"You Asked for It 2010" part 1
The Radical Rules of the Kingdom
by
Greg Hanson
Sunrise Wesleyan Church
August 15, 2010
Welcome to part one in our You Asked for It message series for 2010.
Beginning today and taking us through Labour Day, I will be speaking
each Sunday in response to requests I have received from you. And
today, to kick off the series, we’re going to talk about the Beatitudes.
Now,
in case you don’t know, I’m allergic to bee stings. So I’m afraid when
any bee has a bee-attitude. So I considered talking about that for a
while. But I don’t think that’s the kind of beatitude the request was
referring to.
I think the request was to talk about the first
part of what we call the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew chapter 5
(and is also recorded in the passage we just read from Luke). We call
it a sermon, but it wasn’t really a sermon. It was more of an informal
talk that Jesus had with his disciples. Except that there were other
people hanging around too, and they started listening in, and by the
time Jesus finished talking at the end of chapter 7, there’s a whole
crowd that has formed. So maybe he really did start preaching.
And
what Jesus talked about in these three chapters was really radical.
They were the rules according to the Kingdom of God, but not our
earthly kingdom. What Jesus said was counter-cultural. And the people
were simply in awe of His teachings. Now, for you and me, much of what
Jesus said in His talk usually doesn’t carry the same punch anymore.
Because we’ve kind of grown immune to it. It doesn’t have the same
impact because we’ve just heard it too many times.
Think about how some of the things Jesus said in these three chapters have been woven into our everyday vernacular…
• You are the salt of the earth.
• You are the light of the world.
• Turn the other cheek.
• Go the extra mile.
• Give the shirt off your back.
• Don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.
• The Lord’s Prayer is in this section.
• Jesus says, “No one can serve two masters.”
• Store up treasure in Heaven.
• Don’t worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow will worry about itself.
•
Judge not, lest you be judged. (Which, by the way, people take to mean
something very different from what Jesus meant. But that’s for another
day…)
• Don’t throw your pearls before swine.
• Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
• Wolf in sheep’s clothing
• You’ll be known by your fruit (kind of a forerunner to “the proof is in the pudding”)
• He talked about The highway to Hell (and you thought it was AC/DC)
All
of those originate from these three chapters. And while today they’re
pretty common sayings, when Jesus first said them they were
revolutionary. They were radical. His entire talk was. Including the
very first part, which we’re looking at this morning: the Beatitudes.
Now,
“Beatitudes” is kind of a funny word. You don’t even hear the word
unless it’s referring to this passage in Matthew, or occasionally to
that passage over in Luke. But it’s not an everyday word. The word
itself comes from the Latin meaning “blessed” or “happy.” And if you’re
familiar at all with the Beatitudes, you understand why they are named
that. Because for eight verses, every sentence Jesus says begins with
the word “Blessed.” [or as some people pronounce it, “Bless-ed”.]
Now,
let’s establish the setting. At the time of Jesus, the most prominent
people in the Jewish community were the Pharisees. These were the
religious leaders of the day, and they were good at putting on a show.
They lived according to a religious code of conduct that most people in
the society could never attain. They raised the bar high and were able
to clear it almost without fail. And they were sure to parade their
religious superiority around so everyone understood just how incredibly
gifted they were when it came to living a spiritually rich life.
Enter
Jesus. This unknown teacher starts traveling around the countryside
talking about the Kingdom of God. And because of the incredible
miracles He was performing, news about Him began to spread. People
started asking, “What is this Kingdom Jesus is talking about? And more
importantly, how do I get in? What do I have to do? Could I ever
measure up? I’ll never be as good as those Pharisees; so what chance do
I have?”
So this whole crowd of people came out to eavesdrop as
Jesus spoke with His disciples. They had shown up hoping to hear Him
talk about the Kingdom of Heaven. Would Jesus give a list of
requirements to get in? Would He tell them who could qualify? Would He
tell them if they even had a shot?
And so Jesus begins to speak…
and he begins with the word, “Blessed…” And the people weren’t
expecting that at all. They were expecting to hear a list of religious
duties they needed to perform. They thought they’d be told how they
could never measure up. But instead of laying down a list of required
actions, Jesus talks about how they are blessed. And He proceeds to
tell them how they are blessed not by checking off a list of religious
obligations, but by character issues.
