Matthew 5:3 – Blessed are
the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
We live in a day (and especially in a nation) where people strive (at any cost) to make it to the top of the ladder in life. They want to be a great success, have others know they are great, and want to really impress others. We are proud, look out for “#1,” and promote self even if it hurts others. They will do this in jobs, dating relationships, and basically all walks of life—even in the church. What we need to realize as Christians is that with all of our impressing others, we are not impressing God at all.
Ø Read Matthew 20:25-28. Explain this passage.
Ø How does what Jesus says contradict most people’s attitude today?
Right after there was talk among the disciples concerning who should have the greatest position among them, Jesus had some shocking words for them (Matthew 20:25-28) that kind of illustrate the attitude of humility. Jesus said the greatest to him was the person who chose to serve others—not the one who exalted himself. Comparing that to our day when people want to be seen as great and be first, we have to say there are not many people Christ considers to be great.
The word Jesus chose to use for poor has to do with being destitute, reduced to a beggar, helpless, and powerless to accomplish your purpose. Imagine someone sitting beside the road in tattered clothing, filthy, begging for the least little handout you could give. And then realize Christ says this is a picture of someone who is truly blessed.
As we go throughout these attitudes, please understand the word blessed. It has been said that this Greek word has to do with something that brings enjoyment, happiness, pleasure, contentment, and even the bliss of heaven. But please understand this is an inward pleasure and contentment that isn’t affected by that which is outward. Outward circumstances can’t bring this blessedness nor can it take it away. It is a gift of God we can experience as we truly have the attitude of which Christ speaks.
Going back to our word poor makes the word blessed look out of place. I mean, have you ever seen someone who was broke—maybe even homeless—and said, “How blessed that person is! I wish I could be like them!” No you haven’t. You see, this doesn’t have anything to do with outward circumstances such as material goods and finances. Instead, what does Jesus have in mind that we are to be lacking? It is to be poor in spirit. This is a person who instead of thinking he is great thinks he is nothing. I’m speaking of a person who realizes he is spiritually bankrupt before God—a person who knows he or she has nothing to offer to God and that apart from God they would be nothing. You see when you became a Christian, you had to admit you were a sinner and needed to realize you had nothing to offer to God. That’s why we are so against any belief that says we can do something to help earn our salvation—we are worthless and everything we do is worthless! Therefore, in order for us to be saved he must do the work, we must receive the work he has done, and he must change our hearts. If you are saved, to some degree you have experienced this, but the problem with all of us is that just because God saves us, it doesn’t mean our pride dies. That’s right—being poor in spirit is basically the opposite of being proud. Being poor in spirit is being an humble person.
I think a very good example of humility is found in Isaac in Genesis 22. When God told Abraham to offer Isaac as a sacrifice, Abraham obeyed. This was the son Abraham wanted so badly, but he was willing to do what God told him to do. We often talk about Abraham’s faith in this matter, but what about Isaac’s? True, we are not told how he responded, but it seems he was a willing sacrifice—willing to lay down his life if that is what God had told his dad should be done. Both men were showing great humility because Abraham was basically saying, “If God wants me to offer up the son I love and desire so much, who am I to keep him?” And Isaac seems to have been saying, “If God wants my life to end today, who am I told hold on to my life?”
Ø How do their attitudes illustrate humility, the opposite of pride?
Well, how are we going to demonstrate this attitude in our lives? Actually, I think we can learn from a couple instances in both of these men’s lives. For starters, (in Genesis 13) Abraham had all the land, and Lot was with him. There were problems among their workers, so Abraham had a solution—one of them should move. The obvious thing for Abraham to do was to kick Lot out of his land and let Lot find his own. Instead, Abraham said, “Lot, take any of the land you want, and I will take what’s left.” Could you do that—
Could you do any of those things? Could you do like Isaac in Genesis 26? He dug wells (which was extremely hard work), and when he would finish, someone would come up and say, “That’s mine.” Instead of fighting them for it, he just left and dug another well. He did this a couple times. In other words, Abraham and Isaac didn’t say—
No, they were humble enough to know they really didn’t
deserve anything in life and were simply thankful with what they did have. They illustrated the attitude Christ
promoted as great—the attitude that said, “I won’t put myself first; instead,
I’ll look out for the needs of others by serving them.” And the Lord blessed both of them, and if we
have this attitude, he has a blessing for us.
It may not be material possessions.
More than likely your blessing will just be an inward peace and
contentment from knowing you have done the will of God and from even knowing
yours is the kingdom of
heaven. That is, in order to be saved we had to have
this destitute attitude that said, “I can’t earn anything before God—I am
nothing before him” and then we had to trust him alone to save us. When we live with this attitude Abraham and
Isaac have demonstrated—the attitude of humility—it reminds us that we are
living in a different way from the world.
It reminds us we are living for the Lord, and when we live for the Lord
even when it goes against our natural desires, it reminds us we are a part of
his kingdom—that we belong to him!
Be Broken
Matthew 5:4 – Blessed are they that mourn: for
they shall be comforted.
