“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.” Matthew 5:3-6
The Beatitudes show us the life God blesses and it is not what we would think. We think blessing is found in health, wealth, prosperity, comfort and control of your life circumstance. But Jesus says true happiness is found in humble surrender to God, fully expecting life to be uncomfortable, even painful. These eight pronouncements of blessing open the Sermon on the Mount, which is Jesus’ initial and longest explanation of the principles of His Kingdom. We studied the Beatitudes along with Romans 8 back in 2018 in a series called Keep Moving Forward.
“The order of the beatitudes shows us how to make progress in the Christian life… each one propels you toward the next.”
Colin Smith, Momentum
One of my favorite books and video studies on growing in the Christian life is Colin Smith’s Momentum. He shows how the beatitudes are sequential steps – or rings that allow you to swing from one to the next. You can’t jump right to purity of heart or mercy toward those who have wronged you. But if you begin with humility and repentance you will build momentum in your faith and obedience that will propel you to those more difficult steps.
“The Beatitudes help, not only by telling us what a blessed life looks like, but by showing us how to make progress. There is a definite order in the Beatitudes, and each one flows from the others that went before. The Beatitudes do more than describe a blessed life – they give us a road map for pursuing it.”
Colin Smith, Momentum
The other way to look at the Beatitudes is more organic. The first three beatitudes show us the roots of the Christian life. The fourth is like the trunk of the tree, the shoots that connect the roots with the branches. And the fifth through eighth beatitudes describe the fruit of a life devoted to the principles of Jesus’ kingdom.
ROOTS: Realizing our Desperate Need
- Humility – I bring nothing. “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” (v. 3)
- Repentance – I take ownership of my sin. “Blessed are those who mourn.” (v. 4)
- Submission – I give up control. “Blessed are the meek.” (v. 5)
“Empty-handedness leads you to worship Jesus. The more you see in yourself, the less you’ll see in Christ. But the more you see in Christ, the less you’ll see in yourself. Spurgeon has said, ‘Christ is never precious until we are poor in spirit, we must see our own wants before we can perceive his wealth; pride blinds the eyes, and sincere humility must open them…’”
Colin Smith, Momentum
SHOOTS: Cultivating Godly Appetites
- Desire – I long for more of Jesus. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.” (v. 6)
“The mark of a true Christian is not that you feel righteous but that you long to be more righteous than you are… Christ’s people hunger and thirst for righteousness because although we know we’re forgiven and accepted before God on the basis of all Christ is and all He’s done, we also know how far we are from all Christ calls us to be.”
Colin Smith, Momentum
FRUIT: the Results of a Godly Life
- Compassion – I care about others. “Blessed are the merciful.” (v. 7)
- Singlemindedness – I go after one thing. “Blessed are the pure in heart.” (v. 8)
- Forgiveness – I give up my rights. “Blessed are the peacemakers.” (v. 9)
- Perseverance – I endure the cost. “Blessed are you when you are persecuted.” (v. 10)
“Being pure in heart doesn’t mean there’s no sin in your life… Purity of heart means having a single-minded focus on Christ – an undivided mind in our priorities and affections. It also describes God’s doing for us what only He can do: washing our hearts clean.”
Colin Smith, Momentum
This is a beautiful picture of Biblical wisdom. We usually think of wisdom as philosophical insight, academic knowledge and understanding. But in the Bible, wisdom is much more practical, much more about truth applied to your life situation.
“To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity.” Proverbs 1:2-3
Listen to how action oriented Paul’s application of wisdom is:
“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.” Ephesians 5:15-21
Jesus taught us and showed us what a life of wisdom looks like. His words were profoundly insightful, revealing the truth about God, us and the world. But even more so His life shows true wisdom – a life oriented completely around obedience to the will of the Father. Let’s learn about wisdom and move from mere understanding into a life of real, ongoing obedience. That is the life God blesses!
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” Matthew 7:24-27