The Hero of Our Story: Blessed Are…

I’ve had some great teachers in my life: My Dad, a couple of pastors, and numerous professors in college and seminary. But not one of them could hold a candle to my College Theology prof: Doctor David Miller. He was great. He became a Theology Teacher because when he went to seminary all the Theology teachers were dusty and boring. He believed that something as wonderful and powerful as God’s Word should never be boring. So here was my introduction to Dr. Miller: I was visiting Western Baptist College for the first time and I got to attend his Theology class. He began the class by talking about a new kind of deodorant – the kind for the over active worshiper. What was it called?   It was called “Holy Roll On!” We laughed, and then he proceeded to tell to us why God was worthy of our all. I was hooked. I couldn’t wait to go to theology and learn under Doctor Miller.   But as great a teacher as he was, it was what he taught that stuck with me. He taught us the mysteries of God and the wonders of Gods grace to us in Jesus Christ. And what I learned from his lectures gave me the foundation to walk with Jesus with great confidence and birthed in me a desire to teach the wonders of His grace – wonders that are never boring but are full of life.

And now that I’ve been at this calling for a few of years, I’ve discovered that there’s a reason both Doctor Miller and I have had this passion. It’s because we’ve both had the great privilege of sitting under the teaching of Jesus.  If you were here last Sunday, we looked at Jesus the teacher, how He was an amazing Rabbi who taught the good news of the kingdom: who taught in his own hometown but was rejected; who taught the crowds because they were like sheep without a shepherd; who taught the curious who were looking for eternal life; who taught the calculating who were trying to trip him up; and who taught the committed, who were eager to learn the ways of the kingdom by sitting at His feet. We concluded by looking at Mary sitting at the feet of Rabbi Jesus, and Jesus saying that she had chosen what was better. In fact, over the past two months we’ve been sitting at the feet of Jesus, trying to follow the example of the early church who were devoted to the apostles teaching. We’ve spent time looking at who Jesus is and how Jesus lived, and one of the ways Jesus lived was as this teacher of good news. So now, its time we took a look at what Jesus taught. To dig into his kingdom message – the good news that brings great joy to all people!

So, if you brought your Bible with you today, let me encourage you to open them to Matthew 5:1-5 where we are going to begin looking at what Jesus taught to his disciples in the Sermon on the Mount. We’re going to begin where he does, with the good news of the kingdom.   The good news to all who have ever been written off, wounded or walked on by those who claim to speak for God.

As we read verse one, we see that Jesus once again responds to the crowds. This time instead of teaching them directly, he goes up the mountainside and sits down. He takes the position of a rabbi, the teacher, and his disciples come to sit at his feet. The crowds are all within ear shot as Jesus proclaims the joyful news of God’s favor: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

But before we unpack this good news, we need to get clear grasp of what Jesus means when he uses this term “blessed.” Because when we think of this term blessed we often equate blessings in this life much the same as the world does. Let me tell you what I mean: Our world tells us we are blessed when we are well off – when we have monetary wealth. We are blessed because we can clothe ourselves and surround ourselves with beautiful things and experience a good quality of life. But that’s not what this term means.

Our world also tells us we’re blessed when life works in our favor – when we find the perfect job, marry the man or woman of our dreams, all our kids grow up to be amazing people, and you’re a picture of health. But that’s not what this term means.

Finally, our world tells us we are blessed when we have it all together. If you’re successful, bright, and can make things happen – people notice you, want to be around you, doors open for you and friends are easy to come by. We are blessed because we have so many friends who love us. But that’s not what this word means.

No when Jesus says, Blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are those who mourn, and bessed are the meek… He isn’t taking into consideration the happy circumstances of your life. No, he’s saying quite the opposite. What he is saying is this:

He’s saying that God Himself will always be with those who’ve been written off in life

He’s saying that God Himself will always be near those who’ve been wounded by life

He’s saying that God Himself will always be for those who’ve been walked on in life

What He is saying is that this blessing is a blessing of relationship with God. That God is not distant from us; or unconcerned about our lives. No, what He is saying is that God is for us. He is for the lowly and broken hearted. Like Isaiah predicted when he wrote: Strengthen the tired hands and revive the stumbling knees. Say to the despairing hearts: Be of good cheer. Do not be afraid. See, your God is coming.” Isaiah 35:3-4 This is the good news of the kingdom – the announcement of the time of God’s favor. And so Jesus proclaims:

1. Blessed Are the Poor In Spirit    Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3

Who are the poor in spirit? These are the one who have been written off in life. They are the spiritually bankrupt. They have been written of by the religious teachers who have told them time and time again, they do not measure up. They have failed. They are no good. They are a disappointed to God. And they no it. They have been made to feel like outsiders to God, so much so that they have little hope.

As Dallas Willard once described them: “There is nothing about them to suggest that the breath of God might move through their lives. They have no charisma, no religious glitter or clout… They don’t know their Bibles. No one calls on them to help serve or even give a prayer. They are the last to say they have any claim whatsoever on God.”

They are the spiritually poor. Not poor in the monetary sense, but spiritually bankrupt. So poor that they are beggars, who cower before the face of God, holding out open hands, desperately hoping for God to have mercy on them. They are the tax-collector at the Temple who prays, “Have mercy on me God for I am a sinner.”