Unfortunately, we live in an era (especially in our area) where we don’t think a person should ever be upset. When someone dies, we don’t take time to weep for them. When we see someone hurting, we just tell them to “Cheer up.” And even at times when we come to “church” we are told to put a smile on our face—no matter how we feel. If we are not careful we will listen to and see all of this and think, “Wow! God must want me to be happy all the time.” It may surprise you, but that just isn’t true. I know they Bible says to rejoice always, but you have to study that in light of other passages as well as realizing our rejoicing is in Christ—not our outward circumstances—and even though we can rejoice in our hearts, there are times when we are hurting. Even Christ wept and so did many other Biblical characters—and they were not disobeying God when they did. As a matter of fact, it can be very dangerous to be “happy” at the wrong time.
Ø How do you think God wants us to feel when we see other people sin?
Ø How do you think God wants us to feel when we see our own sin?
Ø What do you think it means to mourn?
The verse we are reading right now seems like a very strange statement. Who in their right mind would say, Blessed are they that mourn? I mean, if you saw people crying, would you walk up to them and say, “You are so blessed—I wish I were able to cry like you”? Of course not because we don’t see any blessing in shedding tears. Well, a person who is mourning is a person who is crying in sorrow. This is someone who is weeping. However, please understand Christ isn’t saying you are blessed if you cry because you lost someone you loved, stumped your toe, or wrecked your car. Instead, this is a person who has seen his spiritual bankruptness, realized he is nothing spiritually apart from Christ, and has been broken because of it. In other words, he sees his own sin and instead of rejoicing in that sin, making excuses for it, or even bypassing it like it doesn’t exist, his heart is broken and in pain.
2Kings 22-23 is the story of an amazing event in King Josiah’s reign. As he rules over Judah, an amazing discovery is made—the book of the Law had been lost, and when it was found and read in the king’s presence, the king was broken even to the point he tore his clothes. He heard what God demanded of his people, and the king realized he and the people were sinful. Seeing his own sin and the sin of his nation, his heart was broken, and he wanted his people to repent along with him. It is a great story, and we have it because one man heard the Word of God, was broken over his sin, and had a desire that he and his people get right with the Lord.
2Samuel 11-12 is another story of the Bible that is very familiar. It is the one when David takes Urriah’s wife, Bathsheba and has an affair with her. She becomes pregnant, and an elaborate plan is made to cover their sin. David’s plan fails, so he has her husband killed and thinks everything will be okay. Nathan approaches David and confronts his sin. David is greatly broken over his sin and even writes Psalm 51.
I’m sure you agree with me when I say not many people are crying over their sin any more. When you look at the teens you know, consider how many of them laugh and rejoice over the sin they enjoyed this past weekend verses how many were broken because of it. There’s a big difference in the numbers, right? That bothers me, but what concerns me more is our attitude—how do we respond to sin?
Ø Have you ever heard anyone say something like, “Since God will forgive me if I ask him to, I will go ahead and do this sin and then ask him to forgive me”?
Ø Do you think that works? Why or why not?
Pretend someone walks up to you and says, “If I ask you to forgive me, will you do it?” If you answer, “Yes,” and the person says, “Okay, I really want to slap you, so I’m going to slap you knowing I will later ask your forgiveness and you will give it,” do you think when they ask your forgiveness they will be sincere? Of course not! And when we plan to sin on the basis of God’s forgiveness, when we ask him to forgive, chances are we are not being sincere either.
When we see our own sin, there needs to be a brokenness. I’m not saying crying makes God forgive us or the lack of crying makes him not forgive us. That’s not it at all. I’m simply saying if we are not broken over sin, we are not really sorry and chances are we are not really repentant. So how is your brokenness? How do you respond before God if you—
According to what Jesus is saying here, when we see these sins (and any others), we should realize in ourselves we are spiritually bankrupt and be broken by that thought. When we see that we have sinned, it should hurt us deeply. And one of the great things concerning this is that if we are broken over our sin, there is a blessing—the blessing of being comforted by God. When we hurt over our sin and bring that pain to him, he gives us true comfort. As a matter of fact, when we experience his forgiveness our mourning can turn to rejoicing—but not over our wickedness and sin but over his greatness and forgiveness.
Before moving on to the next attitude, consider this one thought—if you were to be materially bankrupt tomorrow, would it bother you more than being spiritually bankrupt? That is, which is worse to you—having nothing materially or having nothing spiritually? The material life is important, but it should never be more important to us than the spiritual.
Be Meek
Matthew
5:5 – Blessed are the meek: for they
shall inherit the earth.
Don’t you love to see an action movie? Think about the action movies in our day. It usually revolves around one super tough guy. He can curse, fight, and shoot his way out of any situation. No matter how many oppose him, this one man stands victorious, and if you cross his path, you too will fall at the hands of his anger, violence, and even revenge. This attitude sells movie tickets, but this attitude is wrong. However, be honest, how many of us would buy a ticket to a movie that advertised, “The Super hero of this movie doesn’t seek to destroy his enemy; instead, he remains gentle, considerate, and shows love to all”?
I promise you the attitude of which Jesus speaks here is not one that is desired by people today. Unfortunately, it’s not even desired and maybe even rarely displayed among Christians. It is the attitude of being meek.
Ø What does it mean to be meek?
Ø If you are meek, how do you treat your enemy?
Ø Do you think most people want this attitude? Why or why not?
