Chapter 1
Poor in Spirit // theirs is the kingdom of heaven
Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
In a similar sermon in Luke chapter six, Jesus leaves out “in spirit.” So in one sense it is true to say that the poor are blessed. Literally, blessed are those in poverty. The reason why this is true is because the poor are far more likely to have a relationship with God. Because of their material need, they are in constant prayer to God—Asking Him for daily bread, asking Him for tuition for the children, for clothes, and for safety from desperate people that could hurt or steal from them. The rich, on the other hand, can easily live as if God doesn’t exist.
This is unsettling but it is important to ask ourselves… Is it possible that we can go a whole day without even a thought about God? What about a whole week? The truth is we are rich enough that we do not have desperation for God to provide. I know where food will come from and I know that I have a place to stay. I do not worry about daily bread or daily provision. I’m fine. Or am I?
Jesus has a word of warning to us. Jesus says to the church in Laodicea; “You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see” (Rev 3:17-18). With riches come independence, pride, and arrogance. We operate without giving honor to God. But truth be told, there is no one that has what it takes within themselves to be spiritually rich. When we wrongly assume that we are spiritually rich Jesus reminds us that we are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. We are far worse than we can even imagine.
We are all spiritual beggars. No one is so godly. There is none righteous. Spiritual bankruptcy is the first step towards being crowned with eternal riches. When we recognize our position as wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked we are beginning to see the entry way to Salvation. Spiritual bankruptcy moves us to sorrow over our sins.
Those Who Mourn // are comforted
Blessed are those who mourn
for they will be comforted
When you see your self first as spiritual bankrupt, you not only see your need for a Savior, you also so how pitiful you are. If you were to encounter God today, two things would happen. First, you would see how incredibly holy He is. Second, you would become painfully aware of how unholy you are. At least that is how the Bible describes it. In Isaiah six one of the most holy men of the day got to see a vision of the throne. When he realized what he was seeing he cried out, “Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty” (Isaiah 6:5). Then God made a provision for his unholiness. In the same when we begin to see our sinfulness and mourn over it, we will be comforted because God has made a way for our sin to be dealt with. We are comforted because Christ took the discomfort on the cross. He was tortured so that we could be set free. By His wounds we are healed—soul healed.
Peter had a similar experience to Isaiah’s. Jesus entered his boat in Luke chapter 5 and instructed them to let down the nets. There was such a miraculous catch of fish that the boat began to sink. “When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”” (Luke 5:8). But Jesus told him not to be afraid and essentially said, ‘from now on you are going to be like me—you will be a fisher of men.’ Peter was staggered by the authority and holiness of Christ. His initial instinct was, “I am sinful.” We can be sure that if we truly experience the Risen Christ we will be very aware of our sinfulness. And with it there will be mourning. But, Christ promises comfort to those that mourn. If we shed tears of repentance Christ will comfort us with showers of His blessings.
We experience these blessing both now and forever. Those that are mournful of their sinfulness can receive immediate comfort at the cross of Christ. The cross is the place where Christ was punished and cursed for our sin. We go there to remind ourselves, in the words of John Newton, “I am a great sinner, but Christ is a greater savior.” This brings us comfort. But we also look forward to an eternal comfort. One day Christ will come and wipe away every tear and there will be no more death or suffering or mourning. Come Jesus.
The Meek // will inherit the earth
Blessed are the meek
for they will inherit the earth
Meek is a word that has fallen on bad times. We equate meekness with being spineless. We tend to think that what Jesus is teaching is that Christians are to be door mats that the world walks on. In some ways Christians will be walked on through persecution and other forms of mistreatment. However, Jesus is teaching something far greater than simply choosing to be mistreated. To be biblically meek is a desirable thing. At its core, meekness has to do with humility. Meekness is a form of humility that rightly assesses one’s relationship to God and others. Meek people trust that God is sovereign over all. No matter what the circumstance are, the meek declare that God is in control and He is good.
Moses was considered the meekest man alive. He knew that God was in control and that gave Moses an insane amount of bold humility. He was able to look to the best interest of others—even those that had ill-will towards him. He knew that God had his back so he was confident even when things weren’t going well. Do you have that sort of outlook on life? Are you able to say that God is good, and just, and for you? Do you have the ability to say that even if your world is falling down around you? For instance do you know that God is good even if you get a life-threatening disease? Or if you lose a loved one? A meek person is able to handle the realities of life in a fallen world because they see that God is in control. When someone mistreats them they know that vengeance belongs to God (Romans 12:19). In other words, God will settle all accounts in the end so the meek can put aside grudges and trust God’s justice. Does your character reflect meekness?
The meek will inherit the earth. God sees fit to bless those that are gently disposed and trusting in Him, to inherit the earth. While others are jocking for power, prestige, and position, the meek submit to authority (Romans 13). This may appear to have no benefits but in God’s economy the payoff is huge. He will ultimately bless those who entrust their lives and care to Him.
Those Hungry for Righteousness // they get their fill
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness
for they will be filled
When you see yourself as a sinner saved by grace experiencing repentance and forgiveness, you can’t help but crave more. The Christian that has experienced salvation is not satisfied with mediocrity in righteousness. When you taste in see that the Lord is good, you want more. Like a person who has tasted the best steak will quickly bring his friends back and order it again. The same is true with the Christian. They crave more righteousness. They desire more holiness and more of God’s will for their lives. They cannot be satisfied by partial obedience and partial holiness. They want what God wants.
