The Beatitudes

Q: What does the Bible say about the Beatitudes?

The Beatitudes, found in Matthew 5:1-12, describe the character and attitudes of those who are blessed by God. The Beatitudes articulate the nature of those who belong to the kingdom of heaven. They highlight the blessings upon the poor in spirit, the mourning over sin, meekness, hunger and thirst for righteousness, mercy, purity of heart, and peacemaking. Each Beatitude reveals not the conditions for salvation but the characteristics of those who are already in a saving relationship with Christ. They show how believers are transformed inwardly, bearing witness to their salvation and standing in contrast to worldly values.

Q: How do we know the Beatitudes are important for Christians?

The Beatitudes reveal the crucial attitudes and actions indicative of true faith and the nature of a saved life. The significance of the Beatitudes lies in their role as markers of genuine faith for Christians. They help to define the character of a believer, driving home the truth that salvation results in a transformed life. These qualities, which include humility, mourning for sin, and a thirst for righteousness, reflect the work of the Holy Spirit in a believer's life. Understanding the Beatitudes is essential, as they guide Christians in their spiritual journey, fostering growth in grace and a deeper relationship with God. They encapsulate how one's life should increasingly align with the values of God's kingdom.

Q: Why are the Beatitudes considered countercultural?

The Beatitudes present values that starkly contrast with worldly principles, emphasizing humility and spiritual poverty. The Beatitudes stand in stark opposition to the values promoted by the world, which often equate happiness with material wealth or power. In contrast, Jesus elevates the poor in spirit, the mourners, and the meek, displaying the paradox of the Christian life where strength comes from weakness and blessing from humility. The world's perspective cannot comprehend this spiritual wisdom, as it often views these traits as foolishness. This countercultural aspect of the Beatitudes serves as a reminder that true blessedness is found not in worldly gain but in the recognition of one's spiritual need and reliance on God's grace.

Q: What does it mean to be poor in spirit according to the Beatitudes?

Being poor in spirit refers to recognizing one's spiritual poverty and need for God's grace. To be poor in spirit signifies an awareness of one's sinful state and utter dependence on God for salvation. It is not merely an acknowledgment of material poverty but a deep understanding of spiritual bankruptcy before a holy God. This awareness leads to humility and a desire for God's mercy. It is crucial for salvation, as recognizing our need prompts repentance and faith in Christ. Those who understand their spiritual poverty receive the promise of the kingdom of heaven, highlighting that salvation is entirely a work of divine grace.

Q: How do the Beatitudes relate to the character of Christians?

The Beatitudes reflect the inward transformation and character traits that define true Christians. The characteristics outlined in the Beatitudes illustrate the transformative work of the Holy Spirit within believers. Each trait—being poor in spirit, mourning, meekness, hungering for righteousness—describes the fruit of salvation in the life of a Christian. These qualities do not earn salvation but are evidences of grace in the lives of those who have been redeemed. They shape how believers interact with the world, emphasizing patience, mercy, and a longing for holiness. Thus, the Beatitudes serve as both a reflection of a believer's identity and a guide for how they are to live in accordance with God's will.

