Matthew 5:1-12  Sermon on the Mount  Part 2

 

Intro: Crowds – Pandemonium – Went up on a Mt – knowing only the serious would make the climb! – Teach them

A) Reach the Multitude: Sermon on the Mt – Jesus’ words about life in the Kingdom – what God the Father wants to do in His people.

 

B) Key word Blessed – Oh how happy

1) We should be the Happiest people on the Planet!

 

The Psalmist declared Psalmist 33:12 Happy are the People whose God is the Lord

 

 David said, ‘Happy is the man whose sins are forgiven,’ (Psalm 32:1).

 

B) The Beatitudes are attitudes that Lead to true Happiness –

 

C) They are objective not subjective:- there is Because with each one – Blessed are the …… because – there is an object

 

Blessed are the poor in Spirit – Not blessed in Knowing you are a wretch – The Blessing is in knowing – God doesn’t intend to leave you that way – door way to being saved

 

Blessing  in Knowing – You don’t have anything  to offer – The Blessing is in being confident – God is going to supply what you lack

 

You are blessed if you are crying all the time! – No, the blessing comes in the fact that – God brings Comfort

 

 

1) An outcome – the Lord wants us to see!  

 

 Notice the first thing that He says: the first step toward Happiness –

V. 3 The first step to happiness is to be self- confident, to highly esteem yourself and feel good about who you are.’

 

D) NO that is not what he says: that is what the world says – that is what the World advocates

1) David Bowie  I think the first song I ever wrote...was called "Can't Help Thinking About Me."

Madonna I won't be happy until I'm as famous as God.

The Essence of Survival...
Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed...
Every morning a lion wakes up.
It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death.
So
It doesn't matter whether you're a lion or a gazelle...
When the sun comes up, you'd better be running.

That is the mentality of the World – Survival of the Fittest

But that is not what Jesus said:. He said, ‘Blessed, or happy, are those who are poor in spirit

A) Happy are those who realize their own spiritual poverty.’


B )Those who realize that when it comes to being right with God –they are inept – nothing to bring to the table, nothing that God is impressed by

 

C) The poor in spirit recognize that they have no spiritual “assets.”

1) They know they are spiritually bankrupt.

 

Carries over into the Christian life: Being used by God – again in my flesh – nothing of eternal value – nothing make a dent

A) Creates a dependency upon God

 

B) That person is blessed! BECAUSE – theirs is the Kingdom

1) Entry point to Heaven

 

C) Entry point to Spiritual blessing and supernatural resources

1) God resists the proud but gives grace to the Humble!

 

D) Grace is all the attributes of God made available to us!

 

C) So God’s grace & Provision / God’s blessings & Resources are going to overshadow / that persons weakness

 

Business partnership with Bill Gates – Bring what you have to the Table - $1000.00 / $10 Billion

A) God says – Bring what you have into the Relationship – Time / Talent / Problems

 

B) Here is my Power – My Grace

C) The person who isn’t poor in spirit looks at Bill Gates & says – I don’t need …… $1,000

1) Idiotic to say that to B/G – To say that to God is Devastating

 

Beatitudes are like a strand of pearls – Poor in spirit leads to Mourning – I see my sin / my bankruptcy – Humbling – sobering – Not what I thought I was – Mourn

 

Blessed because they shall be comforted – God resists the proud grace to the Humble – Broken and contrite heart not dispise

 

When I see myself and my need – see myself for how I really am

A) See others differently too – Meek – Me-ek

 

B) Compassion

 

 

Meekness is very attractive

A) Consider – Basketball player – Shaq  7,1  315lb 

B) Now if Shaq were to play Basketball against my little daughter Amanda

 8 yrs old

 

C) Shaq vs Amanda – Emma is ok – she can shoot

But she is no match for SHAQ / JAKE

 

D) Now if they were playing and if Shaq let her score a little bit – build up her confidence  - that would be a sign of Meekness –

 

E) that would be attractive – we would say – how sweet

1) He is a good guy – great with kids –

 

But how appalling would it be – if he was throwing elbows – slam dunking on her using his Ht & wt advantage totally  Dominant & Embarrass her –

A) Most of us would say what a prideful arrogant – creep –     Not attractive at all

1) Rosevelt Jr High – 25 Players – full court press

 

B) The only person who is attracted to that type of Bullying and cut throat win at all cost mentality is someone else who knows nothing about Meekness

 

C) But Those who are meek – are attractive – they inherit the earth

 

D) they have doors open up for them – because they are a pleasure to be around.  Lots of friends

 

E) That is why Jesus was so well liked – by the people – His meekness

 

That is also why He was hated by the religious leaders – they weren’t meek at all –

 

 Matt 5:6  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,  For they shall be filled.

