Bible Study - The Beatitudes

(30) NW Bible Study - Bible Quiz #20, The Beatitudes - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IygsEM9osl8

Transcript:
(00:01) so many of you are going to be familiar with uh this section of scripture it has its own name i mean it's we're u we're familiar with it because it's called the biatitudes so the question number 20 is where do we find the biatitudes and I think most of you know that we find those in Matthew chapter five so rather though than just reading them straight through I don't know if you've if you've taken the time to sort of analyze each and every one of the biatitudes but there's an interesting grouping that you're going to find
(00:38) within these biatitudes if you if you look at them somewhat uh carefully or with a critical eye you're going to find that there are three essentially three groupings now keep in mind that Jesus Christ was talking to a group of people you know the the the disciples who who truly loved him and and followed him and wanted to hear what he had to say was a much smaller group than than those who followed him out of curiosity out of uh in some cases out of out of desire for receiving the benefits he was giving to people whether that was healing or in
(01:11) some cases even just food uh he fed uh multiple people as you can recall uh at different times and so there were benefits clearly but you know in a world that is dominated by uh by the phariseaical version of Judaism which is the religion of the Jews at the time of Christ you know Christ is talking to people about very different attitudes than you're going to find that was being espoused by the phariseaical leaders who uh who rewarded strict obedience and who described you know behaviors that they wanted to see
(01:47) in everyone through meticulous behaviors and meticulous obedances and so forth and everything as Christ described later he says you're you're like whitewashed uh vessels meaning you look great on the outside but inside there's there's nothing that looks good it's all filth and rot from a spiritual perspective and so Christ comes and now he gives a very a unique a unique description of attitudes and behaviors that uh that he describes that that stand in stark contrast to this world that he was born into and into which he was ministering
(02:29) uh as he was called by God to do so and so you have this stark contrast then between the world that they were told which is religious versus the religion that Jesus Christ came and taught you know in the world today it admires things like uh people who are proud although they would call it confident uh but people who are self-reliant which the world calls bootstrappers uh you know those who who go out and they seem to um you know they seem to conquer this world in front of them and everybody in the world you know the
(03:06) normal thing is to celebrate that sort of victorious approach and attitude but Christ came with a very different message and it stands in stark contrast to the world because you know the world celebrates pride in its own way for example if we go back to Proverbs chapter 16 Proverbs chapter 16 and verse 5 everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord that's Proverbs 16:5 everyone proud in his heart is an abomination to the Lord though they join forces none will go unpunished you know this is the standard of the world it is
(03:46) the world behaves the way the father of this world which is Satan uh behaves which is his the the root of his sin is pride it is arrogance it is hubris and so Christ comes and he preaches a very different message than that so not only does the world celebrate essentially wrong character but also wrong conduct over in Isaiah chapter 59 isaiah chapter 59 and verses 7 and 8 describes the way the world is their feet run to evil and they make haste to shed innocent blood their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity wasting and
(04:33) destruction are in their paths the way of peace they have not known and there is no justice in their ways they have made themselves crooked paths whoever takes that way shall not know peace and so again this is the way of the world the way the world lives the way the world celebrates and this of course is what the world that Jesus Christ was born into and the world that he ministered to but of course those who claim to follow God often struggle when it comes to the cost of being a disciple of Jesus Christ you
(05:10) know many pre would prefer to have comfort over the conviction and obviously popularity even over truth and we see that in the world around us even amongst those who claim to be Christian or religious you know most people fear rejection and they seek human approval rather than standing firm in righteousness john chapter 12 john 12 here verse 43 describes this very same world for they love the praise of men more than the praise of God and though that describes the Pharisees of his day in some ways that describes you know
(06:02) religious figures of our day as well and we need to be mindful of that and so Christ here is going to be describing for us in these biatitudes three different areas that we need to be paying attention to things we need to know about what it means to be considered a disciple of Jesus Christ and we need to be willing to embrace it even if it costs us everything because of the reward that's promised if we will do that so even before Christ speaks about what his followers should do he first addresses what they or who they should be let's put it that