And thus begins the
Beatitudes. At least, that’s what we’ve come to call these 12 verses at
the beginning of Matthew chapter 5. There are eight of them, and we’re
going to have to move through them rather quickly… each one really
could be a message on it’s own. So I hope you packed a lunch. ☺
Kingdom Rules, a.k.a. the Beatitudes:
1. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (v.3)
What is Jesus saying? He is saying, “You are blessed if you recognize your need of God, because Heaven is meant for you.”
Now,
remember who was listening in… people who for years had been shown up
by the religious leaders, the Pharisees. These Pharisees would have
considered themselves rich in spirit, and others would have seen them
that way, too.
But Jesus says, “The Kingdom of Heaven is for
the poor in spirit. It’s for the spiritually bankrupt. It’s for those
wallowing in religious poverty. It’s for the people who can’t measure
up to a religious code of conduct and know it!”
At another time, Jesus told this story…
Luke 18:10-14 (NLT)
“Two
men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a
despised tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this
prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else.
For I don’t cheat, I don’t sin, and I don’t commit adultery. I’m
certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I give
you a tenth of my income.’
“But the tax collector stood at a
distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed.
Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to
me, for I am a sinner.’ I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee,
returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will
be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
That
Pharisee was a good person. He had done some good things. But he was
proud and arrogant. He thought he had it made. He was not poor in
spirit.
Isaiah 64:6 (NLT)
We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags.
No
matter how good we are, we still need God. And that’s what being poor
in spirit means. It’s being humble before God. You are blessed if you
are the poor in spirit and realize your need of God, for yours is the
Kingdom of Heaven. Heaven is meant for you.
2. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. (v.4)
We
all experience loses in life. We may experience the death of someone we
love… a co-worker, a friend, a family member. We may have our dreams
dashed and destroyed. We may have some kind of serious setback in our
lives. These are personal loses, and they should be mourned. And as you
do, Jesus says you will be comforted. That’s the way it works in the
Kingdom. Back in the Old Testament, it says…
Psalm 147:3 (NLT)
He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.
When
I was away last week with the boys, I took Nate to a playground one
evening. And he had a great time on the equipment… climbing the steps,
crawling through the tunnel, swinging on the swing, and sliding down
the slide. And nearby there was a basketball court on some asphalt. So
we went over to bounce the ball around. And it came time to go, so we
started to leave. And within two feet of the edge of the asphalt, down
he went. He tripped and landed flat on the asphalt. And he scrapped up
his knee pretty bad.
So what did I do? I left him to cry until
he got over it of course; I didn’t want to deal with the crying. No,
that’s not what I did. I picked him up and help him close. I even got
blood all over my clothes. But I comforted him, then I took him to the
cottage to clean out his wound and put a bandage on. And it healed up
pretty nicely. But you know, it didn’t get all better immediately. It
took some time to heal. In fact, you can still see the marks. But I
comforted Nate, and I bandaged up his wounds, and the healing process
began.
God blesses you when you are wounded… when you are in
mourning… because you will be comforted. And the healing process can
begin.
3. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. (v.5)
This
is one of those times when you see that the value system of God is
completely different than the value system of this world. In a world
where the pushy prevail, where the domineering dominate, where to get
to the top you have to trample on others, Jesus says… “If you are meek…
then take heart, because everything that others struggle and fight and
compete to win will be yours. You will inherit the earth.”
Later on in Matthew, Jesus says…
Matthew 23:11-12 (NLT)
“The
greatest among you must be a servant. But those who exalt themselves
will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Someone
who’s meek is humble. Now, I think there’s a danger in discussing
meekness, in that we equate meekness with weakness. But meek does not
equal weak. Write that down…
Meek does not equal Weak
Meek
does not equal weak. Being humble does not mean having an inferiority
complex. It means that you are kind in how you treat others. You’re not
boastful but modest. You don’t always demand your own way but you look
out for others.
And Jesus says, “If you are meek, if you are humble, if you defer to others, someday you will inherit the earth.”
Now,
by this time, the people in the crowd that day were sitting there
amazed at His teaching. They sat with wide-eyed wonderment at what He
was saying. So Jesus continued…
4. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. (v.6)
What
is righteousness? It can mean a couple things. It can mean that you do
the right things and it can mean that you’re right with God. It’s
having a right relationship with God that’s unhindered by sinfulness or
possessions or pride or anything else. So Jesus says you’re blessed if
more than anything else you want to be right with God.
