our time this morning with the teaching time. Last week we looked at, or began our study on the Sermon on the Mount with an introduction. And we looked at the first two verses of chapter five, where we basically provided kind of an outline. We looked at some misunderstandings of the context of the Sermon on the Mount. And then we finally looked at the importance of studying it. Today we're going to go further. So if you have your Bibles, turn to Matthew 5. We're going to read verses 1 and 2 again, but we're going to concentrate on verses 3 through 12, which as you know traditionally is called the Attitudes. As you turn there, think about this for a moment. You know, we know that all Scripture is from God. And as we looked at last week, it's all God-breathed and profitable. But think about this, that Jesus, the very Son of God, the greatest one ever sent, preached this greatest sermon ever preached. And He could have talked about anything. He could have preached about anything. but instead he is telling us this today as he told his disciples back then. So what he says in the Sermon on the Mount and particularly in the context today of the Beatitudes, it should almost make us sit up a little straighter, right? And think about the very words that Jesus gave his disciples and how very important they are to think about, to hear and to adhere. and to live out by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Let's look at Matthew 5, beginning in verse 1. Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth, and he taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad for your reward is great in heaven for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. So if someone were to come to you at some point and say, what does it mean to be blessed? Or how can I be blessed? Well, the answer to that question has invoked a lot of different responses over the last century or two. This question, if asked of someone that's associated with the so-called prosperity gospel, would answer it by saying, well, you're blessed when you give to the needs of others. Do we believe that that's true? Well, yes, it's a blessing to be able to give to the needs of others. But then the saying is, by giving, you will also receive, and you will receive even more than you give. And by giving, you will give greater health and wealth, which will then lead to greater prosperity. The key underlying tenet in this false view of being blessed is that the focus is on material prosperity, not spiritual prosperity. Did we say anything in our teaching today in the Beatitudes in Matthew 5 about being materially wealthy? Not at all. But this is, my friends, how to be spiritually wealthy. Many in the broad evangelical church today, unfortunately, who identify as Christians, associate happiness, joy, success, and being blessed by the world's standards instead of God's standards in his word. What does God say about being blessed? Well, in order to answer that, we've got to look at his word. The Greek word blessed in Matthew 5 is the word makaroi, which means to be fully satisfied. to be fully satisfied and refers to those receiving God's favor. Thus, as we read through the Beatitudes, we could insert for the word blessed, we could say happy in Christ or blessed in Christ, satisfied, fully satisfied in Christ are the poor in spirit and so on. Being blessed is anything thus that draws us to the very feet of Jesus. helping us to see more of the eternal rather than the temporal. And it's living with that eternal perspective in mind. And often, yes, it is through trials and tribulations that we are drawn closer to him and are blessed. Well, as we think about this, remember that no one apart from Christ can live up to the standards found in the Beatitudes. However, those who are in Christ by the help of the Holy Spirit can live out the Beatitudes in their lives. Many commentators believe that the Beatitudes are progressives. In other words, to be blessed begins by being poor in spirit, which then leads to the others, the result of which is persecution actually. in verses 11 through 12. But as we look at each one of these beatitudes, I want us to consider four things with each one. First of all, what is the beatitude? What does it actually mean? Secondly, what are other scriptural examples behind it? Thirdly, how do we apply it? And fourthly, what is the result of living it out? Well, look with me in verse 3, the first beatitude, blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The word poor here means to shrink or cower or cringe. It's the same word used in Luke 16, 19 through 20. There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table. So we see in this passage of Luke, a description of one who is poor is a beggar, realizing that he has nothing of worldly importance. Well, this gives us a picture of what it means to be spiritually poor in spirit is to recognize one's spiritual poverty. We could say it that way, apart from the saving faith and work of Jesus Christ. One verse of a famous hymn that comes to mind, Nothing in my hands I bring, but simply to the cross I cling. We bring nothing to the table with salvation. We're calling out in our spiritual poverty, Lord, save us, much like the beggar who was wishing for crumbs from the table. This is what it means to be poor in spirit, to truly understand our fallen and our helpless condition. Well, in Revelation, we see two passages that show on the one hand, one who can be poor though deeming himself to be rich, and another who in the midst of poverty is actually considered rich. It's written in Revelation 3.16, so because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing. not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. However, Jesus