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The Sermon on the Mount 02
Introduction:
1. To help us in "understanding what the will of the Lord is" (Ephesians 5:17) we are studying the Lord's Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). 2. In Matthew 5:6-9 Jesus mentioned 4 special blessings: being filled with righteousness, obtaining mercy, seeing God, and being called children of God. 3. He also showed in these Beatitudes how we are able to enjoy these blessings. Discussion: I. (vs.6) "BLESSED ARE THEY WHICH DO HUNGER AND THIRST AFTER RIGHTEOUSNESS" A. Some important terms must be understood. 1. Hunger: to crave something, to seek it with eager desire 2. Thirst: to eagerly long for something, to painfully feel the need of it 3. Righteousness: things that are right, whatever conforms to God's revealed will a. God's righteousness is revealed in the Bible (Romans 1:16-17). b. A person who does righteousness is righteous (1 John 3:7). B. Looking at this matter further . . . 1. Food and water are 2 of our basic needs. a. Without food we can live a while, but eventually death will occur. b. Without water we will not last very long. c. As basic as these needs are, a full person has no need to eat and drink. d. A full person is satisfied until he becomes hungry again. 2. One of our basic spiritual needs is "righteousness" -- without it we will die spiritually. a. To hunger and thirst after righteousness we must realize that we have none on our own (Romans 3:10 -- "There is none righteous, no, not one"). b. Realizing that we need righteousness to sustain us, we must develop a hunger and thirst for it. c. Jesus touched on this in Matthew 6:33, and we need to follow His example (John 4:34). C. Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness enjoy a great blessing -- "they shall be filled." II. (vs.7) "BLESSED ARE THE MERCIFUL" A. The Lord commands us to be merciful (Luke 6:36). B. Since being merciful is such an important matter we need to understand what it means. 1. Mercy is being compassionate toward the less fortunate (ex. -- the Good Samaritan). 2. Mercy is also being compassionate toward sinners (ex. -- the prodigal son's father). C. Those who are merciful enjoy a great blessing -- "they shall obtain mercy." 1. The law of sowing and reaping applies to being merciful (Galatians 6:7). 2. If we want to receive God's mercy we must be merciful ourselves. III. (vs.8) "BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART" A. It is essential that we be pure in heart because the condition of our hearts will determine what we do and say (Luke 6:45). B. How to have a pure heart: 1. It must be cleansed by the Lord's blood. 2. It must be kept pure by thinking on the right things (Proverbs 23:7; Philippians 4:8). C. Those who are pure in heart enjoy a great blessing -- "they shall see God." IV. (vs.9) "BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS" A. The Bible has much to say about peace and making peace (Romans 12:18; 14:19). B. The Bible warns against the opposite of making peace (Galatians 5:15). C. When we make peace we are being like the Lord who is the "Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6). D. Peacemakers enjoy a great blessing -- "they shall be called the children of God." 1. Making peace sometimes requires sacrifice (Isaac -- Genesis 26:17-22). 2. Being called a child of God is worth whatever sacrifice is necessary. | ||