Unfortunately, even Christians walk around with a “chip on the shoulder.” That’s a phrase that pictures a person with something on his shoulder daring people to knock it off just so he can get back at them. That’s the way I see so many people even in the church. Let someone cross them, say something about them, or oppose them, and they are upset, angry, and ready to fight—and again I say, even in the church. Part of the problem is that we live in a day when we think it is weak to be meek—we must demand our rights and fight in order to get them or you are seen as a wimp. But please understand—the meekest person is actually the strongest!
To understand what I mean, we must first make certain we understand meekness. Meekness has nothing to do with our size, physical strength, or power. A meek person can be very small or very large. A meek person could bench 500 pounds or struggle to lift just the bar. A meek person may be able to fight many people at once and win or may not be able to fight his way out of a wet paper bag. Meekness has nothing to do with those things. Instead, meekness is simply power under control. There are many examples of this found in the Bible. Here are a few of them—
Ø Read John 13:1-17. What does it say Christ knew and then what did he do?
Ø How does this illustrate meekness?
I want you to pretend you were given everything—that you were in charge of the world. Imagine the people you could have serving you, taking care of you, and bringing you your every desire. Then imagine Christ in John 13 who when he knew the Father had given him everything, he got up and washed the disciples’ feet. This was the duty of a servant. He was taking care of the lowest of needs these people had. He was looking out for such a low thing as their feet. But remember—he knew he had everything, but instead of demanding from them, he served them with one of the lowliest of tasks. And what did he say? He said he did this for an example to us. That is, he did it so we could see how we are to treat one another. And by the way—he even washed the feet of Judas—the one he knew would betray him.
Do you know what that means? It means Christ was so humble that he considered himself to be unimportant enough that he could care for the lowest of needs his enemy had. He had all power, but instead of using that power to demand his way, seek revenge on his enemy, or show himself as great, he used his power to be the lowliest of servants. If you think about it, that’s what is described in Philippians 2 where Jesus, who was equal with God, left the glories of heaven, laid aside the outward form of deity, came to this world as a human, took the form of a servant, and even died for you and me—his very own enemies. That involves humility, brokenness (he had no sin but was broken over ours), and meekness. What tremendous power he had, but he chose not to exercise it; he chose to serve.
But let’s look for meekness today. More importantly, let’s look for it in our own lives. Here are some ways people exercise their power against others rather than keeping it under control—
There is so much pride even in our churches that we can’t possibly be meek. We have very little power, but what power we do have, we want to display to the world so they will know how strong we are, that nobody gets away with harming us, and that we will fight even among ourselves if it is the only way our will can prevail. But while we are fighting, arguing, and bickering among ourselves, I just wish our eyes would turn to Christ who right before going to the cross to die for us, he told us, “I have one command for you—love one another.” In order to love the way we should, we must be meek. We must not set ourselves or our way above others but must have this attitude of Christ—a servant’s heart—that can only be ours if we are meek.
Of course, one reason we don’t want to be meek is because of what we lose. I mean, if someone takes something from us and we don’t fight them for it, if someone speaks harshly to us and we don’t get in their face, if we have a suggestion that isn’t followed and we don’t get mad and demand our way, someone will think we are wimps. However, consider this—which takes more strength and control—to fight back or to keep calm even when others think wrongly of you for it? And why should we even care what others think because God loves meekness and has even promised a blessing to those who are meek—they shall inherit the earth. Just think, if you demand your way, you get your way (possibly), if you fight back, you get a little respect from a few people (possibly), but if you keep your cool and stay meek, you one day get the earth! If you are meek the world will look at you and say, “You are weak,” but God looks and says, “You are strong; here is your reward—you inherit the earth.” You get it all in Christ. Choose what you want, but if we are spiritually intelligent we will choose what God has to offer.
Be Hungry for Righteousness
Matthew 5:6 – Blessed are they which do
hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Here in America we talk about being hungry. As far as that goes, if our meal is one hour late we may even say, “I’m starving to death.” However, I doubt any of us really know what it’s like to be very, very hungry. We have so much food we probably waste more in a day than some people have to eat—and while others are starving we complain if our food isn’t just right. Well our passage mentions the words hunger and thirst. I’m sure we know at least a little of what it is like to have both of those desires (even though we have never suffered like many). Here are the meanings of these terms:
From the construction of this verse, we are told this gives us the idea of continually hungering and thirsting. That is, someone has a longing—a deep longing—that continually pushes him to fulfill it. It can be anything because it doesn’t necessarily speak of food. Maybe the deepest desire that drives people today is trying to find true love, happiness, and fulfillment in life. It could be a deep desire for pleasure, excitement, or sin. It could even be for a particular person, fame, or fortune. But what I want you to do is to consider what it is you desire so strongly. What is it that occupies your thoughts, your cravings, and your longings? If God himself looked at you and said, “Make one request and it will be granted,” what is it you would choose? Think about that desire you have as we go through this passage.
Ø What is it this verse speaks of desiring?
Ø What do you think is meant by that?
Here is a blessed person—one who continually craves righteousness. Here are some thoughts given concerning the meaning of that word:
In other words, it is being 100% right with God in all you think, say, do, and in all you are! To desire righteousness is to desire God himself—to desire a more intimate relationship with him. Quite frankly, I’m not sure that’s what many people desire—and I’m speaking of people claiming to be Christians.
Ø Read Philippians 3:7-14. What is Paul’s desire—his drive in life?
