I wonder did you see or hear all the discussion on Australia Day about what it means to be Australian. We have a quite a few people here who didn’t grow up in Australia. I wonder what they think it is that makes up the Australian Character? You might like to ask them later over lunch. It’s interesting to think about what makes Australians different from those who grew up in other places - Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa. But we’re not going to do that today. We’re going to think about what makes us different as members of the Kingdom of Heaven. Here in Matthew 5 Jesus outlines the sorts of characteristics that are to be found among those who are members of God’s Kingdom.
But first notice the setting. At the end of ch 4 we have a picture of large crowds coming out to hear Jesus and to be healed by him. He’s surrounded by these people. Ministry opportunities everywhere. But then in ch 5, Matthew tells us that when he saw the large crowds he withdrew to the top of a mountain and his disciples came to him. That begs the question, doesn’t it, why does Jesus leave centre stage and withdraw with just his disciples? Why give up the opportunity presented by this huge crowd and limit himself to a few disciples? Well, the answer is that he isn’t on about the centre stage. He’s come to prepare a people to live in God’s kingdom. He knows that this small group of disciples are capable of changing the world if they get their lives on track.
So Jesus withdraws, just far enough away that only those who really want to hear what he has to say will follow. Matthew points out that he goes up a mountain because he wants us to recall Moses going up Mt Sinai to receive the law. The law taught the people of Israel how to live and now Jesus is teaching his disciples how to live.
So Jesus begins to teach them not just how to live if you belong to the kingdom of heaven; but in fact the sorts of lives that become possible as the kingdom of heaven breaks in.
Well the passage we’re looking at today sets the ground work for how to live in God’s kingdom. I’ve divided this into 2 sections: “The Benefits of the Kingdom” and “The Behaviour of the Kingdom.”
1 The Benefits of the Kingdom
Vs 3-6 outline for us the benefits of being in the kingdom. Here we find the kinds of people that the Kingdom of heaven is for.
First of all there are the poor in spirit. Theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. So who are the poor in spirit? Let me suggest that they’re those, first of all, who are poor and are weighed down by it. Notice he isn’t saying there’s something intrinsically good about being poor. He isn’t talking about those who choose a simple lifestyle because they think it brings them closer to God. These are those who are brought low by their circumstances. This includes those who suffer from depression, those who feel like failures, those who don't have the spirit to do the sorts of things that the rest of the sermon on the mount calls for. And what does he say about such people? Theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven! Isn’t it interesting that Jesus begins this list of blessings with this ultimate statement of the grace of the gospel. Those who feel like they’re failures, who are weighed down by circumstances, who are powerless to help themselves, are the very people who belong in the Kingdom of heaven. If you asked a non-Christian what they’d say to God when they get to heaven, they’d most probably say something like this: “I’ve been a good person. I’ve done the right thing. I’ve always tried to please God.” But notice that that’s not the sort of person that the Kingdom of Heaven is for. The Kingdom of Heaven is for the poor in spirit: those who are failures, those who can do nothing else but cry to God for mercy.
And it’s also for those who mourn. Why? Because they will be comforted. Just as the poor in spirit are welcomed into God’s kingdom, those who mourn can expect God’s comfort.
Well, who are those who mourn? You know people mourn for many different reasons. We mourn the loss of loved ones. That’s obvious. But we mourn other things as well. There are probably some here who are mourning the loss of youth. That’s how I feel whenever I go to the gym these days and realise how much harder it is to lift weights or bend my knees. Others mourn the state of the world: with good cause. Some mourn the state of the human heart, others the state of their own heart. In Jesus’ day the Jews mourned the state of their nation, their subjection to Rome. In some parts of the world today Christians mourn for the suffering caused by persecution. But what do you do when you’re mourning something? Who or what do you turn to? Jesus is saying here, turn to God. Look to his kingdom, because that’s where you’ll find true comfort. Comfort because you know that Christ has overcome death. Comfort because you know that God has promised you a new body that will never wear out, a new heaven and a new earth, where Christ will reign in peace and justice. Comfort because even though your heart may be tainted by sin, Christ has removed that taint through his death on the cross. Comfort because you know that even if you’re suffering here on Christ’s behalf, he has a great reward stored up for you in the Father’s presence for all eternity.
Next he says “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” The meek are those who refuse to put themselves forward, who make no claims for themselves. In the Greek, the word didn’t necessarily imply weakness. Rather it implied a voluntary submission to someone else’s authority. It was used for instance of a well trained war-horse, strong, yet completely under the control of its rider.
This is the opposite of what we think makes for success isn’t it? These days we teach kids to be assertive. We teach them how to write a CV that presents themselves in the best possible light. These days if you want to get on you have to put yourself forward, because no-one else will. But that’s not how God’s kingdom operates. In the Kingdom of Heaven, God looks at our hearts. He values humility and meekness above assertiveness. He wants people who are like Jesus Christ who humbled himself on our behalf. And he promises that those who have a meek heart will be given the earth. That is we’ll rule the earth alongside Jesus himself.
