The Blessed And Their Blessings

Q: What does the Bible say about being poor in spirit?

The Bible teaches that the poor in spirit are blessed because theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3). In Matthew 5:3, Jesus states, 'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.' This speaks to the foundational attitude necessary for entering God's kingdom. Being poor in spirit means recognizing one’s spiritual poverty and total dependence on God for salvation. It signifies an acknowledgment that we have nothing to offer and that it is solely by God's grace that we are redeemed. This attitude is not just a one-time feeling but a continual state of humility before God, acknowledging our need for His mercy.

Q: How do we know that mourning over sin is important?

Mourning over sin is essential as it signifies true repentance, and those who mourn will be comforted by God's grace (Matthew 5:4). Matthew 5:4 declares, 'Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.' This mourning refers to a deep, God-given sorrow over one’s sinfulness. It is not merely regret for the consequences of sin but a heartfelt grief for offending a holy God. Such mourning leads to genuine repentance and ultimately results in the comfort of the gospel: the assurance of forgiveness and reconciliation with God. Those who mourn their sins are the ones who cherish the grace and mercy of God, understanding that without Him, they could not stand in His presence.

Q: Why is being meek important for Christians?

Meekness is crucial for Christians as it reflects humility and reliance on God, leading to inheriting the earth (Matthew 5:5). In Matthew 5:5, Jesus states, 'Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.' Meekness should not be mistaken for weakness; rather, it is a condition of humility that places trust and dependence solely on God. The meek are those who do not seek their own glory but give all honor to God. They recognize that everything they have, including faith and righteousness, is a gift from Him. In God's kingdom, it is the meek who receive true fulfillment and inheritance, cultivating an environment of peace and grace.

Q: How does one hunger and thirst for righteousness?

Hunger and thirst for righteousness involve a deep desire for God's standards, leading to fulfillment through Christ (Matthew 5:6). Matthew 5:6 states, 'Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.' This hunger and thirst signify an intense craving for the righteousness that comes only from Christ. It is a recognition of our inadequacy and our yearning for that which supersedes our own abilities. Those who truly seek after this righteousness will find it abundantly provided through faith in Jesus. As we grow in our understanding of God's holiness, our desire for genuine righteousness will increase, and in Christ, we are promised fulfillment of that deep longing.

Q: What does it mean to be a peacemaker according to the Bible?

A peacemaker is someone who reconciles others to God and promotes peace among people, and they will be called children of God (Matthew 5:9). In Matthew 5:9, Jesus proclaims, 'Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.' A peacemaker is not only one who seeks to resolve conflicts but fundamentally someone who brings others to peace with God through the gospel. The ultimate peace is found in Christ, who reconciles sinful humanity to a holy God. By embodying and promoting this peace, peacemakers reflect the nature of God and demonstrate their identity as His children. They exhibit gentleness and humility in their interactions, as they have experienced God's reconciliation themselves.

Q: How are we blessed when persecuted for righteousness' sake?

Christians are blessed when persecuted for righteousness as it affirms their identity in Christ and promises them the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:10). Matthew 5:10 states, 'Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.' This blessing comes as a result of living a life that aligns with God's standards and truth. When believers face persecution for holding fast to their faith and proclaiming Christ, they are reassured of their place in God's kingdom. Such persecution is a mark of authenticity in faith, highlighting their allegiance to Jesus amidst a contrary world. The promise of the kingdom reinforces that any suffering endured for His name will never be in vain.

