(Adapted from Bob Russel’s series, “Living a Life of Integrity”)
SERIES: “WORDS OF WISDOM FOR KINGDOM LIVING”
TEXT: MATTHEW 5:1-6
TITLE: “SEEK GOD’S BLESSING”
INTRODUCTION: A. Several years back, Leadership Journal had a cartoon by Lee Johnson depicting a
preacher standing at the back door of the worship auditorium shaking hands with
people at the conclusion of the worship service. One man is shaking the preacher’s
hand and looking very intently into the preacher’s eyes. As he does so, he says,
“Powerful sermons, Pastor. Thoughtful, well-researched. I can always see myself in
them … and I want you to knock it off!”
1. Jesus preached those kinds of sermons
2. His messages always hit home and people either loved Him or hated Him because
of it.
3. This morning, we start a verse-by-verse study of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount,
which is recorded in Matthew 5-7.
--I’m calling it, “Words of Wisdom for Kingdom Living”
B. Toward the beginning of His ministry, Jesus took His disciples to a mountain retreat
and drilled them in the fundamentals of following Him.
1. Mt. 4:23-26 gives us a summary of Jesus’ ministry leading up to this point: “Jesus
went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of
the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News
about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with
various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demonpossessed, those having
seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them. Large crowds from Galilee, the
Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.”
2. Mt. 5:1-2 – “Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat
down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them saying…”
3. Jesus grabs a teachable moment with His disciples
--There’s one theme that runs consistently through this entire teaching segment:
a. Christ-followers are to think and act differently than the world around them.
b. We’re not supposed to be thermometers adjusting to the moral climate of our
environment.
--We’re to be thermostats setting the standard for the culture.
4. Jesus is calling those who claim to follow Him to be an authentic counter-culture to
the culture of the world
a. He is asking us to live distinctive lives
--showing others the joys of being part of the “royal family”
b. We are to be a viable alternative to worldly living
--So much so that we make goodness and integrity attractive
C. The Sermon on the Mount is not a complete theology.
--It is, however, practical theology. The message of the Sermon on the Mount is
relevant for everyday living as a follower of Christ.
1. It is not a system of laws for the Christian.
a. So many people see Christianity as a list of “do’s and don’ts”.
b. Being a follower of Christ is not about individual effort.
--It’s about submission and obedience to the will of God.
2. The Sermon on the Mount is not the requirements to enter the Kingdom.
a. It’s not the plan of salvation
b. But it is the guidelines to follow once you’re in the Kingdom
c. The Sermon on the Mount is Christianity 101 for every believer
3. The Bible reminds us that we’re in a battle between kingdoms: the kingdom of the
world and the Kingdom of God
--We’re told which kingdom ultimately wins the battle. The important thing is who
you chose to serve.
4. I want First Christian Church of Washington not just to grow in number but to grow
in integrity and character
a. I want us to grow in maturity and become more like Christ
b. I want us to be people who, in such a positive way, live differently from the
world that people are drawn to Christ like a magnet
D. The Sermon on the Mount is actually comprised of several sections
1. This first section talks about seeking God’s blessing.
a. It’s made up of short sayings called The Beatitudes
b. That term comes from the Latin beatus, which means “happy or blessed”
c. “Blessed” means more than “happy”
--The Biblical definition is a little more involved
1). It means to be the recipient of God’s favor (though not necessarily man’s
favor).
2). It means to be content, to have an inner joy
d. The Beatitudes are the right attitudes to have
--They define the right mind set for the believer
2. The Beatitudes are eight essential virtues to receive God’s blessing.
a. Understand that Jesus is not listing eight different categories of people
--He’s talking about qualities that should be present in every disciple.
b. In fact there seems to be a natural progression that takes place.
1). These virtues should build on each other and become increasingly evident as
we mature in the faith.
2). They are a series of progressive steps
3. The first four deal with our relationship with God and the last four with our
relationship to others.
--We’re going to look at the first four this morning
I. A POVERTY OF SPIRIT
--Mt. 5:3 – “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
A. Notice that Jesus didn’t say, “Blessed are the poor.”
1. Jesus loved the poor such as the widow who only had two mites and Lazarus, the beggar who ate
crumbs from the rich man’s table.
