Strathalbyn Church of Christ

Sermon Mt 5:1-12. Blessed? Now and Not Yet. Pastor David Williams. Strathalbyn Church of Christ. 13 Nov 2022.

How to find true happiness? Is it possible. Is it even the right question? Let’s look at the Beatitudes to find some answers.

1. Clues

2. Blessings

3. Persecution

Background

Jesus was the new Moses. On Mount Sinai, Moses gave the law to Israel – to show them how to live as the people of God. The 10 commandments. God alone would be their God. They must not murder, steal or lie. They must honour their parents and keep the Sabbath as a day of rest. But Israel blew it. And so we come to Jesus.

5 Seeing the crowds, Jesus went up on the mountain …

Jesus comes as the new Moses. On a mountain, Jesus gave not 10 new laws but nine blessings. Blessings and instructions on how to live as the people of God.

This teaching is called the Sermon on the Mount. As we begin a series on this Sermon, we start today with these nine blessings.

The Sermon has been much praised and much misunderstood. Many who are not Christian praised it – like Gandhi. Many strive to live up to its standards. They strive and fail. And this is where the misunderstandings come in. For the Sermon calls for a radical re-setting of our lives. The standards Jesus called for are extreme. Jesus said,

Anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. So if your eye causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away.

If a Russian soldier slaps his Ukrainian prisoner on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also, Mt 5:27-30, 39. These calls are so extreme and radical - it is impossible for anyone to live up to them.

Clues to understanding

1. The starting point for understanding the sermon is Jesus himself.

Who qualifies as blessed? Does anyone fulfill them? Jesus did. Jesus alone fulfilled them. Jesus was humble, gentle and merciful. He was peacemaker, pure in heart, and yet persecuted for being so. He is the life-preserving salt of the world. His salty life always changed people. It is impossible to truly meet Jesus without some strong reaction – positive or negative. He is the light of the world.

2. Following the King

The second clue is that Jesus addressed his followers – not society in general.

and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying …

Jesus had just began his ministry, saying

Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is near.

Jesus came as Israel’s long-expected Messiah, as their King. Those who follow Jesus have repented – that is, turned their life around – to follow him. A follower, a disciple, is one who stops following their own desires and ambitions. He or she now follows their master and king. They no longer live for self but live for him. So his call then and now is: Repent for his Kingdom is near. Stop following your own desires and ambitions. Follow the King. In following the King, his followers become part of his kingdom. The Sermon sets out how to live in his kingdom.

3. Now/Not yet

Jesus’ kingdom was not of this world – as he told Pilate when he was about to be crucified (Jn 18:36). In dying and rising again, he defeated death – and not just his own death. Jesus promised that all who believed in him would have their sins forgiven and would enter heaven with him. That is, his kingdom was in heaven – yet it began, with his work in this world.

Jesus is speaking of life in two worlds – the now and the not yet. The technical term – this is only for theological nerds - is inaugurated eschatology. But in plain English it is now and not yet. This now/not yet idea runs right through the Bible.

As members of his kingdom, we inhabit two worlds – the now and the not yet. As we give our lives to follow the King, as we know his forgiveness, we have already passed from death into life. We are now citizens both of heaven and earth. We inhabit two worlds.

We are far from perfect – yet God sees us as forgiven, as perfect. So do you begin to see the tension? I’m not asking if you can understand it yet. But perhaps you begin to see it? We live as ordinary, messed up humans here and now – but we also have a place booked for us in heaven as God’s perfect and forgiven people. We live in this now/not yet tension.

It’s like a Grand Final ticket. You’re not yet there, and yet you have paid for your ticket, and your seat is secure. As you look forward to that day, other concerns become unimportant – for the ardent fan. You are already living in the moment of that glorious day as you imagine yourself on your feet as that last winning goal goes through the posts.

