The Beatitudes - Happy are those who Suffer (by Stephen Simpson)

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.” (v. 10-11 ESV)

Verses 10 & 11 are best taken together as one Beatitude - the final one. Happy are those who suffer for the sake of righteousness and truth. Again, we must understand how this would have sounded to the Jew sitting there listening to Jesus’ words.  They expected to hear Jesus say, "Your suffering is over!"  Instead, He said, "Rejoice in your persecution."


Here, especially, is where the world does not understand Christianity. The world has tried to eliminate Christianity through suffering and persecution. They tried crucifying the apostles. They beheaded some. They dipped some in tar and set them on fire to provide light for their parties. They burned them at the stake. The persecution continues to this day. Just because we live in America and may not hear about it, does not mean that Christians are not murdered for righteousness’ sake.

I was recently told by one of our missionaries to Mali, that one of the national pastors in Mali has had to flee to the US because there is a price on his head.  Islamic terrorists want him - dead or alive.  We in the US must not be naive. Persecution of Christianity is flourishing throughout the world.  Hundreds of Christians have had to flee Northern Mali.  Churches are being attacked in Nigeria. Spend some time at www.persecution.com and you will see that persecution is spread all around the world. 

But as Christians, we are to rejoice in sufferings and persecutions. What is to be our response to suffering for righteousness’ sake?

“Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matt. 5:12)

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake.


Other Posts in this series:

1. The Secret to True Happiness
2. Who Was Jesus Speaking To?
3. How Poor Is Your Spirit?
4. What Makes You Mourn?
5. How Meek Are You?
6. Are You Satisfied?
7. Blessed Are the Merciful
8. Do You Have Mixed Motives? 
9. Be a Peacemaker - Preach the Gospel! 

The Beatitudes: Be a Peacemaker - Preach the Gospel! (by Stephen Simpson)

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” (Matt. 5:9 - ESV)

As we continue through The Beatitudes, understand the ‘shock-factor’ in Christ’s statement. The Jews were not looking for peace. They were looking for victory over Rome. In their minds, peace was not an option for all of the wrongs that had been committed against them. Yet, Jesus came preaching “blessed are the peacemakers. Blessed are those who actually pursue and promote and foster and make peace.”

Like most of the Beatitudes, we must be careful to not misunderstand these words of Jesus. Jesus’ words have nothing to do with political peace. Jesus is not primarily concerned about peace between nations or even peace between you and your neighbor. Jesus has spiritual peace in mind – Peace between man and God.

Peacemakers are needed because there is sin in the world. Sin has broken the peace between God and man. John MacArthur has written in his commentary on this passage, “Men are without peace because they are without God.”  Blessed is the man who seeks to restore that peace.

So, how do we ‘make’ peace? 

1. First of all, we must make peace between ourselves and God. We must trust in Jesus Christ alone for salvation. He is our peace. He is the only way we can be reconciled to God.
2. Secondly, we must preach the Gospel. “To preach Christ is to promote peace.” (MacArthur) A peacemaker recognizes those who have no peace and shows them how to find true peace. A peacemaker points to Jesus Christ as the only way to have peace with God.

A godly peace-maker is one who passionately pursues peace without sacrificing truth. “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” (Matt. 10:34) A peacemaker passionately defends and promotes the truth even when the truth does not appear, at first glance, to foster peace. A peacemaker lovingly but honestly says “you are a sinner.”

Blessed are the peacemakers. Blessed are the evangelists. Blessed are those who tell other people how to have peace with God. 

Other Posts in this series:

1. The Secret to True Happiness
2. Who Was Jesus Speaking To?
3. How Poor Is Your Spirit?
4. What Makes You Mourn?
5. How Meek Are You?
6. Are You Satisfied?
7. Blessed Are the Merciful
8. Do You Have Mixed Motives? 
9. Be a Peacemaker - Preach the Gospel!  

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The Beatitudes: Do you Have Mixed Motives? (by Stephen Simpson)

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (v. 8)

Blessed is the man whose motives are pure. They are clean, focused, and undefiled.  Consider the ESV Study Bible notes on another passage of scripture (Ps. 24:4)  “The pure heart is the one cleansed of all unworthy motives toward other people.”

Mixed motives rob one’s heart of purity. A pure heart is a focused heart. It is a heart with a singular focus on God. It is not focused on pleasing God and on pleasing self.  It is focused solely on pleasing God.

Consider the work of the Holy Spirit in choosing the exact position of this Beatitude. Oh, how many people there are that show mercy out of an impure heart. They consider the poor for selfish reasons. They show mercy so that it will improve their reputation or their status in the church. Often, we view politicians like this, accusing them of doing anything noble for mere ‘political reasons.’ But, maybe we need to spend more time examining our own attitudes and motivations. Why should we show mercy? For the tax deduction? For the warm fuzzy feeling that you get? Let us examine our own heart and motives.

