Blessings of a Christian
Matthew 5:1-16
How many today do not assume the blessedness of a Christian. What I mean by this is can people look at us and know that we are disciples of Christ? If not then it is time for us to examine our life and ask God to be our guide. To many today say hey I am a Christian but if you look at their lives you can see no evidence of it. God did not tell Christians to put their light underneath a basket and hide it. No instead He said to let it shine. Why are we embarrassed about our Lord and Savior? Jesus was not embarrassed by us so we have no reason to be embarrassed by Jesus.
Mat 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 5:4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Mat 5:5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Mat 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Mat 5:7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Mat 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Mat 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Mat 5:10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 5:11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Mat 5:12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
Mat 5:13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
Mat 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
Mat 5:15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
Mat 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Jesus Paid It All
Imagine a man before a judge who has been given the choice of paying $100 or serving 90 days in jail. The man doesn’t have any money, but does have a invalid wife and five hungry children at home who are depending on him and him alone. He tells such a heartrending story that the courtroom spectators are moved with pity and take up a collection to help pay the man’s fine. Although it is unlike him, even the judge chips in. Altogether they raise $99.95. Even though they are only five cents short, the judge declares that the entire $100 must be paid, and orders the bailiff to take the man to jail. He dejectedly walks out of the courtroom, thrusting his hands deep into his pockets...where he finds—A nickel! Elated, he rushes back into the courtroom and slaps it on the bar before the judge, declaring “I’m free, I’m free!” In his mind, what saved him?? The $99.95, or the five cents?
If we did anything to merit our salvation, we would be forever boasting about it in heaven. The fact is that we could do nothing, so Jesus paid it all.
Verse 3 say Blessed are the poor in spirit: For their’s is the kingdom of heaven. If we are in the Spirit (a believer) we are blessed because we will inherit the kingdom of Heaven. God loved us so much that He provided a method by which we could be reconciled with God. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior at that very moment we are adopted by God and we become His Children with all the right and privileges as His sons. What a blessing it is to know that no matter what happens to our physical bodies we have a land, a home where we belong just waiting for our return.
Verse 4 says Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. What a blessing we receive when we accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior. He promises that we will be comforted during our trials and tribulations. Though the enemy may take your life or the life of a loved one, though trials may be placed upon you, though snares and stumbling blocks my be placed in our paths, God will be there. He is there to comfort and strengthen us as we face life difficulties. To often we depend on ourselves or others and they fail us. God will never fail us if we truly believe He is there comforting us.
The Doughnut
As a minister was addressing a group of men, he took a large piece of paper and made a black dot in the center of it with a marking pen. Then he held the paper up before the group and asked them what they saw. One person quickly replied, “I see a black mark.” “Right,” the preacher replied. “What else do you see?” Complete silence prevailed. “Don’t you see anything other than the dot?” he asked. A chorus of noes came from the audience. “I’m really surprised,” the speaker commented. “You have completely overlooked the most important thing of all—the sheet of paper.” Then he made the application. He said that in life we are often distracted by small, dot-like disappointments or painful experiences, and we are prone to forget the innumerable blessings we receive from the hand of the Lord. But like the sheet of paper, the good things are far more important than the adversities that monopolize our attention.
This reminds me of a bit of verse which, though I admit is somewhat trite, does express good practical advice. Someone has written: “As you travel down life’s pathway, may this ever be your goal:/ Keep your eye upon the doughnut, and not upon the hole!”
Yes, rather than concentrating on the trials of life, we should fix our attention upon is blessings. Let us say with the psalmist, “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits”
Verse 5 states Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Meekness is a blessing but it does not mean for us to be a doormat so people can walk over us. That is the very reason why this nation is in the shape it is in today because the children of God have failed to understand what God means by the word meekness. We are to be meek with each other and to the world we are to bearers of the Gospel. To be meek means that we strive to live peaceablely with our brothers and sisters and our neighbors. But this does no mean that when it comes to right or wrong we quietly back down because we don’t want to cause a confrontation. NO what it does mean is this when it comes to doing that which is right in the sight of the Lord we are to be bold just as Christ boldly stood up the Pharisees when He said let He has no sin cast the first stone or when He chased the money changers out of the temple. Jesus was the meekest person that there ever was but when it came time to confront the world He did it bodily and so we are to do the same.
Verse six states blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. We are blessed if we are truly following Jesus. Because we hunger and thirst for more knowledge of Him. We want to do that which is right. If this is our desire God promises that He will fill us full. How many today really seek His righteousness. I don’t mean those who say they do and act like they do but those who really and truly desire to have more righteousness and to live in righteousness. God will bless us if we do.
