Blessedness
Jeffery Anselmi / General
Core 52 / Blessed; The Beatitudes / Matthew 5:11–12
The Beatitudes offer blessings where we would not think to look for them.
INTRODUCTION
- When you think of being blessed, what comes to your mind?
- Maybe you got the job you wanted, and rightfully so, you feel blessed.
- Life is good; I am feeling really blessed.
- I woke up not feeling like I got hit by a truck; I feel really blessed!
- In today's passage, under our microscope, we will see Jesus's take on being blessed.
- Our passage is part of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, where He taught his disciples about the characteristics of kingdom living.
- This passage is part of what we call the Beatitudes.
- The word "Beatitude" is derived from a Latin word meaning "blessedness" or "happiness."
- In the context of the Bible, the Beatitudes are a set of teachings by Jesus presented in the Sermon on the Mount, which describes the qualities and attitudes considered blessed or favored by God.
- These "beatitudes" for the foundation of Christian ethics and moral teaching.
- Understanding what the word blessed means makes what Jesus shares in the Sermon difficult to embrace since what He says we need to do to be blessed is counterintuitive.
- The word blessed means fortunate, happy, and privileged.
- Being blessed is characterized by happiness and being highly favored, as by divine grace.
- In the Sermon on the Mount, when Jesus started a new thought, He began the sentence with the word BLESSED and followed the word up with what we can do to be blessed.
- He starts in verse one by saying those who are poor in spirit are blessed, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers in verse nine, and then in verse ten, those who are persecuted for righteousness.
- Most of that list seems a bit undesirable on the surface.
- Mark Moore aptly points out in this week's lesson in Core 52 that we typically have a different list of what makes us happy.
- He states people seek happiness in four things: family, wealth, health, and security.
- I think that is a pretty accurate list.
- Our list looks a little different than God's list, don't you think?
- To top off the list from verses 1-10, Jesus decides there is MORE!
- Verse 11-12 marks the end of the Beatitudes section of the Sermon, and in a sense, Jesus saved the best for last.
- As we examine our passage today, context is so important for us to focus upon so that we do not make the verses say something they do not say.
- Let's turn to Matthew 5 and we will start with verse 11.
Matthew 5:11 (NET 2nd ed.)
11 Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things about you falsely on account of me.
SERMON
I. The unusual source of blessing.
- In the introduction, I listed some things that we would feel blessed if we had, and because of that, we seek them.
- Family, wealth, health, and security become our mission, and we will seek Jesus up to the point that He does not interfere with our quest for what we think will bring us blessings or happiness in life.
- That said, it is important to understand that family, wealth, health, and security are really nice things to have; however, if those things are the pursuit of our lives, we will end up missing them.
- It is kind of like when a hitter in baseball is struggling at the plate (or a whole team, not mentioning the Cardinals); when the bases are loaded, the struggling hitter is trying to focus on hitting a home run instead of hitting the ball somewhere.
- My Cardinals, for instance, have one hit in, I believe, in eleven bases-loaded situations this season, a few times when there were no outs.
- Instead of focusing on making contact, they are pressuring out, resulting in pop-ups or strikeouts.
- Home run hitters face this when slumping; they go to the plate looking for the home run instead of trusting the process of hitting.
- When we focus on the wrong thing in life, we may miss what we aim for.
- When we focus on Jesus, the other things will work themselves out.
- The stuff in verses 1-10 are difficult enough, Jesus us the ante.
- In verse 11, Jesus says we will be blessed when people cause us to suffer in three ways.
- The context of receiving the blessing is that these things happen on account of serving Jesus.
- Verse 11 ties back to verse 9.
Matthew 5:9 (NET 2nd ed.)
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.
- A peacemaker is not an easy-going peace at any price person, yet they need to be peaceable.
- Jesus speaks of peacemakers who seek to win people to Jesus so that they can have peace with God and help them be at peace with others.
- They can be at peace with God because their sins are forgiven!
- Me being obnoxious and causing myself to suffer is not a way to blessing.
- Remember, context is important!
- The suffering mentioned is not for any cause but specifically "because of Me" – that is, because of one's" allegiance to Jesus and the values of the Kingdom of God.
- This suffering could come in the form of insults, false accusations, and various forms of mistreatment.
- It's a suffering that arises from living out the radical teachings of Jesus, which often stand in stark contrast to the values of the world.
- In verse 11, Jesus shares three forms of suffering we can face: insults (or contempt in some versions), persecution, and people spreading falsehoods about us.
- In Mathew 5:11, Jesus anticipates that his followers will face insults, persecution, and false accusations because of their association with Him.
- The blessing Jesus speaks of is not rooted in material wealth or earthly comfort but in spiritual richness and the kingdom of heaven.
- This blessing is profound, as it signifies approval from God and alignment with the prophets who came before, who also faced persecution for their faithfulness to God's message.
- When you go against the flow in our culture, you get canceled; ultimately, one has to decide who they are going to please and who they are going to risk getting canceled by.
- Do you want to be canceled by people or God?
- Needless to say, verse 11 offers an unusual source of blessing.
- Let's move to verse 12.
Matthew 5:12 (NET 2nd ed.)
12 Rejoice and be glad, because your reward is great in heaven, for they persecuted the prophets before you in the same way.
II. The attitude to possess.
- If you have the things going on in verse 11, what would be our natural way to react?
