Matthew 5:1-12

Have you ever heard a sermon that hit a little too close to home? Maybe you thought to yourself, "the pastor's not preaching today, he's meddling." Well our text today is part of that kind of sermon. This text is typically called The Beatitudes, and these verses make up chapters 5,6 and 7 of Matthew, which make up The Sermon on the Mount.

I took a class a few years ago on The Sermon on the Mount precisely because this is one of the parts of Scripture that has always convicted me. I can't seem to read it without feeling that God is using it to speak right to me and show me just how far off my Christian life really is. Perhaps some of you have felt that way as well.

It's also with a sense of excitement and anticipation that I approach this text today. This is because what I'll be preaching on today will basically launch the rest of this series. In a real sense, the rest of the Sermon on the Mount is grounded in verses 1-12 of chapter 5 of Matthew's Gospel.

But instead of going into the deep details and significance of each verse today, I believe there are some essential themes for the Christian to know about concerning the Beatitudes. So we're going to take a look at those broader themes today.

Interestingly, as I began preparing for this sermon, I found that my teacher and virtually all of the commentaries I consulted all began by saying the same thing. They essentially said:

"The Sermon on the Mount is probably the best known teaching of Jesus. And, it's also probably the least understood message that Jesus ever gave."

I couldn't agree more. I know that in my studies of these three chapters of Matthew, I've been surprised every time by what I thought I understood, but clearly didn't. And so, what is The Sermon on the Mount all about?

Well, to quote my teacher,

"in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus shows us his ideal for Christian discipleship, and he lists the chief marks of the citizens of the Kingdom of God."

In other words, it's Jesus' own description of Christians, or, Jesus' portrait of "Jesus People."

The Sermon shows the character and behavior that Jesus expects from his followers. We get a depiction of the Christian as he is in his heart ,(as he is supposed to be), as she is in her motive, as he is in his thoughts. This is a beautiful and comprehensive portrait of what Christians, like us, ought to be. So much for the idea that Jesus isn't demanding. So, what we have in our text today, is what a Christian's character should be.

Now, one thing that I learned while I was studying for this is something that's probably obvious to most of you. I learned something about the people described in The Beatitudes. What I learned is that these eight qualities that Jesus describes, are Jesus' description of ALL Christians. These are not eight distinct groups of Christians described. It's Christ's description of all Christians. These are eight qualities of the same group of Christian disciples. Those who are meek are at the same time merciful, those who are poor in spirit are at the same time pure in heart, and so on.

I had always thought this was a "group picture" of the Christian family. Some were meek, some were poor in spirit, some were pure in heart, while others were merciful, and so on. But this is Christ's blueprint of what every Christian ought to be. Instead of a group portrait, this is the picture of what all Christians are to look like. This is your individual portrait.

In other words, all of these qualities listed in the beatitudes, are to characterize all of Christ's followers. Just as the nine-fold fruit of the Spirit in Galatians five is to ripen in every Christian's character, these eight beatitudes describe Christ's ideal for every citizen of the Kingdom of God.

That's the first thing; The second thing I want to really look at this morning is what Jesus promised in The Beatitudes. In The Beatitudes, each character-requirement is accompanied by a blessing. Each characteristic is assigned to us, and each person who shows it is pronounced blessed by Jesus. Blessed are the poor in spirit; Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, etc.

Now, the word "blessed" can and does mean happy. Sometimes you may read a translation that says, "Happy are those" instead of "blessed." But to equate blessed and happy would be unfortunate because the kind of happiness expressed here is not happiness as we typically understand it. The blessedness spoken of by Jesus implies an inner satisfaction, joy and sufficiency that doesn't depend on outward circumstances for happiness. What Jesus meant by 'blessed' didn't have anything to do with the external things of life.

The Apostle Paul understood what Jesus was saying. This is what he stressed in his letter to the Philippians. The idea here is this: We can't let the circumstances of our lives dictate what will and will not make us happy. Rather, in Christ, we have peace, joy and a contentment because we know who and whose we really are.

But unfortunately, there are too many people saying to themselves,

· "If only I get this job, then I'll be happy."

· "If only I can have this relationship, then I'll be at peace."

· "If I finally get this car, I'll be content."

You can fill in the blanks with whatever you wish. But this isn't what Jesus is talking about. To be sure, Paul did experience the kind of blessedness Jesus spoke of - while he was in prison of all places. Paul knew that it's our perspective on our circumstances that should shape us, and not just the circumstances.

If our happiness depends on our circumstances, then our happiness will come and go with every wind of change, and we'll probably end up in a big mess because we'll be enslaved to the world and circumstances around us. I find myself being pulled into the snares of the world all the time, and I really have to watch out for them. These are things that would cause me to lose my peace and joy.

So what I want to suggest here is what I think Jesus is teaching us: Without a divine perspective in my circumstances, I'll lose the ability to walk in trust and obedience. And what Jesus is saying is, these Beatitudes give us this divine perspective for who we are to be in this world. God didn't tell us to just use our own best judgment, or to just go with the flow of our culture. Jesus told us exactly what he wants from us, and that when we maintain this divine perspective, and are obedient to it, we'll be blessed.

