School of the Bible - Sermon on the Mount 2.1

  • Gordon Simmonds
  • Feb 3, 2009
  • Series: School of the Bible - Sermon on the Mount

3. Blessed are those who mourn 

Matthew 5:4               Blessed are those who mourn: for they shall be comforted.

3.1 To mourn has an implication of caring deeply (Winston).

  •  1.1.1 In the world the average person seeks a joker, someone who is happy or excited. There is nothing wrong with this, nor is there with the positive approach of the motivational speaker. However, there is a place for mourning in the kingdom.

3.2 Romans 12:15 talks about weeping with those who weep while Ecclesiastes 3:4 refers to a "time to weep".

  •  1.2.1 We well know that the Holy Spirit is the Great Comforter (John 14:16) and Paul also talks about the comfort of the Lord in 1 Corinthians 1:3-7 when he encourages believers who are going through tribulation that God comforts them so that they in turn can comfort others.

3.3 However there is a mourning that can accompany Christ likeness!

  • 1.3.1 The Word talks about a war between flesh and spirit, which can be accompanied by mourning. 
  • 1.3.2 Our flesh by nature wants to take the easy path that leads to sin but our spirit chooses to resist and to take the holy path. God comforts us in our struggle (e.g. staying with an ungodly spouse!).

3.4 What happens when the mourner does not allow God to comfort him?

1 Samuel 30:1-6

  • 1.4.1 The mourning of David's men turns to bitterness as they do not forgive.
  • 1.4.2 Many times in life what happens to people is not fair, they was no reason why they should go through similar circumstances. What happens next determines the person's destiny because if the mourning turns to bitterness there is little chance of destiny being fulfilled.
  • 1.4.2.1 Joseph: 
  • Joseph is sold as a slave by his brothers - this is unfair. He maintains the right attitude and so God promotes him.
  • Potiphar's wife entices him, he resists and finds himself in jail - again this is unfair. Again he has the right attitude and God again promotes him, this time to second-in-command in Egypt.
  • If he had allowed his mourning to develop into bitterness, he would have not fulfilled his destiny!

Genesis 45:1-11

Challenge: Mourning is part of Christianity however we must safeguard our hearts, so that our mourning does not turn to bitterness.

4. Blessed are the meek

Mathew 5:5                 Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.

4.1 Meekness is generally a misunderstood term in the Bible as meekness is often associated with weakness.

  • 2.1.1 It has been used to describe a scrawny guy who has sand kicked in his face on the beach, certainly not a lifeguard! However the word meekness is far away from that idea as in reality it means to be teachable. If you are meek, you are teachable.

James 1:21           

4.2 "It is closely linked with the word tapeinophrosune [humility]...it is only the humble heart which is also the meek, and which, as such, does not fight against God and more or less struggle and contend with Him. It must be clearly understood, therefore, that the meekness manifested by the Lord and commended to the believer is the fruit of power. The common assumption is that when a man is meek it is because he cannot help himself: but the Lord was ‘meek because He had the infinite resources of God at His command."[1]

4.3 Moses was meek because he relied totally on God for his direction and strength.

Numbers 12:3

4.4 Meekness never implies compromise, nor does it imply succumbing to evil. It in fact is an active force that can overcome both evil and compromise!

4.5 True power is based on meekness! A picture of this would be a tamed wild animal, who in spite of his gentleness is still incredibly powerful.

4.6 Notice the promise for those who are teachable - inheriting the earth!

4.7 God wants to bless His people - He wants us to possess the land in every way.

  • 2.7.1 He wants us to prosper so that we can have an "abundance for every good work" as well as to strongly influence the systems of the land e.g. politics, schools, TV etc. When the church becomes teachable corporately, it influences a nation.

Proverbs  13:22 "The wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just"

4.8 When a person resists the discipline of the Holy Spirit, God being a gentleman, backs off, this is the way a person sears his conscience.

Hebrews 12:1-11

Challenge: Allow God to release His power through you by your gentleness, and watch as your sphere of influence increases.

5. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness

Matthew 5:6   Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness; for they shall be filled.

5.1 Meekness can produce a hunger and thirst for righteousness. As a person allows the Word of God to take root in his life, a natural progression towards Christlikeness takes place.

5.2 Hunger and thirst is a figure of speech used to show the similarity to natural eating and drinking. We should so desire God's Word in our lives that we are like the Psalmist: Psalms 42:1

5.3 There should be a craving for righteousness, we should so approach God, His Word and righteousness in the way in which we would approach a meal when famished.

5.4 We can also see the similarity between a baby, growing up to adulthood and so hungering for different things, and a believer who goes beyond the milk of the Word to the meat.

5.5 God will not deal with a believer on the level of an adult if the believer has not outgrown childish things! EG throwing toys out of a cot.

Matthew 4:4

5.6 We "hunger for righteousness" when we choose to live morally.

Challenge: Imagine what it would be like to work with someone who always seeks what is right, fair or just, someone who strives to be free of anything unrighteous.