Old Testament Reading: Psalm 2:1-12 – New Testament Reading: Galatians 6:1-10
Behold the King
“Life in the Kingdom of God” # 2
Matthew 5:1-12
In what is known as the “Sermon on the Mount,” Jesus described two things:
- The Character of the King – Jesus modeled these nine characteristics throughout His earthly ministry.
- The Character of the Kingdom – Jesus described what life would be like for those who received Him as Savior and surrendered unto Him as Lord.
To understand the “Sermon on the Mount,” we must view it through two spiritual lenses:
- God’s eternal plan to call out a people unto Himself – people through whom He would reveal His grace and to whom He would grant the blessings of His kingdom.
- God’s ultimate goal for His people to be happy – Jesus used the term “blessed” to describe the character of those who will live in His kingdom. In the original Greek language, “blessed” means “happy, contented, fulfilled.”
In describing the “character” of the King, Jesus said He had not come as a:
- A political King – to destroy the Roman government and establish His Kingdom on the earth at that time.
- “The powers that be are ordained of God.”
- A religious King – to destroy the Jewish religion and establish a new world religion.
- “My Kingdom is not of this world.”
In describing the “character” of the Kingdom, Jesus said these nine qualities were:
- Not humanly achievable – to suggest a person could achieve these traits is to deny his total depravity.
- Were divinely obtainable – to those who received Jesus Christ as their Savior and surrendered unto Him as Lord.
The Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount:
- The Occasion – “And seeing the multitude” – People from all over Israel had come to see and hear Jesus. Some had traveled more than 90 miles carrying their sick loved ones in the hopes of seeing the “Healer.”
- The Preacher – “He went up unto a mountain, and when He was set” – Jesus sat down like a Rabbi and taught them like a Rabbi, but not in the same way as a Rabbi – He taught as one having authority.
- The Audience – “His disciples came to Him” – even though thousands of people had come to hear Him and to be touched by Him, Jesus focused His attention upon those He had called and committed to train to become fishers of men.
- The Method – “He opened His mouth and taught them, saying” – what an awesome moment this must have been to see the visible Son of God and to hear the spoken Word of God. The people were being fed by “every word out of the mouth of God.”
The Introduction to the Beatitudes:
- Their divine arrangement – each beatitude results from the maturity of the one before it – the first one being foundational to all the others.
- Their double application – each beatitude includes a “blessing” – a spiritual challenge, and a “promise” – a spiritual reward for accomplishing it.
An Overview of the Beatitudes:
- “Blessed are the poor in spirit” – man must come to the end of himself before he will see his true need for God.
- “For theirs is the kingdom of heaven” – our surrender unto the sovereignty of God is the key that opens the door into the Kingdom of God.
- “Blessed are they that mourn” – when man sees his sin through the broken heart of God, he cannot help but mourn.
- “For they shall be comforted” – the more we mourn over our sin, the more grace the Holy Spirit pours upon us, giving us comfort in our confession, but continuing to lead us to complete repentance.
- “Blessed are the meek” – once we see ourselves as sinners we are, and not the saints we thought we were, we are humbled, knowing, that but for the grace of God, where we would be.
- “For they shall inherit the earth” – when we fully surrender our lives unto the Lord, Satan no longer has dominion over our lives.
- 4. “Blessed are they who do hunger and thirst after righteousness” – this is the major turning point in our conversion experience, as God creates within us an insatiable hunger that can only be satisfied with more of Him.
- “They will be satisfied” – that hunger for God is the evidence of our salvation – the lack of that hunger for God indicates we need to examine our salvation.
- “Blessed are the merciful” – because we now see how God has been so merciful to us, we are merciful to others, especially those who are being held captive to some sin.
- “For they will receive mercy” – as we continue to yield our will unto God’s will, we begin to see the suffering of others from His heart, and we are moved to help them.
- “Blessed are the pure in heart” – we will never reach purity or perfection, but we can be pure in heart and strive for perfection by yielding to the power of the Holy Spirit.
- “They will see God” – not only when we get to heaven, but in the things of the earth, and in the lives of people.
- “Blessed are the peacemakers” – we are now in such communion with God we can be trusted to enter into the service of the King.
- “They shall be called the sons of God” – nothing would prove our relationship with God any more than to take the initiative to bring peace to broken hearts.
- “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’s sake” – since we have separated from the world, the world hates us, as it did, and still does Jesus Christ, and all who follow Him.
- “For theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven” – if we are willing to suffer with Him, we shall also reign with Him. But if we deny Him, He will also deny us.
- “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake” – the mark of spiritual maturity is to be persecuted simply because of our expressed faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.
- “Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven” – if we remain faithful, even to our death, when we stand at the Judgment Seat of Christ, the Lord Jesus will give us the Crown of Life.
