Welcome to a continuation of our study of The Beattitudes, or as mentioned last month “The Attitudes To Be.” These attitudes as much as they help us with our interpersonal relationships they are more directed towards our relationship with the Lord. And that makes sense, for if my heart is right towards the Lord, then my heart will be right towards my fellow man.
Matthew 5:3-11
“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.”
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” The word pure is Katharos and we get among other words our English word to cauterize. It also is used “to mean clean, pure, clear, and in a natural sense unsoiled, unalloyed.” We forget about how Holy God is and we tend to bring God down to our understanding rather than allowing Him to bring us up to His. This is seen in our public and private lives. How we deal with people and or situations, whether we lead with integrity and our faith or we bend for convenience sake or because of peer pressure. In an office setting there is usually always someone who is talked about and it’s easy to join in, yet I know Jesus would not do that. Every person has value to Him, we all matter to Him and aren’t you glad of that?
In our private lives we make decisions such as living together, to have sex prior or outside of marriage, to more common things such as our entertainment, the shows we watch. To engage in activities that are contrary to His Word brings injury to our own soul. For these actions, especially if we continue in them, keep God out. We must decide, especially prior to facing peer pressure, who we want to be. Whether it is more important to us to be in good standing with our peers or whether we will seek for the highest and the most important approval – that of The Lord’s.
There is a clear and single path God has ordained. As the Creator and Author of Life, He has every right to determine how He can be approached and by whom. He is Loving and Kind, but also Holy and Pure. I like to consider these four attributes as the guard rails on the road of life. If you consider life as a curvy mountain road with drop offs on either side, Holy and Pure are the guard rails to the right, Loving and Kind are the guard rails to the left. As long as we stay within these guard rails our life will not only be safe, but joyfilled and we will prosper. That is exactly how our Father would have it, and what is the result, “they (we) shall see God.” That is a pretty cool promise. Living in agreement with His Bible is the road home that leads us to the Father.
Purity is a daily effort. It is purposeful, it must be practiced. Purity does not just come, no more than conditioning does without excerise. It involves frequent times in the Bible coupled with prayer, and from that purposeful decision comes the strength and conviction to live life according to God’s best. Controlling our speech according to James chapter 3 is one of the tougher frontiers to conquer. Be it bad language, gossip, or “run of the mouth,” it’s a challenge for many. Yet it is needful if we are to represent Christ. By learning to choose our words with care means that later we do not need to apologize. Excercising restrain over the “fire”(James 3) in our mouth is critical. Also having the wisdom to know what things should be said verses what things are better left unsaid is important, these are all disciplines that come as we grow closer to the Lord.
Reining in our thoughts, whether they are thoughts of unforgiveness, anger, or lust, is a must if we are to be His Holy Temple as 1 Corinthians 3:16 says,
Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
This is a major step of maturity and a mindset that effects every decision we make and thought we think. WE ALL NEED to consider what it means to be God’s Temple, it would revolutionize our lives into a purifying agents of hope and strength and by God’s Grace and the help of the Holy Spirit it is do-able.
It is said that we vote with our money, what are you and I voting for? We need to say no to purchases that cater to materialism, greed, or pride because we recognize that true life is in Him, and not in a thing. And it can be a fight, if you believe that the god of materialism is equal to the God of the scriptures. A dangerous place to be that can only be corrected through spending time with Him. If you spend time with Him then you understand this next statement, we are like wrestlers. We struggle with our opponent, be it materialism, greed, lust, or all of them to get the upper hand. And by our choices and habits we either give the truth a standing in our life, or we ignore it and allow our flesh to control us. In such cases we are not even conscience of the Holy Spirit’s conviction.
For me personally to go backwards in my life by heeding my flesh or the values of the world is not even an option for me. Rather, I agree wholeheartedly with Joshua in chapter 24:15
“And if it seem evil unto you to serve — the Lord, choose you this day — whom ye will serve; whether — the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or — the gods of the Amorites, in whose land — ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve — the Lord.”
To win at life, not because we are wealthy, or important, or an expert in our field, but because we exalt righteousness first and foremost in everything we do is worth whatever effort is needed. It’s ironic to me that we can get ourselves to the gym, or make it to the movies and dinner but we can’t get ourselves to sit down and read the scriptures. We invest in the temporal but give little attention to what is eternal. And yes, to live a life pleasing to God is a struggle and requires sacrifice, but with each right decision the struggles lessen. And if we use our struggles to drive us into His Word (The Bible), searching for scriptures that pertain to our struggle, will we become stronger. This strengthening is what gives us victory for the future battles we will face. Chapters of scripture that pertain to trusting God, worry, lust, and wisdom have been thouroughly darkened by the oils of my fingers from years of study and meditation.
