April 20, 2008  •  Pastor Randy Smith

Jesus is radical. His teaching is radical. And I would never deny that the radical nature of His instruction is probably best seen in the Beatitudes. The people that follow them are the most counter-cultural and radical individuals in the world. As I have said so often in the past, the Beatitudes take everything we have learned from the world and turn it upside-down.

There are only two kingdoms: The kingdom of God under the lordship of Jesus Christ and the kingdom of the world under the deception of Satan. Satan advertises his kingdom through the media and influential people. Most buy the lie. God describes His kingdom in the Bible. Most never give it a fair consideration. Side-by-side comparisons emphasize the contrast. There can be no mistaking which kingdom we belong to. That is why the Beatitudes are so radical. They strike as a lightning bolt, dividing people into two distinct camps.

The Bible records different reactions to the words of Christ. As you know most people, including His family and His townspeople and the religious leaders, rejected Him. Sure, some may have attached to Him for an initial ride, but as soon as they learned what He really expected from a disciple, they wasted no time jumping off the bus (Jn. 6:64-68).

In the same way today, these Beatitudes provoke three different reactions. We all belong to one of these groups.

One group will hear these words and respond with antagonism. “I’m not going to live that way. I plan to stay just as I am. This teaching is offensive and I think you and your Jesus are nuts.” A second group will humble themselves under the Word of God and acknowledge the reality that they are not citizens of God’s kingdom. “The Beatitude attitude does not characterize my life. I need salvation. I repent and surrender my life to Jesus Christ.” And the third group, citizens already in the kingdom, children of God already manifesting this attitude, will humbly receive this instruction and have the desire to excel by God’s grace more in these areas.

To which group are you identified with? These are the only three responses.

Now, I would not deny the reality of these three responses to the Beatitudes, but all of them are secondary to the primary message that Jesus was and is attempting to convey. Jesus was primarily speaking to His followers—people like Him who were mocked and maligned and rejected for living this way. To these people who were hurt and confused, Jesus brought divine encouragement, reminding them that they were the ones who were truly blessed. Eight Beatitudes and eight “blessed are you(s)!”

I believe that is why Jesus concluded these Beatitudes with some words regarding persecution. In other words, “If you act this way, the world will take notice. They will misunderstand your poverty in spirit. They will mock your meekness. They will be convicted over your hunger for righteousness. But remember, you are on the right track. May the persecution be a reminder that you are My brethren and your kingdom, like Mine, is not of this world!” Isn’t that what the final Beatitude in verse 10 says? “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

With that as an introduction, may the Lord permit us this morning to cover Beatitudes 5-7 found in verses 7-9. The first four Beatitudes seem to relate directly to our attitude toward God. The final four begin to also include our attitude toward others as well.

1. BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO PITY

Let’s begin. Verse 7, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”

This week I read about a story in the life of Abraham Lincoln. When he was an attorney, Lincoln was once approached by a man who passionately insisted on bringing a suit for $2.50 against an impoverished debtor. Lincoln tried to discourage him, but the man was bent on revenge. When he saw that the man would not be put off, Lincoln agreed to take the case and asked for a legal fee of $10 which the plaintiff paid. Lincoln then gave half the money to the defendant who willingly confessed to the debt and paid the $2.50, keeping the other $2.50 for himself. But even more amazing than Lincoln’s settlement was the fact that the irate plaintiff, though he lost $7.50 in the deal, was satisfied with it. Revenge!

By nature we are not merciful people. When someone wrongs us we find it very easy to argue our case or desire payback. Rarely is the other individual given the benefit of doubt. His motives are maligned. His intelligence questioned. And his actions outright condemned. “Things didn’t go my way and now I demand justice regardless of how much physical, emotional or financial pain I have to put the other person through!” This is the attitude of the world. According to the fifth Beatitude, this is not the attitude of God’s children.

So why do the citizens in God’s kingdom practice mercy? Because the citizens in God’s kingdom understand the infinite mercy they have received and continue to receive from the living God. Let’s remember that we are the ones who mourn over our sin (verse 4). We are the ones who hunger and thirst for the righteousness of God (verse 6). Consequently, we are the ones who understand how far short we fall from God’s glory. We understand the almighty wrath we deserve and the undeserving mercy we received. How can we of all people not be merciful to others (cf. Mt. 18:23-35)?

