1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:28,160 We'll be looking at the first three verses. 2 00:00:28,160 --> 00:00:40,920 And seeing the multitudes, he, that is our Lord, went up on a mountain, and when he was 3 00:00:40,920 --> 00:00:46,080 seated his disciples came to him. Then he opened his mouth and taught them, saying, 4 00:00:46,080 --> 00:00:58,040 blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Let's pray. Father Lord, I 5 00:00:58,040 --> 00:01:10,840 desperately desire, Lord, your help, Lord, for your Holy Spirit to be with me, Lord, for power, 6 00:01:10,840 --> 00:01:18,000 for unction from on high, Lord, that as we read into your word, Lord God, that we would rightly 7 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:27,240 divide it, that it would be given to your people as food, manna from heaven, Lord, for it speaks 8 00:01:27,240 --> 00:01:33,480 and testifies of your Son. Lord, who is the true bread from heaven, the one sent from heaven, 9 00:01:33,480 --> 00:01:38,600 it is Christ. Lord, we desire to feed on him today, we desire to see him in the pages of Scripture, 10 00:01:38,600 --> 00:01:43,800 and then to commune with him in the table of the Lord. God, would you help us this morning to do 11 00:01:43,800 --> 00:01:49,320 that. Father Lord, I pray, God, that you would keep me from saying anything that would be unnecessary 12 00:01:49,320 --> 00:01:57,720 or perhaps distracting. But Lord God, would you anoint me, Lord, I need you, Father. Help us this 13 00:01:57,720 --> 00:02:04,800 morning, we pray in Jesus' name, amen. Today we're going to begin our study, and in these 14 00:02:04,800 --> 00:02:09,560 three chapters, Matthew 5, 6, and 7, we've been in Matthew for a couple months now, and will be 15 00:02:09,560 --> 00:02:15,000 several months in these next three chapters. Matthew 5 through 7 is actually known as the 16 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:20,400 Sermon on the Mount. It is, without a doubt, the greatest sermon of all time, given by the greatest 17 00:02:20,400 --> 00:02:25,880 preacher of all time. Now, much of what we're going to read this morning will sound very familiar, 18 00:02:25,880 --> 00:02:31,960 because it is taken from the pages of the Old Testament. Yet, as familiar as it may be, it will 19 00:02:31,960 --> 00:02:39,840 also be very fresh, for in it, our Lord is going to peel away centuries of tradition and reveal 20 00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:47,640 God's true intention. In this message, we're going to encounter a clear vision for Christ's kingdom. 21 00:02:47,640 --> 00:02:55,060 In it, we're going to see that heaven has broken in and has not yet fully come. We say the kingdom 22 00:02:55,060 --> 00:03:00,600 has been inaugurated, has been established, it has begun, but it's not yet consummated, it's not 23 00:03:00,600 --> 00:03:06,680 coming in full form. In it, we see the disciples of Christ are not of the world, they've been called 24 00:03:06,680 --> 00:03:14,320 out of the world, yet they still live in the world. How shall they live? But having said all that, 25 00:03:14,320 --> 00:03:23,320 the focus of this message is not ethical, it's not primarily moral, it is eschatological. Now, 26 00:03:23,320 --> 00:03:27,680 let me explain what that means. Lawrence Farley wrote this, and I think this is really good. 27 00:03:27,680 --> 00:03:34,160 The basic thought is that of the great reversal which will take place for Christ's followers in 28 00:03:34,160 --> 00:03:44,960 the age to come. Here in this age, they are poor, despised, and hungry. The world is a veil of tears 29 00:03:44,960 --> 00:03:51,440 for them and they live meekly as those who cannot answer back the proud. In all this, they refuse to 30 00:03:51,440 --> 00:03:58,800 retaliate, but extend mercy to all, striving for reconciliation with those who hurt them, and they 31 00:03:58,800 --> 00:04:05,920 are thought fools for it. They are persecuted and reproached and universally reviled, but how 32 00:04:05,920 --> 00:04:13,840 fortunate, how blessed they are, for all will be theirs in the coming kingdom. What he's saying 33 00:04:13,840 --> 00:04:19,160 when talking about eschatological is it's keeping your eyes on the kingdom to come in its fullness. 34 00:04:19,160 --> 00:04:24,600 Right now, currently, the disciples of Christ throughout the world were regarded as simpletons, 35 00:04:24,600 --> 00:04:35,000 I'm fools, and yet faithfulness to Christ will be vindicated when he returns. When the kingdom is 36 00:04:35,000 --> 00:04:39,640 established, when it comes in its fullness, the sons of God, those who are true disciples, 37 00:04:39,640 --> 00:04:47,400 will be revealed, and those who oppose them will be seen as the true fools, the true foolish ones. 38 00:04:47,400 --> 00:04:55,240 So, as Farley said, a great reversal of fortune is coming. Right now, our expectation is that we 39 00:04:55,240 --> 00:05:04,840 will be mistreated at times, maligned, persecuted, even treated contemptuously. But friends, all that 40 00:05:04,840 --> 00:05:11,160 will be but a distant memory when the kingdom of Christ comes in its fullness. Now, before we begin, 41 00:05:11,160 --> 00:05:17,160 there are several misconceptions about this section of scripture, about Matthew 5, 6, and 7. 