So when Jesus announces, “blessed are the poor in spirit,” they hear the voice of mercy they’ve longed to hear. They hear, “You may have been written off by the religious establishment, but I am for you. There is a place for you in my kingdom. There is a place for you in my realm with me.” Why does He say this?

Because God has always said this: For this is what the high and exalted One says— He who lives forever, whose name is holy: “I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.” Isaiah 57:15

James says it this way: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble and oppressed” James 4:6. Jesus announces God’s favor to the lowly in heart. It is this poverty of spirit, this conscious awareness of unworthiness before God that opens the floodgates of His mercy. For when we are totally honest and confess that we are sinful and in need of God, this is where blessing begins.

And the funny thing is, we can’t manufacture this. We can’t make ourselves humble before God, as if we can somehow earn God’s blessing by our confession. No, we either poor in spirit and know we are helpless to save ourselves. Or we are proud, thinking we are good enough as we are. There is no middle ground.

You see what Jesus announces here is the state of being that God blesses. You are either poor in spirit or you are not. And if you are, then God says He has a place for you WITH HIM. He lives with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit. That’s the good news of the Kingdom. God has come to include you in a relationship with Him. The kingdom of heaven belongs to you, the poor in spirit…. That’s the first blessing, now the second:

2.Blessed Are Those Who Mourn Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Matthew 5:4

Who are the mourners? These are the ones who have been wounded by life. More specifically, the mourners are those who are wounded by the realization that their own sin has offended God. This is our personal grief over having wounded God. This is the grief experienced by a man who recognizes the blackness of his own sin, the more he is exposed to the purity of God.

It’s no wonder many people today refuse to darken the door of a Church. They don’t want the darkness of their sin exposed. They’d rather bury it deep down in the recesses of their soul. They want to suppress their own wickedness. They want to feel good about themselves. And yet, Jesus says, “Blessed are those who mourn, those who grieve, for they will be comforted.”

There is hope his these words, do you hear it?   We cannot find relief for the darkness of our sin, but God offers us relief. He promises to comfort those who are devastated by their sin. How? By forgiving our sin. There is no greater comfort in this life than to have the burden of guilt and sin removed by the blood of Jesus Christ.

Over the years I have had the privilege of sharing the good news of God’s grace to us in Jesus Christ. Of how his death on the cross and the blood Jesus shed there made it possible for us to be forgiven. And then seeing the light of understanding come on. And the person hearing this good news coming to that place where they want to receive Jesus and the forgiveness He brings. I remember one of the first times I guided a teenager through the gospel, and she came to the place where she put her faith in Jesus and received His forgiveness. I remember telling her that she may not feel any different, because this was an act of faith, and the feelings would come later. But she said to me, “No, I do feel different. I feel lighter. I feel cleaner. God has taken away the heaviness of my sin. I know I am forgiven.”

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. God is the comforter. In fact, that is the very name Jesus gave the Holy Spirit in the New Testament. He is the one who comes alongside, the one who comes near. The reason those who mourn over their sin are blessed, is that God takes away our sin and replaces it with His presence. How great is that!

Listen how John MacArthur explains this. He says, “Only mourners over sin are happy because only mourners over sin have their sins forgiven. Sin and happiness are totally incompatible. Where one exists the other cannot. Until sin is forgiven and removed, happiness is locked out. Mourning over sin brings forgiveness of sin, and forgiveness of sin brings a freedom and a joy that cannot be experienced any other way.” Have you experienced this blessing? The good news is that God has come to remove the weight of your sin so He can be with you and you can know His comfort, you can know Him. What a blessing. God has come near to remove your grief and replace it with His smile. To bring you into relationship with Him, where you no longer have to mourn, but can rejoice in knowing Him who loves you. That’s the second blessing, now the third:

3. Blessed Are The Meek Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Matt 5:5

Who are the meek? They are those who have been walked on in life. These are the shy ones, the over looked ones, the mild and unassertive. In a world where everyone is trying to get ahead, trying to gain all that the world has to offer, these are the ones who are often taken advantage of. They are the gentle ones, who don’t have anyone to speak for them. In many ways, they feel as this world is not their home, and they long for a world where people treat one another with kindness and respect. They long for a world where no one abuses power or people to get what they want.

It is to these meek ones that Jesus declares the good news. And he promises them a future, saying that the meek will inherit the earth – that there will be a day when God’s reign will fill the earth; a day when justice will prevail; and people will truly treat one another with dignity, and no longer use people for their own ends. It is to the gentle that Jesus offers this hope – that this world the way it is now, a dog eat dog world, will not always be. For a day has come where God’s kingdom is at hand; change is afoot, for they now have a king who will speaks for them – and his name is Jesus, the one who is gentle and humble in heart, and He has come to make things right once again.

Don’t you love this good news? Jesus says that there is now hope for life the way God intended it to be lived. They are no longer alone. They have an advocate who has come not only to speak for them, but who will feed them, care for them and protect them in a world that’s often against them. That’s the joy of this blessing. The meek have a God who is for them.

This is the good news of the kingdom. Jesus announces the arrival of the kingdom for those who’ve been written off, wounded, and walked on: For those who need a Savior, a Comforter and an Advocate.   And the good news is that all three are found in Jesus.

With the arrival of Jesus comes the good news of God’s grace. There is now help for the helpless, healing for the hurting, and hope for the hopeless, and it is all found in Jesus.

This is what it means to be blessed of God. God gave us Jesus so He could be with us, So He could comfort us and so He be there for us, in this new life in the kingdom of God. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.