Ø Where does David want to be in Psalm 15:1?
Ø In Psalm 42:1-2, what does the Psalmist crave?
Ø In Psalm 63:1-8, what does David desire?
If you read those passages above and answer the questions, your answers center on the same subject. These men desire God and want to be closer to him than they ever have been. Paul said his driving force in life was to just know Christ more deeply—a more intimate relationship. David wants to be close to the Lord—he wants to see the glory and might of the Lord. The Psalmist has a soul that is thirsty for God—so thirsty it’s pictured as a deer that has been running (maybe from the hunter) so hard it is now panting—just desiring to stop running and take a drink of cool water. These are great desires because to desire true righteousness, we simply have to desire God. We have to want to be closer to him, have deeper fellowship with him, and be more obedient to him. That is the desire of the people in these passages, but this raises a question—is it your desire and mine? Are we satisfied with just calling ourselves Christians, attending church, and occasionally reading our Bibles, or do we really hunger and thirst for God and his righteousness?
Well, at the moment you were saved, you were given the righteousness of God in Christ. That is, he forgave your sins and made you just as right with him as Jesus is right with him. That is called a positional righteousness—it’s where we stand before God. However, as Christians we need a desire for practical righteousness—simply a life that is lived the right way in order to please the Lord. A person with this desire will do what he or she can to spend time with God—in his Word learning what is right and wrong in order to do the right and avoid the wrong. A person like this will spend time in prayer and will keep his or her mind on the Lord. A person like this will want to live their lives doing what Jesus would have them do—in all aspects of their life. Does that describe you? I think it will if you recognize how spiritually empty you are to the point of being broken and meek because when you see yourself as being so empty and then capture a glimpse of the One who is so full, I believe you will desire him above anything else.
Pretend Bill Gates walked up to you tonight with a pack of food and a container of water—enough to last for days—and said, “I will give you either this food and water or $1 million”—which would you choose? Pretend you are stranded in a desert for a long period of time and are so dry you feel parched. You struggle to find help but can’t find it. Buzzards are already circling over your head. You know you don’t have much longer. Pretend Bill Gates walked up to you tonight with a pack of food and a container of water—enough to last for days—and said, “I will give you either this food and water or $1 million”—which would you choose? If you took the food and water in the first question, people would say you were stupid, but if you took the money in the second question, you would be dead. Why the difference? In the first question you were already full, but in the second question you were empty—so empty death was around the corner and no amount of money could save you.
Do you realize it’s time for the world to see themselves as spiritually empty and capture a glimpse of God so they will desire him and his righteousness to save them? Do you realize it’s time for the church to see how empty we are apart from Christ, capture a fresh glimpse of him, and desire him and his righteousness so much that we would rather get close to him and obey him than have anything this world has to offer? I hope so because when you desire the other things in this world, you will not find lasting satisfaction. No matter what you get, you will always want more. Things of this world do not truly satisfy, but Christ has promised a blessing to those who desire him and his righteousness—these are the ones who shall be filled. These are the ones who will find true satisfaction in life. These are the ones who will have lasting contentment no matter what the circumstances around them may be. These are the ones who have a life that is truly worth living because their life will not be governed nor driven by things of this world. Their lives will be about God and his kingdom. I hope that describes you and me!
Be Merciful
Matthew
5:7 – Blessed are the merciful:
for they shall obtain mercy.
Ø What is mercy?
Christ now speaks of those who are merciful. These are the people who extend mercy to other people. When used with the word “grace” we think of mercy as being something like sparing a person who is guilty. That is, it’s not giving someone the justice they deserve (and grace is giving them the good they don’t deserve). But mercy can also be seen in another way and it goes along with compassion.
Ø What is the difference between compassion and mercy? Give an example of both.
Ø If you saw a person who didn’t have a close friend, if you had compassion what would it be? What if it was mercy?
Ø If you saw someone who had mistreated you in some way and now he was being hurt, what would you have if you had compassion? What if it was mercy?
Compassion is the feeling we have when we see someone in need. Mercy is the action. Compassion is in the heart. Mercy is in what we do. Let’s face it—without both, neither is very good. Jesus wants us to have compassionate feelings upon others, but he doesn’t want it to end there—he wants us to have actions of mercy. As a matter of fact, if we don’t have merciful actions, it raises some questions as to the genuineness of our salvation.
Ø What does James 2:15-16 say concerning seeing someone in need and not acting upon that need?
Ø How does 1John 3:17-18 say we are to love?
Ø What does Ephesians 4:31-32 have to say concerning the way we treat others?
It’s great to have compassion on others in need, but if that’s all we have, we have a problem. When we have the ability to meet someone’s need but don’t care enough to get into action, our love is dead. We are to have kindness, compassion, and mercy upon others. And by the way, this isn’t just limited to our friends—we are to have compassion and mercy even upon our enemies. If you recall the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37, then maybe you realize part of the impact of the story is that the man in the story was probably an enemy of the Samaritan. However, he still helped. That’s what made the story so powerful—that a man would risk his life to help someone in need when the person in need despised the very one who was helping him.
Ø What are some ways people are hurting today? (No friends, dumped by date, rejected—by coaches, parents, college, etc.—struggling with grades, etc.)
Ø What are some ways we can help these people?