And yes at times we get beat, like a boxer who gets knocked down. However we get up again to fight another day, only better trained and more determined to win. The only time we truly lose is when we become offended and turn our backs on the truth.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”
Peace (Eirenopoios ) can only be made by those who know the peace that is found in Christ. Peace as shared in prior Vida’s does not start with our relationship to each other, but our relationship to God. The word for peace has been used in the medical field to define the setting of a broken arm or leg. This is what Christ the Master Peacemaker has done for us. Broken from our union with our Heavenly Father via our rebellious nature, Christ’s sacrifice became our atonement/ redemption that opened the way to the Father. Via that sacrifice we can once again become connected. One in spirit and enjoy a relationship with The Lord that was God’s intent from the beginning. We can now be forgiven via repentance and be connected, or “ set” back in union with our Lord. Once we have experienced this then being a peacemaker becomes the life we are called to live, “for they shall be called sons of God.” ( sons, in the plural includes male and female).
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Persecution comes in many forms but the scriptures make it clear that it is for righteousness sake. Acting weird, holier than thou, being legalistic or being somewhat arrogant because we believe that our beliefs are superior are reasons why we may be persecuted, but that does not constitute righteousnes. Righteousness is living a life like Christ. His life represented the truth and yet He was humble, gentle, “a man of sorrows” who was very approachable and comfortable with beggars, harlots, tax collectors, and the like. He related to the common man. It was the self righteous that He opposed. The life He lived and how He lived it defines righteousness; we must prayerfully seek to do and be like Him.
Our actions and our words are as lights that should show forth the truth within us. Hence in certain settings our life and beliefs expose the wrongdoings of others, making them uncomfortable, possibly even angry or hateful towards us. It is to be expected, no one likes to feel that they are wrong or a “sinner.” Which we all are, there is no getting around that truth, “ for all have sinned ( sin means to have missed the mark) and come short of the Glory (perfection) of God ( Romans 3:23). Why we struggle with acknowledging that we have fallen I have no idea. God is Holy and I am not, therefore I have “ fallen short” or sinned from His standard of perfection. It’s important to understand and accept this before we can move forward in our faith and truly appreciate Christ’s Redemption which brings a sinner like me right into the loving arms of my Heavenly Father. Those who want to live their life their way are not open to this and therefore will miss out on a life where they could have a relationship with The Lord, now and for eternity. Is it really that hard to say “Father, forgive me for I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness and love.”
With people being as such, how do we reach them? I have a saying, “Always witness of Christ, and when necessary use words.” In other words, our actions, our speech, and our mannerism should demonstrate of the reality of Christ in us. Hence when words are spoken they have weight and believablity because they represent the truth that we are living. There will be those who will listen and those that will find our life in conflict with theirs. These may resort to some form of persecution, yet our reward far outweighs the conflict, “for ‘ours’ 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.”
Would you not say that the people in the above verse, those that would revile and persecute us were true enemies of The Cross? By all appearances the answer would be yes. Yet Saul of Tarsus, later know as Paul the Apostle, was no different. We really do not know why some people aggressively oppose the Gospel. An easy guess is someone or something turned them against it. It could have been a bad experience at church that was never made right, or a family member who claimed to be a Christian but did not live it; or maybe just a hurtful misunderstanding or a loss that was never resolved and God got the blame. Any of these reasons could keep someone from the faith, however I believe Paul’s reason was different. He was so blinded by his zeal for the Jewish faith that he was against all other beliefs, especially one that promoted a crucified Messiah that rose from the dead. As such, he would never try to understand Christianity. It was not until Christ met him as he was on his way to Damascus to persecute and imprison believers that his life changed. And as he was blinded by his zeal for the Jewish faith, he was temporarily blinded after his vision of Christ. For three days he remained blind. What went through his head during that time? You can definitely think about a lot of things when sight is not there to distract you.
Initially Paul believed Christianity was a threat to Judaism, a heresy. However after his experience he realized it completed it. Without the life of Christ the Old Testament remained incomplete, promises not fulfilled. And without Christ sacrifice, “Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world (Jan.1:29),” adherence to the law and animal sacrifice would still have to be. Christ substitutionary death opened the road to forgiveness and to a relationship with the Lord. This was and is a HUGE game changer. To know that you know the Lord because of Christ’s redemption gives life a whole new meaning. Forgiveness and an ongoing changing life ( sanctification) brings peace and the assurance that hope gives.