So, how does this divine perspective of The Beatitudes help us in our everyday life you may be asking? Well, I believe that obedience to, and cultivating the character described in the Beatitudes, blesses us with a joy that God has promised us, and desires us to experience.

However, there are always "everyday threats" to this joy. And so, I believe that cultivating the character described in the Beatitudes is the only way to counter and resist these threats to our Joy.

What are these threats? Well, I want to mention just three of them:

1.) As I have alluded to, the first threat to our joy turns out to be our circumstances.

Haven't you seen this in your life? This relates to what we've been saying about letting the things of this world dictate whether or not you're going to be happy. But instead, cultivating the character of the Beatitudes is how we can maintain our joy. This is how we maintain an eternal, rather than a temporal perspective. But sadly, this is contrary to what the world teaches.

Have you ever asked someone how they were doing and they responded by saying: "pretty good, under the circumstances." A good response for the Christian might be, "What are you doing under the circumstances?" We're called to live above the circumstances. And even though I find myself going under them, I know the better course. I know that if I cultivate an eternal, rather than a temporal perspective, what will take place is this:

1.) first of all,- I'll realize that nothing happens outside of God's sovereign control, and

2.) secondly, I'll know that God is committed to my highest good, no matter how circumstances may appear to the contrary.

The basic idea is this: Is God in control or not? That's a fundamental question you have to ask yourself to see which perspective you hold. Is God committed to your highest good or isn't he? That's another question you have to ask yourself to find out what perspective you hold. If you say YES to both of those, then you should realize that no circumstance can come into your life, that's outside of God's control.

So the Beatitudes remind you to seek an eternal perspective and not to surrender to the circumstances in your life.

2.) The second threat to our joy is people.

Have you noticed by now that we're with difficult people everyday? There are various kinds of people in our lives: There are Very Resourceful People- VRP's; There are Very Teachable People- VTP's; There are Very Important People- VIP's; But there are also Very Needy People- VNP's; and Very Draining People- VDP's. And all of us have the VDP's in our lives. Sometimes you get that phone call and you don't want to even answer it because you know what you're in for.

But even there, God is in charge, and in his grace he'll give you VDP's and force you to serve them and go beyond your self-centeredness. He'll put them in your life and you're called to treat them with dignity, respect and possibility, because sometimes, VDP's become VIP's and even VRP's - Very Resourceful People - for others.

I can think of a mentor of mine in Atlanta who taught me a great deal while I was in seminary. And I'm sure he got tired of seeing me hang around him all the time - asking him questions and more questions. I know I drained him of all his joy and patience. Yet he was always kind to me and taught me a great deal. And consequently, I've been able to bring what he taught me, into my ministry.

That's the way Jesus treated people. He didn't allow them to control his agenda, but he still treated them with dignity and respect. There was balance. Maintaining your joy involves walking in obedience to what Jesus taught in the Beatitudes; Christ-like humility, putting others' needs before your own and so on. And what appears to cramp your desires becomes freedom and actual joy. You'll find greater love, joy and peace when you stop looking for them - and start serving Christ and people. Put Christ first, and all else will follow as a result.

But you can only do this to the degree that you trust that your needs have already been met in Christ. You can't depend on anyone or anything else for this blessed joy. It comes from Christ alone.

3.) The third threat to your joy is things and status.

You'll lose your joy when you set your mind on earthly things because they will never deliver the satisfaction they promised. They'll lose their luster and will never satisfy you for long. The new car will eventually break down. The new house may get termites or have faulty wiring or plumbing. Jesus said not to put your trust in the things of this world that will grow old and rust or that thieves could steal.

True gain is found in rejoicing in what you have in Christ ,and not the things of this world. So too, the eternal perspective of the Beatitudes also teaches us that you can't live on yesterday's laurels for very long. Even the greatest accomplishments of this world are forgotten. How many of you remember the names of the Olympic gold medal winners of the 1950's, 60's and 70's? Probably not very many of you. They've become obscure questions in Trivial Pursuit.

A businessman and former CEO of a major company told some young executives to enjoy their success while they had it, because after you retire he said, they don't return your phone calls anymore.

James Dobson said that with the tremendous success of his first book he became very cocky. That is, until he was humbled one day by a friend. His friend told him that he had just purchased Dobson's book at a garage sale for 75 cents. This brought him back down to earth.

The things of this world, and our position in this world, won't last very long. Even the Pharaohs couldn't take their treasures with them. Instead, the Christian looks with a divine and eternal perspective at this world. The Christian sees the internal righteousness desired by God. The Christian finds his or her identity IN Christ, and that is eternal and never-changing. The blessedness of the Beatitudes is God's assessment of the Christian. And that assessment won't change with the times; it won't blow with the wind.

You know, we all desire joy, love and peace. And if you really think about it, you know they aren't to be found in this world, but ultimately to be found only in a relationship with Christ. It's my desire for you to pursue that relationship. It's my desire for each one of us to gain this internal and eternal divine perspective in our lives. And it's my desire for us to become the very people found in the picture that Jesus painted in The Beatitudes, telling us who and whose we are.