Sermon Tone Analysis

To The Nines

The “Blessings”

This attitude should be in you.

All of these character traits are marks and goals of all Christians.

It is not as if we can major in one to the exclusion of others, as is the case with spiritual gifts.

There is no escape from our responsibility to desire every one of these spiritual attributes.

Further, it seems likely (as many commentators ancient and modern have suggested) that he deliberately went up on the mountain to teach, in order to draw a parallel between Moses who received the law at Mount Sinai and himself who explained its implications to his disciples on the so-called ‘Mount of the Beatitudes’, the traditional site of the Sermon on the northern shores of the Lake of Galilee

On this level, the “peacemaking” refers probably to the reconciliation of heaven and earth with God.

We're not so much peace makers between people but peacemakers with God and people.

Blessed are the peacemakers: This does not describe those who live in peace, but those who actually bring about peace, overcoming evil with good.

One way we accomplish this is through spreading the gospel, because God has entrusted to us the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18).

In evangelism we make peace between man and the God whom they have rejected and offended.

“It is the devil who is a troublemaker; it is God who loves reconciliation and who now through his children, as formerly through his only begotten Son, is bent on making peace.”

(Stott)

We commonly think of this peacemaking work as being the job of one person who stands between two fighting parties.

This may be one way this is fulfilled; but one can also end a conflict and be a peacemaker when they are party to a conflict; when they are the injured or the offending party.

The reward of peacemakers is that they are recognized as true children of God.

They share His passion for peace and reconciliation, the breaking down of walls between people.

We should share his passion for peace and reconciliation.

Blessed are those who are persecuted: These blessed ones are persecuted for righteousness’ sake and for Jesus’ sake (for My sake), not for their own stupidity or fanaticism.

Peter recognized that suffering might come to some Christians for reasons other than their faithfulness to Jesus (1 Peter 4:15–16), and this is not what Jesus addressed here.

We should not suffer from our own sin or fanaticism.

In Matthew 5:10 they are persecuted for righteousness’ sake; in Matthew 5:11 they are persecuted for the sake of Jesus.

Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake: Jesus brings insults and spoken malice into the sphere of persecution.

We cannot limit our idea of persecution to only physical opposition or torture.

Persecution is not our goal.

We do not set out antagonize people with the Gospel.

We share it in love and all sincerity not provoking.

These “Be-Attitudes” describe the character of the citizens of God’s kingdom.