Many, many people, yet they're
not understood by very many. They're really understood by
very few. And I want us to look at the Matthew chapter 5. I'm
giving you a few moments to turn in your Bibles, if you will,
if you want to, and follow while I read. Now listen. Matthew chapter
5. And seeing the multitudes, he
went up into the mountain. And when he was set, his disciples
came unto him, and he opened his mouth and taught them saying. Now that's significant. Blessed
are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed
are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are
the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which
do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled. Blessed
are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the
peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed
are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven. As I said, these words are very
familiar. You may have just read them along or listened to me
read them, and you thought, well, I've read those many times. But
have you really read them? Have you really studied them?
Have you really inquired into what the Lord is saying here?
Well, let's take a few moments. Stay with me. I'd like to say
a few things about this passage before I get into each verse.
These are the words of our Lord. This is Christ speaking. It says,
and seeing the multitude, Jesus went up into the mountain. And
when he was set, his disciples came to him. Who came to him? His disciples gathered around
him, and he opened his mouth and taught whom? Them, his disciples. Now, our Lord is not setting
forth here the way to be saved. That's not what he's teaching.
We're saved by grace through faith. We're saved by the blood
of Christ. We're saved by looking to the
Redeemer, who was sacrificed, crucified, risen, exalted. What our Lord is setting forth
in these verses is not the way to be saved. He's setting forth
the character of people who are saved. He's declaring here not
the way to heaven. He's declaring the marks of those
who believe on the Son of God. He's teaching us the attitude
and actions of people who believe on him and who are children of
God. That's what these verses are all about. A man's not saved
because he's poor in spirit, saved because Christ died for
him. A man's not saved because he's merciful, because he makes
peace. He saved because Christ obeyed
the law and gave him a righteousness, and Christ died on the cross
and put away sin. These verses are the marks and evidences and
attitude and action of those who know God, who are saved.
He taught his disciples. Now, these verses are also called
the Beatitudes. That's why I entitled the message
the Beatitudes. That's what they're called by
most people. What does it mean, Beatitudes? What does that mean? Well, it simply means blessed
of God. Blessed of God. Blessed are these people. They're
happy. They're highly favored. That's
what the angel said to Mary. You're highly favored. You're
blessed of God. And they're under his special care, his special
comfort. Another thing that you'll find
in these verses that are given to us here That is the marks
of believers. You'll find this. Now listen.
It's absolutely contrary to the principles and opinions of this
world. What our Lord teaches here is
not what the world teaches. What our Lord is saying here
is not the principles, the opinions of the world. It's the opposite. For example, to be rich, one
must become poor. That's what the Word of God teaches.
To live to God, we must die to the world. And that's the opposite
of what the world teaches. To be filled with God is to be
emptied of self. To be wise is to become a fool.
To be exalted is to be brought low. And this is not the thinking
of the world. I don't care whether it's the
political world, the social world, or the religious world. This
is not the thinking of the world. It's called foolishness. That's
what it's called by natural men. God calls it blessings. The world
calls it foolishness. But these verses, the Beatitudes,
and these verses that give us the marks of grace, the characteristics
of grace in a believer are entirely opposite and contrary to what
the world teaches. The world won't understand this.
That's the reason it's true believers. The world can't understand this
kind of thinking. So let's go back now and start
at the very first. Our Lord went up into the mountain,
and when he was set, his disciples came to him, believers. And he
opened his mouth and taught them, and this is what he said, "'Blessed
are the poor in spirit, theirs is the kingdom of heaven.'" Poor
in spirit. Now, he's not talking about people
who are poor materially. A man is not blessed, he's not
an heir of heaven, he's not a child of God because he's poor. Many
poor people are some of the most wretched, hateful, evil, corrupt
people in the world. So just because a man's poor
materially doesn't mean that he's blessed, blessed of God. And he's not even talking about,
listen to me now carefully, he's not even talking about people
who are poor spiritually. Because everybody's poor spiritually. All I know, we say we're rich
and increased with goods and have need of nothing. He said,
no, you're poor, miserable, naked and blind and don't know it.
Every son of Adam is diseased with sin. Every son of Adam is