(06:43) way so the biatitudes begin by focusing on character and so I'm going to cover three aspects of the biatitudes this evening we're going to cover character we're going to cover conduct and we're going to cover cost those three things so let's start here with character then who you must be to be a disciple of Jesus Christ because it's not about external appearances or religious performance it's about having a heart that's humbled it's transformed and it's fully dependent on God so we look at a world that elevates the strong the
(07:21) self-sufficient and the proud naturally that's the world that we live in and it teaches us that confidence and success come from asserting oneself from taking control and never showing weakness but Jesus praises those who are poor in spirit those who mourn for the sins of the world those who are meek qualities that the world often views as weak or undesirable matthew chapter 5 then which is where these biatitudes are recorded for us right at the beginning of this it says and seeing here Matthew 5:1 and seeing the multitudes he that is Jesus
(07:59) Christ went up on a mountain and when he was seated his disciples came to him then he opened his mouth and taught them saying and of course he begins here in verse three with blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven this this attitude ude of being poor in spirit or humble it stands in stark contrast to the way of Satan the way of this world which is pride self-reliance that that can't be we we can't dismiss that in any in any way when you consider the fact that it's the very first thing that Christ describes
(08:35) being poor in spirit the absolute contrast of this world and of the God of this age over in Jeremiah 9:es 23 and 24 Jeremiah 9:es 23 and 24 we notice that God has always rejected human pride jeremiah 9:es 23 and 24 thus says the Lord "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom let let not the mighty man glory in his might nor let the rich man glory in his riches but let him who glories glory in this that he understands and knows me that I am the Lord exercising loving kindness judgment and righteousness in the earth for in
(09:34) these I delight says the Lord not the person who looks on himself who says "Look how great I am and how much I've accomplished," which is the way of pride he here God is telling us that what he looks on is the humility of the heart and that is what he is seeking amongst his disciples the disciples of Jesus Christ back over to Matthew 5 then we notice it says in Matthew 5:4 the second quality that he's looking for in who his disciples are it says in verse 4 "Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted." So closely tied to humility
(10:21) is this ability to see sin for what it truly is you know the world does not mourn over sin it either embraces it or hides it but Jesus praises those who mourn over it not just in times of personal loss of course but over the brokenness of the world and their own sin i recently spoke about this in one of my did you knows where I talked about this this thing that that Solomon described in Ecclesiastes which is the sorrow of wisdom and it is when we the more we see and the more we understand of the choices of men and the destruction that
(10:58) men wreak in their own lives by those choices the more it saddens and grieves our hearts and I think that's the that's what is in essence being described here those who mourn for what they see who grieve over it and who seek true repentance psalms 34 psalms chapter 34 and verse 18 the Lord is near to those who have a broken heart and save such as have a contrite spirit god draws near to the one who's broken not boastful he seeks those who recognize their own weakness their own need for forgiveness their own inability to save
(11:45) themselves you know the Pharisees of of the day of Christ they saw themselves as righteous and strong and favored by God their pride blinded them they couldn't see who they really were but this is why they could not accept Jesus Christ's message because they saw no need to change the truly blessed are not those who think they have everything together but those who see their deep need for God and who desire to turn to him with a humble heart the third over in Matthew chapter 5 and we have a lot to go through so I am I
(12:21) don't have a lot of time to spend on each and every one of these though I think each one of these is worthy of a message all by itself but I want to I want to highlight how each of these biatitudes form up into these three groups uh uh this evening in this Bible study so here we are talking about character and now in Matthew chapter 5:5 it says blessed are the meek again another attitude for they shall inherit the earth but I think the meekness in this world is vastly misunderstood because many people equate meekness with
(12:56) weakness or passivity or a lack of ambition but biblical meekness is not about being timid it's about having strength under control it's a heart that's submissive to God choosing to trust him rather than to force its own way psalm 37:1 you know let's I should say this out loud but go ahead and keep your place here in Matthew chapter 5 we are just going to keep coming back here obviously that's what the whole point of this particular Bible study is but back now in Psalms 37 11 Psalms 37:1 says "But the meek shall
(13:38) inherit the earth and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace." This is an attitude not of weakness but of strength in God but because your strength comes from God and you trust in God so really this is about trust trust in myself or trust in God if we trust in God that's the safe place because God is in control and if we trust in God then we know that we don't have to prove ourselves we don't have to assert ourselves we don't have to manipulate circumstances to control an outcome because instead we can have quiet
