DR. MICHAEL A PROUD, JR.

DATE:  August 22, 2010 am

TEXT:  Matthew 5:1-12

TITLE:  LIVING KINGDOM LIVES 2: Kingdom People: Embrace Their Spiritual Need

Sermon:  There is something about a common experience which binds people together.  Especially when that common experience is centered around something birthed out of great struggle, tremendous effort, or even pain.  Men and women who have served together in the military, especially in combat situations, have a special bond.  Though their own personal situations may have been different, their common experience creates a bond between them.

This can be said of those who have served as police officers, firefighters, missionaries, athletes, or rescue workers just to name a few.  The element of great sacrifice or personal risk is that which draws people together and creates a powerful bond.

There are other things which bind people together, things we do not choose.  The overcoming of addictions, or illness, or the common experience of loss or grief can bring people together in a powerful way. 

The point I am trying to make here is that people who walk down a common path, experience a comradery which others cannot understand.  And this is true of the community of faith.

You see, this is what separates Christianity from religion.  For each and every person who is a Christian is a person who has experienced the painful exposure of sin and has been broken by it.  No one wants to have their sins exposed by the light of God’s Holy Spirit.  All of us, by nature, want to keep our faults and our secrets hidden.  In the imagery of John’s gospel, the apostle said in John 3:19-20, “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.  For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.” This means, when our sinfulness is exposed, our tendency is to cover up and try to hide it.  Our nature is to want to leave things as they are.  We would rather adapt to the presence of sin rather than expose it so healing may come.  In someways we are like the little child who has a splinter in her hand.  Mom or dad asks for her to unclasp her hands so they can see how bad it is, but her desire is to keep it concealed for fear it will hurt more.  And yet, we know that an unattended injury will probably get worse or cause long term effects.  But, unattended sin will lead to death.

In this first section of the Sermon on the Mount, we are looking at a section which reveals The Characteristics of the Kingdom. This simply means, what Jesus revealed here were the characteristics which are to be found in all Kingdom people; the very same characteristics which bind them all together.  Let’s look at the text together.

Verses 1 & 2 give us the setting for the entire Sermon on the Mount.  Remember, Matthew 4:23-25 tells us Jesus went throughout Galilee preaching the good news of the Kingdom of God and healing those who had every kind of sickness.  People began to flock to Him from all the regions around Galilee and even from Jerusalem and Judea.  These were people from all backgrounds of life and each with various reasons for being there.  And it seems from the introduction in verse 1, it was the presence of the multitude which moved Jesus to begin teaching about what was required to be a part of the Kingdom of Heaven.  So, as Jesus’ disciples gathered to Him, He began to teach them all what a Kingdom person was.

While verses 3 & 4 are the foundational characteristics of all Kingdom people and I believe are to be held in tandem, there is a chronology found here which must be understood. Thus, we will look at these two verses separately, but spend most of our time understanding them.

Verse 3, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  Here is the first characteristic of a Kingdom person, being “poor in spirit.”  What does it mean to be “poor?”  Webster defines the word “poor’ as being without, or having inadequate material possessions.  It literally refers to having nothing of worth or value, it means to be empty or depleted.  The Greek word “ptochos” has the same meaning.  Spiritual poverty then, is having nothing of worth or value from a spiritual perspective.  It refers to spiritual bankruptcy before God, having nothing to offer Him or to barter with for favor or help.  The poor are chiefly personified by the beggar who is dependent upon others for survival.

But here is the point for spiritual poverty, it is not just being poor, it is recognizing one’s condition.  Now, you may think, “How can one be poor and not know it?”  The fact of the matter is that all humanity is spiritually poor, but the majority of the world is unaware.  Turn with me to II Corinthians 4:3-4...READ.  Turn with me to Ephesians 2:1-3...READ. The unbelieving are blinded by Satan so they will not see the Light of the gospel message.  They refuse to recognize their condition.  They seek other ways to address the “eternity” issue.  Either they deny it, or they seek to work their way into it.  But, Jesus was very clear that only those who acknowledge their spiritual poverty will see the Kingdom of heaven.

The fact is, unless one realizes there is a problem, he or she will not seek a cure or solution.  In this first Be-attitude Jesus said those who recognize their spiritual poverty are blessed, and they are blessed because they have taken the first step toward a spiritual solution.  The end result will be entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven.  However, knowing there is a problem is just the first step.  This is where verse 4 becomes so vitally important.