42 00:05:17,160 --> 00:05:22,360 Volumes have been written, large volumes have been written on this. So, let me give you three 43 00:05:22,360 --> 00:05:27,240 errors, okay, before we actually get into the text. The first one is from the classical 44 00:05:27,240 --> 00:05:32,840 dispensationalists. They believe that our Lord's teaching these chapters have no bearing on our 45 00:05:32,840 --> 00:05:37,080 lives whatsoever. It's almost like you can take them out for right now. Why do they believe that? 46 00:05:37,720 --> 00:05:43,240 Because they say this is Jesus coming to his people Israel. He offers them the kingdom to the 47 00:05:43,240 --> 00:05:49,720 Jews and they reject it. Since the Jews rejected Christ, the kingdom was deferred, put on pause, 48 00:05:50,360 --> 00:05:56,360 and must wait for the millennium to be fulfilled. They believe that these chapters refer to life 49 00:05:56,360 --> 00:06:00,440 in the millennial kingdom, and thus they are not for present-day disciples of Christ. 50 00:06:01,080 --> 00:06:05,160 Oh, there's some good things in them for sure, but it's not bearing upon your life. 51 00:06:05,160 --> 00:06:12,520 Now, to this I would counter back. Regardless of review on the millennium, it is hard to believe 52 00:06:12,520 --> 00:06:17,080 that being persecuted for righteousness sake and being struck on the cheek are part of it. 53 00:06:18,040 --> 00:06:25,080 This is not simply a deferred installment. Second, another erroneous view, and this happens a lot in 54 00:06:25,080 --> 00:06:31,880 conservative evangelical churches, they say this section, Matthew 5 through 7, is a heightened 55 00:06:31,880 --> 00:06:38,280 exposition of the law of God meant only to drive us to Christ. They see it as a means by which we 56 00:06:38,280 --> 00:06:45,560 simply see our own sinfulness, but to that I would counter that fails to take into account what our 57 00:06:45,560 --> 00:06:53,800 Lord was actually saying. Those who hold this view see it as nothing but law. They have a tendency 58 00:06:54,360 --> 00:06:59,800 to downplay obedience. Why did they do that? Because when no one can keep the law anyways, 59 00:06:59,800 --> 00:07:05,320 I love what Martin Lloyd-Jones said about this. He was that great British theologian and pastor. 60 00:07:06,040 --> 00:07:12,440 He says, is it not true to say of many of us that in actual process our view of the doctrine of 61 00:07:12,440 --> 00:07:18,120 grace is such that we scarcely ever take the plain teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ seriously? 62 00:07:19,480 --> 00:07:25,160 We have so emphasized the teaching that all is of grace and that we ought not try to imitate his 63 00:07:25,160 --> 00:07:29,880 example in order to make ourselves Christians. That's true. You don't get to be a Christian by 64 00:07:29,880 --> 00:07:36,120 imitating Christ. That we are virtually in the position of ignoring his teaching altogether 65 00:07:36,120 --> 00:07:42,920 and of saying that it has nothing to do with us because we are under grace. Now I wonder how 66 00:07:42,920 --> 00:07:48,920 seriously we take the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The best way of concentrating on 67 00:07:48,920 --> 00:07:54,760 the question is, I think, to face the sermon on the mount. Let me just say this and it needs to 68 00:07:54,760 --> 00:08:00,840 be said loud. Obedience to Christ is not in conflict with the grace of Christ. In fact, 69 00:08:00,840 --> 00:08:08,600 Christ commands, he calls, he commissions his disciples to obey him. If you love me, Jesus said, 70 00:08:09,880 --> 00:08:16,360 keep my commandments. Why do you call me Lord and don't do the things I've commanded? You and I 71 00:08:16,360 --> 00:08:23,640 as Christians under grace are to pursue righteous living. We are to pursue holiness without which 72 00:08:23,640 --> 00:08:31,320 no man will see the Lord. Now not every mention of righteousness in the scriptures simply speaks of 73 00:08:31,320 --> 00:08:37,800 imputed righteousness. In fact, in these chapters, the sermon on the mount, the Lord Jesus is not 74 00:08:37,800 --> 00:08:43,160 speaking of the imputed righteousness we have in our union with Christ. He is speaking of a personal 75 00:08:43,160 --> 00:08:50,680 Christ. He is speaking of a personal righteousness that comes from obedience. Not as a way, let me 76 00:08:50,680 --> 00:08:57,640 say this clearly, not as a way to be justified before God. That would fail, but as a way of life 77 00:08:57,640 --> 00:09:03,880 in his kingdom. Matthew chapter 5 verse 20, Jesus said this to those listening to him that day who 78 00:09:03,880 --> 00:09:10,520 were his disciples. For I say to you that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of 79 00:09:10,520 --> 00:09:15,560 the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Now you have to 80 00:09:15,560 --> 00:09:21,400 understand the contrast of the hypocrisy of the religious leaders. Now you're saying, but Paul, 81 00:09:21,400 --> 00:09:28,120 the apostle Paul, taught very clearly the doctrine of imputed righteousness. We receive Christ's 82 00:09:28,120 --> 00:09:34,920 record when we express faith in him. So in heaven, our record is perfect. That's true. But this does 83 00:09:34,920 --> 00:09:42,680 not in any way break with Paul or contradict his teaching of imputed righteousness. The apostle 84 00:09:42,680 --> 00:09:49,400 Paul himself taught that personal righteousness must characterize the disciples of Christ who 85 00:09:49,400 --> 00:09:59,080 enter the kingdom of God. Look at Galatians 5. Now the works of the flesh, these are evident, Paul says. 86 00:09:59,080 --> 00:10:06,440 Adultery, fornication, uncleanness and lewdness, those are all sexual sins. Idolatry, sorcery, 87 00:10:06,440 --> 00:10:12,440 those are religious sins. Hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, 