Attitudes of a True Disciple Part 2

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Introduction

This morning we are continuing our walk through the Sermon on the Mount by covering the next few of the Beatitudes. Last week I presented to you that we would be dividing the beatitudes into three sub groups for the purposes of preaching each of them. Those three divisions were:

Gospel Centered Humility

Other Centered Love

God Centered Trust Amid Opposition

Today we will cover the second of these sections of the Beatitudes.

The first beatitude that we are coming to today is truly more to be grouped in with last week’s. As you will see it flows from those that we covered last week and right into the next few. We find it in verse 6.

Matthew 5:6 ESV

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Remember that we talked about “blessed” meaning “happy as a condition of life” or “delight.”

D. The happy long for God. God will satisfy you in Him.

Hunger and thirsting for righteousness is a metaphor for a Christian’s fervent desire for righteousness.

Matthew 5:19 ESV

Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:20 ESV

For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:48 ESV

You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 ESV

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.

Matthew 6:33 ESV

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

“You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless, until they rest in you.”

- Augustine (Confessions)

Sermon Illustrations from the Bible R

Israelites who had estranged themselves from the vitals of religion are here seen putting their confidence in mere rituals of religion, hence soon find themselves with only a form of godliness but without the power thereof. Some today carry Bible under arm and even shout for religion but are without real communion with God.

I’m not talking about empty religion or ritual but about new appetites given by God that he promises to satisfy. He gives us a hunger that only He can fill and then promises to fill it when we long for Him. How sweet is this promise?

This verse reads almost like a commentary on this beatitude.

Matthew 6:33 ESV

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

II. Other Centered Love

A. Be Happy in helping others graciously knowing that God will graciously help you.

300 Sermon Illustrations from Charles Spurgeon All Corrupt in Origin (2 Corinthians 8:9)

If you meet a sinner, do not turn your back on him, as a Pharisee might, but help him all you can, for Christ helped you all he could. If it should cost you a great deal of trouble to win that soul for Christ, gladly put yourself to that trouble, because Christ took so much trouble to save you.

A good brother said to me, the other day, concerning a certain boy, that he was afraid we should never do much with him because he was of very corrupt origin. I said, “So were you.”

He replied, “I do not quite mean it that way.”

“No,” I said, “but I do mean it that way.”

He or she who is a son or daughter of Adam had a corrupt origin. As we all came from that source, we are all corrupt. Do not ever say of anybody, “That person is too bad for me to do anything with him.” It is the genius of Christianity to select the worst first, and we should never regard any man as utterly hopeless until he is dead. As long as the breath is in his body, even if all the devils from hell were also in him, there is enough power in the Lord Jesus Christ to make the whole troop of them fly, and it is for us to attack those devils in his name. Jesus Christ having saved us, the salvation of other sinners must be possible.218

My Favorite Illustrations Loving One’s Enemies

One of the greatest tests of the degree of a person’s transformation into the likeness of Christ is his reaction to the one who does evil to him.

A critical aspect of mercy - Forgiveness

Ephesians 4:32 ESV

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Piper: “Mercy comes from mercy.”

B. Happy are those with a clean and pure heart. You will enjoy eternal fellowship with God.

1 Samuel 16:7 ESV

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

Matthew 12:34 ESV

You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

Matthew 15:18–19 ESV

But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.

Psalm 24:4 ESV

He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.

Jeremiah 17:9 ESV

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

James 4:8 ESV

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Longing for God’s presence

Pursuing God’s purity

Delighting in God’s pleasure

C. Delight in being a peacemaker. It gives evidence that your are a child of the God of Peace.

My Favorite Illustrations Whence Come Wars

In 1930 a movie was made about World War I called “All Quiet on the Western Front.” In one scene some American “doughboys” were talking. A comic character asked, “Where do wars come from anyway?” Another replied, “Well, one country gets mad at another country, and they start fighting.” The first soldier asked, “Do you mean that one piece of land gets mad at another piece of land?” “No,” the other replied. “The people of one country get mad at the people of the other.” The first soldier picked up his rifle and started walking away. When asked where he was going, he said, “I’m going home. I’m not mad at anybody.”

Romans 14:19 ESV

So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.

Hebrews 12:14 ESV

Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

The top priority of peacemaking is evangelism.

Conclusion:

The natural flow of the discipled life of a follower of Christ.

Those who follow Christ live this way. They are the blessed ones. Not because they live this way but because they have Jesus and He enables them to live this way. These things can only come from the Spirit at work in you.

Where is your delight?

Does your life show evidence of being a child of the God of Peace?

How do you act toward those who come against you?

Are you merciful?

What do you long for?

What do you hunger and thirst for?

Ask God to give you a hunger and thirst for him.

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