He may be seen. We sang about blessings, asking for the blessings
on thirsty land. Scripture talks about famine.
Famine has always been brought on by drought, the Lord withholding
the showers of blessings, the rain, physical rain. That always brings about famine
of bread. Scripture talks about the latter-day
famine and the last days, and he says it won't be a famine
of bread, this bread, but of the hearing of the word of God,
the hearing of the word. And I believe we're in that now,
because God has withheld these. They say that there's a shower
or outpouring of God's Spirit. There are intermittent showers.
You've heard of intermittent showers, scattered showers. Well, the Lord does that. He is doing that. He scatters
showers, and it rains where he determines it to rain. And we
are God's people, and scattered places are receiving these blessings. And we thank him for that. for
that this morning. All right, back to Matthew chapter
5. Matthew chapter 5, this is a
very familiar passage to, I'm sure, everyone in here. And no
matter how many times you have looked at this, I know you'll
see something new. I have something new, and I hope,
I believe you'll receive a blessing. The Beatitudes, that's what this
is called, the blessings. And the title of this is The
Blessed, those who are truly blessed, blessed by God and the
blessings, their blessings. All right? I hope the Lord will
bless them. Verses 1 and 2, it says, Seeing
the multitudes, he went up into a mountain, and when he was set,
or seated, His disciples came unto him, and he opened his mouth
and taught them." Though many people heard this, I believe
there was a great multitude who heard this sermon on the mouth,
yet it says his disciples came to him, and he was speaking to
them. They were the ones who would
effectually hear. what he had to say. They were
the ones whom this was intended for. Because he went on to say,
you are the salt of the earth. That tells who he's talking to.
He went on to say, you are light. That's not everything. That's
the disciple. He went on to say, you're father, which is in heaven.
So you see who he's really talking to. And I thought about this.
It's the same whenever God's Word is preached. God's Word
is declared and preached to all men everywhere, isn't it? But God Almighty applies it to
his chosen ones. They're the ones who hear it.
They're the ones who have been blessed with ears to hear it,
eyes to see it. They are the ones who've been
chosen. Many are called, but few. And
if you understand this, this morning, you are one of the greatly
blessed, one of the chosen. All right, verse two says, he
opened his mouth. Say it. Now all these blessings, where
are these blessings going to come from? His mouth. He opened his mouth. All these blessings proceed from
the mouth of the Son of God, the Blessed One. Scripture says,
Grace pours from his lips. Grace, he opened his mouth. All
the blessings of God for the sons of men come from the word
of God. And he said, verse 3, he talks
now, verse 3, blessed are the poor. in spirit. Blessed are, and I want you to
notice with me as we go through here, that every one of these
blessings are present tense. Blessed are. Blessed are. Notice with me that all who are
described here, the poor, those that mourn, those that are meek,
those who are merciful, it says blessed are. Blessed are. The reason someone
is poor in spirit is they've been blessed. God blessed them
to make them poor in spirit. The reason someone mourns over
their sin is because God has blessed them to show them their
sinfulness. Do you see that? The truly blessed
are all of these who have been blessed by God. in making them
poor, and mourn, and meek, and so forth. All right? God sovereignly
blesses with these things. Blessed are. Now, the natural
man is none of these things. All right, here's the blessed.
Be blessed. Blessed are the poor in spirit. Blessed are the poor in spirit."
Now, back then, when our Lord preached this, when he said,
poor, everyone knew what poor was. This country has a very
vague notion of poverty. When we think about poverty,
we think about someone living on welfare and food stamps and
so forth. Now, poverty back then. And right
now, you go down to Mexico, you'll see poverty. You'll see the truly
poor. I mean people who don't have
anything. Poor here. When our Lord talks
about poverty and being poor, he's talking about someone who's
absolutely dependent upon somebody to do anything for him. Back then, there were beggars
sitting on street corners that if somebody didn't give them
a handout, they would die. That's the poverty he's talking
about. But it's not material poverty. What does he say? The
Lord says, Blessed are the poor in spirit. In spirit. Those who are poor in spiritual
things. Blessed are they. Blessed is
the one. who is a beggar before God, who
realizes that they are totally dependent on God Almighty to
give them a handout. That if they receive any wisdom,
he's going to have to give it from a bottle. That if they are
