1 00:00:07,680 --> 00:00:12,760 Title of tonight's message is The King's Unexpected Blessing 2 00:00:13,360 --> 00:00:17,080 for the Undeserved. The King's unexpected Blessing 3 00:00:17,600 --> 00:00:21,800 for the undeserved. We're stepping into what is 4 00:00:21,800 --> 00:00:26,360 known as the Sermon on the Mount tonight, chapters 5-6 and seven 5 00:00:27,120 --> 00:00:31,720 out of the Gospel of Matthew, and we'll be here for a number 6 00:00:31,720 --> 00:00:33,320 of weeks. And that was what I really 7 00:00:33,320 --> 00:00:38,200 wrestled with through this week was how much to tackle tonight. 8 00:00:38,360 --> 00:00:43,240 You could so easily spend a sermon on each of the Beatitudes 9 00:00:43,240 --> 00:00:46,760 that we're looking at. Firstly, I rewrote my sermon 10 00:00:46,760 --> 00:00:50,000 some three times and here we are. 11 00:00:50,000 --> 00:00:53,320 This is the approach that I believe that the Holy Spirit has 12 00:00:53,320 --> 00:00:57,600 for us tonight. But this is perhaps the most 13 00:00:57,600 --> 00:01:01,280 famous extended teaching of Jesus in the New Testament. 14 00:01:01,440 --> 00:01:04,959 If you were to read it through Matthew 5 through to seven, take 15 00:01:04,959 --> 00:01:07,400 about 10 minutes of our time. But no doubt when Jesus 16 00:01:07,400 --> 00:01:11,440 delivered it, it was much longer to those gathered present in the 17 00:01:11,440 --> 00:01:14,120 moment. But here's what we do want to 18 00:01:14,120 --> 00:01:17,320 and here's why I was just you know, so deliberate through the 19 00:01:17,320 --> 00:01:21,760 week is really wanting to handle God's word as as is the case 20 00:01:21,760 --> 00:01:23,640 every week, but particularly this sermon. 21 00:01:23,960 --> 00:01:26,000 Handle it carefully and faithfully. 22 00:01:27,120 --> 00:01:32,520 God's word is, is worthy of us being students of the word to 23 00:01:32,520 --> 00:01:35,680 unpack it and, and for you in in in honour of the time that 24 00:01:35,680 --> 00:01:39,040 you're committing here to be able to hear from God and and 25 00:01:39,040 --> 00:01:42,320 not from men. But let me begin with a 26 00:01:42,320 --> 00:01:44,600 question. Hopefully by now you've found 27 00:01:44,600 --> 00:01:47,120 Matthew 5 and it's not a trick question. 28 00:01:47,760 --> 00:01:51,160 It's not a question where I need audible responses necessarily, 29 00:01:51,160 --> 00:01:53,360 but for you to think about and to ponder by way of 30 00:01:53,360 --> 00:01:58,280 introduction, what is one of our culture's most favourite sayings 31 00:01:58,280 --> 00:02:03,800 about God. God helps those who help 32 00:02:03,800 --> 00:02:08,960 themselves. Yeah, maybe you had a a kind 33 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:11,520 hearted grandmother who used to tell you that when things got 34 00:02:11,520 --> 00:02:15,200 tough. Grandfather or somebody in the 35 00:02:15,200 --> 00:02:17,880 family. God helps those you know who 36 00:02:17,880 --> 00:02:21,360 help themselves. And it sounds wise. 37 00:02:21,600 --> 00:02:26,280 It's carved almost into and out of our cultural DNA. 38 00:02:28,400 --> 00:02:33,240 But here's the problem. Nothing has ever been less true 39 00:02:34,240 --> 00:02:37,080 according to the Bible. This is what we're going to see 40 00:02:37,080 --> 00:02:40,640 tonight. Grandma, Grandpa, God bless 41 00:02:40,640 --> 00:02:42,360 their hearts. We're heretics. 42 00:02:48,700 --> 00:02:54,340 That saying God helps those who helps themselves reveals why the 43 00:02:54,340 --> 00:02:56,860 Beatitudes are so difficult. And there are many 44 00:02:57,140 --> 00:03:02,660 misapplications, misinterpretations of it because 45 00:03:02,660 --> 00:03:08,820 we live in a self sufficient society that values those that 46 00:03:08,820 --> 00:03:13,120 do go out and help themselves, but do go out and make the most 47 00:03:13,120 --> 00:03:15,680 of the opportunities that are presented before them. 48 00:03:16,200 --> 00:03:18,400 We're a strength worshipping culture. 49 00:03:18,920 --> 00:03:23,240 We admire that, we honour that, we're victory obsessed. 50 00:03:24,320 --> 00:03:28,440 We're a power oriented culture. These are the types of go 51 00:03:28,440 --> 00:03:33,080 getters in society that we look on with admiration and and oh, 52 00:03:33,080 --> 00:03:36,200 if I could just emulate so and so because they've done this and 53 00:03:36,200 --> 00:03:38,400 they've achieved that and they've accomplished so much. 54 00:03:38,800 --> 00:03:41,960 And therefore what happens is we make lies about God. 55 00:03:41,960 --> 00:03:46,360 As a consequence, God helps those who help themselves 56 00:03:46,600 --> 00:03:51,080 because that fits in so nicely with what our culture values. 57 00:03:51,760 --> 00:03:55,520 And because of that lens, these words that we're going to read 58 00:03:55,520 --> 00:04:00,120 in Matthew 51 to 12 don't make sense to us at first because it 59 00:04:00,120 --> 00:04:04,480 seems so opposite, so contrary to what is valued in society and 60 00:04:04,480 --> 00:04:08,360 the world in which we live. And so instinctively as we read 61 00:04:08,360 --> 00:04:14,120 these verses, we try to turn the Beatitudes into A to do list 62 00:04:15,520 --> 00:04:19,519 into a spiritual check box that tick, tick, tick, yes, that's 63 00:04:19,519 --> 00:04:22,000 me. So therefore I will be blessed. 64 00:04:23,280 --> 00:04:27,200 Something that we can achieve in order to earn God's blessing 65 00:04:28,040 --> 00:04:31,480 upon our lives. If I do these things, if I 66 00:04:31,720 --> 00:04:35,600 become that, if I do that, But Jesus here, here's what I want 67 00:04:35,600 --> 00:04:38,040 us to understand tonight as we read it in a moment. 68 00:04:38,040 --> 00:04:41,360 He's not giving us good advice on how to be blessed. 69 00:04:42,040 --> 00:04:47,840 What Jesus is announcing here is good news, not good advice, but 70 00:04:47,840 --> 00:04:50,920 good news. It's God's unexpected blessing 71 00:04:50,920 --> 00:04:55,960 that comes to the undeserved. So let's read the passage 72 00:04:55,960 --> 00:05:00,560 Matthew 51 to 12:00 And seeing the multitudes, he went up on a 73 00:05:00,560 --> 00:05:04,840 mountain, and when he was seated, his disciples came to 74 00:05:04,840 --> 00:05:08,640 him, and he opened his mouth. Verse 2 and taught them, saying, 75 00:05:08,640 --> 00:05:12,920 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of 76 00:05:12,920 --> 00:05:16,000 heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for 77 00:05:16,000 --> 00:05:20,920 they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they 78 00:05:20,920 --> 00:05:24,840 shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and 79 00:05:24,840 --> 00:05:27,400 thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. 80 00:05:28,800 --> 00:05:31,760 We addressed this on Friday night with the youth group. 81 00:05:32,360 --> 00:05:36,160 It's that verse and being hungry after God and His righteousness. 82 00:05:38,240 --> 00:05:41,520 Blessed verse 7 are the merciful, for they shall obtain 83 00:05:41,520 --> 00:05:44,720 mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, 84 00:05:44,920 --> 00:05:48,920 for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for 85 00:05:48,920 --> 00:05:50,640 they shall be called sons of God. 86 00:05:52,000 --> 00:05:54,560 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness 87 00:05:54,560 --> 00:05:56,680 sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. 