(14:17) confidence and we can have peace knowing that God himself is going to establish justice in his time so while the world rewards self-promotion confidence and control God honors humility and brokenness and trust this is the character of a disciple of Jesus Christ and it's not shaped by the values of this world but by the values of God's kingdom which is just another way of saying it is by the values of God himself because his kingdom is made up of those who hold to those values so to be poor in spirit to mourn over sin to walk in meekness these
(14:54) aren't natural qualities they're evidence of a heart transformed because of the calling of God but this is why the biatitudes begin with character without a transformed heart no amount of righteous action is going to matter you know think about this because the Pharisees had all the outward signs of being quote religious but their hearts were far from God as Christ repeatedly accused them so true disciplehip meaning being a true disciple of Jesus Christ begins from within it starts with a heart that's humble repentant and completely
(15:30) surrendered to God verse go back to Matthew chapter 5 again here in verse 6 I have my little marker so I'm flipping right back over there matthew 5:6 says "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled." This is the attitude this is the mindset this is where somebody is focused what they truly long for are we hungry for success for power for recognition or do we hunger for righteousness those who desperately seek God's will above all else will be satisfied but those who chase after the
(16:13) world's rewards will always come up empty so the biatitudes make it clear those who embrace the character of Jesus Christ will be the ones who inherit the kingdom of God now the second area that the biatitudes help us to see and to understand is God's focus on our conduct so it's not just about believing God and having a heart that says yes I desire to be like God but this second area of focus is on our willingness to demonstrate that this essentially is is is all about faith and how is faith manifested in our
(16:51) lives it reflects the condition of our heart that's really the point of what faith is so what is faith it's belief in God but along with that belief it is our actions which demonstrate our beliefs and of course that requires trust so we see these elements all tied together and here in the biatitudes scribes Christ describes these as he describes conduct so as we talked about before the world operates off a very different standard you know it values self-interest and power and vengeance it elevates those who seek their own gain
(17:35) uh who hold grudges who manipulate others for personal advantage christ calls us to righteousness which demands a different kind of conduct one that reflects mercy and purity and peacemaking over here in Matthew chapter 5 and verse 7 this second area that's a a focus of these biatitudes shows us here that God says blessed in verse 7 blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy now that's an action isn't it it's what we do how we treat other people being merciful the world uses or embraces ideas such as revenge or getting even or
(18:16) retribution where people seek justice on their own terms but mercy goes against human nature because it chooses forgiveness over vengeance it can it chooses compassion over condemnation the Pharisees of Christ's time emphasized strict justice and often lacking compassion for the weak or the sinner but Christ made it clear that true blessings come to those who extend mercy because God himself is merciful over in Proverbs 11 17 Proverbs 11 verse1 17 the merciful man does good for his own soul but he who is cruel troubles his own flesh here
(19:11) we're admonished by in the proverbs that it is the merciful man who does good for himself mercy is not weakness it's strength to show grace someone else when a world demands punishment the merciful reflect the very nature of God and of course do God does not treat us the way we deserve because when we repent God forgives us he extends us patience and love he is merciful in fact the very seat that God sits on he calls the mercy seat and of course God says that those who show mercy will receive mercy but mercy is not enough back over
(19:58) here in Matthew chapter 5 again matthew chapter 5 again it's an element it's something that we must have but it is not enough by itself verse 8 of Matthew 5 says "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God." Purity is not just about avoiding sin it's about having an undivided heart one that seeks after God with sincerity you know many people pretend to be righteous while secretly holding on to bitterness or lust or greed or pride but Jesus teaches that true purity is not external it is internal only those who have hearts fully devoted to
(20:45) God will see him this is not just about the future promise of eternal life but about experiencing a real and personal relationship with God now Psalms chapter 24 so much of the scripture is confirmed in these wonderful writings in Psalms so Psalms chap 24:es 3 and 4 who may ascend into the hill of the Lord this Psalm of David says "Or who may stand in his holy place he who has clean hands and a pure heart who has not lifted up his soul to an idol nor sworn deceitfully.
