THE BEATITUDES

            And seeing the multitudes He went up into a mountain.  The Sermon on the mount was not preached in a synagogue or in the temple, but on a mountain top and neither should the preaching of the word today be confined to the house of worship.   

            At the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount He opened His mouth and taught them saying, and then He began with the famous Beatitudes. Beatitude means happy. The beatitudes of Jesus contain the program in a very few words of how be happy in this life and the world to come.  Before each beatitude, He said Blessed are they: Blessed are they is the same as happy are they. Everybody wants to be blessed. Blessed with money, power, fame, blessed in marriage, business, or sensual pleasure. Here in the beatitudes is the way to find true happiness here and forever. He opened His mouth and taught them.

POOR IN SPIRIT

Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The opposite of this beatitude is Woe unto them that are proud for they shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Being poor is not the way to be happy as far as the world-view of things is concerned. Someone has figured up a five-word formula for happiness. Listen to these five words. You will achieve happiness from the standpoint of the world. The five secret words that will make you happy are: MONEY, MONEY, MONEY, MONEY MONEY. There it is Ladies and Gentlemen. Do you want to be happy? Try MONEY, MONEY, MONEY, MONEY, MONEY.

One man wrote and indicated that he had found true happiness in material things. He said he received eight hundred dollars a month. He has a wood burning stove and enough wood to last throughout the winter, he gives ten per cent of his eight hundred dollars to the Lord, and he says he is happy. He has found happiness in Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, even though it is only eight hundred dollars. He is way ahead in the materialistic game. The world-view of life can be summed up in the statement, “He who has the most toys when he dies wins.”

However the Lord did not say, Blessed are they who are poor as far as finances are concerned. Blessed are they who cannot make the next car payment or the house payment or pay the rent. He said, blessed are they who are poor in spirit. Blessed are they who have no spiritual resources they can depend on. Blessed are they who have no pre‑conceived ideas about how to be saved, but are willing to listen to the word of God. Such people who say, speak Lord thy servant heareth and not listen Lord thy servant speaketh. They don't tell the Lord I think this or I think that. When the Lord speaks it is time to stop their thinking and 1et the ­Lord do their thinking for them. Blessed are they who are spiritually bankrupt. These are people who know that they don't deserve anything and who know if they depend on their own devices would go straight to hell. Blessed are they who can sing that gospel song.

Could my tears forever flow, Could my zeal no languor know, These for sin could not atone, Thou must save and thou alone.

BLESS ARE THEY THAT MOURN

Next He said, Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted. From a world-view of things there never was a more stupid statement ever made than that. Blessed are they that mourn. The world would say blessed are they that laugh. Stand up comics are knocking themselves out trying to get people to laugh. The late night programs are dedicated to laughing. The late night host who can make people laugh the loudest and the most can command an income of astronomical figures. All for the sake of getting people to laugh at something or somebody. Yet according to this sermon of Jesus the Lord said in the Luke version of it, Woe unto them that laugh now for they shall weep. If the Lord knew what He was talking about that late night television crowd will be doing some sobbing and crying somewhere sometime.

Of course we are aware that the Lord did not mean that we are to be happy if we mourn over the death of family, or the loss of a job, or over the getting of a disease. I went to a funeral home one time for the visitation. A lady was sobbing greatly over the death of her husband. One of the mourners present told her not to cry. He said, be happy. Don't cry, laugh. He said look at me I am laughing. Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha. Why was he was laughing. It wasn't more than a week or so after that he moved in with the grieving widow and they shacked up together. Then I understand why he was laughing at the funeral.

The Lord Jesus was speaking about mourning over our sin. Some need to mourn over the loss of their virginity, some need to mourn over their homosexuality, their drug addiction, their booze, their nicotine. This is a mourning that will bring repentance. If you think of your sins as you ought to think of them, it will not be long until you cry out with the Apostle Paul, Oh wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? That is the kind of mourning that was done on the day of Pentecost when the first gospel sermon was preached. They were pricked in their hearts and cried, Men and brethren what shall we do? Peter told them to, Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

            Blessed are they that mourn. And while you are at it you might try some mourning over the condition of our country, Mourn over the spiritual garbage on television. Mourn over the millions of babies that have been slaughtered by abortion. There is no end of things that we need to be in mourning about. Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted.

BLESSED ARE THE MEEK

The next beatitude is, Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth. That is another that goes counter to the world-view of things. The world says Big is better. If we get enough money and enlist enough people we can do anything. When Gideon fought the Midianites, God had to whittle his army down from thirty two thousand to  three hundred men to show them that big is not better. It was trust in God that would bring victory and not trust in self. The word meek is not a weak spineless word it is a strong word. The meek are flexible to the word of God. The meek are those who are inflexible to false doctrine. Their spines are like steel rods set in cement. Moses was called the meekest of men, yet no one was any more stubborn in doing the will of God than he.

A meek person is one who does not have a false sense of pride. We don't mind admitting our own mistakes. We don't mind saying, I have my faults, but we don't want someone else to say it. I heard of a man one time who was nominated for elder. He arose to his feet and declined. He said, I am not worthy. I am undependable. I lose my temper. I am the worse one you could pick for this office and then he sat down in great humility. Another man arose and said, I just want to add one thing to what our dear brother has said. He says he is undependable and loses his temper and he is unworthy. I just want to say one thing. He has told you the truth. He is unworthy. He is the worst possible choice that you could make. At this point the first man jumped up and said, You are a liar. Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.

BLESSED ARE THEY THAT HUNGER AND THIRST

Then there is the beatitude that tells us, Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled. The opposite of this one is, Woe unto them that hunger and thirst after booze, drugs, and sexual perversion for they shall never be satisfied. Not to many today hunger and thirst after righteousness. The reason so many miss the various services is because they are not hungry. People who lose their appetite are sick. Sometimes a person won’t eat physically thinking they might be overweight. He becomes anorexic and thinks he is fat. Some Christians  never read the word of God and think they are well fed Christians. They might even think they are fat when in reality they are anorexic and emaciated one step away from spiritual death.

We all need to feed on the word of God. However reading the Bible through each year may not be enough of a real feed. Sometimes reading the Bible is like taking a sightseeing tour. A person decides to drive from the east coast to the west coast and you ask did you go to Saint Louis? Yes I passed by it on the circle free way. A person could visit every city in America that way and not know too much about it unless they stopped and spent some time there.

Reading the Bible is like that sightseeing tour. I passed by Abraham on the way through. I whizzed by some of the kings of Israel in the book of Chronicles. I think I remember passing by Hosea and Joel somewhere along the way. We don't learn much about the Bible by whizzing through. We need to stop off and visit with Abraham. Spend some time with Jonah and with David and with Noah. Only by spending extra time with these various points of interest can we say that we have really fed on the bread of life. Don't bolt your food down take your time and chew it well. Enjoy it. It is not just a duty to be ticked off. Do you really hunger and thirst after righteousness. I heard a professor one time say, it is not how many times you go through the Bible, but how much of the Bible goes through you. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness.

BLESSED ARE THE MERCIFUL

Now the next beatitude is, Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy. We hear of the sins of many who are in high profile positions. I have lived long enough and I know myself all too well to look askance at any man no matter what the accusation. However, In view of what the Bible teaches about obedience to the laws of the land being merciful does not include an unholy mercy. Some people have the idea that mercy is not giving the criminal his just deserts. A slap on the wrist and send him on his way. Such treatment sends the wrong message and only encourages the criminal to do it again.

The  greatest act of mercy was the death of the Lord Jesus on the cross. God had mercy on us, but He showed no mercy for His Son. The price due to justice had to be paid. Even the statement of Jesus at the cross, "Father forgive them they know not what they do,"  was not carte blanche forgiveness at the moment. There was a little matter of repentance on the part of those who were in the process of crucifying the Lord. That forgiveness was given by the Father on the Day of Pentecost when Peter told them by the hands of lawless men ye did crucify and slay. When they heard of their guilt and asked what to do, they obeyed and then the prayer of Jesus was answered, Father forgive them they know not what they do. God shows us mercy when we obey the terms of pardon. If we obey He will honor His word.

BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART

And now the next is, Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. The opposite of this is, Woe unto them that are not pure in heart for they shall not see God. The heart is the seat of all our problems. Jesus said, Out of the heart proceeds forth evil thought, murders, adulteries, fornication's, thefts, false witness, railings, these are the things that defile the man.

It is such a lonely battle. This battle that goes on in the mind. If everyone could know what we were thinking it would not be so difficult. If we knew the crowd was watching our thoughts and ready to applaud each victory it would help. But no one sees but the Lord. Monasticism is not the answer. Sometimes monks will go off somewhere and not associate with anybody or say anything to anybody in a vain effort to get away from it all. But there is no way you can get away from yourself. Go to a desert island you are not alone.   There you are, just you and the Devil. Paul give us the best defense for heart trouble. The weapons of our warfare are mighty to the pulling down of strongholds and the casting down of every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God. Bringing every thought into ­captivity into the obedience of Jesus Christ. Blessed are the pure heart.  

BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS

And now, Blessed are the peace makers for they shall be called the children of heaven. The opposite of this is, Woe unto them who stir up trouble for they shall be called children of the Devil. The word peace maker is not a sissy word. Sometimes the policeman who shoots a bank robbers is the best example of a peacemaker. The service man who holds a gun in his hand may be a peace maker in some faraway place.

            Before World War Two, I used to think what a terrible thing that man did who invented dynamite. To invent such a power to be used in war to blow up people. Later I learned that the man who invented dynamite thought the same thing. Alfred Nobel invented dynamite. As he thought of the horror of war, he decided to make what amends he could by leaving all the interest of his money to various worthy endeavors. One prize

Is the Nobel peace prize.

Paul said the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. The word for power in Greek is the same word from which we get our word dynamite. The only power that can blast sin is the dynamite power of the gospel. The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus has won the real peace prize.  Paul says in Ephesians, But now in Christ Jesus have ye that were off been made nigh by the blood of Christ for He is our peace.

BLESSED ARE THE PERSECUTED

Then the last beatitude is, Blessed are they that are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Sometimes the Christians of the first century were persecuted for their faith, And many today write to tell me that many are being killed and church buildings burned down at this very moment in which we speak.   The Christian today in America thinks he is not in danger of such things. However don't think that the Devil is not busy doing his work. He uses more sophisticated means of getting the job done now. The Devil does not always use the atheist or the government to persecute the Christian. He uses what we call the nominal Christian to do his dirty work. This could be the most insidious persecution of all. While Christians do not fear the rack or the torture chamber they do fear being called a religious fanatic. They object to being called a Holy Joe. Many would much rather endure the lash to the back than to be called a Jesus freak.

The modern day Christian escapes all this ignominy by pretending to be less religious than perhaps he really is. We must not let anyone at the office, or at the work place, or at the game suspect that we are indeed saints. Concealing our true identity is a way of life for most quote Christians unquote. Actually it is not a way of life it is a way of death. That kind of conviction will dry up and die.

It is true that when you refuse to engage in certain activities because you are a Christian, some may sneer at the moment, but down deep inside they respect you for your stand and probably wish they had what you have. But even if they don't, your stand will witness against them on that day. Remember in any event Paul told Timothy; All that would live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. The best recourse that we have is to do what Jesus said, Rejoice and be exceeding glad for your reward is great in heaven for so persecuted they the prophets that were before you. He opened His mouth and taught them saying. Ladies and Gentlemen Jesus said a mouth full.