bankrupt. Every son of Adam is ignorant.
Every son of Adam is clothed in rags. Every son of Adam has
nothing good from the sole of his feet to the top of his head.
That's poverty. And they're not blessed in that
state. Listen to the Lord. Listen. Blessed are the poor
in spirit. That is the key. They're poor
in heart and poor in mind and poor in spirit. They've been
made aware by the Spirit of God of their spiritual poverty before
God. And they cry with David, Oh God,
my sins are ever before me. David three times in the book
of Psalms says, I'm poor and needy. You know, David's one
of the wealthiest. wisest, strongest, most powerful
rulers on the earth. And yet he wrote in Psalm 40,
in Psalm 70, in Psalm 86, I am poor and needy. Poor and needy. Poor in spirit. Job felt it. Job said, I abhor
myself. I repent in sackcloth and ashes.
Isaiah felt it. He said, I'm a man of unclean
lips dwelling amidst in the midst of a people of unclean lips.
The apostle Paul felt it. He said, O wretched man that
I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death? The publican
in the temple felt it. The publican was not necessarily
materially poor. But he realized the poverty of
his spirit and soul and heart in the presence of God, and he
cried, God be merciful to me, the sinner. So our Lord says
happy, blessed, are people who in spirit and mind and heart
know something about their sins. Theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
They're going to have the kingdom of heaven preached to them in
the gospel. They're going to have the kingdom
of heaven in Christ presented to them. And they're going to
believe and welcome that gospel. And they're going to enter into
the kingdom of heaven. Because before a man believes on Christ,
he'll repent. And before he repents, he'll
be convinced and convicted of sin, poverty of spirit. Secondly, blessed are they that
mourn. They shall be comforted. Now,
my friends, this is not a mourning over trials, over the loss of
a wife or the loss of a husband or the loss of a son or daughter
or development of cancer or something like that, trials in the flesh.
All men experience these things sooner or later and mourn over
them. This is not a mourning down at
the front of a church, a public religious show before a religious
gathering to be seen of men. This is not even a mourning at
the last judgment. What is this? Blessed are they
that mourn. What is this? This is mourning
before God over our sins. You see, these Beatitudes lead
one into the other. Blessed are the poor in spirit.
And when they realize that poverty of spirit and guilt of heart
and sin of heart, mind and soul and hand, they mourn. What do
they mourn over? They mourn over their sins. They
mourn over their unbelief. They mourn over their inability
to be holy. The things I would do, Paul said,
I don't do them. And the things I would not do,
I do. I love the law of God, but I find another law warring
against that law of mine. David said that. He said, Have
mercy on me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness, according
to the multitude of thy tender mercies. Blot out my transgressions. I acknowledge my transgressions,
my sins ever before me against thee. Thee only have I sinned
and done this evil in thy sight. That's mourning over sin. And
they're blessed. You say, how can a man be blessed
who mourns over sin? Because those who seek the Lord
and seek his mercy and weep over sin and confess their sins shall
find forgiveness. That's right. They shall be comforted
in Christ. Blessed are they that mourn.
They'll be comforted. And this is not just mourning
over sickness and disease. This is mourning over sin. And
this is mourning a part. This is not a public demonstration. We have an altar in the heart.
It's Christ. And we mourn privately, privately
before God, confess our sins privately. We confess him publicly,
but we're convicted and contrite and broken in spirit privately. And don't show me your public
displays if you don't have some private convictions. Thirdly,
blessed are the meek. They'll inherit the earth. See
how this moves? Poor in spirit, poverty of spirit. I have nothing, am nothing, know
nothing before God, and I mourn over it, mourn over my sin. And
you know what the consequence is? Humbles me, brings me down,
shuts my mouth, breaks my heart, shows me I'm nothing and nobody.
Doesn't exalt me, make me proud, makes me meek. Meekness and humility,
you see, are not products of human nature. Meekness and humility
are not flowers that bloom in the garden of nature. We by nature
are proud, arrogant, haughty people. We're vengeful, that's
right. We're full of hate and envy and
jealousy and strife and all those things. Meekness and humility
is the fruit of the Spirit of God. Humility is a hard work,
a hard work. A man can't put on this because
humility is a hard work that makes a man humble whether he's
in poverty or plenty. Now I know a lot of people in
poverty who are meek and humble. Well it's easy to be meek when
you're weak. But let's wait and see that fella pick up a little
money or pick up a job or get a little authority. That's when
you'll find out about his true humility. When he's on the bottom
of the ladder, he can show a lot of humility, but you let him