Look now at verse 4, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Here is the completion of these two foundational characteristics for Kingdom living.  You see, acknowledgment is the first step to Kingdom life, but action is required.  Recognizing we are poor in spirit acknowledges that we see what God sees, but just knowing there is a problem is not enough, one must be broken by it; and that is the picture of mourning. 

I want you to turn with me to Luke 18:9-14.  Wrapped up in this teaching of Jesus is the picture of these first two characteristics seen in the tax collector standing at a distance in the temple...READ.  The Pharisee was the antithesis of these characteristics.  Notice that the Pharisee did not recognize his own spiritual poverty, and thus, he saw no need for change.  In his mind, he was right where he needed to be and no alteration in living was needed.  However, the publican or tax collector was the embodiment of these characteristics.  He not only recognized that he had nothing to offer God, he was broken by his status.  And as a result, he threw himself before the Lord’s mercy with a broken and contrite heart.  This is what is required for salvation and this is what it takes to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. (Present Plan of Salvation).

This is why I said these first two characteristics are foundational to Kingdom living.  Without these two characteristics, the remainder of what Jesus taught could not be manifested in a person’s life.  In fact, many people strive for these other characteristics outside of spiritual  brokenness and contrition, but that simply equates to religion, not new birth.

Verse 5, “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.”  The word “gentle,” also translated as “meek or humble” reflects the person who surrenders control of their lives to the Lord’s leading.  This is a characteristic of the Christian life, or a reflection of the Holy Spirit’s work in the believer’s life.

Verse 6, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”   To hunger and thirst after God is to ravenously want more of Him.  The Bible tells us that no one seeks God on their own.  But, as the Holy Spirit gains more control, a person’s desire for God grows and grows.  The believer is satisfied in God because that is what the new heart longs for. 

Verse 7, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”  Mercy is a reflection of God’s character showing through the believer.  One does not receive entrance into the Kingdom by being merciful, but those who are Kingdom people should act as the Father acted toward them.

Verse 8, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”  The believer should be without ulterior motive, but should always be striving for Godliness in all things.

Verse 9, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”  You see, the one who has come to salvation is one who desires to lead others to the same peace they have found.  They long to do what God did for them.

Verses 10-12...READ.  The blessing of these verses is the long history of witnesses you become a part of in helping others see the light of hope in Christ.  Many others have been persecuted and rejected by the world because of this new life in Christ.  Your blessing is that you become part of an unbroken chain of carrying the light of hope into the world.  Others will come to know this same hope as we do what others have done before us, and let Jesus’ life shine through us.

It is thus that we must look back at these verses and come to realize there is a chronological order to them.  Verses 3-4 reflect how one enters into the Kingdom of heaven, and verses 5-12 reflect the impact becoming a Kingdom person should have on our lives.  In all of these things, there is required a complete surrender to the Father.

This is what makes Christianity distinct from religion.  For religion seeks acceptance from God by exhibiting certain behavior, Christianity is the broken surrender of the person who knows “I have nothing to give God, but I am willing with all my heart to surrender all my life to His control.”  And this is what binds true believers together, this common experience of surrender to, and trust in, the Father is what makes us a community of faith. 

You see, the powerful must come in the same way as the lowly.

The rich must come in the same way as the poor.

The adult must come in the same way as the child.

Jesus has leveled the field.  There is no claim to religion, to nationality, to position, or to past actions. 

All must come in the same way.  There are no exceptions.  Good works are not enough.  Church membership is not enough.  Religious activities are not enough.  One must stand and confess the sin God already sees.  One must allow God to pass judgment on us as sinners, and we must agree with Him.  Then, we must surrender ourselves to His Son as our only way of salvation.  Trusting our lives to Christ’s control.

Lest we cling to anything of our own doing, I want you to look at Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:22-23...READ. We must be poor and mournful, then salvation will come our way.  And it is this common experience of surrender which binds us together, not our behavior. 

As born-again believers we have all stood exposed before God, broken and ashamed of our sin.  We have all stood guilty before God and deserving punishment.  Yet, as believers we have also experienced the pardon which came to us by trusting our lives to Christ.  Like cancer survivors who gather to celebrate their close encounter with death, we too have a common bound.  This is why believers who have never met can share an instant connection with one another, it is this common experience.  Perhaps, this is why some local churches do not experience that kind of unity and strength with one another; because some are trusting church membership or religious activities as their salvation.  They can stand and watch, they can sing the songs, but there is no deep joy in their hearts because they have not experienced the same thing.

For all who have stood before the Father broken and empty know what it is like to be a family together.  What about you?