88 00:05:57,720 --> 00:06:01,280 Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you and say all 89 00:06:01,280 --> 00:06:05,200 kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake. 90 00:06:06,800 --> 00:06:11,120 Rejoice, be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in 91 00:06:11,120 --> 00:06:13,040 heaven. For so they persecuted the 92 00:06:13,040 --> 00:06:18,600 prophets who were before you. This is God's holy, infallible 93 00:06:18,880 --> 00:06:23,440 word. It's life giving to us. 94 00:06:23,440 --> 00:06:26,760 It's so relevant and applicable. So here's what we're going to 95 00:06:26,760 --> 00:06:27,680 do. We're going to pray. 96 00:06:28,320 --> 00:06:30,280 Let's bow our heads, close our eyes. 97 00:06:30,960 --> 00:06:37,640 Father God, we rejoice for the purity and the power of your 98 00:06:37,640 --> 00:06:41,800 word tonight. We're so thankful for the truth 99 00:06:41,800 --> 00:06:45,440 that we can receive. Help us to not only hear, but to 100 00:06:45,800 --> 00:06:49,400 live out and apply. Anoint now our hearing. 101 00:06:49,840 --> 00:06:56,080 Anoint now my words, they come direct from your throne to US. 102 00:06:56,520 --> 00:06:59,760 Open our hearts to receive this gospel, this good news that 103 00:06:59,760 --> 00:07:04,160 would just so bless us and will it make Jesus all the more pre 104 00:07:04,160 --> 00:07:08,720 eminent in our lives. It's in Jesus name we pray, 105 00:07:08,960 --> 00:07:14,760 Amen, Amen. Matthew all along through this 106 00:07:14,760 --> 00:07:18,600 Gospel as we've been studying, is presenting this Jesus of 107 00:07:18,600 --> 00:07:25,000 Nazareth to be the promised 1 the Messiah, the King, the one 108 00:07:25,000 --> 00:07:27,720 who was to come had been promised from of old and now he 109 00:07:27,720 --> 00:07:29,240 is here. He is the Saviour. 110 00:07:29,600 --> 00:07:32,560 And yet from the beginning what Matthew has been highlighting 111 00:07:32,560 --> 00:07:35,920 for us chapter by chapter as we've been going through it is 112 00:07:35,920 --> 00:07:38,640 that everything about Jesus has been unexpected. 113 00:07:40,440 --> 00:07:43,240 Matthew's been telling us that all the way back in chapter 1 114 00:07:43,520 --> 00:07:47,520 we're told that he came from a broken assorted family tree. 115 00:07:47,760 --> 00:07:50,520 Remember that we had a look at some of those that were in Jesus 116 00:07:50,560 --> 00:07:57,040 ancestry. That he was born in a stable in 117 00:07:57,040 --> 00:08:03,160 a small town, not in a palace. That he became a refugee, 118 00:08:03,160 --> 00:08:06,960 fleeing corrupt power as he fled on into Egypt. 119 00:08:08,120 --> 00:08:11,440 That he was then raised in an obscure place in Nazareth. 120 00:08:12,240 --> 00:08:15,560 But Nathaniel himself would ask the question, scoffing. 121 00:08:15,560 --> 00:08:20,400 Can anything good come out of Nazareth, says off the map. 122 00:08:20,400 --> 00:08:24,880 Small town and Jesus would be doing manual labour, following 123 00:08:24,880 --> 00:08:27,400 in his earthly father's footsteps. 124 00:08:28,320 --> 00:08:33,000 And he was announced, we saw by a locust eating a bug, eating 125 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:38,000 camel hair wearing weirdo out in the wilderness and his cousin in 126 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:42,360 John the Baptist. And then the baptism. 127 00:08:42,360 --> 00:08:45,480 And that in itself is unexpected, John the Baptizer 128 00:08:45,480 --> 00:08:47,120 said. What are you coming to be 129 00:08:47,120 --> 00:08:49,680 baptised for? You should be baptising me. 130 00:08:49,680 --> 00:08:53,200 But Jesus nonetheless was baptised, and the heavens opened 131 00:08:53,200 --> 00:08:56,000 and the Spirit descended like a dove and a voice. 132 00:08:56,240 --> 00:08:59,480 The Father from heaven spoke and declared, This is my beloved 133 00:08:59,480 --> 00:09:03,760 Son. And then Jesus, Matthew 4 faced 134 00:09:03,760 --> 00:09:07,960 Satan in the wilderness again unexpectedly under the Holy 135 00:09:07,960 --> 00:09:13,080 Spirit's driving and direction. And he won where Adam failed, 136 00:09:13,800 --> 00:09:18,360 where Israel failed, where all of humanity fails, Jesus won the 137 00:09:18,360 --> 00:09:21,320 victory and and proved that he is the king. 138 00:09:21,800 --> 00:09:27,600 He is the promised one in God's gracious and righteous rule has 139 00:09:27,600 --> 00:09:32,040 now arrived in him. And so Jesus begins to declare 140 00:09:32,240 --> 00:09:36,120 repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is here. 141 00:09:37,120 --> 00:09:40,920 And last week we looked at it, Matthew 4, verses 23 to 25, 142 00:09:40,920 --> 00:09:45,000 Jesus announcing this, teaching this in the synagogue's, 143 00:09:45,000 --> 00:09:49,600 demonstrating this, explaining the Gospel, healing people and 144 00:09:49,600 --> 00:09:53,480 multitudes coming and and gathering and receiving and and 145 00:09:53,480 --> 00:09:56,920 hearing that good news again, let's read back in Matthew 4, 146 00:09:57,040 --> 00:10:00,440 verse 23. Jesus went about all Galilee 147 00:10:00,440 --> 00:10:03,200 teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the 148 00:10:03,200 --> 00:10:07,440 Kingdom, healing all kinds of sickness, all kinds of disease 149 00:10:07,440 --> 00:10:09,480 among the people. And then his fame went 150 00:10:09,480 --> 00:10:11,440 throughout all Syria. They brought to Him all sick 151 00:10:11,440 --> 00:10:14,880 people who were afflicted with very diseases and torments, and 152 00:10:15,080 --> 00:10:18,000 those who are demon possessed epileptics and paralytics, and 153 00:10:18,000 --> 00:10:19,880 He healed them and great multitudes. 154 00:10:19,880 --> 00:10:23,200 Verse 25 followed him from Galilee, from the capitalist 155 00:10:23,200 --> 00:10:25,160 Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan. 156 00:10:26,240 --> 00:10:30,480 It's marvellous, wonderful moment now taught in the 157 00:10:30,480 --> 00:10:33,560 synagogues, preached in bold declaration the Kingdom of 158 00:10:33,560 --> 00:10:35,760 heaven is here, and that a response is needed. 159 00:10:35,760 --> 00:10:41,000 If the King is here, then repent, surrender your rule and 160 00:10:41,000 --> 00:10:45,400 reign over your life and submit yourself to the one true King. 161 00:10:45,920 --> 00:10:48,800 Jesus is his name and he demonstrated his power by 162 00:10:48,800 --> 00:10:53,600 healing the sick, casting out the demons, the paralysed. 163 00:10:53,840 --> 00:10:55,560 We're no longer in the suffering. 164 00:10:55,840 --> 00:11:01,320 He is the King, His Kingdom is here, and amongst other things, 165 00:11:01,720 --> 00:11:08,080 these healings shout this truth. God helps those who cannot help 166 00:11:08,080 --> 00:11:13,560 themselves, right? God helps those who cannot help 167 00:11:13,560 --> 00:11:16,520 themselves. Jesus would later say, it's the 168 00:11:16,520 --> 00:11:21,600 sick that need a physician. Jesus would later say, I have 169 00:11:21,600 --> 00:11:24,720 come to seek and to save the lost. 170 00:11:26,760 --> 00:11:29,760 We are told in the Scriptures that he is the friend of 171 00:11:29,760 --> 00:11:32,600 sinners, of the outcast, and of the broken. 