Gospel of Matthew Matthew 5:1-12 The King’s Sermon – The Beatitudes The Sermon on the Mount was the greatest sermon delivered by the greatest preacher. One Sunday after church, a pastor asked his wife on their way home, “How many really great preachers do you think there are?” To which his wife replied, “I’m not sure about that, but there is one less than you think.” The Sermon on the Mount is the first of five important discourses in Matthew: • The Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 5-7) • The Mission of the Twelve (Mt. 10) • The Parables of the Kingdom (Mt. 13) • The Childlike Nature of the Believer (Mt. 18) • The Olivet Discourse about End-Time Events (Matt. 24-25) The Sermon on the Mount became the foundation for all of Christ’s teaching and ministry. John MacArthur describes the main theme of this sermon: “This sermon is a masterful exposition of the law and a potent assault on Pharisaic legalism, closing with a call to true faith and salvation (7:13-29). Christ expounded the full meaning of the law, showing that its demands were humanly impossible (5:48). This is the proper use of the law with respect to salvation: It closes off every possible avenue of human merit and leaves sinners dependent on nothing but divine grace for salvation (Rom. 3:19-20; Gal. 3:23-24). Christ plumbed the depth of the law, showing that its true demands went far beyond the surface meaning of the words (Mt. 5:28, 39, 44) and set a standard much higher than the most diligent students of the law had heretofore realized (Mt. 5:20) ( MacArthur Study Bible ). Christ introduced His sermon with profound statements known as the "Beatitudes” (from Latin, beatus, “blessed”). Vs. 1-2 – Jesus taught this sermon to many disciples Christ’s ministry and miracles caused multitudes to follow Him. He went up on a mountain and sat down to teach them. His message astonished them (Mt. 7:28). Vs. 3 – Blessed are the poor in spirit This is the opposite of self-sufficiency: “This speaks of the deep humility of recognizing one’s utter spiritual bankruptcy apart from God. It describes those who are acutely conscious of their own lostness and hopelessness apart from divine grace (Mt. 9:12; Lk. 18:13)” (MacArthur Study Bible ). They have nothing to offer God but their sin. They must come to God as empty-handed and needy beggars. The greatest need in this world is for people to see their need. The word “blessed” means “happy, fortunate, blissful.” Christ described the blessings that only come to those who have genuine repentance and faith. Vs. 4 – Blessed are those who mourn God blesses those who are heartbroken over their sins. This describes the godly sorrow that produces genuine repentance leading to salvation, 2 Corinthians 7:10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. The comfort is that of forgiveness and salvation, Isaiah 40:1-2 1 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. 2 Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD'S hand double for all her sins. Vs. 5 – Blessed are the meek They are meek not weak. They yield themselves to God’s control. Meekness is self-control produced by the Holy Spirit, Galatians 5:22-23 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. This beatitude refers directly to Psalms 37:11 But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. Vs. 6 – Blessed are those who long for righteousness This describes a righteousness that only God can supply. It is the opposite of sinful self- righteousness as found in the Pharisees and scribes. Matthew 5:20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. Romans 10:1-4 1 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. 2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. Philippians 3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. Vs. 7 – Blessed are the merciful The opposite of this is also true, James 2:13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath showed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment. Christ later taught the parable of the unforgiving servant to illustrate this teaching (Mt. 18:21-35; see also Eph. 4:32). Vs. 8 – Blessed are the pure in heart Christ always focused on the heart. Scripture consistently reminds us of the importance of the heart (1 Sam. 16:7; Prov. 4:23; Rom. 10:9-10). Seeing God refers not only to the spiritual capacity to see Him by faith now, but also to the privilege of seeing God in Heaven (Rev. 22:4). Holiness is required of all who live in God’s presence (Ps. 15:1-2; Heb. 12:14). Vs. 9 – Blessed are the peacemakers MacArthur suggests four things that characterize a peacemaker: 1) he has made peace with God; 2) he leads others to make peace with God; 3) he helps others make peace with others; and 4) he endeavors to find a point of agreement. MacArthur concludes: “Peacemaking is a hallmark of God’s children. A person who is not a peacemaker either is 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” (Matthew 1-7, 215-218). Vs. 10-12 – Blessed are the persecuted This is the first time that Jesus mentioned persecution or suffering for righteousness’ sake, but it would not be the last. He later told His disciples to take up their cross and follow Him. A new convert said, “I thought when I became a Christian it would be the end of my problems and it didn’t take long before I learned it was the front end.” Summary of the Beatitudes: • God’s blessings are provided on God’s terms, not man’s – He sets the conditions for blessing in His kingdom. We must meet His conditions. • God’s blessings are contrary to the world’s values – His kingdom operates on different principles than this world. Most people think that happiness is found in riches, recreation, and such things. The world says, “Blessed are those who have things, buy things, and achieve things.” But the Bible teaches that the best things in life are not things. Such qualities as humility, meekness, desire for righteousness are not high on the world’s wish list. To an unsaved person the Beatitudes seem more like a recipe for misery than blessing. In the world’s eyes, the Beatitudes are the marks of losers. The world says, “Blessed are the noble, the successful, the macho, the glamorous, the popular, the famous, and the aggressive.” If the world were coming up with its own list of Beatitudes it might look like this: Blessed are the pushy, for they get on in the world. Blessed are the hardened, for they never let life hurt them. Blessed are the complainers, for they get their way in the end. Blessed are the slave drivers, for they get results. Blessed are the troublemakers, for they get people to notice them. • God’s blessings are certain for those who qualify Christ promised these blessings in absolute terms: “is, are, or shall be.” There is no doubt or possibility here, only certainty. John the Baptist and Jesus both preached, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mt. 3:2; 4:17). It was natural for people to question: “How can I be sure I belong to that kingdom?” Jesus stated that only people with these qualities are inside the kingdom and have these blessings. The announcement of Christ’s kingdom is both bad news and good news. The bad news is that nobody can change his heart and attitude by himself. The good news is that Jesus can and will graciously change our heart to meet His standard. That is good news indeed. Gospel of Matthew Matthew 5:1-12 The King’s Sermon – The Beatitudes The Sermon on the Mount was the greatest sermon delivered by the greatest preacher. His sermon is the first of five important discourses in Matthew: • The Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 5-7) • The Mission of the Twelve (Mt. 10) • The Parables of the Kingdom (Mt. 13) • The Childlike Nature of the Believer (Mt. 18) • The Olivet Discourse about End-Time Events (Matt. 24-25) The Sermon on the Mount became the foundation for all of Christ’s teaching and ministry. John MacArthur describes the main theme of this sermon: “This sermon is a masterful exposition of the law and a potent assault on Pharisaic legalism, closing with a call to true faith and salvation (7:13-29).