“THE “BE”-ATTITUDES”
“The Righteousness of the Kingdom of Heaven”
Mt. 5:1-12
Fr. Christopher M. Nerreau
Introduction: (READ PASSAGE)
• In our gospel reading today we arrive at Jesus Sermon on the Mount. In this sermon Christ goes after the heart of man, taking us ever deeper into the spiritual meaning of kingdom citizenship.
• I find this passage nicely ties together both today’s feast (All Saints) and today’s baptism.
• The Feast: All Saints, remembering the wonderful example of men and woman known and unknown, who’s devotion to Christ emulates His teachings.
• Baptism: Today we celebrate the baptism and Chrismation of Adrienne Lois Phillips. Baptism is where the pursuit of the Kingdom of Heaven begins.
• In these two images we see both the potential of the Christian life and its origin.
Proposition: Jesus introduces the kind of life those who seek the Kingdom of God should lead.
Interrogative sentence: Today do you seek to live a life that pursues the Kingdom of God?
Sermon Preview: Jesus shows us what this life is by revealing three qualities that can be found in the life of those pursuing the Kingdom of God:
1. The Quality Of Penitence
2. The Quality Of Purity
3. The Quality Of Perseverance
Transitional Sentence: Let us begin firstly by looking at…
I. THE QUALITY OF PENITENCE (v. 3-4)
Explanation: Jesus begins by showing us that pursuing the kingdom of God is a blessing.
• The word “blessed” (Gk. ìáêÜñéïò ) expresses spiritual exaltation and not earthly happiness.
• Firstly, we see that the blessings of heaven begin with a Penitent heart.
THE BIBLE SAYS – Mt 5:3-4 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
A. Poor In Spirit – Theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
o To be poor in Spirit is to understand one’s spiritual condition. The poor in Spirit are those who recognize their spiritual bankruptcy and have a penitent / broken heart before God.
o Poverty of Spirit teaches us that our lives are wholly dependent upon the sustenance of God’s mercy.
o Jesus teaches that the kingdom of heaven belongs to those who know who they are and understand their dependence upon God’s mercy.
B. Those Who Mourn – Shall be comforted.
• Understanding one’s own poverty, and the brokenness of the world around them, mourn this condition.
o THE BIBLE SAYS – “a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise”
APPLICATION
• Seeking of the Kingdom of Heaven begins with a penitent heart. We not only have poverty of Spirit but also a mourning of the spiritual condition of this world and ourselves as we live in it.
• A Penitent heart has eyes to see: 1. Sorrow over the sufferings of this life (Mt 9:23) 2. The suffering of others (Jn 11: 35). The state of this world (Lk 19:41) 4. And our own sinfulness. (Lk 7:36-38)
II. THE QUALITY OF PURITY (v. 5-9)
Explanation: The life pursuing the Kingdom of Heaven moves from Penitence to Purity.
THE BIBLE SAYS – “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
The Meek – inherit the Earth
• Meekness learning to be content with both honor and dishonor.
• Meek have mastery over their passions, especially anger.
• Meekness is not passive weakness, but strength under control.
• The Earth that will be inherited is the New Earth – (Rev. 21:1)
Hunger and Thirst Righteousness – Will be filled
• See the presence of God and His Kingdom as the most important thing in life.
• A Love and craving for what is good, holy and Right.
• These will be filled as the hungry person is filled with a good meal. They that seek this righteousness will one day experience it in its fullness.
The Merciful – Will Be Shown Mercy
• (Taking on the sufferings of others as our own) Mercy is love set in motion, expressed in action.
• God’s mercy takes on our suffering and so we take on the sufferings of others.
• “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive” – If we are not merciful toward others how can we expect the mercy of God for ourselves?
Pure In Heart – Will See God
• Pure means unmixed with anything else. Complete devotion to worship and service of God. This happens with the aid of the Holy Spirit.
• Avoiding evil, loving goodness, not compromising.
• When the souls only desire is God and a person’s will holds to this desire, then that person will indeed SEE GOD EVERYWHERE.
Peacemakers – Called Sons of God
• By Peacemakers Jesus is not referring to “tie-dye shirts” and “Woodstock”, peacemakers are interested in reconciling humanity to God (2 Cor. 5:19)
• Peacemakers share God’s peace with those around them, imitating Christ’s sacrificial love and participating in His work.
• By God’s grace, peacemakers become Sons of God.
Application:
• Seeking the Kingdom of Heaven begins with a Penitent heart but we do not stop there our response to God’s mercy should drive us to a life of purity.
• This life of purity is an active love of God which overflows into love for others.
• Christ has called us not just to lives of mourning but of action, action rooted in love for God and each other. (Luke 10:27)
Transitional Sentence: Finally, in Jesus sermon we see that to pursue the kingdom of heaven requires penance and purity but it also requires …
III. THE QUALITY OF PERSEVERANCE (v. 10-12)
Explanation: It is important to understand that a life pursuing the Kingdom of Heaven will require perseverance.
THE BIBLE SAYS – (v.10-12) “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Persecuted Because Of Righteousness
• Children of God uphold truth, refuse to compromise with the ways of the world and give themselves to no other. (6:24,33 ; 1 Cor. 6:19-20)
• Like Jesus, these people will be persecuted for righteousness sake (John 15:18-20).
• Christ’s kingdom is the crown awaiting those who persevere in this persecution.
Persecution in several ways
• Insults – Cursing, hating, despising you because you reveal deficiency in them.
• False Accusations – Rather than facing up to sin, falsely accuse the righteous.
• Say Evil Of You – Spread rumors of evil to distort righteous acts.
Rejoice – Great is your Reward
• Literally means – “to leap exceedingly with joy.”
• Celebrate the persecution as a sign you are living a Godly life.
CONCLUSION
Restate Proposition: Jesus introduces the kind of life those who seek the Kingdom of God should lead.
Restate Main Points: In His sermon Jesus reveals three qualities that can be found in the life of those pursuing the Kingdom of God:
1. The Quality Of Penitence
2. The Quality Of Purity
3. The Quality Of Perseverance
As we began today I told you that this passage nicely tied both All Saints and our Baptism together nicely.
The reason I said this is:
• The Saints are an example of this life lived out
• The baptism is where this life begins
Baptism – In baptism the heart is changed and the kingdom of heaven is placed inside of us.
• Jesus said – You cannot see the Kingdom of Heaven unless you are born of the water and the spirit.
• Today we will baptize Adrienne with water and Chrismate her with the Spirit of God.
• In this sense the journey has begun, a pursuit of the Kingdom of Heaven.
• For truly the entire Christian life is the pursuit to live out the fullness of the life imparted to us in our own baptism and Chrismation.
Amen.
