Deo Gloria
Sermon for January 29, 2023
Pastor Martin Bentz
Text: Matthew 5:1-12
Theme: You Are Blessed!
How many of you would consider yourself to be blessed? How many of you would feel blessed after you just lost your job? How many of you would feel blessed as you’re facing major surgery? How many of you would feel blessed after your professor flunked you out of his psychology class after he found out that you were a Christian? How many of you would feel blessed if your girlfriend broke up with you or your friends turned their backs on you because you expressed your belief that Jesus is the Son of God and only way to heaven? How many of you would feel blessed after you lost your spouse to cancer or lost a child in a tragic accident?
Do you know why God had Matthew record these verses in the fifth chapter of his gospel: to remind you (and me) that we are. We are blessed. No matter what is going on in our lives, no matter what we’re facing, no matter what trials and troubles and heartaches we may be going through—as followers of Jesus, we are blessed. So let’s listen closely as our Savior reminds us today how blessed we are.
Jesus was speaking to his disciples. It’s important to know that in order to understand what Jesus is saying in these verses. In his Sermon on the Mount Jesus is not speaking to large crowds of people. True, there were crowds of people following Jesus at this time. They had heard about his amazing miracles. They had heard about his powerful preaching. They had heard how he healed the sick and cured those with leprosy and restored sight to the blind and drove out demons. And many came to check it out, to see and hear it for themselves. They came from Jerusalem and Judea and Galilee and even the region beyond the Jordan. Yes, large crowds were following Jesus. But as Matthew tells us in first two verses, when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. Then his disciples came to him and he began to teach them. So Jesus is speaking to his disciples.
And what was his lesson plan that day? What key truths did he want them to learn? “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”(v. 3) Again notice carefully what Jesus says, or better yet, what he does not say. Jesus does not say, “Blessed are the poor.” This is one of those passages that so often gets misquoted. Someone who is poor is not necessarily blessed in the eyes of God, nor do they get an automatic ticket into heaven. But someone who is poor in spirit is blessed—someone who recognizes how poor they are in the eyes of God, that they are beggars, that they have an enormous debt that they owe God, a staggering debt of sin, a debt numbering in the millions and billions and trillions, and they have nothing to pay it off. They have nothing they can give God to satisfy him, nothing they can offer him to make things right. Their debt is enormous and their spiritual wallet is empty.
Is that the way you feel? Do you recognize how poor you are in the eyes of God, that you’re a beggar too, that you have this enormous, staggering debt and you have nothing to pay it off, nothing you can offer God that would make things right? Do you recognize too that God has every right to throw you into debtor’s prison for the rest of eternity and throw away the keys? Do you share the thoughts of August Toplady, the author of the hymn Rock of Ages, when he said:
Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to thy cross I cling;
Naked, come to thee for dress, helpless, look to thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly; wash me, Savior, or I die. – CW 839:3
Then you are blessed in the eyes of God. Why? Because the kingdom of heaven is yours. How can that be, though? How can the kingdom of heaven be yours when you couldn’t even afford a cup of coffee? Because Jesus has given it to you as a free gift of his grace. Because of his great love for you, Jesus paid off the enormous debt of your sins. He took your sins upon himself and paid for them all with his death on the cross. He became poor, so that you might become rich, so that you might enjoy the riches of his love and the riches of his forgiveness and the riches of his peace, and so that you might enjoy the eternal riches of life with him in his heavenly kingdom. All of this is yours—yours now and yours forever, thanks to Jesus. You are blessed!
Next Jesus says, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted”(v. 4). No, you may not feel very blessed as you’re standing beside the grave of your spouse of 50 years or your sister or your grandchild or a very dear friend. In fact, the tears may be streaming down your cheeks. But you are blessed, because you will be comforted. Already now Jesus promises to give you the comfort of his love, the comfort of your fellow Christians and the assurance of a joyful reunion in heaven. And when you get to heaven, he promises to wipe away every tear from your eyes. You are blessed.