I really want you to consider this question—is there anyone who has mistreated you, wronged you, or hurt you in any way? Do you know any need they have? Then as a Christian, do you understand it is your responsibility to care for that person enough to have compassion on them and if you have the means to help them, to do so? Christ has a lot to say about that in the Sermon on the Mount. And remember what Ephesians 4:32 points out—that we are to forgive even as God has forgiven us. And guess what—he forgave us while we were his enemies because while we were still sinners living in our sin, Christ gave his life for you and for me. He did that for people like us who were sinning against him, and now he tells those he has forgiven to treat others the same way. That is showing mercy. It is being obedient to this verse. As a matter of fact, I believe the more we hunger for righteousness the more we are desiring to be like Christ, and if we are going to be like Christ, we must show mercy—even to our enemies.
If we show this kind of mercy (which may involve anything
from lending a listening ear to becoming someone’s friend to helping them by
giving time or money), Christ says we are blessed because we too will obtain mercy. That is, if we show kindness in action to others—even our
enemies, then we will receive kindness in return. Of course, the question that comes to my mind is, “Who is this that
is showing us mercy?” We are not really
told, but I believe it is God himself.
That is, if we as Christians help others in their time of need, I
believe God is going to help us in our time of need. As a matter of fact we may could even say if we find ourselves in
need and those needs are not being met, we may should examine our lives and see
if we have been merciful to others. I’m
not saying God will not help us at all, but I am saying I believe God may pour
more help upon those who allow his help to flow through them towards others
than upon those who just receive his help and “dam” it up keeping it all for
themselves. So what an encouragement
this is to us to help people we see in need knowing God’s mercy is already
flowing into our lives and desires to flow through us unto them. By the way, that’s how we help even our
enemies—it’s not so much our mercy flowing to them as much as it is God’s mercy
flowing through us. Do you want that
mercy to flow? If so, forgive your
enemies, be kind and tenderhearted towards them, and even help meet the needs
that you see they have. What a
difference it will make in your life if you do!
Be Pure
Matthew
5:8 – Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
We sometimes believe as long as we are a little better than the world, everything is okay. As long as we dress a little more modest than them, talk a little more modest, and live a little more modest, God is pleased with our lifestyle. We like to talk about the way things have gotten so much worse than they were in Bible times and believe since times are worse, it’s okay for us to be less modest and pure than what God told the people of the Bible to be like. Nothing could be further from the truth. God has not changed. He is just as pure as he ever was, and we are to live our lives based upon his level of purity and not the level of those around us. Therefore, we should listen up when we hear Jesus say, Blessed are the pure in heart. The word used for pure gives us the following meanings:
You recognize gold has different standards of purity—the purer it is, the more expensive it is. Well, gold’s purity increases by putting it to the fire. That is, as you heat it, the impurities float to the top and are removed. The more that is removed, the purer and more expensive the gold will be. In other words, it is breaking up the mixture to get rid of what is false—the part that isn’t desired. To a certain degree, we all desire purity. People desire the purest of gems because they are more valuable. We desire the purest of food because we want our food free of contamination. We will even pay $1.00 for a bottle of water just because someone tells us it’s purer than the free water that runs out of our faucet. You see, we desire purity. But then again, I’m afraid we overlook the most important aspects of purity—being pure in heart. When the Bible speaks of the heart please understand it usually does not have in mind the physical, beating heart. Instead, this word carries the following ideas:
In other words, the heart is the part of us that is in control—like the engine of a car or the CPU of a computer, if those things are not right, then all the other parts don’t really matter. Without a good motor, all the luxuries and features of a car are virtually worthless—no matter how expensive the car may be. That’s how it is with us—no matter how “good” you appear and no matter what you have going for you, if your heart—the control center of your life—is not right, you are not much.
When Jesus speaks of being pure in heart, at least part of what he has in mind is being free from corruption—free from everything wrong and impure. We often think of this in terms of sexual purity, and as we do, I don’t know of many who could be better examples than Joseph.
Ø What happened in Joseph’s life in Genesis 39:1-12, and how did he respond?
Joseph had a “perfect” opportunity for sexual activity. He was a young guy with the desires of a young man. No one was around, and he had this very enticing woman close by him. She greatly desired him, threw herself at him, and offered her body for him to do as he pleased—with the promise that he would never get caught. However, Joseph desired purity and refused. Why did Joseph desire sexual purity more than he desired fulfilling his sexual desires? Because he was pure in heart. He had a heart that was right with God, and because of this pure heart, he could live a pure life.
But please understand when Jesus spoke of being pure in heart, he was reaching much deeper than our sexual lives—it involved everything about us. Our thoughts, actions, words, and deeds are to be pure—unmixed with anything impure.
If we don’t have sex with anyone until marriage but think of sex all the time, are we practicing sexual purity? If we pretend to be religious and right with God in “church” meetings but live any way we please anywhere else, are we practicing purity in our character? If we say we love others but hold a grudge against them, are we practicing purity in our love?
We need God to search our lives and point out any impurities in our lives, and then we need to surrender those impurities to him. The way we do this is actually found in this passage. We must humble ourselves, be broken over the impurities of our lives, have meekness, and desire the righteousness of God. As we do this, not only do we start to show mercy but also desire purity even more—the purity of God.
Ø How does Psalm 119:9 say we are to keep clean?