172 00:11:32,920 --> 00:11:38,720 And so God in Christ helps those who cannot help themselves. 173 00:11:39,360 --> 00:11:43,520 And now seated on the mountain, verses 1 and 2 of chapter 5, he 174 00:11:43,520 --> 00:11:46,760 explains what he is demonstrating. 175 00:11:48,360 --> 00:11:51,720 If we're to go on a tour of Israel, we'll go to the Church 176 00:11:51,720 --> 00:11:54,400 of the Beatitudes, a Catholic Church there that looks out in 177 00:11:54,400 --> 00:11:58,960 this area that they claim to be this location where Jesus would 178 00:11:58,960 --> 00:12:02,760 have delivered this sermon. It's not so much of A mountain 179 00:12:02,760 --> 00:12:06,080 as it is a hill that slopes up in a nice little valley area, 180 00:12:06,080 --> 00:12:08,920 certainly picturesque, overlooking the Galilee. 181 00:12:09,160 --> 00:12:12,600 There's a little little nun there who kind of rules the 182 00:12:12,600 --> 00:12:15,560 roost at that place, who, you know, you don't want to get on 183 00:12:15,560 --> 00:12:18,240 the wrong side of her. But nonetheless, it's a nice 184 00:12:18,240 --> 00:12:21,600 spot. And the disciples are taught, 185 00:12:21,600 --> 00:12:24,360 Jesus moves up to this mountain. The disciples follow. 186 00:12:24,360 --> 00:12:27,280 Now that's not just the 12, but others who were were gathered. 187 00:12:27,280 --> 00:12:30,680 Then the multitude, out of curiosity, end up overhearing 188 00:12:30,680 --> 00:12:34,240 and and hanging on all of these words of the Sermon on the Mount 189 00:12:34,240 --> 00:12:35,920 that we'll look at in the coming weeks. 190 00:12:35,920 --> 00:12:40,120 And Jesus teaches them. And here we look at these things 191 00:12:40,120 --> 00:12:46,000 that are called the Beatitudes. Again, not good advice on how to 192 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:48,560 be blessed though that's in there for sure. 193 00:12:48,560 --> 00:12:52,720 But Jesus bringing good news for the unexpected and undeserved. 194 00:12:53,280 --> 00:12:56,440 And notice the structure that comes through this section is 195 00:12:56,440 --> 00:12:59,840 bookend by the same promise. For theirs is the Kingdom of 196 00:12:59,840 --> 00:13:02,800 heaven, verse 3. For theirs is the Kingdom of 197 00:13:02,800 --> 00:13:06,720 heaven verse 10. And everything in between that 198 00:13:06,720 --> 00:13:08,800 is covered that we'll go through and walk through tonight 199 00:13:08,800 --> 00:13:13,720 describes the surprising nature of this Kingdom of heaven. 200 00:13:14,560 --> 00:13:20,240 You see in 1st century Israel, as is much the case today, the 201 00:13:20,240 --> 00:13:25,120 religious elite, Pharisees, the Sadducees, the members of the 202 00:13:25,120 --> 00:13:28,720 Sanhedrin, the scribes, they were the in Group. 203 00:13:30,200 --> 00:13:33,760 They were the righteous ones. They kept the law. 204 00:13:34,160 --> 00:13:39,320 They knew the Torah, they were the ones with power, they were 205 00:13:39,320 --> 00:13:42,400 the ones with money, they were the ones with prominence and 206 00:13:42,400 --> 00:13:44,920 prestige. And if anyone was to be blessed 207 00:13:44,920 --> 00:13:47,320 by God, it would after all, be them. 208 00:13:48,120 --> 00:13:50,840 Because they've earned it. They've deserved it. 209 00:13:50,840 --> 00:13:53,240 They've done the hard yards. They've put in the effort, the 210 00:13:53,240 --> 00:13:55,920 energy and the work. They had successfully helped 211 00:13:55,920 --> 00:13:58,920 themselves. And after all, that's who God 212 00:13:58,920 --> 00:14:01,920 helps. Is it not through their rigorous 213 00:14:01,920 --> 00:14:05,520 rule keeping? And surely the prevailing 214 00:14:05,520 --> 00:14:08,560 thought back then, as is much the case today, is that the 215 00:14:08,560 --> 00:14:12,480 Kingdom of heaven belonged to them because they had impressed 216 00:14:12,480 --> 00:14:16,160 God. Surely after all, they deserved 217 00:14:16,160 --> 00:14:17,880 it, they earned it, they worked for it. 218 00:14:17,880 --> 00:14:20,640 But Jesus turns everything upside down here. 219 00:14:23,200 --> 00:14:26,520 God is not impressed by self sufficient performance. 220 00:14:27,880 --> 00:14:31,480 No, He has come to save the unexpected and the undeserved. 221 00:14:32,080 --> 00:14:35,280 And this is in fact consistent with the whole story of the 222 00:14:35,280 --> 00:14:39,640 Bible as we read it and as we see it, a loving creation. 223 00:14:39,640 --> 00:14:42,080 We see the beginning. All the way back in Genesis, God 224 00:14:42,080 --> 00:14:45,240 made everything good. He declared day after day of 225 00:14:45,240 --> 00:14:49,440 creation because of his love and an act of God, the world came 226 00:14:49,440 --> 00:14:53,600 into existence and being, but there was a sinful rebellion, a 227 00:14:53,600 --> 00:14:57,640 rejection of God as king. Humanity rebelled through Adam 228 00:14:57,640 --> 00:15:01,120 and through Eve and desired to become like God, buying into the 229 00:15:01,120 --> 00:15:04,960 lie of Satan, the enemy. But God had a glorious 230 00:15:04,960 --> 00:15:09,520 redemption plan, and he chose Abram out of ER of the Chaldees, 231 00:15:09,720 --> 00:15:14,280 to make a nation to redeem Israel, to deliver a promised 232 00:15:14,280 --> 00:15:18,040 one, the seed out of which would come through a blessing on to 233 00:15:18,040 --> 00:15:22,000 not only the people of Israel, but all the nations of the 234 00:15:22,000 --> 00:15:26,240 world, and a blessing. But in that note, God did it. 235 00:15:27,560 --> 00:15:32,200 It's out of his grace because of him, not because of them. 236 00:15:33,040 --> 00:15:37,240 And when God chose and rescued and redeemed Israel, it was not 237 00:15:37,240 --> 00:15:42,200 because they were big and strong and mighty and a powerful people 238 00:15:42,200 --> 00:15:45,160 that God looked on the earth and said I have to have them to be 239 00:15:45,160 --> 00:15:49,320 my people. Book of Deuteronomy Chapter 7, 240 00:15:49,320 --> 00:15:53,560 verse 7 and 8. Moses, being instructed by God, 241 00:15:53,560 --> 00:15:58,040 instructs the people of Israel. This says, the Lord did not set 242 00:15:58,040 --> 00:16:01,120 His love on you, nor choose you, because you were more in number 243 00:16:01,120 --> 00:16:05,720 than any other people and kid yourselves, for you were the 244 00:16:05,720 --> 00:16:09,880 least of all peoples. But because the Lord loves you, 245 00:16:09,880 --> 00:16:12,800 and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your 246 00:16:12,800 --> 00:16:16,280 Father's, the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand, and 247 00:16:16,280 --> 00:16:18,920 redeemed you from the House of bondage, from the hand of 248 00:16:18,920 --> 00:16:22,840 Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Deuteronomy 7, seven and eight. 249 00:16:23,720 --> 00:16:27,120 See how that is unexpected? Let's be honest. 250 00:16:27,120 --> 00:16:30,560 When you and I are given the opportunity to choose, what are 251 00:16:30,560 --> 00:16:33,200 we picking and selecting? The biggest? 