- I tend to be angry, feel cheated, fight back, or find another way to seek revenge.
- Those responses are not a way to blessing.
- I have seen so many people destroy or damage their lives by staying angry and vengeful to someone who has hurt them in some way.
- Remember the context: the suffering spoken of comes as a result of serving God.
- I believe the principle can work for those who have treated you poorly for almost any undeserved reason.
- When you allow someone who hurt you to control your feelings, you are allowing them to continue to abuse you.
- Don't give anyone that power over your life.
- Back to our direct context.
- Rather than responding with despair or retaliation, Jesus instructs those persecuted for His sake to "rejoice and be glad."
- This response is unusual and counterintuitive, suggesting a deep-seated joy that comes from knowing one's suffering is not in vain but is recognized and honored by God.
- Despite the hardships, Jesus instructs His followers to "rejoice and be glad" because their persecution is evidence of their faithfulness to Him (Matthew 5:12).
- Don't compromise your faith for anyone; be willing to pay the price, and when you do pay the price, rejoice and be glad because you know it was the right thing to do.
- ASU STUDENT WHO MISS GRADUATION.
- SHE SAID SHE DID NOT THINK IT WAS FAIR; SHE PAID A PRICE FOR WHAT SHE BELIEVED IN.
- THEN SHE MUST NOT HAVE REALLY BELIEVED IN HER CAUSE TOO MUCH.
- The Attitude to Possess: Cultivating Joy and Resilience in the Face of Persecution (Matthew 5:12)
- Matthew 5:12 calls for a response that is both radical and counterintuitive: to "rejoice and be glad" when facing insults, persecution, and slander because of allegiance to Jesus.
- This directive is not about masochism or a dismissal of pain and injustice; instead, it's a profound invitation to view such sufferings differently. Here, we explore the layers of this attitude:
- 1. **Understanding the Cause for Joy**:
- The joy and gladness mentioned here are not rooted in the suffering itself but in the reason behind the suffering and the outcome it promises.
- Christians are encouraged to rejoice not because they enjoy hardship but because their experience aligns them with the prophets and with Jesus, indicating their participation in God's redemptive work.
- The prophets brought God's message to the world, and they were not well-received as a result.
- This joy is also about perspective.
- It sees beyond the immediate pain to the eternal reward and validation that await in heaven.
- The call to rejoice, therefore, is deeply tied to faith in God's promises and justice.
- 2. **A Sign of Kingdom Identity**:
- Rejoicing in the face of persecution is a powerful testament to one's identity as a citizen of God's kingdom.
- It signifies a deep-seated belief that one's true home and reward are not of this world but are found in God's presence.
- The attitude Jesus calls us to demonstrate sets Christians apart, showcasing the Gospel's transformative power in their lives.
- It is a declaration that their ultimate allegiance is to God, even at the cost of worldly comfort and acceptance.
- 3. **Cultivating Resilience**
- The call to rejoice and be glad is also a call to spiritual resilience.
- It encourages believers to develop a spiritual fortitude that withstands trials and tribulations.
- This resilience is cultivated through a continuous focus on God's character, promises, and the ultimate hope of salvation.
- It involves a daily choice to trust in God's sovereignty and goodness, even when circumstances suggest otherwise.
- Practically, this resilience can be nurtured through prayer, meditation on God's Word, fellowship with other believers, and the practice of gratitude.
- It's about finding joy in God's presence and promises, regardless of external pressures.
- Let's look at verse 12 one more time.
Matthew 5:12 (NET 2nd ed.)
12 Rejoice and be glad, because your reward is great in heaven, for they persecuted the prophets before you in the same way.
III. The motivation to stay focused.
- Matthew 5:12 serves as a powerful encouragement for Christians to maintain their focus and commitment in the face of persecution and hardship.
- Jesus instructs His followers to "rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven."
- This directive provides a profound motivation for believers to stay focused on their spiritual journey, emphasizing the eternal perspective as a driving force.
- The promise of a "great reward in heaven" shifts our focus from the temporal to the eternal.
- This perspective encourages us to endure present difficulties with the understanding that these momentary troubles are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed to them in heaven.
- The anticipation of heavenly reward motivates believers to persevere in their faith and moral convictions, even when faced with opposition.
- Matthew 5:12 doesn't just instruct us to endure persecution with grace; it also provides a profound motivation to stay focused on the path of righteousness despite the challenges.
- This eternal perspective encourages believers to view their current sufferings as momentary afflictions that pale in comparison to the glory that awaits them.
- Understanding that these trials are not in vain but are instead investments in an eternal future shifts the believer's focus from immediate gratification and comfort to long-term, lasting joy and fulfillment in God's presence.
- Matthew 5:12 connects us with those of the prophets who were persecuted before them.
- This continuity provides a sense of belonging to a long lineage of faithfulness under persecution, offering both comfort and motivation.
- Recognizing that one is part of this grand narrative of God's redemptive history encourages perseverance.
- It's a reminder that suffering for righteousness is not a sign of God's displeasure but a mark of being aligned with His purposes, as were the prophets and Jesus Himself.
CONCLUSION
- In a broader sense, these verses emphasize the theme of reversals common in Jesus' teachings: that the current sufferings and injustices of this world will be overturned in God's kingdom, and those who endure in faithfulness, despite opposition, will be vindicated.
- No one wants to endure suffering at the hands of another; know that when we suffer for the cause of Christ, the reward is great.
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