88 00:10:12,440 --> 00:10:20,680 dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, reveries, and the like. Of which I tell you 89 00:10:20,680 --> 00:10:30,040 beforehand, just as I told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit 90 00:10:30,040 --> 00:10:36,760 the kingdom of God. That's the apostle Paul. You live this way, you don't enter the kingdom, Paul says. 91 00:10:37,320 --> 00:10:43,320 And by the way, he's in complete harmony with the sermon on the mount. Now the gospel produces a 92 00:10:43,320 --> 00:10:51,160 changed life and a changed life is evidence to a living faith in the risen Lord. Kevin DeYoung, 93 00:10:51,160 --> 00:10:54,760 and I normally don't quote this much, but I want to take the time because we're starting the 94 00:10:54,760 --> 00:11:01,480 introductory here. Kevin DeYoung, he says, a pastor in Charlotte, love his ministry, 95 00:11:01,480 --> 00:11:06,360 the stakes could not be higher. If we are no more righteous than the scribes and Pharisees, 96 00:11:06,360 --> 00:11:12,120 we will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5.20. If we murder no hearts, we are liable to the 97 00:11:12,120 --> 00:11:21,320 hell fire. 5.22. If we give ourselves over to lust, we will end up in hell. 5.29. If we do not do the 98 00:11:21,320 --> 00:11:27,960 will of our father, we will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 7.21. We must not give up hope 99 00:11:27,960 --> 00:11:31,800 of obeying Jesus commands, lest we give up the hope of heaven. You're saying, does he believe in a 100 00:11:31,800 --> 00:11:40,120 works righteousness? No. Continue on. Too many Christians instinctively set aside the commands 101 00:11:40,120 --> 00:11:46,840 of scripture as utterly impossible to obey on any level. Once we convince ourselves that failure is 102 00:11:46,840 --> 00:11:52,840 the norm, that no one really obeys Jesus, no one really builds his house on the rock, no one really 103 00:11:52,840 --> 00:11:58,520 is of pure heart, no one really enters the narrow gate, no one really bears good fruit. As soon as 104 00:11:58,520 --> 00:12:04,120 we do that, we will not take seriously the many warnings given to us in the scriptures that people 105 00:12:04,120 --> 00:12:10,200 who are unchanged by the gospel prove themselves to have never really been saved by the gospel. 106 00:12:11,160 --> 00:12:17,080 By contrast, Jesus in this sermon on the mount urges us to choose the right way to live 107 00:12:17,800 --> 00:12:23,800 and to stick with it. Now at this point you may be squirming and you may be saying, but pastor, 108 00:12:23,800 --> 00:12:29,000 who amongst us never worries? That's Matthew 6. Who amongst us always loves his enemies? 109 00:12:29,000 --> 00:12:35,000 Who amongst us never lust? Who amongst us never has hatred or anger in his heart? 110 00:12:36,680 --> 00:12:43,320 Let me say to the disciples of Christ this morning, there is a difference between true obedience 111 00:12:44,280 --> 00:12:51,000 and perfect obedience. You can truly obey God and yet your obedience be not perfect. 112 00:12:52,280 --> 00:12:56,920 None of us have a perfect obedience. That's why in Galatians 5, Paul said those who practice 113 00:12:56,920 --> 00:13:05,080 such things, of course we're going to fail. Which is why in this sermon our Lord taught us to pray, 114 00:13:05,080 --> 00:13:13,000 Matthew 6, forgive us our trespasses. We're going to do it, but that's no excuse for ignoring 115 00:13:13,000 --> 00:13:16,680 everything our Lord is saying and striving after obedience and a life of holiness. 116 00:13:18,440 --> 00:13:25,880 This sermon here, it tells us how you and I may walk closely with Jesus. And once more, I'm quoting 117 00:13:25,880 --> 00:13:31,240 to Young here. The law in the Sermon on the Mount reflects the heart of the lawgiver. 118 00:13:32,600 --> 00:13:38,200 These commands of Jesus are not meant to crush us any more than Jesus means to crush us. 119 00:13:39,560 --> 00:13:43,080 Jesus came to save us, to enlist us, to be with us until the end of the age. 120 00:13:44,680 --> 00:13:52,600 To the unbelieving and unrepentant, Jesus will be a terror. But to all who know the Son, to those who 121 00:13:52,600 --> 00:13:57,080 look for rest in the Son, to those who are eager to walk with the Son and learn from the Son, 122 00:13:58,200 --> 00:14:01,640 the yoke he gives you is easy and the burden he asks you to carry is light. 123 00:14:03,400 --> 00:14:07,880 The second erroneous way is to see this all's law meant to drive you to Christ. 124 00:14:09,160 --> 00:14:15,720 The third error, this is the liberal view of the Scriptures. Liberals love theological liberals. 125 00:14:15,720 --> 00:14:22,280 They love the Sermon on the Mount. They believe it's a moral roadmap leading to social progress. 126 00:14:23,000 --> 00:14:29,160 They see it's a message or it's a social contract, if you will. If you want to make this life better, 127 00:14:29,160 --> 00:14:33,800 this community better, then follow the Sermon on the Mount. Things like fighting for justice 128 00:14:33,800 --> 00:14:40,280 and avoiding hypocrisy. Now listen, of course our Lord's teaching has social application. 129 00:14:40,280 --> 00:14:45,080 It is meant to change. But that's not the primary purpose of our Lord's teaching. 130 00:14:45,400 --> 00:14:52,040 He is speaking to his disciples right here. All these views fail to understand the central 131 00:14:52,040 --> 00:14:59,640 point of the Sermon. There is a unifying theme in this whole chapter, Matthew 5 through 7, 132 00:15:00,760 --> 00:15:04,360 that one thing centers around, and it's very obvious when we start to read it in its whole, 133 00:15:04,360 --> 00:15:09,080 it's the Kingdom of God. I want you to notice all the times in the three chapters where you see the 134 00:15:09,080 --> 00:15:15,240 word Kingdom. 