Does this sound like you? Are you striving after God’s desire for your life? Are you pursuing holiness with the same effort that you pursue your other ventures? Is righteousness your constant resolution? The thing that you continually plan for and strive after?
The blessing associated with this heart-attitude is that you get exactly what you want. Those that crave righteousness will get their fill. We must be careful to distinguish that this righteousness is not the same as the Pharisees and teachers of the law. They love to be patted on the back for their do-good-ing. The righteousness that we get as Christian’s, is the righteousness of Christ. The more we hunger and thirst for it, the more we experience it. Do you desire the righteousness of Christ? Do you think about it? Pursue it? Need it?
The Merciful // are shown mercy
Blessed are the merciful
for they will be shown mercy
A Christian is a person that knows that they have received mercy from God. It becomes natural then to extend mercy to others. God promises to continue the cycle by blessing you with mercy. This has been a tough one for me to totally get. For me it is a litmus test that shows how many degrees of religion I am living in. When you are religious you feel that you have earned your spot. So you look at others with contempt and anger. You judge others. You view yourself as better than them.
Christians should be people that are extremely merciful. They should be gracious and kind towards others—even people with severely unchristian attitudes and actions. We each are sinners saved by grace. What is to say that God cannot extend the same supernatural forgiveness to someone else as He did to us? So the person at school that we do not agree with becomes an object of mercy instead of an object of hatred. The person at work that never pulls their load and causes more problems for you becomes a cherished human instead of a dirty pagan. Christian are merciful. The religious are spiteful.
Christians want to see others blessed so they serve and bless. Christians step in to show mercy to others. We look for ways to mercifully minister to others. Whether that is leading a Sunday school class or packaging food for others in need. Christians should be generous with their time, their money, and themselves. God promises to continue to show us mercy when we are merciful to others.
The Pure in Heart // see God
Blessed are the pure in heart
for they will see God
Those that have experienced sorrow over sin, repentance, forgiveness, and righteousness are pure in heart. This is the most exceptional of all the blessings. It is the promise of seeing God. To have God’s face shine on you was a colossal blessing. To see His face was unthinkable. Christ is saying that those who are pure in heart will look on God. The Psalmist rightly contemplates; “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? Who shall stand in his holy place? He whose has clean hands and a pure heart” (Psalm 24:3). When we are saved by faith in Christ we are declared pure. Christ washes us and we have the promise of seeing God.
Here is a good way to know if these blessings are gaining traction in your heart, do you want to see God? Are you beginning to see the magnitude of His beauty and holiness? Do you want to look on Him? Do you hope that one day He will look on you? Blessed are the pure in heart, because one day they will see God.
The Peacemakers // sons of God
Blessed are the peacemakers
for they shall be called sons of God
Peacemaker is a character trait of God Himself. He is making peace with rebels like you and I through the cross of Christ. Now the person who has participated in Salvation begins to take on the Character of God. Blessed are those who make peace. Essentially the Christian is able to step into situations and diffuse hostility. First, they are concerned with drawing other rebels into peaceful terms with the King. Christians tell others of the incredible offer and provision that King Jesus has made. They show others the Gospel by talking about it and living it. They care for the eternal wellbeing of their friends so they share the peace that has been made through Jesus.
On another level, Christians make peace with others. A Christian cannot live at odds with others and feel the smile of God. Christians are motivated to forgive others as Christ has forgiven them. They also are quick to see that the flaws of others are very similar to their own flaws. So they are more charitable when people let them down. They make peace not war with people. So they are called children of God.
Finally, Christians make peace between people. A Christian makes peace by stepping into relationships and mediating. A Christian is not comfortable with standing far off and watching friendships dissolve and marriages explode. Christians are compelled to love others and help others. They are able to make peace as they point people to forgiveness and reconciliation. Ultimately, the Christian points people to Christ who is the Prince of Peace. Christ is the Great remedy. Therefore, the Christian leads others to Him.
Are you characteristically a peacemaker? Do you love and desire peace for others?
The Persecuted // theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
If you have tracked with me this far, you have seen that the Christian Life operates on a different plane from the world. In some ways the Christian Life is a blessing to the world as people begin to realize and live the way that God created them to. This can bring harmony. But, the Christian life also brings discord. The blessed ones—Christians—are so different from others that they are offensive. Righteousness rubs the wicked wrong. Jesus was murdered because of His otherness. He was so uniquely different and righteous that the religious leaders couldn’t stand Him.
In the same way Christians will be hated for their righteousness. It is part and parcel of kingdom life. This is not our home. We are not to be at total rest as we walk through this sin-marked land. There will be times when we will be misunderstood and mistreated on account of righteousness. At that point we have to trust that God is good and we will be rewarded. Never lose sight that God will one day grant you an eternal inheritance that will far outweigh your present suffering (Romans 8:18).
The Blessed Ones //
Jesus is offering you this incredible blessing. He is declaring blessing not on the religiously superior, but on the lowly, despised, and mistreated. He is offering you a position in His kingdom and calling you to the Christian Life. Are you willing to submit to His salvation, His Kingship, and His ways? The key to this life is to respond to the Great Preacher giving this message. The One who is declaring the blessings is the One with authority to give them. He now freely extends them to you, are you ready for the Christian Life?
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