A) A great desire for God – for that which is right

 

B) Desire to be close to Him – be more like Him

A) This beatitude speaks of strong desire, of driving pursuit, of a passionate force inside the soul.

 

B) Hunger and thirst are built in necessities of human life Hunger for FOOD / thirst for WATER

 

C) Blessed – because they will be filled

Back packing – Sequias – Pool of water

 

Problem many face is they are not Hungering and thirsting – too full on other things

 

Denise  fixes me excellent meals, but if I stop off and score a couple of burgers before I head home - even though there’s a wonderful meal on the table,

I don’t have an appetite for it, because I’m full of burgers and shakes.

 

A) Some people have lost their appetite for the Word of God. They no longer desire to worship; they no longer crave righteousness.

 

B) They are no longer meek, or mourning, or poor in spirit because they are full of the burgers and shakes of self-importance.   Diet of the World { Learn hard way

 

C) When you empty yourself of yourself, happy are you because you’re going to hunger once more for righteousness

 

 

Pick up in v.7 Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.

In NT times, no one championed mercy.

To Gk. and Rom., mercy was a vice not a virtue.

Sure sign of weakness

Rom. philosopher, “Mercy is a disease of the soul.”

Undesirable at best -   That was then

This is now

A) Our world teaches us to not be merciful but to be cut throat – Eye for an Eye

1) Break my arm – break both of your legs & your arm

 

B)  Mercy is not getting what we do Deserve {

 

C) Jesus was teaching – Learn to show underserved Kindness –

Kind answer turns away wrath

 

Notice the Promise to the merciful – they shall obtain mercy { 1st with God – sign of salvation

A) You show mercy, others will show it to you !!!

 

B) Think about Peter: Loud, confident / Prideful

 

C) Blows it big time: Jesus shows mercy – forgives him -  Disciples & Peter

 

D) Peter becomes very merciful – 2 Peter 3:18 Grow in Grace

 

Having obtained the mercy of God and forgiveness of our sins, so freely and completely, we should be more than willing to be merciful to all those who have trespassed against us.

 

THE PURE IN HEART

Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.

(Mat 5:8 NKJV)

A Divine Premium

 

KEY INSIGHT: This beatitude teaches us that God places a premium on the heart. 

KEY INSIGHT: I think that we would all agree that the term - “heart” - refers to the center of the personality. 

It is the fount from which everything else comes. It includes the mind and the will. 

(Mark 7:21-23 NKJV)                                                                    “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, {22} "thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. {23} "All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”

KEY INSIGHT: It is because the heart is the place from which our life issues that God tells us to guard it.

 

God is also concerned about our heart.

Spiritual concern – Pure Heart

 

Pure : Originally meant “clean”

A) There is a difference between having a clean heart and a pure heart.

 

B) All of us who have embraced the Lord have clean hearts.

C) Pure heart Came to mean “unmixed”

a) Wheat without chaff

b) Wine without water

c) Metal without alloy

A pure heart is one not distracted by the things of the world

A)  In the ancient Greek, the phrase pure of heart has the idea of straightness, honesty, and clarity.

 

B)  This describes someone who isn’t constantly “dirty” from all the little “stains” that come from contact with this world.- Not mixed with the World !!!!

 

Pure in heart see God – they see the Lord in circumstances and in others -

 

 

THE PEACEMAKERS

Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.

(Mat 5:9 NKJV)

Peace

KEY INSIGHT: PEACE is one of the DOMINATING themes of the Bible.

 

Matt 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.

A) The Bible tells us that we are to “live peaceably with all men as much as is possible” (Romans 12:18)

 

B) Peace makers – are those who opposite of those who are constantly causing dissensions, bent toward strife and conflict

1) Contrast to those at time – thinking – Over throw the Romans – { Today Conspiracy -

 

C) Ministers of Reconciliation – Dave P.

1) Helping others resolve conflicts

D) Greatest way of being a peace maker is introducing people to the Prince of Peace

A peacemaker is someone who is CONCERNED about other people also being at peace with God:

Children of God : Like the Lord – Greatest Peace maker – Way for man to be at peace

 

 

 (Mat 5:10-12 NKJV) 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.

QUOTE: DMLJ QUOTE - “Here, AGAIN, I think we are entitled to say that we are confronted by one of the most searching tests that can ever face us.”

