Sermon on the mount -Summary of the Beatitudes Part 5.2 (Matthew 5:7-11)
v.7 Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy; The Lord is our Shepherd, and He leads us on into the area of forgiveness. He showed us how it is done and now expects us to give it in the same way. We must show that same mercy to others especially the poor! In everyday terms this means dealing with offences, resentments, and even full-blown hate. Hurt produces anger and then resentment manifesting in grudges and thought and/or acts of hatred. Mercy costs us the sinful fleshly pleasure of revenge. The seeds of resentment will produce a bitter harvest in our lives. resentment is like an addictive drug...
We must sow mercy and forgiveness and then the world will see Christ in us because it knows the thrill of revenge.
v.8 Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God: We must lift clean hands to God flowing out from a pure heart. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks! Create in me a clean heart O God. We must purify our hearts by washing with the Word of God, which is sharper than a two-edged sword' piercing even to the division of the soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Hebrews 4:12.). We need to bring all our ugliness, prejudices, mental barriers and even our very motives to God having the removed and replaced by that which is truth. As our hearts are purified so the desire to see God grows. The Lord can only be revealed to those whose hearts are pure as only they have the correct motives and perspective to see Him. To see His hand, the finger of God moving, to see His MO [1] to see His motive and it is always agape Love.
As we allow our hearts to be purified our motives will become godly and will see God in others, in situations in our own lives and of course eventually we will see Him face to face.
v.9 Blessed are the peace makers for they shall be called the sons of God. The Son of God came to reconcile sinful man to a Holy God, He is the ultimate peace maker giving us peace with God and the peace of God. As we are purified so we become peaceable towards men and the desire to witness and evangelise grows i.e. to preach the gospel of peace. Like Father like Son, and hence like sons.
We must bring the peace of God to the unbelieving out of a pure heart, with correct motives and a lifestyle which is above reproach.
v.10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. All that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution! I call it 'negative confirmation ' that you are in the will of God! It seems that every step of faith we take in God that there is a persecution raised by the enemy.
Remember Nehemiah, at first, they mocked and then progressed through various steps to threatening to murder him. (Nehemiah is a good study in which to see Satan's strategy of discouragement of believers).
As we step out into God's plan, we will consider ourselves as blessed (and not be discouraged) in that we have been considered worthy to be persecuted for Jesus’ sake.
v.11 Blessed are you when men cast insults at you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsely on account of Me... Bible-bashers, Jesus freaks, God-squad, nutters and worse, if you have or are being called such, rejoice Jesus says you are blessed. Do you believe Him? We are called to make up or share in the sufferings of Christ, who for the joy that was set before Him endured death, even death on the cross. Not just insults but nails and death.
We must consider ourselves blessed as the inevitable persecutions come forth and be of the same mind as Christ.
Summary
Consider the stepwise order of the Beatitudes (using the example of the salvation process).
Only the admission of our poverty in spirit to God can enable Him to breathe His life into us.
When we reach the point of mourning over our sins God can do something with us.
God begins to work in us producing meekness and humility.
Meekness with humility removes paralysing fear from us and produces courage in us to go and possess the land, to begin to fulfil all our destiny in Christ.
We no longer try to do things in our own strength. Our tastes and likes to begin to change.
God begins to fill us with a hunger and thirst for His things. We begin to hunger for His Word and to thirst for God’s presence. We also begin to long for the things that God longs for.
As we allow our hearts to be purified our motives will become godlier and will begin to see God in others and in situations in our own lives.
Having received the peace of God, we must bring it to the unbelieving out of a pure heart, with correct motives and a lifestyle which is above reproach.
We must consider ourselves blessed as the inevitable persecutions come forth and be of the same mind as Christ and remember to rejoice and not be discouraged.
Amen
Further study
Consider the Beatitudes in the book of Nehemiah.
Consider the Beatitudes in an area of your life.
Convert the beatitudes into a prayer for your own and others growth in discipleship.
Prayer
Lord, we come to you in Jesus’ name, confessing our poverty and inability to do anything for you in your kingdom. We realise that we are weak and sinful people and are fed up with our powerlessness. Lord, as we mourn over our sins, forgive, and cleanse us and produce meekness and humility in our lives. Free us from paralysing fear and enable and empower us to possess the land and fulfil all our destiny in Christ. Take away the desire to do things in our own strength but rather fill us with a hunger and thirst for you and your things. Let us be a people like David, men, and women after your own heart. Purify our hearts, motives, and lives that we might begin to see you and bring the unbelievers to your wonderful salvation. Cause us to rejoice and consider ourselves blessed when the inevitable persecution and reviling comes. For Jesus’ sake. Amen.
Further revelation; could it be that the step wise progression of the beatitudes are mirrored in reverse with the wicked, so that they end up becoming the persecutors? Check it out!
[1] Modus operandi i.e. his way of doing things.
Comments