The BE Attitudes
Christ teaches
about the Ideal Christian Life
Jesus Himself is the very embodiment of the Sermon on the
Mount; the Beatitudes.
- Blessed: Outward: prosperity – happiness –
Synonymous with Rich. - Inward: happy; lofty - divinely blessed;
not being subject to fate.
- Happiness depends primarily
upon knowledge. – To be happy is first of all “to know”. Thus the term, ignorance is bliss. – Sin
is the outcome of ignorance. Sin is
the fountain head of all misery.
Ps 1:1-6 – Definition of Blessed
1 Blessed is the man who
does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or
sit in the seat of mockers.
2 But his delight is in
the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree
planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf
does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.
4 Not so the wicked! They
are like chaff that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked
will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the LORD watches
over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. NIV
The Beatitudes do NOT show a
man how to be saved,
they show the characteristics
of one who IS saved.
They are not promises, but a
description.
- The teaching
theme: The Goals of Life; The
Attitude of Righteousness; The Ideal Christian Life.
- Objective: Jesus carries the listener from the
“Letter of the Law” to the “Spirit intent
of the Law”. The law had become
pure “Legalism” with no grace in it. The Christian although not under the
law, is to live spiritually and morally above the law.
- The
teaching design:
To remove discouragements of the weak and poor; to invite people to come
to Christ: To put in summation what God expects from us and what we may
expect from Him.
- Proclamation: God will gather a people from ALL
nations into His kingdom. The
prerequisite would include; repentance, righteousness and faith. - i.e.: To be born again.
- Time
period: Jesus is well into his ministry as
crowds are now following Him wherever He goes.
- Setting: Jesus has come as the Messiah; the Jews were
expecting Him to set up His government and overthrow
- Audience: He is specifically addressing His
disciples, not necessarily just the “twelve”, with the multitudes
gathering and standing on the
fringes listening in on the sermon
Matt
5:1-9 – The sermon on the Mountain
5:1
Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His
disciples came to him,
2
and he began to teach them, saying:
- As was the custom for
synagogue or school teachers, Jesus is sitting. This teaching most probably took place
over a number of days as the crowds kept growing. “Luke’s” scriptures show Christ now
standing to teach the multitudes.
- On a mountain God came
down in loud thunder and lightning and gave the Law with the people standing
at a distance, now the Lord goes up the mountain to preach the
Law in a small voice, and all are invited to come near.
- Here, we should not
draw a sharp distinction between Teaching and Preaching.
Luke 6:17-18
17 He went down with them
and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was
there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and
from the coast of Tyre and Sidon NIV
- Woe’s –
While
a “Woe” is not mentioned here, you can certainly see the flip side of
blessed is having an opposite attitude; thus a curse instead of a
blessing.
- There are arguments
that this sermon was actually a bunch of sermons given at different times
and compiled later, others disagree. – There’s a disagreement on the
number of “Beatitudes”, 7, 8, 9 or even 10. - Matthew with direct
knowledge may have added a few, in order to give one clear view of the
Lord’s ethical teachings - but I won’t fight that battle here. - For this
study let’s dissect the SEVEN and
the supplemental Beatitude found in the Gospel of Matthew.
1
3
"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for
theirs is the kingdom of
heaven.
- During this time there
was no middle class, the rich were often corrupt and oppressed the
poor. The picture is that of beggar
asking for alms, or the widow with only two pennies or someone earning a
scanty pittance, those whose lives were in utter destruction and were in utter
spiritual destitution.
- In Matthew’s Gospel,
the term poor in “Spirit” was added to emphasize that they
realized that they were in spiritual bankruptcy - They knew they could
offer nothing, and didn’t try. - They had cast themselves upon God and
were totally dependent upon His mercy - Thus the kingdom of heaven would consist
of men such as these whose souls were yielded to God.
- Poor in spirit is the
opposite of proud in spirit.
- Poverty is actually
not a blessing, nor a guarantee of spiritual rewards, but before God it
does foster humility. We must begin
by confessing that by ourselves we can achieve nothing.
- The philosophers did
not recognize humility as a moral virtue; but Christ puts it first.
- Their poverty is the
beginning of riches. – They have the kingdom now as well as the “full” blessedness of the future.
Eph 3:8-9 - Paul considers himself the least of all
8 Although I am less than the
least of all God's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the
Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, NIV
2
4
Blessed are those who mourn,
for
they will be comforted.
- This mourning is
acknowledging their sins with a broken heart before God. It is too deep to conceal.
- They weep over
perishing souls. – They anguish over sin. – They want right to prevail.
- This is Godly sorrow with
compassion for injustice, afflictions and sins of others.
- Will
be; shall be comforted:
future tense – requires a
genuine true repentance in order for the believer to receive comfort
through the compassion of God.