Without some understanding of Christ’s redemption it is easy to see why some people oppose the Gospel. The scriptures say that people oppose themselves; they get in the way of hearing the true message. It could be because of their hurts from their past as mentioned, or a heretical teaching they heard in college, or just a misunderstanding. Because of those experiences they hear a completely different message. Also we must not rule out pride. The words sin and pride have one letter in common, the letter I. We cannot ignore the innate rebellion that exists in all of us. Therefore the verses the speak to this instructs us to overrule it. In Romans 8:13-14….,
“For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”
There can be many more reasons why people turn away or never take serious the Christian faith, but the purpose of it all was so we could be “led by the Spirit of God.” Sadly Jesus taught in Matthew 7:13-14 that wide was the way to perdition and narrow was the way to eternal life.
“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to perdition, and many there be which go in thereat:
Because strait is the gate, and narrow (hard) is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”
Because strait is the gate, and narrow (hard) is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”
These are some of the saddest verses in all of scripture. Why we struggle with repentance and submission to the Lord is beyond me. It shouldn’t be that hard. The bar of righteousness is way too high, and our unwillingness to humble ourselves before a Holy God will hurt us for eternity. Jesus taught, “no one comes to the Father except through Me( John 14:6) and why, for only in Him is there the means to be able to approach a Holy God. People do not understand the Holiness of God. If we did there would be no debating, God is God and I am not and clearly I need a Savior. Simple, but our pride blinds us and gets in the way from seeing the truth. No more would I pick up red hot coals from a fire with my bare hands than believe I can approach a Holy God on my own merits – that’s a fools game, I will be no fool.
There is a clear mandate placed on man’s behavior and whether he seeks to acknowledge his sin nature or not there is no mistaking the clarity of the scriptures. In John 3:3
“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
To be “born again” is Christ term for repentance/redemption and sanctification, to turn around from my self directed path ( repent) and accept Christ redemption ( to redeem is to be purchased from a life of sin) and then made clean by the forgiveness that is in Christ alone ( sanctification ) is what occurred on the Cross when Christ gave His life, The Righteous for the unrighteous.
The “narrow way” termed as such because it is a narrow way, there is only one way to God not multiple ways, and it is hard. The way of self denial is very unappealing to our flesh. The road of self denial, saying no to all the things that would appeal to my pride or believed to make me happy, following the proverbial “carrot” is answered forever by my relationship with Christ. In other words, it’s not Christ and something else, it’s Christ alone and it takes a while to learn that and some never do. Through trail and testing true believers learn that nothing in this material world can ever equal the peace or joy of a relationship with the Living God. We may be blessed with worldly possessions but they are not on equal standing as Christ. These possessions are seen as blessings, not idols. Blessings are viewed as a stewardship that have been given into my care via my Father. For I find that God is very generous. He desires to bless, especially when we can be trusted and the blessing doesn’t alter our devotion to Him. We do not put them, or seek them before Him. At times much easier said than done, especially when you are immature in the faith. And regarding possessions, if any body ever needed anything it was Paul the apostle who virtually had nothing. He writes something that should be an inspiration to all of us, but especially for those that struggle with materialism.
Philippians 4:11-13
Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
— I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
— I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Materialism only has a hold on us because of our insecurities. What people think of us as well as what we want people to think of us weighs on our insecurities. However the more we grow in Christ and in His love for us these insecurities begin to lose there grip. Slowly the focus changes where it is not so much what I or others think of me, but what Christ thinks of me. These steps forward, are steps towards my freedom. From no longer being controlled by my insecurities to becoming more secure and being free to make decisions that move me forward in Christ. In time I need nothing from this world and His companionship and presence supersedes everything. I stand completely freed and detached from all the props and god’s of this world.
Life can be tough and there are many bumps in the road, some painful, however if we do not let the pain derail us from seeking Him we come under His promise found in Romans 8:28,
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
Given the heartache people experience this promise can be a tough one to believe. However from personal experience if we continue to seek Him and use the pain to deepen our walk with Him, rather than becoming offended and walking away, you will come to see the truth of this verse in your life. I will not candy coat the walk of Faith. It takes effort and discipline to follow after Christ, but we either put effort into becoming free, or we put effort into thinking we are becoming free by catering to our insecurities. The choice is ours.
Dear Father,
Thank you for this study. Open our mind and heart to be able to understand all that has been said and understand that You only want my good, even though it may take painful events to make that happen. Help me to also understand that there are painful consequences to doing my own thing, consequences that You have nothing to do with. It is part of sowing and the reaping of my own decisions. Yet no matter what, You have and will always love me and are only a prayer away of becoming part of my life. Thank you, and Amen
Move Forward in His Grace – Arthur