252 00:16:33,880 --> 00:16:38,000 The strongest? Go back to the schoolyard when 253 00:16:38,000 --> 00:16:41,120 picking teams for little sporting events. 254 00:16:41,800 --> 00:16:45,600 Him. On him, we choose the biggest 255 00:16:45,600 --> 00:16:47,960 and the best and the strongest and the most appealing. 256 00:16:48,160 --> 00:16:54,120 God's different, and it wasn't because they were rich and 257 00:16:54,120 --> 00:16:59,160 powerful that God chosen. Deuteronomy 817 to 18 Moses 258 00:16:59,160 --> 00:17:01,160 again speaking to the people of Israel. 259 00:17:01,160 --> 00:17:04,599 Then you say in your heart, My power and the might of my hand 260 00:17:04,599 --> 00:17:08,880 have gained me this wealth. You shall remember the Lord your 261 00:17:08,880 --> 00:17:13,480 God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may 262 00:17:13,480 --> 00:17:16,000 establish his covenant, which he swore to your Father's. 263 00:17:16,040 --> 00:17:20,119 As it is this day, you guys haven't done anything. 264 00:17:21,119 --> 00:17:23,839 It's God. And again, God's different 265 00:17:23,839 --> 00:17:30,920 because we today as back then, praise the rich, the celebrity. 266 00:17:31,120 --> 00:17:32,760 Wow. We'll hang on every word that 267 00:17:32,760 --> 00:17:38,240 they utter, the powerful. And it was not even because they 268 00:17:38,240 --> 00:17:42,080 were righteous and obedient that God chose the people of Israel. 269 00:17:42,080 --> 00:17:44,320 Deuteronomy 9 verses four and six. 270 00:17:44,840 --> 00:17:49,520 Do not think in your heart after the Lord, your God has cast them 271 00:17:49,520 --> 00:17:52,200 out before you. The people in Canaan saying 272 00:17:52,200 --> 00:17:55,040 because of my righteousness the Lord has brought me to possess 273 00:17:55,040 --> 00:17:57,760 this land. But it is because of the 274 00:17:57,760 --> 00:18:01,160 wickedness of these nations that the Lord is driving them out 275 00:18:01,160 --> 00:18:03,920 before you. It's not because of your 276 00:18:03,920 --> 00:18:07,200 righteousness or the uprightness of your heart that you go in to 277 00:18:07,200 --> 00:18:09,960 possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these 278 00:18:09,960 --> 00:18:13,880 nations that the Lord your God drives them out from before you, 279 00:18:13,880 --> 00:18:17,000 that he may fulfil the word which the Lord swore to your 280 00:18:17,000 --> 00:18:20,040 father's, to Abraham, to Isaac and Jacob. 281 00:18:20,280 --> 00:18:23,680 Therefore understand that the Lord your God is not giving you 282 00:18:23,680 --> 00:18:26,480 this good land to possess because of your righteousness. 283 00:18:26,640 --> 00:18:29,520 For catch this, you are a stiff necked people. 284 00:18:32,520 --> 00:18:35,120 No Israel, it's not because you're good. 285 00:18:35,120 --> 00:18:36,360 It's not because you're righteous. 286 00:18:36,360 --> 00:18:38,240 In fact, you're a stiff necked people. 287 00:18:40,280 --> 00:18:44,320 He chose them because he loved them because of grace. 288 00:18:45,280 --> 00:18:47,720 He did the unexpected to the undeserved. 289 00:18:47,720 --> 00:18:52,400 It's a whole different logic. It's the Kingdom of heaven and 290 00:18:52,400 --> 00:18:56,920 God is always worked by grace, not by merit. 291 00:18:58,320 --> 00:19:02,280 People of Israel were the smallest, the weakest, the stiff 292 00:19:02,280 --> 00:19:07,280 necked, the undeserving, and yet God acted because He loved them. 293 00:19:08,080 --> 00:19:11,760 That is the story of the Bible. And now in Jesus in the New 294 00:19:11,760 --> 00:19:14,800 Testament, that same grace is being extended and offered to 295 00:19:14,840 --> 00:19:19,360 all of humanity. Jesus brought this home when I 296 00:19:19,360 --> 00:19:22,440 want you to move ahead now with me in your Bible to the Gospel 297 00:19:22,440 --> 00:19:25,480 of Luke. He tells a parable in Luke 298 00:19:25,480 --> 00:19:37,120 chapter 18 verse 9 to 14. In Luke 18 verse 9, the 299 00:19:37,120 --> 00:19:41,720 introduction to this it says also he that is Jesus spoke this 300 00:19:41,720 --> 00:19:45,920 parable to some who look at this trusted in themselves that they 301 00:19:45,920 --> 00:19:50,320 were righteous and despised others. 302 00:19:51,680 --> 00:19:56,440 Jesus says two men went up to the temple to pray. 1A Pharisee, 303 00:19:56,520 --> 00:20:00,880 the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed 304 00:20:00,880 --> 00:20:05,200 thus with himself. God, I thank you that I am not 305 00:20:05,200 --> 00:20:07,720 like other men, and that's a red flag. 306 00:20:09,360 --> 00:20:14,320 God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, 307 00:20:15,080 --> 00:20:20,560 unjust adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 308 00:20:21,920 --> 00:20:26,720 I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I 309 00:20:26,720 --> 00:20:30,840 possess. And the tax collector standing 310 00:20:30,840 --> 00:20:33,920 afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but 311 00:20:35,080 --> 00:20:44,960 beat his breast, saying, God be merciful to me, a Sinner. 312 00:20:47,000 --> 00:20:51,280 And Jesus commentary on this. Now I tell you, this man went 313 00:20:51,280 --> 00:20:54,800 down to his house justified rather than the other. 314 00:20:55,800 --> 00:20:59,200 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who 315 00:20:59,200 --> 00:21:03,680 humbles himself will be exalted. Back to Matthew 5. 316 00:21:03,680 --> 00:21:08,840 That is the unexpected blessing of God to the undeserved. 317 00:21:10,080 --> 00:21:14,920 And this is the very idea Jesus opens with in verse 3 as we look 318 00:21:14,920 --> 00:21:17,280 at these and we're going to walk through the Beatitudes. 319 00:21:17,280 --> 00:21:20,480 Now blessed are the poor in spirit, verse 3. 320 00:21:20,480 --> 00:21:23,840 For theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. 321 00:21:24,760 --> 00:21:26,440 What does that mean? Poor in spirit? 322 00:21:26,440 --> 00:21:32,080 It does not mean financially destitute, although God cares 323 00:21:32,080 --> 00:21:36,480 for the materially poor. But you can also be poor and 324 00:21:36,640 --> 00:21:42,560 wicked, can you not? Nor is it a false humility or a 325 00:21:42,560 --> 00:21:45,520 a low self esteem that's generated within yourself. 326 00:21:45,520 --> 00:21:49,800 It rather is a correct estimation of ourselves before a 327 00:21:49,800 --> 00:21:54,000 holy and righteous God. It's this idea of knowing we are 328 00:21:54,000 --> 00:21:59,920 spiritually bankrupt before God. We bring nothing to the table. 329 00:22:00,640 --> 00:22:05,360 We have no moral riches. We have no merit in ourselves to 330 00:22:05,360 --> 00:22:11,440 warrant any claim before God. We are undeserving, We are 331 00:22:11,440 --> 00:22:14,440 helpless, defenceless, beggars in spiritual things, 332 00:22:14,840 --> 00:22:19,480 unrighteous, unable to save ourselves or earn the Kingdom, 333 00:22:21,160 --> 00:22:23,600 poor in spirits, spiritual bankruptcy. 334 00:22:23,760 --> 00:22:27,800 Like the tax collector in Luke 18, who would not even lift his 335 00:22:27,800 --> 00:22:33,480 eyes to heaven, beat his breast crying, God have mercy on me, a 336 00:22:33,480 --> 00:22:36,160 Sinner. He had nothing to offer. 