SERMON ON THE MOUNT

Matt 5:1 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: 2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying (when Jesus opens his mouth let us open our ears and hearts CHS), 3 ¶ Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

I think it is important to point out here that the multitude as well as His disciples heard this entire teaching of Jesus, for we read at the close of His teaching:

• Mt 7:28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: 29 For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
• Beloved, never interpret Jesus compassion and love for the multitudes as meaning that He there are no conditions to be met if one desires to be His disciple.  Listen to this very poignant comment by commentator Vance Havner.
• “Our Lord had no confidence in superficial disciples who did not count the cost. Crowds did not deceive Him. We measure a minister by the size of his crowd, but in the sixth chapter of John the Lord Jesus preached a crowd away! They could not bear His sermon on the bread of life and fell away until only the irreducible minimum of faithful disciples remained, and even they were puzzled. Again in Luke 14:25-33, another multitude followed Him, but He knew they did not mean business, so He turned upon them with that terrific challenge to forsake everything, and with the two illustrations of not counting the cost: the foolish builder, and the king going to war. Sifting church members through that sifter, one finds plenty of chaff today! Our Lord made discipleship hard and lost many prospective followers because he called them to a pilgrimage, not to a parade—to a fight, not to a frolic.”

Lets begin by getting a biblical understanding of the word disciple. The Greek word for disciple is Mathetes is from manthano which "carries the connotation of intentional learning by inquiry and observation." But it means much more than the accumulation of information, it is the accumulation of information from The Master with the intent of changing my mind or my will in order to lease The Master and be conformed into His image.

Have you ever heard the saying, all disciples are believers but all believers are not disciples? Scrap that thought and toss it into the trash saints, because it is not true. Listen to this quote from A.W. Tozer:

·      “True discipleship is obeying Jesus Christ and learning of Him and following Him and doing what He tells you to do, keeping His commandments and carrying out His will. That kind of a person is a Christian—and no other kind is.”

It is notable that Luke uses mathetes repeatedly to describe believers in the book of Acts. In fact the most common term used for believers in Acts is mathetes or disciples, not believers or Christians. Those who teach that disciples of Jesus were a special class of believers and that not all believers are disciples need to explain the book of Acts (Acts 1:15KJV, Acts 6:1, 2,  7, 9:1, 10, 19, 25, 26, 38, 11:26, 29, 13:52, 14:20, 14:22, 28, 15:10, 16:1, 18:23, 27, 19:1, 9, 30, Acts 20:1 Acts 20:30 Acts 21:4 Acts 21:16)  

Thus it is vital that we understand this before we jump into this study beloved. A disciple is a learner or pupil who accepts the teaching of Christ, not only in belief but also in lifestyle. In other words, a disciple is a person who takes The Wod of God as the final say on any and all matters of life. Thus the invitation by Jesus to the multitude to deny themselves and come after Him was acommand to lose sight of one's self and one's own interests for Christ’s will and His interests.

So, when you are invited to believe in Jesus Christ and trust Him as Lord and Saviour, this is much more than a get out of heel forever free card, although it indeed is that! It is a decision to come to Christ as Lord, and begin to live a life of surrender and obedience to His Word and will, which is an ongoing, life long process.

·      A Christian is a follower of The Lord Jesus Christ. Dear KF family, may we purpose in our hearts to be followers of Jesus Christ. It is my deep conviction that the vas majority of the church today is locked into the 1 Cor 1 and 3 syndrome…..I am of Wesley, I am of Calvin, I am Pentecostal, I’m Baptist, I am independent or Reformed…..beloved, as long as I have breath in my lungs, my passion is for us to be followers of The Lord Jesus Christ and learn to get past the labels that we have come to know one another by.

The first sixteen verses of Matthew 5 describe the true Christian and deal with character. The rest of the Sermon on the Mount deals with conduct that grows out of character. Character always comes before conduct, because what we are determines what we do. In Matt. 5:1-16, Jesus shows us that true righteousness is inward, and in 5:17-48, He points out that sin is also inward. Thus, He exposed the false righteousness of the Pharisees, who taught that holiness consisted in religious actions, and that sin was what you did outwardly. How many people make these mistakes today! God looks upon the heart, for there is life’s destiny decided.

The beatitudes describe the character of those who are true followers of The Lord Jesus Christ. So, let’s begin our study of the Sermon on the Mount by asking ourselves this question.

