Journeys –we are all on them. Whether they be journeys of parenthood, growing up, retirement, relational, social or emotional. Many of us will soon be making physical journeys in our summer vacations, holidays and breaks.
In these journeys we often have a destination in mind –a picture of the end of the road. We see ourselves on the beach, out on the lake, holding hands at a sunset. We picture ourselves out of the cycle of grief or in a place of healing –we have that ideal that goal that we are striving for. It is that picture, that goal that gives us hope.
The path to our destination on this journey may not always be easy. Anyone who pictured the journey of parenthood as being an idyllic walk through the park with no problems has not yet experienced the 2 AM feedings, the colic, the terrible twos, teenage trauma or the angst of not having you child arrive home on time.
Whatever our path in life, whatever the journey, we know, we hope, the end will be worth it all. That is what keeps us going.
I believe that God ahs placed in everyone of us a longing to reach a goal –to arrive at a certain destination. And that place is called heaven. There is within us a longing –for some it is very deep, for others is may be a mere nudge (More on that later) to reach to the eternal and find a path or way towards that goal –heaven.
Mankind strives to find his way –to make some sense of the journey and find the right path. But inevitably he ends up wandering. Through the ages God has sent a few people along encourage us on the right path, some who have come along to say, “Hey this is the right way –this is the way to God and to heaven.” We don’t always want to hear about it because the path sometimes sounds hard.
Once when I was doing some orienteering (making your way through the bush), our instructor told us that we could find our way to the end in one of two ways –We had 4 hours and the first way was pretty easy but very long and easy to get lost because we would have to do it without a compass. But if we kept these simple instructions we could do it provided we didn’t stop, didn’t make a wrong turn and didn’t go too slowly. He said he could do it in 3.5 hours and he knew the way! The other way would take us just over two hours but was really tough. It was easy to get lost and there were many obstacles in the way but we would have a map and compass and he would be along with us not to exactly tell us what to do but guaranteed we would. We would get wet, climb up and down, go through tough thick bush and have to cross the Cameron river –both branches. We all wanted to reach the goal. We all have the longing because we wanted to pass. Many of us of us decided to take the hard but guaranteed arrival -a few decided they could make it fine on their own following the directions.
God wants us to arrive in heaven –in fact that is one of the greatest desires he has. But he doesn’t force us. He gives us the option, but he makes it clear the path may not be easy. And he sent us a guide –in fact he came himself and he asked us to call him Jesus.
And so Jesus gives us some directions on how to make the journey to heave –to God. We started looking at this talk Jesus gives that is found in Matthew 5 –we call it the sermon on the mount –and in particular the first part of this, which is called the Beatitudes, is a pretty clear outline for us on how to get to heaven. Read this passage again from Matthew 5:1-10.
And so, here we stand –this desire to get to heaven –to connect with God and the first thing is we are given an option. In fact it is an option that is given throughout the journey -the option to trust Jesus. And it is found in the very name of the one –Jesus. We read in Matthew 1:21 “She will give birth to a son and you are to give him the name Jesus because He will save His people from their sins.”
And that is where we began this series on the sermon on the mount –with the realization that we are sinner –that we are apart from God and separate from our goal –our journeys end –heaven. The first three of these beatitudes –the pour in spirit –those who realize their lostness –their sinfulness, those who mourn –who hurt over their lostness and the lostness of others. Those who are meek –they see they cannot make it on their own but submit themselves to the direction of another –to the leading of Jesus.
For most of us here that is probably where we are already –we have come to that point of meekness. But it is also I believe the point of greatest struggle for most of us as well. And it starts early for us doesn’t it? The stubborn child who plants their feet and shouts “NO”, the defiant teen who knows so much more than her parents, the student who is much wiser than the teacher, the driver who sees speed limits for everyone else, the employee who is so much smarter than their boss –we are a somewhat independent people and don’t take well to have someone tell us what to do –to be meek –to place ourselves under someone else’s direction. It is really a matter of trust. Do you trust Jesus, the guide, to tell you the truth and to lead you the right way? Do you submit to His guidance?
