[Scripture Reading] Matthew 5:1-11 [Prayer for Illumination] Good morning, my name is John and I m one of the pastors here at GCF. Let me pray again and ask our Lord for help this morning [Introduction] It has been said, the quest to attain a state of blessedness is a universal human longing. 1 The truth is, we all pursue what we think will grant blessing in our lives. Not that it is wrong to pursue blessing; the Bible frequently speaks to human blessedness and differentiates ways that lead to blessedness from ways that lead away from it. Our problem is not that we pursue blessing; our problem is that there are many competing voices telling us what blessing is and how to obtain it. The voices of our culture typically define blessing in terms of wealth, health, success, power, prestige, beauty, fame and the like. Whatever the details, our culture preaches a message that says: Only these types of people are blessed. Although Jesus defines blessing in very different terms, he too is very exclusive in that he says: Only these types of people are blessed. Or,. And that is our proposition this morning Only These are Blessed. 1 The Dictionary of Bible Imagery, pg. 98 1
[Context] In order to understand why only these (types of people) are blessed we need to be clear about how Jesus defines the term blessed and to whom this blessing is bestowed. And these are our two main points: 1) Blessing Defined and 2) Blessing Bestowed. (Oh by the way, I m going to say blessed, if you want to say blessed that s OK.) Before we look more carefully at our passage, let me do a couple of things. First, let me quickly review where we ve been in Matthew s Gospel and then I want to provide a very brief introduction to Matthew 5 through 7. Recall in Matthew 4 that Jesus called his first disciples to follow him (4:19, 21), and they respond by leaving everything to follow him. Jesus tells them that just as they once were catching fish, so now they will be catching men. That is, they will join him in gathering people into the kingdom of God. Now, in Matthew 5 through 7 Jesus begins to teach his disciples what life in the kingdom of God looks like. This is an important point when attempting to understand just what the Sermon on the Mount is. Look at verses 1 and 2 Seeing the crowds, he [Jesus] went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them Jesus is speaking to his disciples (though certainly the crowds also heard). This is helpful in avoiding two errors in interpreting this Sermon. First, it is not a description of the requirements for entering the kingdom of God. Jesus is teaching those who have already responded to his call. Second, it is not a description of life in a future, fully realized, kingdom of God. Jesus is describing what a disciple looks like and what he or she values in a world that God has not yet fully transformed. With that, we are now in a position to unpack our proposition: Only These Are Blessed. Recall our two points: 1) Blessing Defined and 2) Blessing Bestowed. Let s first take a look at how blessing is defined. [Main Point 1] Blessing Defined Look again at our text (Matthew 5:1-3) 2
Seeing the crowds, he [Jesus] went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven [Subpoint 1] Typical Definitions of Blessing Before we try to define the term blessed biblically, I wanted us to consider cultural definitions of blessed. But after thinking about it more, the cultural definitions are fairly obvious: wealth, success, health, career, etc. I think it might be more helpful to think about how we actually define blessed. So, here is what I want us to do, I want you to finish these sentences (in your mind): If only I were then life would be good. If only I had then I d be happy. If only I could then I d have it made. Our if onlys tend to tell us what we really think about what it means to be blessed. (Be honest!) Young person: Video games, iphone, friends, approval or acceptance by peers, athletic, lots of fun time Teen: Approval or acceptance by peers, attractive, athletic (sports), smart, success in school, fun time, good body, car, Young adult: Married, good job, attractive, good body, car, mobility, independence, success, career potential, approval or acceptance by peers. Married: Kids, obedient children, achieving children, friends, good job, success, buying a house, car, career movement, investments, approval or acceptance by others. Mid-life: High achieving children (kids that demonstrate we are great parents), success, health, influence, money (investments), reputation, career realization, wisdom, approval or acceptance by others. Retirement: Money, successful and stable children, influence, health, comfort and ease, travel. Our answers reveal what we really think it means to be blessed. 3
