The Beatitudes
Class 3
March 7
Matthew 5:3-12
3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
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.
12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
1. Review/questions – “The Sermon on the Mount is not how we have to live in order to be accepted by God. The Sermon on the Mount is how we get to live when we become new people in Christ” – John Yates, The Falls Church.
2. Blessed are the Poor in Spirit
a. New Living Translation - 3 “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the
b. Matthew says at the end of the seventh chapter, the end of the Sermon on the Mount, that when Jesus had finished his teaching, the crowd was bewildered. He uses an interesting Greek word, ekplesso, not expresso, but ekplesso! It means they were spellbound to the end, and then they were astonished. Ekplesso literally means they were struck out of themselves. When you really hear the Sermon on the Mount, it may have a similar impact on you (Yates).
c. The Sermon on the Mount is perhaps the most amazing, beautiful, ethical teaching of all time; and yet the Lord begins not with a code of conduct, but he begins teaching about character, attitudes. Why?
i. Because who you are determines how you will behave.
ii. Attitude determines actions.
iii. Beliefs decide behavior.
iv. Character is what leads to conduct.
v. When we understand the truth about ourselves and about God that then makes it possible to live the good life.
d. What does it mean to be poor in spirit?
i. It means to realize how impoverished you are on your own, morally and spiritually, as you stand before a holy, perfect God.
ii. It’s humility.
e. This first beatitude means just what we’ve been saying:
i. Understanding that I don’t have the resources inside me, on my own, to put the teaching of the sermon into practice.
ii. I am, by nature, not able to lead the truly good life because I am a fallen human being.
iii. We can’t live up to God’s standards (indeed, we can’t even live up to our own standards sometimes).
iv. We are like the publican who went to the temple to pray and who simply knelt down and said, “God have mercy on me, a sinner.”
f. Jesus says those “poor in Spirit” are blessed; why aren’t those ‘rich’ in spirit?
i. What is richness of spirit?
1.
2. Unfaithfulness or lack of trust in the providence of God?
3. Pride!
g. How can we be ‘poor in spirit (John Yates)?
i. Quit pretending to be what you’re not. Don’t run away from personal failure.
ii. Humbly acknowledge your need for God’s forgiveness and help.
iii. Look to Christ to understand what a real human being looks like and go for it with his help.
iv. Finally, be closely and authentically connected to a few other lovers of Christ. That’s what it takes. Ask him to do it in you, and then gradually you will see signs in your life that you are beginning to experience this.
3. Chapter 6 – Those Who Mourn – Blessed are the unhappy for they will be happy.
Isaiah 61:1-3
1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
a. Why do we mourn?
i. Death of a loved one
ii. Business or job setback
iii. Failure to accomplish something – family or other important goal
iv. Recognition that ‘something’ important is or has been missing from our lives.
However,
1. Peter Kreeft in Back to Virtue reminds us that there is an important difference between “blessed mourning” and “mourning another person’s blessedness” (ie., envy).
v. John Stott says, “It’s not the sorrow of bereavement to which Christ is referring, it’s the sorrow of repentance.”
b. What does it mean to ‘be happy’?
i. Contentment
ii. Satisfaction
iii. Happiness depends, not on right circumstances, but on right attitudes. It’s not what’s happening around me, but what’s happening inside me that makes me happy.
1. From last week - Happiness is ultimately a subjective state – who decides if we are happy? What is it that makes us happy?
Blessedness is objective – it is a grace bestowed upon us by our Creator.
iv. Can we ever be happy if we have never been sad?
1. William Barclay, the Scottish New Testament scholar, said, “Human happiness is something that’s dependent on the chances and changes of life — happenstance. Christian blessedness is completely untouchable and unassailable because it’s deep within.”
v. It is from mourning that we ultimately receive comfort and blessedness.
1. Comfort for our own sins comes when we find forgiveness.
4. Almighty and most gracious Father, move upon us with your mighty power and grace, so that as we move through this Lenten study each of us may be poor of spirit, always seeking the richness found only in life with you. Open our hearts and minds to the Holy Ghost, that we may learn to take great pride in you, to trust in and depend on you. And finally, prepare us for the coming Easter so that with the risen Christ, we, too, may rise from the ashes to be restored to your eternal kingdom. Through the same Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost; ever one God, World without end. Amen
