The Beatitutdes
While I have been managing the fitness center here at TMC, I have been able to start looking at the Sermon on the Mount--the greatest sermon of all time. This sermon, of course, starts wth what are called the Beatitudes. I actually still don't know what that words means, but since it's not in the text I have not worried about it too much.
Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones says that the Sermon on the Mount, especially the Beatitudes shows how Christians should be radically different from the unsaved. As I have studied these virtues, I have seen how Jesus' teaching is opposed to the philosophies of the world. I have also been blown away by the awesome promises Jesus offers.
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
Someone who is poor in spirit has an accurate view of God and himself. He sees God as holy and righteous and himself as filthly and a sinner. The poor in spirit man is exemplified in Luke 18:13, where the tax collector beat his breast and said, "God, be merciful to me a sinner." Jesus offers the wonderful news of the kingdom of heaven to those that are poor in spirit. Like many of these promises, this one has both present and future aspects. John MacArthur points out that "the truth of salvation is clearly presupposed in this opening verse of the Sermon on the Mount." I was also amazed to see how the gospel is present in so many of these statements.
"Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted."
We live in a sinful world. We are sinful people surrounded by other sinful people. This should cause us to mourn. We should mourn over sin. We should mourn over our own sin; we should mourn over the sin around us. And this is not just pointless sorrow. 2 Cor 7:10 tells us that true, godly sorrow should lead to repentance. This kind of mourning will inevitably change us. If we are truly mourning over the sins we commit, we will be less likely to commit them. If sin makes us sorrowful, then we will be less likely to laugh at a crude joke or be enticed by sinful advertisements. Jesus says that those that mourn in this way will be comforted! How sweet this comfort is! Now we know that we are forgiven through Jesus, and we rest assured that someday God will wipe away every tear from our eyes. (Rev. 21:4)
"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."
Psalm 37:11 helps us to understand the meek by contrasting them with the wicked. Meekness is strength under control--supreme self-control. The meek person does not seek his own or use people simply for his own gain. The world says that this is a dog-eat-dog world where only the strong survive. However, Jesus says that the meek will inherit the earth. We must trust the Lord and live with meekness, trusting that he is in control.
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled."
Hunger and thirst are intense desires. Think about it. You cannot live without food or water. If you try to, you will soon experience the extreme feelings of hunger and thirst. Do we long for righteousness like this? Do we desire righteousness in our own lives like we do for a drink of water after a long hike on a summer's day? Do we desire righteousness in our world? If we do, there is good news! We shall be filled! God promises to make believers righteous. We can look forward to a lifetime of growing in righteousness and then to an eternity of perfection!
"Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy."
This attribute and promise are very closely related. Those that have been forgiven will forgive. Those that have received mercy will show it. We should be forgiving people as Christians. We should not bear grudges. We should delight in showing mercy to the helpless, the poor, the orphans, and the widows because the Lord helped us when we were helpless.
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."
This idea of a pure heart is mentioned in the Psalms. Psalm 24 says, "Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully." A pure heart is connected with clean hands, truth, and sole devotion to the Lord. This statement is also clearly pointed at the heart in contrast to the external emphasis of Jesus' day. And the pure in heart will ascend into the the hill of the Lord; we will see him in the glory of heaven.
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."
Understanding the promise here is crucial to understanding peacemaking. What does it mean to be called sons of God here? Is this in the adoptive/joint heirs sense? I don't think that is the point here. Verses 44-45 of chapter 5 clarifies. Jesus says to love your enemies so you will be called sons of God, for he makes the sun to rise and the rain to fall on both the evil and the good. Being called sons of God here means that we are acting like God in the way that a son emulates his father! God is the ultimate peacemaker. When we were his enemies, he loved us. He took initiative and made peace with us through Jesus. (Rom 5:1) We need to follow his example.
"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
This verse provides an outline for the two that follow and also discuss persecution. First we look at the facts of persecution and then on our focus through persecution. Christians will be persecuted, and this persecution will only get worse. (2 Tim 3:12) Also, this persecution will be unjust. It will be false and evil. However, we must make sure that we are being persecuted for the right reasons. Peter says, "But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people's matters." There is a big difference between suffering for being passionate about the Lord and suffering for being a jerk. We need to make sure we are being persecuted for his sake. Our focus through persecution must be on the promise Jesus makes in this passage. We must focus on our future in heaven. If we are going to be willing to let this mortal life go and suffer persecution, we must step onto liquid, live by faith, and hope for heaven.