made righteous, he's going to have to provide it. That if they
If they get to heaven ever, any day, it will be by the sovereign
grace and mercy and power and salvation of God himself. They
are beggars. Blessed are the poor in spirit. Blessed are the poor in spirit,
those who see they have nothing to commend themselves to God. not a dime's worth of goodness,
not a nickel's worth of righteousness. Nothing. No goodness, no faith,
no strength, no wisdom. Blessed are. Now, this is not
a one-time thing. This is not, well, years ago
I was poor and now I'm rich and fat. No, sir. But I used to be a sinner, and
now I've quit that, and now I'm living victoriously." No, listen,
are the poor in spirit. If you ever quit being poor,
you won't need what he provides with you. Huh? Listen, are. Till the day we die, Brother
Henry, if we're one of God's own, we're going to say, I'm
poor and needy. Like David, didn't he? David
said that time and again in his song. I am poor, but David, you're
a king on a throne. But no, I'm poor in spirit. I'm a poor excuse for a man.
I'm a poor excuse for a believer. I'm a poor excuse for a child
of God and needy. But, he said, the Lord thinketh
on me. Blessed are the poor in spirit. Why? Here's the blessing. Here's
the blessing. Blessed are theirs is the kingdom
of heaven. Theirs is the kingdom of heaven. God's kingdom. Turn with me to
1 Corinthians chapter 1. I know you've seen every one
of these. I have too, but I looked at it again and received another
blessing. 1 Corinthians 1. These are all
familiar things, but oh, what a blessing. Well, God's kingdom is made up
of poor people. God's kingdom is made up of nobodies. God's kingdom is made up of nobodies
from nowhere who do nothing and can do nothing. That's what God's
kingdom is made up of. 1 Corinthians 1, verse 26, it
says, you see your calling brethren. Have it not many wise men after
the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called? But God hath chosen the foolish
things of this world to confound the wise. God hath chosen the
weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty,
the base things of the world, things which are despised hath
God chosen, yea, things which are not, to bring to naught things
that are, that no flesh should go in his bread. Is that one
of you? Do you feel yourself to be a
fool? Do you feel yourself to be unwise? Do you feel yourself to be weak?
Do you feel yourself to be a base? Do you feel yourself to be a
nothing? Well, that's who he calls. That's who he makes up
his kingdom with. Let me ask you something. If you're going
to do a great work of charity, I mean a free gift upon someone
or somebody Charity is a handout. Charity is an undeserved gift,
right? If you're going to do a great
work of charity for someone or somebody, who would you do it
for? Would you give generously to someone who had
great riches? Huh? Would you cook a big meal
for someone who's full? Would you give water to someone
who had plenty? Would you do great works for
someone who had all things? No, you wouldn't. Neither does God. Who's he do
it for? Who's he give water to? Somebody
doesn't have water. How much do you value water,
Brother Stephen Parks? Brother Stephen's well is running
dry. And somebody invites him over to take a shower. He's very
appreciative. He didn't hit us the other day.
He took a shower at a campsite and he took a shower, a public
shower there, and he came out and said, that was wonderful. The rest of us with plenty of
water, you know what? Water, hot, powerful, water pressure. God gives this salvation to those
who really, really value it. He gives this salvation to those
who need it. He said, I didn't come to call
the righteous. I didn't come to call the righteous sinners. Kingdom of God is filled with
the poor, the blind, the halt, the lame. Kingdom of God, the
table of God, is surrounded with Mephibosheths, who greatly appreciate being
at the table. Not a one of them at God's table
feel like they belong there. Blessed are the poor in spirit. They're going to be in the kingdom.
They are in the kingdom, sitting at the table. Verse 4, Blessed
are they that mourn. Blessed are they that mourn,
for they shall be comforted. The blessed are they that mourn.
Mourn over what? All men and women, young people,
mourn over things, losses and deprivations and and so forth. All men and women mourn over
things that happened to them, but this mourning here is over
sin. Blessed are they that mourn over
their sinfulness. These are all spiritual descriptions. Blessed are they
that mourn over sin. They mourn over that poverty.
They mourn over the fact that they don't have any goodness.
They mourn over the fact that they don't have any faith to
speak of. They mourn over their sin. What they look inside to try
to find something, they don't find anything. They find themselves
poor and they mourn. They mourn over their sinfulness.
Like the publican in the temple who beat on his breast as if
to, I wish I could get this out of me. Blessed are they that mourn over
