The Beatitudes
Matthew 5
The Beatitudes: Get a new heart!
Jesus starts his defining speech, his most complete sermon or teaching, with some really strange words, contrasting what MAN thinks are good qualities and what GOD thinks are good qualities. His words are familiar, but if you dig deeper, you will see how radical they still are:
- Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
- “Blessed”= God is happy with
- “Poor in spirit”?= this word for poor means something like “bankrupt”. Having no ability to repay. We all are IN FACT spiritually bankrupt, so Jesus is talking about people who come before God with an attitude that says, “I am a sinner who can never repay you. I am flat broke and busted. Please forgive my debt of sin, because I sure can’t do anything about it.
- “Kingdom of Heaven”?= These people will enter into the promised land (salvation) where God is King (of their lives).
- Lesson: You can’t earn your way into the Kingdom of God. Root out all attitudes from your heart that hint at self-sufficiency. You are not a spiritual Daniel Boone.
- Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
- Why is it good to mourn? Jesus is talking about mourning for your sin. If I mourn, grieve, and feel sorrow for my sin, THEN Jesus can do something with me.
- Our culture says, “Hold your head up. Have self-esteem.” Jesus says, “Grieve, Mourn, Wail (jas 4:9). Your righteousness is like filthy rags. (Isa 64:6)
- The Lesson: see above. think about it. Can you do anything but mourn?
- Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
- What is meekness? quiet, mousy voiced? NO!
- Check Psalm 37:11 The meek/humble trust God in everything.
- Numbers 12: Moses was the “meekest man in the world” because he committed his cause to God and did not need to defend himself from accusation.
- James 1:20:... “Receive the word with Meekness” we should refrain from anger, & defensive outbursts. We should be TEACHABLE
- Matt 11:29 Jesus describes himself as “Meek and humble in heart” Meekness does not mean the absence of passion and conviction and even indignation for the glory of God. But it does mean that we don't have hair-triggers. It does mean that our disposition is one of readiness to listen and learn. It does mean that we are slow to write a person off, slow to condemn, slow to anger. (John Piper)
- The Lesson: are you teachable? slow to anger? depending on God?
- Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
- What kind of righteousness is he talking about? a “righteousness that exceeds the pharisees and sadducees (5:20)” not trying to keep the quantity of the law, but an imputed righteousness that leaps beyond it.
- What kind of hunger is he talking about? All people have a “God-shaped-hole”, a longing to connect with the REAL. So who are the ones NOT blessed by this verse? Those who try to fill that hunger with other things (lust, possessions, esteem, adventure, power, chocolate, etc)
- The lesson: stop seeking. Only God will satisfy.
- Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
- How does this square up with “Eye for eye, tooth for tooth(Ex 21:24)”? those instructions were for CIVIL LAW, to define justice and ensure fair punishments of criminals (not excessive, not permissive). God’s law for revenge is “revenge is mine, says the Lord, I will repay (Deut 23:35)” Civil law vs personal. Got it?
- What is it to be Merciful? Remember: we should be aware of our spiritual bankruptcy, mourn for our sins, depend on God, and hunger for righteousness... we sound like people in need of MERCY! We should respond to God’s mercy with merciful hearts toward others.
- Lesson: If you can’t forgive others, you probably have never experienced God’s forgiveness. Unforgiving debtor: Mtt 18:21
- Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
- Yuri Gagarin (first man in space, Russian, 1961) He didn’t see God... hmmm...
- Notice it doesn’t say, “Blessed are those who do everything right, for they will see God.” Jesus is here to SOLVE the sin problem: clean up our hearts.
- What is Purity of Heart? Jas 4:8 Purify your hearts, you Double-Minded. Pure hearts are unmixed with anything else. They are totally seeking God.
- Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength. Deut 6:5
- You cannot serve both God and Money (two masters) Matt 6:24
- “See God”=two meanings. “see God” as you would “see your doctor”, ie: an appointment. And “see God” as in, “See Him face to face” in Heaven!
- Lesson: When your heart wants ONE thing, God; you will get “face time” with the creator of the universe. Weed out competing priorities.
- Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
- God’s children have a heart like God’s: God wants to make peace with us, we should do likewise for others. If you won’t make peace with someone, you have never understood that you were once an enemy of God.
- How to be a peacemaker: pray for them and make the first move.
- Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
- Woah, I thought we were to be peacemakers!? Yes, but: Jesus includes this to show that a righteous stand is MORE important than making peace. You should “Seek peace and pursue it” but you probably won’t find it if you are truly righteous.
- Universal persecution: 2 Timothy 3:12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, ... This verse worries me. You?
- John 3:20 Everyone who does what is evil hates the light.
- What if you aren’t experiencing persecution? You may be hiding your light under a bowl. The Gospel IS a stumbling block, but sometimes we want to hide it, or pretty it up, or make it seem more soft and less stoney. More tolerant... ugh!
- OR, perhaps those around you ARE reacting. They are moving toward persecution or conversion in their own hearts. And an entire culture can do this as well. I, personally, am more worried about the historic LACK of persecution in the US than in the perceived increase of persecution in our country. At least it means that some of us aren’t hiding under a bushel!
Search for John Piper’s series on the Beatitudes... lots of deep stuff!
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