Christs Sermon on the Mount The Beatitudes Matt 5 - human relationships Matt 6 - kingdom relationship Matt 7 - integration of personal, interpersonal and kingdom relationships and how they affect eternal destiny. Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. First, He presents to them their humility in their circumstances gives them the hope of the Kingdom of Heaven! The word for poor also means destitute of wealth, power, ability or honor. These are people who know, in the natural, their limitations in life. They know that on their own it is impossible for them to move forward and advance themselves in life. It is to these people Jesus brings forth a message of hope and empowerment. The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all. (Psalm 103:19 ESV) They often heard the Psalms read in Temple or synagogue and knew the truth that God has established His Kingdom and that, while they are personally powerless, God is Ruler over all. It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud. (Proverbs 16:19 ESV) Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. God is ever present. God is ready and available to all who seek Him. In good times. In bad times. During ho-hum every day events God is present! Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night, even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you. (Psalm 139:7-12 ESV) For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. (Psalm 30:5 ESV) There are hard and difficult times one must endure in life. However, because of the presence of God one can know joy after going through those times of difficulty! Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him. (Psalm 126:5, 6 ESV) Returning home with shouts of joy! There are sorrows and trials but those cannot disrupt the certainty of joy to come! Jesus proclaimed several times it was His plan that believer stay in the fulness of joy. David had to wait to overcome his difficulties to experience joy. For the Christian joy is to be a constant companion. What name did Jesus use during His introduction of the Holy Spirit? The Comforter! Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. (2 Corinthians 13:11 ESV) Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Meekness is not cowardice or cowering in adversity but seeing anothers adversity as worse than their own and moving past their current circumstances to meet the other persons needs. Therefore the ministry of the meek is character that acts positively to meet the needs of others regardless of their own situation. The meek helps others to have dominion and peace over their circumstances. It should be no surprise then that the qualities of dominion and peace are part of the inheritance provided them by God! Numbers 12:3 tells us Moses was the most meek of all who lived! This informs us that meekness and submission to God are qualities of Godly leadership. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. When believers live in the righteousness of Christ, through which they were re-created, they have the promise of satisfaction from God! What are the elements of satisfaction from God? 1. Being the likeness of God. As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness. (Psalms 17:15 ESV) Paul tells us in Romans 8 we are predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ. 2. Provision and sustenance My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. (Psalms 63:5-7 ESV) 3. His goodness and holiness satisfies Blessed is the one you choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple! (Psalms 65:4 ESV) 4. Satisfaction of God renews our relationship with Him and establishes our positive outlook on life. Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. (Psalms 90:14 ESV) 5. Long life and deliverance With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation. (Psalms 91:16 ESV) Look at the meanings of the word deliverance. It is the same word that gave our Savior His name! 03444 TWOT - 929b יְשׁוּעָה yshuw`ah Noun Feminine yesh-oo-aw passive participle of (03467) feminine passive participle of ; something saved, i.e. (abstractly) deliverance; hence, aid, victory, prosperity:--deliverance, health, help(-ing), salvation, save, saving (health), welfare. salvation, deliverance welfare, prosperity deliverance salvation (by God) victory So to be satisfied is to experience aid, victory, prosperity, welfare, and deliverance from God. He is our Provider in all things spiritual, mental, emotional, financial, or physical! SALVATION IS MORE THAN DELIVERANCE FROM SIN. SALVATION IS FOR THE WHOLE OF HUMANITYS BEING, BODY, SOUL AND SPIRIT. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Mercy is the extension of the grace and love of God to another who only deserves judgment and condemnation. It is the basis of Gods plan of reconciliation for humanity which is administered to others through the Body of Christ. Also, mercy is a motivating factor in delivering the works and ministry of Jesus to others. And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, Have mercy on us, Son of David. When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, Do you believe that I am able to do this? They said to him, Yes, Lord. Then he touched their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it done to you. And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, See that no one knows about it. But they went away and spread his fame through all that district. (Matthew 9:27-31 ESV) Notice the blind men did not specifically ask for healing. Instead, they cried out, Have MERCY on us, Son of David... In response Jesus asked for agreement from them regarding their expectation coupled with His power to meet their need by answering their plea for mercy! For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. (James 2:13 ESV) So often in society people call for justice and judgment for deviations from societal norms and laws. These qualities indeed are essential for the continual need to maintain order. However, because the essence of Gods being is love, mercy is to be a predominant characteristic of His love that is presented to those who need it most - offenders of either Gods law or societys law. But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh. (Jude 1:20-23 ESV) Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (Psalms 23:6 ESV) The goodness and the mercy of God are continual companions of those who have entered into covenant relationship with God. Notice that both David and Jude state that the mercy of God leads to dwelling with God throughout eternity! Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord ? And who shall stand in his holy place? 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. (Psalms 24:3, 4 ESV) Purity of action, thought and words maintains a life pleasing to God and allows one to live in the presence of God! How is this type of purity established as a lifestyle? How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. (Psalms 119:9 ESV) Immersing ones self into the Word of God develops an ability to maintain a life that keeps one clean in all their activities of life. When one knows and obeys the commandments of Jesus words they are able to live a life of purity. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Ministering the peace of God into the lives of others causes believers to enter into a familial relationship with the Creator, Provider and Sustainer of all. The New Testament provides explicit details regarding becoming a child of God. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:12, 13 ESV) To receive the name of Jesus (salvation, deliverance) is to become a heir and joint heir with Him. This means as children of the same Father as Jesus, believers have access, in and through His Name, to everything God had available to Jesus! For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, Abba! Father! The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. (Romans 8:13-17 ESV) Jesus came to become the One to take on Himself the sins of the world and to provide to believers the perpetual presence of God dwelling with and in believers through the person of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit then provides teaching, truth, power, leading and guidance to believers. By being obedient to the influence of the Holy Spirit Paul tells believers they 1. Have life 2. Are adopted 3. Have a close, intimate relationship with God, calling Him Abba (Daddy). 4. Have an inner witness of their finished adoption into the family of God. 5. Are HEIRS of God 6. Are FELLOW HEIRS with Christ. Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. (Philippians 2:14-16 ESV) See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are Gods children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. (1 John 3:1-3 ESV) John puts the adoption into the household of faith into perspective for believers. In verse 1 he says, See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. AND SO WE ARE - this is a present day reality for all believers! It is not necessary for believers to wait until they enter the heavenly kingdom of God to achieve their full adoption! God wants us to experience the benefits of adoption and its accompanying inheritance daily! In verse 2 John makes this point again when he says, Beloved, we are Gods children NOW... At this moment in time we ARE Gods children. This means believers have access to all the benefits, relationship and power Jesus had with God is available to those who compose the Body of Christ in the world. 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. (Matthew 5:1-12 ESV) The final three verses of the beatitudes all deal with a subject often ignored in Christendom - persecution. Persecution can take many forms, it can be multiple persons coming together to try to intimidate a believer to stop speaking out as a witness to Christ, it can be a homeowners association attempting to restrict Bible studies in the neighborhood under the excuse of interfering with traffic flow on the street, government regulating how religious organizations can use their resources to minister to their community, forcing them to provide medical procedures against their religious convictions, or arrests, tortures or sentences of death for ones belief in Jesus the Christ. Jesus said to expect persecutions If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. (John 15:18-20 ESV) In the United States we are so used to having religious liberty unprecedented in any other country that when persecutions come many will be unprepared. Jesus predicted this day would come. Worldwide Christianity has become the most persecuted religion in the world and the attitude of persecution has started to permeate into American society. And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished? And Jesus began to say to them, See that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name, saying, I am he! and they will lead many astray. And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains. But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them. And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. And you will be hated by all for my names sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. (Mark 13:3-13 ESV) When the day arrives listen to the voice of Gods Spirit and speak the words He provides. These words will bring forth to all a testimony of the life, faith and power of Jesus being manifested through people of faith. Pray that the Beatitudes of Jesus the Christ become attitudes that transform your responses and make you a more vibrant witness of Him!
Posted on: Thu, 07 Nov 2013 15:33:41 +0000
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