“Blessed are the meek,” Jesus continues, “for they will inherit the earth”(v. 5). The word that is translated as “meek” can also be translated as “mild” or “gentle.” Those who are meek and mild are often not the ones who get ahead in life, aren’t they? They’re seen as pushovers and door mats and people often take advantage of them. They walk on them and push them around. They get passed over for promotions at work. They get passed over when it comes to picking teams at school. Sometimes people even take things from them or steal from them because they can, because they aren’t aggressive enough or assertive enough or don’t stand up for themselves. But if that’s you, you still are blessed, because one day it will all be yours. The new world that Jesus will create one day, a world that is filled with all that is good and beautiful and wonderful and amazing—it will all be yours. And no one will ever be able to take it away. You are blessed.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled”(v. 6). The world hungers for fortune and fame. The world thirsts for power and pleasure. The followers of Jesus have something else they hunger for. To be in a right relationship with God, to know his love and peace and forgiveness, and then to live a righteous life, to do what’s good and right in gratitude and thanks to God—this is what they long for, what they hunger for. And Jesus says, they will be filled. In fact, Jesus himself satisfies that hunger of theirs by giving them his own perfect righteousness so they are truly righteous in the eyes of God. He also satisfies their hunger by giving them godly desires and helping them to do what’s good and right and live a righteous life. They are blessed.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy”(v. 7) The followers of Jesus are known for showing mercy, for forgiving others even when they don’t deserve it, for helping others even when they won’t be able to repay the kindness. But that doesn’t bother them. They don’t do it to be repaid. They do it because of the kindness and mercy Jesus has shown them. But the truth is they will be repaid, in spades. Their Savior will continue to shower them with mercy and kindness in this life and in the life to come. They are blessed.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God”(v. 8). There’s something different about you, isn’t there? Coworkers have noticed. Friends have noticed. Neighbors have noticed. But it’s nothing on the outside. It’s something on the inside. As a follower of Jesus, you have a different kind of heart, a simplicity of heart, a heart that isn’t clouded with lust or ambition, with jealousy or strife, but one that is filled with love for God and love for others. One day, on the day that Jesus returns, you will see God face to face. And you will live with him forever. You are blessed.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God”(v. 9). As a follower of Jesus, you have no interest in fighting. You take no pleasure in quarrels or arguments or strife. You want peace. You’re so thankful for the peace you enjoy with God because of Jesus Christ your Savior. And you want nothing more than to reflect that in your relationship with others, with your neighbors and your coworkers and your family. You want peace. Some may see that as a weakness on your part, but not God. God calls you his own son or daughter. You are blessed.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”(v.10). Yes, you heard that right. But in case you missed it, Jesus is going to say it again and be even more specific: “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you”(vv. 11+12). This can be a difficult one for you and me as followers of Jesus, a real challenge for our faith. It’s one thing when people make fun of you because of your hair or your long nose or your weird clothes. It’s another when they make fun of you because you’re a Christian. It isn’t easy when your friends make fun of you or turn their backs on you because you talk about Jesus and your faith in Jesus. It isn’t easy when your professor at school ridicules you in front of the entire class and then proceeds to flunk you out of the class because you dared to say in class that you believe in the Bible. It isn’t easy when family members give you grief because of your Christian faith, when they call you one of those Jesus freaks or they shut you down whenever you try to talk about Jesus. That isn’t very easy to take, but Jesus wants you to know that you are blessed. Instead of being sad and discouraged when it happens, you can rejoice and be glad. The kingdom of heaven is yours and your reward in heaven is great. You’re right up there with Noah and Moses and Elijah and Jeremiah. You are blessed.
So I don’t know about you, but some days I need that reminder. I need that comfort and encouragement because some days I don’t feel all that blessed. Like when my dad was in the nursing home, struggling with Alzheimers, and communicating with him was tough enough, and then they had all of those lockdowns and restrictions because of COVID and for a while they wouldn’t let me in to see my dad and finally when I was able to see him again, I had to wear mask and sit on the other side of a patio door and try to talk to him through a microphone, I didn’t feel very blessed. Or the time I had my car stolen while I was student at the Seminary, I didn’t feel very blessed. Or the time we lost our second child due to a miscarriage, I didn’t feel very blessed. Or at times when I think about my upcoming surgery in February, I don’t feel very blessed. Is the same thing true of you? Then be sure to listen closely to what Jesus has to say today and let him remind you how blessed you really are. Even on those days when we don’t feel particularly blessed, we are blessed. As members of his family, we are blessed now and we will be blessed forever. You are truly blessed! Amen.