Matthew 5:1-12 Epiphany 4A + February 2, 2020 Good Shepherd Lutheran Church + Boise, Idaho Pastor Tim Pauls the Blessings of the Kingdom of Heaven

Matthew 5:1-12 Epiphany 4A + February 2, 2020 Good Shepherd Lutheran Church + Boise, Idaho Pastor Tim Pauls The Blessings of the Kingdom of Heaven

The Word of the Lord from Matthew 5:3: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” This is the Word of the Lord.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” We heard that last week – the gist of Jesus’ sermons throughout Galilee, remember? Jesus calls the people to turn from sin and to enter the kingdom of heaven. Where is the kingdom of heaven? It’s wherever the King of heaven is. So there, in Galilee of the Gentiles, the King and the kingdom of heaven are present; and by His grace, He brings people into His kingdom.

Immediately after that reading, we get to the Sermon on the Mount; and as that sermon begins, we find out what sort of people you can expect to find in the kingdom of heaven.

The kingdom of heaven bookends these beatitudes. At the very start, Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” What a blessing to be poor in spirit! You’re free from pride and arrogance, and thus freed to have a servant’s heart. Knowing how much you’ve been forgiven for, you are quick to forgive. You brush off slights and you don’t hold grudges. You’d much rather be acting in love towards other people – even difficult people, because you’re always reflecting how Christ has acted toward you. Poor in your own spirit, you are rich in the Holy Spirit. Blessed are you.

At the end of the beatitudes, we have the kingdom of heaven again. Jesus says, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Persecution sounds like an odd blessing, and this isn’t a command that you find the nearest arena and douse yourself in barbecue sauce for the hungry lions. Rather, it means that you are so joyfully assured of Christ and His promises that, by His grace, you won’t let anything separate you from Him. If your relatives are unhappy – or the world treats you with scorn – for your faith, you’re unfazed because God’s love is totally worth it. If an ISIS terrorist forces you to your knees and pulls out his knife, your only thoughts are “Father, forgive him,” and “Into your hands I commend my spirit.” Knowing the treasures of heaven, you gladly forsake all to hold onto Jesus. What a strong faith! Blessed are you.

In between these two are six more beatitudes to describe those in the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn,” says Jesus, “for they shall be comforted.” In the kingdom, you mourn properly. You don’t mourn in self-pity, sad that God hasn’t done things to your liking; and you never doubt God’s will, even in times of grief. You mourn sin and its wages, and never delight in them. You mourn the toll that sin’s curse takes on sinners and all creation. You mourn death; and in the kingdom of heaven, you are comforted. You cling to Christ, crucified and risen again – and who joins His people to Himself in Holy Baptism. Though you must mourn sin and death now, you’re confident you will be raised on the Last Day when mourning is no more. Blessed are you.

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth,” says Jesus. As one in the kingdom of heaven, you have little regard for yourself and aren’t really concerned with getting your own way. You’re all about the good and wellbeing of others: contentment and humility come easily to you. You labor hard at the tasks He gives you, simply because He’s the One who gives them. You rejoice in the success of others, and you never resent those who are doing better than you are: after all, everything in this world will pass away, but a new heaven and a new earth will be yours forever. What a blessing to be so free! Blessed are you.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied,” says Jesus. You’re not completely content in the kingdom of heaven, because you always want more of one thing: God’s gifts. You can never have enough of His grace and faith, life and salvation. You know that God has given you many left-hand kingdom things to do, and that these will take up a lot of your time; nevertheless, you’re kind of disappointed that Sunday only comes once a week, that church only lasts an hour or so, and you’d never, ever give up your daily devotions for something else instead. What a blessing to have such a zeal, such a fervor, for God’s gifts! Blessed are you!

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy,” says Jesus; and it’s a no-brainer that the people in the kingdom of heaven are merciful. You’re in the kingdom because God is merciful – so merciful that He has piled all of your sins on His crucified Son so that He might bring you into the kingdom. That’s why you go out of your way to give, and forgive. That’s why you love your enemies and pray for them. That’s why you don’t leave others in need for your own gain or success. How blessed to be so free to be so merciful! Blessed are you!