Finally in this section, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled. This is similar to those who mourn. There may be several reasons why you’d hunger and thirst for righteousness. It certainly isn’t hard to develop such a hunger when you look around at the world today. Countries run by corrupt dictators. The rich getting richer at the expense of the poor. Young people getting hooked on drugs. Violence on our streets. We long to see injustice wiped out, the guilty brought to account. What about in our own lives? Do you hunger to do what’s right, yet find yourself struggling to do so? Well, in God’s Kingdom we’ll find both those hungers satisfied. We’ll find the guilty brought to account in the end, and in the meantime we’ll be given help to do what’s right.
But at the same time, this is also a word of grace. The real righteousness that the Kingdom will give us is a righteousness by faith in Jesus Christ, a righteousness based solely on what he’s done. The righteous acts we’ll do, the righteous living we seek to have, will come about because God enables it, because his Spirit empowers us in our daily living. The sort of behaviour we’re about to look at, and the sort of behaviour that the rest of the Sermon on the Mount directs us to is only possible because God’s Holy Spirit dwells within us changing us from the inside out.
2 The Behaviour of the Kingdom
Well, if those are the benefits of the Kingdom, what’s the sort of conduct that fits in the kingdom, that is, what is the Behaviour of the Kingdom?
V7: Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. The first four blessings have spoken of God’s mercy for the helpless, but now the shoe’s on the other foot, or to suit this time of year: the ball is in our court. How are we to respond to the demands of the Kingdom? There are 2 ways that you could respond. Some people respond by a rigid demand for righteousness. They say, look at how Jesus told you to live. You’d better keep up to that standard or you’re in big trouble. On the other hand, the word of the gospel is a word of mercy. Jesus teaches this over and over again: in 7:1,2 where he tells us not to judge; in his teaching on the Lord’s prayer in ch7 where he tells us we have to forgive others if we want God’s forgiveness, and in his parable of the unforgiving servant in 18:21-35. If we want to receive mercy the onus is on us to show the same mercy to others. So how are we going to respond to those in our midst who have broken God’s law. It seems to me that this is where the gospel rubber hits the road. It’s easy to love the lovable but can we show mercy to the unrighteous sinner who comes to us with repentance and remorse?
V8: Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. We know, don’t we that it’s only the pure in heart who can come into God’s presence and live. So how do we become pure of heart? Well, again, by the purifying work of the Holy Spirit. Yet at the same time there’s an implication here of a responsibility on our part to purify our lives. To allow the Spirit to work, if you like. That is, this is both a gift and a struggle. We’re called to be pure and at the same time are enabled to be pure.
And the wonderful thing is that as we allow this to happen we actually experience God’s presence with us. In that sense we see God at work within us. And as we live among others of the Kingdom we see God at work in them.
V9: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. The peacemakers in Scripture are those who make something whole, who bring about a balance of relationships, where all parts hold together in harmony. You might picture it as someone who stands at the hub of a circle with the community on the perimeter, holding all the relationships together. So the peacemaker, first and foremost is a reconciler. Someone who is able to break down conflict and bring people together. This is something we should all be aiming for as God’s people. And do you see why? Because such people are described as children of God. You see, God is a peacemaker. The reason he sent Jesus was to bring peace, reconciliation between himself and us.
Finally, V10: Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. This final blessing is something of a summing up of the previous 7. It has elements of both benefit and behaviour. Those who do the right thing won’t always be rewarded by this world, particularly if what they’re doing has to do with the righteousness of the gospel. As Jesus told his disciples sometime later, if they hated Jesus, they’ll also hate us. But even as we’re experiencing this opposition we can rejoice because there is a reward stored up for us in the Kingdom of Heaven.
So can you see how these blessings have gone full circle, from the grace of God seen in the blessing on those who are powerless, weighed down, sorrowing, hungry for justice, to the expectations of kingdom living in the blessings on those who live righteous lives, lives of mercy and purity and peacemaking, now back to God’s gracious promise of vindication for those whose lives of righteousness receive the unjust reward in this life of opposition and persecution.
Can you also see that the blessings Jesus pronounces have a universal application. Everyone in this room, everyone in the world, I guess, can relate in one way or another to the experiences outlined in the first 4 blessings. Anyone can come to Jesus and be enabled to live the sorts of lives expressed in the next 3 blessings. All can expect to meet opposition if they faithfully follow Jesus, but equally all can look forward to the reward he promises of eternal life with the Father in heaven if their faith is in Jesus Christ.
Are you a disciple of Jesus? Are you a citizen of the Kingdom of heaven, a subject of God the King? Are these your experiences? If so ask God to comfort and strengthen you. Is this your way of life? If not ask God to help you live this way. Let’s pray that each one of us would experience these blessings of the Kingdom in our lives each and every day.
For more sermons from this source go to http://www.stthomasburwood.org.au