5 3, theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. 5 10, theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. 5 19, 135 00:15:15,240 --> 00:15:18,920 they shall be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. Same thing, he shall be called great in 136 00:15:18,920 --> 00:15:23,400 the Kingdom of Heaven. The next verse, 5 20, you will by no means enter the Kingdom of Heaven. 137 00:15:23,400 --> 00:15:29,720 Chapter 6 verse 10, pray, your kingdom come. 6 13, yours is the Kingdom. 6 33, seek first the 138 00:15:29,720 --> 00:15:34,920 Kingdom of God. 7 21, not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven. 139 00:15:34,920 --> 00:15:41,960 What we have here, nine times, three chapters, the words Kingdom of Heaven or Kingdom of God are 140 00:15:41,960 --> 00:15:49,640 mentioned. Do you see the same theme here? This sermon is a contrast between the Kingdom of Man 141 00:15:50,200 --> 00:15:56,040 and the Kingdom of God, and they operate very differently from one another. They're opposed 142 00:15:56,040 --> 00:16:01,800 to one another. Let me just give you one example. In the Kingdom of Christ, he says it's the meek 143 00:16:01,800 --> 00:16:06,680 who are favored by God. In the Kingdom of Man, it's the aggressively strong and powerful who are 144 00:16:06,680 --> 00:16:15,080 blessed. They don't see things the same way. So the sermon really is a description of a character 145 00:16:15,080 --> 00:16:21,720 of a disciple who's following Christ. It is a description of the Christian who glorifies God 146 00:16:22,920 --> 00:16:28,920 and who will enter the Kingdom of God. Now in chapter four, which would be in the last few weeks, 147 00:16:28,920 --> 00:16:32,840 we saw the Lord preaching and he was gathering crowds around them and he was preaching about 148 00:16:32,840 --> 00:16:39,400 what? The Kingdom of God. Chapter four, verse 23, Jesus went about all Galilee teaching in their 149 00:16:39,400 --> 00:16:43,960 synagogues, preaching the gospel of the Kingdom. Would you like to know what that gospel message 150 00:16:43,960 --> 00:16:50,200 was? Well, you get to hear it right now. Chapters five, six, and seven. So this sermon is an 151 00:16:50,200 --> 00:16:56,120 exposition of what a life of discipleship looks like in the Kingdom of God. Amen. So, 152 00:16:56,120 --> 00:17:01,880 what does a life of discipleship looks like in the Kingdom of God? Once more, and I think I'm done 153 00:17:01,880 --> 00:17:09,160 quoting here, Lawrence Farley. The Beatitudes, therefore, like the rest of the sermon, are not 154 00:17:09,160 --> 00:17:16,120 moralistic maxims for the world at large, but are promises to Christ's disciples. I cannot emphasize 155 00:17:16,120 --> 00:17:20,600 that more. This is not for you to go out and try to be blessed by being meek and try to be blessed 156 00:17:20,600 --> 00:17:25,400 by being poor in spirit. They were never meant to be seized on by the world as bits of Christian 157 00:17:25,400 --> 00:17:31,400 ism, as if they could be applied apart from saving faith in the Lord. This is the Kingdom 158 00:17:31,400 --> 00:17:39,400 living. This is how a disciple lives. So, there is not Jesus issuing a new moral code. Why not? 159 00:17:40,200 --> 00:17:47,160 Because the law of God that had already been given was perfect. The law that God gave there outside 160 00:17:47,160 --> 00:17:53,800 my is a reflection of his own character. It can't be improved upon. By the way, there's nothing wrong 161 00:17:53,800 --> 00:18:01,240 with the law of God. It's beautiful. It's perfect. The problem is with us. The problem is that we're 162 00:18:01,240 --> 00:18:09,400 lawbreakers, and that's why we need a Savior. And when we see Jesus as the fulfillment of the law 163 00:18:09,400 --> 00:18:16,760 and our only hope, we enter into the Kingdom. But what does a life of following him really look like? 164 00:18:17,880 --> 00:18:21,640 Well, if you're a Pharisee or the religious leader of that day, they saw the disciples of 165 00:18:21,640 --> 00:18:28,280 Christ as hapless fools, deceived. They saw it going after Christ. It's deluded and ignorant 166 00:18:28,280 --> 00:18:35,320 people who will do that. They saw the disciples of people to be pitied. And our Lord begins this 167 00:18:35,320 --> 00:18:41,480 great sermon. He says, those of you who are following me, regardless of what it looks like 168 00:18:41,480 --> 00:18:49,240 right now, you are really indeed blessed. You are favored by God. Yes, you may be despised by the 169 00:18:49,240 --> 00:18:55,560 world. You'll be hated by the world, just as our Lord was. But you are favored by God. Now, 170 00:18:55,560 --> 00:18:59,800 it's the previous chapter. Matthew 4 ended. We see Jesus traveling throughout all northern Israel. 