2. But God doesn’t automatically favor the homeless or the bankrupt.
--The book of Proverbs teaches that poverty is sometimes the result of laziness, drunkenness, gluttony,
or indulgence in pleasure.
B. Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.”
1. Blessed are those who recognize that they are spiritually impoverished.
--This is an honest evaluation of ourselves realizing we’re not able to do much on our own.
2. There’s something worse than being broke and that is not knowing you’re broke.
--People who have no money and keep buying on credit are in deeper trouble than those who have no
money and admit it.
3. The very first step in coming to God is recognizing that you are spiritually broke. You have no
resources of value to offer God.
--The Bible says our righteousness is as filthy rags before God.
a. Remember the parable of the Pharisee who worshipped next to a tax collector in the temple? The
Pharisee boasted of his spiritual riches: “I fast, I tithe, I keep the law. I’m good! I’m better than that
tax collector,” he said. The tax collector just humbly prayed, ”God be merciful to me a sinner.”
--Jesus said the tax collector went away justified; the Pharisee did not.
b. As long as we’re proud of our goodness and feel self-sufficient we’re out of God’s favor. When
we see ourselves as spiritually bankrupt we’re ready to turn to God for His help and receive His
riches.
C. Without a doubt, the most popular hymn in America is the one the choir sang right before this message:
Amazing Grace.
1. I know that you know the first stanza: Amazing grace! How sweet the sound! That saved a wretch like
me! I once was lost, but now am found, Was blind, but now I see.
2. John Newton knew what he’d been when he used that word “wretch”.
--At sea by the age of eleven, he fell into a life that was so wretched, even his crewmates regarded him
as little more than an animal. He was a deserter, suffered public floggings, trafficked in human slaves
(raping the women and beating the men), and felt no sin was too vile to avoid.
a. Though sometimes an illness would cause him to consider his spiritual condition, Newton’s
“awakenings” were short-lived and gave way to more wicked ways.
b. Newton said about this particular time in his life, “I was fast bound in chains. I had little desire and no
power at all to recover myself.”
c. Finally, suffering from fever and depression, Newton crept away to a secluded spot and began to pray,
“I made no more resolves, but cast myself before the Lord to do with me as he should please.”
--Two years later, John Newton married his teenage sweetheart and began studying for the ministry.
d. When he chose the word “wretch” to describe himself (and all that sing this song), he did so
deliberately.
--By his own experience Newton knew that only spiritual beggars make good disciples.
D. There’s a strange paradox in the Christian life—the closer you get to God, the more unworthy you feel
about yourself.
1. When the Prophet Isaiah saw the Lord in the temple, his immediate reaction was, “I’m ruined. I’m a
man of unclean lips. I’m unworthy!”
2. If you fail to understand the poverty of your spirit, you cannot come to Christ for blessing.
--But what blessing we receive when we admit our poverty and depend on Christ’s provision.
3. When you quit relying on your own goodness and turn to God, He forgives, He saves, He puts His
righteousness in you.
--Then, and only then are you promised the kingdom of heaven.
II. A GRIEVING HEART
--Mt. 5:4 – “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”
A. What type of mourning and grieving is Jesus referring to?
1. Is he talking about acceptable mourning over the loss of a loved one?
a. Grieving over opportunities that we failed to take advantage of?
b. Agonizing about things that didn’t go our way?
2. No. Jesus is talking about mourning and grieving over our sin.
a. One of the problems of our day, right in the church, is that we have failed to comprehend the
seriousness of sin.
b. Oh, there are people who rail against certain behaviors but they fail to examine their own lives.
1). They’re quick to point to the sins of others but they’re spiritually blinded to their own
depravity.
2). They’re full of the deadly sins of pride, arrogance, self-righteousness, and a judgmental
spirit.
3. The word translated as “mourn” is a word that points to the heart-rending, soul-wracking , eyes-
overflowing-with tears kind of mourning.
a. It’s the strongest of all the words in the original language that refer to grief and sorrow.
b. It recognizes the loss of something important.
--It understands that there is a hole in the heart that needs to be repaired.
B. We need to despise sin
--We should especially despise our own sins.