337 00:22:36,160 --> 00:22:40,200 Unlike the Pharisee on the other side who had everything to 338 00:22:40,200 --> 00:22:42,280 offer. Oh God, how good am I? 339 00:22:42,280 --> 00:22:46,760 Let me tell you, he thought he had merit. 340 00:22:47,520 --> 00:22:49,320 He thought he earned God's blessing. 341 00:22:50,160 --> 00:22:53,320 But the Kingdom belongs to spiritual beggars with empty 342 00:22:53,320 --> 00:22:57,400 hands. This fulfils Isaiah chapter 66 343 00:22:57,400 --> 00:23:00,200 verses one and two. Thus says the Lord, Heaven is my 344 00:23:00,200 --> 00:23:04,960 throne, earth is my footstool. Where is the house that you will 345 00:23:04,960 --> 00:23:06,800 build me, and where is the place of my rest? 346 00:23:06,800 --> 00:23:09,160 To the people of Israel, who thought that they had done 347 00:23:09,160 --> 00:23:11,680 wonderful things for God. And so then now, because they've 348 00:23:11,680 --> 00:23:16,840 done that, God was owing them. God says No. 349 00:23:17,480 --> 00:23:20,680 For all these things my hand has made, and all those things 350 00:23:20,680 --> 00:23:23,280 exist, says the Lord. But on this one I will look on 351 00:23:23,280 --> 00:23:27,680 him who is poor and of a contrite spirit and who trembles 352 00:23:27,920 --> 00:23:32,960 at my word. God looks to the humble and 353 00:23:32,960 --> 00:23:36,240 contrite in spirit. Blessed are the poor in spirit, 354 00:23:36,240 --> 00:23:37,800 for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. 355 00:23:37,880 --> 00:23:42,080 Jesus came again to help those who cannot help themselves. 356 00:23:43,360 --> 00:23:46,520 That's what Jesus meant later when he spoke of approaching the 357 00:23:46,520 --> 00:23:52,200 Kingdom as of a child. Many think of it as an approach 358 00:23:52,200 --> 00:23:56,280 of childhood, sort of innocence and naivety rather in 359 00:23:56,280 --> 00:23:58,840 understanding the culture of the time concerning children. 360 00:23:58,840 --> 00:24:04,040 They had no rights to anything at all back then, no claim to 361 00:24:04,080 --> 00:24:08,840 anything, no history of success, no merit, nothing deserving of 362 00:24:08,840 --> 00:24:11,240 acceptance. So they would come to Jesus 363 00:24:11,240 --> 00:24:15,400 bringing nothing for them to be able to lay claim to. 364 00:24:15,400 --> 00:24:18,440 Well, of course Jesus will accept me because I have done 365 00:24:18,440 --> 00:24:22,280 this, that or the other. It's the realisation, poor in 366 00:24:22,280 --> 00:24:26,400 spirit, that I am nothing, I have nothing, I deserve nothing, 367 00:24:26,400 --> 00:24:31,520 I am poor in spirit before you, God have mercy please on me. 368 00:24:31,520 --> 00:24:34,960 Let me try to give you an illustration somewhat. 369 00:24:36,080 --> 00:24:40,760 Imagine merging bank accounts with the richest person on 370 00:24:40,760 --> 00:24:47,400 earth, Elon Musk, estimated to have a fortune of some $830 371 00:24:47,800 --> 00:24:52,960 billion. What do you bring to such a 372 00:24:52,960 --> 00:24:55,840 relationship? Nothing. 373 00:24:56,920 --> 00:24:59,360 Nothing. He brings everything. 374 00:25:00,480 --> 00:25:04,400 That's the poor in spirit. We come to the Kingdom, we come 375 00:25:04,400 --> 00:25:08,600 to God empty handed, and Jesus brings the fullness of the 376 00:25:08,600 --> 00:25:13,160 riches of His grace. It was the Canaanite woman later 377 00:25:13,160 --> 00:25:15,880 in Matthew 15 when we get to that, who will model this 378 00:25:15,880 --> 00:25:20,200 beautifully when as an outsider she cries out for mercy from 379 00:25:20,200 --> 00:25:22,840 God, for healing for her demon possessed daughter. 380 00:25:23,680 --> 00:25:27,160 And Jesus tests her and he says that I've come first to Israel. 381 00:25:27,680 --> 00:25:31,480 It's not right to give the children's bread to the dogs. 382 00:25:32,680 --> 00:25:35,720 And she doesn't argue entitlement or how rude and 383 00:25:35,720 --> 00:25:39,320 respond with debate, but in humble poverty of spiritual 384 00:25:39,320 --> 00:25:41,880 replies. Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat 385 00:25:41,880 --> 00:25:44,120 the crumbs that fall from their Master's table. 386 00:25:45,120 --> 00:25:49,280 And Jesus marvels and he says of her, O woman, how great is your 387 00:25:49,560 --> 00:25:53,360 faith? That's poor in spirit and the 388 00:25:53,360 --> 00:25:56,360 Kingdom of heaven belongs to such. 389 00:25:57,800 --> 00:26:00,720 Verse 4. Blessed are those who mourn, for 390 00:26:00,720 --> 00:26:06,480 they shall be comforted. We assume in today's society 391 00:26:06,480 --> 00:26:10,240 that those who are blessed are always smiling, always 392 00:26:10,240 --> 00:26:12,520 celebrating. Wow. 393 00:26:12,520 --> 00:26:16,920 Just look at their Instagram and she's at this party and he's had 394 00:26:16,920 --> 00:26:20,520 that happen and they seem to always be on vacation. 395 00:26:21,240 --> 00:26:25,400 He just got that promotion and their kid just got that award. 396 00:26:25,400 --> 00:26:27,640 And why can't you get those awards? 397 00:26:28,400 --> 00:26:30,520 Look at the new car that they're driving. 398 00:26:31,160 --> 00:26:34,600 And we assume that those who are blessed are the ones who are 399 00:26:34,600 --> 00:26:37,920 always celebrating, who are always enjoying prosperity. 400 00:26:37,920 --> 00:26:40,240 But there's a different logic that Jesus brings. 401 00:26:41,040 --> 00:26:44,320 Jesus says those who mourn over their sin and over the 402 00:26:44,320 --> 00:26:49,320 brokenness of the world will be comforted, will be blessed. 403 00:26:50,000 --> 00:26:54,120 They've realised who they are in their spiritual poverty and it's 404 00:26:54,120 --> 00:26:58,520 broken them that they mourn. Now this is not a command to 405 00:26:58,520 --> 00:27:02,280 make yourself miserable. There's not a deservedness nor 406 00:27:02,280 --> 00:27:05,560 merit to being a sad Sam all throughout. 407 00:27:06,840 --> 00:27:10,000 But it's a morning that is right in the sense of understanding 408 00:27:10,000 --> 00:27:13,320 that God, I come to you broken in spirit, realising that I 409 00:27:13,320 --> 00:27:17,240 cannot help myself and that I need you and I'm broken and I'm 410 00:27:17,600 --> 00:27:21,640 I'm messed up. Life has been cruel in this way 411 00:27:21,640 --> 00:27:26,240 and in this regard and and in this way Jesus fulfils Isaiah 61 412 00:27:26,280 --> 00:27:28,640 verses one to three. Let me read out and Jesus would 413 00:27:28,640 --> 00:27:32,480 actually quote this when speaking in the synagogue on one 414 00:27:32,480 --> 00:27:34,440 occasion. He says the spirit of the Lord 415 00:27:34,440 --> 00:27:38,640 God is upon me because the Lord has anointed me to preach good 416 00:27:38,640 --> 00:27:42,040 tidings to the poor. He has sent me to heal the 417 00:27:42,040 --> 00:27:46,720 broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives in the 418 00:27:46,720 --> 00:27:49,600 opening of the prison, to those who are bound, to proclaim the 419 00:27:49,600 --> 00:27:53,240 acceptable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God. 420 00:27:53,240 --> 00:27:57,560 To comfort all who mourn. To console those who mourn in 421 00:27:57,560 --> 00:28:00,520 Zion. To give them beauty for ashes, 422 00:28:00,720 --> 00:28:04,240 the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit 423 00:28:04,240 --> 00:28:07,440 of heaviness, that they may be called trees of righteousness, 424 00:28:07,680 --> 00:28:11,680 the planting of the Lord that He may be glorified. 