February 16 2015 Steve Rahter Matthew 5 1 16 Audio

Sunday February 16thMatthew 5:1-16A lady by the name of Gladys Dunn moved to a new town and she decided to visit the church near her new home. She loved the beautiful sanctuary and the powerful worship, but the sermon just went on and on and on. She looked around, and saw that many people in the congregation were actually nodding off. Finally, when it was over, she turned to sleepy-looking gentleman next to her, extended her hand and said, "Hi, I'm Gladys Dunn." He replied, "I’m Glad it’s done too! I thought it would never end."Jesus begins a sermon here in chapter 5 that will last all the way through chapters 6 and 7, a total of 107 verses. We refer to this as the Sermon on the Mount.There is a similar, but shorter, 30 verse version known as the sermon on the plain recorded in Luke 6.Starting in chapter 5, verse 1 we read:When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. 2 He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.This first section of the Sermon on the Mount is sometimes called the beatitudes. The verses all begin with the words “blessed are”. This word translated as “blessed” means much more than just “happy.” It indicates a state of spiritual well-being that results from choosing to live for God.That’s the same as what Psalm 1:1-3 says“How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,Nor stand in the path of sinners,Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord,And in His law he meditates day and night.3 He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,Which yields its fruit in its seasonAnd its leaf does not wither;And in whatever he does, he prospers.The kind of people that Jesus refers to as “blessed” are those who are “poor in spirit.”Why would poverty be seen as a blessing? The reality of being “poor in spirit” is simply that people with a greater understanding of their own spiritual need are more likely to depend on God alone and not rely on their own goodness. That’s what puts them in a position to receive greater blessings.The Apostle Paul points out the same principle in Romans 9:30-32“What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; 31 but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. 32 Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works.”Do you see what Paul is saying? Those who know that Jesus is the ONLY source of true righteousness will attain it by faith, but those who believe that they are capable of righteousness on their own will NEVER attain it. So acknowledging our spiritual poverty brings about great blessings.Then Jesus continues:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.This blessing includes all types of mourning and grieving, but in the context of the entire Sermon on the Mount it put a special emphasis on people who are mourning and grieving over their sinfulness.5 “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.This verse, which refers to those that are gentle or “Meek” is most likely a reflection of Psalm 37:11 “But the humble will inherit the landAnd will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.” Don’t confuse the concept of meekness with weakness. Spiritual meekness is simply an attitude of humility and submission to the will of God. Meekness actually makes us incredibly strong, because we are relying on God’s power, not our own.6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.Righteousness, mercy, and purity are three qualities that we should be longing for. Our hunger and thirst should be like what David described in Psalm 42:1As a deer thirsts for streams of water,    so I thirst for you, God.Verse 8 is somewhat hard to grasp because since God is a spirit, He is technically invisible.1 Tim 6:13-16 says “I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, 14 that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,15 which He will bring about at the proper time—He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen. There’s a doxology that goes, “unto the king immortal, invisible, the only wise God”.But as believers, through our pure hearts we will “see” God through faith, because we walk by faith, not by sight. And ultimately we WILL see Him, face to face.9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.Although the term “peacemaker” is usually used to mean making peace between people or groups of people who are fighting, it can also have a deeper meaning of helping others to find peace with God through salvation.Then in verses 10 through 12, we find ways to be blessed that we might not necessarily be looking for:10 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.So why will people persecute us and treat us badly? Jesus says it will be “because of Me”. In other words, when we TELL others about Jesus, some of them won’t exactly appreciate what we have to say, but that doesn’t change the fact that we are CALLED to tell others about Jesus. That’s what He emphasizes in verse 13. 13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.In Biblical times, salt wasn’t just a seasoning, it was a preservative. There was no type of refrigeration, so food would be coated in salt to keep it from rotting. As Jesus’ disciples we are supposed to preserve and protect Godly values against the influences of the rotten world’s corruption.Once again we need to understand that this corrupt world doesn’t necessarily WANT to see Godliness preserved, so they may react negatively towards our “salt”. But Jesus warns us that if we lose our ability to preserve Godliness in our OWN lives, then we’ve basically lost our “saltiness” and we really can no longer serve God’s purposes in the world around us.Verses 14-16 make the same point, but with a different analogy:“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor doesanyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lamp-stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”That’s similar to what Isaiah 60:1-3 says“Arise, shine; for your light has come,And the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.2 “For behold, darkness will cover the earthAnd deep darkness the peoples;But the Lord will rise upon youAnd His glory will appear upon you.3 “Nations will come to your light,And kings to the brightness of your rising.Just as salt works to stop decay, light works to stop darkness. Jesus declares that he is “the light of the world” in John 8:12 and again in John 9:5.Jesus brings light to those in darkness. Do you remember the verse from Matthew 4:16? “The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great Light,And those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death,Upon them a Light dawned.”The light that accompanies Jesus’ kingdom is not just carried by his disciples; WE are the light!Ephesians 5:8 says “you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light.”Philippians 2:15 says “prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world.”Jesus said that if salt loses its flavor it “is no longer good for anything”. In the same way, light is supposed to shine, and “a city on a hill cannot be hidden, neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl”.Since we’re called to be the light of the world, our purpose is completely lost if we keep our faith hidden. Our testimony and our good works are supposed to reflect the light of God. Then those who see our godly actions will glorify not us but our Father in heaven. Interestingly, the term “Father” is used here by Matthew for the very first time. Jesus is introducing the special relationship that exists between believers and God. When we’re walking AS God’s children, THAT’S when His light is shining through us.Living the kingdom life automatically produces good deeds because they flow from a changed life. The metaphors of salt and light used here by Jesus show us that that the presence of the kingdom of God within us should produce changed lives. If no change is occurring; if we’re still the same people we used to be; if there is no “saltiness” in our lives and essentially “taste” the same as the rest of the world; if our “light” is so dim that it’s barely distinguishable from the darkness around us, then Jesus might have to wonder if we’ve really embraced the kingdom, and if we’ve really made God our Father.Let me close today with this simply quote from Jefferson Bethke’s poem “Why I hate Religion but love Jesus” “if grace is water, then the church should be an oceanIt's not a museum for good people, it's a ho