themselves. Mourn, what's the blessing? Read
on. Blessed are they that mourn,
they shall be comforted. They shall be comforted. Oh,
you want to, you want, Isaiah 40, for those that want to turn,
Isaiah 40, they shall be comforted. What, what is the comfort for
those that mourn over their sinfulness? What is the comfort? What makes
the gospel good news? I'm telling you, God gives this
gospel, gives this salvation to those that are poor, those
that really need it. But what is it that makes the
good news good news? What is it that makes gospel
gospel? Forgiveness of sins. That's what
this gospel is all about. Full, free, final, effectual,
eternal forgiveness of sins. Justification. Adoption. What makes the gospel truly good
news? Salvation by grace, mercy for
the guilty. The comfort of the gospel is
this. Look at Isaiah 40, verses 1 and 2. Comfort ye, comfort
ye my people. This is who's going to get comfort
from it, those that are poor and those that mourn. Savior
God, here's what you say to him. Speak comfortably to him, Jerusalem. Cry unto him so she'll hear you. Make sure she hears you. The
warfare is accomplished. Oh, this religious world's telling
you, keep fighting, the devil wants you and God wants you and
you keep fighting and you'll decide the battle if you keep
fighting. Now, tell my people it's done. Tell my people the
warfare is accomplished. Read on, her iniquity is pardoned,
not shall be, not hope to be. It is. The iniquity of Israel
shall be sought. Why? It's gone. It's gone. Tell the people, speak comfortably
to them, comfort their hearts by telling them, she hath received
of the Lord's hand. Fully received. By grace, you
say. They have received double for
all their sins. Not only pardon, but complete
justification. Not only mercy, but love. Not only forgiveness, but adoption
into the family. Not only are we let off death
row, but we're taken into the house, taken home with the judge
himself. The Lord hath not dealt with
us according to our sin. I don't know. That's the comfort
of the gospel. Blessed are they that mourn. God's people never quit mourning. If you ever do, the gospel won't
mean a thing to you. This is why the gospel, the same
gospel we hear, Over and over, at times, it does not bless us.
Why? We've lost sight of ourselves.
We've lost sight of the pith of which we were dead. We've
lost sight of what God has done for us. We've lost sight of the
fact that we're breathing by his mercy, by his grace. It's
like Barnard said, we're not in hell right now. We lose sight
of that. These things can become old habits,
commonplace. It isn't to the redeemed in heaven
for all eternity they're going to sing about God's mercy. That's
the comfort of the gospel. Back to the text. Blessed are
they that mourn, they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek,
verse 5. Blessed are the meek. Blessed are the meek. Meekness. Meekness is just another word
for humility. I look for a good definition
of meekness, and when you apply it to our Lord,
because he said, take my yoke upon you and learn of me, I am
meek and lowly, then there's only one definition that fits. It's humility. Meekness is certainly
not weakness. But meekness is humility. Meekness is the opposite of pride.
That's what meekness is, humility. Meekness is the opposite of pride. Meekness and humility is one
who does not bonk themselves, not puff up. Scripture talks
about Christ shall not cry or lift up his voice in the streets,
how Christ did not go about everywhere making himself known. Well, that's
for a reason. That's for a purpose. Number
one, it's because he came to glorify the Father. Now, he did
make the Father known. He did make his God known. He
did glorify his God before men. Number two, his time was not
yet come. In the fullness of time, he would
make himself known. But he had to die on the cross. But our Lord, in meekness and
humility, walked about seeking God's glory
alone. You understand? He sought God's
glory, so one who is truly meek, spiritually meek, one who is
truly meek. And this is an apt description,
an apt description of all of God's people, just like fear,
the fear of the Lord. This is another which is there
in all of God's people. If it's not, they're not. This
is something that God in the beginning does to them, and all
their days he perfects this humility. God's people fear God, and they're
humble before God. They humble themselves before
God, and men. They're meek. They give God all
the glory for all things. You ask them their profession.
You ask them of their salvation. You ask them of anything. They
won't be saying, I, I, I, I, I. No, no, that's not in their
vocabulary. The truly meek, the truly humble,
him. Yeah, but you, no, no, him. The truly meek give God all the
glory. Can't stress this enough. Blessed
are the meek. The meek. Blessed are they. They give God all the glory.
They don't want any glory. They realize they know that they
don't deserve any glory. That the faith they have is a
gift. The knowledge they have is a