425 00:28:12,480 --> 00:28:16,320 Blessed are those who mourn, but they shall be comforted. 426 00:28:17,640 --> 00:28:23,760 Blessed are the meek, verse 5 for they shall inherit the earth 427 00:28:26,000 --> 00:28:31,840 in a dog eat dog world, in a survival of the fittest. 428 00:28:33,720 --> 00:28:38,920 We expect that at the end that it's the strong and the 429 00:28:38,920 --> 00:28:43,800 aggressive Who Will Win, who will inherit the earth. 430 00:28:44,880 --> 00:28:47,440 That's after all the evolutionary mindset of the 431 00:28:47,440 --> 00:28:50,280 world. He who dies with the most toys 432 00:28:50,280 --> 00:28:54,520 wins. Blessed are the aggressive might 433 00:28:54,520 --> 00:28:58,040 be the way that the world would rewrite this beatitude, for they 434 00:28:58,040 --> 00:29:02,600 shall get what they deserve. But Jesus says no, the meek. 435 00:29:02,840 --> 00:29:06,400 Blessed are the meek, the gentle, the humble. 436 00:29:07,000 --> 00:29:11,480 Those who do not grasp for power, they, they will inherit 437 00:29:11,480 --> 00:29:14,800 the earth. This echoes Psalm 37. 438 00:29:15,160 --> 00:29:18,040 The meek shall inherit the earth and delight themselves in 439 00:29:18,040 --> 00:29:22,320 abundant peace. Oh yeah, the strong might win 440 00:29:22,320 --> 00:29:28,040 for a season, but God has the last word, meekness here. 441 00:29:28,040 --> 00:29:31,600 Understand it's not weakness, it's not passivity, it's not 442 00:29:32,360 --> 00:29:36,920 being a doormat. It is strength by way of 443 00:29:37,000 --> 00:29:40,480 definition. It is strength under control. 444 00:29:41,960 --> 00:29:44,680 It's the analogy. It's been used a lot, maybe many 445 00:29:44,680 --> 00:29:49,600 of you have heard it, like a a powerful stallion, broken and 446 00:29:49,600 --> 00:29:54,920 now rideable, responsive to its master, power under control. 447 00:29:55,680 --> 00:29:59,280 And here that power, that meekness flows out of poverty, 448 00:29:59,280 --> 00:30:04,160 of spirit and mourning. The one who knows who God is and 449 00:30:04,320 --> 00:30:08,040 who we are as sinners saved by grace, then relates differently 450 00:30:08,040 --> 00:30:12,960 to others, is meek, is no longer lashing out and demanding what 451 00:30:12,960 --> 00:30:15,800 they deserve, what they've earned and not asserting 452 00:30:15,800 --> 00:30:18,680 themselves aggressively or despising the weak, but now 453 00:30:18,680 --> 00:30:23,720 becomes considerate and gentle, submissive to God's Providence, 454 00:30:24,000 --> 00:30:25,240 quick to forgive. Why? 455 00:30:25,240 --> 00:30:26,880 Because we've been forgiven much. 456 00:30:28,120 --> 00:30:31,920 Moses is a great Old Testament example of this where once 457 00:30:31,920 --> 00:30:37,160 impulsive lashing out. It's said of him became the 458 00:30:37,160 --> 00:30:39,960 meekest man on earth after some wilderness training. 459 00:30:40,600 --> 00:30:44,560 The book of Numbers chapter 12 verse 3 Bible commentator 460 00:30:44,560 --> 00:30:48,600 Matthew Henry says of Moses in this moment a lion in God's 461 00:30:48,600 --> 00:30:54,440 cause, a lamb in his own Jesus himself. 462 00:30:55,640 --> 00:30:59,560 Matthew 11 verse 29 will say, learn of me, for I am meek and 463 00:30:59,560 --> 00:31:03,480 lowly of heart. And yet he cleansed the temple. 464 00:31:04,680 --> 00:31:08,640 Yet he confronted the religious hypocrites with holy boldness. 465 00:31:09,560 --> 00:31:14,240 Meekness abdicates self interest for the sake of others and for 466 00:31:14,240 --> 00:31:19,360 God's glory. Do you remember Abraham in the 467 00:31:19,360 --> 00:31:23,760 Old Testament in Genesis chapter 13 when some feuding broke out 468 00:31:23,760 --> 00:31:29,480 between his servants and the servants of his nephew in Lot as 469 00:31:29,480 --> 00:31:32,840 the patriarch, as the rightful leader, Abraham, he could have 470 00:31:32,840 --> 00:31:36,480 insisted when looking out and saying pick where you would go. 471 00:31:36,480 --> 00:31:38,720 He's he. He by right could have said no, 472 00:31:39,600 --> 00:31:43,920 Lot, I will pick the best land for myself and for my people, 473 00:31:43,920 --> 00:31:46,960 and that's where we'll go. And Lot, you know, God help you, 474 00:31:46,960 --> 00:31:52,360 but you'll have the the rest. Instead, in meekness, he let his 475 00:31:52,360 --> 00:31:56,720 younger nephew and Lot choose. If you go to left, we'll go to 476 00:31:56,720 --> 00:32:02,640 the right. Abraham again had the power, had 477 00:32:02,640 --> 00:32:06,520 the position, the priority, but he chose not to stand in his 478 00:32:06,520 --> 00:32:09,720 rights. And what he did in that was 479 00:32:09,720 --> 00:32:12,560 trust God then to provide and to look after him. 480 00:32:13,800 --> 00:32:18,080 And that controlled strength preserved peace in that moment 481 00:32:18,080 --> 00:32:22,360 and allowed God to bless Abraham far beyond what Abraham could 482 00:32:22,360 --> 00:32:26,720 have ever imagined. Because it's Abraham and his 483 00:32:26,720 --> 00:32:29,440 descendants who will inherit the earth. 484 00:32:31,240 --> 00:32:34,400 The six blessed are those who hunger and thirst for 485 00:32:34,400 --> 00:32:37,840 righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 486 00:32:39,160 --> 00:32:44,880 That is, those who feel acute pain over unrighteousness, over 487 00:32:45,160 --> 00:32:50,040 injustice in the world, both in the world around them and in 488 00:32:50,040 --> 00:32:55,080 their own hearts from within, they, when they pursue God's 489 00:32:55,080 --> 00:32:58,840 righteousness, will be filled. Blessed are they who hunger and 490 00:32:58,840 --> 00:33:03,200 thirst for righteousness. You know, left to ourselves, we 491 00:33:03,200 --> 00:33:06,760 cannot produce the righteousness that we crave, the justice that 492 00:33:06,760 --> 00:33:12,720 we desire in this earth. And so as a consequence, we need 493 00:33:12,720 --> 00:33:16,080 to and must look outside of ourselves, outside of humanity, 494 00:33:16,080 --> 00:33:18,720 to God Himself. And we hunger and thirst. 495 00:33:19,320 --> 00:33:24,680 We crave for His righteousness to come to this earth, for He's 496 00:33:24,680 --> 00:33:31,400 justice to rule and to reign for Him to overcome what is reality 497 00:33:31,400 --> 00:33:33,720 in this world? Evil. 498 00:33:34,560 --> 00:33:39,760 Because this world is evil. There is unrighteousness, there 499 00:33:39,760 --> 00:33:42,320 is injustice. We just have to again look at 500 00:33:42,320 --> 00:33:46,200 what tragically occurred in our own NT this week. 501 00:33:47,680 --> 00:33:56,280 Pain and hurt and harm damage, death. 502 00:33:58,400 --> 00:34:00,360 The Kingdom, Jesus says, has come. 503 00:34:01,280 --> 00:34:05,960 And one day I want to jump ahead to Revelation 7, verse 15 and 504 00:34:05,960 --> 00:34:09,639 17. The promise is that the Lamb 505 00:34:09,639 --> 00:34:13,159 Jesus himself will shepherd them, and they will hunger no 506 00:34:13,159 --> 00:34:16,280 more, and they will thirst no more, and God will wipe away 507 00:34:16,719 --> 00:34:19,239 every tear. There will be satisfaction. 