• What qualities do you most want to see developed in your life?
• Does the list include poverty of spirit, meekness, a mourning over sin, a hunger and thirst for righteousness, mercy, purity of heart, a peacemaking spirit and a willingness to be persecuted for the sake of Jesus?
• Every one of these beatitudes are in direct conflict with the spirit of this world and its definition of what a blessed or happy life consists us. According to Jesus:
• A proud, self-confident person is not blessed or happy person.
• A person that enjoys their sin or makes excuses for committing it is not a blessed or happy person.
• A mean spirited person who lacks mercy is not a blessed or happy person.
• A person who has no desire or appetite for the things of God and righteous living is not a blessed or happy person.
• A person who is divisive and sower of discord or division is not a blessed or happy person.
• A person who is ashamed of Jesus Christ and the gospel that bears His Name is not a blessed or happy person.

The English word blessed comes from the Greek word, markarios, which means, supremely blest; fortunate, well off; happy. In other words, the beatitudes are a description of a life that is supremely blessed and happy beyond what one can imagine. This blessedness describes a joy that is serene and untouchable. It is a  joy which is completely independent of all the chances and the changes of life.

• Now lets ask ourselves a second question. When you or I talk about wanting to be blessed or happy, are we thinking along the lines of the beatitudes or do we have something else in mind? Now be painfully honest with yourself (since God knows what is in your heart anyways).
• Do we really think that real blessing and happiness can be found elsewhere or some other way? Though all men desire happiness, yet few attain it because they seek it where it is not to be found. John Wesley           
• Do I really need to stand on front of a group of people, presumably the vast majority of us claiming to be Christian and followers of God and declare that God’s idea of happiness and our’s are not the same?
• The narrow path that leads to life and the broad path that leads to destruction do not intersect at all. They are not even in the same library beloved!
• Dearly beloved, my prayer and the desire of my heart is that each and every one of you, each and every family and this church body be a blessed and happy congregation according to Jesus.
• Listen to this very insightful comment from William Barclay: The blessedness which belongs to the Christian is not a blessedness which is postponed to some future world of glory; it is a blessedness which exists here and now. It is not something into which the Christian will enter; it is something into which he has entered. Paul the apostle said that godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. 1 Tim 4.8 In other words beloved, following Jesus is the best of life here on earth with all eternity with Him in heaven to boot!
• The beatitudes in effect say, "O the bliss of being a Christian! O the joy of following Christ! O the sheer happiness of knowing Jesus Christ as Master, Saviour and Lord!" The very literary form of the beatitudes is a resounding statement of the joyous thrill and the radiant gladness of following Jesus Christ by the power of The Holy Spirit.

For those who may be inclined to believe that what I have just said about being blessed or happy is far-fetched and unrealistic, consider this. King Solomon was unquestionably one of the wealthiest and prosperous men who ever lived on this planet.  But in his search for happiness, he amassed an incredible amount of possessions, music, sex, great building projects, knowledge of botany and other sciences that could not satisfy the longings of his heart (so much for the myth that wealth and being surrounded by a harem of beautiful women, 700 wives and 300 concubines, will make a person happy). What was the one phrase that Solomon used to describe this futile attempt to find happiness and blessedness under haven? vanity and vexation of spirit. Emptiness, agitating, depressing….

After this experiment to prove God wrong and find happiness apart from intimacy with God and obedience to God, what lesson did Solomon learn and pass along for all to read….listen carefully mom, dad, young people?

• Ec 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
• He concluded that only God could satisfy the deepest longings of His soul, and one can only come to that conclusion by the grace of God and the illuminating work of The Holy Spirit.
• Again, let me quote William Barclay: The world can win its joys, and the world can equally well lose its joys. A change in fortune, a collapse in health, the failure of a plan, the disappointment of an ambition, even a change in the weather, can take away the fickle joy the world can give. But the Christian has the serene and untouchable joy which comes from walking for ever in the company and in the presence of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Himself made it very clear that material things and riches do not in and of themselves give happiness to the soul and real meaning in life.

• Lu 12:15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

Real biblical happiness beloved is something that a person can have with or without riches or material possessions, and that is because biblical blessedness or happiness is something that cannot be bought…..you cannot buy character….you cannot buy godliness…you cannot buy peace …you cannot buy joy….you cannot buy a clear conscience. .  

• Saints you and I are people who are living in the culture that is preoccupied with and even borderline obsessed with the physical material realm. We spend an enormous amount of time and money on diets, exercise machines and health clubs, tanning booths etc, products to make us look 40 when we are 60 (they don’t work). Products that make others think we have black hair when it is gray (Surprise! We know it!).
• Yes, taking care of our bodies is important, but Jesus is going to tell us that real life is more than wearing designer clothes or eating the correct food. The thing that is most important in life is the caring of our souls and exercising ourselves unto godliness.
• “Many people turn to alcohol or drugs to try to drown the cryings and longings of the soul. Some turn to sexual experiences. Others seek to quite the longings of their souls with material things. But nothing but God ever completely satisfies, because the soul was made for God, and without God it is restless and in secret torment.” Billy Graham

You see beloved, if we do not decide today that we will allow the God of the Universe and our Creator define for us what a blessed and happy life is, we will seek to find happiness some other way, with the guarantee that our lives are going to fall apart. How do I know that? Lets turn to the end of the Sermon on the Mount to find the answer to that question directly from the mouth of The Lord Jesus Christ.