So it is for the follower of Jesus - as we look to him and know the freedom of sins forgiven. As we realise our purity in his eyes, our daily anxieties, our bad thoughts and actions start to diminish. We have a new power at work in us – through God’s Spirit living in us. We begin to live a new life in his power. And sometimes, just sometimes, we manage to live in the direction of some of the high standards set out in Jesus’ Sermon.

Blessings

These first 12 verses are called the Beatitudes. Beatitude comes from the Latin word for blessed. To be blessed means simply to be happy or favoured.

Notice the language. The first and eighth beatitudes say of those who are blessed,

Theirs is – not will be, but is - the kingdom of heaven

But the middle six all say

They shall … They shall receive, they shall see, etc.

They look to both current realities and to the future. Again, it is picking up this odd idea of being in two worlds – the now and the not yet. But as well as looking forward, there is a look backwards also. For these Beatitudes come out of promises in the OT. We will look at some of these connections as we go through them now:

1. Poor

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

The poor in spirit know that without Christ they are lost. Without Christ, we are in spiritual darkness. Faith comes out of spiritual poverty.

There is also a link between material poverty and faith. The rich ruler who walked away from Jesus could not let go of his earthly riches for heavenly treasures. In contrast, the poor typically respond most quickly to Jesus; they have nothing to lose. And Jesus reached out to them. Quoting Isaiah, he said

the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor, Isa 61:1

2. Mourn

4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

We mourn over our own failings and sins, and we mourn over the effects of evil in general. Yet even in deep grief we can know the comfort of Christ. Christianity alone offers solid and certain hope to those who suffer, for we trust in a God who sent his own Son to suffer and die – Christ knows all about suffering! Christ’s death dealt with all sin, evil and pain. We look forward to a Kingdom where suffering and evil will be no more. This hope comforts us as we endure pain in this life.

Christ has promised,

to comfort all who mourn…

to give them a crown of beauty for ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the garment of praise instead of despair, Is 61:2-3.

3. Meek

5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Meekness is not being a whimp_,_ but one who is gentle and humble – like our Master_._ But _t_he gentle are oppressed by the ruthless. Their properties are stolen. Little Israel was often overrun by powerful enemies. Look at Russia’s invasion of its small neighbour. But such oppression will be reversed. This line is taken from the Psalm,

11 But the meek shall inherit the land, Ps 37:11.

The Land in that Psalm meant Israel. But Jesus expands this promise to embrace the whole earth. Our hope as God’s people is no longer on a plot of ground, but on eternal realities. For God has promised his people a new heaven and a new earth.

4. Hunger

6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

To follow Jesus means to lay aside our desires and desire what he wants. To hunger for his ways to be followed in every area of life. It is what Jesus prayed in the Lord’s prayer:

Father, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

May that also be our own strong desire and prayer.

5. Merciful

7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

God showed himself to Moses as merciful:

a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, Ex 34:6.

Mercy is not just feeling sorry for someone – it means taking action – showing kindness and compassion. This mercy in action went over the top when God sent his own son to die for his enemies.

6. Pure

8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

The Psalmist asks

Who shall stand in God’s holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Ps 24:3-4.

We cannot stand before God with a guilty conscience, with blood on our hands.

But Christ’s blood has made us clean:

Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow, Isa 1:18.

We shall indeed stand before him, though not in terror but in awe. So we shall see God.

7. Peacemakers

9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

God made peace, reconciling the world to himself when we were still his enemies. So when the followers of Jesus also proclaim his peace, they too will be called the Sons and daughters of God.

Persecution

8 & 9 – Persecuted

The Beatitudes end with three promises of blessing for those who are persecuted.

10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely because of me.

Jesus spoke of those persecuted - for the sake of righteousness.

He changed this to those are persecuted - for my sake.

Jesus is the righteous one – the one who is himself right with God. He alone is the true man, who is pure in heart. But he is also the one who brings righteousness. That is, he makes us right with God through his death on the cross.