Psalm 119:9 is a great passage. It reads, How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word (NIV). If we are going to be pure people, we must get into God’s Word and allow his Word to get into us even to the point the Holy Spirit uses it to affect each part of our lives. He desires to use the Word of God to clean us. That’s why I believe it is so important for teachers and preachers to go through the Bible—those listening get to hear God’s Word instead of the speaker’s word, and it is God’s Word that the Spirit uses—not man’s word. If you want to be pure and live pure, please spend time studying the Word of God taking what you learn and putting it into practice. That’s the first part, and the second part is that we should be careful what we allow into our hearts. Just as you wouldn’t put trash into your food, we shouldn’t spend our time thinking about the filth of the world.
If you guard your heart—keeping the wrong things out of it
and putting the right things into it—you can have a pure heart (provided you
are a Christian). If you do have a pure
heart, Jesus says you are blessed because you will see God. At least two suggestions
have been given concerning the meaning of this blessing—
Maybe both suggestions are true because the purer you are, the closer you are to the Lord because actually it isn’t about trying to be purer—it’s about being closer to God because the more we fellowship with him, the more he burns the impurities out of our lives making us more and more into the image of his Son, Jesus. What a blessing—the greatest blessing of all—to be like Jesus!
No matter how impure the world may be we can still be pure by fellowshipping with the Lord allowing him to change our hearts. Make sure he owns your heart because he works on the hearts that belong to him to make them pure in his sight.
Be a Peacemaker
Matthew
5:9 – Blessed are the
peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
People love a good fight. I feel pretty confident Hollywood can sell more tickets to a movie concerning people fighting among themselves than to a movie concerning everyone getting along. And let’s face it, if we were sitting in a class at school and someone came in the room and said, “There are two people down the hall that are fighting” a lot more people would leave the room to see it than if someone came in and said, “There are two people down the hall who are treating each other so nicely.” There is something in our nature that loves to see people at odds even to the point some people love to stir up trouble even among friends.
As you can imagine, Jesus was not like that. He was a peaceful person who desired for
people to get along—especially his people.
The world will always have its fights and the world will always fight
against the church—that’s just normal, but what Christ wants is for those of us
who are saved to get along, and if we see two people—especially Christians—who
are not getting along, it should be our desire to see them love each other and
show that love in a way that honors Christ.
If your desire moves you into action and causes you to seek to help restore
this relationship among friends, families, or fellow Christians, you are among
the peacemakers, and Jesus says you are blessed.
Ø What do you think is meant by the term peacemaker?
Ø How can we help bring peace to others?
Ø In 1Samuel 25, how did Abigail attempt to bring peace?
One of the examples from the Bible of a person attempting to bring peace to a dangerous situation is a woman named Abigail. David was in a difficult situation and needed help. He appealed to Abigail’s husband, Nabal. David had helped Nabal, but now Nabal refused to repay the favor. David was so angry he decided to kill Nabal. Upon learning of this situation, Abigail helped David and asked her to spare the life of her husband and basically allow the Lord to deal with him. David realized she had been more righteous than himself—he was looking to seek revenge because someone wronged him, and he was very thankful that Abigail stood between him and Nabal seeking peace. Nabal, however, was not open to listen to what anyone had to say. He was a true fool, and God dealt severely with him.
I want us to be like Abigail. Like her, there are times when we can’t bring two people together because one or maybe both are not willing to listen. However, we can at least try. But the question is, “How are we going to bring peace to others?” Well, for starters, we have to be peaceful people ourselves. People don’t want you confronting their sin (even Christians), so if you confront their actions in your attempt to bring peace, you may be insulted and mistreated as well. If you are going to bring peace, you will not be able to fight back. Instead, you will have to keep calm and keep working towards the goal through all sorts of opposition. It’s not easy, but as we live our lives more humbly, broken over our own sin, meek, and desiring God, one of the things that happens is that we become more peaceful and are better equipped to help others be at peace as well.
By the way, we can’t really be peacemakers if we are at odds with others. I mean, if we are fighting with our brother, we can’t go tell two other brothers to love each other and get along. I really think it’s time for the church to learn that each person who is saved is our family, and when we get to heaven we will be living with each of those people. Not only that, but we are going to be standing in front of our Heavenly Daddy—and he will know how we treated the rest of our family.
Have you ever had a fight with your brother or sister and your parents caught you? If so, it probably wasn’t pleasant. You see, they love both of you, and as a result they desperately long for the two of you to get along and love each other the way you should. When the two of you fight, it breaks their heart. Do you think it is any different with God? I don’t think so, and when we stand before him we should desperately desire to stand before him having treated all his children the proper way.
Ø What does 1John 4:8 say about God?
Ø What do you think this means?
Ø What does this verse have to say to us?
If you are fighting someone who is saved, you are fighting someone you will live with for eternity. Therefore, it would be wise to get over it now. If you are fighting someone who isn’t saved, you are still fighting someone God has created, so it would still be wise to get over it now. Besides, according to the Bible we are told others know us by the love we have. You see, God is love, and if we are going to be like him, we must love others—even those who harm us.
If you despise someone, please understand what they did to you is not as bad as the way you treat God. He willingly gave his Son to die on your behalf. In a very real sense you and I killed his Son. However, he still loves us. If that is the case and we are to be like God, how can we hold a grudge against others for the things they have done to us?