That's all for now on the Sermon on the Mount. I'm sure I'll be talking more about it in later posts. My parents get back in from South Africa this afternoon, and I guess you could say I'm psyched out of my mind about it. So until next time, praise God for the weather.
Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones says that the Sermon on the Mount, especially the Beatitudes shows how Christians should be radically different from the unsaved. As I have studied these virtues, I have seen how Jesus' teaching is opposed to the philosophies of the world. I have also been blown away by the awesome promises Jesus offers.
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
Someone who is poor in spirit has an accurate view of God and himself. He sees God as holy and righteous and himself as filthly and a sinner. The poor in spirit man is exemplified in Luke 18:13, where the tax collector beat his breast and said, "God, be merciful to me a sinner." Jesus offers the wonderful news of the kingdom of heaven to those that are poor in spirit. Like many of these promises, this one has both present and future aspects. John MacArthur points out that "the truth of salvation is clearly presupposed in this opening verse of the Sermon on the Mount." I was also amazed to see how the gospel is present in so many of these statements.
"Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted."
We live in a sinful world. We are sinful people surrounded by other sinful people. This should cause us to mourn. We should mourn over sin. We should mourn over our own sin; we should mourn over the sin around us. And this is not just pointless sorrow. 2 Cor 7:10 tells us that true, godly sorrow should lead to repentance. This kind of mourning will inevitably change us. If we are truly mourning over the sins we commit, we will be less likely to commit them. If sin makes us sorrowful, then we will be less likely to laugh at a crude joke or be enticed by sinful advertisements. Jesus says that those that mourn in this way will be comforted! How sweet this comfort is! Now we know that we are forgiven through Jesus, and we rest assured that someday God will wipe away every tear from our eyes. (Rev. 21:4)
"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."
Psalm 37:11 helps us to understand the meek by contrasting them with the wicked. Meekness is strength under control--supreme self-control. The meek person does not seek his own or use people simply for his own gain. The world says that this is a dog-eat-dog world where only the strong survive. However, Jesus says that the meek will inherit the earth. We must trust the Lord and live with meekness, trusting that he is in control.
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled."
Hunger and thirst are intense desires. Think about it. You cannot live without food or water. If you try to, you will soon experience the extreme feelings of hunger and thirst. Do we long for righteousness like this? Do we desire righteousness in our own lives like we do for a drink of water after a long hike on a summer's day? Do we desire righteousness in our world? If we do, there is good news! We shall be filled! God promises to make believers righteous. We can look forward to a lifetime of growing in righteousness and then to an eternity of perfection!
"Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy."
This attribute and promise are very closely related. Those that have been forgiven will forgive. Those that have received mercy will show it. We should be forgiving people as Christians. We should not bear grudges. We should delight in showing mercy to the helpless, the poor, the orphans, and the widows because the Lord helped us when we were helpless.
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."
This idea of a pure heart is mentioned in the Psalms. Psalm 24 says, "Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully." A pure heart is connected with clean hands, truth, and sole devotion to the Lord. This statement is also clearly pointed at the heart in contrast to the external emphasis of Jesus' day. And the pure in heart will ascend into the the hill of the Lord; we will see him in the glory of heaven.
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."
Understanding the promise here is crucial to understanding peacemaking. What does it mean to be called sons of God here? Is this in the adoptive/joint heirs sense? I don't think that is the point here. Verses 44-45 of chapter 5 clarifies. Jesus says to love your enemies so you will be called sons of God, for he makes the sun to rise and the rain to fall on both the evil and the good. Being called sons of God here means that we are acting like God in the way that a son emulates his father! God is the ultimate peacemaker. When we were his enemies, he loved us. He took initiative and made peace with us through Jesus. (Rom 5:1) We need to follow his example.
"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
This verse provides an outline for the two that follow and also discuss persecution. First we look at the facts of persecution and then on our focus through persecution. Christians will be persecuted, and this persecution will only get worse. (2 Tim 3:12) Also, this persecution will be unjust. It will be false and evil. However, we must make sure that we are being persecuted for the right reasons. Peter says, "But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people's matters." There is a big difference between suffering for being passionate about the Lord and suffering for being a jerk. We need to make sure we are being persecuted for his sake. Our focus through persecution must be on the promise Jesus makes in this passage. We must focus on our future in heaven. If we are going to be willing to let this mortal life go and suffer persecution, we must step onto liquid, live by faith, and hope for heaven.
That's all for now on the Sermon on the Mount. I'm sure I'll be talking more about it in later posts. My parents get back in from South Africa this afternoon, and I guess you could say I'm psyched out of my mind about it. So until next time, praise God for the weather.
posted by Ben Blakey at 8:17 AM
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