be up here giving orders, and you'll find out what a smart
aleck he is, and how arrogant he really is. But true humility
is the same whether you're on the bottom or the top, whether
you're in poverty or plenty, whether you're in weakness or
strength, whether you're in failure or success. See what I'm saying?
Paul said that. He said, I know how to be abased,
and I know how to abound, but I've learned in whatsoever state
I am to be content. Because true humility describes
all I have and all I am to God. Who makes you to differ? You
got a little more than somebody else? Who gave it to you? You
didn't earn it. God gave it to you if you have it. He makes
rich and He makes poor. He raises up and exalts and brings
down. He sets kings on their thrones
and unseats them. He kills and He makes alive.
I, the Lord, do all these things. What do you have you didn't receive?
Now, if you received it, why do you boast in glory as if you
didn't receive it? True humility does not envy the
blessings of others. True humility is kind and generous. True humility is a broken contrite
spirit before God, and it's the same no matter where a man is. No matter. No matter. See that
blessed of the meek? They'll inherit the earth. They'll
inherit the new earth. They'll inherit the new heaven
and the new earth. They're blessed of God, highly
faithful. All right, fourthly, see how these move? Now watch
this move on. Blessed are the poor in spirit. Fellas, by the
grace of God, through the word of God, found out what he is.
He shut his mouth, stripped him, broken him, brought him low in
the dust, brought him to see he has nothing, he has nothing,
can do nothing to please God. It makes him mourn, mourn over
his sins, and it humbles him, humbles him. And you know what's
next? Blessed are they that do hunger and thirst after righteousness. Knowing I have none, I want it. Knowing I can produce no righteousness,
I have no righteousness, and God demands it and requires it,
I hunger and thirst for that which will please him. He said
blessed, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. They'll be filled. But you can't
start here. You have to start back younger.
in spirit, mourn over sin, meekness, my mouth shut, that all the world
become guilty and every mouth be stopped before God, and hunger
and thirst for righteousness. Now, this righteousness is twofold.
That's right. This righteousness for which
we hunger and thirst is twofold. First of all, it's that holiness,
that righteousness that God requires. without which no man will see
the Lord. And that's what we have in Christ. Christ is the
end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believe it.
Paul, that's what Paul was seeking when he said, Oh, that I may
win Christ and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness,
which is of the law, but the righteousness which is of God
by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. That's the righteousness
I must have for which I hunger and thirst to clothe me and to
present me before God. spotless, unblameable, unreprovable
in his sight. But secondly, it's twofold, I
said, we hunger for the righteousness of inward grace. That's right. That's right. Every believer,
that's a characteristic of a believer, he wants to be perfect before
God, and he wants to walk before men. in such a way that God will
be glorified. He wants more joy, and faith,
and love, and patience, and gentleness, and kindness, and all grace,
and mercy, and all these things that make up the fruit of the
Spirit. But neither of these righteousnesses come by the law. Neither of them. That holiness,
that righteousness before God is mine through the love of Christ. He loved me and gave himself
for me. That's how it comes. Not by law,
but by his love for me. And that second growth in grace
and love and righteousness comes by my love for him. Paul said,
it's the love of Christ that constrains me. That's right. That's right. Not by law, but
by love. His love brought me a perfect
righteousness. And his love and my love for
him makes me want to be like him. They'll be filled. They'll be filled. A man comes
to that place where he wants something besides pie in the
sky and a mansion and a wall. I heard a fellow on television
the other day talking about that mansion he's going to live in
and all those streets of gold and walls of jasper and the big
pearls and all these things, a mansion they're building for
him. Let me tell you something. Somebody asked Charles Spurgeon
one time, he said, if God would give you anything you wanted,
what would you ask for? And he said, I'd ask for holiness,
perfect, infinite, immaculate holiness. I want to be like Christ. And that's what Paul wanted.
When he talked about heaven, he said, to depart is to be with
Christ. That's what Christ said to the
thief on the cross, nothing about a big castle or a big palace
or streets of gold. He said, today shalt thou be
with me. in paradise. Blessed are they
that hunger and thirst for righteousness, holiness, they shall be filled. Now what's the next one? Blessed
are the merciful. See it moving along? Merciful.
They shall obtain mercy. You know, the Master's not saying
here that men obtain mercy by showing mercy. That's not what
he's saying at all. He's saying that men who show