171 00:18:59,800 --> 00:19:04,680 He's preaching. He's healing. He's casting out demons. Great crowds are following him. 172 00:19:04,680 --> 00:19:10,760 And he begins to prove that he is who he says he is. He's the Messiah. How did he do that? Well, 173 00:19:10,760 --> 00:19:16,520 he's healing everyone who comes to him, and he's casting out demons. The strong man had come 174 00:19:16,520 --> 00:19:23,480 to bind Satan. But apart from this, he wasn't just healing and casting out demons. He was teaching 175 00:19:23,480 --> 00:19:30,840 and preaching about what? The kingdom. But his idea of the kingdom was at odds with the Jewish 176 00:19:31,960 --> 00:19:37,880 expectation of the kingdom at that time. You know this. They thought when the Messiah comes on the 177 00:19:37,880 --> 00:19:44,840 scene, he would do mighty miracles, but ultimately he would rid them of their political subservience 178 00:19:44,840 --> 00:19:50,360 to Rome. Rome had occupied Israel. They wanted Rome out of there, and they thought certainly when the 179 00:19:50,360 --> 00:19:58,360 Messiah comes, he will kick Rome out and establish a prosperous Jewish kingdom. And then Jesus is 180 00:19:58,360 --> 00:20:04,200 doing the miracles that only the Messiah can do, but he's saying that the work of the king and the 181 00:20:04,200 --> 00:20:13,240 kingdom is primarily internal. It's a work done in the heart, because the heart of the matter is the 182 00:20:13,240 --> 00:20:19,080 heart. So now let's get into the sermon. My introduction was longer than the sermon, if you're 183 00:20:19,080 --> 00:20:25,240 starting to worry. Verse one, seeing the multitudes, he went up on a mountain. When he was seated, his 184 00:20:25,240 --> 00:20:30,360 disciples came to him. See, I've said he goes up on a hill. Remember, he's figured like Moses. Where 185 00:20:30,360 --> 00:20:35,480 did Moses go to get the law? He goes up on a mountain. Okay, we have this new deliverer coming. 186 00:20:35,480 --> 00:20:40,600 He goes up into a mountain. Multitudes are following him. Why? Because he had compassion on them. 187 00:20:40,600 --> 00:20:46,840 Verse 24 of chapter four, his fame went throughout Syria. That's not Israel. They brought to him all 188 00:20:46,840 --> 00:20:51,160 sick people who were afflicted with diseases and torments and demon possessed and epileptics and 189 00:20:51,160 --> 00:20:57,640 paralytics. He healed them. Great multitudes following him from Galilee. That's Jews. From the 190 00:20:57,640 --> 00:21:03,640 Decapolis. That's Gentiles, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan. I don't know what's happening 191 00:21:03,640 --> 00:21:08,200 to our lights about every week in the middle of the night. There you go. So what he's saying here, 192 00:21:08,200 --> 00:21:15,560 following Christ is going to be very different than what these crowds were expecting. What are 193 00:21:15,560 --> 00:21:22,440 they expecting? Get rid of Rome. He's our hero, our military hero, and Jesus is going to quail 194 00:21:22,440 --> 00:21:26,520 those expectations and talk about what his kingdom really looked like. Now who's the speaker? 195 00:21:27,320 --> 00:21:32,360 We have Jesus. It is the son of God. It's the Messiah. The one sent from heaven. Now what was 196 00:21:32,360 --> 00:21:38,520 so unique about our Lord is that he, unlike other rabbis, did not quote other rabbis. 197 00:21:39,400 --> 00:21:45,720 Instead he spoke as one who had authority in himself. Chapter seven, verse 28. When Jesus 198 00:21:45,720 --> 00:21:50,520 ended these sayings, the people were astonished. They couldn't believe what they were hearing. 199 00:21:50,520 --> 00:21:56,840 For he taught them as one having authority and not as the other scribes. Just in the sermon today, 200 00:21:56,840 --> 00:21:59,960 I have quoted Kevin DeYoung and Martin Lloyd-Jones and Lawrence Farley. 201 00:21:59,960 --> 00:22:05,800 Lord Jesus never quoted anyone. He didn't have to. He had no need to quote anyone because there was 202 00:22:05,800 --> 00:22:11,720 no one who could possibly add to the authority he alone possessed. What he said was authoritative. 203 00:22:12,680 --> 00:22:18,440 That's very interesting because that's not how rabbis worked at that time. There is no other name 204 00:22:18,440 --> 00:22:24,520 that would add any weight or credibility to what Jesus was saying. Now what's the message? Verse 205 00:22:24,520 --> 00:22:32,440 two and three. He opens his mouth and he taught them saying, blessed are the poor in spirit, 206 00:22:33,320 --> 00:22:39,160 for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. His message begins with our Lord pronouncing a blessing. 207 00:22:39,800 --> 00:22:45,400 The Old Testament ends with the threat of a curse. Jesus comes on and he's giving a benediction, 208 00:22:45,400 --> 00:22:50,920 pronouncing a blessing on his people. Verses three through 11 are known as the Beatitudes. 209 00:22:50,920 --> 00:22:55,800 Now what is so interesting, and friends don't look over this, is who the blessed people are. 210 00:22:56,760 --> 00:23:00,040 They are not the ones you would normally think in terms of being blessed. 211 00:23:01,640 --> 00:23:09,080 Christ says in my kingdom, the poor in spirit, those who are mourning, those who are meek, 212 00:23:09,640 --> 00:23:16,520 those who are hungering and thirsting, they are the ones favored by God. Friends, that doesn't 213 00:23:16,520 --> 00:23:21,240 sound like a blessing at all, does it? But if we look at it, look at that first one, blessed are 214 00:23:21,240 --> 00:23:29,880 the poor in spirit. The word blessed is the Greek word, makarios. It can mean happy. That's a good 215 00:23:29,880 --> 00:23:35,640 translation. That's not what it means here. Rather a good translation would be having the favor of 216 00:23:35,640 --> 00:23:40,920 God. Because the way we normally think of happy is not what is meant in these Beatitudes. So the 217 00:23:40,920 --> 00:23:45,080 word blessed, and I think the best way we'll think about this for the rest of the world, is that 218 00:23:45,080 --> 00:23:49,960 best way we'll think about this for the next several weeks, is to think to have God's favor. 