Blessings To Be Thankful For
I love the Sunday before thanksgiving. I love all the songs and thanksgiving hymns. I love all the pre-baking and things to anticipate, like the kids coming home. Some folks will go to great lengths to get their kids home.
November 21, 2010: Matthew 5:1-12, Blessings To Be Thankful For
Mary Scheer, Brewster Baptist Church
An elderly man in Phoenix called his son in New York and said, “I hate to ruin your day, but I have to tell you that your mother and I are divorcing; forty-five years of misery enough.”
“Dad, what are you talking about,” his son screamed into the phone.
“We can’t stand the sight of each other any longer,” he said. “We’re sick and tired of each other, and I’m sick of talking about this, so you call your sister in Chicago and tell her.” then he hung up.
Frantic, the son called his sister, who exploded on the phone. “Like
Heck they’re getting a divorce, she shouted. “I’ll take care of this.”
She called Phoenix immediately, and when her dad answered the phone, she yelled “You are NOT getting divorced! Don’t do a single thing until I get there. I’m calling my brother back and we’ll both be there tomorrow. Until then don’t do a thing, and she hung up.
The man hung up his phone, smiled and turned to his wife. “They’re coming for Thanksgiving and paying their own way.”
Dave and I are also very happy that our children and granddaughter will be here for thanksgiving. It seems appropriate on this Sunday before Thanksgiving to talk about things we’re grateful for.
This year, our family is very grateful that two of our daughters can see the finish line in their senior year at college. We had the blessing of welcoming a new member into our family with the birth of our granddaughter. Living on Cape Cod makes our house a destination place for friends and family and we felt very lucky they all wanted to come and share the unseasonably warm July with us. And though we suffered a blow in October when my dad died suddenly, we were touched by the outreach of both our friends in Chicago and from our BBC family.
These are the kinds of things I think about as we come to the Thanksgiving table. Every year (perhaps like many of you), we go around the table and each person shares something they are grateful for. And though you and I, each have different stories, there are some things we might share in our common gratitude, like the love of family and friends, the support of fellow believers, and a safe place to worship, teachers who care, the availability of good medical care, the beauty of the Cape, a dry home, a warm bed and a good dinner and the freedom to pursue our dreams. Like the song says, we can count our many blessings.
Yet, as wonderful as these things are, when Jesus met with his friends, he shared a different list of blessings to give thanks for. Listen to his words.
SERMON TEXT: (Mt. 5: 1-12 TNIV)
Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them. He said:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“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.
Those may not be the first kind of blessings that traditionally come to mind when we gather around the thanksgiving table.
I call this the Jesus “blessing” sermon, but it’s also known as the sermon on the mount, or the Beatitudes. The word Beatitude contains the word attitude and means, happy or blessed, referring to a state of blessing.
In a way it was a sort of first thanksgiving sermon, based on eight kinds of blessings. Sometimes we may feel like it’s easier to identify with the suffering side of the beatitude than the blessing side. That’s why I wanted to take a closer look at these special blessings today. Jesus said;
1. Blessed are the poor:
He came to be among the poor and downtrodden and bring them to into God’s presence. One day on the Sabbath, Jesus went into the synagogue, took the scroll and stood to read from the prophet Isaiah. He opened it and found the place where it was written, “the Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed and proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” And he rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the assistant and sat down. Every eye in the synagogue was fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4: 16-21)
In other places, God calls himself the protector of the poor and liberator of the oppressed. He is relentless throughout the Bible warning those who oppress the poor, the widow and the orphan. (Micah 2: 1-3; Isaiah 1: 16-17).
The poor here also means recognizing our spiritual poverty. We can never be good enough in ourselves to meet the requirements of a holy God. There is nothing we can do or bring, we’re bankrupt.
The Promise: The poor will receive the kingdom of heaven.
For God’s heart is with them.
2. Blessed are those who mourn:
This word mourn, not only express grief surrounding death, but sorrow for our sin and includes grief for those who suffer, the disenfranchised, the remorseful and the bereaved. (Is. 61:2-3) It conveys a deep sense of loss, helplessness and despair.[1]
The promise: Those who mourn shall be comforted.
This kind of comfort is able to meet every need we have. There are times when our pain from loss runs so deep that it takes a love just as long and deep to reach it.
For some, it’s the anguish over their sin that needs comfort. They know what it feels like to be so grieved over their mistakes that the only consolation that can sooth the spirit comes from being comforted by the promise of forgiveness, grace and restoration. There is a blessing in acknowledging our helplessness before God. In that release, the struggle ends.
3. Blessed are the meek:
Jesus said his followers should strive for meekness in character. Meekness is described as “gentleness” a fruit of the spirit that grows in us naturally as we grow in Christ who described himself as being gentle and humble in heart. (Mt. 11:29) He said, he is the vine and we are the branches, if we stay connected and rooted in him we will grow much fruit, and become more gentle. (Gal. 5:22)
The Promise: The meek shall inherit the earth: Even as the patriarchs looked forward to the promise land, we still look forward to the promised land as realized in the kingdom of heaven.
4. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness:
The world is full of things that call for our attention. Every commercial tries to create a hunger for the object being sold. To hunger and thirst for righteousness is to be driven by a desire to be right with God.
People have always looked for ways to earn righteousness, from following rules and laws and sacrifices.[2] However, neither the laws, nor the sacrifices could bring about true righteousness.
The Promise: Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, will be filled.
There is a righteousness of God that we can have. It comes through faith in Jesus and is available to all who believe. (Ro. 3: 21-22)
Describing himself as the bread and water, Jesus fills and satisfies the hunger and thirst of all who come to him. (Jn. 7:37)
5. Blessed are the merciful:
To be merciful is to be concerned for and kind to others who are in need.
The listeners in Jesus day had to get past a hurdle of ancient thought that said that suffering was the result of sin or punishment. While he was the example of mercy and compassion, Jesus accused the Pharisees of not showing mercy (Mt. 23:23)
He stopped to be with those who were hurting, and regardless of the situation he demonstrated to his disciples what it meant to be merciful. The Bible encourages us to be dressed with compassion (Col. 3:12)
Talking about how important it is to God that his children are merciful, Jesus said the time would come when he separates those who may enter heaven from those who may not, he will say to those he welcomes, “When I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me….because when you did these things to help my brothers and sisters you did them for me.” (Mt. 25:35-40)
The promise: The merciful will receive mercy; they will hear him say ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world
6. Blessed are the pure in heart:
The heart refers to our nature or will. (Jer. 17:9) The pure in heart love with a love that comes from God. The kind of love described in detail in 1st Cor. 13: 3-7. King David prayed, “Create in me a pure heart, O God and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (Ps. 51:10) We are encouraged to love from a pure heart, a good conscience and a sincere faith. (1 Tim. 1:5)
The Promise: The pure in heart shall see God.
There have always been people who wanted to see God. But in Ex. 33: 20 God said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” And Timothy describes God as the one “who is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, who no one has seen or can see.” Yet this beatitude says the pure in heart shall see God.
It’s not that we have a pure heart on our own. Our hearts are made pure by God as he sanctifies us when we put their trust in him.
7. Blessed are the Peacemakers:
Jesus taught that we should do our best to live in peace not only with those we love, but with our enemies as well. He said, “I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” (Lk 6:27-28) And do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.” (1Pet. 3:9)
The world and the nations have to work together for peace and Christians have a burden to be agents of the peace that Christ encouraged here.
We’re also supposed to pursue peace in our personal relationships. Living in peace in a family that has generations of peace pursuers is easier than in families where fighting is a way of life and every get together is a struggle. However, it seems like there’s one peacemaker in the family whose always trying to get everyone to get along and be happy. There’s good news for the peace makers.
The promise: They shall be called children of God.
8. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness:
Has there been a time you were persecuted because of your faith? For some believers their faith has cost them friendships, the alienation of family, their job and for some, their life.
First century Christians suffered a lot of persecution. Yet their faith shaped how they faced it.
Peter said, “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trials you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you…However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name….So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.” (1 Pet. 4:12-14, 16, 19).
“Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed.” (1 Pet 3:13-14)
The promise: Theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Paul said that our present sufferings are not even worth comparing with the glory that we will experience when Christ returns. (Ro. 8:24)
Phil 3:10-11 – “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.” (Phil. 3:10-11)
CONCLUSION: There has long been a common thought among God’s people that if you are good, good things will happen to you would be blessed. In his sermon, Jesus challenges our perception of what it means to be blessed. Blessing isn’t necessarily found in the absence of trouble, in fact some of the most profound blessings are experienced in the middle of trouble & persecution. The blessing he’s talking about is found in the presence of God and comes out of a new way of thinking about ourselves, our sin, our relationship with God and others.
One pastor said, “Jesus began his most famous sermon by identifying eight ways to happiness. Each of these eight “healing choices” called The Beatitudes begins with the word blessed…because happiness is a choice, and the Beatitudes are the habits of happiness.”[3]
And attitudes that help us recognize our need for God, genuinely understand the weight of our sins, submit to God’s authority, seek justice and righteousness, show mercy, maintain a pure heart, work for peace and rejoice the opportunity to share the Gospel.[4]
Jesus assures us that if we do these things, if we have these attitudes, we will receive the kingdom of heaven, we will be comforted, inherit the earth, obtain righteousness, be shown mercy, be called children of God, have great reward in heaven and see God.
These are blessings to be thankful for.
[1]Robert A. Guelich, The Sermon on the Mount
[2] Such as the laws of Moses and the prophets, to offering sacrifices establishing a complex sacrificial system to satisfy the penalty for sin.
[3] Rick Warren. Life’s Healing Choices Magazine
[4] Willmington, H. L.: Willmington’s Bible Handbook. Wheaton, Ill. : Tyndale House Publishers, 1997, S. 527