mercy are men who have received mercy and know something about
mercy. They've been made objects of
mercy, and they can say with the Apostle Paul, I have obtained
mercy. He taught us to pray that way.
He said, forgive me of my sins as I forgive those who sin against
me. Now, God doesn't forgive me a sin because I forgive somebody
else. But he said, if you forgive not men their trespasses, neither
will your Father forgive your trespasses. Because you show
by not forgiving others that you haven't been forgiven. You
know nothing about forgiveness. You've never experienced forgiveness.
Because this is the mark of an object of mercy. He shows mercy. This is the mark of a man who
has been forgiven. He forgives. See, mercy is an
attribute of God. and it's an attribute of his
people. And when a man forgives, he shows he knows something about
it. When a man shows mercy, he shows that he's been made an
object of mercy. He knows something about the
father of mercy. The governor of Georgia, way
back in 1700 and something, in the 18th century, was on his
way from England back to Georgia on a ship, a sailing vessel.
And on board that ship was one of the Wesley brothers, I think
it was Charles or John, I don't know which one, one of the Wesley
brothers. He was on that ship with this governor of Georgia.
And one of the deckhands, one of the sailors, stole some whiskey
out of the cabin of the governor of Georgia. And the governor
caught him and was going to have him flogged. Take his clothes
off and lash him with a whip. And Mr. Wesley came to the governor
and said to him, I appeal to you to show mercy to this man
and forgive him. To which the governor of Georgia
replied, I never forgive. I never forgive. And Mr. Wesley said, then I hope, sir,
you never sin. Then I hope you never sin. because
the man who cannot forgive will never be forgiven. Pour in spirit. which makes us mourn over our
sin, which makes us meek and humble, which makes us hunger
and thirst for God's righteousness, which we receive and makes us
merciful to others, makes us understanding and patient and
kind with those. You see, if a man's received
his sight having been blind, he's going to be more patient
with those that are blind. And blessed are the pure in heart,
they're going to see God. There's no one listening to my
voice today who knows the Word of God and who knows himself
who will claim to be pure in heart. Are you pure in heart?
Do you know anybody that's pure in heart? This fellow preaching
to you is not pure in heart. We're not pure from all thoughts
of sin, all imaginations of sin, so what does the Lord mean here,
blessed are the pure in heart? Listen to me. The believer's
heart, in some ways, is pure. That's right. First of all, his
heart is pure before God in that his heart has been purified and
sprinkled with the blood of Christ. That's right. Secondly, the believer's
heart has been purified from dead works to serve the living
God. He knows works won't save, law
won't save, obedience won't save, that Christ saves. And his heart's
been purified. It's just been purged from dead
works. Thirdly, the believer's heart has a pure, sincere love
for Christ. It's not hypocritical, it's not
vain, it's genuine. Pure. Pure. And the believer
purely and truly loves the believers. It's genuine. That's what he
said. Blessed are the genuine in heart. They're going to see
God. They're going to see God. And
what's this? Blessed are the peacemakers. Peacemakers. They'll be called the children
of God. Now, only Christ is the King of Peace. He's the King
of Salem. He's the King of Peace. He's the only one who can give
peace or bring peace. He said, My peace I give unto
you. But His children are men of peace. They have a peaceful
disposition. Yes, sir, they do. Contrary,
people are not children of God. God's people have a peaceful
disposition. They labor to make and keep peace
with others. I know most churches in the country
are just divided and embattled and all this going on, but that
doesn't mean they know God. As much as life within you, live
peaceably with all men. The believer will end the quarrel.
The believer will extend the hand of friendship. The believer
seeks unity and reconciliation. The believer avoids decision,
dissension and discord. Let me tell you this. I read
this one time. A troublemaker is usually in
trouble with God. A grudge-bearer bears his own
sins. A man who seeks revenge is a
man who's never sought the Lord. Blessed are the peacemakers.
They shall be called the children of God.

The Beatitudes

What does the Bible say about the Beatitudes?

How do we know the Beatitudes are important for Christians?

Why are the Beatitudes considered countercultural?

What does it mean to be poor in spirit according to the Beatitudes?

How do the Beatitudes relate to the character of Christians?

Sermon Transcript

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The Beatitudes

What does the Bible say about the Beatitudes?

How do we know the Beatitudes are important for Christians?

Why are the Beatitudes considered countercultural?

What does it mean to be poor in spirit according to the Beatitudes?

How do the Beatitudes relate to the character of Christians?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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