As we read through some of the later teachings of Jesus –his directions, even in this sermon on the mount, we chafe, we balk, we hesitate. We don’t like being told what to do –this doesn’t apply to me, Jesus really didn’t mean that –I’ll do it later. That is why many have a problem with Christianity –they see it as a bunch of rules and regulations. Bottom line –if you ant to see the kingdom, if you ant to reach the destination –blessed are the meek.
Each of these beatitudes builds on the others and so we come to the fourth beatitude, to hunger and thirst for righteousness.
Here Jesus brings starvation and thirst to describe righteousness. Righteousness is absolute goodness. It is the desire to be good, right and without wrong. As we see in the first three beatitudes, Jesus says that when we see ourselves as absolutely destitute spiritually we then inherit heaven. In that destitution we also need to want to be made right, we need to have that desire to be good. We want to do what it takes to make it to our destination.
As we hunger and thirst, it is not just for a taste, for a crumb, but it is a starving and thirsting for the whole thing. For being wholly righteous before God. Many people, Christians, seek forgiveness, seek to be good, or better. But Jesus says we are to starve after and thirst after being absolutely righteous. Then we are filled. This filling comes from Jesus Christ himself as we come under His salvation and cleansing power, as we hunger and thirst for Him in our lives, as we seek Him first. We place our trust in the guide and want to be like Him. But we still see our own shortcomings –and that is what makes us hunger and thirst –and so when we fail, falter or fall, we long for restoration and renewal. Seeing our own shortcomings, our own failures leads us to repentance again, but it also leads us to the next beatitude
Blessed are the merciful
Righteousness and mercy walk hand in hand. Only when we desire and seek for being good within ourselves do we begin to have the compassion to understand and forgive the shortcomings of others.
Each one of these beatitudes thus far has built upon what has come earlier.
Seeing our spiritual destituteness
Crying our in mourning for our sin
Placing ourselves under Gods control
Hungering and thirsting to live right
Now we can have compassion and mercy on others. This teaching on mercy is found through out scripture and is one of the key thoughts.
James 2:13 -For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy
Matt 18:35 and the parable of the unforgiving debtor
Matt 6:12,14,15 -the Lords Prayer
When we realize that we are spiritually destitute, when we cry our for forgiveness, we seek to be better and good, then we also should be forgiving and merciful for we have found forgiveness and mercy. Mercy is not just feeling sorry for another, but is literally experiencing things together with the other person. Mercy is kindness beyond what can be expected or deserved. Mercy is seeking to help another out of their condition. Mercy comes because we have been there. As Christians we must never forget that we once were lost but now are found. We must never forget that we still have the need for forgiveness because we stumble. Blessed are the merciful when they have received mercy and show mercy.
Often Christians will look down their nose at someone who has fallen under temptation, or reject someone who is struggling with a sin. Have we not become Pharisaic and utter the words,
"Thank God I am not a sinner or a heathen or a... like that man."
In a sense this is s cyclical process. We have received mercy from God (Eph 2:4-10) and in this receiving mercy we are to show mercy. As we show mercy we receive mercy when we may fail. Jesus touches on this in regards to forgiveness as well in the Lord’s prayer –forgive us a we forgive others.” Ultimately we will experience the fullness of Gods mercy in heaven when we are cleansed absolutely and finally from all our wrongs/sins.
To be meek is to acknowledge that I am a sinner. To be merciful is to have compassion on others for they are sinners (John Stott).
Blessed are the pure in heart.
God is an awesome, wonderful, majestic and glorious being. We read in the scripture that no one may look upon God and live. God is so holy that he cannot and will not allow anything even slightly sinful into his presence. The earlier beatitudes clearly show us that unless we see ourselves as being absolutely spiritually destitute and mourning over our sins we will not be blessed. This builds on those by preparing us for entering into the presence of God.