Well, if we don’t love others, we certainly can’t bring
peace. Instead, we may even choose
sides and join in the fight. However,
we need to realize when brothers are at odds, it’s not about joining sides—it’s
about helping each side see the truth and work through the problem. If we do this, do you know what blessing we
receive? We will be called the children of God. What does that mean?
Personally, I think it simply means others will see Jesus in us and
realize we belong to God. There will be
so much love in us that others will not be able to deny that God has been at
work in us. That’s a great blessing
each of us should desire! And I believe
we can have this blessing as we are humble, broken, meek, and seeking a closer
walk with the Lord.
Be Right when Persecuted
Matthew 5:10-12 – Blessed are
they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven. Blessed are ye, when men
shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil
against you falsely, for my sake.
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in
heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
The desire to be accepted by others is one of the greatest drives known to man, one of the strongest being to be accepted by our peers. We want to be liked, loved, and received by people like us—we want them to include us in their groups, plans, and lives in general. Therefore, we strive to impress these people and try hard to make certain we do nothing that causes them to dislike us. Of course, this is known as peer pressure.
Ø Read Acts chapters 4 and 5. What happened in these chapters?
John and Peter were no strangers to peer pressure. As a matter of fact, in Acts 4-5 they were arrested for healing a man and speaking of Christ. They were told they must never do this again. However, their response was basically, “Well, that means we have to make a choice—to obey you men or obey God. Do as you please, but we will obey God.” They were threatened and even later beaten simply because they spoke of Christ, preaching that he was resurrected and was the only way to God the Father. Their own peers were so much against them they persecuted them. How did they respond? According to the passage they left rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. But how could they do that?
We know where we live that more than likely we will not be beaten if we refuse to give into the demands of those around us and stop living faithful Christian lives. More than likely we will just face their ridicule and lose their friendship. Of course, when I say we will “just” face these things, I’m not trying to say this isn’t painful—it’s very painful. I’m simply saying we probably will not face the physical persecution Peter, John, and a host of other Christians have endured for Jesus. But the question remains—how could Peter and John face persecution (rejection, insults, physical beatings) and do it rejoicing? I think it was because they learned what Christ meant in our passage.
Jesus said, Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’
sake. He then adds, Blessed are ye, when men
shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil
against you falsely, for my sake.
Let’s consider the meanings of these words.
With that in mind, Jesus is speaking of people harassing us so bad it makes us run away or they are trying to seek us for their purposes so eagerly that it troubles us or they are verbally abusing us or even lying about us accusing us of things that cause others to think we are terrible. In other words, it’s not a pretty picture, is it? As a matter of fact, it’s a very bleak one.
Ø Have you ever faced any of this persecution Jesus names—pressure that harasses you or makes you run, verbal abuse, or lies about your reputation?
If you have ever experienced anything like this, you know it is painful beyond words. It is so painful that many calling themselves Christians have surrendered to the pain and said, “I would rather give up faithfulness to God than to suffer what I am facing.” That’s why you see so many church teens living like the non-churched teens—because it hurts so bad to be different because you know you will face the world’s persecution. But oddly enough, Jesus says when you face all of this, you are blessed. That has my vote for being one of the strangest statements in the Bible! Nevertheless, it is true—but how? First notice this isn’t just about having people turn against you because of something personal—like you have bad body odor so they drive you away or you are a mean person and people tell others you are meaner than you really are.
Ø Why does Jesus say this persecution comes their way?
Jesus says this persecution is for righteousness’ sake and for my sake.
In other words, this persecution is because of godly living. This is evil that others cast upon you
simply because they see you are living right and they are trying to get you to
stop living right or trying to hurt you because you do. 2Timothy 3:12 even promises that if we live godly
in this life we will suffer persecution.
I think the person in our passage is so humble, broken over his sin,
living a meek life, desiring God and following him, that his life is one of
mercy, purity, and seeking peace that others detest what they are seeing so
much that they seek to turn this person away from their pure lifestyle. Why would they do that? Because in the next section we find out
people who are living like this are called “salt” and “light.” They influence others for Jesus, and some
people can’t stand to see that happen—they can’t even stand to see you live for
Jesus, so with all their might they try to stop you.
Others do not want us living holy lives. They don’t want to see someone really living
for Jesus because it reminds them they are wrong which in turn reminds them of
what they have for eternity—suffering and torment. However, those who are living so right they face pressure from
the world are truly blessed.
They are blessed because theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Their lives
testify to the world around them that they belong to a different ruler. The ways of the world do not govern these
people. Instead, they are governed by
God because they belong to his kingdom.
When they are persecuted it hurts, but it is a reminder to them that
they have a reward that is great—eternity with God. As a result, they are able to find a
reason—even in the face of persecution—to rejoice and be glad. That’s exactly what Peter and John did—they
rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer for Christ. They knew they belonged to a different
kingdom and were being faithful to their King.
I hope each one of us will have the courage we need to take a stand and
do right when we face the world’s pressure.
If we live holy lives, the pressure is going to come. However, Christ is there with us, gives us
the courage we need to take the persecution with the right attitude, and
promises we are blessed if we do.