Notice that those who are pure in heart will see God. All of us will see God some day. For some, seeing God will not be a pleasant experience. When they stand before Almighty God and see Him face to face, they will be ashamed and guilty. However, those with a pure heart are blessed because they will see God. They will see Him and treasure Him.  He will reward them for the purity of their hearts. A pure heart is heart with a singular focus that is bent towards pleasing God.

Consider the words of the Psalmist:

“Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart” (Psalm 24:3-4)

How can we have a pure heart? 

"How can a young man keep his way pure?  By guarding it according to your word."  (Psalm 119:9)

Be a person with a pure heart. Have a focused and singular motivation that is bent towards honoring and pleasing God.

Other Posts in this series:

1. The Secret to True Happiness
2. Who Was Jesus Speaking To?
3. How Poor Is Your Spirit?
4. What Makes You Mourn?
5. How Meek Are You?
6. Are You Satisfied?
7. Blessed Are the Merciful
8. Do You Have Mixed Motives?
9. Be a Peacemaker - Preach the Gospel
10. Happy are Those Who Suffer

The Beatitudes - Blessed are the Merciful (by Stephen Simpson)

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” (Matthew 5:7)

There was very little mercy in Jesus’ day. Justice, retribution and revenge were the prevailing attitudes. ‘An eye for an eye…” was the common mindset. Mercy was for the weak. Given this cultural setting, these words of Jesus undoubtedly caused a revolution in the minds of those who heard them. They were expecting to hear, “Blessed are the powerful!” Instead, they heard “blessed are the merciful.”

We must be careful to not misunderstand this beatitude. Many preach this passage as an If-Then statement. In other words, “IF you show mercy to others, THEN others will be merciful to you.” However, experience has taught us that this is not always true. But, we do know that God’s Word is true. So, this must not be the way to interpret this verse. I believe that the correct way to interpret this passage is that those who show mercy towards others will receive mercy from God. Ironically, we become more merciful when we recognize the mercy that God has already shown to us. Then, as we show mercy to others, God graciously shows more mercy to us. We should be constantly engaged in this cycle of mercy.

What does mercy look like in today’s culture? Mercy deals with the consequences or symptoms of sin. Mercy cares for the sick and helps the poor. Sickness is ultimately a result of sin entering our world. Because of sin, difficulty and hard times entered our world. Mercy helps in difficult times. Mercy is when we help those who can’t help themselves.

Forgiveness flows from mercy. Mercy says “I have been wronged, but I forgive you.” We demonstrate mercy through kindness and compassion – through sympathy and empathy. A kind word, a warm meal, a hug, a gift card, an encouraging card – all these are demonstrations of mercy.

Consider also the difference between human mercy and divine mercy. We show human mercy and receive divine mercy in return. What a difference!

Think for a minute on these two questions.

1. How have you shown mercy to someone else today?  this week?  this month? 
2. Do you recognize and treasure the divine mercy that has been shown to you?
      

Other Posts in this series:

1. The Secret to True Happiness
2. Who Was Jesus Speaking To?
3. How Poor Is Your Spirit?
4. What Makes You Mourn?
5. How Meek Are You?
6. Are You Satisfied?
7. Blessed Are the Merciful
8. Do You Have Mixed Motives?
9. Be a Peacemaker - Preach the Gospel!
10. Happy are Those Who Suffer

The Beatitudes - Are You Satisfied? (by Stephen Simpson)

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” (Matthew 5:6)

There is within every man and woman a deep longing for satisfaction. No one is born completely satisfied. There is an emptiness in the soul. There is a void that longs to be filled. Men try to fill that void with various pursuits and ‘things.’ Ultimately, they find that nothing brings lasting satisfaction. They echo Solomon, “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”

The message Jesus preaches is that satisfaction is only found in the righteousness of God. A hunger and thirst for righteousness will result in satisfaction.

This fourth Beatitude marks a culmination of the first four. The one who recognizes the poverty of his spirit, is filled with Godly sorrow over his sin, and responds with a submissive spirit that is yielded to the authority of God, will have an intense hunger and thirst for righteousness. And ultimately, they will be satisfied. They will desire the things of the Lord.

So, the question for you is simple:  Are you satisfied?  Where do you seek satisfaction?

Other Posts in 'The Beatitudes' series:

1. The Secret to True Happiness
2. Who Was Jesus Speaking to?
3. How Poor is Your Spirit?
4. What Makes You Mourn?
5. How Meek Are You?
6. Are You Satisfied? 
7. Blessed are the Merciful
8. Do You Have Mixed Motives? 
9. Be a Peacemaker - Preach the Gospel!
10. Happy are Those Who Suffer

The Beatitudes - How Meek Are You? (by Stephen Simpson)

Matthew 6:5

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”

The meek submit. Godly sorrow, over one’s sin, leads, through repentance, to a humble submission to God’s authority and will. Godly sorrow and repentance force us to acknowledge a higher authority outside of ourselves.

The ‘poor in spirit’ look inwardly at themselves while the meek look humbly toward God. The ‘poor in spirit’ has his head down and is afraid and ashamed to look at God. The meek is just beginning to lift his head in humble submission to his creator. One who is meek relinquishes his rights. One who is meek desires that God get all the glory and submits to His holy will.

Again we see the progressive nature of these Beatitudes. Those who are ‘poor in spirit’ recognize their own sinfulness. This drives them into mourning over their sin. Their mourning produces Godly sorrow and causes them to turn to God for forgiveness. They turn to God in meekness with an attitude of submission.

The Promise: They shall inherit the earth. Again, we see the paradox. The one who releases his rights and surrenders his worldly ambitions and picks up divine ambitions will inherit the earth. Even today, we assume that the meek will get trampled upon. The aggressive and the ambitious will inherit the earth. The meek will not inherit anything. Not so, says Jesus. The meek shall inherit the earth.

Are you meek?

Other Posts in 'The Beatitudes' series:

1. The Secret to True Happiness
2. Who Was Jesus Speaking to?
3. How Poor is Your Spirit?
4. What Makes You Mourn?
5. How Meek Are You?
6. Are You Satisfied?
7. Blessed Are the Merciful
8. Do You Have Mixed Motives?
9. Be a Peacemaker - Preach the Gospel!
10. Happy are Those Who Suffer

The Beatitudes - What Makes You Mourn? (by Stephen Simpson)

Matthew 6:4

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."

Here the paradox that runs through each of the Beatitudes is plain and obvious. In effect, Jesus says, “happy are the sad.” When taken into consideration with verse 3 ('blessed are the poor in spirit'), one must conclude that the implication is “happy is the one who mourns over his own sinfulness.” Godly mourning is inevitable once one acknowledges their spiritual bankruptcy.

Godly sorrow leads to repentance. The genuine mourner cries out to God pleading with Him for forgiveness. Blessed is the one who confesses his sin to God.

Psalm 38 helps us see this Godly sorrow that Jesus spoke of:

There is no health in my bones
because of my sin.
For my iniquities have gone over my head;
Like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me (3-4)

My wounds stink and fester
Because of my foolishness,
I am utterly bowed down and prostrate;
All the day I go about mourning. (5-6)

I confess my iniquity;
I am sorry for my sin. (18)

Do not forsake me, O Lord!
O my God, be not far from me!
Make haste to help me,
O Lord, my salvation! (21-22)

Our mourning over sin should only intensify as the years go by.

Notice the promise. Those who mourn will be comforted. One who genuinely mourns over sin will be divinely comforted. They will receive forgiveness from God. Godly forgiveness will bring divine comfort.


Other Posts in 'The Beatitudes' series:

1. The Secret to True Happiness
2. Who Was Jesus Speaking to?
3. How Poor is Your Spirit?
4. What Makes You Mourn?
5. How Meek Are You?
6. Are You Satisfied?
7. Blessed Are the Merciful
8. Do You Have Mixed Motives?
9. Be a Peacemaker - Preach the Gospel!
10. Happy are Those Who Suffer

The Beatitudes - How Poor is Your Spirit? (by Stephen Simpson)

Matthew 6:3

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

The "Poor in Spirit" does not refer to financial poverty, but to soul poverty. It refers to an awareness of one's Total Depravity and Total Inability to save oneself. One who is poor in spirit is one who has filed for moral bankruptcy. They have thrown themselves upon the mercy of God. Ironically, it is only then that they are fully blessed, for they receive eternal life. The receive the kingdom of heaven.

'Poor in spirit' stands opposite of 'rich in pride.' Tragically, the default position of mankind is 'rich in pride.' We are born 'full of ourselves,' and grow up thinking that our good deeds are good enough. We think that we will be blessed because of our good deeds. But, it is like Isaiah said "all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment (filthy rags)." (Is. 64:6) The good deeds that we do are utterly worthless. Being 'rich in pride' does not bring happiness. One must become 'poor in spirit.'

How do we become poor in spirit?
We become poor in spirit, not by looking around at other people - but by looking at God. The more we understand the character of God, the poorer in spirit we will become. The better we understand the holiness of God, the better we will understand our total inability to meet God's standards of righteousness. We will gain a more accurate picture of the true poverty of our spirit.

Jesus said, "Blessed are those who accurately recognize their own sinfulness." Those who do this will receive the kingdom of heaven. They will have eternal life.

How poor is your spirit?

Other Posts in 'The Beatitudes' series:

1. The Secret to True Happiness
2. Who Was Jesus Speaking to?
3. How Poor is Your Spirit?
4. What Makes You Mourn?
5. How Meek Are You?
6. Are You Satisfied?
7. Blessed Are the Merciful
8. Do You Have Mixed Motives?
9. Be a Peacemaker - Preach the Gospel!
10. Happy are Those Who Suffer

The Beatitudes - Who Was Jesus Speaking To? (by Stephen Simpson)

Matthew 5:1-12 ESV

Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.

The Crowds
When studying The Beatitudes it is important to consider who Jesus was speaking to. There were most likely thousands of people following Jesus. Remember where we are in the life of Christ. Jesus has already visited Jerusalem and driven the moneychangers out of the temple. He has already met with Nicodemus. He has begun His ministry of healing and teaching throughout Galilee. He has already selected and specifically chosen his twelve disciples. He has huge throngs of people following Him. These are the crowds that are listening to His message. The message that they heard was unlike anything they could have imagined. It was definitely not what they wanted to hear.

For just a moment, imagine the thoughts of those that were in the crowd. They just watched Jesus sit down. They understood that He had just taken the position of a teacher. What do you think they expected Him to teach? They were looking for Him to overthrow Rome. They were expecting their political fortunes to begin changing. They thought that Jesus was the key to a better life for all of them. Ironically, Jesus was the key to a better life for them - just not in the way that they thought. They thought that the better life would come through external change, but Jesus provided a better life through internal change.

The crowd expected to hear "Cursed are the Romans" or "Cursed are the Pharisees." Instead they got 'Blessed..." They expected "Blessed are the Jews," but instead they got "Blessed are the poor in spirit."

As we study The Beatitudes, we must understand how shocking and revolutionary this sermon must have been. This was no feel-good, made for TV, "God just wants you to be happy" sermon. This was a hard hitting, full of authority, and powerfully convicting message delivered by Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Other Posts in this series:

1. The Secret to True Happiness
2. Who Was Jesus Speaking To?
3. How Poor Is Your Spirit?
4. What Makes You Mourn?
5. How Meek Are You?
6. Are You Satisfied?
7. Blessed Are the Merciful
8. Do You Have Mixed Motives?
9. Be a Peacemaker - Preach the Gospel!
10. Happy are Those Who Suffer

The Beatitudes - The Secret to True Happiness

Matthew 5:1-12 ESV

Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Last year, I preached a couple of messages drawn from Matthew 5:1-12, which is commonly called The Beatitudes. This section of scripture marks the beginning of The Sermon on the Mount, the greatest sermon ever preached. For a while, I have had the thought that it might be helpful to 'blog' through these verses. So, today I will give a brief introduction to The Beatitudes and then in the weeks and months to come, we will look at them individually.

Introduction to the Beatitudes
The Sermon on the Mount begins with one of the most well-known passages of Scripture – The Beatitudes. In this opening section, Jesus gives the keys to a happy life. He tells the crowd the secrets to true and lasting happiness.

The word 'blessed' can also be translated 'happy' and is used 9 times in The Beatitudes. This word does not refer to a fleeting happiness or a warm fuzzy feeling. In this passage, ‘blessed’ refers to a deep-rooted spiritual peace that only comes when ones divinely receives saving faith. A study of The Beatitudes will ultimately reveal a portrait of what saving faith looks like in the life of an individual. The Beatitudes reveal the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is the only thing in this world that can provide true and lasting happiness.

While it appears that there are 9 Beatitudes, verses 10 & 11 are often grouped together, leaving us with 8 different Beatitudes. The first four focus on inner character traits: poor in spirit, mourn, meek, and hunger and thirst for righteousness. The last four focus on external character traits: merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers, and persecuted.

“The first four may be regarded as describing the initial exercises of heart in one who has been awakened by the Spirit, whereas the next four treat of the subsequent fruits.” – A.W. Pink (An Exposition of the Sermon on the Mount, p. 29)

As I studied this passage of scripture, the thing that struck me was the progression of the Beatitudes. Each one builds towards the next one and grows out of the previous one. In this series we will see that one who is poor in spirit will mourn over their sin. They will become meek and submissive which will lead to a genuine hunger and thirst for righteousness.

Other Posts in this series:

1. The Secret to True Happiness
2. Who Was Jesus Speaking To?
3. How Poor Is Your Spirit?
4. What Makes You Mourn?
5. How Meek Are You?
6. Are You Satisfied?
7. Blessed Are the Merciful
8. Do You Have Mixed Motives?
9. Be a Peacemaker - Preach the Gospel!
10. Happy are Those Who Suffer