Series: All: All Authority, All Nations, All Allegiance
Scripture: Matthew 5: (Main), Phil 2:5-8, John 15:1-6; Proverb 4:23
Title: What does Kingdom blessing look like?
Heavy credit: David Platt and Douglas Sean O’Donnell (See below for bibliography)
Summary of passage: Kingdom citizens follow Jesus by being poor in spirit, mourn over sin and brokenness, are meek, hunger and thirst for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, and are persecuted peacemakers. Their allegiance to Christ is seen in the fruit of the Spirit outlined here.
Bottom Line: The pathway to kingdom blessing and life starts by dying to self.
Discussion questions for group and personal study.
Reflect and Discuss
1. Matthew 5:1-3 teaches that spiritual beggars will possess the kingdom of heaven. How does recognizing ourselves as spiritual beggars affect the way we live each day? How can we cultivate this identity more?
2. Citizens of God's kingdom should grieve over their sin and sin in the world. Are there some sins that seem easier for us to grieve over and some that we too often overlook? Why or why not?
3. What does it mean to give God a blank check? Is that call something you find inviting or scary?
4. How does God satisfy those who hunger and thirst
for righteousness?
5. Explain what "mercy" is. Why is being merciful a
requirement for receiving mercy?
6. How can we tell whether we are "pure in heart"? What does this mean for us, knowing that we will not be completely perfect until Christ returns (cf. 1 John 3:2-3)?
7. How does peace play a central part in the Bible's story of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration? How can we reflect and participate in that story with our own peacemaking?
8. Why is persecution a necessary part of the Christian life? How does Christ's death and resurrection give us comfort in the face of
persecution?
9. How has persecution been a fuel for the spread of Christianity? What rewards does God promise for those who are experiencing persecution?
10. The Beatitudes describe a high calling for the Christian. How do our relationship to God and our relationships to one another give us the ability to act in these ways?
Final Questions (optional)
What is God saying to you right now?
What are you going to do about it?
Find our sermons, podcasts, discussion questions and notes at https://www.gracetoday.net/podcast
Opening to Sermon:
Jesus as the new Moses comes to fulfill the law in a way that looks like he’s destroying it. But, of course, he doesn’t destroy it. He brings it to full fruition by bringing new life through it.
We need to law to show us we can’t earn or deserve kingdom blessings. We need to surrender fully to Jesus Christ so he can rescue us and restore us. The law shows us our need for a savior. The gospel tells us the good news that even though we cannot earn our way into the kingdom, he has still made a way for us to get there…through Jesus’ sacrifice at the cross. His death, burial and resurrection!
“Jesus did not destroy the Law by fighting it; he destroyed it by fulfilling it!” —?
Illustration: You can destroy and acorn in 1 of 2 ways:
You can smash it between 2 rocks.
You can plant it in the ground and let it fulfill itself by transforming into an oak. —?
The point here is that the acorn was created/made to be broken. But when it’s broken as God intends it leads to life. If planted, it will dry out (die), and then life will come. It will sprout a new stem and leaf and begin to grow. It’s miraculous.
It’s a picture of what Jesus did at the cross.
It’s a picture of what Jesus does in those who are born again. (New life)
It’s what water baptism is supposed to picture. (Immersion specifically)
Jesus is calling us to come and see, come and follow, come and fish for people, come and die.
Have you ever been in a long line—say at Disney World—and you think you’re about to arrive at the ride itself only to turn the corner and see that you still have a long way to go?
Sometimes that’s what spiritual growth feels like. You grow and are making progress. But just as you start to feel like maybe you’ve arrived, you turn a spiritual corner and realize you are barely any closer than you were. You’ve come to realize (through scripture, grace) that God is way more holy than you imagined and that you have not progressed nearly as much as you think you have.
How does Jesus follow up his teaching, preaching and healing in Matthew 4? What will he do next? He lays out his kingdom manifesto. He wants to the world to know, understand and trust in how to become a citizen of his kingdom instead of the enemy’s. He lays out the blueprint for how his kingdom works.