Ps 119:136 – Mourning for sin
136 Streams of tears
flow from my eyes, for your law is not obeyed. NIV
Isa 6:5 – Recognizing who I am before God
5 Then said I, Woe is me!
for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the
midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD
of hosts. KJV
Isa 61:3 – Mourning replaced with gladness.
3 and provide for those
who grieve in Zion
instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. NIV
Luke 16:25 – You will be
comforted.
25 "But Abraham
replied, `Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things,
while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you
are in agony. NIV
3
5
Blessed are the meek,
for
they will inherit the earth.
- The meek have an absence
of pretence which suggests self control, humility, doing their daily
work as unto the Lord with gentleness toward all men.
- Meekness is mild and
kind – Bearing patiently – Accepting daily business with out complaint,
murmur or resistance. - Accepting opposition, insults and provocation. -
Not seeking power -
- It is opposite of; a demeaning
spirit, fierceness, anger and cruelty.
- Meekness is a true
view of our self, which translates into our actions and attitude towards
others.
- We
inherit;
we have the title deed; the passport, the entrance into the
Ps 37:11 – Jesus is quoting scripture
11 But the meek shall
inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace
KJV
Matt 11:29 – Jesus was meek and
lowly in heart.
29 Take my yoke upon you,
and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find
rest unto your souls. KJV
Isa 66:22 – Our inheritance
22 "As the new
heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me," declares the
LORD, "so will your name and descendants endure. NIV
Rev 21:1-2 – A new earth prepared for us.
21:1 Then I saw a new
heaven and a new earth… prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her
husband. NIV
Rev 21:7 – We will inherit all things
7 He that overcomes shall
inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. KJV
Salvation
is NOT an award for your achievements,
but
is the gift of our sovereign God.
4
6
Blessed are those who hunger and
thirst for righteousness,
for
they will be filled.
- This is an intense
desire to be in right standing with God and from the heart to
wholly do God’s “will”. All sin,
evil and wrong doing to anyone grieves them.
- Jesus is appealing to
our deepest senses of cravings; hunger and thirst. Appetites return often and need fresh
satisfaction.
- This is a continual
action
in the life of the believer; Hunger, filling; Hunger, filling. This is their personal dissatisfaction
of their “spiritual attainment” and the desire for more of God.
- This “desire” is the
proof or by-product of spiritual regeneration. The un-regenerated man does not hunger
for God. It’s not within man’s
“normal ability” or desire to thirst for spiritual things of God.
- It is only God that
can fill a soul so that it is satisfied.
Rom 3:11 – The un-regenerated
man does not seek God.
11 there is no one who
understands, no one who seeks God.
12 All have turned away, they
have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even
one." NIV
Ps 42:2 – Thirst for God
2 My soul thirsts for
God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet
with God? NIV
Amos 8:11 – Hunger for Gods Word
11 "The days are
coming," declares the Sovereign LORD,
"when I will send a
famine through the land- not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but
a famine of hearing the words of the LORD. NIV
Ps 17:15 – We shall be
satisfied
15 As for me, I will
behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake,
with thy likeness. KJV
The
first four beatitudes represented the conscious need
for salvation.
The next three
represent the saints as having found salvation,
and
now conducting themselves accordingly
5
7
Blessed are the merciful,
for
they will be shown mercy.
- The merciful are
those that are kind, have pity and show mercy to others, whether it’s convenient
or not. Mercy and compassion is awakened
in them and becomes a function of life to all who follow Christ. Mercy
takes away misery.
- We are saved sinners;
therefore it’s easy to have compassion for other sinners.
- The believer shows
mercy because he “has obtained” mercy.
He doesn’t show mercy to get mercy.
- Because of our mercy
we are increasingly the object of God’s mercy.
- When we stand in the
need of special favor and mercy, we will receive it, as we have given
it.
Luke 23:34 – Jesus had mercy on his
persecutors.
34 Jesus said,
"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." NIV
Mic 6:8 – The believer loves mercy
8 He has showed you, O
man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to
love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. NIV
Ps 41:1 – Concerned about the poor
41:1 Blessed is he that considers
the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble. KJV
Acts 20:35 – It is more blessed
to give than to receive
35 I have shown you all
things, how that so laboring ye ought to support the weak, and to
remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to
give than to receive. KJV
2 Tim 4:1-2 – Is merciful whether it’s convenient or not.
2 … be prepared in season and out of season;
correct, rebuke and encourage-with great patience and careful instruction.
Ps 18:25 – Because of God’s
mercy, we are merciful
25 With the merciful thou
wilt show thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt show thyself
upright; KJV
Matt 25:34-36 – What ever you do – do it unto the Lord
34 "Then the King
will say to those on his right, `Come, you who are blessed by my Father;
take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation
of the world.