gift. Their works, they don't even acknowledge doing it. They
need the humble. They want no glory. They want
no honor. They seek the glory and the honor of Him and Him
alone. That's the meek. That's the humble. Blessed are
the meek. What's the blessing? Here it
is. Verse 5, They shall inherit the earth. Now again, as I said, who would
you do a work of charity for? Those that need it, those that
value it greatly. Blessed are the meek, they shall
inherit the earth. What earth? Well, not this one. This one's going to be destroyed.
The scripture says this in Isaiah chapter 2, the day of the Lord,
the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon everyone that is
proud. and lofty. God is going to destroy
this world full of proud people. Another verse in Isaiah says
the Lord of hosts has purposed it, to stain the pride of all
glory and to bring him to content, to show his utter content to
all the honorable of the earth, all those who seek their own
honor and glory. All the glory of man, all the
pride of man, all the accomplishments of man will be brought to nothing.
Why? Because they don't deserve an
ounce of it. Everything they have and have
done is a gift of God. But now the new earth. So God's
going to destroy them with that world they have built up. God has created a new earth,
a new heaven and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness,
and wherein dwell the righteous. A new earth, populated with people
that don't think they belong there. They shall inherit the earth,
the meat, everyone who's given God all the glory. They'll be
there. That's the one who wants to be
happy there anyway, Brother John. All they're going to be singing
and doing there is worshiping God. You know, who's going to be there
on the new earth? Those that... Brother Henry, most folks just
would not be happy in heaven. Because all they do up there
is give God all the glory and worship. So who's going to be
there? Who's going to populate the new
earth? Those that love his glory. in love with his worship. New
earth, new earth, my, my. The blessed. Who are the blessed?
Verse six. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness. They shall be filled. I've got
to hurry. I want you to turn. Psalm 71. Psalm 71. I do want you to turn
to this one. It's vital. Psalm 71, "'Blessed
are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness.'" Oh, my,
man hungers after things, pleasure, sin, and so forth. But he says,
"'Blessed are they that hunger and thirst for righteousness.'"
Do you know what he's talking about? that present tense, hunger and
thirst. Not blessed are those who have
hungered, but thirsted. Blessed are they that hunger
right now and thirst right now for righteousness. What righteousness? What's he talking about? Well, let's read it. Psalm 71, verse 2, David said,
Deliver me in thy righteousness. Do you know what he's talking
about? Well, if people, if we stand,
let me try to make this very simple. If we stand someday in
the presence of God Almighty, holy and acceptable and accepted,
and he says, Come on into my heaven. It will be completely
100% because Jesus Christ made you righteous. Did what he did
for you. It won't have anything to do
with you quitting this, quitting that, doing this, doing that.
It won't have anything to do with anything you have done. It will be 100% because of this
one who came and establish this right, and
just charge it to you. So God and the son said, give
him what you did, and you take what he did. This is what David's talking
about. Deliver me in thy righteousness. Verse fifteen, If you do deliver me, my mouth
shall show forth thy righteousness and thy salvation all the day.
Verse 16, I'll go in the strength of the Lord God, I'll make mention
of thy righteousness and thine only. Do you know what he's talking
about? Juanita Baldwin, do you know what he's talking about?
Margaret Carter, do you know what he's talking about? Do you
know what he's talking about? Ron Fannin, I'll make mention
of thy righteousness and thine only. This is the only righteousness
I'm going to be talking about. Do you know what he's talking
about? Verse 19, he says, Thy righteousness, O God, is very
high. Who hath done great things? Verse 24, my tongue shall talk
of thy righteousness. Do you know what he's talking
about, John Cheesley? Blessed are they that hunger
and thirst for righteousness. That's what he's talking about. What's it say? What's the blessing?
He'll be filled. He'll be made righteous. All
who hunger for this righteousness are going to be made righteous,
completely righteous. All those who think themselves
to be righteous are going to be found empty that day. All
those who think they have a covering are going to be standing naked
someday, but all those who are naked will be covered. Blessed
are, blessed are, they shall be filled, they shall be declared
righteous. Verse 7, here's the blessing. Blessed are the merciful. Blessed are the merciful. Those who have obtained mercy,
I mean those whom God Almighty has sovereignly bestowed mercy