1. It’s not enough just to be aware of your spiritual poverty.
a. If we casually say, “I’ll admit I’m a big time sinner,” but there’s no remorse then we will not
receive God’s blessing.
b. We’re told over and over in Scripture to repent of sin—to recognize how much it offends the heart
of God and then grieve over it.
c. James 4:8-10 – “Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners,
and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to
mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up”
2. Does it break your heart when you sin against God?
--Or do you flippantly and nonchalantly say, “Yeah, I sinned. So what?”
1. Do you experience a godly sorrow that leads to repentance?
--2 Cor. 7:10 – “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but
worldly sorrow brings death.”
2. Repentance has become a neglected word in the church.
--We sit in our pews Sunday after Sunday, thinking that God ought to be glad that we have deigned
to bless Him with our presence.
3. One of the central events in our worship service is the partaking of the Lord’s Supper. The Bible
tells us that when we do that, we proclaim the death of Christ.
--Why did He have to die?
a. It’s because we are SINNERS!
--We aren’t good. We aren’t nice. There’s nothing about us that is lovely or attractive in the
spiritual sense.
b. Rom. 5:8 – “But God demonstrates his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ
died for us.”
4. J. David Hoke: “Repentance precedes the blessing of God. A lack of repentance shuts off the
power of God. There will be no revival or renewal without repentance. And there will be no
repentance without godly sorrow. Until we come to the place where we truly mourn over our sin,
we will never see the hand of God revealed.”
5. The great thing is that when we show that godly sorrow and repent, God comforts us.
a. Oh, what joy to know our sins are forgiven.
--We’ve come humbly before God in a godly sorrow that produces repentance.
b. We want to change our life and God blesses our efforts.
--Not because of who we are, but because of what He has done! Not because of what we’ve
done, but because of Who He is!
6. God is a perfect, compassionate Father.
a. He is sympathetic toward those who mourn for their sin.
b. Chuck Swindoll: “God loves the broken heart, the bent knee, and the wet eye.”
III. AN ATTITUDE OF MEEKNESS
--Mt. 5:5 – “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”
A. The world encourages aggressiveness
1. They want to see someone fight for what they get
2. They teach a culture of “Go for all the gusto you can” and worship the self-made person
3. Atheist-existentialist philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche said, "Assert yourself. Care for nothing except
for yourself. The only vice is weakness, and the only virtue is strength. Be strong, be a superman.
The world is yours if you can get it."
B. What do you think of when you think of a meek person?
1. You probably wouldn’t consider it a compliment if someone said, “You are the meekest person I
know.”
2. You probably think of someone who is insecure, unassertive, or timid
C. That’s not what the Bible means by meekness.
--Meekness is not timidity or indecisiveness.
1. The Biblical word ‘meekness’ means “strength under control.”
--It was a word used to describe a horse that had been taught how to respond well to the bridle and
bit.
2. When a powerful horse is under control of its rider, it’s a meek horse.
--It’s under the authority of the one who guides it.
a. The meek animal surrenders himself and allows the rider to control him.
b. Meekness is an inner attitude that results in controlled reactions.
3. Consider these people whom the Bible describes as being meek:
a. Abraham
b. Moses
c. David
d. Jesus
--They all did brave and courageous things
D. When Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek,” He was commending those who had surrendered their strong,
self-will to the authority of God in their daily lives.
--It’s not enough to admit our spiritual poverty or even to shed tears.
1. The meek surrender to God’s will.
a. They respond to the slightest tug of His rein, no matter how strong or powerful they may be.
b. Someone: “Meekness is allowing the One who is meek and lowly at heart to rule our lives, our
emotions, our behavior.”
2. Jesus promised the meek would “inherit the earth.”
a. Jesus was saying that the meek will share with Him as heirs of the Kingdom of God.
b. We think the assertive – the self-promoting – are the ones who will get ahead.
--But Jesus promised that in His kingdom, those who are submissive to Him will inherit the
leadership of the earth.
IV. A HUNGER AND THIRST FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS
--Mt. 5:6 – “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”
A. Most of us in the United States have no real concept of real hunger or real thirst.
--God has blessed us with an ample supply of food and abundant water supplies.
1. I’ve been to places where I couldn’t finish a meal because I was surrounded by people who were
literally starving to death. Many of whom might not have eaten anything for weeks
--I had to give my food to them.