His followers are those who live and suffer righteously; they suffer for my sake. No sane person enjoys suffering, but there are right and wrong responses to suffering. “The only persecution that is blessed is that which stems from allegiance to Jesus” (Blomberg). Wrong responses are those where the king is forgotten. People may seek martyrdom as proof of their devotion – to show off how brave and pious they are.

But we do not seek persecution for its own sake. Nor should we back away from it or respond by sulking or by seeking revenge. How then should we respond when persecution comes? The answer is surprising:

Rejoice and be glad

Joy is not an emotion but an attitude. We can experience joy even when overwhelmed with sadness. You can often see this at Christian funerals.

Jesus looks forward and backwards.

Looking forward, he anticipates our eternal reward

12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven,

Looking back, he speaks of the prophets.

for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

The prophets were persecuted for their faithfulness to God. The followers of Jesus are persecuted for my sake – Jesus once again puts himself on the same level as God. By doing so, he also puts his followers on the same level as the prophets.

As we look back, to the example of those who suffered before us – the OT prophets as well as those in the history of the church, we are encouraged to respond in faith (Hebrews 12:1-2). As we look forward to our great reward in heaven, the response is likewise one of faith. So in the present - as we live in this now/not yet tension, we live as the people of faith.

Faith is not a foolish leap in the dark. Faith is based on the historical evidence of past followers, and of Jesus’ own sufferings and resurrection. Faith in the future reward is based on the firm promises given by that true man, Christ himself. Faith allows us to live life now – to live it fully, without flinching or fear.

Just as the prophets were persecuted, Jesus warned his followers to expect the same. Prophets like Zechariah, Jeremiah and other OT prophets.

But they conspired against Zechariah, and by command of the king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the Lord, 2Ch 24:21.

Then Pashhur beat Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks…, Jer 20:2.

Our ancestors were disobedient and rebelled against you and cast your law behind their back and killed your prophets…, Ne 9:26.

Count the cost

Last century, if someone became a Christian in the West, it would scarcely get noticed. Sure, some friends may sneer and say “Fred’s got religion”, but it rarely went beyond that. But the fate of new believers in Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist lands can be very hard. If you have converted to Christ, your own brother or father or wife may try to kill you for you have brought shame on your family. Great pressure is brought on a new convert to recant, to give up on Christ. If he or she refuses, it is expected that his family will carry out an honour killing to purge their shame. Failure to do so brings yet more shame.

The situation is rapidly changing in the West too. Christianity is no longer seen as an oddity but as a danger, a threat, no longer to be tolerated. Many have been sued, or lost their jobs, or been shunned by family for believing in the Bible.

So a word for would-be followers. Maybe you are not yet a follower of Jesus? If so, I’m not going to give you any inducement. Rather, I’m going to give you a warning.

Jesus warned would-be followers to first count the cost (Mt 8:18-22). Is it worth it? Look at what you will lose.

Are you willing to suffer persecution? Jesus warned off would be followers with these words:

If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me, Mt 16:24.

Jesus was not a good man. If that was all he was, he would not have been crucified. No, he was far more than just a good man. What he said was the most offensive thing you could say. He said to all of us – we are helpless, we are lost. We can do nothing to save ourselves. We must hand over our lives – lock, stock and barrel – to him. He and he alone can save us. The religious people of the day could not bear to hear such words. Nor could the Roman rulers.

Friends, you need a Saviour. You need the Saviour, Jesus Christ. He and he alone can save you. But if you say that, then people will hate you. Family and friends will hate you. Some will hate you enough to kill you.

Are you willing to give up all that is precious to you – even your life itself? Are you willing to give up your life so that you may find true happiness, true life – life in our Saviour, Jesus Christ?

Sources:

- Carson, D.A. (1984). “Matthew”. In Gaebelein, F.E. (ed.). Expositor’s Bible Commentary. Zondervan.

- Blomberg C. L. (1992). Matthew. Broadman Press.

Series: Matthew

Topics: #Matthew , #Suffering