“Developing Our Attitudes”
Mountaintop Experiences
Text: Matthew 5:1-12
I. Welcome
II. Introduction
Last Sunday we kicked off this year’s theme of developing our core with seven things everyone can and should do more in 2014: to pray, study, meditate, worship, work, give and forgive more. As I considered where to start our development, I was reminded of Proverbs 23:7 – For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. This morning I want us to start with the conditioning of our hearts and I’ve chosen to do this with another of our mountain top experiences. We’ve had five from the Old Testament: Noah on the mountains of Ararat; Abraham on Mount Moriah; Moses on Mt. Sinai; Deborah on Mount Tabor; and Elijah on Mount Carmel. We had one from the New Testament on the Mount of Transfiguration. But, this morning, I want us to go back to near the beginning of our Lord’s ministry at the Mount of the Beatitudes or the Sermon on the Mount. We don’t know exactly where this was located but it was surely near the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee and Capernaum based on Matthew 8:5. I hope you’ll open your Bibles to Matthew 5:1ff. as we discuss “Developing Our Attitudes” starting with the beatitudes. As always, we plead with you to be like the Bereans in Acts 17:11 and search the scriptures daily to make sure we’re preaching the truth.
III. Lesson
Jesus had formally begun His earthly ministry after His baptism and temptation in the wilderness in Matthew 4:17 where we read: From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Then, in verse 23 of this same chapter, Matthew states that Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus will describe the citizens of His kingdom beginning with some basic attitudes. So let’s begin with the first one in Matthew 5:3 – “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Blessings accrue to an individual based on God’s gracious response to our condition. In this case, the poor in spirit are those who recognize their spiritual poverty and their dependency on God’s remedies. The Greek word for “poor” in this first beatitude comes from a verb meaning “to crouch” & thus the word describes a beggar – without anything and dependent on others for their survival. Let’s go to Isaiah 66:2 where we read, “For all those things My hand has made, and all those things exist,” Says the LORD. “But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word.” The “poor in spirit” are those who realize they are spiritually bankrupt and only God can bail them out. David was such a man after his sin with Bathsheba and wrote in Psalm 51:17 – The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart – these, O God, You will not despise. So Jesus introduces us to the first requirement for citizenship in the kingdom: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” To many Jews, riches or wealth were seen as evidence of God’s blessings in one’s life – and now Jesus was teaching the opposite. Earlier this past week, I posted this little sermon quote on Facebook: “Only those who are truly aware of their sin can truly cherish grace.” Jesus means little to someone who fails to realize the need for a Savior. This is the starting point for all. We must recognize our sad spiritual state and the need for God’s rule in our lives. Verse 4: “Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.”
This is on the sign out front because we have those who are grieving – and we look to the God of all comfort for solace. But the sense in this context is spiritual: mourning over one’s spiritual state. I’m reminded of the tax collector in Luke 18 who stood afar off and would not raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast saying, “God be merciful to me a sinner!” We must realize in the words of Isaiah 59:2 that our iniquities separate us from God and should cause us to be sorrowful. One of the duties of the Messiah in Isaiah 61:2 is to comfort all who mourn. Thankfully, the aged Simeon was allowed to hold the Consolation of Israel in His arms (Luke 2:25-32). Verse 5: “Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.”
While all of the beatitudes are counter-culture to our society, this may be the most difficult. The Greek word translated “meek” in the NKJV simply means “gentle”. Jesus uses this word to describe Himself in Matt. 11:28-30 – “Come to Me, all you who labor & are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” The prophet Zechariah had foretold the glorious entrance of the Messianic king and we read its fulfillment in Matthew 21:5 as Jesus makes His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Instead of riding in on a horse like a conquering general, the gentle King of Kings arrives on a donkey. Leon Morris points out in his commentary that meekness is another word for self-effacement – the act or fact of keeping oneself in the background, as in humility. The roots of this beatitude are found in Psalm 37:11 where David wrote, “But the meek shall inherit the earth.” Abraham’s descendants, put a lot of stock in the land promise. The reference to the meek in this psalm may be in contrast to the reward of the wicked as stated in Psalm 37:10 – the wicked and his place will be no more. Yet how the meek shall inherit the earth or land is not so obvious. It must refer to our future inheritance – perhaps the one John saw – a new heaven and a new earth in Revelation 21:1-4. Verse 6: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.”
