Matthew 5:1-12
“Do We See God’s Kingdom?”
By: Rev. Kenneth Sauer, Pastor of Parkview United Methodist Church,
Newport News, VA
www.parkview-umc.org
Our Gospel lesson for this morning is frequently referred to as the Beatitudes, and they are all promises of the kingdom of God.
Because to be in the kingdom of God is to be comforted, to inherit the earth, or the promised land, to be satisfied, to obtain mercy, to see God, and to be called God’s sons and daughters.
The Beatitudes are also descriptive…in that they describe those who receive the kingdom of God.
Now, to anyone who does not understand the message of Jesus Christ…and I would imagine that none of us understand His message in it’s completeness…the Beatitudes of Jesus Christ, can, naturally seem kind of foolish.
After all, who willingly wants to be poor, meek, mournful and persecuted?
As much as we all need to be comforted and filled, as much as we all want blessings and mercy, as much as we all yearn to be the precious children of God, we might not be sure that it’s worth the cost. Or is it?
I mean, just what is Jesus getting at here?
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
According to John Wesley, “Poverty of Spirit is the foundation of everything.”
Who then are the “poor in spirit”?
They are those who truly understand themselves in the scheme of this life, and in truly understanding themselves they are completely convinced of their sinfulness…
…and their own inability to do anything about it on their own!
This is what all of us need before we can cry out to God: “Have mercy on me, a sinner!”
This is the first step in running the race…of being part of the kingdom of heaven.
Wesley writes: “I speak to all whom God has enabled to become ‘poor in sprit’ and to feel themselves lost.
Through the gracious promise of him ‘who never lies,’ we have a claim to heaven. The blood of the Lamb has purchased our title to heaven for us. Heaven is very near; you are on the brink of heaven!
After only another step, you will enter into the kingdom of righteousness, and peace, and joy!
Are you full of sin?
‘Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’
Are you completely without God?
Look to your ‘advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.’
Are you unable to atone for the least of your sins?
Christ is ‘the atoning sacrifice for your sins.’
Here and now, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and all your sins will be blotted out!”
When we completely depend on Christ, we learn from Christ to be “humble in heart”…and this is true, genuine Christian humility.
It flows to us from our sense of God’s love which has been shown to us in Jesus Christ.
And in this sense, “the poor in spirit” is what we always are.
Because poverty of spirit is our continual awareness of our total dependence on God for every good thought, word, or deed.
And the more we grow in grace, the more we understand just how fallen we are…and just how great God is!!!
The second beatitude is a startling paradox: “Blessed are those who mourn…”
Jesus knows full well that grief in itself is not blessed…so what, then, is Christ talking about?
Remember your mountaintop experience…when you first accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and were filled with indescribable joy?
I don’t know about you, but I thought all my troubles had suddenly ended.
Never again would I be tempted.
Never again would I sin.
We mourn in our temptation and we mourn in our sin.
We are comforted when we repent, learn to grow more and more into the likeness of Christ, and “press on to know the Lord.”
Those who are living in the kingdom of God also mourn for the sins and the miseries of all creation.
We weep with those who weep.
Yes, blessed are they that voluntarily share their neighbor’s pain.
We could side-step it.
We could pretend that sorrow doesn’t exist…
…but instead, we, like Christ, are to expose ourselves to the misery of others.
We are to visit the home where death has come…
…we are to visit those who are in prison, agonize over the slums, the crack-houses, the baby’s born without a home…
…we are to be the compassionate people of the earth, and to ever grow in our compassion and love.
“Blessed are the meek…”
Who are the meek?
For one thing, meekness is not weakness…no, it is the exact opposite.
It means that we are not proud, harsh, brutal, nor impatient.
It is the way we are to understand ourselves in relation to God and to others.
It means that we peacefully submit to God’s will.
And when we apply it to our relationships with others, it means we are to be kind toward what is good and compassionate to what is evil.
And this is to live in us and grow in us daily as long as we remain on this earth!
As John Wesley writes: “Without meek submission to God, evil will overwhelm us, instead of our overwhelming evil with good.”
I don’t know if any of you watched Dateline NBC the other night, but they did a two hour documentary on a serial killer who had taken the lives of at least 48 young women.
After the killer had been caught and found guilty the parents of the slain were given an opportunity to speak face to face with the one who had caused them so much pain.
Family member after family member stood at a micro-phone and yelled at this man.
They said things like: “I hope you rot in hell,” and, “I want you to die a slow painful death.”
Understandable, as these human emotions were, they did not have the intended effect on the killer.
He just sat stone-faced as one after another of these folks told him how much they hated him.
It wasn’t until one woman, who had lost her daughter, stood up, looked the man in the eyes and said, “I will not let my anger enslave me any longer. I forgive you for what you have done,” that the killer broke down and cried.
Those who are truly meek can clearly discern what evil is, and through Christ…endure and overcome it!
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”
Wesley says that in order for us to fully understand this statement, we must realize that hunger and thirst are the strongest of all our bodily appetites.
And once we are spiritually awakened in our hearts…our hunger and thirst of our souls for the image of God are the strongest of all our spiritual appetites.
Wesley writes: “Hungry people give no regard to the entire world around them. They care nothing for all the elegance of clothing, all the trappings of government, all the treasure on earth…
…All these things are no account to a hungry person.”
Instead, with a single-mindedness, the hungry cry out: “Give me food or else I will die.”
And it’s the same for those of us who truly hunger and thirst for righteousness.
We can’t find comfort in anything but God…
…and so we cry out: “Give me love, or else I will die!”
If we truly do this, Christ promises that we will indeed be filled with love!
“Blessed are the merciful…”
The more we are filled with the life of God, the more tenderly we will be concerned for all of God’s creation.
Wherever and whenever there is suffering, we are to be merciful…which is the opposite of being judgmental.
When we are truly merciful, we are too aware of our own sins and shortcomings to treat others with condemnation…
…and look at Christ, the example we are to follow…
…He was without sin, and yet was able to pray from the Cross: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
Are we merciful?
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
When we really start taking just a quick little look at these promises of the kingdom of God, and also the descriptions of those who receive the promises…we find that we begin to get a sneak peak into God’s kingdom.
And we also begin to realize that God’s kingdom is the polar opposite of what the world has stamped down as accepted standards.
Jesus Christ is revolutionary, and if we are to truly follow Christ…we are going to have to be revolutionary as well!
And as much as we need to be comforted and filled, as much as we want blessings and mercy, as much as we yearn to be the precious children of God…
…is it worth the cost?
The Beatitudes show us that for Jesus righteousness is more than the sum of His commandments; it is a total change of attitude and mind.
Those who are praised in the Gospels are men and women of humility, love, trust, fidelity, and courage.
They are not yet perfect, but they are converted and their interests and desires are turned in the direction of the kingdom of God.
Is this a description of us as well?
One preacher has summarized the Beatitudes very simply: “You are loved. Go, therefore, and act like it!”
May it be so—for you and for me. Amen.
