Mat 5:1-12 – Who's It Really All About?
The "me" generation says that it's all about my rights; how I spend my time; enjoying myself; my work style; my accomplishments; my opinions; my earning power; my education; my life. It's all about me. The whole world revolves around me and what I want.
When I don't get what I want, I pick up my toys and stomp off. When my rights are violated, I sue. Someone may need my time, but I have more important things to do. Someone may be suffering for it, but I'm going to enjoy myself. Everyone else's opinions are silly. And get out of my way as I climb the corporate or the social ladder.
But who is it really all about? Time has a way of educating even the "me" generation. There really are things that we do not control; really are times when our "rights" are revealed as "privileges." Our time is really fleeting and sometimes not enjoyable. Career can become dead-end jobs. Financial goals and educational goals can flee us. Yet even as we consider these things, are we not still considering how it all affects us, "me"? The "me" generation was not born in a certain decade. All Adam's children are the "me" generation. But who's it really all about? That's the question that we want to consider this morning as we spend time with the part of our Lord's famous Sermon on the Mount that is called the Beatitudes.
The first question that springs to mind when we hear Jesus' words is, "Is it really all about me?"
Let me go through these one at a time. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. If we think that this is about us, then we would have to ask ourselves, "What does it mean to be 'poor in spirit?'" I want to be in the kingdom of heaven, but am I poor in spirit? Am I poor enough?
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. I don't want to mourn. I don't want anybody to die that I care about, and as long as that stays the case, I probably don't need to be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Am I meek? Don't I usually try to make things go my way?
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Now this is getting tough for me. Wouldn't I rather just have it the way I want it?
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Do I show mercy? Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Uh, pure in heart? Am I hearing you right, God? You want me to be pure in heart. Is this just God being unrealistic again!
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Peace maker? I'm quite happy with allowing everyone to go about as they please, so that I have peace, but what could this mean, that I should make peace.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. How often do I go out of my way to help a friend who is not listening to God's Word. I don't tell others about Jesus, because I don't want to get into it.
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. I don't want people to insult me or to persecute me or to say all kinds of evil against me.
But wait a minute. It says, "because of me." That "me" there, that's not me - it's Jesus talking. Why would I be blessed when people do things because of what Jesus did?
How often we have read and heard these words of Jesus, and all the while our focus has been on ourselves and what they mean for us, but these last words remind us that we are not blessed because we have done what Jesus said. We are blessed because of Him.
The whole of Scripture is like this. When we go thinking it's all about us, this book is nothing but a set of rules that we most often use to clobber others with and only occasionally try to apply to ourselves. And when we do apply these words to ourselves, we find that we do not measure up.
But God's Word is not really about us is it? It's really about God's plan to save us self-centered sinners. You can sum it all up with just three sentences. "Be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect." Jesus says that in verse 48. That's the Law. That's what God intended for us before sin entered the world. That's what God's will is for us now. Be perfect. The second sentence is, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Jesus is at the center of God's plan to save us, because God's justice must be done and God's love sincerely desires that we all be saved. So God's own Son had to die for us, to fulfill all righteousness and satisfy all justice and pour out God's love at the same time there on the cross.
The third sentence is "Go and preach the good news to all creation."
The Beatitudes are not about me. They are really all about Jesus. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Jesus wept for Lazarus. Jesus looked over the city of Jerusalem and said, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!" Then He won eternal life for mankind.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Paul said, "By the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you."
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD will accomplish this.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Surely our Savior was pure in heart. No one could accuse Him of a sin. Not even death could hold the sinless Son of God. And does He not now sit at the right hand of the Father ruling everything for our good until all His enemies are subdued.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Sure Jesus was the greatest peacemaker. He gave Himself up to make peace between God and mankind.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Was our Savior not brutally persecuted yes even crucified and sent to hell because of righteousness and is not He even now the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. These words really are all about Jesus and all for me and you.
God through His Prophet Isaiah, said that those who are poor in spirit need to hear the preaching of the good news. He says that the poor in Spirit are brokenhearted, captives to sin and in need of this good message of eternal life. Believe on Jesus. He has done right in the sight of God. He could not fail, since He is God's own Son. He has suffered and died for us, and He was able to do this, because He is also the Son of Man by His mother Mary. It's really all for you. This book is all for you. It's for me. It's for any and every sinner.
Jesus wants us today to leave here joyful and glad. He gives us every opportunity now to respond to His love. He gives us opportunities to be blessed as we realize our spiritual poverty and our inability to help ourselves. That opportunity is to be found in our confessions and in His forgiveness.
He gives us opportunities when we mourn to be comforted by His grace and promise of eternal life. Every time we see death, we have opportunity to speak the truth about eternal life in Christ.
He gives us opportunities to be blessed as we show godly meekness and seek to help others, and so we have opportunities right here within our congregation to yield desires for the greater good.
And Jesus gives us opportunities to be blessed as we hunger and thirst for righteousness. In our daily lives we have so many opportunities to reprioritize and seek first His kingdom.
And mercy, opportunities for mercy are all around us. We receive two to four calls per week here from people who need help. We have an empty box right now for the food pantry. Opportunities to show mercy. And we have people with hurting hearts that have offended us at times. Forget the offense. Forgive and move forward in mercy.
And amazingly God even offers us the opportunity to be pure in heart. Not once, but every time we sin. We may turn to Him and find perfect forgiveness and a clean conscience through our Savior and a renewed sense of your life in Christ.
Opportunities for peace abound: within troubled families, in our troubled country. Seek the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Will we often get the worst of it when we act in Christian love. Think of how this world treated our Savior, but blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness; yours is the kingdom of heaven. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
I hope that today you will leave here, knowing that it's not all about you. It's about our God and Lord, Jesus Christ, our Savior. And because of Him it's about our neighbor. That's what the saints of heaven rejoice about as they sing to the Lamb upon the throne. May these blessings of God abound to you more and more in Christ Jesus, our Lord. It's about Him. Amen.