35 For I was hungry
and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me
something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,
36 I needed clothes
and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison
and you came to visit me.
Matt 25:40 -
40 ….I tell you the truth,
whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for
me. NIV
Luke 6:37 – Forgiveness begets
forgiveness
37 "Do not judge, and
you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive,
and you will be forgiven. NIV
James 2:13 – Garbage in – Garbage
out
13 because judgment
without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful.
Mercy triumphs over judgment! NIV
Matt 23:23 -24 – Do not neglect justice
and mercy
23 "Woe to you,
teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your
spices-mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important
matters of the law-justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have
practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. NIV
6
8
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for
they will see God.
- A pure heart has
singleness of purpose, no hidden motives or self interest, utterly
sincere.
- In the OT, blood was
sprinkled on the Altar for cleansing and purity. We are to have our hearts purified by
the sprinkling of the blood of the lamb.
- When He appears we
shall see God as He is.
Heb 10:22 – Heart sprinkled
22 let us draw near to God with a sincere
heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse
us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. NIV
Ps 24:4-5 – A pure heart seeks the Lord
4 He who has clean hands
and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by
what is false.
5 He will receive blessing
from the LORD NIV
Ps 51:10 – Pray for a pure heart
10 Create in me a pure
heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. NIV
1 Tim 1:4-6 – Love comes from a pure heart
5 The goal of this command
is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a
sincere faith. NIV
Ps 17:15 – A righteousness
heart
15 And I--in righteousness
I will see your face;
when I awake, I will be
satisfied with seeing your likeness NIV
Rev 22:3-4 – We will see His face
3 No longer will there be
any curse.
4 They will see his
face, and his name will be on their foreheads. NIV
1 John 3:2-3 – We shall see Him as He is
2 Dear friends, now we are
children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know
that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
3 Everyone who has this
hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure. NIV
Purity
of heart is both the end of our election and the goal of our redemption.
Eph 1:4
4 For he chose us
in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his
sight. In love
7
9
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for
they will be called sons of God.
- Peacemakers are partaking
in the nature of God; therefore we have peace with God. Peacemakers not only keep the peace, but
bring men in harmony with each other.
- The office of a
Peacemaker requires a “peaceful disposition”, working to calm the waters. They
are not always welcomed, sometimes
opposed and it is usually a thankless job.
- Preserving the Peace
is a good and needed office and a blessing to all involved.
- There is no more
godlike work to be done in this world than peacemaking.
- Through our faith, we
are led by the Spirit and are called “sons of God”.
Heb 13:20-21 – The God of Peace
20 May the God of peace,
who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our
Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep,
21 equip you with
everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing
to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. NIV
Isa 9:6 – He is the Prince of Peace
6 For to us a child is
born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he
will be called
Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. NIV
Isa 52:7 – God loves the feet of those who proclaim
peace
7 How beautiful on the
mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace,
who bring good tidings,
who proclaim salvation, who
say to Zion
Rom 5:1 – We have peace with God
5:1 Therefore, since we
have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our
Lord Jesus NIV
Rom 8:14 – We are led by the Spirit
14 because those who are
led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. NIV
Gal 3:26 – Through Faith we are sons of God
26 You are all sons of God
through faith in Christ Jesus,
James 3:17 – Pure, peaceful, gentle, full of mercy
17 But the wisdom that is
from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be
entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without
hypocrisy. KJV
Hos 1:10 – You are sons of the living God
there it shall be said
unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God. KJV
SEVEN
is the number of completeness.
The last seven beatitudes described the complete character
of the saint.
Then next is a supplementary beatitude describing the
treatment of the saint
that can be expected from the world.
8
10
Blessed are those who are persecuted
because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11
"Blessed are you when people
insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you
because of me.
12
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so
persecuted they the prophets which were before you. KJV
- The world hates the
light of the word and makes fun of the believer with nick names and cruel
mocking and insults. Even exclusion
from groups, passed over for promotions. The believer may not lose his life, but he
must withstand the temptations and pressures of life in order to
live for Christ.
- Suffering and persecutions
are not accidental or new, it happened to the prophets before them.
- The believer is not
encouraged to seek persecution nor to shrink from it.
- When you see yourself
persecuted because of your testimony of Jesus Christ, you can rejoice
because great is your reward in heaven.
John 3:20 – Those that do evil
hate the light
20 For every one that
doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should
be reproved. KJV
John 15:19 – The world hates the
saint.