also pronounces a blessing on those who are undergoing trial, and we read in the preceding chapter, Revelation 2.9, I know your tribulation and your poverty, but you are rich. To be poor in spirit certainly involves a humble spirit. which is the very opposite of pride. We see throughout scripture that pride is something that puffs oneself up. Of course, we know that we should not be prideful or boast in ourselves at all, but only in Christ. To be truly humble and poor in spirit is to proclaim and exclaim with Paul, I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me, Galatians 2.20. You see, to be poor in spirit is to recognize that my life is not really my life. My life is far more about Him and what He is doing in and through me. It's about Him. It's not about me. Well, what is the blessing that one will receive who is poor in spirit? We read in Matthew 5, 3, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. See, it takes a humble, contrite spirit to even come to the Lord Jesus in saving faith. And so those who are truly poor in spirit and regenerate and humble in their attitude toward Christ, will be in heaven. We read in the next verse, Matthew 5, for the second beatitude, blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted. You can almost hear it now from the world's perspective anyway, really to be blessed and happy is to mourn? What does that mean? How is that? Well, one of the nine terms used for mourning or sorrow in scripture is the one used here, and it's pentheo, which is the strongest and most severe and denotes the deepest, most heartfelt grief. It's used, for example, of Jacob's grief when he was told that his son Joseph had been killed by a wild animal, Genesis 37, 34. It was also used of the disciples who mourned before they knew that Jesus had been raised from the dead. We read that in Mark 16, 10. It's also used to describe those who are grieved over sin. Grieved over your own sin and the sins of others. The psalmist writes in Psalm 119, 136, my eyes shed tears, streams of tears. My eyes shed streams of tears because people do not keep your law. So the idea is he's mourning because of the sin that was abounding around him. You can almost picture as we've gone through Jeremiah in the morning services, Jeremiah mourning in that same way. Lord, I'm telling these people this and they're not doing it. There's a mourning, there's a grief and a sadness over people sinning against the Lord. You see, Jesus is speaking in the Beatitudes of God-centered mourning, not man-centered mourning. It's grieving over, lamenting over, yes, our own sins and over the sins of others. I think too often in the Christian community, we may not grieve enough. If you look at the average evangelical pulpit now, it's more about entertainment than it is about faithfully and rightly dividing the Word of God. I was watching, I really couldn't call it a sermon, but I was watching an excerpt from a worship service a couple of years ago, and the pastor was on this raised area, and he had a water gun. And to illustrate a point, he started shooting out water to the crowds. Is this faithfully preaching the Word of God or is it trying to amass numbers and to entertain people? Listen to what John MacArthur writes regarding this second beatitude. There's a great need in the church today to cry instead of laugh. The frivolity, silliness, and foolishness that go on in the name of Christianity should make us mourn. The faithful child of God is constantly broken over his sinfulness. And the longer he lives and the more mature he becomes in the Lord, the harder it is for him to be frivolous. He sees more of God's love and mercy, but he also sees more of his own in the world's sinfulness. To grow in grace is also to grow in awareness of sin. And I'll also add, it's becoming more aware of sin. How many of you have noticed this? As you become more aware of your own sin, how you just mourn over that and you grieve over that. Maybe it's a new sin that you didn't realize was so ensnaring to you and you're like, Lord, how did this happen? Or maybe it's something that you've struggled with in the past that just keeps coming to the surface. It's just really hard to mortify and put to death. We mourn over that as we give it to the Lord and tell him, take it from me, Lord. This is grievous to me. It's grievous to you. Well, the word tense for mourn here indicates there is a continuous mourning. Not that we're always sad, that's not what Jesus is calling us to. There's great joy in Christ, but as it relates to sin... which is a grievous offense to the Lord, we mourn. We're continually grieving over sins and the sins of others which bring offense to God. But the result is here that we will be comforted. As it says in this beatitude, we will be comforted by the Lord himself. As we grieve, we are comforted by the fact that God never leaves us. He never forsakes us. And he sends a helper to help us live according to his word, namely the Holy Spirit. Well, the third beatitude is found in Matthew 5, 5, blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth. There's a mistaken notion and you probably have heard it that to be meek means to be weak. Nothing can be farther from the truth. Jesus himself was described as being meek. And we know that he was not weak. On the contrary, he embodied absolute perfect strength. Paul writes, I, Paul, myself, entreat you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ. 