upon. Now, you know mercy is not getting
what we deserve. Mercy means God sparing us what
we deserve. Well, those who have obtained
mercy, sovereign mercy, saving mercy from God, are merciful
people. They're full of mercy to others.
They're full of mercy. See, only the merciful, only
those who have obtained mercy will do so. Only those that obtain mercy
will do so. will show mercy. Paul said this in Romans 12.
He said, I beseech you by the mercies of God. I beseech you. And he gave many things that
we should be and do. And he said, this is how I beseech
you, by the mercies of God. Remember how merciful God has
been to you. And therefore, show mercy. He
says, with the merciful, he'll show himself merciful. Those who will obtain the most
mercy are the most merciful. Blessed are the merciful. And
that describes all of God's people. They're merciful, knowing what
they are and what they receive. They are merciful. Here's the
blessing. More mercy. Blessed are the merciful. What
shall they get? They'll obtain mercy. I love
the verse in Lamentations where it says, It's of the Lord's mercies
that we're not consumed, because his compassions, they fail not. They're new every morning. You know that verse? You love
that verse, huh? It's of the Lord's mercies that
we're not consumed. Why do we sit here this morning?
Why do we sit here this morning interested in the things of God?
Why do we sit here with an understanding of these things and not out there
ignoring God completely? So the mercies of God. So the
Lord's mercies that we're not consumed, that we're not left
to ourselves, that we're not in the broad road. So the Lord's
mercies that we're not consumed, and His compassions, they fail
not. It endures forever. And a new
every morning. A new every morning. We go to
bed sinners, we wake up sinners. We're going to need mercy. For
the day we die, we're going to be sinners. We're going to need
one thing. Mercy. Mercy. They fail not. And they're new every morning. He wipes the slate clean. A clean slate. New every morning. They shall obtain mercy. The
blessed, who are the blessed, verse 8, blessed are the pure
in heart, and they'll see God. Pure in heart? Let me ask you to tell me from
the bottom of your heart, if you believe you're saved,
when do you believe that? Let me ask you to answer me from
the bottom of your heart. What is all your hope of eternal
life? I mean all your hope. Give me
one word. Why God should let you into heaven? What's your answer? That's pure in heart. You want something pure, it means
it's unmixed. There ain't much on this earth
that's pure. Religion is mixed with all sorts
of stuff, but pure religion, pure gospel, pure salvation,
the pure in heart of those who have within their heart unmixed
faith, 100 percent pure faith in Jesus Christ alone. All their
hope is one place, in Christ and Christ alone. They dare not
trust the sweetest friend, that holy 100 percent lean upon Jesus
Christ. You ask them what's their hope,
they'll say in one word, Christ, pure. Peter said this, you have purified
your souls in obeying the truth. Obey the truth, believe in Christ.
What does God require from us? Look to Christ, one hundred percent. Christ is all, and that's a pure
heart. Out of the heart are the issues
of life. What's your hope? What's your
heart say? Christ. Blessed are the pure
in heart, they'll see God. That's it. That's the blessing.
They're going to see God. Face to face, they're going to
see God. They're going to stand before God Almighty without being
ashamed. A whole world full of people
who are going to boast of their works
and so forth before God, are going to be brought to shame.
Shame-facedness. But God's people are going to
look face to face. Like Job said, I'll see God. Face to, without shame. Without
shame. They'll see God. They'll be with
him. He'll say, and they'll hear him say, come ye blessed. Come
ye blessed. Pure in heart only. Verse 9,
"'Blessed are the peacemakers, they shall be called the children
of God.'" Those who have received peace from God Almighty, those
whom God Almighty has reconciled, made peace by the blood of Christ's
cross, they're peacemakers. They're peacemakers. They're
peaceable, James said, and gentle and easy to be treated. Why?
Because that's the way the Lord was with him. Peace. Only the
Spirit of Christ can turn a violent man into a peacemaker. I think
about old Peter. He was an old fisherman, you
know, rough, gruff, tough fisherman. If somebody crossed Peter, I
guarantee you he took a swing at them, or cursed them, or both. And in the garden, remember,
One last display of his old roughhouse ways, you know, he took that
sword and was going to cut a man's head off and clean house, but
Peter was turned into a peacemaker, a peacemaker. David, a mighty
man, a valiant man, a man of war, he said, I'm for peace.
I'm for peace. What's the blessing? Blessed
are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children
of God." They shall be called the children of God. And let