219 00:23:51,160 --> 00:23:54,920 Now if you and I today were to discern, if we were to look around and try to discern 220 00:23:54,920 --> 00:23:58,840 who is it to have God's favor, here's why in our own natural mind we would think. 221 00:23:59,400 --> 00:24:06,200 Well the attractive, they've been blessed. The wealthy, those enjoying good health, the strong, 222 00:24:07,000 --> 00:24:13,080 the powerful, those who hold prestigious positions, man those people have God's blessing upon them. 223 00:24:13,080 --> 00:24:18,840 And Jesus, our Lord, he comes on the scene and he upends conventional wisdom. 224 00:24:19,880 --> 00:24:26,360 He looks around and says, you want to know in my kingdom? It's the poor in spirit, and the mourning, 225 00:24:26,920 --> 00:24:34,200 and the meek, and those who are being pummeled, persecuted, have God's favor resting upon them. 226 00:24:35,400 --> 00:24:38,360 If you look at the first three attitudes, they are an acknowledgement of need. 227 00:24:38,360 --> 00:24:43,320 So what I want to say clearly guys, God's kingdom operates by a different set of principles than 228 00:24:43,320 --> 00:24:48,920 man's kingdom. In God's kingdom it's shocking to see the people that are blessed with divine favor. 229 00:24:48,920 --> 00:24:56,280 The poor in spirit. First of all, notice it is not the poor in wallet. He's not talking, now it does 230 00:24:56,280 --> 00:25:00,600 have a financial aspect, we're not going to get into that today, but our Lord is not speaking of 231 00:25:00,600 --> 00:25:05,320 physical poverty, but rather spiritual poverty. And the word poor, 232 00:25:05,320 --> 00:25:10,760 and it literally is straight in Greek, it's ptochos, and it means to be reduced to begging. 233 00:25:11,960 --> 00:25:19,720 You're a beggar, you're asking alms. It means to be literally destitute of wealth, influence, 234 00:25:19,720 --> 00:25:27,800 position, or honor. It is to be helpless, powerless. Here's a word picture, you have a man who is so 235 00:25:27,800 --> 00:25:33,320 poor, he would crouch in a corner, keep one hand over his face to cover his head, and he would 236 00:25:33,320 --> 00:25:38,120 keep one hand over his face to cover his shame, and reach out with the other hand to receive any 237 00:25:38,120 --> 00:25:44,120 alms from people who might have compassion on him. We all know the story of the widow with her two 238 00:25:44,120 --> 00:25:49,800 mites, right? The widow who had the two mites, she put it in the offering, she was poor, panikros. 239 00:25:51,240 --> 00:25:55,720 You're saying that she's poor, but it's a different word. Panikros means you have meager 240 00:25:55,720 --> 00:26:03,720 resources. But at least you have something. She had two little mites, she's panikros. This word, 241 00:26:03,720 --> 00:26:11,640 don't miss the point of our Lord. He uses the word ptochos, completely destitute. You have no 242 00:26:11,640 --> 00:26:18,200 means whatsoever. So what our Lord is talking about is the one who has complete and utter spiritual 243 00:26:18,200 --> 00:26:26,120 bankruptcy. How could that person be blessed? Because they have nothing and they know they now 244 00:26:26,120 --> 00:26:32,440 must rely on God. They have no resources, they have nothing to bring to God. They understand they are 245 00:26:32,440 --> 00:26:40,040 spiritual beggars and they are at the mercy of God. They can't save themselves, so what do they do? 246 00:26:40,040 --> 00:26:45,880 They beg God for mercy and grace. This is true humility and without it no one is saved. The 247 00:26:45,880 --> 00:26:52,200 scriptures tells us there is a man who will be opposed and resisted by God. You say God doesn't 248 00:26:52,200 --> 00:26:58,840 resist anyone. Yes he does. There is someone who God will not receive. God resists the proud, 249 00:26:59,960 --> 00:27:07,560 but he gives grace to the humble. The kingdom of man, they admire self-reliance and self-confidence 250 00:27:07,560 --> 00:27:15,240 and bravado. That's antithetical to the kingdom of God. Our Lord says, you're one who is blessed, 251 00:27:15,240 --> 00:27:20,040 you're a beggar spiritually. You can't have any confidence in yourself. Now let me just say this 252 00:27:20,040 --> 00:27:25,800 is not about personality, some people who are quiet and reticent by nature. No, this is about posture. 253 00:27:26,680 --> 00:27:32,760 Posture before God. To be poor in spirit means you know you have no worthiness to claim God's 254 00:27:32,760 --> 00:27:37,480 blessing. You don't have anything that compel God to bless you. There's nothing in your life that 255 00:27:37,480 --> 00:27:45,160 says God you must do this because I'm so good. We're reduced to begging before God, but God 256 00:27:45,160 --> 00:27:52,520 but Jesus is saying friends that's a blessing because our God fills empty hands. Now there's 257 00:27:52,520 --> 00:27:59,720 a perfect illustration of this in Luke chapter 18. Jesus gave a parable about those who trusted 258 00:27:59,720 --> 00:28:03,240 in themselves that they were righteous and they despised others. Listen to the parable. 259 00:28:04,680 --> 00:28:07,960 Two men went up the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 260 00:28:08,760 --> 00:28:13,080 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God I thank you they're not like other men, 261 00:28:13,080 --> 00:28:19,000 extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week, I give tithes 262 00:28:19,000 --> 00:28:25,320 of all that I possess. What a wonderful man I am. And the tax collector standing afar off would not 263 00:28:25,320 --> 00:28:31,080 so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but he beat upon his breast saying, God be merciful to me a 264 00:28:31,080 --> 00:28:37,720 sinner. I tell you Jesus said this man went down to his house justified rather than the other. 