2 Corinthians 10.1, to be meek means to be gentle and tenderhearted. It's very closely connected to and tied to the first beatitude, that of being poor in spirit. William Hendrickson writes, it describes a person who is not resentful, not resentful, bears no grudge, far from mulling over injuries received, he finds refuge in the Lord and he commits his way entirely to him. What is the promise for those who are meek? says they shall inherit the earth. It's similar to what's written in the Old Testament in Psalm 3711, but the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace. It doesn't mean that you and I are going to overtake all the land now. No, it doesn't mean that. But at the second coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, when he returns in glory, then we will, along with the meek in Christ, inherit the new heavens and earth that is spoken of in Revelation 21. Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first earth had passed away and the sea was no more." Well, look with me now at the fourth beatitude. This is really a transition point in Matthew 5, 6. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst, for they shall be satisfied. Martin Lloyd-Jones writes helpfully, this beatitude again follows logically from the previous ones. It's a statement to which all the others lead up to. It's the logical conclusion to which they come and it's something for which we should all be profoundly thankful and grateful to God. And then he says this, listen, if we, excuse me, I do not know of a better test that anyone can apply to himself or herself in this whole matter of the Christian profession than a verse like this. If this verse is to you one of the most blessed statements of the whole of Scripture, you can be quite certain you are a Christian. If it is not, then you had better examine the foundations again." What's he saying? How very important it is for one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit within our lives as Christians, as we live out in a God-honoring way, is for us to hunger and thirst, hunger and thirst, hunger and thirst for His righteousness. Now, we can all relate to being hungry and thirsty, right? Maybe you've gone for a time of dieting or maybe you fasted and you woke up the next morning, you were hungry. Maybe you're on a hike one day and you ran out of water and you got thirsty. Well, that's the physical manifestations of being hungry and thirsty. But what about spiritually? Do we really know what it means to be spiritually hungry and thirsty? Do you hunger for righteousness? Well, how do we do so? It happens as we draw near to God, seeking to grow in our holiness and our sanctification. And think about this for a moment as I ask some of these questions. Do you crave God's word? Do you crave communion with him? Do you crave in a hungry, thirsty way to commune with him through prayer? Do you disdain the former things, the sins that used to characterize you? Do you desire to put on Christ? Do you long for Him? Do you crave to be here with your spiritual family, your brothers and sisters in the Lord? What's the result of this? What is the result of hungering and thirsting in the Lord? It says, we will be satisfied. One commentator writes, the person who genuinely hungers and thirsts for God's righteousness finds it so satisfying that he wants more and more. It's a never-ending well of gladness and joy and blissfulness in Christ. The fifth beatitude, Matthew 5, 7, blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy. Mercy has certainly been given to those of us in Christ for God has given us that which we don't deserve. He has given us communion with Him, though we don't deserve it. He has promised to give us eternal life and is preparing even now a place for you and me, though we certainly don't deserve to be with Him. We rather deserve the eternal flames. So what does it look like, therefore, to have mercy and to show mercy to others? Well, it's showing love to the unlovely. It's being kind to those like the good Samaritan in Luke 10. Mercy is shown in our attitudes toward others. It's not harboring resentment. It's not harboring grudges. It involves an attitude of forgiveness toward others, knowing that we have sinned far more against God than others have sinned against us or even will sin against us. And yet God showed his mercy to us. How can we not? How can we not show mercy to others? The result, of course, is that God will be merciful to others. It is true, too, that because we have been shown great mercy, that we then, through the power of the Holy Spirit, can show mercy and bestow mercy upon others. Well, let's move into the sixth beatitude. Blessed are the pure in heart. for they shall see God, Matthew 5, 8. We see this phrase pure in heart in another passage of the New Testament, 1 Timothy 1, 5. The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. So having a pure heart and a good conscience flows. So the natural result of, we could say, having a sincere faith. It's being honest. It's having a high level of integrity as we live out our lives in a way that please the Lord. To make pure is to cleanse, to cleanse filth, dirt, and contamination. When we think of the heart, we think of that vital organ that receives and pumps blood, but we also think about feeling, don't we, and emotion perhaps. But Scripture, in Scripture the term is used in referring to also the thinking processes and even the will. We're constantly made pure and as Christ's righteousness is imputed to us. Sorry, that was a once for all. We are certainly made pure. and our justification as Christ's righteousness was imputed to us, but there's also in which we are becoming more pure, more holy as we seek to live God-honoring lives. And make a distinction there. You'll never be more righteous than you are right now, but you and I can be more holy. as we seek to live God-honoring lives and grow in that holiness. What's the result of being pure in heart? It's seeing God. The Greek in this verse is in the future indicative tense and middle voice so that literally this would read, they shall be continually seeing God for themselves. How does that happen? Well, we see God as we read our Bibles. As the Holy Spirit illumines the scripture to us, we see God in one another. as we, by His grace, live out the Beatitudes. William Hendrickson writes, the blessing of the sixth Beatitude is not pronounced without qualification upon all people who are sincere, but rather upon those in the worship of the true God in accordance with the truth revealed in His words, strive. And they strive without hypocrisy to please and glorify Him. These alone are the pure in heart. Well, the seventh beatitude, blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God, Matthew 5, 9. Literally, a peacemaker is one who makes peace. In classical Greek, a peacemaker was an ambassador, we could say, that was sent to make peace or to restore peace. But the word in Matthew 5, 9 would be perhaps better rendered, peace workers, implying not merely just making peace between those who are at variance, but also working peace, that which is the will of God of peace for men. This means that we will, as Christians, endeavor to promote peace rather than dissension. We look to Christ who unified both Jew and Greek as the promoter of peace and purity. John MacArthur writes rather poignantly, a person who is not a peacemaker is either not a Christian or is a disobedient Christian. The person who is continually disruptive, divisive, and quarrelsome has good reason to doubt his relationship to God altogether. Those are powerful words, aren't they? The result of being a peacemaker is that we shall, as it says in this verse, be called sons of God. For as the sons of God, the adopted children of the heavenly Father who have been brought near and shown peace, Thus, we can show peace and shower peace to others. Now, this doesn't mean that we will always have peace in this world. Far from it, right? For we see in the eighth beatitude and the final beatitude, blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. He goes on to say in verses 11 and 12, blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad for your reward is great in heaven. For so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Well, Jesus concludes this section by saying. Hey, if you live out the Beatitudes, what's going to happen? Persecution. So are we willing to face persecution as a result of living out the Beatitudes? It's hard to think about, isn't it? But I would hope that we would because we're being persecuted for whose sake? For Christ's sake. The persecution may come in various forms, physical, maybe verbal such as slander, gossiping, casting insults or false accusations. The Puritan writer Thomas Watson said of Christians, Though they be ever so meek, merciful, pure in heart, their piety will not shield them from sufferings. They must have their hand on the willows and take the cross. The way to heaven is by way of thorns and blood. Set it down as a maxim if you will follow Christ. You must see the swords and the staves." Well, as I think about these final verses, It reminds me of God's words to Samuel, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me being over them. 1 Samuel 8, 7. What God is saying to Samuel is, and he's saying to us when we are persecuted, it's not really about you. It's not you they hate. It's who you are representing, right? As a Christian, namely God himself. And that should grieve us. When we are persecuted, let us rejoice then. Even as the great preacher of this sermon, our dear Savior, before the joy he had set before him, willingly laid down his life for me and for you. Now, you may look at this list of Beatitudes and you may find it very hard to measure up to what Jesus is requiring. How many of you look at this list and say, how do I do this? Right? We all do. We all struggle in various ways with one or two or three or more of these. But what the idea is here is that, remember, he who is in you is able. Remember, that great helper, the Holy Spirit, is able to conform you continually into the image of Jesus Christ, the great preacher of this Sermon on the Mount. This is the way of blessing, dear Christian. It's the way of true happiness, of true satisfaction in the Lord. It is to be poor in spirit, mourn over sin, to be meek, hunger and thirst for righteousness, to be merciful, to be pure in heart, to be peacemakers, and ultimately, yes, to endure persecution. But how do we do this? by looking to Him who preached this sermon, the perfect example who embodied every bit of the Beatitudes, Jesus Himself. And as we look to Him, we grow closer to Him, and we begin to live out the Beatitudes. We begin to live out what He's telling us here. in our homes, in our church, in our workplaces, that He might be glorified, that people would see Him living through us, not us, that we might, through that, bear faithful testimony to Him who is doing the work and has done the work through Jesus Christ. Let's pray. God in heaven, we are so grateful that you have laid out in your word the plan of salvation and the story of redemption. And Father, you have called us by name and we are yours. And so because of that, Lord, you then give us these beatitudes, Lord, to live out, not that we would be glorified, but that people would see Christ. And yet we look at this list and we all struggle So, would you, by the grace and by the very help of the Holy Spirit, help us to live as children of the living God? We are His namesake. We are Christians when people see Christ in us, in our homes, at our church, and all the places we go during the week. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.