me ask you, what about him who made peace? The ultimate peace is Christ
who made peace. Who's he called? The Son of God. And all those who do the same
are called children of God. Read on, verse 10. It says, "...blessed
are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake." The
blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake. Now,
that's not persecuted because you wear a bonnet. People make
fun of you because you wear your clothes a certain way. That's drawing attention to yourself.
They like that. That's not being persecuted for
appearing to be religious or, you know, espousing all of your
religion all over the place, being so obnoxious that people
can't stand to be around you. That's not the persecution they're
talking about, you know? You've been around those kind
of people, and they think they're being persecuted. I remember
old Jim Baker. Jim Baker got thrown in prison
for being a crook, and he said he was being persecuted. What does it say here? What's
the best of the day which are persecuted for righteousness'
sake? Now, what's righteousness? What
have we been talking about? What righteousness is it they're
persecuted for? Christ's sake. Isn't that what
he said, Brother John, over Matthew 10? You shall be hated by all
men for my name's sake. What's his name? You see, surely someone will
say, in the Lord have I righteousness. And whoever does that will be
called an antinomian, will be called a lawless fellow.
Well, you don't blame good works. Those who believe Christ and
Christ alone will be hated for the truth's sake. Well, here's
the blessing. The blessing is, theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Theirs is the kingdom of heaven. That's the blessing like the
poor, those who will only talk of Christ's righteousness, and
the only one's going to be there. And the only one's going to be
there in the kingdom. Not those who think themselves righteous.
The only ones in the kingdom of heaven are the unrighteous. Because they're going to be made
righteous. Blessed are. Blessed are. Read on, verse 11.
Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you
and say all manner of evil against you falsely. It's all wrong,
but they make it up. Why? For my sake. those who talk
of Christ and Christ alone. He said, Rejoice. Here's the
blessing. Rejoice, be exceeding glad, great
is your reward. Singular. Reward in heaven. The scriptures never
said rewards. to God's people. Not one time
is it plural. Not one time. Whenever it talks
about a reward to God's people, it's singular, reward, raise
your reward. What is that? What is the reward
of them that are persecuted for Christ's sake? What's the reward?
What do they get? Him. Him. Him. He said that to Abraham. Abraham,
I am thy exceeding great reward. He said of the Pharisees who
did what they did to be seen of men, to get the honor of men
and the riches from that and all, he said they have their
reward, but those that seek my honor and
my glory and seek me, it's me they want, it's me they get. It's me they get. Those who are
really in this thing of religion because they love God, they love
Christ. Those who are really in this
thing because they love, well, even over the years, they love
God. They love this gospel. What are they going to get? What's
their reward for all eternity? They're going to get Him. They're
going to get God. Those that really love to worship
God, go worship God. Those who really love to hear
the gospel are going to hear Christ preach it. I looked like Donnie Bell in
that, didn't I? Those who want to shout one day,
those who really love to hear the gospel, now, are going to
hear the Son of God stand up and say, blessed, and they're
going to, he's not going to get out another word, and they're
going to say, amen. Our! Amen! Thee! Amen! For all eternity. Are you hearing me? It's going to be more than a
sermon on the Beatitudes. It's going to be while we're
there. It's going to be Him. Every eye is going to be looking
at Him. He's going to say, great reward. He said, We're
going to be with the prophets. Be with the prophets. Be with the prophets. Isaiah,
Moses, and everybody, but we're all going to be the same. We're
all going to be equal. We're all going to be looking at that
prophet. That prophet. God grant it, be
so with me. All right. Best I can do. 349. 349. Let's
stand and see. 349. There shall be showers of blessing,
this is the promise of God. There shall be seasons with blessing,
sent from the Savior above. Showers of blessing, showers
of blessing we bring. Nursing up from the soft water
rains, but for the showers we bring. Last verse. There shall
be showers of blessing.

The Blessed And Their Blessings

What does the Bible say about being poor in spirit?

How do we know that mourning over sin is important?

Why is being meek important for Christians?

How does one hunger and thirst for righteousness?

What does it mean to be a peacemaker according to the Bible?

How are we blessed when persecuted for righteousness' sake?

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