In John
3, there’s a Pharisee and member of the Jewish ruling council named
Nicodemus, who came to Jesus saying, “I teach religion, but I know I’m
not right with God. How can I become right with Him?” He was hungering
and thirsting. He was experiencing hunger pangs for righteousness.
Have
you ever been at home and suddenly you developed hunger pangs for a
specific food? Nothing else will do; only that one item will satisfy
your hunger?
Well, when you hunger and thirst for righteousness,
nothing else will do. When you desire more than anything else to be
right with God, good deeds won’t do it for you, religious rituals won’t
do it for you… the only way to satisfy that hunger is to become right
with God. And Jesus says if that is truly your desire, it’s going to
happen. If you hunger and thirst for righteousness, you will be
satisfied.
5. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. (v.7)
Mercy
is a vital ingredient in any relationship. I don’t think a relationship
can survive without mercy. Take marriage for example. Can you imagine a
marriage void of mercy? It wouldn’t last very long. Because you need to
be merciful in order to be forgiving.
We all want our mistakes
to be forgiven. We all want other people to show us mercy. We all want
God to be merciful toward us. And Jesus tells us, “God wants to have
mercy you… He wants to forgive your sins… and He’s offering it to you
free of charge. But you also need to be merciful toward others.” In
fact, later on in His talk, Jesus explained just how important this is…
Matthew 6:14-15 (NLT)
“If
you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will
forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not
forgive your sins.”
If you want to experience mercy, you need to show mercy.
6. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. (v.8)
Jesus is saying, “In the Kingdom, more attention is paid to internals than externals. Blessed are the pure IN HEART…”
And
this would have been a slap to the face for the Scribes and for the
Pharisees. They had focused on he externals and performing the right
actions, doing the right things. But Jesus says, “No, it’s the
internals that matter. It’s the purity of the heart. The externals will
follow, but what matters is a transformation of the heart… of the real
person.”
Because it’s not just what you do that matters… it’s
why you do it. It’s your motivation. It’s what’s on the inside. You may
be able to fool all kinds of people by acting right and by talking
right… but God look beyond the externals and looks straight into your
heart… at the person you really are, at what really motivates you, at
the condition of your character.
1 Samuel 16:7 (NLT)
“The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
So
do externals matter? Yes. But only as they are a reflection of what is
on the inside. Jesus served notice to the people on the hillside that
day and to us today that His primary concern has been and always will
be with the heart.
How do you get a pure heart? That’s the work
of God. All you can do is submit yourself to Him and allow Him to
transform your life. Ask Him to, and He will. Allow Him to take you
through His refining fire, and let Him purify your heart.
7. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. (v.9)
Yes,
I know it says “sons of God.” That’s from the NIV; other translations
say “sons and daughters” or “children of God.” So it’s not a sexist
thing, okay? “Blessed are you if you desire and work for peace, for you
will be called the children of God.”
Now, we all know people who
are skilled at stirring up dissent. I know people who are always trying
to cause trouble. It’s like a hobby for them. But they’re not the
people God is going to bless. Jesus says God will bless the peacemakers.
Here’s what you need to know about a peacemaker:
• A peacemaker will not start unnecessary arguments,
• will not join in unnecessary quarrels,
• will refuse to spread gossip,
• will not stab people in the back,
• will not play people against each other,
• will not push your buttons just to get a rise out of you…
Instead,
• a peacemaker will encourage people to make amends,
• will mediate a conflict if necessary,
• will strive to reconcile relationships,
• and will help people find peace with each other and peace with God.
Last
Friday, there was some sad news reported out of Afghanistan. The bodies
of 10 humanitarian workers—medical volunteers—were found after being
killed by the Taliban. One of the bodies had belonged to Cheryl
Beckett. [PowerPoint] Cheryl was 32 years old, was a graduate of
Indiana Wesleyan University (one of the five universities and colleges
operated by the Wesleyan Church), and had spent the last six years
serving the people of Afghanistan through community development,
teaching about nutritional gardening, and focusing on mother-child
health. So it’s a tragic situation.
Cheryl’s family released a statement, including these statements…
“The
wickedness of terrorism is being conquered through daily acts of mercy.
