Radically Blessed
The Red Letters • Sermon • Submitted
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· 2 viewsWhen you embrace the transforming words of Christ, you experience the blessed life
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Introduction
Picture this scene with me:
Jesus is about 30 years of age — He has been “outed” by John the Baptist as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” Soon after, John baptized Jesus in the Jordan river - what an amazing site it must have been that day. When Jesus came up out of the water the Holy Spirit landed upon Him in the form of a dove and the Father spoke audibly “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Right there…together in time and space: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in communion with one another.
From there…Jesus was immediately led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil for 40 days and nights, with no food or water. Jesus responded to every temptation by quoting God’s Word...”It is written”
After that…His ministry began full-speed ahead for the next 3 years. One of the most famous events of His ministry was the day He spoke to a large crowd in Galilee. The reason such a large crowd had gathered is made clear in verses 23-25.
Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them. Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.
Matthew 4:23-
Matthew records in chapter five that Jesus saw the crowds and hiked up to the side of a mountain, took the traditional position of a Rabbi and sat down on a boulder or outcropping. His disciples gathered around His feet, the crowd became quiet…and the Master explained to them how to live a blessed life. His words were indeed earth-shattering. They were and are counter-culture, upside-down, and contrary to our sinful and selfish human nature.
The words of Christ reveal the importance of motive as opposed to outward appearance; our call to be His witnesses as opposed to hiding in the shadows; true holiness vs. merely keeping a list of rules.
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
…The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart NIV
OPENING PRAYER
My desire today is that you and I grasp this life-altering truth:
When you embrace the earth-shattering words of Christ, you will experience a radically blessed life.
Transitional: Two characteristics of this blessed life are: radical character and radical influence
Transitional: Three of the characteristics of this blessed life are: radical character, influence, and authenticity
Jesus’ words bless us with...
I. RADICALLY UNIQUE CHARACTER (5:1-12)
Exposition:
There is not one paragraph in the Sermon on the Mount that does not highlight the contrast between our fallen nature and the new nature we can have in Christ. In these words we see the power of The Red Letters to lead us into a life blessed by God
and he began to teach them. He said: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them. He said: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
The poverty and hunger that Jesus talked about are spiritual states…not literal. It is the ‘poor in spirit’ and those who ‘hunger and thirst for righteousness’ who will be blessed.
The Message of the Sermon on the Mount b. The Qualities Commended
For ‘the poor’ were not so much the poverty stricken as the pious who—partly because they were needy, downtrodden, oppressed or in other ways afflicted—had put their faith and hope in God.
In these 12 verses Jesus uses the word “blessed” 9 times
However, the poor in spirit were
makarios (Greek): happy,blessed, forunate
In Greek culture this word was commonly used to refer to happiness as a state of mind
In the New Testament, most of time it refers to...
makarios (Greek): Blessed by God — The Lord God is the One favoring the person
One very important point to make about these verses (The Beatitudes):
Jesus is NOT teaching that a person cannot be saved unless they do all of these things
The first beatitude makes this clear: “blessed are the poor in spirit, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs”
poor in spirit: spiritually poverty -stricken— they have nothing of value to offer the Lord.”
The Beatitudes...show the non-Christian that he cannot please God by himself (because he cannot be all of the things described by Jesus) and so directs him to Christ to be justified. Secondly, they show the Christian who has been to Christ for justification how to live so as to please God.
For ‘the poor’ were not so much the poverty stricken as the pious who—partly because they were needy, downtrodden, oppressed or in other ways afflicted—had put their faith and hope in God.
The Beatitudes...
…show the non-Christian that he cannot please God by himself (because he cannot be all of the things described by Jesus) and so directs him to Christ to be justified. Secondly, they show the Christian who has been to Christ for justification how to live so as to please God.
…the law sends us to
…shows the non-Christian that he cannot please God by himself (because he cannot be all of the things described by Jesus) and so directs him to Christ to be justified. Secondly, it shows the Christian who has been to Christ for justification how to live so as to please God.
Stott, J. R. W., & Stott, J. R. W. (1985). The message of the Sermon on the mount (): Christian counter-culture (p. 32). Leicester; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
One of the key things to remember — you are blessed NOW if you do all these things — you are part of God’s kingdom NOW and in eternity
....because of the grace of God we can have radically unique character...