508 00:34:20,000 --> 00:34:24,960 Revelation 7, verse 15 and 17. Therefore they are before the 509 00:34:24,960 --> 00:34:29,600 throne of God, serve him day and night in His temple, and he who 510 00:34:29,600 --> 00:34:31,480 sits on the throne will dwell among them. 511 00:34:32,800 --> 00:34:36,320 And they shall neither hunger verse 16 anymore nor thirst 512 00:34:36,320 --> 00:34:38,760 anymore. The sun shall not strike them, 513 00:34:38,760 --> 00:34:42,560 nor any heat for the Lamb, verse 17, who is in the midst of the 514 00:34:42,560 --> 00:34:45,920 throne, will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of 515 00:34:45,920 --> 00:34:50,600 waters, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. 516 00:34:52,159 --> 00:34:55,000 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for 517 00:34:55,000 --> 00:35:00,880 they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, verse 518 00:35:00,880 --> 00:35:06,520 7, for they shall receive mercy. Our world runs on ruthlessness, 519 00:35:06,960 --> 00:35:13,560 on power, on payback. Mercy is often seen as weakness, 520 00:35:14,360 --> 00:35:17,800 and yet in the Kingdom it is the merciful that received mercy 521 00:35:17,800 --> 00:35:19,920 from God. Verse 8. 522 00:35:19,920 --> 00:35:23,840 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 523 00:35:25,160 --> 00:35:27,680 The world in which we live is not concerned with purity. 524 00:35:29,840 --> 00:35:36,600 It operates by deceitfulness. The ends justify the means and 525 00:35:36,600 --> 00:35:43,240 so people cheat on each other on their taxes in sport, in life. 526 00:35:43,880 --> 00:35:46,320 Consequently, people can't trust one another. 527 00:35:47,600 --> 00:35:50,720 If you're pure in heart in this world, you're taken advantage 528 00:35:50,720 --> 00:35:52,520 of. You're used and abused. 529 00:35:52,880 --> 00:35:55,600 But the pure in heart, in the Kingdom of heaven, those 530 00:35:55,600 --> 00:35:59,680 cleansed by grace and pursuing integrity, God promises blessing 531 00:35:59,680 --> 00:36:05,120 and says they will see God. Verse 9, Blessed are the 532 00:36:05,120 --> 00:36:08,320 peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 533 00:36:09,360 --> 00:36:13,240 Our world is not about peace. Turn on the news. 534 00:36:14,200 --> 00:36:18,360 Her world runs on conflict and war. 535 00:36:19,720 --> 00:36:24,600 Peacemaking looks like losing. But those who make peace in the 536 00:36:24,600 --> 00:36:27,560 Kingdom of heaven reflect the character of their heavenly 537 00:36:27,560 --> 00:36:30,280 Father. They will be called sons of God. 538 00:36:31,200 --> 00:36:34,560 And Jesus here brings good news in these verses we've just read 539 00:36:34,560 --> 00:36:37,560 to the merciful, to the pure and to the peacemakers. 540 00:36:38,040 --> 00:36:41,880 It would seem in a world back then, 1st century, Think of it, 541 00:36:41,880 --> 00:36:44,440 Judea under the Roman rule and oppression. 542 00:36:44,440 --> 00:36:50,320 What were the Romans all about? Power and might and war and 543 00:36:50,320 --> 00:36:54,120 conflict. Very much a world like ours that 544 00:36:54,120 --> 00:36:57,160 it's those people, the pure in heart, the merciful, the 545 00:36:57,160 --> 00:37:02,000 peacemakers who would be losing, taken advantage of. 546 00:37:02,000 --> 00:37:05,240 But the Kingdom is come, the Kingdom of heaven is here and 547 00:37:05,240 --> 00:37:09,520 everything is different. Jesus says it's unexpected, it's 548 00:37:09,520 --> 00:37:13,200 to the undeserved. And again, this is not a call to 549 00:37:13,200 --> 00:37:15,200 work on these things in our lives. 550 00:37:15,200 --> 00:37:21,320 It's a pronouncement of grace. I have come to rescue you. 551 00:37:21,320 --> 00:37:23,960 I've come to help those who cannot help themselves. 552 00:37:24,960 --> 00:37:29,480 And finally, verses 10 to 12, Blessed are those who have been 553 00:37:29,880 --> 00:37:34,240 persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the 554 00:37:34,240 --> 00:37:37,160 Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile 555 00:37:37,160 --> 00:37:40,680 and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you 556 00:37:40,680 --> 00:37:45,480 falsely for my sake. Rejoice, be exceedingly glad, 557 00:37:45,480 --> 00:37:47,480 for great is your reward in heaven. 558 00:37:47,480 --> 00:37:50,680 For so they persecuted the prophets who were, who were 559 00:37:50,680 --> 00:37:54,760 before you. Jesus here is bringing good 560 00:37:54,760 --> 00:37:58,000 news. That's what the gospel means. 561 00:37:58,480 --> 00:38:03,720 Gospel is good news as he speaks directly to the disciples 562 00:38:03,720 --> 00:38:07,520 gathered and and those multitudes overhearing those who 563 00:38:07,520 --> 00:38:13,120 appear to be losing the Kingdom of earth, the insulted, the 564 00:38:13,120 --> 00:38:17,520 opposed, the slandered, the persecuted because of him. 565 00:38:18,280 --> 00:38:21,920 Their reward, Jesus says in heaven, is great. 566 00:38:23,520 --> 00:38:26,440 Now there's so much more on the Beatitudes and, and maybe at a 567 00:38:26,440 --> 00:38:29,320 later point we might dig in with a little bit more. 568 00:38:29,320 --> 00:38:34,960 But tonight, as we finish, what are we to do with this good 569 00:38:34,960 --> 00:38:37,600 news? So what do we make of this? 570 00:38:38,680 --> 00:38:43,000 First, may I encourage you stop treating the Beatitudes like a 571 00:38:43,000 --> 00:38:45,360 spiritual scorecard or checklist? 572 00:38:46,240 --> 00:38:48,640 Maybe even as we've been reading, you've probably been 573 00:38:48,640 --> 00:38:54,080 doing this subconsciously. I'm going to read this because 574 00:38:54,080 --> 00:38:57,840 I've probably earned some kind of a blessing in some way. 575 00:38:59,160 --> 00:39:05,440 Yes, Let me have a look. Well, persecuted, certainly not 576 00:39:05,440 --> 00:39:08,160 persecuted. I live in Australia, so I really 577 00:39:08,160 --> 00:39:12,680 can't count that one. Pure in heart. 578 00:39:12,680 --> 00:39:17,080 Let me go there. Oh no. 579 00:39:18,080 --> 00:39:20,840 If everyone knew what I thought, what I did. 580 00:39:22,280 --> 00:39:25,600 No, I'm not getting that one. Merciful. 581 00:39:25,680 --> 00:39:27,520 Yeah, I think I'm pretty merciful. 582 00:39:27,600 --> 00:39:34,040 It's pretty nice to that guy. The other day, that Lady that 583 00:39:34,040 --> 00:39:36,400 cut me off in traffic, I was pretty cool to her. 584 00:39:37,560 --> 00:39:40,640 Merciful Peacemaker. Yes, that's me. 585 00:39:40,640 --> 00:39:51,280 Why can't we just all get along? Mourn meek and on and on we go, 586 00:39:51,920 --> 00:39:56,600 right mentally kind of ticking boxes through it, trying to see 587 00:39:56,600 --> 00:39:59,600 which ones we qualify for and and which ones we don't. 588 00:39:59,760 --> 00:40:03,280 And we're missing the point. We're starting to go into a a 589 00:40:03,280 --> 00:40:06,320 merit and an earning and I deserve blessing. 