And lest you think pressure from others ends when you turn 20, it doesn’t. It continues, but it’s often with different things. It’s even in the church—preachers face it a lot. Preachers will even sometimes change their beliefs because of what other preachers think of them. Deacons will often vote certain ways because they fear what members (or even preachers) will think of them. Teachers often fail to give truth because they are afraid of what their class will think of them. The pressure is all around us—persecution is there because of our fears of what others will think—but we have to learn to rise above that by trusting Christ’s promise that he has a greater blessing for us than our friends have. Trusting that promise and rejoicing in Christ will take us a long way in dealing with the various forms of persecution that come our way.
The Results of the Beatitudes Live in Us
Matthew 5:13-16 – Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the
salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good
for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that
is set on an hill cannot be hid.
Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a
candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that
they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
The Beatitudes are a part of Scripture that I believe are often overlooked. I don’t mean we overlook reading them; instead, I believe we overlook living them because we overlook the importance they have in our lives. As Christians, we often focus on things we do. I really want you to understand that apart from our attitudes, the things we do are of very little value. For example, no matter what we do “for the Lord” whether it’s avoiding sin or doing some religious work, it’s of little value if we did it—
However, when we are humble before the Lord and he works these attitudes into our hearts, our actions take on new meaning. Then, our actions glorify him, and then we are being the salt of the earth and the light of the world the way we should.
Ø What is the purpose of salt?
Ø What do you think Jesus means when he calls people salt of the earth?
Consider the purpose of salt. It both preserves food and adds taste. I believe when we have the attitudes of which Christ has spoken in this passage, we have a “flavor” to our lives that helps give others a “taste” for what we have—namely Christ. As others sense this “taste” and come to Christ, our lives have helped preserve their lives because we have pointed them to Christ where they can receive the salvation they need.
Ø What is the purpose of light?
Ø What do you think Jesus means when he calls people the light of the world?
The purpose of light is to give us sight in the dark. In a very real sense it draws us. Face it—if you were alone in a very dark area and spotted a light, wouldn’t you head that direction? Well, as people realize they are in the darkness of their sin and see your attitudes shining forth the light of Christ, it helps draw them unto him. Please understand Christ doesn’t shine through us because we tote a big Bible, wear a white robe, or even because we attend church services and have some religious things to say. Instead, he shines through us when we are living like him—having the attitudes he has.
Ø If you are in a crowd and want to be noticed, what needs to happen?
Ø How can we get noticed for Christ’s sake?
If you want to get noticed by others you need to be different, right? There needs to be something different in what you do or say that causes you to stand out. If we are going to be the salt and light Jesus wants us to be, we are going to have to be different. If you walk around asking the question, “How can I be as much like my friends as I can possibly be?” then you are not going to be much of a light for Jesus. However, we will be faithful salt and light if we are being like Christ—displaying his attitudes, doing what he would do, and not doing what he wouldn’t do. Witnessing isn’t about shoving a Bible down people’s throats. Much of witnessing is simply being salt and light—living in such a way that others notice a difference in you, and then sharing the Word of God with them so they will understand that difference is because of Jesus and that he wants to change them as well.
Ø If salt were to lose its saltiness, would it be any good?
Ø If light were to be hid under a basket, is it any good?
Ø Why does Jesus use those two illustrations—what do they mean in relation to us?
If you could have unsalty salt, it would obviously be worthless. So would a light bulb that is completely covered. Likewise, if we are Christians and “cover” our influence on the world (our attitudes, lifestyle, witness, etc.) by becoming like the world so we are not different, we are of little value either. You see, God wants us to let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Notice he doesn’t say to shine your light in their eyes. Instead, he just says to let it shine. I think that means we are to live our lives without really thinking of who is watching. We are to display these attitudes if we are with a crowd or all alone knowing our Father in heaven is watching, and when others do see these attitudes and good works, they can glorify God.
Ø How do you think they will glorify God?
This can be done a number of ways. For starters, if they are saved and see the way you are living, they can praise God and thank him for your faithfulness. They can also be encouraged by your life to be faithful themselves. And if they are not saved, then in seeing your life as being a picture of the life of Christ, they can be drawn to him and be saved as well. All of this serves to glorify God.
What I’m saying can be wrapped up in this. When the moon is out at night, what do you see? You actually see a reflection of the sun, right? The moon isn’t producing light—just reflecting it. Likewise, we as Christians don’t really have light; instead, we are a reflection of Christ. The more we are like him, the greater the reflection. The less we are like him, the weaker the reflection. I guess with that thought in mind we could say we need to be becoming full-moon Christians so we shine brightly for the Lord instead of being satisfied being quarter-moon (or less) Christians who show forth very little brightness.
The question is do you and I really desire to bring glory to the Lord? We like to talk about praising God in church services through our music. That can be praise, but I believe the greatest praise we will give God goes back to the life we live. If you live your life for God displaying these attitudes Christ has shown (and following the rest of what he says in this sermon), then I believe you will bring much glory to God. Therefore, please live your life for the Lord no matter where you may be and no matter who is around. If you do, you are living your life focusing on God and what he thinks rather than what everyone else thinks. If you do that, realize you are living the fullest life possible—a life that will be greater than any other way you can live. If that’s your desire, make certain you are striving to live this sermon Jesus is currently giving us—one of the greatest sermons ever preached that you and I can preach every day simply by the way we live—as salt and light!