“The Beatitudes of Jesus” Part 1

I. The Sermon on the Mount Matthew 5:1-12 A.Is a revelation of Jesus Christ’s deity 1. By the location of the sermon (a mountain top 2. By His words (“Ye have heard it said…but I say to you”) B.Is for Disciples (born again Christians) of Jesus Christ. C.Is difficult to keep for believers, but impossible for unbelievers.

The Sermon on the Mount In the order of chronological events the sermon follows immediately after Jesus’ 40-day fast and temptation in the wilderness, His baptism by John in the Jordan River, the calling of the 12 Disciples, His multiple healings, and His Galilean ministry. Matt. 4:17 says that “From that time Jesus began to preach and say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”

Three Truths Needed to Understand the Beatitudes 1.The Sermon on the Mount is a revelation of Jesus Christ’s deity. Jesus says, “You have heard it said”—referring back to the statutes of the Old Covenant—”But I say to you.” Jesus is here going beneath surface of the law and giving the true intent. “You’ve heard it said, ‘Thou shalt not commit adultery,’” He will say in 5:27-28, “but if you’ve lusted after a woman to have her sexually you are just as guilty of adultery as if you had physically been with her.”

Three Truths Needed to Understand the Beatitudes 2.The Sermon on the Mount is for Disciples—believers. Matt. 5:1-2 “And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain; and when he was set, his disciples came unto him. And he opened his mouth, and taught them saying.. Christ is teaching how Christians ought to be, the character they ought to have, the outward walk, and the inward habit of mind.

Three Truths Needed to Understand the Beatitudes 3.The Principles of the Sermon on the Mount are difficult enough to practice as a believer with the indwelling Holy Spirit sanctifying and renovating our old, sinful hearts, but they are impossible to keep if you are not regenerate. It is meant to hold up a spiritual mirror to our moral inadequacy to show us how spiritually bankrupt we are apart from grace and to drive us to Christ and the Cross.

The Beatitudes Are Called “The Keys to Happiness & Joy” They ought to represent the character of each Christian with lifestyle evidence. They can be divided into two categories: –The 1 st Four-”Preparation of our Character Toward God.” –The 2 nd Four-”Presentation of our Character Toward Others.”

1 st Four—”Preparation of our Character Toward God.” 1.“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The Greek word for “blessed” is makarios. It has a wider definition than just meaning happy or content. It literally means one who, by adopting the particular beatitude, will externally be the recipient of God’s favor, and internally experience joy, peace, and tranquility. There becomes an internal joy which is unaffected by outward circumstances.

1. “Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit..” Refers to being poor in the sight of God. In other words spiritually bankrupt. Luke 18:9-14 shares with us a story of a spiritually bankrupt tax collector. The tax collector knew he couldn’t save himself, so he called upon the name of the Lord. Pride can keep a person from realizing their need of the Lord. Only those people truly sorry for their sins will make it into the presence of the Lord.

2. “Blessed are those who mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are those who mourn refers to being broken-hearted because of the sin committed toward God. The Psalmist David was well aware of his sin towards God---adultery and murder. He had a truly repentant heart. Listen to the mourning of his heart as he prays to God in Psalm 51:1-12. Therefore, God in His own supernatural, mysterious and wonderful way will forgive and bring spiritual comfort to whose truly repentant.

3. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” Jesus uses the Greek word praus here. Aristotle believed meekness was a virtue which existed as a mean, or middle, between two extremes. It meant the right action, at the right time, for the right amount of time. Praus was also used to designate animals that had been domesticated. Thus, we could replace the word “meek” with the word “gentle” here—as in gentlemen and gentlewomen.

4. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” Hungering and thirsting for righteousness means desiring more than anything the things of God. In fact, you can’t do without it. The Homiletic Commentary states, “Hunger and thirst are healthy appetites, which bring joy and satisfaction when they are met, but they are torments, tortures, if they are not satisfied.”

A Person Who Hungers and Thirsts for God Will never be satisfied with…. –Only going to church on Sunday—they need weekly Bible study and times of prayer. –Reading their Bible when they get in the mood—they need to do their daily devotions. –Become involved Kingdom work only if it is convenient—they only feel fulfilled when they are going about doing God’s work.

A Review of the First Four 1.The poor in spirit—those who recognzie their own spiritual inadequacy. 2.They that mourn—Those that grieve over 1)their own sin 2)The wickedness and suffering of the world 3) their own losses. 3.The Meek---Those that are “gentle”. 4.Those that hunger and thirst after righteousness (a focused, passionate yearning for what is right; a strong, singular desire for what pleases God.

Remember when Jesus gave these instructional beatitudes they were given to be evident in the life of every Christian and the first four represent the preparation of our character toward God.

Questions to Ask Yourself Am I poor in spirit—recognizing my absolute need of Christ? Do I mourn---truly sorry for my sin and thankful for God’s salvation? Am I meek---understanding who I am in sight of God and how to properly treat others? Do I hunger and thirst for righteousness—just can’t get enough of God?