This is the Word of God- “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.”
The Scripture is as relevant today as ever. We talk about how much we’ve lost in this country (economic stability, jobs, houses, international respect, etc.), but how often do we admit that we have lost our hunger and thirst? Let’s add this one to our list this morning – we have lost their hunger and thirst for righteous. In all of our humanitarian efforts and environmental concerns we have stopped seeking righteousness. Christians, who have (by God’s grace) been called righteous though they are undeserving, have abandoned the search for righteousness. We grumble about government schools removing prayer, yet we do not ever kneel to pray. We protest the removal of “under God” from our pledge of allegiance, yet we have removed His Word from our families. There is no hunger or thirst for righteousness in our hearts, in our churches, or in our homes. Let us once again take a step in the right direction this morning. Let us renew our desire to please God and seek the life that is only found in our Lord Jesus Christ. May the Lord whet our tongues this morning for His righteousness and may we be filled!
Point 1: For Righteousness
Let us start with the idea of righteousness.
A. “Righteousness” is moral and spiritual perfection. Simply put, it is right thinking.
B. The Bible refers to the righteousness of people quite often, but from beginning to end it is God’s righteousness that surpasses all else. The Bible maintains that His righteousness is perfect.
Thus, God speaks to Israel through Moses when they are about to take the Promised Land:
“Therefore understand that the LORD your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stiff-necked people.”
C. Our righteousness is inadequate. Our righteousness earns no merit. That is why godly people seek after God’s righteousness. David says, “Lead me, O LORD, in Your righteousness…”
D. God alone is morally perfect (“God is light and in Him is no darkness at all”).
God alone is spiritually perfect (“As for God, His way is perfect”).
God alone thinks right at all times, in every situation.
(“For the LORD is righteous, He loves righteousness…”)
Point 2: Those Who Hunger and Thirst
A. To hunger and thirst is to be in a desperate position. It is to be on the brink of death. It is to realize that if you don’t find food and water fast, you may perish. Some of you know exactly what this means from a physical standpoint. There may be a few here that have experienced this to the utmost from a spiritual standpoint. Jesus informs us that this is what pleases God – that His children desire Him above all else – that they rely on Him for life.
B. So we are talking about a spiritual hungering and thirsting – I must seek God or else…
This relates back to the previous three beatitudes of inward examination. Are you full or empty?
You will not hunger or thirst if you continue to tell yourself that you are full.
C. We can say with Job, “I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.” That is what it means to hunger and thirst.
D. Isa 26:9 “With my soul I have desired You in the night, Yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early;
For when Your judgments are in the earth,
The inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.”
Point 3: They Shall Be Filled
A. To “be filled” is to be completely satisfied.
B. Only those who realize they are empty can be filled (and they will be filled!).
C. READ Rom 4:5-8. This is my main point. This is how we are filled: “But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: ‘Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
And whose sins are covered;
Blessed is the man to whom the LORD shall not impute sin.’”
D. Jesus is our satisfaction. He is our joy and He is our treasure. SEE Matt 13:44
Conclusion:
One preacher said of this beatitude, “I do not know of a better test that anyone can apply to himself or herself in this whole matter of Christian profession than a verse like this. If this verse is to you one of the most blessed statements of the whole of Scripture, you can be quite certain you are a Christian; if it is not, then you had better examine the foundations again.”
There is satisfaction to be attained now and we shall be filled eternally by God’s goodness:
Ps 17:15: “As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness;
I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.”
Hunger and thirst for righteousness and be blessed.
Take the opportunity to kneel and pray.
Open up His Word and let the blessings of heaven fall down.
God is the only true satisfaction…
As Ps 107:9 says, “For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness.”
Matthew 5:5 The Meek
This is the Word of God: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”
The Bible tells us some things that are hard to swallow:
Who has an easy time loving their enemies? Who enjoys confessing their sins?
Who likes to think about an everlasting punishment?
On that list must be this third Beatitude- Blessed are the meek.
Now, we appreciate promises such as inheriting the earth, but we have a difficult time with the condition that the Lord puts on it. We are called to be meek. What a demand this puts on most men! I see so many men that have to be right about everything, they have to out-do any others who may have an idea or skill. I am just as guilty, I suppose. And some of you women have lived your whole lives fighting. You have had to stand up for yourself when no one else would. We human beings feel the need to defend ourselves, stand tall, fight for what we want, out-do the competition, and not be run over… What are we going to do about this beatitude?
Point 1: Blessed are the MeekA.“Meek” means gentle/humble and the self-control it entails (can signify absence of pretension)
a. It is NOT: wishy-washy, timid, indecisive, a push-over, or a weakness.
b. I think meekness is to consider others better than yourself (Philippians 2:3-4).
B. We have discussed how we must view ourselves “poor in spirit” and we have also discussed what to do about it “mourn” now we are told what our attitude toward others must be “meek.” The first three beatitudes comprise a set and are all interrelated. These beatitudes deal inwardly and work together to form the inner-attitude of the kingdom citizen. This is how we must view ourselves in light of the work God has done in Christ.
C. This is how we will treat others when we heave the proper view of ourselves.
D. There must be a sense of patience in this (as we will see in a verse I will quote in a moment).
Paul says in 1 Cor 3:22 that all things are ours because we belong to Christ. If we have “all things” then we can wait a lifetime. We are in no hurry. All things are ours. We can afford to be meek! We are children of the King!
E. SEE Matthew 11:29 Jesus says, “I am gentle (or meek) and lowly in heart…”
SEE James 3:13 “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom.”
Point 2: For They Shall Inherit the EarthA. God will finalize the restoration process. God’s presence will dwell here on earth.
B. Israel was given a small piece of land, but God’s people will eventually be given the earth.
C. In 2 Cor Paul says that we “possess all things” and here, Matthew points us to possessing the Land. Inheritance language most often points to the Promised Land in the OT and the NT broadens that thought. We will inherit the earth; the new heaven and the new earth.
D. This is a quote from Psalm 37 “Those who wait on the LORD, they shall inherit the earth… The meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace… The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell in it forever.”
E. Peter anticipates the fulfillment of this beatitude: SEE 2 Peter 3:10-13
John is given a vision of that earth that we will inherit: SEE Revelation 21:1-5
Conclusion:
What a beautiful picture it is of the in heritance we are promised: a new heaven and earth coming down and God dwelling with us permanently! That is our great hope!
But do not let us forget that the Lord has said that it is the meek who shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are the MEEK… I want to appeal to you on two fronts based on Matthew 11:28-30.
Matthew 11:28-30
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
*You may have memorized this from the KJV (like I did). Gentle is translated meek there.
(1) Jesus calls Himself “meek” (gentle) and lowly in heart.
There has never been a stronger person on this planet than Jesus. There has never been a manlier man than Jesus Christ. There has never been a mightier king than our Lord.
AND He calls Himself MEEK.
There is no hint of weakness in this beatitude or the word “meek.”
So I appeal to you: Stand strong, fight the good fight, defend what matters most, but be meek and you will be blessed.
(2) Come to Jesus – Come in Faith
There is salvation in no other name than Jesus Christ. He is Lord!
* Learn from Him.
* Find rest for your souls.
The Bible tells us some things that are hard to swallow:
Who has an easy time loving their enemies? Who enjoys confessing their sins?
Who likes to think about an everlasting punishment?
On that list must be this third Beatitude- Blessed are the meek.
Now, we appreciate promises such as inheriting the earth, but we have a difficult time with the condition that the Lord puts on it. We are called to be meek. What a demand this puts on most men! I see so many men that have to be right about everything, they have to out-do any others who may have an idea or skill. I am just as guilty, I suppose. And some of you women have lived your whole lives fighting. You have had to stand up for yourself when no one else would. We human beings feel the need to defend ourselves, stand tall, fight for what we want, out-do the competition, and not be run over… What are we going to do about this beatitude?
Point 1: Blessed are the MeekA.“Meek” means gentle/humble and the self-control it entails (can signify absence of pretension)
a. It is NOT: wishy-washy, timid, indecisive, a push-over, or a weakness.
b. I think meekness is to consider others better than yourself (Philippians 2:3-4).
B. We have discussed how we must view ourselves “poor in spirit” and we have also discussed what to do about it “mourn” now we are told what our attitude toward others must be “meek.” The first three beatitudes comprise a set and are all interrelated. These beatitudes deal inwardly and work together to form the inner-attitude of the kingdom citizen. This is how we must view ourselves in light of the work God has done in Christ.
C. This is how we will treat others when we heave the proper view of ourselves.
D. There must be a sense of patience in this (as we will see in a verse I will quote in a moment).
Paul says in 1 Cor 3:22 that all things are ours because we belong to Christ. If we have “all things” then we can wait a lifetime. We are in no hurry. All things are ours. We can afford to be meek! We are children of the King!
E. SEE Matthew 11:29 Jesus says, “I am gentle (or meek) and lowly in heart…”
SEE James 3:13 “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom.”
Point 2: For They Shall Inherit the EarthA. God will finalize the restoration process. God’s presence will dwell here on earth.
B. Israel was given a small piece of land, but God’s people will eventually be given the earth.
C. In 2 Cor Paul says that we “possess all things” and here, Matthew points us to possessing the Land. Inheritance language most often points to the Promised Land in the OT and the NT broadens that thought. We will inherit the earth; the new heaven and the new earth.
D. This is a quote from Psalm 37 “Those who wait on the LORD, they shall inherit the earth… The meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace… The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell in it forever.”
E. Peter anticipates the fulfillment of this beatitude: SEE 2 Peter 3:10-13
John is given a vision of that earth that we will inherit: SEE Revelation 21:1-5
Conclusion:
What a beautiful picture it is of the in heritance we are promised: a new heaven and earth coming down and God dwelling with us permanently! That is our great hope!
But do not let us forget that the Lord has said that it is the meek who shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are the MEEK… I want to appeal to you on two fronts based on Matthew 11:28-30.
Matthew 11:28-30
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
*You may have memorized this from the KJV (like I did). Gentle is translated meek there.
(1) Jesus calls Himself “meek” (gentle) and lowly in heart.
There has never been a stronger person on this planet than Jesus. There has never been a manlier man than Jesus Christ. There has never been a mightier king than our Lord.
AND He calls Himself MEEK.
There is no hint of weakness in this beatitude or the word “meek.”
So I appeal to you: Stand strong, fight the good fight, defend what matters most, but be meek and you will be blessed.
(2) Come to Jesus – Come in Faith
There is salvation in no other name than Jesus Christ. He is Lord!
* Learn from Him.
* Find rest for your souls.
Matthew 5:4 Those Who Mourn
Who came to hear a word from the Lord today? Will you allow me to preach the truth without any reservations? Woe is me if I don’t preach the truth! I can not and in fact, will not hold anything back! Let me take a handful of minutes to tell you about the inner-struggles of a pastor.
1. I love this church and it pains me to hear any negativity. I may not be physically with you day after day, but I am thinking about you. I think about each of you on several occasions throughout every week. I ask myself, “How can I pray for this person or that family?” I think about us as a church most often. I see people who have been Christians for many years. There are still some of you here that were a part of the founding of FTCC. I see others who are struggling to get through each week and keep their faith. I want what’s best for you and for us, but it is most certainly not little spats here and there. It is most certainly not continuous sinning in our lives. I not only think about us often, but I pray for us. We need the Lord to move in our hearts. We need Him to move in our assembly times. We need Him to confront us. We need Him to speak to us where we are.
2. You may be thinking, “Why does he worry about these things?” I don’t know how to explain it. I have a deep devotion to this congregation. I am committed to us 100% and will not be satisfied until I see us on the same page. We need to forget what is behind and strain for what is ahead. And I am not quoting Scripture just to sound good or make you feel better. I am quoting Scripture because it is the Word of God. It is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. We need to get back to the basics. We need to get back to loving one another, forgiving one another, serving one another, and reaching out to this community with the words and hands of our Lord Jesus Christ.
3. Romans 12:1-5 says, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.”
God calls us to be “a living sacrifice.” It is our reasonable service to God in response to the grace He has given us to actively love, forgive, and serve one another. And not only that, but we need to reach out to the lost and dying of this community with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
4. My fear is that many of us have lost the Biblical picture of God. Many of you had this picture when you were younger, but you’ve lost it somewhere along the way. I think many of us are simply going through the motions. We have to know that just “getting by” in our faith is not enough. If we don’t nurture our faith it may be consumed by this world and we will be at risk of losing our souls to eternal damnation in Hell. Have we forgotten that God is a holy God? Why do we assemble ourselves together for worship and fellowship while behaving like God is not among us? Do we not know that we are His special people and may proclaim the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light?!?
A text that can help us to restore that picture of the glorious God we belong to is Ezekiel chapter eight and following. Those supposed “people of God” had turn away from Him. They were worshipping idols and all sorts of false things. They were in the Temple of Almighty God, but were serving anything and everything but Him. Ezekiel is given a vision of what is happening and then he is shown a picture of his God removing His glory from the people. God is a holy God, a God from everlasting to everlasting. He mourns over sin and rebellion.
READ Ezekiel C8- This is the Word of God
1 And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I sat in my house with the elders of Judah sitting before me, that the hand of the Lord GOD fell upon me there. 2 Then I looked, and there was a likeness, like the appearance of fire—from the appearance of His waist and downward, fire; and from His waist and upward, like the appearance of brightness, like the color of amber. 3 He stretched out the form of a hand, and took me by a lock of my hair; and the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven, and brought me in visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the north gate of the inner court, where the seat of the image of jealousy was, which provokes to jealousy. 4 And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, like the vision that I saw in the plain.
5 Then He said to me, “Son of man, lift your eyes now toward the north.” So I lifted my eyes toward the north, and there, north of the altar gate, was this image of jealousy in the entrance.
6 Furthermore He said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing, the great abominations that the house of Israel commits here, to make Me go far away from My sanctuary? Now turn again, you will see greater abominations.” 7 So He brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, there was a hole in the wall. 8 Then He said to me, “Son of man, dig into the wall”; and when I dug into the wall, there was a door.
9 And He said to me, “Go in, and see the wicked abominations which they are doing there.” 10 So I went in and saw, and there—every sort of creeping thing, abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, portrayed all around on the walls. 11 And there stood before them seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel, and in their midst stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan. Each man had a censer in his hand, and a thick cloud of incense went up. 12 Then He said to me, “Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the room of his idols? For they say, ‘The LORD does not see us, the LORD has forsaken the land.’”
13 And He said to me, “Turn again, and you will see greater abominations that they are doing.” 14 So He brought me to the door of the north gate of the LORD’s house; and to my dismay, women were sitting there weeping for Tammuz.
15 Then He said to me, “Have you seen this, O son of man? Turn again, you will see greater abominations than these.” 16 So He brought me into the inner court of the LORD’s house; and there, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs toward the temple of the LORD and their faces toward the east, and they were worshiping the sun toward the east.
17 And He said to me, “Have you seen this, O son of man? Is it a trivial thing to the house of Judah to commit the abominations which they commit here? For they have filled the land with violence; then they have returned to provoke Me to anger. Indeed they put the branch to their nose. 18 Therefore I also will act in fury. My eye will not spare nor will I have pity; and though they cry in My ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them.”
When we read passages like these we think to ourselves, “What an archaic people. They were so backward and gross in their behavior. How funny it is that they worshipped the sun and creeping things. I would never bow down to an idol; I would never be so vulgar.”
Do we not know that when we lie to one another we are just as vulgar?
Do we not know that when we are selfish that we are worshipping an idol? Ourselves
Do we not know that when we manipulate someone that we are sinning against the Body?
These things are just as wicked as the things they were doing in the Temple. We are just as offensive to God in our assemblies if we are participating in such abominations. Quite possibly our behavior can be a greater sin than the sins that Ezekiel saw. Paul tells the Corinthians, “Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.” We come here every week to partake of the Lord’s Supper and I fear that many of us do so without any recognition of sins against our brethren.
Paul had strong words for the Corinthians who were abusing one another. They were even taking one another to court over matters! He said in 1 Cor 6:8-11 “But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers and sisters! Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor those who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” Some of those people had been involved in those wicked things and had come to faith in Christ. Christians can not conduct themselves this way. We have been WASHED, SANCTIFIED, and JUSTIFIED in the name of the Lord JESUS!
If you follow Ezekiel’s account, you read about the glory of the Lord departing from the Temple. Yahweh God slowly removes His presence from among His people.
1. Ezekiel says in (3:23) “So I arose and went out into the plain, and behold, the glory of the LORD stood there, like the glory which I saw by the River Chebar; and I fell on my face.”
2. (8:4) “And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, like the vision that I saw in the plain.”
3. (9:3) “Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub, where it had been, to the threshold of the temple.”
4. (10:4) “Then the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub, and paused over the threshold of the temple; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the LORD’s glory.”
5. (10:18) “Then the glory of the LORD departed from the threshold of the temple…”
6. Finally, (11:23) “And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city…”
Well, what can we do about this? It has come to my attention that many of us are guilty of such serious sins against our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. On the other hand, others of us are sinning by omission. We are not living lives worthy of our calling. We are going through the motions with no respect for Almighty God that loves us and gave Himself for us.
(1) The first thing we can do is heed to what the Lord Jesus said in Matt 5:23-24, “Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother (or sister) has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother (or sister), and then come and offer your gift.”
*Let us not come to worship with lingering problems with our brethren.*
(2) The second thing we can do is be blessed by the second beatitude, Matt 5:4:
*“Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.”*
To “Mourn” means to be unhappy over sin- individually, corporately, and in general (levels).
The psalmist says in 119:136, “Rivers of water run down from my eyes,
Because men do not keep Your law.”
We can not grow unaware of sin and its outcomes. Maybe you remember what James said, “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”
We can not grow unaware of sin. We can not ignore sin in our lives or in this church.
We can not allow our hearts to grow hard, calloused, and cold so that we overlook sin.
That…leads…to…death!
Jesus says, “Blessed are those who mourn…” To receive this second blessing we must be unhappy about sin (the emotional counterpart to poor in spirit). The best illustration I can think of for this type of mourning is one of Jesus’ parables. Luke 18:10-14 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be COMFORTED. – Take comfort in this:
“But now, once at the end of the ages, [Christ] has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.”
Though we mourn over sin – God has, and will, comfort us.
“Comfort, yes, comfort My people!” says your God.
Turn away from your sin. If you confess your sins, He is faithful and just to forgive you your sins and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness. Turn to Him- He will be present with you, His glory will cloud around you, and you will be comforted though you mourn.
1. I love this church and it pains me to hear any negativity. I may not be physically with you day after day, but I am thinking about you. I think about each of you on several occasions throughout every week. I ask myself, “How can I pray for this person or that family?” I think about us as a church most often. I see people who have been Christians for many years. There are still some of you here that were a part of the founding of FTCC. I see others who are struggling to get through each week and keep their faith. I want what’s best for you and for us, but it is most certainly not little spats here and there. It is most certainly not continuous sinning in our lives. I not only think about us often, but I pray for us. We need the Lord to move in our hearts. We need Him to move in our assembly times. We need Him to confront us. We need Him to speak to us where we are.
2. You may be thinking, “Why does he worry about these things?” I don’t know how to explain it. I have a deep devotion to this congregation. I am committed to us 100% and will not be satisfied until I see us on the same page. We need to forget what is behind and strain for what is ahead. And I am not quoting Scripture just to sound good or make you feel better. I am quoting Scripture because it is the Word of God. It is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. We need to get back to the basics. We need to get back to loving one another, forgiving one another, serving one another, and reaching out to this community with the words and hands of our Lord Jesus Christ.
3. Romans 12:1-5 says, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.”
God calls us to be “a living sacrifice.” It is our reasonable service to God in response to the grace He has given us to actively love, forgive, and serve one another. And not only that, but we need to reach out to the lost and dying of this community with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
4. My fear is that many of us have lost the Biblical picture of God. Many of you had this picture when you were younger, but you’ve lost it somewhere along the way. I think many of us are simply going through the motions. We have to know that just “getting by” in our faith is not enough. If we don’t nurture our faith it may be consumed by this world and we will be at risk of losing our souls to eternal damnation in Hell. Have we forgotten that God is a holy God? Why do we assemble ourselves together for worship and fellowship while behaving like God is not among us? Do we not know that we are His special people and may proclaim the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light?!?
A text that can help us to restore that picture of the glorious God we belong to is Ezekiel chapter eight and following. Those supposed “people of God” had turn away from Him. They were worshipping idols and all sorts of false things. They were in the Temple of Almighty God, but were serving anything and everything but Him. Ezekiel is given a vision of what is happening and then he is shown a picture of his God removing His glory from the people. God is a holy God, a God from everlasting to everlasting. He mourns over sin and rebellion.
READ Ezekiel C8- This is the Word of God
1 And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I sat in my house with the elders of Judah sitting before me, that the hand of the Lord GOD fell upon me there. 2 Then I looked, and there was a likeness, like the appearance of fire—from the appearance of His waist and downward, fire; and from His waist and upward, like the appearance of brightness, like the color of amber. 3 He stretched out the form of a hand, and took me by a lock of my hair; and the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven, and brought me in visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the north gate of the inner court, where the seat of the image of jealousy was, which provokes to jealousy. 4 And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, like the vision that I saw in the plain.
5 Then He said to me, “Son of man, lift your eyes now toward the north.” So I lifted my eyes toward the north, and there, north of the altar gate, was this image of jealousy in the entrance.
6 Furthermore He said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing, the great abominations that the house of Israel commits here, to make Me go far away from My sanctuary? Now turn again, you will see greater abominations.” 7 So He brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, there was a hole in the wall. 8 Then He said to me, “Son of man, dig into the wall”; and when I dug into the wall, there was a door.
9 And He said to me, “Go in, and see the wicked abominations which they are doing there.” 10 So I went in and saw, and there—every sort of creeping thing, abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, portrayed all around on the walls. 11 And there stood before them seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel, and in their midst stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan. Each man had a censer in his hand, and a thick cloud of incense went up. 12 Then He said to me, “Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the room of his idols? For they say, ‘The LORD does not see us, the LORD has forsaken the land.’”
13 And He said to me, “Turn again, and you will see greater abominations that they are doing.” 14 So He brought me to the door of the north gate of the LORD’s house; and to my dismay, women were sitting there weeping for Tammuz.
15 Then He said to me, “Have you seen this, O son of man? Turn again, you will see greater abominations than these.” 16 So He brought me into the inner court of the LORD’s house; and there, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs toward the temple of the LORD and their faces toward the east, and they were worshiping the sun toward the east.
17 And He said to me, “Have you seen this, O son of man? Is it a trivial thing to the house of Judah to commit the abominations which they commit here? For they have filled the land with violence; then they have returned to provoke Me to anger. Indeed they put the branch to their nose. 18 Therefore I also will act in fury. My eye will not spare nor will I have pity; and though they cry in My ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them.”
When we read passages like these we think to ourselves, “What an archaic people. They were so backward and gross in their behavior. How funny it is that they worshipped the sun and creeping things. I would never bow down to an idol; I would never be so vulgar.”
Do we not know that when we lie to one another we are just as vulgar?
Do we not know that when we are selfish that we are worshipping an idol? Ourselves
Do we not know that when we manipulate someone that we are sinning against the Body?
These things are just as wicked as the things they were doing in the Temple. We are just as offensive to God in our assemblies if we are participating in such abominations. Quite possibly our behavior can be a greater sin than the sins that Ezekiel saw. Paul tells the Corinthians, “Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.” We come here every week to partake of the Lord’s Supper and I fear that many of us do so without any recognition of sins against our brethren.
Paul had strong words for the Corinthians who were abusing one another. They were even taking one another to court over matters! He said in 1 Cor 6:8-11 “But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers and sisters! Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor those who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” Some of those people had been involved in those wicked things and had come to faith in Christ. Christians can not conduct themselves this way. We have been WASHED, SANCTIFIED, and JUSTIFIED in the name of the Lord JESUS!
If you follow Ezekiel’s account, you read about the glory of the Lord departing from the Temple. Yahweh God slowly removes His presence from among His people.
1. Ezekiel says in (3:23) “So I arose and went out into the plain, and behold, the glory of the LORD stood there, like the glory which I saw by the River Chebar; and I fell on my face.”
2. (8:4) “And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, like the vision that I saw in the plain.”
3. (9:3) “Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub, where it had been, to the threshold of the temple.”
4. (10:4) “Then the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub, and paused over the threshold of the temple; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the LORD’s glory.”
5. (10:18) “Then the glory of the LORD departed from the threshold of the temple…”
6. Finally, (11:23) “And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city…”
Well, what can we do about this? It has come to my attention that many of us are guilty of such serious sins against our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. On the other hand, others of us are sinning by omission. We are not living lives worthy of our calling. We are going through the motions with no respect for Almighty God that loves us and gave Himself for us.
(1) The first thing we can do is heed to what the Lord Jesus said in Matt 5:23-24, “Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother (or sister) has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother (or sister), and then come and offer your gift.”
*Let us not come to worship with lingering problems with our brethren.*
(2) The second thing we can do is be blessed by the second beatitude, Matt 5:4:
*“Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.”*
To “Mourn” means to be unhappy over sin- individually, corporately, and in general (levels).
The psalmist says in 119:136, “Rivers of water run down from my eyes,
Because men do not keep Your law.”
We can not grow unaware of sin and its outcomes. Maybe you remember what James said, “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”
We can not grow unaware of sin. We can not ignore sin in our lives or in this church.
We can not allow our hearts to grow hard, calloused, and cold so that we overlook sin.
That…leads…to…death!
Jesus says, “Blessed are those who mourn…” To receive this second blessing we must be unhappy about sin (the emotional counterpart to poor in spirit). The best illustration I can think of for this type of mourning is one of Jesus’ parables. Luke 18:10-14 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be COMFORTED. – Take comfort in this:
“But now, once at the end of the ages, [Christ] has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.”
Though we mourn over sin – God has, and will, comfort us.
“Comfort, yes, comfort My people!” says your God.
Turn away from your sin. If you confess your sins, He is faithful and just to forgive you your sins and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness. Turn to Him- He will be present with you, His glory will cloud around you, and you will be comforted though you mourn.
Matthew 5:3 The Poor in Spirit
I have a couple questions for you to lead us into the verse for today’s sermon-
1. Who needs a doctor? The Sick
2. Who needs a savior? Sinners
From the Lord’s lips came the Words, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” (Mk 2:17).
READ Scripture- This is the Word of God
This beatitude will echo throughout the entire sermon. It is important that we grasp what Jesus means by this first statement!
Discussion 1: BlessedThis is the first of what we call the Beatitudes. “Beatitude” comes from the Latin word meaning “Blessed.”
Definition of Blessed- Happy, Satisfied, To Be Envied
Discussion 2: Poor in SpiritLet’s take the spirit part first. “In spirit” means the attitude of the soul.
SEE Psalm 103:1 “Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name!”
The OT provides the background for this beatitude like most, if not all, of them. The word “poor” first meant those in literal, material need, but over time gave way to a definition with spiritual overtones. The needy have no refuge except God and that idea spread to the general idea of spiritual poverty before God. Thus the psalmist could call himself “this poor man” in Ps 34:6
“This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles.”
Let me say what “poor in spirit” does not mean before I say what it means. It does not mean:
1. Low Self-Esteem
2. Showy Humility
3. Artificially Induced Self-Hatred
4. Weak Faith
To be poor in spirit is to acknowledge our spiritual poverty, spiritual bankruptcy before God. Someone has said that the poverty of spirit “is the conscious confession of unworthiness before God. As such, it is the deepest form of repentance.”
Jesus consciously fulfilled, in the Nazareth synagogue, the Scripture which says, “The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them” (Matt 11:5).
This was, in fact, God’s plan from the beginning:
Through Isaiah the Lord said, “For thus says the High and Lofty One, Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.’” AND “But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, And who trembles at My word” (Isa 57:15; 66:2b). The psalmist said, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise” (Ps 51:17).
Discussion 3: Kingdom of HeavenSo far in Matthew, John and Jesus both have proclaimed that the Kingdom of heaven is “at hand.” Then in 4:23 we read that Jesus was preaching the Gospel (Good News) of the Kingdom. Then Jesus gathers a large crowd to Himself and the first thing our of His mouth is “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
The phrase “Kingdom of Heaven” is the same as “Kingdom of God.” Heaven is simply a Jewish way of respectfully substituting God’s name.
This kingdom idea is a Biblical theme that runs throughout and is vital to our understanding because we are citizens of it! It does not refer to a specific place or time, rather to a condition in which creation is fully restored.
Thus, the kingdom is at hand yet has not arrived in its entirety:
Jesus said, “Indeed, the kingdom of God is with you.” At this point God works through the Body of Christ, the church. His kingdom is a condition within us where God’s will is done as it is in heaven. There will be a Day of final restoration. There will be a final Day when all of creation will physically see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom. And we are citizens of His kingdom! We have no guilt in life nor fear in death.
For the complete background of this kingdom picture we must go to the Old Testament.
SEE Daniel 7:13-14, 27 “I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed…
Then the kingdom and dominion, And the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, Shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And all dominions shall serve and obey Him.”
Major Point: Sticking Point
It is a sticking point for many who do not recognize their own spiritual poverty or at least are not willing to admit that the are spiritually bankrupt before God.
A leading cause for people to enter Hell will be their complete reliance on themselves. For some reason it is part of the sin-nature that people think they can save themselves. In arrogance, they think they have all the knowledge, strength, and resources needed to climb out of the holes they have dug themselves into. They know they have fallen short of the glory of God, and not only Him, but they’ve also fallen short of their responsibilities to their husbands, wives, children, family, and friends… In the unbeliever’s darkened heart, he/she will not admit that they are poor in spirit, but vow time and again to make things better. And…It will…not…work…
Not only is this a problem for unbelievers, but it is also a problem in the church. Jesus revealed to John a message for the church at Laodicea along these lines-
SEE Rev 3:14-17 “These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked…”
1. Who needs a doctor? The Sick
2. Who needs a savior? Sinners
From the Lord’s lips came the Words, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” (Mk 2:17).
READ Scripture- This is the Word of God
This beatitude will echo throughout the entire sermon. It is important that we grasp what Jesus means by this first statement!
Discussion 1: BlessedThis is the first of what we call the Beatitudes. “Beatitude” comes from the Latin word meaning “Blessed.”
Definition of Blessed- Happy, Satisfied, To Be Envied
Discussion 2: Poor in SpiritLet’s take the spirit part first. “In spirit” means the attitude of the soul.
SEE Psalm 103:1 “Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name!”
The OT provides the background for this beatitude like most, if not all, of them. The word “poor” first meant those in literal, material need, but over time gave way to a definition with spiritual overtones. The needy have no refuge except God and that idea spread to the general idea of spiritual poverty before God. Thus the psalmist could call himself “this poor man” in Ps 34:6
“This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles.”
Let me say what “poor in spirit” does not mean before I say what it means. It does not mean:
1. Low Self-Esteem
2. Showy Humility
3. Artificially Induced Self-Hatred
4. Weak Faith
To be poor in spirit is to acknowledge our spiritual poverty, spiritual bankruptcy before God. Someone has said that the poverty of spirit “is the conscious confession of unworthiness before God. As such, it is the deepest form of repentance.”
Jesus consciously fulfilled, in the Nazareth synagogue, the Scripture which says, “The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them” (Matt 11:5).
This was, in fact, God’s plan from the beginning:
Through Isaiah the Lord said, “For thus says the High and Lofty One, Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.’” AND “But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, And who trembles at My word” (Isa 57:15; 66:2b). The psalmist said, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise” (Ps 51:17).
Discussion 3: Kingdom of HeavenSo far in Matthew, John and Jesus both have proclaimed that the Kingdom of heaven is “at hand.” Then in 4:23 we read that Jesus was preaching the Gospel (Good News) of the Kingdom. Then Jesus gathers a large crowd to Himself and the first thing our of His mouth is “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
The phrase “Kingdom of Heaven” is the same as “Kingdom of God.” Heaven is simply a Jewish way of respectfully substituting God’s name.
This kingdom idea is a Biblical theme that runs throughout and is vital to our understanding because we are citizens of it! It does not refer to a specific place or time, rather to a condition in which creation is fully restored.
Thus, the kingdom is at hand yet has not arrived in its entirety:
Jesus said, “Indeed, the kingdom of God is with you.” At this point God works through the Body of Christ, the church. His kingdom is a condition within us where God’s will is done as it is in heaven. There will be a Day of final restoration. There will be a final Day when all of creation will physically see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom. And we are citizens of His kingdom! We have no guilt in life nor fear in death.
For the complete background of this kingdom picture we must go to the Old Testament.
SEE Daniel 7:13-14, 27 “I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed…
Then the kingdom and dominion, And the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, Shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And all dominions shall serve and obey Him.”
Major Point: Sticking Point
It is a sticking point for many who do not recognize their own spiritual poverty or at least are not willing to admit that the are spiritually bankrupt before God.
A leading cause for people to enter Hell will be their complete reliance on themselves. For some reason it is part of the sin-nature that people think they can save themselves. In arrogance, they think they have all the knowledge, strength, and resources needed to climb out of the holes they have dug themselves into. They know they have fallen short of the glory of God, and not only Him, but they’ve also fallen short of their responsibilities to their husbands, wives, children, family, and friends… In the unbeliever’s darkened heart, he/she will not admit that they are poor in spirit, but vow time and again to make things better. And…It will…not…work…
Not only is this a problem for unbelievers, but it is also a problem in the church. Jesus revealed to John a message for the church at Laodicea along these lines-
SEE Rev 3:14-17 “These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked…”
At the onset of the sermon we are told that we do not have the spiritual fortitude or resources in-and-of ourselves to put any of the sermon’s teachings into practice.
Yet, God makes a promise through Isaiah in 41:17-18:
“The poor and needy seek water, but there is none, Their tongues fail for thirst. I, the LORD, will hear them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. I will open rivers in desolate heights, And fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, And the dry land springs of water.”
We need to have an “Ah-Hah!” moment when we realize that we are poor in spirit. When God looks at us, He looks past our bank account, the vehicle we drive, the house we live in, the clothes we wear, the education we’ve acquired, the career we’ve built, and all the good things we have done in the name of righteousness ---> He looks directly into our hearts.
Yet, God makes a promise through Isaiah in 41:17-18:
“The poor and needy seek water, but there is none, Their tongues fail for thirst. I, the LORD, will hear them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. I will open rivers in desolate heights, And fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, And the dry land springs of water.”
We need to have an “Ah-Hah!” moment when we realize that we are poor in spirit. When God looks at us, He looks past our bank account, the vehicle we drive, the house we live in, the clothes we wear, the education we’ve acquired, the career we’ve built, and all the good things we have done in the name of righteousness ---> He looks directly into our hearts.
God Almighty pierces to the depths of us to find that we are like the Laodiceans,
“wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.”
Do we realize this? Do you realize this?
Do we admit this?
“wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.”
Do we realize this? Do you realize this?
Do we admit this?
Do you admit that you are poor in spirit?
If you do, then yours IS the kingdom of heaven.
If you do, then yours IS the kingdom of heaven.
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