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 person’s 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.
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.
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.
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