19 If ye were of the
world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I
have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. KJV
12 Rejoice and be glad,
because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the
prophets who were before you. NIV
Luke 6:22 – The world calls good EVIL
22 Blessed are ye, when
men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and
shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's
sake
2 Chron 24:21 – They stoned the prophets
21 And they conspired
against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king
in the court of the house of the LORD KJV
Neh 9:26 – Killed the prophets
26 Nevertheless they were
disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs,
and slew thy prophets which testified against them to turn them to thee,
and they wrought great provocations. KJV
2 Kings 2:23 – Cruel mocking - Old Bald head
23 And he went up from
thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little
children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou
bald head; go up, thou bald head. KJV
Rom 8:18 – It’s worth it
18 For I reckon that the sufferings
of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory
which shall be revealed in us. KJV
Matt
5:13 -16 – You
are the light and salt of the world
13
Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt has lost his savor,
wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be
cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
14
Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be
hid.
15
Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick;
and it gives light unto all that are in the house.
16
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works,
and glorify your Father which is in heaven. KJV
- You are the salt of
the earth restraining the world’s corruption.
- The believer’s light
is illuminating a world of darkness and is displayed publicly in his
personal relationships. The light
of Christ is reflected in the life of the believer.
John 8:12 – Jesus is the light
12 Then spoke Jesus again
unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that follows me shall
not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. KJV
Through
the character of the believer, the world can see God
and glory in Him.
The believer is the light of the world
BE Attitude SUMMARY
·
The
beatitudes show the characteristics of a man who is saved; they do not show a
man how to be saved. They are not
promises, but are a description of who the believer already is.
·
The
first four beatitudes show a conscious need for salvation
·
The
next three show haw the believers should conduct themselves
·
There
are seven beatitudes, with the number seven representing completeness.
·
There
is a supplemental beatitude describing the treatment that can be expected by
the believer.
·
The
Theme of the sermon on the mount is “The Ideal Christian Life”
·
He
was well into His ministry as multitudes were now already following Him.
·
Jesus
had begun teaching a large group of His disciples with crowds starting to build
on the fringes trying to hear what He was teaching.
·
He
was on level plain on the side of a mountain; first sitting, then standing to
teach to the growing crowd. (I mention the mountain and plain; sitting
and standing because of the different accounts in scripture)
·
The
sermon on the mount and the sermon on the plain are the same
account.
The first
four are characteristics of the believer
1.
Total
dependence on God for salvation – recognizing their spiritual life was totally
bankrupt
2.
Concern
for those perishing in sin. Sorrow for
injustice and afflictions of others.
3.
Absence
of pretence, having self control, humility, kindness, bearing patiently, not
murmuring, without complaint or resistance, accepting opposition, insults and
provocations, not seeking power.
4.
A
continual thirst and hunger for God’s wisdom and knowledge
The next
three are how the believer conducts his life.
1.
Shows
mercy because he has received mercy. Shows it whether it’s convenient or
not.
2.
Has
no hidden motives or self serving interest – A pure heart with singleness of
purpose.
3.
Keeps
the peace and makes peace between everyone within his sphere of influence
Supplemental
beatitude – describing the treatment of the believer.
Expects to have rocks chunked at him,
people calling him names, insults, exclusion from groups, passed over for
promotions and even sheer hate.
Description
of the Believer
Blessed, Happy, Comforted, Filled, receives
Mercy, heir to the kingdom of God
In the multitude of counselors,
there is wisdom.
Prov 11:14
I am grateful for those
that went before me providing
concepts, ideas,
historical information and scripture verses.
A commentary; Jamieson, Fausset, Brown – Eerdmans
Baker Commentary on the Bible – Zondervan
Bible Almanac, The – Packer Tenny White.
Curse of Baphomet; The – Jack T. Chick- www.chick.com *
Dake’s annotated Reference Bible – Dake
Dictionary of Pentecostal/Charismatic Movements – S.
Burgess
Encyclopedia of Free Masonry- Albert G. Mackey *
Expositor’s Bible Commentary – Frank E. Gaebelein
Freemasonry: Morals and Dogma – Albert Pike *
Freemasonry: The Invisible cult – Jack Harris *
Great Doctrines of the Bible – W.A. Criswell
Illustrated Bible Dictionary – Nelsons
Illustrated Bible Dictionary; The – Tyndale
International Dictionary of the Bible; The – Tenney
King James Version Bible
Masonic Christian Conflict explained – Keith Harris *
Matthew Henry’s Commentary – Zondervan
Nave’s Topical Bible - Nave
New International Version Bible
Should a Christian be a Mason – E. M. Storms *
Theomatics – Jerry
Lucas
Today’s Dictionary of the Bible – Guideposts
Victor Journey through the Bible, The – V. Gilbert Beers
Vincent’s Word Studies – Mac Donald
Wycliff Bible Commentary; The – Moody Press
Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia; The - Zondervan
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