2. Jesus was not talking about something that could be relieved by a mid-morning snack or a trip to the
water fountain.
--Jesus was referring to a ravenous, body-numbing hunger and a dry-as-dust thirst.
a. This kind of hunger and thirst is an all-consuming passion.
b. Nothing else is important.
B. Is. 55:2 – “"Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what is does not
satisfy?”
1. What are you hungry for?
--What do you crave every day?
2. If I could read your mind what thoughts would dominate your fantasies?
3. If I could see your calendar or read your checkbook what secrets would they reveal about your inner
longings?
4. Are you hungry for wealth, popularity, status, sex, pleasure, golf, fishing, shopping?
--What are you passionate about?
5. Jesus said that we’re blessed when we hunger and thirst for righteousness. We receive God’s favor if
we hunger and thirst to be close to Him and live like Him.
6. When you’re a spiritual child you don’t have much of an appetite for spiritually healthy food.
a. You want junk food.
--You pig out on emotion and excitement.
b. But when you mature spiritually, you hunger for the worship of God, the fellowship with Christian
people, and the study of God’s Word.
--1 Pet. 2:2-3 says that we ought to “crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your
salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.”
C. Do you have an all-consuming passion for God? Or is He just a hobby on the weekends?
--Is there a pressing desire to grown in your relationship with Him or is it just spiritual Happy-Meal?
1. Ps. 42:1-2 – “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul
thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?”
2. The Christian is hungry and thirsty to be close to the heart of God.
--Is Jesus Christ the consuming passion of your life? Or is it something or someone else?
3. When you feed on the things of God, there is an inner satisfaction that is not available anyplace else.
--Jn. 6:35 – “Jesus said, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he
who believes in me will never be thirsty.’”
a. When Prodigal Son was hungry he turned to the husks that he was feeding the pigs. When he was
starving he turned to his father.
b. Even though Moses had a close relationship to God, he asks God in Ex. 33:13 – “If you are
pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you.”
c. David in Ps. 63:1 – “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my
body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”
d. Paul in Phil. 3:10 – “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of
sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death…”
e. Moses, David and Paul already knew God in a very deep sense
1). But what they meant was that they wanted to know Him more intimately, personally, and
powerfully.
2). They had a hunger and thirst for God.
--They had a passion for Him.
4. It pains me to watch people who claim a relationship with Christ to fail in reading His Word daily, to
hold back their tithes and offerings, to refuse serving the needs of others in Jesus’ name, to ignore
the body of believers gathered for worship, prayer, fellowship, encouragement, and study to attend
ball games, civic club meetings, or just sit at home and watch television.
a. While my heart aches, I also understand what drives them to do it.
b. It’s easy to become spiritually cold.
--It’s easy to allow other things to take the important place in our lives.
5. Christian song-writer Keith Green put it this way: “My eyes are dry, my faith is old, my heart is
hard, my prayers are cold. And I know what I ought to be, alive to you and dead to me."
a. We have probably all experienced that in our own lives.
1). What we need is a heart that is hungry for God.
2). What we need is a passion restored.
b. Keith Green goes on to say in his song, "Oh what can be done with an old heart like mine, soften
it Lord with oil and wine. The oil is you, your Spirit of love. Come wash me anew in the wine of
your blood."
CONCLUSION: A. Do you see how different the Christian is in attitude and spirit?
1. The world says, “Blessed are the rich, the proud, the self confident, they will get
ahead.”
--Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in Spirit, theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
2. The world says, “Blessed are the funny, the light-hearted, the positive thinkers, they
will be popular.”
--Jesus says, “Blessed are those who are genuinely sorry for their sins; I will comfort
them with grace and forgiveness.”
3. The world says, “Blessed are the independent thinkers, the assertive. They will gain
respect from people and be powerful.”
--Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek who humbly submit their strengths to my
authority; they will inherit the earth.”
4. The world says, “Blessed are those who are hungry for success, the ‘Type A’
personalities who are ambitious enough to make their mark in the world.”
--Jesus said, “Blessed are those who are hungry for a relationship with me; they will
be filled.”
C. Are you tired of the junk food of the world?
1. Everything the world has to offer you will leave you empty, guilty, but only Jesus
forgives, saves, and satisfies.
2. Ps. 34:8 – “Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge
in him.”