(21:34) " You know what's interesting is is how David here describes the actions remember we're here under conduct and he describes the actions of one who has a pure heart one who has not lifted up his soul to an idol he's not worshiped a false idol meaning he is practicing he's living out his faith in real time it isn't just I say I believe these things he truly demonstrates belief in action that his heart is truly pure and you can see that in how he behaves how he lives purity of heart leads directly to another defining mark of a true disciple
(22:14) which is peacemaking back to Matthew chapter 5 where we're told blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God you know the world assumes that peace comes through force or domination but Jesus Christ says that the peace he's talking of is not about avoiding conflict it's about actively working for reconciliation true peace is costly it requires humility and patience and willingness to set aside personal grievances in order to bring harmony this is the very heart of the gospel so as disciples of Jesus Christ we have
(23:12) to be agents of peace not just saying we love the idea of peace but we have to be peace makers you know that's an interesting statement isn't it that's an interesting word because it doesn't say blessed are those who love peace it says blessed are the peace makers someone who makes peace that requires true humility true patience and really does require a willingness to set aside our personal grievances peace is hard to attain but again peace doesn't come just because you want it peace comes because you work for
(23:54) it romans 12 and verse 18 romans 12 and verse 18 the Apostle Paul [Music] says well I'll begin here in verse 17 he says "Repay no one evil for evil have regard for good things in the sight of all men if it is possible as much as depends on you live peaceibly with all men that's an active word peaceably it's striving to live peaceably it means to strive to live in a peaceable environment with all men this is the high standard the high bar of the conduct that Jesus Christ is looking for in disciples this kind of righteous conduct is not
(25:02) natural you know the world teaches that you take what you want you defend your pride you don't let people take advantage of you but Jesus Christ calls you know he calls us to do something different to behave to a higher standard he calls mercy more important than judgment purity more important than corruption and peace more important than conflict like those are obvious extremes of one another and the world embraces the the the you know the world embraces judgment and corruption and conflict where Christ calls us to reject those things in how
(25:47) we live so the biatitudes make it clear disciples of Christ must live differently not just have the heart of someone who is different you have to that heart has to be reflected in how we live so I guess we need to ask ourselves a question are we merciful or do we hold on to grudges are we pursuing purity or do we allow compromise to creep into our hearts are we peacemakers or do we contribute to the world's conflicts jesus Christ makes it clear that the blessed life that's the one that we're being called to blessed are
(26:24) those who do these things who have this attit these attitudes these aren't found by pursuing or seeking personal advantage but in living as true children of God we have to reflect his mercy and his holiness and his peace so the question is not whether we agree with Christ's words it's whether we're willing to live them and of course if we're going to live this way of life we're told here in the same the very same passages in Matthew chapter 5 we're told by this the very same author of this Christ himself that there's a cost for following
(27:04) him he never promised that this is going to be easy in fact he made it clear that living by the standards of the kingdom of God are going to come at a great cost the world does not celebrate righteousness it rejects righteousness as we all know it's not hard to look around today to see that and of course the more a disciple conforms to the character and conduct of Jesus Christ the more they're going to find themselves at odds with this world this is why Jesus concludes the biatitudes with the sobering truth those
(27:34) who follow him will face opposition notice in verse 10 blessed there here we are back in Matthew chapter 5 and verse 10 blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven so persecution is not a possibility it's a certainty because the world rejects those who stand for truth and this has always been the case you know the prophets of old were hated for speaking God's word jesus himself was rejected he was mocked he was ultimately crucified the apostles suffered imprisonment and
(28:14) beatings and even death because they refused to compromise their faith to belong to Christ means to walk the same path john 15 john chapter 15 18 and 19 let's notice what Christ told us it says "If the world hates you you know that it hated me before it hated you if you were of the world the world would love its own yet because you are not of the world but I chose you out of the world therefore the world hates you.