However, we, or our culture, might think about blessed, we want to know how the Bible defines it. The Greek term translated blessed (Makarios) in Matthew 5 means fortunate, happy, or blissful. In Ancient Greek texts it was used to refer to a wealthy man or one who is successful in business. And as we examine the Bible we find it does describe wealth, health, business success, family, children and other earthly benefits as blessings (Genesis 24:35, 26:12, 39:5; Deuteronomy 7:14, 28:4-6; Job 1:10; Psalm 127:5). And they really are blessings gifts from God; and we should be grateful for these blessings! But these are always blessings with a little b. How do we know that? Consider King Solomon: under Solomon s reign, the nation Israel reached the apex of prosperity, power, and prestige. Solomon was a man of unparalleled wisdom, wealth, and success. On top of all that he had 700 wives and 300 concubines. And yet listen to Solomon s evaluation of all these near the end of his life. Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun? (Ecclesiastes 1:1-3) Solomon considered the blessedness of wisdom, work, wine, and women among others. His conclusion: All is vanity, like chasing after the wind. Jesus may have had Ecclesiastes in mind when he asks, "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?" (Mark 8:36). For Jesus, these types of earthly benefits were of very limited value. In fact, that is not strong enough. Jesus basically says in a number of places people find their ultimate value in terms of their relationship to God (Luke 12:21). We find the same assessment in Jeremiah Thus says the Lord: Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 9:23, 24) 4
Thus, earthly blessings minus a relationship to God are of no value. So, again, while the Bible does speak to earthly blessings these are always blessings with a little b. This fact makes the contemporary prosperity gospel all the more abhorrent. This false gospel claims that faithfulness to Christ guarantees health, wealth, success, prestige, and prosperity 2 now. As far as I can tell, the prosperity gospel places the focus of blessing on material gain in this life, this age. Much like our culture in general. But if we examine Jesus actual teaching, it s clear that blessing lies primarily elsewhere. In fact, Jesus taught that earthly benefits can often be stumbling blocks to experiencing true blessing (Matthew 13:22). Al Mohler s assessment of prosperity theology is surely in line with Jesus teaching (and that of the entire Bible) In the end, the biggest problem with prosperity theology is not that it promises too much, but that it promises far too little. 3 [Subpoint 2] A Biblical Definition of Blessing So if both our culture and the prosperity preachers promise far too little, at best blessing with a little b, what then is a biblical definition of blessing? We ve already seen from Solomon, Jesus, and the prophet Jeremiah that blessing with a capital B equates to knowing God. Let s look at one more passage that I hope will bring it home. To my mind, Numbers 6 provides one of the clearest statements of what it means to be blessed with a capital B The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them, The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them. (Numbers 6:22-27) 2 Macarthur, Happy Are the Humble, p. 144. 3 Ibid. 5
That the Lord makes his face to shine upon someone and lift up his countenance speaks to the smile of God. It is the approving, accepting smile of God. Our text bears that out as well. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Jesus speaks of blessing in terms of having the kingdom of heaven. Kingdom of heaven is another way of saying kingdom of God. To have the kingdom of God is first and foremost to have, or know, the king. God puts it this way I will be your God and you will be my people. This then is primary meaning of blessed: It is the approval of God. Kent Hughes summarizes it this way Contrary to popular opinion, blessed does not mean happy, even though some translations have rendered it this way. Happiness is a subjective state, a feeling. But Jesus is not declaring how people feel; rather, he is making an objective statement about what God thinks of them. Blessed is a positive judgment by God on the individual that means to be approved or to find approval. So when God blesses us, he approves us. 4 Hughes points out that such approval will certainly result in a sense of joy or happiness. But to be blessed is primarily an awareness of approval by God. So when Jesus says, what he means by Blessed is to be approved by God. That is our first point, Blessing Defined. 4 Kent Hughes, The Sermon on the Mount, p. 17. 6