Forgiveness carries with it the idea of cleansing, washing away (I John 1:9). Through God's mercy our sins are forgiven and cleansed from us. We are made "White as snow". Pureness has the idea of absolute unadulterated 100% perfection.
It is only the pure, unadulterated, 100% perfect that will see God. Taken by its self, this beatitude would be very depressing. But we have the other beatitudes that have built us up to this place.
-see we are spiritually destitute
-mourn over our sin
-meekly place ourselves under God's control
-hunger and thirst for goodness
-show mercy
All of these have brought us to a place where we are now no longer looking to ourselves, or to others for our help or strength or motivation, but to God. "Where does my help come from, My help comes from the Lord (Psalm 121:1-2).
Our focus and our attention, our motivation is now GOD. We see that we cannot do it on our own, we cry out to Him, place ourselves under His control, thirst for righteousness, give mercy as we have been given mercy and seek Him. The whole process has been one of purifying our hearts before God!!
True and absolute purity comes when we fully give ourselves over to Christ (blessed are the meek) and are washed completely in His forgiveness and love. I John 1:7
Blessed are the Peace Makers
Peace is a very precious commodity. We strive for peace, desire peace, even try to enforce peace such as in Bosnia, North Ireland, Angola and other places. But peace here is more than just the absence of war or trouble. The peace that Jesus is talking about is the seeking of the absolute best for the other, the enjoyment of all that is good.
A peacemaker is one who strives to give the best and seek the best good for the other person. The ultimate peace that we should seek is the peace that comes between man and God. Again, we look at the earlier beatitudes to understand the full impact of this beatitude.
Because we have come to peace with God, through seeing ourselves as destitute, as needing forgiveness, in placing ourselves in His care, in hungering for what is right, in showing mercy and gaining purity before God, we then seek to share this with others. This is the beatitude that most of us falter at today. Oh, we would like to have others get on the path to heaven but we hesitate or even become silent in this area –largely because of the next beatitude –persuction.
This beatitude is an evangelistic beatitude! Sharing the path we have been on, having compassion for others who are still lost, seeking to bring peace between them and God truly is a peacemaker. In this we will be called the sons of God. Literally, the Greek reads "doing the work of God as His own." When we seek to share this peace with others and help them to gain peace with God, we become peacemakers and are called the Sons of God.
And it is in this context that we come to the last beatitude, Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness.
As we seek to be peacemakers there will be some who will not like it. Why, many people do not like to hear that they are spiritually destitute, or that they need to submit their lives to God completely. Persecution happens because people will fight against the voice of one who says they are lost and going to an eternity in Hell.
As you progress through the beatitudes and come to the place of an authentic, vital life in Christ that is sharing this with others, they will not like it and fight against it. You will be insulted, persecuted, accused falsely just as the prophets of old who brought the message of God to a perishing people. As we live lives of those called out, who are seeking to be merciful, to live in purity, to share the good news, we will contrast with those around us and they may not like it.
This is a mark of true discipleship, living as the master lived and doing his work, the work of peacemaking, bringing others to Him. In doing this we may be persecuted, rejected and insulted. But note that Jesus says that theirs IS THE KINGDOM. As with the first beatitude we are brought into the present reality and a present promise. There is also the promise of a rewarding heaven.
Jesus stands on the mountain and says “Here is how to receive and attain the kingdom of God. This is the journey to take to your hearts desire. I will show you the way. It will not be easy. But I guarantee you will make it –you will be blessed- you will receive the ultimate hearts fulfillment. This is the journey. Will you take it?”
The rest of the sermon fills out this basic template. He moves into teaching us how we can make the journey and who to overcome the stumbling points on the way. Blessed are you who take this path –for yours is the kingdom of God –and I will go with you, even to the ends of the earth!”
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