We just celebrated our country’s independence last week. I got to experience this while on vacation and everyone’s spirit about the 4th of July was notable. I’m sure, while I was away, fireworks were popped here for at least 3 days…I walked around the cruise boat singing Proud to Be an American in a Caribbean accent. But if you asked many people what it looks like to be an American, you may get just that many answers. Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount gives us a glimpse of what it looks like to be a citizen of God’s Kingdom…
5 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
KINGDOM CITIZENSHIP BEGINS ON THE INSIDE (1 – 6)
- Similar to the 10 Commandments, the first 4 beatitudes are more vertical in nature and deal with one’s relationship with God.
- ILL: Nobody drives by a field and compliments the roots. Nobody posts pictures of roots online. Yet the health of the entire plant depends on what nobody can see. Deep roots produce healthy fruit.
The Beatitudes begin underground before they become visible above ground. To be a citizen of America, I must be born here. To be a citizen of the Kingdom of God, I must be born again.
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
- “Blessed” – Joy from a divine source. Supernatural joy.
- Jesus begins in the first 4 beatitudes saying that joy is found in a right view of redemption, our need for it and God’s ability to secure it.
- Joy isn’t always found in the places we think it may be.
- Poor in spirit, isn’t saying you should have low self-esteem, it’s recognizing that you’re spiritually bankrupt apart from God.
- You can’t be poor in spirit if you’re rich in yourself.
- The admission price to the kingdom of God is realizing you can’t afford it.
- It isn’t entered by those who think they have enough, it’s entered by those who know they have nothing.
- The world says, believe in yourself. You’re good enough. You can do it. And Jesus responds, “Blessed are those who know they cannot save themselves.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
- Verse 4 is inseparable from the previous verse.
- What do you do with spiritual bankruptcy? You mourn.
- Jesus isn’t saying, “Blessed are people who are sad…” He’s talking about a specific mourning. A mourning over sin and the brokenness and separation it has caused.
- 2 Cor. 7.10 – “Godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation…”
- You can’t be comforted until you’ve been broken.
- You can’t rejoice over God’s grace until you’ve grieved over your own sin.
- And in that grief, we find something amazing…comfort from the one most offended by our sin. The comfort of God.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
- This is probably the most confusing beatitude, because when we first read it, we think meekness as a synonym of weakness.
- It really carries the connotation of not thinking too much of oneself. Or of not being self-seeking. It carries the idea of dependence.
- CS Lewis: “Meekness is not thinking less of yourself; it’s thinking of yourself less.”
- You can’t be a member of God’s Kingdom, when you’re too busy building your own. You can’t cling to the rugged cross when you’re also holding on to your pride, independence, etc.
- Numbers 12.3 says that Moses was a meek man. Yet, he confronted Pharaoh, led a nation of whiners through the wilderness, delivered God’s law…Meekness didn’t make him passive, it made him usable.
- Jesus’ promise that they will inherit the earth sounds a bit backwards…I mean, he who dies with the most toys wins! Stick up for yourself! Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps! Those are the things we hear. But Jesus says if you want to gain the whole world, you have to lose yourself.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
- Poverty of spirit says, “I can’t.”
- Mourning says, “I wish I hadn’t.”
- Meekness (v. 5) says, “I surrender.”
- Hunger for righteousness (v. 6) says, “Only God can satisfy.”
- An appetite for the things of the world will never satisfy your hunger for fulfillment.
- Kingdom citizens crave holiness more than they crave happiness.
- You can’t hunger and thirst for righteousness when you’re satisfied with the world.
- CS Lewis: “It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”
KINGDOM CITIZENS SHOW THEIR ALLEGIENCE TO THE KING (7-9)
- Also as the 10 commandments turn more horizontal after the 4th, so do the Beatitudes.
- ILL: A police officer wears a uniform that identifies who he represents.A firefighter wears a uniform that identifies who she represents. Kingdom citizens wear no physical uniform. Their “uniform” is mercy, purity, and peacemaking.
- ILL: Lee Greenwood at Dollywood…instantly recognizable.
- This section deals with the question, How does what has happened in me, affect the people around me?
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
- Mercy is compassion with feet – compassion with action.
- Grace received should result in grace given.
- Matthew 18. 21-35
21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times. 23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. 31 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. 32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
- Pure in heart doesn’t refer to being morally flawless.
- It refers to a person who has relationship integrity with God.
- A person with an undivided, unpolluted heart.
- A person with a pure heart has an undivided focus.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
- Kingdom Citizens refuse to let anyone sow seeds of disunity.
- A few weeks ago we looked at Genesis 13 and Abrahams interaction with Lot choosing the best looking land. Abraham chose peace over self.
- The word for peacemaker doesn’t mean, one who wishes for peace or one who loves peace…it’s one who MAKES peace.
- A peace-lover says, “I hope everyone gets along.”
- A peacekeeper says, “I want to avoid conflict.”
- A peacemaker says, “I will step into conflict and pursue reconciliation.”
Peacemaking is active.
- Peacemaking is a fruit of the Spirit according to Galatians. It’s evidence of the Spirit at work. It’s evidence of God at work.
- APP: Continually contentious? There’s a spiritual problem.
- Kingdom Citizens don’t just avoid conflict, they pursue reconciliation.
KINGDOM CITIZENS RECOGNIZE THE VALUE OF CITIZENSHIP (10-12)
10“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, 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 on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
- Righteousness may come with a price. We must be willing to pay it because God’s Kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field.
- The world cries for acceptance, Jesus is saying you are blessed when the world pursues you.
- And let’s be clear here, Jesus isn’t saying Blessed are those who are annoying. Or blessed are those who suffer because they are difficult people and are hard to get along with…that’s on you.
- Jesus qualifies his blessing…”for righteousness sake…on my account.”
- Kingdom Citizens live for the approval of the King.
- ILL: Passport. Who do you belong to? Who do you represent? Where are you going?