[Main Point 2] Blessing Bestowed Matthew 5:1-3 But how does one obtain God s approval? This is our second point, Blessing Bestowed. Look again at Matthew 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. It s clear from this text that it is the poor in spirit who are blessed for theirs and theirs alone is the kingdom of heaven. All others are excluded. Only these are blessed. Let me remind you that Jesus is speaking to his disciples. We already said that this Sermon is not a description of the requirements for entering the kingdom of God. Rather, it describes how God wants those to live who are already in the kingdom of God. Having said that, there is a poverty of spirit without which I cannot be a disciple of Jesus in the first place. And it is this same poverty of spirit that is a hallmark of life and growth in the Kingdom of God. I hope that is clear. So Blessing is Bestowed on those who are poor in spirit, and this same poverty of spirit is an ongoing characteristic of life in the kingdom of God. [Subpoint 1] What Poor in Spirit is Not So, what does it mean to be poor in spirit? First of all, here is what it does not mean. Poor in spirit does not mean that we are of no value. After all, the living God created you and I in his very image (Gen. 1:27). Thus, every human being is a creature of great dignity and value. And the fact that God willingly sent Jesus to die on our behalf teaches that we are of great value (1 Cor. 6:20; 7:23). So, poor in spirit does not mean that we are of no value. Nor is poor in spirit natural shyness nor an introverted personality nor one who is timid or cautious. To be poor in spirit is not a false humility where one denies their gifts, talents, or strengths. None of these are what it means to be poor in spirit. It is not directly tied to our economic status. If I am financially poor does not mean I am automatically poor in spirit. Conversely, If I am wealthy, I may be poor in spirit. 7
[Subpoint 2] Matthew 5:1-3 What Poor in Spirit Is Well, what can we say positively? The Greek term for poor (Ptochos) means to cower and cringe like a begger. Ptochos describes a depth of poverty and inability such that survival depends on outside help. Kent Hughes summarizes poor in spirit as the awareness and admission that we are utterly sinful and without moral virtues adequate to commend us to God. Jesus tells a story to help us see the difference between one who is proud and selfsufficient versus one who is poor in spirit. He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get. But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me, a sinner! I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted. (Luke 18:9-14) Did you notice to whom Jesus was speaking? To those who trusted in themselves that they were able to earn God s approval by their own performance. Ironically, it is the religious man the guy who should know better; he knew the Scriptures and the holiness of God he is proud and self-sufficient while the irreligious tax collector exhibits a poverty of spirit when he says, God, be merciful to me, a sinner! The tax collector is more in touch with reality. 8
But why does God bestow blessing on the poor in spirit? For one, only they are in a position to receive help. There is a theme that runs throughout the entire Bible, it goes like this: God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Listen to how God says it in Isaiah 57:15 For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite. God is infinitely high, majestic, holy, and mighty and at the same time humble in heart. He is ready to stoop down to revive the lowly. And the Bible is ONE story of God stooping down to rescue sinners like you and me by sending Jesus to die for us. Listen to how low he was willing to go. Turn to Philippians 2:5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow (Philippians 2:5-10a) This is what God is like! The eternal God was willing to take on humanity; he was willing to live the life we should have lived and die the death we deserved so that by faith in Christ we can have God s approval. God bestows blessing on the poor in spirit because they are in a position to receive the help he provides and because he is so good! It s who he is! He loves to revive the spirit of the lowly. He wants to help those in need. He delights to make rich those who are poor. It is his joy to rescue the lost. He loves to give grace to the humble. He s merciful and gracious. That s what God is like! 9