590 00:40:06,520 --> 00:40:09,160 And this is exactly what we're not supposed to do with this 591 00:40:09,160 --> 00:40:13,000 passage. It's not a a list telling us the 592 00:40:13,000 --> 00:40:17,280 way to achieve and to work in order to earn God's blessing. 593 00:40:17,840 --> 00:40:21,920 It is a beautiful summation of all the different, unexpected, 594 00:40:21,920 --> 00:40:25,640 undeserving walks of life to whom God has sent His only 595 00:40:25,640 --> 00:40:30,800 begotten Son, so that we might have forgiveness, so that we 596 00:40:30,800 --> 00:40:35,560 might have deliverance and a new way to to live, a new way to be 597 00:40:35,560 --> 00:40:38,400 human in His Kingdom, the Kingdom of heaven. 598 00:40:38,760 --> 00:40:44,200 It is the good news that the dominant powers of the day back 599 00:40:44,200 --> 00:40:47,880 then, and that the dominant powers of the world today don't 600 00:40:47,880 --> 00:40:50,120 carry through to the end and succeed. 601 00:40:50,120 --> 00:40:55,400 Succeed with because the Kingdom of heaven is here instead. 602 00:40:56,240 --> 00:40:59,400 Here is what we're to do with this. 603 00:41:00,680 --> 00:41:06,240 See ourselves here in a way where we find ourselves amongst 604 00:41:06,240 --> 00:41:08,600 the poor in spirit, the mourners, the meek, the hungry, 605 00:41:08,600 --> 00:41:10,960 the merciful, the pure, the peacemakers, even the 606 00:41:10,960 --> 00:41:14,320 persecuted, but knowing all the way through it that our 607 00:41:14,320 --> 00:41:17,360 righteous deeds are like filthy rags. 608 00:41:18,040 --> 00:41:23,200 Isaiah 64, verse 6. And as Paul said in Philippians 609 00:41:23,200 --> 00:41:26,960 chapter 3 verse 8. Yet indeed I also count all 610 00:41:26,960 --> 00:41:30,280 things lost for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus 611 00:41:30,280 --> 00:41:33,840 my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, 612 00:41:34,480 --> 00:41:39,360 and count them as rubbish that literally there is dung that I 613 00:41:39,360 --> 00:41:44,160 may gain Christ. The difference in spotting 614 00:41:44,160 --> 00:41:47,320 yourself for some merit, some earning, as opposed to 615 00:41:47,320 --> 00:41:51,560 identifying yourself in the way that I'm encouraging is to see 616 00:41:51,720 --> 00:41:55,960 and know and understand that we don't have any merit on our own, 617 00:41:56,440 --> 00:42:00,040 that we can't earn, that we don't achieve, that we have 618 00:42:00,040 --> 00:42:04,120 nothing to lay claim to God owing us in any way, that we are 619 00:42:04,120 --> 00:42:07,240 the unexpected, the undeserved ones. 620 00:42:08,920 --> 00:42:13,080 And to again understand that God helps those who cannot help 621 00:42:13,520 --> 00:42:17,040 themselves. That's you, that's me. 622 00:42:17,720 --> 00:42:22,560 And to then understanding that, rejoice in that knowledge, don't 623 00:42:22,560 --> 00:42:25,120 you think that these broken multitudes gathered there in 624 00:42:25,120 --> 00:42:28,720 hearing Jesus words on this day and the Sermon of the Mount, the 625 00:42:28,720 --> 00:42:31,760 sick and the struggling and the outcasts and those who had been 626 00:42:31,760 --> 00:42:35,920 used and abused would have had their jaws drop to the ground in 627 00:42:35,920 --> 00:42:38,720 hearing this. Wow, this is great news. 628 00:42:40,200 --> 00:42:43,160 Because they thought that they would permanently be on the 629 00:42:43,160 --> 00:42:45,200 outside. Because who can measure up to 630 00:42:45,200 --> 00:42:46,880 the righteousness of the Pharisees? 631 00:42:47,920 --> 00:42:51,960 Who can stand against the religious elite and the rulers 632 00:42:51,960 --> 00:42:55,320 that study the law and the Torah and know the Scriptures inside 633 00:42:55,320 --> 00:42:57,160 and out? And compared to them, Well, 634 00:42:57,160 --> 00:43:02,080 we're nothing. But Jesus would bring them all 635 00:43:02,080 --> 00:43:04,320 the way inside into the Kingdom of heaven. 636 00:43:04,560 --> 00:43:07,440 Why? In and through and because of 637 00:43:07,440 --> 00:43:10,960 His grace. His grace. 638 00:43:11,920 --> 00:43:15,360 And there was likely a party on that mountain. 639 00:43:15,520 --> 00:43:23,000 In hearing those words, there's hope there'll be some tough 640 00:43:23,000 --> 00:43:26,080 words later on when we get into the Sermon on the Mount and some 641 00:43:27,360 --> 00:43:31,200 later ones that might have broken that party. 642 00:43:32,520 --> 00:43:36,600 But it is when we get to those how we're to respond to grace 643 00:43:36,600 --> 00:43:39,320 and how we're to live in grace. But again, we'll get to them 644 00:43:39,320 --> 00:43:44,360 later on in future sermons. Thirdly, tonight, hope in the 645 00:43:44,360 --> 00:43:47,040 promises that we've just read through in the Beatitudes. 646 00:43:47,040 --> 00:43:50,240 You see, the King who brings this unexpected blessing will 647 00:43:50,240 --> 00:43:54,480 one day make all things new. He's promised that. 648 00:43:55,080 --> 00:43:58,920 And he will satisfy every hunger, every thirst. 649 00:43:58,920 --> 00:44:03,720 He will comfort every mourner. He will reward every faithful 650 00:44:03,720 --> 00:44:06,800 servant, and then give thanks and praise. 651 00:44:06,800 --> 00:44:12,760 Rest in His grace today. Tonight we simply receive it 652 00:44:12,760 --> 00:44:16,680 with empty hands. I've got nothing to give you, 653 00:44:16,680 --> 00:44:24,240 God, but I just receive gladly with a grateful heart, Jesus of 654 00:44:24,240 --> 00:44:30,760 Nazareth, the king from the wrong family tree, born in a 655 00:44:30,760 --> 00:44:33,200 stable, announced by a desert prophet. 656 00:44:33,680 --> 00:44:39,680 This King has come, and he has brought unexpectedly the Kingdom 657 00:44:39,680 --> 00:44:44,760 to people just like us, the unexpected and the undeserved. 658 00:44:46,480 --> 00:44:52,160 Tonight, if you feel spiritually bankrupt, if you mourn your sin, 659 00:44:53,240 --> 00:44:55,880 the state of the world in which we live, if you feel weak and 660 00:44:55,880 --> 00:45:00,000 empty handed, you are exactly the person that Jesus came for. 661 00:45:01,400 --> 00:45:07,400 The Kingdom of heaven is yours. Come to him, respond to him, 662 00:45:08,240 --> 00:45:13,480 receive from him, and in that, let's rejoice, let's have hope 663 00:45:13,480 --> 00:45:16,920 in our hearts. Let's worship the King who 664 00:45:16,920 --> 00:45:21,880 blesses the undeserving with his lavish grace. 665 00:45:22,440 --> 00:45:30,600 Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you 666 00:45:32,120 --> 00:45:38,720 tonight that your blessing is not reserved for the strong, for 667 00:45:38,720 --> 00:45:45,360 the self sufficient, for the powerful, the mighty who think 668 00:45:45,360 --> 00:45:52,880 that they are owed from You, but rather for the sinners, the 669 00:45:52,880 --> 00:45:56,920 broken, the sufferers. Like us. 670 00:45:58,600 --> 00:46:09,480 We come tonight poor in spirit, and we, arms open, receive your 671 00:46:09,480 --> 00:46:15,400 unexpected grace, Your hands empty. 672 00:46:17,440 --> 00:46:22,800 Please fill us tonight with your joy, with your hope, with great 673 00:46:22,800 --> 00:46:28,480 gratitude, because of Jesus, in whose name we pray tonight. 674 00:46:29,200 --> 00:46:31,240 Amen. Just to know you.