Jesus shares who in the world receives supernatural and lasting blessings in life. Kingdom blessings.
It comes from God,
Through the Son,
By the Spirit.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 5:3 NIV https://matthew.bible/matthew-5-3
Poor in Spirit = bankrupt of pride and self-sufficiency. Recognition that you have nothing on which to rely on for God’s blessing. Not…
Your reputation
Your holiness, purity, righteousness
Your pedigree, family
Your good works, church work, church position
Your special abilities
Your goodness
Like a branch cut off from the vine, we have no life or worth—we’re fire-worthy only.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”
Matthew 5:4 NIV https://matthew.bible/matthew-5-4
Those who mourn = Grieve over
Our sin
Other’s sin
Consequences of sin in our world
World’s brokenness
Our church’s lack apathy towards the gospel and sharing it
Lack of love for God himself
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”
Matthew 5:5 NIV https://matthew.bible/matthew-5-5
Meek ≠ Weak; Meekness is power under control (like a racehorse or stallion after broken)
We too need to be broken (over our sin) before we can truly run with power under control.
Meekness is humble strength that belongs to the one who has learned to submit to difficulties believing God is working for your good through those difficulties (circumstances and people). —O’Donnell
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”
Matthew 5:6 NIV https://matthew.bible/matthew-5-6
“Hunger and thirst” - Jesus hungered and thirsted for righteousness. He acted justly, loved mercy and walked humbly with the Father. He did this fervently, zealously and wholeheartedly.
Jesus craved a world where relationships would be restored—vertically and horizontally.
Represents a constant pursuit of righteousness in our world and in your life.
By Kenneth Bailey:
“Once in my life I nearly died of thirst. While living in the south of Egypt, a group of friends and I traveled deep into the Sahara Desert by camel. As our trek began, the temperature soared to above 110 degrees Fahrenheit in the shade, and there was no shade. On our way, one goat-skin water bag leaked all of its precious contents.
With consumption high due to the heat, we ran out of water, and for a day and a half we pressed on while enduring intense thirst. The goal of the excursion was a famous well named Bir Shaytoun, deep in the desert. Our guide promised us that it was never dry—ah, but could we survive to reach its life-giving liquid silver? My mouth became completely dry, and eating was impossible because swallowing felt like the rubbing of two pieces of sandpaper together. My vision became blurred and the struggle to keep moving became harder with each step. We knew that if the well was dry, our armed guards would probably have forcibly seized our three baggage camels and ridden them back to the valley, leaving the rest of us to die. As I staggered on, my mind turned to this verse and I knew that I had never sought righteousness with the same single-minded passion that I now gave to the quest for water.
Yes, we managed to stagger to the well, and it was full of “the wine of God,” as water is named by desert tribesmen in the Middle East. In the process I learned something of the power of Jesus’ language. In a world where water was scarce and travel arduous, his listeners would have known what it meant to “hunger and thirst” after food and water, and thus could understand what Jesus was saying about an all-consuming passion for righteousness.”
Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes, Ken Bailey, pp. 76-77
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”
Matthew 5:7 NIV
https://matthew.bible/matthew-5-7
We love to receive mercy.
We do not love being merciful. Ex. Cancel culture
Being merciful and giving others what you think they deserve. It’s not judging them. It’s letting God judge them. (Unbelievers)
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”
Matthew 5:8 NIV https://matthew.bible/matthew-5-8
Pure = unpolluted by sinful attitudes, beliefs, words, actions or inactions. Bullseye living.
“Be perfect as your father in heaven is perfect.”
“Above all else, guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life.” Proverbs 4:23
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. (5:9)
Pacemaker vs. Peacemaker
Pacemaker = A pacemaker is a small, battery-operated device. This device senses when your heart is beating irregularly or too slowly. It sends a signal to your heart that makes your heart beat at the correct pace. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/007369.htm
Peacemaker = Someone who senses when someone else’s heart is beating irregularly or too slowly and sends a signal that makes your heart beat with God’s again.
Peace is about more than the absence of conflict, violence, or war. It denotes a wholeness, completeness, orderliness and prosperity to the core of who we are as human beings. A blessing and manifestation of divine grace.
A peacemaker is one who actively pursues the making of peace at every level: From financial peace to relational peace with people to spiritual peace with God. As God’s children, we pursue what our papa pursues. And that is, fundamentally, peace (shalom). It’s what our soul craves and the kingdom brings about. Our leader is not called the Prince of Peace for no reason.
E. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Cf. 5:3) 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.
When you hunger and thirst for righteousness, show mercy, keep a clean heart before God, and are a peacemaker, the world, the flesh and the accuser will attack you. You will be persecuted when you reflect this way of life. If they persecuted the prophets who lived and spoke this way, and they persecuted Jesus who lived and spoke this way, why would you not receive the same exact treatment.
Our bottom line again: We are called to Jesus’ vision to live as kingdom citizens in a fallen world.
We now have heard what that looks like—the good and the bad.
Jesus says, “Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven” for living this way.
Notice: Jesus is at the center of it.
Chiasm
Conclusion
Jesus was spiritually poor, though he never sinned. He humbled himself (Phil 2:5-8). Yet he fully relied on the Father and the Spirit while human.
Jesus mourned over the sin in our world. He was called a man of sorrows for this reason.
Jesus modeled meekness—divine power under control. He restrained or emptied himself to be fully human. What a sacrifice.
Jesus hungered and thirsted for righteousness.
One of the criticisms of the police in Uvalde, TX shooting was that they did not put their lives on the line to save those children but stayed back because of the belief that the children were safe even though the gunman was not secured. They lacked the moral courage that compels one to put their life on the line to save those who cannot save themselves.
What about us?
Are we willing to live and die for the cause of Christ and to rescue those far from him but close to us?
"Satanic Slumber"
Conclusion (last week)—Iranian woman quote
The film cites one Iranian couple that had the opportunity to move to the U.S. After living in America for a matter of months, the wife decided she wanted to move back to Iran, telling her surprised husband: “There is a satanic lullaby here. All the Christians are sleepy and I’m feeling sleepy.” http://godreports.com/2019/09/fastest-growing-church-has-no-buildings-no-central-leadership-and-is-mostly-led-by-women/
She sees the temptation to fall asleep spiritual (spiritual napping) to be of greater danger than to live with the threat of death in Iran as a Christ-follower there.
On Thursday, our son in law had surgery for his torn ACL. We went to his house to help our daughter get him inside because they checked him out with him still very asleep due to the anesthesia. So we met up there to carry him in. And he was awake enough to help us with his one leg. But he was out of it. He was asleep. But he didn’t realize it. For ex., he couldn’t figure out why all these people were there to help get him inside. He thought he could just get the crutches and hop inside. He was awake but just barely. But the danger in it was that he wasn’t aware that he was asleep.
According to this Iranian woman, this describes the American church in general. We’re asleep. Now I’d like to think I am not. But am I ready to blow her assessment off? No way. The stakes are too high.
References/Bibliography:
“Preaching the Word” Commentary, Douglas Sean O’Donnell, Edited by Kent Hughes
“Matthew” by RC Sproul
“Jesus Manifesto” sermon series, by Darien Gabriel: https://youtu.be/x65i2tqFrXk
“The Bible Knowledge Commentary” by Walvoord, Zuck (BKC)
“The Bible Exposition Commentary” by Warren Wiersbe (BEC)
“Exalting Jesus in Matthew” by David Platt (CCE)
Outline Bible, D Willmington
NIV Study Bible (NIVSB)
ESV Study Bible
ESV Gospel Transformation Bible (GTB)
"Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes" by Kenneth E. Bailey
“The Sermon on the Mount: Kingdom Life in a Fallen World” by Sinclair Ferguson
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