265 00:28:37,720 --> 00:28:42,520 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbled himself will be exalted. 266 00:28:43,640 --> 00:28:49,880 The tax collector knew of his spiritual bankruptcy before God. The Pharisee was confident of his own 267 00:28:49,880 --> 00:28:54,200 righteous position before God. So to be in poor spirit means you're like that tax collector. 268 00:28:54,200 --> 00:28:58,200 You beat upon your breast, you don't lift your eyes to heaven, and you simply say, God be merciful 269 00:28:58,200 --> 00:29:03,880 to me a sinner. Notice this is the first. The poor in spirit is the first in the list of the 270 00:29:03,880 --> 00:29:08,600 attitudes because it's the grace of humility from which all these others will flow. Without 271 00:29:08,600 --> 00:29:14,280 humility and the grace of humility, you can't be saved. I want you to compare this with the 272 00:29:14,280 --> 00:29:23,960 religious leaders of the day. Arrogant, self-assured, presumptuous, assuming they would be the first 273 00:29:23,960 --> 00:29:31,720 to enter the kingdom. And Jesus later on will say, well the first winter lasts. The last 274 00:29:31,720 --> 00:29:35,640 winter first. He actually looked at those religious leaders and said, hey guys just so you know, 275 00:29:35,640 --> 00:29:41,240 prostitutes and tax collectors winter before you guys ever get in. They're proud in heart, 276 00:29:42,040 --> 00:29:48,440 abominable to God. The truly blessed man or woman, you must understand your own bankrupt 277 00:29:48,440 --> 00:29:53,480 position before our Lord. And it's not until you see yourself as you are that you are poor in spirit, 278 00:29:53,480 --> 00:29:56,680 you have no righteousness, that you will ever return to Christ for mercy. 279 00:29:56,680 --> 00:30:04,120 Do you own up to your helplessness? That's a work of God. The pride and hubris of the religious elite 280 00:30:05,480 --> 00:30:11,400 actually barred them, banned them from God's kingdom. You and I will never be made righteous 281 00:30:11,400 --> 00:30:16,680 until we see our unrighteousness. We won't be made worthy to enter until we see our own unworthiness. 282 00:30:17,640 --> 00:30:22,680 We will never be made acceptable to God until we truly see how unacceptable on our own we really 283 00:30:22,680 --> 00:30:31,800 are. As we see Christ, the perfect man, we see and get a better glimpse of what you and I really are. 284 00:30:33,720 --> 00:30:40,280 Do you have anything to boast before God? No. Quickly, I want you to notice the grammar. Some 285 00:30:40,280 --> 00:30:44,440 of you all probably roll your eyes so I mention grammar, but it's so good here. What's the mood 286 00:30:44,440 --> 00:30:48,040 of the verb? If you know some of you English professors, you know what moods? Is this imperative 287 00:30:48,040 --> 00:30:52,600 or indicative? Your English is not good. You're not good. You're not good. You're not good. You're 288 00:30:52,600 --> 00:30:56,520 like, I don't know. It doesn't really matter. It does. Here's why. It's not in the imperative mood. 289 00:30:56,520 --> 00:31:01,400 It's in the indicative mood. What that means is blessed are the poor in spirit. This is not a 290 00:31:01,400 --> 00:31:07,320 command. This is not something you do. Jesus is not telling you to become poor in spirit. 291 00:31:08,280 --> 00:31:15,160 He's pronouncing a blessing upon those who are. He's not commanding you to do anything. The reason 292 00:31:15,160 --> 00:31:21,640 why is because to see yourself as spiritually bankrupt is not anything you can do. This is the 293 00:31:21,640 --> 00:31:29,160 work that God must do in you. He must show you your bankruptcy. He must remove the veil from your 294 00:31:29,160 --> 00:31:36,120 heart. The spirit of God through the law of God begins to show you and I and work in us to show 295 00:31:36,120 --> 00:31:44,600 us what we are. Lawbreakers, rebels, helpless ones who need to be rescued and saved. And he shows us 296 00:31:44,600 --> 00:31:53,640 the Savior. Humility is simply a recognition of what we already are. Lowly ones who can do nothing. 297 00:31:54,760 --> 00:32:03,400 No resources. No hope. And we cast ourself upon the mercy of God in total reliance of his ability 298 00:32:03,400 --> 00:32:12,280 to save us. Blessed are you. God's favor rests upon you. I close with this. Thomas Watson, 299 00:32:12,280 --> 00:32:18,920 great Puritan, he wrote, he said, how can we tell if we're humble? So I just said this is interesting. 300 00:32:18,920 --> 00:32:24,520 I want to give you some principles to try and if we're humble. Again, think true obedience, 301 00:32:24,520 --> 00:32:29,080 not perfect obedience. Number one, the humble will be weaned from themselves. 302 00:32:30,600 --> 00:32:37,800 What's that mean? We lose self-preoccupation. Repudiate self, desire to live for another, 303 00:32:37,800 --> 00:32:46,200 that is for Christ. A humble soul thinks better of others than of himself. God help us. He values 304 00:32:46,200 --> 00:32:51,240 others at a higher rate than himself and the reason is because he knows his own heart better 305 00:32:51,240 --> 00:32:57,080 than anyone else's. A humble man is always giving bills of indictment against himself. 