I like the way R.C. Sproul put it: “Longsuffering, forbearing patience is to be the Christian’s reflection of the character of God. It is part of God’s character to be slow to anger and quick to be merciful. Part of the incomprehensibility of God in terms of my own relationship with Him is this: I cannot fathom how a holy God has been able to put up with me marring His creation to the degree I have for three score and five years. For me to live another day requires a continuation of God’s gracious patience with my sin… It becomes even more difficult to fathom when we see a sinless Being being more (merciful) with sinful beings that sinful beings are with each other” (Tabletalk, vol. 28, no. 9).

With this in mind, once again, let’s contemplate the wonderful mercy of God: Romans 5:10, “For…while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son.” Ephesians 2:4-5, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).” Titus 3:4-5, “But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.”

With these truths in mind, once again, let’s contemplate whether or not we treat fellow sinners with the same mercy we have received from God.

Mercy for others can be defined as the ability to inflict harm when one has the power to do it but rather choosing to exercise compassionate treatment to an offender or adversary. It is a conscious desire to extend love instead of harsh treatment to one who has hurt us through his or her words, beliefs or actions.

With this God-given attitude we can act like Joseph: “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Gen. 50:20). We can act like David: “Behold, this day your eyes have seen that the LORD had given you today into my hand in the cave, and some said to kill you, but my eye had pity” (1 Sam. 24:10). And most importantly we can act like Jesus: “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing” (Lk. 23:34).

According to the ending of the Beatitude, the merciful will be the ones who truly receive mercy. Obviously this promise does not directly apply to receiving mercy from other people. Jesus was the most merciful Person who ever lived and they hung Him on a cross! Therefore this promise applies to the divine mercy received from God.

And it is not that we earn divine mercy by being merciful to others. Earned mercy is a contradiction of terms. But rather our mercy to others gives the indication that we are truly saved and thus recipients of God’s mercy. The Beatitude says those who exercise mercy have and will receive mercy. For the rest, James 2:13 says, “Judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy.”

2. BLESSED ARE THE PURE

Let’s move on. Verse 8, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

Before we look at the promise, a deeper look at two key words will help us better understand this Beatitude.

The first word is “heart.”

Humanity who always tries to work for their salvation is obsessed with the external appearance of religious actions. However, Jesus made it unmistakably clear that God is primarily concerned with the heart.

Follow along as I show you just a few verses right here in Matthew’s gospel. 5:28, “But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” 6:20-21, “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” 15:8, “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me.” 22:37, “And He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart.’”

First Samuel 16:7, “For God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” God is continually examining the hearts of humanity. There are no secrets hidden before Him. And when He examines our hearts what kind of heart pleases Him and what kind of heart displeases Him? To answer that question we need to look at the other key word, which is, “pure.”

Pure means clean, upright, righteous, innocent.

For starters, we know a “pure heart” is not a “sinless heart.” One place that reveals that conclusion to me is the very Beatitudes that we studied the past two weeks. How can we say a pure heart is a sinless heart when we are blessed when we have a broken spirit because of our sin and mourn as a result of our sin? Another place is a direct quotation: Proverbs 20:9, “Who can say, ‘I have cleansed my heart, I am pure from my sin?’” (cf. 1 Jn. 1:8-9).

A pure heart is simply an internal passion that seeks to please God throughout the circumstances of life especially related to thoughts and motives (cf. 2 Cor. 11:3; 1 Ti. 1:5). It is a commitment, a will, a passion for God’s glory which calls for moral purity. It is to be without guile and hypocrisy. It is to live transparently before God both in public and private. A desire for heart purity is a gift given to His children, and we cultivate that desire, as we have learned already in the Beatitudes, by being conscious over our sin and hungering for God’s righteousness.

Practically speaking here is what I am saying as we put all this together: That the dirty homeless man who enters church ready to obey God’s Word is spiritually cleaner than the man with the $800 three-piece suit yawning through the sermon. That the young child who engages her heart by thinking about the words she is singing is spiritually advanced over the woman saved for thirty years singing the words from memory but completely disengaged from the Lord. That the repentant financial swindler who beats on his breast and says, “God, be merciful to me, the sinner!” is finding more grace from the Lord than the twenty-first century Pharisee who looks around and says, “God I thank you that I am more righteous than these other sinners” (Lk. 18:10-13).

The e-mail I received this week is appropriately inserted here: The town's new pastor got on the bus, paid, and received his change. Upon sitting down he realized he had received a quarter too much back. His first thought was to return it, but as the bus was already moving he thought, “It’s only a quarter, look at it as a gift from God.” As he was departing at his stop, he thought better and pulled the quarter from his pocket and returned it to the bus driver saying, you gave me 25 cents too much change.” The bus driver said, “Yes, I know. You’re the new preacher in town aren't you? My wife and I have been thinking about attending your church, but I wanted to see if you were an honest man.” Stepping off the bus the gravity of the situation hit the pastor. “I nearly sold my Savior for a quarter.”

He adds this advice, “You carry the name of Christ on your shoulders when you call yourself ‘Christian.’ (Watch your heart; it becomes your thoughts). Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.”

Bottom line: All that we are flows from the heart (Pr. 4:23; Mt. 12:23; 15:18). That is why God is ultimately concerned with our hearts. That is why Jesus concludes this Beatitude by saying, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Those who will spend their destiny with God are the ones who have a pure heart. They are the ones who reveal heart transformation. This truth is also taught in the Old Testament. Psalm 24:3-4, “Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? And who may stand in His holy place?” The Psalmist answers, “He who has clean hands and a pure heart.”

God’s purity and holiness is so pristine that were He to reveal Himself, we would be instantly disintegrated. As He told Moses, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live” (Ex. 33:20; cf. 1 Tim. 6:16). But the day will come when the pure in heart will have their greatest desire met. They will see God (Tit. 2:13; 1 Jn. 3:2; Rev. 21:23). They will be with Him and have fellowship with Him in His kingdom of total holiness.

Yet even now, the pure in heart are able to see God through the eyes of faith. It is very real, and it is very deep. God turns His face toward those who are pure in heart. Listen to James 4:8, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

3. BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS

As a transition to the final Beatitude we will study this morning permit me to read Hebrews 12:14 in reverse order (cf. Jas. 3:17). “Be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord” (NIV). There was the last Beatitude. Here is the next Beatitude: “Make every effort to live in peace with all men” (NIV). In verse 9 of Matthew 5, Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”

On the surface, the definition of a peacemaker needs little explanation. A peacemaker is one who promotes harmony between two or more parties at odds with each other.

On one level a peacemaker seeks to reconcile relationships within the church, both his own and others. God hates division among His children. As we have already learned, He wants us to be gentle (Mt. 5:5) and merciful (Mt. 5:7) with each other. He wants us forbearing with each other and making every effort to live at peace (Rom. 12:18). And when we must divide, it should be occurring only in the most extreme situations when the essence of our faith and the core components of the gospel are compromised. The Bible says Christ has broken down the separating walls between us and God and between us and each other (Eph. 2:11-18). He expects us to live in unity and not rebuild these walls He has destroyed.

We are called to be “peacemakers.”

Peacemakers understand that reconciliation means more than a “cease-fire” and even mutual forgiveness. Peacemakers understand Jesus’ words in this sermon when He said, “Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering” (Mt. 5:23-24). Peacemakers understand Ephesians 4:3 as they are “diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Peacemakers understand the apostle Paul’s heart when he cried in his letter to the Philippians, “I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord” (Phil. 4:2; cf. 1 Cor. 7:15; Rom. 12:18; 1 Pet. 3:11). And peacemakers understand that peacemaking is a two-way street. In other words, peace-making does not always mean peace-achieving.

Is peace between Christians a priority? Just prior to His crucifixion our Lord prayed, “I do not ask on behalf of these alone (the disciples), but for those also who believe in Me through their word (that’s you and I!); that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me” (Jn. 17:20-21).

All this is true, but there is another level that defines the peacemaker. Most of all the peacemaker understands that true peace is only obtained when humanity is at peace with its Creator (Col. 1:20). The peacemaker understands that God’s wrath abides on the unbeliever. And until that person comes to faith in Christ he or she is at enmity with God and will never experience the peace that “surpasses all comprehension” (Phil. 4:7).

Therefore the peacemaker is not only a mediator with Christians but also an evangelist with unbelievers. Our God is a God of peace (Rom. 15:33; 16:20; 1 Cor. 14:33; Phil. 4:9; Heb. 13:20). And we should make every effort to share the peace we have received from Him with others. And we do that by faithfully sharing Jesus Christ as commanded. How many of you have shared Jesus Christ with an unbeliever during this past month? 2 Corinthians 5:20, “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”

The promise to the peacemakers follows in the Beatitude: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Mat. 5:9). Do you want to see a child of God? Than look for one who pursues peace on both a human and divine level, both personally and for the lives of others. For the true child of God will show forth the same character as his or her Father and sacrifice if necessary to achieve it (like God did!).

Beloved, our sinful flesh does not want to live a Beatitude lifestyle. We desire to invent our own religion. We determine how we will please God. But Jesus is about total heart transformation. We see that in the Beatitudes, not in the description of the world, but in the radical description of God’s true children.