A. When nobody is looking
Character in private — between you and God
Those who mourn
Those who mourn, here, are those whose sorrow leads them to repentance…and salvation.
poor in spirit — those who mourn — the meek — those who hunger and thirst after righteousness
Those who mourn: refers, not to the sorrow of losing a loved one, but to mourn the loss of their righteousness or self-respect. Those who mourn, here, are those whose sorrow leads them to repentance…and salvation.
Meek: those of gentle spirit
A true view of oneself - amazed and humbled that God and man can view you as well as they do - especially God
Hunger and thirst after righteousness
There is perhaps no greater secret of progress in Christian living than a healthy spiritual appetite.
If we feel like our spiritual growth is very slow…could it be that we have no appetite?
It is not enough to mourn over past sin; we must also hunger for future righteousness
B. When everybody is looking
His words bless us with...
Character in public
Merciful
Peacemaker
Pure in heart
Persecuted for your faith
What does it look like to be merciful?
What is a peacemaker…how do they live?
Do they avoid confrontation…or do they find ways to bring civility and love into potentially volatile situations?
Pure in heart
If they are pure in heart, their daily actions will be motivated by the right reasons
Persecuted because of their faith
Ridiculed or made fun of because of their faith — or worse
Application
It is important to understand how destitute we are without the power of the Cross of Christ
Do you regularly think about how much you need the power of the Holy Spirit in your life?
Do you regularly think about how much you need the power of the Holy Spirit in your life?
Do you hunger and thirst for a closer relationship with the Lord?
How is your character?
In private
prayer life..contrite heart…yielded to the Lord…ready to listen…seeking His empowerment
In public
What kind of reputation do you have?
Can people see Jesus in your life as you interact with them?
Do you try to blend in with the world or are you determined to fall in line with our cultural norms?
His words (The Red letters) bless us with...
ii. RADICAL INFLUENCE IN A DARK WORLD
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
Mt. 5:13-15
A. Influence that preserves and seasons
Salt must be potent or it does no good
Salt hinders the process of decay…it preserves
Salt makes things taste good
Salt that is not applied does no good
B. Influence that shines light on the truth
Light does no good if it is not directed into dark places
Light does no good if it is kept hidden
The light of God’s Word…as we share it
The light of how we live…our lives should reflect the heart of Christ
Servant, humble, self-sacrificing, a worshipper, a listener to the voice of the Father
Application
Application
Maintain a potent relationship with Christ
Or you will lose your saltiness and become a silent/ineffective representative of Christ
Hide the Word of God in your heart
His light will shine forth in your life, words, and actions
Ask Him to fill you with His Spirit in a fresh way every day
CHALLENGE
The beatitudes — kind of corny but track with me here:
The beatitudes — kind of corny but track with me here:
The BE attitudes — they begin with God’s grace when we come to know Jesus…and as we grow they show up in our actions —
BE…living out an ATTITUDE that honors Christ every day
What does Jesus mean when He says “blessed are…”?
It means you are the recipient of God’s favor
More than just happiness the way we think of happiness
How can you find more joy than knowing that God highly favors you…by His grace?
How is your character in private?
How is your character in private?
Reveals whether you have truly surrendered to the Lord and are walking by faith in Him
Do you so hunger and thirst after the Lord and His truth that it drives you to seek Him when nobody is around?
Does this means you have to be perfect before God? You can’t accomplish such a thing in yourself. That is why we are poor in spirit and mourn our sinful nature. The grace of God, through Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross, is the only way we can come to God
How is your character in public?
With the Lord’s empowerment you are able to:
Show mercy
Do you realize how totally lost you are without Jesus?
Yours is the Kingdom of Heaven
They
Act as a peacemaker
Face persecution with a determined heart to follow Jesus, no matter what
What kind of influence are you in your world?
A relationship with God that is potent
Like good salt
A relationship with God that touches the world in real ways
Salt on popcorn
A relationship with God that brings light into the dark corners of your world
Specific challenges
Talk to the Lord — even if you don’t feel like it
Lord cause me to hunger and thirst for you and your Word
Lord cause me to desire to worship you in my life
He knows your heart — your private life that others don’t know
Obey His voice without delay…just trust the Lord
Make an impact in the world as you speak and act in a way that reflects the love of God
Don’t be afraid to stand out in the crowd...
It may bring persecution
But it will also shine a light for those that are desperately groping around in the darkness…looking for hope and meaning
Invitation: