2nd September 2024

2nd September 2024


Pray (ACts)


Read (Matthew 5:1-12)


Message (Alan Burke) 


Today we begin a series on the Sermon on the Mount, we will be working through it until mid December and in it Jesus is teaching his disciples of how to live as people of the kingdom of God. These first verses are probably some of the best known of the sermon, known as ‘The Beatitudes’ they speak of those who are blessed. 


The word ‘blessed’ speaks not of happiness in this life, but a transcendent happiness, one that there is joy, blessing in more than temporary circumstances or feelings of happiness after all, could you honestly read though these verses before us and say, like v11 happy are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you. 


That’s not what I perceive happiness to be, I don’t like it when I’m insulted no matter what some of you seem to think, I’m not happy when people persecute me or falsely say all kinds of evil against us, none of us are. Our understanding of happiness in our temporal circumstances rob the teaching of Jesus here of the blessedness he speaks of, it is something more than this life has to offer, better, it isn’t promising a happy life in the here and now, that is never promised in the scriptures. What does it mean to be blessed, it speaks primarily of our relationship with God. 


Being blessed by God is receiving his favour. Think of the Aaronic blessing in Numbers 6 (22-27), the 24    “ ‘ “The Lord bless you and keep you;  25    the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; 26    the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” 


While the crowds are there with Jesus he’s taking the role of the scribes, the disciples came to him and he began to teach, while the crowds are there they are not the focus of the teaching of Jesus, rather it is the disciples. It is the church for whom the sermon on the mount is focused. For this of us who are his disciples, the church, those who claim Jesus as we go through this is a manual on our discipleship that it deals with ethical and moral principles that we are called to live by. 


Today we’re not focusing on all that is taught in these verses rather I want to focus on how it ends in v11-12. We are told blessed are you when you are reviled, persecuted, evil is uttered against us on Jesus account and how we respond is to rejoice and be glad for our reward is great in heaven. Persecution has been the  experience of the church throughout the ages. While it has been fairly easy for us here in the west there are places that you live in fear for your life for being a follower of Jesus, now that isn’t to belittle what you face but rather help us to see the truth of what Jesus warned when he said that we would be persecuted for his sake. 


It almost seems perverse that we are told to rejoice and be glad in this, but it is because we know that this is the only hell we will ever experience because of Jesus and don’t miss how Jesus here is identifies Himself as the Lord. You could sum up what we are being told here with the word suffering, blessed are those who suffer for Jesus sake because just as those who are poor in spirit, they will receive the kingdom of heaven. 


Why will they also receive the kingdom of heaven? 


Well because those who are poor in spirit who know that they come bringing nothing and those who are persecuted and reviled, those who suffer for Jesus because the Lord is pleased when his people live for him even when their is a cost in this life, for their reward is not here, it is in heaven. The idea that you come to Jesus and it will be well is knocked on the head by Jesus throughout the gospels but what we receive is an eternal reward. For the believer no matter what we face in this life it is the only hell we will experience. 


Being blessed  is something more than this life has to offer, it isn’t promising a happy life in the here and now, that is never promised in the scriptures. It is a blessing that is eternal, and the future hope that we have as believers that is described to us in Revelation 21 where we will dwell with our God, see his face in the New heaven and the New Earth where there will be no more sin or its consequences for these will have passed away, for the believer, theirs will be the kingdom, eternal life before the Lord our God, Great Our Reward In Heaven Will Be!


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q79. Which is the tenth commandment?
A. The tenth commandment is, Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s.
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