306 00:32:57,960 --> 00:33:02,520 You meet a hypocrite, they'll tell you how good they are. The humble soul will be ever 307 00:33:02,520 --> 00:33:09,960 forever telling you how bad he is and how merciful God is. A humble soul magnifies Christ. 308 00:33:11,240 --> 00:33:15,000 All glory is actions to Christ and the free grace given to us in Christ, right? 309 00:33:16,440 --> 00:33:21,000 A humble saint will take the crown of honor from his own head and set it upon the head of Christ. 310 00:33:23,320 --> 00:33:29,960 A humble soul is willing to take reproof for sin. You're willing to be corrected. But a very 311 00:33:29,960 --> 00:33:37,960 arrogant man, a wicked man, he's too high to stoop to be rebuked. But the humble Christian, 312 00:33:38,680 --> 00:33:41,560 he can bear both the reproach of an enemy and the reproof of a friend. 313 00:33:42,920 --> 00:33:48,120 Number six, a humble man is willing to have his names and gifts eclipsed so that God's 314 00:33:48,120 --> 00:33:53,800 glory may be increased. He is content to be outshone by others in gifts and esteem. 315 00:33:53,800 --> 00:34:00,440 Why? So that the crown of Christ might shine all the brighter. The humble man's motto is what John 316 00:34:00,440 --> 00:34:09,320 the Baptist said, he must increase and I must decrease. A humble saint is content with what 317 00:34:09,320 --> 00:34:15,480 condition which God sees is best for him. A proud man will complain that he doesn't have more and a 318 00:34:15,480 --> 00:34:23,560 humble man wonders how he has so much. A Christian who looks at his own sins will simply wonder 319 00:34:23,560 --> 00:34:30,520 how are things not worse for me seeing how great of a sinner I am. A Christian who is humble will 320 00:34:30,520 --> 00:34:35,800 know that the mercies of God are greater than anything he could possibly deserve. He knows that 321 00:34:35,800 --> 00:34:41,560 the worst piece which God carves for him is better than he deserves. The worst piece that God carves 322 00:34:41,560 --> 00:34:45,880 out for him is better than he deserves. So he can take it thankfully upon his knees. 323 00:34:48,280 --> 00:34:52,280 A humble Christian will stoop to the meanest person in the lowest office. What does that mean? It 324 00:34:52,280 --> 00:34:59,000 means he will visit the poorest member of Christ. There's no one beneath him and he'll spend much 325 00:34:59,000 --> 00:35:06,440 time in prayer. Why? Because we recognize we are needy and we know we need God's help. 326 00:35:07,800 --> 00:35:14,840 And lastly, the humble man will praise and thank God for his grace. Gratitude 327 00:35:14,840 --> 00:35:21,080 characterizes the life of the poor in spirit. They know what they deserved. They're bankrupt 328 00:35:21,080 --> 00:35:26,840 spiritually, poverty-stricken, and they're grateful and they wonder at the mercy and grace of God. 329 00:35:28,360 --> 00:35:32,360 Blessed are the poor in spirit, but don't fail to notice the promise the Lord gave, 330 00:35:33,160 --> 00:35:40,760 for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. No greater words than that. It is God's delight to give 331 00:35:40,760 --> 00:35:48,840 the heavenly kingdom to those who come to him empty-handed. The kingdom of God belongs to those 332 00:35:48,840 --> 00:35:55,560 who understand they have nothing to offer God. As you understand that, blessed are you, favored by 333 00:35:55,560 --> 00:36:02,120 you, favored by God. This is the ironic thing. Here's the blessing, to have nothing and at the 334 00:36:02,120 --> 00:36:06,760 very same time have everything. We have nothing in and of ourselves to offer and at the very same 335 00:36:06,760 --> 00:36:13,320 time in Christ we have everything. What a blessing. Come to Christ empty-handed and humble, 336 00:36:14,280 --> 00:36:21,800 and he gives you a place in his kingdom. How blessed you are. I close with this. You all 337 00:36:21,800 --> 00:36:27,160 probably are familiar with the name William Carey. He's the great missionary to India, 338 00:36:27,880 --> 00:36:33,000 very eloquent man. He translated the Bible into six languages and portions of the Bible in 29 339 00:36:33,000 --> 00:36:38,040 other languages. Here's what he wanted. When he died, he actually said, this is what I want. 340 00:36:38,040 --> 00:36:45,400 This is the epitaph I want in my tombstone. This is it, what it was. He was born August 17th, 1761. 341 00:36:45,400 --> 00:36:51,560 He died June 9th, 1834, and here's what he wanted, his words that he had to be written. 342 00:36:51,560 --> 00:37:03,720 A wretched, poor, and helpless worm. On thy kind arms I fall. I love that. Here's Carey, 343 00:37:04,520 --> 00:37:10,040 who did amazing things. He said, I am poor, helpless, and a despicable man, 344 00:37:11,080 --> 00:37:17,880 but I've cast myself upon the kind arms of God. He knew the promise of Jesus, 345 00:37:17,880 --> 00:37:25,480 of God. He knew the promise of Jesus. It had been revealed to him. And church, listen, 346 00:37:27,080 --> 00:37:37,080 blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. What a wonderful, 347 00:37:37,800 --> 00:37:44,600 wonderful blessing our Lord has given in this first beatitude. Let us now, in a posture of 348 00:37:44,600 --> 00:37:50,440 humility before the Lord, prepare our hearts to commune with the one who's worthy, the one 349 00:37:50,440 --> 00:37:55,080 who's exalted and lifted up. Let us humble ourselves and prepare to come to the table 350 00:37:55,080 --> 00:37:59,960 as unworthy recipients of incredible divine favor and mercy. Let's pray. 351 00:37:59,960 --> 00:38:11,560 Heavenly Father, thank you, Lord, for your wonderful blessing.