Wonderful Burden
One morning R. C. Chapman, a devout Christian, was asked how he was feeling. “I’m burdened this morning!” was his reply. But his happy countenance contradicted his words. So the questioner exclaimed in surprise, “Are you really burdened, Mr. Chapman?” “Yes, but it’s a wonderful burden—it’s an overabundance of blessings for which I cannot find enough time or words to express my gratitude!” Seeing the puzzled look on the face of his friend, Chapman added with a smile, “I am referring to Psalm 68:19, which fully describes my condition. In that verse the Father in heaven reminds us that He ‘daily loads us with benefits.’”
F. E. Marsh has enumerated some of these blessings:
· An acceptance that can never be questioned. (Eph. 1:6).
· An inheritance that can never be lost (I Peter 1:3-5).
· A deliverance that can never be excelled (2 Cor. l:10).
· A grace that can never be limited (2 Cor. 12:9).
· A hope that can never be disappointed. (Heb. 6:18, 19).
· A bounty that can never be withdrawn. (I Col. 3:21-23).
· A joy that need never be diminished (John 15:11).
· A nearness to God that can never be reversed (Eph. 2:13).
· A peace that can never be disturbed (John 14:27).
· A righteousness that can never be tarnished (2 Cor. 5:21).
· A salvation that can never be canceled (Heb. 5:9).
Verse 7 says Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. God was so merciful to us when we received Jesus as our Lord and Savior should we not also share that mercy. Not only are we to share the good news of the gospel but we are to have mercy for those who wronged us. It is hard to forgive someone who has hurt us in someway but God calls for us to forgive just as He forgives us when we sin. How can we get mercy if we don’t give mercy.
Verse 8 states Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. What a blessing to know that once we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior that He purified our heart with His righteousness. His righteousness is imputed to us and that is what God sees when He looks at us. Jesus’ blood covers our sins. How blessed are we to be children of God and be able to stand in God’s presence and look upon Him.
Verse 9 says Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. As followers of Christ we try to live in harmony with each other but we can not live in harmony with the world. In fact the world is in opposition to us and it is our responsibility to help bring peace between us and an unbelieving world by presenting the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Not only must we speak the Gospel but our thoughts, our actions, our lives must reveal the Gospel to a dark and dying world.
Verse 10 says Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake: for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. Brother and sisters I am standing here today to tell you that if you are a disciple of Christ the world hates you. Just as it hated Christ it hates you. The world seeks to destroy you and your testimony. That is how you know if you are a true disciple of Jesus and you refuse to compromise with the world it will despise you. It will persecute you. Now if you compromise your beliefs and go along with the world it will persecute you for this is what Satan is striving for. He wants Christians to compromise with the world and destroy their testimony. He wants them to feel that the Bible is not the authority about what God wants. He wants people to compromise and say that is not what God really meant or that was for then but now we have a different culture and we must update what the Bible is saying after all it is just a book it is not the actual word of God. He has destroyed not only your testimony but he has also destroyed you will to testify the truth. So pick up your cross and walk with Jesus and wear the badges of persecution with honor.
Verse 11 goes along with verse 10 when it says Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. We are blessed with the knowledge that it is being done because we are the true servants of Jesus Christ. The world does not like our presence because it reminds them of their own sins and they don’t want to be reminded.
Verse 12 say to rejoice and be glad for these persecutions are blessings because our rewards in heaven will be great. Brothers and sisters this life here on earth is so short compared to eternity. But the importance of the decisions that we make while we are here is eternally. For it is here and now where we make the choice of where we spend eternity. We can either trust Jesus and serve Him and spend eternity with Him in heaven or we can trust the world and spend eternity in hell. Throughout history true believers have been persecuted even killed because of their faith. What about us, what choices are we making today?
In verse 13 Jesus calls us the salt of the earth. In ancient times salt was so precious it was even used as currency. But if it sat for a long period of time exposed to the air it became tastless. In other words it lost its flavor. Jesus said that if the salt lost its flavor that it was worth nothing and it was to be thrown out. So we are the salt of the world, we provide the flavor standing out from the crowd. If we sit for a long period of time doing nothing to increase the kingdom or doing work for the kingdom then we lose our flavor and we also become worthless. Brother and sisters if today God is telling you that you have lost your flavor then it is time to come back to Him and ask Him to recharge you and make you flavorable once again.
We are the light of the world. We are the city that is sat on a hill. God wants our light to shine forth to be a beacon to all the lost in this dark and dying world. He does not tell us to hide our light beneath a basket. No He says to let it shine forth for all to see. Let the people may see God at work in your life and what He is accomplishing for you today. So get up, be seen, and live for the one who died on the cross for our sins, who paid our sin debt a debt we could never have paid, and rose again on the third day so that we can have the blessed assurance of the resurrection.
