The Sermon on the Mount: The Beatitudes II
In this second of a series on the Sermon on the Mount, Pastor Shane deals with the next section of the Beatitudes. Click here for the recording of this 1/19/25 Service, and you can fast-forward to 23:35 to get to the start of the sermon.
Our text comes from Matthew Chapter 5.1-12
1 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him.
2 And He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”
5 “Blessed are the gentle, for they will inherit the earth.”
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.”
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.”
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.”
10 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.
12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in this same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Introduction…
Today we begin a series on the Sermon on the Mount, Mt 5-7
It comprises Jesus’ fundamental teachings on a broad range of subjects- discipleship, personal relationships, giving to the needy, prayer, fasting, dealing with anxiety, judging others, the narrow and wide gates, fruit bearing, building on a solid foundation
Virtually all of this sermon has to do with living the Christ life- “Christian” means little christs; if you claim the title Christian, are you living as a little christ?, ex- Jimmy Carter
This morning we focus on the 9 beatitudes, with which Jesus begins His teachings
The 9 blessings are all in the present tense- “blessed are”
Makarios- happy, blessed, fortunate, good, in a position of favor by God
3 rewards are present tense (is); 6 are future tense (will)
Some preach this text as the characteristics of the meek and lowly; in actuality, the practice of these is hard work
We will look at each of these as a characteristic, and its reward
1- the poor in spirit/kingdom of Heaven
Poor, ptochos- poor, beggar, a person of few resources, culturally considered oppressed, despised, and miserable
Spirit, pneuma- wind, breath, things which are commonly perceived as having no material substance; by extension: spirit, heart, mind, the immaterial part of the inner person that can respond
"The poor in spirit" are not lacking in spirit, but have the positive moral quality of humility, realizing they have nothing to offer God [except obedience] but are in need of his free gifts (stepbible)
Basilea oranos- they have the Kingdom in the present tense
2- those who mourn/will be comforted
Mourn, pentheo- to lament, be sad, grieve; to bewail one's self, to feel guilt
We mourn people, our past mistakes, what could have been, a future that will never be…
Comforted, parakaleō- to encourage, exhort, urge; to call, invite; from paraclete, the Holy Spirit
Some pain in this life can only be medicated via the Holy Spirit; in Heaven, it will be gone
3- the gentle/inherit the Earth
The gentle, praus- 4x in the NT; the positive moral quality of dealing with people in a kind manner, with humility and consideration (stepbible)
Inherit, klēronomeō- to obtain, acquire, receive possession of; to be an heir
Earth, ge- soil; by extension a region, or the solid part or the whole of the globe, including the occupants
How we treat each other is a direct reflection on our relationship with Christ
4- those who hunger/thirst will be satisfied
Hunger, peinaō- To be famished, desire earnestly
Thirst, dipsaō- to desire or long for ardently
Righteousness, dikaiosunē- justice, the act of doing what is in agreement with God’s standards, the state of being in proper relationship with God; fair and equitable dealing (stepbible)
Satisfied, chortazō- to be filled to satisfaction, eat one’s fill; primarily to feed or fill with grass, herbage, etc., to fatten; used of animals of prey, to satiate, gorge (stepbible)
When you and I desire a right relationship with God more than anything else, He fills us to overflowing- “He will fill your heart today with overflowing…” - what do you crave?
5- the merciful/receive mercy
Merciful, eleēmōn- feelings of pity, with a focus of showing compassion to those in serious need; compassionate (stepbible)
Mercy is not receiving the just punishment we deserve
Mercy, eleeo
Those who give mercy/compassion receive it in kind
Have you received your just punishment?
6- the pure in heart/see God
Pure, katharos- clean, clear of responsibility, innocent, unsoiled; metaphorically clean from guilt, guiltless, innocent, sincere, upright, virtuous, void of evil (stepbible)
Heart, kardia- regarded as the seat of feeling, impulse, affection, desire, the mind (seat of thought and emotion). The heart was thought to be the seat of the inner self (composed of life, soul, mind, and spirit). "Heart" is similar in meaning to "soul," but often the "heart" has a focus on thinking and understanding (stepbible)
The pure in heart will behold the Triune God face to face; getting and staying pure is hard work; the eye/ear gate
7- peacemakers/called sons of God
Peacemakers, eirēnopoios- one who restores peace and reconciliation between persons and even nations
Sons huios- descendant (in any generation); by extension: a term of endearment; one of a class or kind (stepbible)
If waging war is hard, keeping the peace is harder, but infinitely more rewarding and less costly
We avoid a fight whenever possible; when impossible, we make sure we are fighting for a just cause
8- persecuted for righteousness/kingdom of Heaven
Persecuted, dioko- to pursue, to systematically oppress and harass a person or group, as an extended meaning of pursuing a person on foot in a chase (stepbible)
Righteousness, dikaiosunē- justice, the act of doing what is in agreement with God’s standards, the state of being in proper relationship with God; fair and equitable dealing
The US Church is largely inexperienced with persecution; could it be because we lack a righteous footprint?
Doing what is right WILL lead to persecution,
Again, these have the Kingdom of God in the present tense
9- the insulted, persecuted, and falsely accused/a reward in Heaven
Insult, oneidizō- to heap insults on, denounce, find fault, rebuke, revile (stepbible)
Persecuted, dioko- to pursue, to systematically oppress and harass a person or group, as an extended meaning of pursuing a person on foot in a chase (stepbible)
Falsely, pseudomai- a lie, or a false word
Spoken of with evil, poneros- wicked, crime, the negative moral quality of a person or action opposed to God and his goodness; wicked deed, wicked thing, the origins of which are satanic
These people speak evil because they are resisting the cause of Christ, whether they know it or not
When they invoke God’s name when speaking ill, they are taking the name of the Lord in vain, attaching His name to something He has no part of, and is contrary to His nature, and Scripture
Rejoice and be glad, agalliaō- celebrate, take delight in
You are in good company, because they persecuted the prophets of old the very same way
Practical application
Even the richest among us have nothing to offer Him but obedience
Lean into the HS as you mourn, and know there will be comfort in Heaven
The gentle will be rewarded with unfathomable abundance
If you want Jesus more than anything else, you’ll get Him in abundance; if not, you’ll settle
Give compassionate mercy whenever possible; you will need it one day
The pure in heart, on this side of Heaven, must be perpetually filled with the Spirit of Christ, daily
Those who work toward reconciliation are seen by Heaven as God’s heirs
Persecution is the natural byproduct of living in a sinful world
If you are lied about for the cause of Christ, you are in good company
