October 11, 2019
"Blessed" by Whose Standard?
Matthew 5:1–20
Jacy Witt
Central Truth
As believers and children of God, we are blessed beyond comparison. Recognizing that is key to contentment and peace.
Key Verse | Matthew 5:3
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
Matthew 5:1–20
The Sermon on the Mount
1 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.
The Beatitudes
2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
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.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons 1 5:9 Greek huioi; see Preface of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Salt and Light
13 You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.
14 You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that 2 5:16 Or house. 16Let your light so shine before others that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Christ Came to Fulfill the Law
17 Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Dive Deeper | Matthew 5:1–20
After giving my life to Christ at a young age, I had this unrealistic expectation that life would be simple and just go as I had planned. Such expectations are things that I believe we all tend to center our lives around. We expect to get this job, live in this neighborhood, and have these impressive aspects of our life to show off; however, as I continued to grow up, life got hard; and it did not always go according to plan. I would sit there and ask God, "Why? Why me? This was never my plan." It is during these low moments that we often begin to feel entitled and develop a warped perspective of life. We feel as if life should go our way—as if we should get to live a "blessed" life.
But as I reflect, I ask myself, "'Blessed' by whose standard?" As we dig deeper into Jesus' words in Matthew 5:3-10, we see how Jesus redefines the blessed life and shows us that life is not always linear. There are highs and lows, monotony and excitement, tragedy and good fortune. But if we surrender the naive thought that the circumstances around us determine our happiness, we then understand that in want and in plenty, in joy and in sorrow, we are still richly blessed.
Jesus does not tell us, "Blessed are those who have it all figured out," or "Blessed are those who have a steady income and impressive job." Rather, He tells us, "Blessed are the poor in spirit" (Matthew 5:3a). It is when we see we are spiritually bankrupt before an all-perfect God that we can accurately position ourselves as someone in need of help. When we realize our dependence on God, He will lift us up with the promise "for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:3b). This is the type of gain where true riches and blessings are found. As we sit with this promise today, we can open our hands to a life led by God knowing that our real treasure is yet to come.
Discussion Questions
1. What expectations in life are you holding on to so tightly that you will not let the Lord take control and steer you toward the path of His blessings?
2. Of all the beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-11, in which do you feel you have the most growth opportunity?
3. In John 16:33 Jesus says, "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." How do you feel this verse can change your perspective on the way you live your life?
Additional Resources
For learn more about the Beatitudes, listen to our sermon on the life that flourishes, what are the Beatitudes from Watermark Community Church.