Sermon Tone Analysis

The Beatitudes

Matthew 5:2-12

Do you remember that after His baptism Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil.

He came to reverse the curse and at this temptation He successfully vanquished the Devil’s effort.

While Matthew doesn’t record the Nazareth synagogue sermon I think it is important to include Luke’s setting because he tells how Jesus came preaching the good news.

It comes before the Sermon on the Mount.

(ESV) And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country.

15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.

His message was from .

(ESV) “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

20 And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down.

And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.

21 And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

This was astounding and they marvelled at His message.

Matthew tells us this in chapter 4:23–25.

And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.

24 So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them.

25 And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.

He was fulfilling the prophecy.

It sets the context for why such a multitude was following Him.

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor.

and recovering of sight to the blind,

The Beatitudes

He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives

I.

The importance of the message.

Vs.2

And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: We could easily miss the significance of these words.

They are an expression of speech introducing a message of extreme importance.

It was introducing an authoritative message of great concern.

Most of your Bibles probably have a editor’s heading which we have all come to know this section as the Beatitudes.

It is derived from Latin meaning happy or bliss.

We have nine verses that begin with the word “blessed” μακάριος is the Greek word which can be translated fortunate, happy or blessed.

It is not the will by what happiness the world understands which is superficial and transient.

This a lasting deep inner happiness.

These verses are paradoxical.

You don’t normally associate happiness with poor, mourning, hunger, humility, and persecution.

We are very much deceived by the world as to what will give us happiness.

When we buy into the world’s concept we are left very empty and frustrated.

We end up like a dog chasing its tail, getting no where.

Nothing the world’s way satisfies.

Those who seek for satisfaction in the world’s stuff come away very frustrated.

and recovering of sight to the blind,

14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country.

15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.

It sets the context for why such a multitude had

23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.

24 So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them.

25 And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.

(ESV) And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country.

15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.

If you remember last Sunday when Jesus read the passage in the Nazareth synagogue the people marveled at His teaching.

It sets the context for why such a multitude had

to set at liberty those who are oppressed,

2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

20 And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down.

And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.

21 And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Matthew tells us this in chapter 4:23–25.

And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.

24 So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them.

25 And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.

If you remember last Sunday when Jesus read the passage in the Nazareth synagogue the people marveled at His teaching.

It sets the context for why such a multitude had

All of us want to be blessed, but the only ones who can know this deep happiness or joy are those who are drawn by the Holy Spirit to receive Jesus Christ by faith.

The Lord begins in His introduction to His sermon to describe what that blessedness looks like.

The first evidence of true faith in Christ is...

II.

A sense of spiritual depravity.

Vs. 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

This has nothing to do with wealth.

There is no blessing in poverty.

This because of life in Christ becoming aware of ones spiritual sinfulness.

Before new life and coming to trusting in Christ there is no sense that one is sinful.

To tell an unbeliever that they have sinned against the Holy God of the universe will hear them angrily respond that they are better than other people.

It is possible that they may feel guilt about violating the norms of society, but it isn’t that they have sinned against the Holy God of the universe.

It is only when someone is spiritually alive that they see their spiritual depravity and a sense of sin.

Then there is a sense of sinfulness.

So many times I have heard the unbeliever say if they believe there is a God that they have no need God or religion.

So many times I heard the words when I was in Australia, “I am glad for you mate, but I don’t need it.”

But once one was drawn to Christ there was a strong sense of one’s spiritual bankruptcy that is filled by the imputed righteousness of Christ.

We see this spirit in Isaiah.

(ESV) In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple.

2 Above him stood the seraphim.

Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.

3 And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” 4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.

5 And I said: “Woe is me!

For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar.

7 And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”

(ESV) For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.

It is only that theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

This is the confidence that we have before Him.

This is not they will have the kingdom of heaven.

Their is the kingdom of heaven.

The next beatitude...

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.