·      Matt 7:24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

Mark this down in your notes beloved, the only life that God blesses is the one that is marked by His values, not the worlds.

In the Kingdom of God, emptying comes before filling, dying before living, crucifixion before resurrection, confession before forgiveness and poverty before riches.

The first beatitude is really a description of how we enter into the kingdom of God. Jesus is not randomly stringing words together here. This beatitude is first because it is of divine order beloved.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  There is no one in the kingdom of heaven who is not poor in spirit, and that is because conviction always precedes conversion. The Spirit of God convicts before it converts. Nobody is born poor in spirit.

• To be poor in spirit is the exact antithesis of the spirit of this world…self confidence, self assurance, believe in yourself, express yourself, you are numero uno.

Poor in spirit, (sometimes regarded as poverty in spirit) is neither financial, nor is it a depressive condition. A person can give away all of their possessions and in the process become dirt poor, and still not be poor in spirit. A financially poor man is no closer to the kingdom of heaven than a rich man in human terms.  Likewise, a person can have a very poor image of themselves, to the point of being morbid and self-depreciating, head hanging down singing nothing but the blues about everybody and everything and still not be poor in spirit.

The person who is poor in spirit is an individual who sees himself or herself in the presence of an all-holy, all sovereign God of the Universe. Being poor in spirit puts us face to face before God. They recognize their spiritual bondage. They are ever so conscious of their debt of sin, and know that in and of themselves, they are dispossessed before God.

No one can be a Christian apart from this spirit. Instead of being self sufficient and good in the sight of God, we realize that we are rebels and enemies against the goodness and government of God.

We are born dead in trespasses and sins, guilty before God both inside and out. We all fall short of the glory of God. Listen to The Holy Spirits words regarding the results of the C-Scan of every human being.

• Rom 3:9 What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:15 Their feet are swift to shed blood:16 Destruction and misery are in their ways: 17 And the way of peace have they not known: 18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.19 ¶ Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
• Beloved this is not only a description of the Adolph Hitler’s or Osama Ben Ladens in the world, this is a description of how every single person in this sanctuary stands before a holy God, with the person speaking to you being the chiefest of sinners.
• Every single person born of a woman outside of The Lord Jesus Christ is born with a condition that is worse that AIDS, cancer and every other disease put together…we are born SIN positive. This condition is the cause of all disease, war, sorrow, trouble, difficulties and problems in the world.
• According to Romans, all of humanity is lost, ungodly, enemies of God who deserve God’s wrath.
• Dear ones, we are spiritually bankrupt before God. Please do not even think of polishing your spiritual nails in the sight of God, we are not good in the sight of a holy God. Even the cherubim in Isa 6 fly before His throne with 2 wings that cover their eyes, because they cannot behold the perfection His holiness and beauty.
• Beloved, If by the grace of God, I can “pop” our I am a good person mantra this morning, than I have done us a huge favor because according to Isaiah 64.6, we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
• We are debtors in the court of God with no recourse but to plead for mercy and grace. Jesus contrasted the religious good person seeking to get to heaven on his own merits with the person that is poor in spirit this way.
• Lu 18:9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

Beloved, This sinful condition and sin nature separates us from God. Isa 59:1 Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: 2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

·      And the cure for this condition is not humanism or religion, but the gospel of Jesus Christ. You see beloved, we need to understand by the grace of God the depth of our desperate condition before we can see the beauty of the grace and mercy of God towards us. Beloved, our Creator owes none of us anything. Not one red cent…not one more breath.

·      CHS- “The first link between my soul and Christ is not my goodness, but my badness, not my merit but my misery, not my riches but my need. “ Isaiah expresses poverty in spirit by making the statement, Woe is me…..Paul expresses poverty in spirit by making the statement, Oh wretched man that I am…..Peter expresses poverty in spirit by making the statement to Jesus, depart from me, for I am a sinful man.

·      When a person is poor in spirit, they place all of their trust in the grace and mercy and love of God to save them and preserve them. When that takes place in a persons life beloved, now do not miss this, two things will become very real to them. (1) He will become completely detached from things, for he will know that things have not got it in them to bring happiness or security; (2) He will become completely attached to God, for he knows that he knows that he knows that God alone can bring him help, and hope, and strength. The man who is poor in spirit is the man who has realized that things mean nothing, and that God means everything.