daily sacrifice to appease His anger. Christ’s death provided all we need for our sins to be forgiven. Nevertheless, we must not gloss over sin and excuse it.
The next beatitude is: Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
This is my favorite. What does he mean by meek? <WAIT>
If you ask most people if they would want to be considered meek, they would probably not consider that to be a compliment. Being meek in our culture is being weak … sort of a cross between a wimp and a wallflower.
What an unfortunate distortion of what Jesus meant.
The word could be translated as gentleness with an underlying strength.
Susan and I own a Lab retriever. She weighs about 80 pounds and is black and strong. She has large teeth and a strong tail. When people see her that don’t know her she looks quite scary. Her bark is mean and when she growls, you step back from her. Yet she is the most gentle animal you could ask for. There is no doubt in my mind that if she needed to use her strength and power she could. But as long as she doesn’t feel like she is in danger, she is as completely gentle.
She is a picture of meekness. Literally strength under control.
Jesus wasn’t one to talk about himself much. But in Matt 11:29 he gives us just a glimpse of what he thinks about himself. He spoke of himself as being meek and humble in heart.
Now if anyone had power it was Jesus. The song writer says, "He could have called ten thousand angels, but he died alone for you and me."
Being meek doesn’t mean insecure, unsure, weak, or effeminate.
It is having enormous power which is totally under control.
And what does Jesus promise those who are meek? That they shall inherit the earth. What does that mean? <WAIT>
This is not a reference to conquering the world. It means that, spiritually speaking, all of our needs will be met. As we trust the Lord to provide, we gain an inheritance.
We don’t need to fight our battles because Jesus will give us what we need. What a contrast to the worlds thinking of "Look what "I" have done for myself, or made of myself. Or, "I have fought for everything that I have."
Who gives us everything that we have?
There was a cartoon that some of you may have seen. It is a picture of a doctor who is holding an infant child seconds after he is born and he slaps him on the bottom. The kid cries out, "I want to see a lawyer."
I have been called many things in my life, but meek is not one of them. Letting God have control, knowing He has the power and not trying to solve everything in with my own strength is a lesson I really need to learn. How about you?
Next, Jesus says, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness."
What does this mean? <WAIT>
Charles Swindoll says, "Jesus is not talking about merely increasing one’s knowledge of biblical or doctrinal facts, though there is certainly nothing wrong with that. Instead, He’s talking about aligning oneself with God’s character: holiness, truth, goodness and righteousness. Included in this "hunger and thirst" would certainly be the cultivation of the discipline of prayer and waiting on God, the submission of the will and the desire to weave all that into everyday living."
And what will happen to those whose longing for God is so intense? They shall be satisfied. What a thought!
How satisfied are you? The Greek word here was also used to describe a cow who was full and fat and fully satisfied. Likewise, we become so spiritually satisfied that we will be like hefty, well-feed livestock … strong, stable and able to handle harsh conditions and uncomfortable circumstances.
The first four beatitudes deal with our relationship with God…a vertical relationship. Next, Jesus turns to our relationship with each other. The horizontal relationship.
Did you ever notice that the 10 commandments are also set up that way. There are two thoughts. Love the Lord your God with all you heart (that is the vertical relationship) and your neighbor as yourself (that is the horizontal relationship). We’ll cover that in some future SS class.
The first horizontal beatitude then is Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
What is mercy? <WAIT>
Mercy has to do with assisting those less fortunate than ourselves, including those who suffer the consequences of disappointment, disease and distress.
Someone once said, "Mercy is God’s ministry to the miserable."
What Bible story comes to your mind when you think about mercy? <WAIT>
I think of the Good Samaritan, the traveler who stopped to help a man who had been mugged, robbed and abandoned on the road. Several religious leaders had already walked past. I probably would have been one of them.
Then along came a Samaritan. He stopped and put himself in the broken man’s place. He took time to help someone in need and told the innkeeper that he would pay.
That’s mercy.
Why don’t we show more mercy toward each other and those in need? <WAIT>
Next, Blessed are the pure in heart.
What does it mean to be pure in heart? <WAIT>
Someone paraphrased this as, "Blessed are the utterly sincere." Someone who is pure in heart is the same at home at church and at work. They have nothing to hide. They wear no masks. They have no guile, no hidden motives.
And the promise, They shall see God. What does that mean? <WAIT>
They will see God work. They will see Him in their lives. They will feel his presence. There will be no waking up in fear that someone is going to find out the real truth about them. They have nothing to hide. That sounds like a happy life to me, doesn’t it to you?
Next, Blessed are the peacemakers. Describe to me some of the attributes of people you would consider to be peacemakers. <WAIT>
A peacemaker is not just one who appeases a situation. It is not peace at any price. There are limits. If there is sin in a brother or sister’s life how would a peacemaker handle that situation? <WAIT>
It would cheapen peace if they ignored the sin or treat it lightly. We are told to dwell together in unity, but not at the expense of sound doctrine. If a group embraces heresy, you must not be a part of them. That’s Biblical!
And the promise to peacemakers? They will be called the sons of God. That what Jesus was called by his followers. Jesus was called the son of God. When we act like peacemakers we are acting like Jesus.
Finally, the last two are together:
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
What does it mean to persecuted because of righteousness? <WAIT>
How about if you are persecuted because you are obnoxious? Are you blessed then? No, you get what you deserve.
Being persecuted for doing wrong is no honor. Being persecuted for doing what is right is what Jesus is talking about here. And how should we react? We should rejoice and be glad.
I don’t know about you but this is tough for me. I was brought up in the "I don’t get mad, I get even" school of thought. It is so hard to change that behavior. But God says that if you want to be fully satisfied, try depending on him when persecution comes your way.
If the world were to write the beatitudes they might write them this way:
Happy are the "pushers" for they get on in the world.
Happy are the hard-boiled, for they never let life hurt them.
Happy are they who complain, for they get their own way in the end.
Happy are the blasé. For they never worry over their sins.
Happy are the slave-drivers. For they get results.
Happy are the knowledgeable men of the world, for they know their way around.
Happy are the trouble-makers. For they make people take notice.
But in stark contrast, here is the list from Jesus.
Matt 5:3-11
3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
When ever I read this list I am reminded just how different Christians are from the world. I’m sure that is what went through the minds of the people listening to Jesus that day on the mountainside.
Every great lesson begins with a grabber! This was Jesus’ grabber and what a grabber it was. Everything they had ever been taught, Jesus overturned. This must have infuriated the Pharisees. But what a blessing to those who heard it.
Although familiar text, I hope that it has blessed you this morning.
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