Those who are suffering from lack of spiritual nourishment must be the same as those who are the spiritually destitute – the poor in spirit. Our appetite should be for God’s righteousness. It seems likely that the reference is to a desire for what is holy and good in God’s sight – that we want to do what is right according to His instruction. This would certainly be in keeping with what Jesus later commands in this same sermon – in Matthew 6:33 – “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Jesus promises that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled or their appetite satisfied. Hunger and thirst are universal desires – daily ones that must be satisfied for life to continue. Every time I hear this fourth beatitude I’m reminded of 1 Peter 2:1-3 – “Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.” We should long for every opportunity to study God’s word and to learn more of His will for us. This passage states that Christians should desire God’s word just as newborns desire their mother’s milk. Oh, that we had that eagerness for Bible study! The first four beatitudes express our dependence on God while the next three reflect the results of that dependence. Verse 7: “Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.”
This Greek word translated “merciful” only appears twice in the New Testament – here and in Hebrews 2:17. In this latter passage, “merciful” is used to describe Jesus as our high priest. The words for this beatitude are similar to those in Psalm 18:25a – “With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful.” To be merciful is to be actively compassionate with forgiveness included. As Jesus taught His disciples to pray in the model prayer – Matthew 6:12, He prayed, “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” Then He went on in verses 14-15 to elaborate that forgiveness from the Father is contingent on our forgiveness of others. We serve a God of mercy who expects the same of His people. We must be very careful in our judgment of others in view of how gracious and merciful our Lord has been with each of us. Our Lord’s brother summed up this relationship between mercy and judgment in James 2:13 – “For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” Verse 8: “Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.” The word for “pure” here means clean. Jewish traditions overemphasized external ritual purity whereas Jesus taught that internal purity of the heart was most important. This beatitude seems to have its roots in Psalm 24:3-4 – 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. This beatitude leads us to purity at the very center of our being. We must strive for this as Jesus will later state that “out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies (Matthew 15:19). But the result of this pure heart is that we will see God’s face (Revelation 22:4). Verse 9: “Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.” This beatitude is not about being a passively peaceful person but an active reconciler of people. Consider the words of Romans 12:18-19 – If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Yet Jesus will go on in the Sermon on the Mount to show how difficult this will be – both with our brothers and our enemies. Citizens of the kingdom are to proclaim a message of peace – that man can be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ. Romans 8:17 declares that if we are sons or children of God, we are joint heirs with Christ. That will make the eighth beatitude more palatable. Let me mention one final passage relating to peacemakers in James 3:18 – Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. Now we come to the eighth and final beatitude in verse 10: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” If you’re wondering why I called this the final beatitude, it is because verses 11-12 explain it. It is also because the first and eighth beatitudes have the same promise and form a unit: For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. In a nation accustomed to religious freedom, persecution is perhaps difficult for us to understand. But the blessing is for those persecuted for righteousness’ sake – for doing what is right or according to God’s will. Few disciples have known the persecution the apostle Paul suffered but notice his words in Philippians 3:8-9 – Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ & be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith. This last beatitude comes as a surprise because it isn’t a very encouraging recruiting slogan. Yet God’s messengers have been persecuted throughout history and Jesus promises the same for the citizens of His kingdom as they try to influence the world for good. But our inheritance is assured and for that we will be eternally blessed.
IV. Conclusion/Invitation
We have quickly gone through the eight beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount. These attitudes are vital to our core in one four and throughout our Christian life. Is the kingdom of heaven for you? If it is, why not become a citizen today by being born again? That begins with repentance of sins and confession of Jesus as the Son of God. The new birth is described as a burial in baptism by the apostle Paul in Romans 6:3-4 and we’d be happy to assist you in this. Or, perhaps, you haven’t had the right attitude toward serving in the kingdom and you need prayers or restoration. The Lord knows your heart this morning and He invites you to come to Him as together we stand and sing.