Peace in Afghanistan can be achieved by the establishment of just laws
for all people and the continued sacrifice and selfless love of people
working together…
We, as a family, will continue to love and pray
for the Afghan people. We pray that Cheryl’s life and work will inspire
existing and future ministries of mercy to press on.”
Jesus
Himself came to make peace. In fact, He was called the Prince of Peace.
He came to make peace between self-willed sinners and a holy God. Jesus
was the ultimate peacemaker. And if you and I are also peacemakers, we
are following in His footsteps.
Do you create peace in your
relationships? And even more, do you help others find peace with God?
Over in 1 Corinthians chapter 5, it tells us…
2 Corinthians 5:18 (NLT)
And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him.
So we need to be in the peacemaking business… making peace between us and others, and helping others find peace with God.
8. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (v.10)
Okay,
let me get this straight. We’re supposed to be happy when we’re
persecuted? We’re supposed to be glad about being punished? And not
just punished, but punished for doing right?!? Hey, I can handle it
when I’m punished for doing wrong. Believe me, while I was growing up
my parents had to punish me a lot for doing the wrong thing. But even
though I understood why I was being punished, I can tell you I never
enjoyed it. But punished for doing right? And be glad about it? That’s
not just confusing; it’s plain weird.
“Thanks for the wonderful
job you’ve done, now off with your head.” Doesn’t make sense, does it?
I mean, surely no one could ever be punished for doing right!
But
Jesus didn’t say, “You’re blessed if you’re persecuted for being an
idiot.” And He didn’t say, “You’re blessed if you’re persecuted for
committing a crime.” He said, “You’re blessed if you’re persecuted
because of righteousness… for doing the right thing… because you have a
right relationship with Me.”
Here, try this. Take your pen, and in the blank space in your message notes I want you to try some math.
Write down your shoe size. (If it’s a half size, round it down, not up.)
Multiply that by 2.
Now add 5. So far, so good?
Now multiply by 50 and add 1760 and subtract the year of your birth.
The last two digits should be how old you are or how old you will turn this year.
[Note: this works for the year 2010. For 2011, change 1760 to 1761, etc.]
Anybody
understand that? Probably not. But just because it doesn’t make sense
to you doesn’t mean it’s not true. It may not make sense to you how you
can be punished for doing right, but you can.
A number of years
ago, Madam Tussaud’s Wax Museum finished a 10-year long survey. Over
that time, they asked people to name the people they admired most in
history. 35,000 people surveyed, top five answers are on the board…
1. Winston Churchill
2. Joan of Arc
3. Jesus Christ
4. John F. Kennedy
5. Robin Hood
These
are people that we respect and admire. They did good things. Surely
that proves that the people who do right are honoured. Yeah, sure.
Let’s go through them… Churchill was voted out of office, Joan of Arc
burned at the stake, Jesus Christ crucified, JFK assassinated, and
Robin Hood hunted as a criminal. Sorry to burst your bubble, but the
good are not always rewarded for doing good.
And if society
could persecute and eventually murder the God-Man, Jesus Christ, then
it seems clear that society could persecute any who choose to follow
Him and call themselves by His name.
Jesus knew this. That’s why
He added a bit of commentary to this Beatitude. This is the only one
Jesus expanded on, and this is what He said:
Matthew 5:11-12 (NLT)
“God
blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you
and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my
followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits
you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in
the same way.”
So why be glad? Three reasons…
• It guarantees me a reward in Heaven
Jesus
said, “great is your reward in Heaven.” It may suck to suffer for doing
what is right, but you’ve got Heaven to look forward to.
• It puts me in good company
Jesus
pointed out that even the prophets were persecuted for doing right and
being right. Read through the Bible, and you’ll find that pretty much
every hero of the faith had to endure some kind of persecution. So
you’re in good company.
• It identifies me with Jesus
John 15:18,20 (NLT)
“If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. … Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you.”
Hey,
persecution is not fun. (That may be the most obvious statement I’ve
ever made, and I’ve made some doozies.) But the truth is, even when we
face times of persecution and discrimination and punishment and
ridicule and abuse because of our faith… and if you haven’t face it yet
you will. It is coming. But even then, there is an upside. One day, not
too far away, all this will be done and we can spend eternity with our
God in Heaven.
And that really is a reason to be happy. We really are blessed.
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