So, to be poor in spirit is to be aware that we have no moral virtues in ourselves to commend us to God. And blessing is bestowed on the poor in spirit. Only these have God s approval. Only these are blessed. By implication all others are not blessed. All others have God s displeasure, his wrath. God opposes the proud. Instead of God s smile, they have his frown, instead of blessing, curse. You may have every blessing with a little b but if you do not have blessing with a capital B you have nothing. In fact, you have worse than nothing you have God s displeasure for an eternity. As Jesus said, what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?" (Mark 8:36) [Application] Let s try to make some application. For non-disciples (1) There are only two options: Blessing or curse. Do you want to know God s approval? Don t try to be more poor in spirit so that God approves of you. That approach is just another self-reliance project. Rather, like the tax collector say to God, God be merciful to me, a sinner and receive Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins. God loves to answer that cry for help. For disciples (1) Don t try to be more poor in spirit so that God approves of you. That approach is just another self-reliance project. Rather, we should confess our proud, self-sufficient, and self-sufficient spirit and remind ourselves that we have nothing in ourselves to commend us to God. But don t stop there! Remind yourself that Jesus has everything necessary to commend himself to God on your behalf! He lived the life we should have lived and died the death we deserve for us. By faith in Christ, God pronounces his approval on us! 10
(2) Remind yourself that Jesus is not ashamed to call us his brothers! Listen to what Hebrews 2 says For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers Did you hear that? Jesus is not ashamed to call us his brothers. You may have failed in any number of ways this week did you become angry with your wife and kids? Did you look at porn this week or lust after a woman in your heart? Did you lie to your parents this week or dishonor them? Did you gossip about a friend? Perhaps you did some of these and others? But the poor in spirit trust in Jesus, and Jesus is not ashamed to call you his brother! He wants to help you! He is praying for you! Go to him; confess your sin and ask for his help. He is not ashamed to call you his brother! (3) Cultivate poverty of spirit. Poverty of spirit is a gracious gift of God. And he promises to make you perfectly humble like Jesus. Yet you can work with God to grow in this grace. Maybe the first step is confiding in a friend about areas of real struggle. Perhaps you can open up and be vulnerable with a friend or two? Ask for prayer. Or maybe in pride you haven t yet asked your wife or children or friend for forgiveness? Maybe it is a willingness to listen to some constructive criticism? After all, God has criticized each of us by showing us what we really deserve. Yet, we have his complete approval in Jesus. What can a little criticism from a fellow human do to us? Take a small step this week in cultivating a poverty of spirit. 11
(4) Fight to remember who is really blessed. Matthew 5:1-3 If the Seahawks win its only a blessing with a little a very little b. As well, if the Seahawks lose you ve only missed a blessing with a little b. On the other hand, in Christ, you are approved by the living God! If you are healthy and wealthy it is a blessing, but a blessing with a little b. But should you be not so wealthy or not so healthy, no matter what, in Christ, you are approved by God! You are blessed with a capital B. He smiles when he thinks of you. If you are single and want to be married it may be a struggle. Marriage is certainly a blessing but a blessing with a little b. Whether single or married, in Christ, you are approved by God! You are blessed with a capital B. If you are in a difficult marriage its likely a struggle. You would like to enjoy the blessing of a good marriage. Remember though, at its best a good marriage is only a blessing with a little b. Difficult marriage or good marriage, in Christ, you are approved by God! You are blessed with a capital B. Just as he said of Jesus, my Son in whom I am well pleased so he says that of you! If you are sick and dying it is surely difficult. However, in Christ you will live forever and experience God s approval. You are blessed with a capital B. If you are struggling to fit in at school, maybe you re even bullied and mocked. Jesus was bullied and mocked for you so that you may have God s approval! Even though you are in a very difficult place, you are blessed with a capital B. 12
[Conclusion] Matthew 5:1-3 We are bombarded with competing voices telling us what type of person is blessed. We ve seen this morning that Jesus tells us only the poor in spirit are blessed because they have God s approval in Christ. Indeed, Only these are blessed. Don t be duped by false prophets of blessing: whether in our culture or prosperity preachers or in our own hearts. Who will we listen to? Jesus closed his sermon with this warning Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it. And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes. Jesus knows what he s talking about, listen to him! Only these are blessed. 13