We have looked at the first five "blessed" groups that Jesus identifies in this portion of the Sermon on the Mount: the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the gentle, those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, and the merciful. There are three more groups that bear Jesus' descriptive word of "blessed" - the pure in heart, the peacemakers and those persecuted on His behalf. We will continue to see that blessings in Jesus' perspective do not necessarily equate with what this world that we live in deems as being blessed. For Jesus has told us that we are to view everything differently. We are to see things through eyes that have been opened to the vision of His kingdom. We are to see things through eyes that have gone beyond temporal and tangible and into the eternal and promised, matters of faith. (Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.")
Today's first words of blessing are directed to the "pure in heart." Do you qualify? Their reward is great, for "they will see God." I know we all want that blessing. So who are in this group? Is it who the Psalmist describes in Psalm 15:1-2: "LORD, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain? The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart." That would probably rule me out...for while I long for a blameless, righteous life, I look back and see many times of sinfulness. And while I pray for a truthful heart, filled with pure motives, I know there have been times when my sinful nature has risen up and caused my personal goals to override those that are pure. I join with Paul and say, "For I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice the evil that I do not want to do...what a wretched man I am." Paul does not seem to feel blessed at this point, does he? But Paul doesn't stop there...for he knows that there is hope. And there is hope for you and for me, too. For while we have not been blameless, and while we have not been righteous, and while we have not always spoken truth from our heart...we have now been cleansed from all of our unrighteousness and we have been made pure in heart. Our righteousness comes from the One who is proclaiming the blessing, for He will become the purity that He knows we so desperately need in order to see God. Paul goes on to say, "Therefore, no condemnation now exists for those in Christ Jesus, because the Spirit's law of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. What the law could not do since it was limited by the flesh, God did. He condemned sin in the flesh by sending His own Son in flesh like ours under sin's domain, and as a sin offering, in order that the law's requirement would be accomplished in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." Let us accept the sin offering of Jesus Christ to cover our impurity and bring to us His purity, and continually turn from walking in our flesh and walking according to His Spirit living in us. That is where our purity is found...in Him alone.
Next group - the peacemakers - they will be called children of God. I heard Beth Moore say one time, "Note that the description is not 'peacekeepers'...it is peacemakers. Sometimes it's easier to be a peacekeeper than to be one who does the hard work of 'making the peace'. Making the peace takes effort." I think what she is saying is that we are to be those who lovingly and kindly approach people to repair the hurts, amend the wrongs that may have been done, and work through the issues that are preventing a peaceful relationship. It is much easier to "keep the peace", ignoring the problem and never really resolving anything than it is to "make peace" by getting to the core of the issue. This is the only place in the whole New Testament that this particular word is used...eirenopoios...meaning "loving peace." We are to be people who long for peaceful, sweet relationships without discord or drama. Why will this group be called "children of God"? I believe because God is the ultimate peacemaker. He showed us this by sending Jesus to save His creation...He longed to make peace with sinful mankind....and He did it! He did whatever it took to restore peace, and that is what He is asking of us, as His children. Long for peace, with others, and for others. We should be peacemakers who bring God's peace to those who are still in the dark. Tell them of God's perfect peace. The peace that Jesus spoke of to His disciples, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you; I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."
The final group that Jesus closes His blessings with are the persecuted, those persecuted for righteousness and because of Him. He says that the kingdom of heaven belong to these people and He equates them with the prophets of the Old Testament who suffered persecution for standing true to God and His Word. There is currently more worldwide persecution against Christians than ever before in world history. People are being tortured and killed for their faith in Christ. Brave, faithful Christians are choosing to go into areas where they know it is likely that they will come under some type of persecution in order to take the saving message of Jesus to these dark areas. Unlike other religions who claim favored status for those who kill those who oppose them, Jesus says that those who place their own lives in danger for His sake, for His message, for trying to save others, will be rewarded. "When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been." Revelation 6
We serve a God who blesses those who this world would never reward. We are called to look at things differently...to look at people as God sees them, to honor what He honors. What He blesses, we should bless. Let us live life differently than we have, let us value things that make eternal differences.
Blessings to you, my Christian brothers and sisters. God's eternal blessings!
Today's first words of blessing are directed to the "pure in heart." Do you qualify? Their reward is great, for "they will see God." I know we all want that blessing. So who are in this group? Is it who the Psalmist describes in Psalm 15:1-2: "LORD, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain? The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart." That would probably rule me out...for while I long for a blameless, righteous life, I look back and see many times of sinfulness. And while I pray for a truthful heart, filled with pure motives, I know there have been times when my sinful nature has risen up and caused my personal goals to override those that are pure. I join with Paul and say, "For I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice the evil that I do not want to do...what a wretched man I am." Paul does not seem to feel blessed at this point, does he? But Paul doesn't stop there...for he knows that there is hope. And there is hope for you and for me, too. For while we have not been blameless, and while we have not been righteous, and while we have not always spoken truth from our heart...we have now been cleansed from all of our unrighteousness and we have been made pure in heart. Our righteousness comes from the One who is proclaiming the blessing, for He will become the purity that He knows we so desperately need in order to see God. Paul goes on to say, "Therefore, no condemnation now exists for those in Christ Jesus, because the Spirit's law of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. What the law could not do since it was limited by the flesh, God did. He condemned sin in the flesh by sending His own Son in flesh like ours under sin's domain, and as a sin offering, in order that the law's requirement would be accomplished in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." Let us accept the sin offering of Jesus Christ to cover our impurity and bring to us His purity, and continually turn from walking in our flesh and walking according to His Spirit living in us. That is where our purity is found...in Him alone.
Next group - the peacemakers - they will be called children of God. I heard Beth Moore say one time, "Note that the description is not 'peacekeepers'...it is peacemakers. Sometimes it's easier to be a peacekeeper than to be one who does the hard work of 'making the peace'. Making the peace takes effort." I think what she is saying is that we are to be those who lovingly and kindly approach people to repair the hurts, amend the wrongs that may have been done, and work through the issues that are preventing a peaceful relationship. It is much easier to "keep the peace", ignoring the problem and never really resolving anything than it is to "make peace" by getting to the core of the issue. This is the only place in the whole New Testament that this particular word is used...eirenopoios...meaning "loving peace." We are to be people who long for peaceful, sweet relationships without discord or drama. Why will this group be called "children of God"? I believe because God is the ultimate peacemaker. He showed us this by sending Jesus to save His creation...He longed to make peace with sinful mankind....and He did it! He did whatever it took to restore peace, and that is what He is asking of us, as His children. Long for peace, with others, and for others. We should be peacemakers who bring God's peace to those who are still in the dark. Tell them of God's perfect peace. The peace that Jesus spoke of to His disciples, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you; I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."
The final group that Jesus closes His blessings with are the persecuted, those persecuted for righteousness and because of Him. He says that the kingdom of heaven belong to these people and He equates them with the prophets of the Old Testament who suffered persecution for standing true to God and His Word. There is currently more worldwide persecution against Christians than ever before in world history. People are being tortured and killed for their faith in Christ. Brave, faithful Christians are choosing to go into areas where they know it is likely that they will come under some type of persecution in order to take the saving message of Jesus to these dark areas. Unlike other religions who claim favored status for those who kill those who oppose them, Jesus says that those who place their own lives in danger for His sake, for His message, for trying to save others, will be rewarded. "When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been." Revelation 6
We serve a God who blesses those who this world would never reward. We are called to look at things differently...to look at people as God sees them, to honor what He honors. What He blesses, we should bless. Let us live life differently than we have, let us value things that make eternal differences.
Blessings to you, my Christian brothers and sisters. God's eternal blessings!