(28:45) " So this is what we should expect to happen when we stand out in this world because we live the way Christ said we are to live we embrace these biatitudes as not only our character the character we're striving to build and to have in ourselves but also that character reflected in our conduct comes with a cost and so if Christ says if I suffered these things because I was like this in the world and and my and of course we know the apostles suffered these things because they lived as Jesus Christ lived to the best of their ability and so
(29:19) we're told that we should also expect to live the same way and have these same experiences and be treated exactly the way they were treated in this world this is why it's called a high cost verse 11 of Matthew 5 verse 11 of Matthew 5 says "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake you know this kind of persecution is going to take many forms it's not it's not just physical suffering okay it it includes mockery and slander and rejection some are going to face legal
(30:00) consequences for standing for biblical truth others are going to be shunned by friends or colleagues or even family the cost of disciplehip is not always dramatic but it's always real so instead of fearing persecution or resenting those who mistreat us Christ tells us to rejoice notice verse 12 verse 12 of Matthew 5 says "Rejoice and be exceedingly glad for great is your reward in heaven for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
(30:37) " You know to human beings this seems impossible how can we rejoice in suffering the answer lies in our perspective christ is not telling his disciples to enjoy the pain he wants us to see beyond that persecution is not a sign of failure it's a mark of faithfulness it connects Christ's believers with the prophets and the saints who've gone before them more importantly it assures them of a great reward 2 Corinthians chapter 4 and verse 17 2 Corinthians chapter 4 and verse 17 for our light affliction but which is for a moment is working for us a far more exceeding and
(31:27) eternal weight of glory and that's really what we're supposed to have as our perspective as we look at this way of life that we've been called to live and of course the cost of living this way in this world i know many today probably many of us today really aren't suffering great struggles i I'll just be honest like yeah there's little things that that nick that nick at you right that that kind of bite at your heels but if you've lived long enough you know those you kind of you kind of get used to but Christ is telling us to be
(31:58) prepared something it it it can and possibly likely will for those of us today who are alive certainly for those who are alive before Christ returns it's going to get far far worse for those who profess to believe in Jesus Christ who truly are living the biatitudes of God as espoused by Christ in Matthew chapter 5 but we need to understand that all suffering for righteousness sake is temporary the reward is eternal no persecution no insult no rejection can take away what God has promised this is why the disciples in the early church
(32:35) rejoiced when they were beaten for the name of Christ because they understood that to suffer for him was an honor but the cost of following Christ is not just about external persecution it's also about the daily sacrifices of living against the world's values it means really it means saying no to compromise it means rejecting sin it means refusing to blend in with the culture many turn away from Christ not because they face great suffering but because they're unwilling to let go of worldly approval luke chapter
(33:12) 9 luke chapter 9 and verse 23 and this is the challenge every Christian has to face these realities what am I willing to sacrifice to have eternal life luke chapter 9 and verse 23 then he said to them all this is Christ if anyone desires to come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me so this isn't a one-time event it's a daily choice every single day as he says here take up his cross daily that burden which we have to carry for following Jesus Christ for being called out of this world for becoming disciples of
(33:59) Jesus Christ yeah we have to do that every single day and that's hard it means living for Christ even when it costs us friendships and opportunities or even status it means standing firm when pressured to compromise it means being willing to be set apart even when it feels lonely yet even despite that cost which is real Jesus assures us that it's worth it he's not calling he's not calling his followers to suffer without purpose he's calling us to suffer and to endure for the sake of the kingdom so what the world considers loss God
(34:45) considers gain what the world mocks God rewards so the real question is whether persecution the real question is whether not whether persecution is going to come because it's going to come but how are we going to respond to it we going to shrink back because it's uncomfortable or are we going to stand firm knowing that our true reward is in heaven the biatitudes remind us that those who suffer for righteousness sake they're not abandoned they're blessed and in the end they're going to inherit the kingdom of God which far outweighs