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God,” says Jesus. That one is just crazy good! The people in the kingdom of heaven will see God – and they look forward to it! When those outside the kingdom know that God is near, they call on the mountains to fall on them and hide them. Exodus declares that the sinner who looks on the face of God will die. However, Jesus says that those inside the kingdom have hearts so pure that they see God for their good! How blessed are you to have no sinful thoughts – no lust, no covetousness, no resentment, no greed, no pride or anything of the like. Because your heart is so pure, you can confidently expect to look upon the face of God and live. How blessed are you!

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God,” says Jesus. As Jesus has made peace with you by His own suffering and death for your sin, now you go out of your way to make peace with others. You bear insults gladly, you don’t care about getting the last word, and you’re quick to apologize if you snap at someone, even if they’ve been picking at you for hours. You don’t let hard feelings fester: you get things cleared up quickly and you’re always quick to acknowledge your sin and your guilt. How delightful to foster peace! Blessed are you.

Then we get to Jesus saying, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” which we talked about already; and then He expands on this further as He explains to His disciples, “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.”

There you go. That’s life in the kingdom of heaven, in the presence of God. If you’re in the kingdom, then you are poor in spirit, properly mournful and meek, hungry for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, all about making peace and willing to suffer persecution and death – gladly! – rather than forsake the faith. Blessed are you!

But. If you’re so blessed, how come all these blessings feel like … accusations?

The answer is because you’re thinking, “If that’s what people in the kingdom of heaven are like, then obviously I’m not in the kingdom of heaven. If I’m not in the kingdom, I’m not blessed. If I’m not blessed, then I’m cursed.”

Clearly, if you take this seriously and you believe in heaven and hell, then you need to reach this blessed state before it’s too late. That’s not easy: note that Jesus speaks in absolutes. He doesn’t say, “Blessed are those who are working at being poorer in spirit,” but “Blessed are those who are poor in spirit already;” not, “Blessed are those who know that their hearts are impure and are trying to do something about it,” but “Blessed are the pure in heart now.” If you’re anything less, you’re not blessed; and if you’re not blessed, you’re under the curse.

I think it wise, then, to remind you of Jesus’ shorter sermon for last week: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Remember “repent”? Remember that it means to stop believing what is false and start believing what is true? Then repent. Stop believing that you are blessed because you become poor enough in spirit, or merciful enough or pure enough; or that you won’t be blessed until you attain these things by your efforts. Stop believing that you ever could! Stop believing that your attempts are enough to get the job done. In fact, confess how much you are not what you’re supposed to be.

And what should you believe instead? That the kingdom of heaven is at hand, because the King has drawn near to you. That King is Jesus – blessed Jesus, who became so poor in spirit that He humbled Himself, even to death on a cross for you. Jesus, who mourned the lostness of mankind, then went to the cross to be forsaken so you could be found. Jesus, the Son of God who went meekly about as the servant of all to suffer God’s wrath in your place. Jesus, the righteous Son of God, who hungered and thirsted so that you might be made righteous. Jesus, who was so merciful to you as to take your place in death. Jesus, who is pure and holy, yet bore your sins to the cross. Jesus, who was born to bring peace on earth, who has established peace between you and God by destroying the sin that made you God’s enemy. Jesus, who was persecuted for being righteous – and who was reviled and persecuted and falsely accused of all sorts of evil, and who prayed of His accusers, “Father forgive them.”

Jesus, who prays for you, that you might be forgiven.

And believe this: that when Jesus forgives you, He joins you to Himself and wraps you in His righteousness. He gives you the credit for His mercy, His humility, His purity and all the rest. These beatitudes are beautiful in their accusation – not because they are unobtainable goals, but because they drive you to Christ. They show you your sin, your need, and they show you how beautiful is your Savior.

Here is your joy: your Savior – who is all these things and has done all these things for you – gives all these things to you in His means of grace.

So repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

And be blessed, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand for you.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen