Another Look At The Beatitudes, part 5

Matthew 5:10-12

10. We are persecuted because we are like God. We draw the same fire He draws.

This is for the sake of righteousness. It is not because we’re stinkers. This is a high calling.

The kingdom is reiterated. There’s nothing more God can give. This is repeated from verse 3 to show that we’ve come full circle. We are not lacking anything we need from God.

Could this have been said of those under Moses that they had the kingdom in this sense? Adam started out with it, but He didn’t get it back in this way. This is an absolute possession, not one we can lose if we don’t pay the property taxes. (We can, of course, throw it away, but that is another issue on another topic. The point is that what we have from God cannot be taken away from us by any external force of the devil, man or the world.)

Theirs – it is theirs and theirs alone. God never acts arbitrarily giving things to those who don’t have faith or this character. Even Paul had to believe and be baptized, regardless of what God wanted to do with him.

11. The blessing doesn’t come from being reviled, but from the fact that we are identified as being with Jesus and a part of Him. MY NAME’S SAKE.

God is not interested in any masochists.

We can get it all: revile, persecute, say all evil. Jesus gives us ample warning of what might come if we follow Him.

12. We can rest in God when this comes, rather than feeling we have to defend ourselves. Jesus puts us in the same class as the prophets. I wouldn’t mind being associated with Isaiah.

Reward = eternal life.

It’s in heaven where no on can tamper with it and where it can’t be lost.

It’s great, not a “consolation” prize. We are not “Also Rans” in the spiritual realm if we run with Jesus.

Another look at the Beatitudes, part 4

Matthew 5:8-9

8. Pure = 100%. There is nothing there but what should be there.

The heart is the center of our being. Too many people look good without being good. A look at the news will verify this statement.

This purity comes from the righteousness bestowed, but it continues through our participation in it.

We can see God. This is something Moses couldn’t do in his lifetime. This is to live in the presence of God. It is to have freedom, boldness with regard to him. There is no blessing beyond this.

9. Peacemakers covers the outward reach. It’s not that we are diplomats, but evangelists. The only peace we can really make is introducing people to the Prince of Peace.

Still, there ought not to be contentions in the church or in our families. The Christian should be the FIRST to act in conflict.

To be labeled as sons of God is to be designated as those with the nature of God. No higher name can be given. Again, this is not something that comes until the earlier characters have been developed.

Another Look At The Beatitudes, part 3

Matthew 5:6-7

6. Since we have the gentle character we want more. No one character of Jesus of God sums it all up.

This needs to become like a physical appetite. We realize that we are devoid of righteousness and can only get it if we get it from God.

Justification allows us to:
Enter heaven in the end
Pray now
Be done with guilt
To be able to really “play” the piece of the Christian life (to use a musical metaphor) as it should be

In all this satisfaction is guaranteed. We won’t be looking for other spiritual resources, either in ourselves or in other religions.

7. Merciful is something else. We might expect that the righteous would make everyone toe the line as they only think they have done. That is not the character of the Father, and it is the very character we acquire here. Mercy doesn’t require others to “get it right” before it is dispensed. It is given precisely because they don’t have it right, and never will apart from the extension of mercy.

As with God, absolute righteousness in us disposes us to mercy. This should govern our every interpersonal interchange. This, like forgiveness is a gift you get when you give it. We originally get it from God when we are saved, but we operate in it as a total way of life now.

Another Look At the Beatitudes Part 2

Matthew 5:4-5

4. Jesus pronounces a blessing on mourning. Why would he do so on such a negative thing, and what exactly is the mourning referred to?

I don’t think this can be limited to repentance over sin, although that is a species of mourning. The fact is that every Christian who has been justified and cleansed is still plagued with holes in his life. Every hole inside of us can be filled by God. That’s what the blessing is, but it won’t come to those who are trying to fix themselves. Comfort comes to us when significance is shown (of ourselves and what we are going through) and when we receive resources to move ahead despite the agony

Time doesn’t heal all wounds. Jesus does!

Mourning is a deep-seated lack expressed in such a way that it’s not covered up or over. If you try to cover it up yourself, Jesus can’t reach down inside the hole to fix it. We have to be passive in this so He can fix it. If however, we’re in denial that there is nothing to mourn, we’ll never be able to receive His comfort. To mourn is to do so on a healthy open level, not to indulge in obstinate despair such as Jacob did when he swore to go to his grave in tears.

We go from being saved (i.e. inheriting the kingdom) to having our very real inner needs met.

5. In gentleness we come to the golden mean. Here we acquire the character of Jesus who would receive the children yet was able to drive out the moneychangers. There is skill here.

This is as positive character inside us. Again, there is a sequence. We can’t get this if we’re proud and controlling our own emotional fates. Thus we have to mourn and empty the whole bag out for Jesus to deal with it. Then he replace the holes with something better: His own character.

This is the opposite of the world’s way where the proud get it all. God is in control. He sets the rules. It’s not what we see now that counts, but what’s at the end of the game. God doesn’t change the rules to keep us from winning, either.

Inherit is dependent on the will (both in terms of personal volition and testament) of God. No one can coerce Him to give them this.

Another Look at the Beatitudes part 1

For the next several days we’ll be looking at a section a day of the beginning of the most famous sermon of all time. Even though we’ve all heard it and memorized it, some of us more than once, there is truth there we need to continue to get hold of. Here are some observations that came to me during my weekly men’s journaling group.

Matthew 5:1-3

1. Jesus sat down. He was not interested in being “seeker sensitive”. His message was adjusted to no one’s needs. So, we need to get where Jesus is.

2. It says that Jesus opened his mouth and taught. Some of the newer translations skip over that mouth business, but I think it’s important. This is a Hebraism, a repetition of the same thing in different terms, but it’s more than that. Why did it say this?
To show that this came out of Jesus: source.
To show that it was personal.
To let the truth out. He keeps nothing back from us.

3. Theses are all pronouncements. There is no “if” connected with them. They are not wishes or guidelines, but PROMISES! It’s character and action which are blessed. There is no blessing in a vacuum. Those who have this character get more of it. Further, we see that these are a full circle with no chinks left open for anything other than the character of Jesus to be ours.
To be poor in spirit is not to be haughty or puffed up. We begin by recognizing our spiritual need, not our accomplishments. Nothing, however, comes to us without our engagement in it. Spirituality is not like nationality or gender.
The kingdom is the totality of the God-life, the totality of everything from God. This is because of adoption and inheritance. This is not a flippant statement, but a reality borne out by the truth. We don’t control the kingdom, but we have freedom and access to the totality of it. There are no classified levels to the Christian, no security clearances required that keep us out of some places. We have the whole mind of God.