(35:20) anything that we have lost now as we begin to wrap up I want you to think about something because each and every one of the biatitudes if you go back and look at them note that it isn't Christ didn't just describe for us an attitude but he described a benefit that goes with each and every one of these that's real time benefits for us because we do seek to be right with God that is righteousness to be right with God christ promises us eternal fulfillment in the kingdom of God along with these real and tangible benefits or
(36:02) these very attitudes that he espouses that we should have notice it began with blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven notice like I would say this in a sales context if you are in sales you you have a product that you're selling you typically start with here's a here's the feature and then here's the benefit and so here we have Christ giving us features and benefits of living God's way of life having the kind of character that will get us into God's kingdom he says "Blessed are the poor in spirit for
(36:33) theirs is the kingdom of heaven." So if you recognize your spiritual poverty without God our absolute dependence upon God we're not going to be left empty instead we're going to inherit the kingdom of God itself as Matthew calls it the kingdom of heaven it's the same word it's the same thing it's the same idea it's the same place so while the world exalts the proud and the self-sufficient God lifts up the humble and gives them a place in his eternal kingdom he goes on to say "Blessed are those who mourn for they
(37:06) shall be comforted." You know the world suppresses grief and glorifies distraction yet Christ promises true comfort to those who mourn over sin who have a broken heart who loathe the suffering of this world who hurt over that this is not just a temporary relief he that is promised but it's a deep eternal comfort that only God can provide he says "Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.
(37:38) " The world says that power belongs to the strong jesus Christ assures us that the gentle and humble will receive the ultimate inheritance blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled those who long for true righteousness justice and holiness not going to be disappointed the world leaves people spiritually empty but God fully satisfies he goes on again he says "Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy.
(38:09) " What a wonderful promise that if we live this way of life a way of life that the world sees as weak God says that he's going to exalt the compassionate and forgiving person those who show mercy are going to receive mercy christ goes on "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God." So while many people live lives that are broken because they don't live God's way of life they're filled with hidden sin and mixed motives those of us who pursue true purity will receive the greatest blessing imaginable the ability to stand before God and see him as he is
(38:48) blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God the world is filled with division and conflict but those who seek peace who make for peace who work toward reconciliation they're going to be honored as children of the Almighty God blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven the path of righteousness is not easy it has a very high cost it comes with rejection and suffering and opposition but that's not the end because this is the path to eternal
(39:28) glory those who endure for Christ inherit his kingdom and will reign with him forever 2 Timothy chapter 4 and verse 8 Paul tells the young minister Timothy 2 Timothy 4 and verse 8 he says "Finally there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord the righteous judge will give to me on that day and not to me only but also to all who have loved his appearance hearing the sacrifices we make they're not in vain every act of mercy every moment of humility every hardship that we endure for righteousness sake is storing up for
(40:19) us a reward that will never fade the world's prizes are temporary fading and ultimately empty but what God offers is eternal over in 1 Peter chapter 5 and verse 10 over in this is 1 Peter 5 and verse 10 he says "But may the God of all grace who called us to his eternal glory by Christ Jesus after you have suffered for a while perfect establish strengthen and settle you to him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever amen so the beatitudes are not just about how to live they're about where we're headed those who follow Christ's
(41:10) way will not only receive individual blessings which is what Christ was showing us but also we're going to enter into the eternal f fullness of God's kingdom there every sorrow will be erased every longing fulfilled and every sacrifice rewarded beyond imagination let's finish here in Revelation 22 revelation 22:12 and behold I am coming quickly and my reward is with me to give to everyone according to his work this is the promise this is the reward this is the kingdom of God and this is what's offered to those of us
(41:58) who live the biatitudes of Jesus Christ