Blessed are the Peacemakers

Matthew 5:9 - Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

Notice that Jesus doesn’t say blessed are the peace lovers. Everyone loves peace. There’s nothing special about being a peace lover. But you are blessed if you are a peacemaker because peacemaking is hard.

A peacemaker is a person who’s willing to confront people and hold people accountable. God needs peacemakers in His church – people who will stop gossipers and complainers.

A peacemaker is a person who is willing to admit that they were wrong.  It’s a person who is willing to give up their right to be right for the sake of a relationship. Jesus was the ultimate peacemaker. He gave up His rights for the sake of our relationship with Him.

So here’s the question: Are you a peace lover or a peace maker?

Blessed are the Pure in Heart

Matthew 5:8 - Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

The Greek word for “pure” had several interesting facets.  It was used for soiled clothes that had been washed clean.  It was used to describe grain and flour that had been carefully sifted and it was used to describe wine or milk that hadn’t been mixed.

So the passage can be translated: Blessed is the man who is authentic, who is not a phony, such a man will see God

Does that mean that you’ll live a perfect Christian life, that you’ll never have another bad thought?  No, bad thought will come, Satan will see to that and you’ll make plenty of mistakes but we can come to God & say, here I am with all my imperfections.  I’m not perfect but I want to be real.

The promise is that God can work with that.  So if you want to see God, take off your mask and quit being phony.  Blessed are the pure in Spirit.

Blessed are Those Who Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness

Matthew 5:6 - Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Few of us know what it’s really like to be hungry or thirsty. In the ancient world it was different. There were many people who were never far from starvation. For many food was scarce and good drinkable water was a precious commodity.

Jesus is asking– just how much do you want righteousness?  To be right w/ God? To please God? Do you want it as much as a starving man wants food or man dying of thirst wants a drink? Many don’t know what it’s like to be blessed because they lack a true hunger to please God.

Blessed are the Meek

Matthew 5:5 - Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Most people associate meekness with weakness but that’s not at all what it means. In the original language the word “meek” was used to describe the taming of a wild animal. So meekness is really power under control.

It’s a person whose life has been brought under the control of the Holy Spirit. Are you under the control and leading of the Holy Spirit or do you insist on being in control?

Blessed Are the Merciful

Matthew 5:7 - Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

This is something that Jesus taught throughout the Gospels. He mentions it again in Matthew 6.

Matthew 6:14-15 – 14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

The Bible consistently teaches that only the merciful will receive mercy. I don’t know about you but I need all the mercy and grace I can get.

Sometimes it is difficult to forgive those who have wronged us. We don’t think they deserve it. We too quickly forget that we received God’s grace and mercy even though we didn’t deserve it. The Bible says that while we were still sinners Jesus died for us.

When recognize and appreciate what a precious gift we have been given, we will pass it on to others. We will be vessels that take God’s grace and mercy to others who do not deserve it.

Blessed Are Those Who Mourn

Matthew 5:4 - Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

This is the second beatitude. In the first one Jesus said that the poor in spirit would be blessed. That you had to recognize your bankrupt spiritual condition before you could receive His blessing of eternal life.

With that in mind, what kind of mourning is Jesus referring to in this second beatitude? He’s saying that when you finally realize that you’re spiritually bankrupt and that God is your only hope then your sins begin to break your heart and you mourn.

How long has it been since you mourned over your sin? When your sin becomes repulsive to you and you turn from it – that’s when God promises to comfort you.

Blessed are the Poor in Spirit

Matthew 5:3 - "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Do you know how to be blessed by God? The religious Jews thought they could be blessed if they followed the Law of Moses - if they offered the right sacrifices and observed all the special days. Jesus said – that’s not how you’re going to get God’s blessing. He said you’ll be blessed if you’re poor in Spirit.

Blessed means blissful or fortunate and we know what it means to be poor but what does it mean to be poor in spirit? To understand it better let’s consider some synonyms for “poor” – busted, broke, or bankrupt. Now insert the word “spiritual”. Fortunate are people who are spiritually busted, broke or bankrupt.

Jesus was saying – fortunate are people who realize that they’re spiritually bankrupt. Fortunate is the person who finally realizes that they’re spiritually broke and that they need God.

You’ll never come to Christ until you understand you’re true spiritual condition. Without Jesus you are bankrupt. You have no hope. When you understand the reality of that truth you will finally understand the beauty and value of the cross.