The Beatitudes Part 1
The Life Of Christ • Sermon • Submitted
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Introduction
Introduction
Greetings…
We are going to continue looking at our theme for this year, here on Sunday mornings, which is “The Life Of Christ.”
Today, we are going to begin looking at the greatest recorded sermon our Lord and Savior ever gave while on earth, often called the Sermon on the Mount.
The Sermon on the Mount:
This sermon is from Matthew 5 through Matthew 7.
It covers a wide range of topics, of which we are not going cover each and every one of them though we will look at some of them for sure.
Jesus, up on the mountain begins with one of the most well-known sections of scripture, the Beatitudes.
Of which, Jesus covers nine of them here in this sermon.
Today we are going to examine the first four and the next five the following week.
With this in mind, let’s read, Matthew 5:1-6.
1 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
The Poor In Spirit
The Poor In Spirit
Theirs Is The Kingdom Of Heaven.
Theirs Is The Kingdom Of Heaven.
We read in Matthew 5:3…
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
In Jesus’ opening statement we are met face to face with the difference between the wisdom of men and the wisdom of God.
Who in this world, besides followers of Christ, would regard the poor in spirit as the truly blessed or happy person?
The worldly mindset says…
“Blessed are the rich; blessed are the great and powerful; blessed are those who lay up treasures on the earth; blessed are the highly educated; blessed are the powerful in the eyes of the world; blessed are those who spend their days pursuing only physical pleasure.”
The Christian mindset says…
“Blessed am I who recognizes how minuscule I am compared to my Creator and how much I need him in every aspect of my life.”
23 I know, O Lord, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.
13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’
26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.
10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
Summary
Summary
To have others get to the point of describing us as “Christian,” we must humble ourselves or be “poor in spirit.”
We must not look to ourselves or rely on ourselves but whole and completely rely on our God.
We then see Jesus say Blessed are…
Those Who Mourn
Those Who Mourn
They Shall Be Comforted.
They Shall Be Comforted.
Again, we read in Matthew 5:4…
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Once again, we see this seemingly contradictory statement.
Have you ever heard of “Happy Mourners?”
Typically, we as people shrink back from things that cause suffering and sadness.
We usually gravitate toward things that are joyous and cheerful.
The world will look at this statement and ask, “Why would a blessed or happy person mourn?”
The reality is, the humble or poor in spirit, will mourn because they recognize their inadequacies and sinful state.
The faithful child of God mourns because they know how much they hurt their Savior and God in sin, and it hurts.
75 And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.
10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.
37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!
Summary
Summary
To have others get to the point of describing us as “Christian,” we must be “poor in spirit” to the point of “mourning” over our sins and the sins of others as well.
1 Oh that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!
Jesus continued with the next beatitude, blessed are…
The Meek
The Meek
They Shall Inherit The Earth.
They Shall Inherit The Earth.
Matthew 5:5 reads…
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Does meekness mean weakness?
Many think so, yet we will see that this simply is not true!!!
The word meek literally means “tamed wild beast.”
Let us look at the examples of Moses & Jesus who were characterized as meek.
3 Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth.
19 And as soon as he came near the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses’ anger burned hot, and he threw the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain. 20 He took the calf that they had made and burned it with fire and ground it to powder and scattered it on the water and made the people of Israel drink it.
1 I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!—
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
12 And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 13 He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”
33 You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?
Summary
Summary
In the world “might equals right.”
However, it is the meek that will inherit the world.
To have others get to the point of describing us as “Christian,” we must be “poor in spirit” to the point of “mourning” over ours and others sins which should tame us spiritually to meekness.
Fourthly, Jesus would declare, “blessed are…
Those That Hunger & Thirst For Righteousness
Those That Hunger & Thirst For Righteousness
They Shall Be Satisfied.
They Shall Be Satisfied.
Matthew 5:6 reads…
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Physical hunger and thirst are two of the basic “needs” every person has and requires for survival.
Those that are hungry or thirsty desperately seek out food and water.
God knows this and takes care of these need for the righteous.
31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
When it comes to spiritual things, we ought to have the same hunger and thirst when lacking as we do the physical when lacking.
7 One who is full loathes honey, but to one who is hungry everything bitter is sweet.
Summary
Summary
The reality is, those of the world that are satisfied loath the gospel.
They hunger and thirst for careers, sports, friends…
The child of God finds the gospel as sweet as honey even though it has bitter truths concerning our sinful lives.
To have others get to the point of describing us as “Christians,” we must be poor in spirit to the point of mourning over ours and others sins which should tame us spiritually to meekness and make us hunger and thirst for righteousness.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Next week we will finish looking at the rest of these “blessings” we will have if we abide by them.
So, if we want to have the best possible life here on earth and in the next life we must be…
Poor in spirit, Mourn our sin and the pain it causes our Creator, be Meek, and Hunger and thirst for righteousness.
Invitation
1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,
32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.
8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.