As we look at this last Beatitude (verses 11-12 being a continuation of Verse 10) we want to ask THREE important questions:

 

WHO IS PERSECUTED

KEY OBSERVATION: NOTICE the change of address

From Blessed are those (they) to Blessed are YOU!

The emphasis changes from the general to the personal.

We, especially in America, often think of persecution as it relates to the Body of Christ at large.

We tend to be very comfortable with the words, “Blessed are THEY that are persecuted.”

We don’t even want to think in terms of Blessed am I when I’m persecuted.

NOTE IT WELL: The change of address was DELIBERATE on the part of Jesus.

He could have kept speaking in reference to believers in general.

But He didn’t!

I can just picture Him looking right into the eyes of individuals and saying, “And blessed are YOU when they revile YOU and persecute YOU !”

IN ESSENCE Jesus is saying, “This is what is going to happen to you BECAUSE you are a Christian…. YOU are the person I just described.”

KEY OBSERVATION: Again, notice the sequence - It is because the Christian has become all that is described in these Beatitudes that he is persecuted.

KEY POINT: If we ARE the person described in the Beatitudes, and If we are living as God wants us to live, we must expect to be persecuted.

(2 Tim 3:12 NLT) Yes, and EVERYONE who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus WILL SUFFER persecution.

 

Imitating Christ = trying to be religious/spiritual

Christ like = a divine work - a miraculous transformation - Christ living in You!

KEY APPLICATION: This beatitude tests our ideas of what the Christian is.

 

A Christian is like his Lord, and this is what Jesus says about the Christian:

 

Luke 6:26  Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets.

 

KEY QUESTION:  WHY is the persecuted believer BLESSED?

KEY INSIGHT: If you suffer persecution, you are joining a great company in Heaven.

We read of some of them in Hebrews 11.

 

MY NOTE

Again like the first, this is two fold – Special place in heaven

And Special enabling on earth – God meets the persecuted with a special ability to endure

Foxes Book of martyrs – Jesus Freak

 

Matt 5:10-12 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.

 

Now this seems odd – Happy are the Persecuted

A) Maybe you thought if a person possessed a ‘beatitude mentality’  he would be popular.

 

B) Definitely liked by some { But the world in general doesn’t appreciate such a person

 

C) The world hates the light –because it’s  Deeds are evil

1) Listen, one thing you can count on is that you will have enemies; you will be slandered and misunderstood

 

II Timothy 3:12, Paul says this:, all who live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.’ That’s a promise.

 

 

What does persecution look like? Many forms

Verbal abuse

Means to “rail at, revile, assail with abusive words”

NASB and NIV translate “insult”

NLT translates “mocked”

 

Physical abuse

Means to pursue with repeated acts of enmity”

Harassment

Acts of violence

 

Emotional abuse

Mean’s “to lie, to speak falsely or deceitfully”

Not just misunderstood but misrepresented

Examples of all of these in the book of Acts

Ac 2 – mocked and lied about

Ac 4 – arrested

Ac 5 – beaten

Ac 7 – murdered

 

Church history (all but one . . .)

James – beheaded by King Herod Agrippa at Jerusalem 44 A.D.

Philip – crucified in Phrygia [modern Turkey] 54 A.D.

Matthew – killed with halberd [combination spear and battle-ax] in Ethiopia 60 A.D.

James (the less) – stoned and bludgeoned by the Jews

Andrew – crucified on an X shaped cross  in Macedonia or Achaia [modern Greece]

Peter – crucified upside down at Rome  64 A.D.

Judas (not Iscariot) – crucified in Macedonia [modern Greece] 72 A.D.

Nathaniel – flayed alive and crucified in Armenia or India

Thomas – impaled with a spear in India

Simon (not Peter) – crucified in Britain 74 A.D.

John – boiled in oil at Rome 81 A.D.

 

Paul – cf. 2Co 11:23ff.

Fox’s Book of Martyrs

 

But Jesus said, ‘Happy is the one who is persecuted. WHY/  You’re joining a great company, the company of the prophets.

A)  Enter into a closeness with Jesus as Well

 

 

B) ‘Be happy,’ Jesus said, ‘because your reward in heaven is going to be great when men persecute you

1) Martyrs honored in Heaven

 

C) Notice one more thing before we leave this verse. It says,

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake

 

D): A lot of times, Christians are being persecuted not because they’re living righteously, but because they’re weird. Praying in Restaurants. Shouting at people

 

E) Weirdness doesn’t count!

 

 

Jesus had an uncanny way of Being around people