Matthew 5:1-12
Four Times Blessed
I want to talk to you about the word that is used 9 times in 9
verses. It is the word blessed. Let me give you a statement and then
seek to prove it to you. The statement: "Blessed is not how you feel.
Blessed is what you are."
I. Blessed, What It Is.
A. The definition I have always heard is happy.
1. That is by far the most common definition for the word
"blessed," but I have never thought it to be a good
definition. Granted,
2. I am no linguist, but I do read, and I do think.
B. There are at least three reasons I have never thought happy
is the right definition for the word "blessed."
1. The definition has always seemed inadequate to describe a
spiritual condition.
a. Happiness is an emotion that we feel. That is all it
is.
b. The emotion itself is largely and often entirely
contingent on circumstances and our surroundings and
has little to do with one’s walk with the Lord.
c. Sinners are often very happy, even in the throes of
their worst sins.
d. How could such a shallow emotion be descriptive of
the deep encounter of which Jesus was speaking?
e. God must be offering something better than happiness
for enduring the kind of life that He is mentioning
here.
2. Notice the conditions Jesus described as blessed:
a. \\#3\\ "poor in spirit"
b. \\#4\\ "mourning"
c. \\#10\\ "persecuted"
d. \\#11\\ "reviled… persecute… say all manner of
evil against you falsely"
e. Do these even sound like conditions that you should be
happy about?
(1) Now don’t think ahead yet.
(2) Jesus will command us to be happy in these
conditions but before if you are just naturally
happy about being persecuted, you might be a
little crazy.
f. A person who is happy while he is going through these
kinds of experiences is likely to be unbalanced.
3. \\#12\\ The command is given TO "Rejoice, and be exceeding
glad."
a. Why give the command to be glad if you are already
blessed and blessed means happy?
b. If you are already happy, you don’t need this command.
c. The fact that there is a command to be happy means
blessed does not mean happy.
d. Blessed must mean that you can be blessed and UNhappy.
e. The command itself indicates that we are not going to
naturally be happy with what we are going through
therefore we need to adjust our attitude.
C. My definition of blessed is that the person is one that is
approved of God.
1. That means God has put His stamp of approval upon the
person who is blessed.
2. If we understand better what it is to be blessed, let’s
see if we can understand how to get it.
II. The Four Levels of Blessings
A. Let me say upfront that if you are alive, you are a very
blessed individual.
1. Some may question that, but I assure you that no matter
what shape you find yourself, you are infinitely more
blessed than a person in hell.
2. However, there are far greater blessings to be had then
merely to be alive.
3. In fact, I believe we can easily see four levels of
blessings.
B. The Four Levels
1. The Status Quo Level of Blessings
a. Status Quo means the way things are.
b. As I have said, if all we have is life we are
blessed, but every person sitting in this church
today has many more blessings than merely life.
c. People in our country today live better than most
kings lived 100 years ago and better than all kings
lived 150 years ago.
(1) We have foods and pastries available to us of
which they would have never dreamed. Not just
the quality of food available to us but the
sheer quantity.
(2) We have clothing of comfort and luxury that
those people never saw.
(3) We live in homes better built and more
comfortable than any they ever knew.
(4) We live lives of peace, plenty, comfort, and
ease like no generation has ever known.
(5) Driving in our modern, motorized, horseless
carriages, living in air conditioned
environments, living in a medical age that has
added years and quality to our lives.
(6) All of this and much more make us a most blessed
people.
d. And while these things should not be taken for
granted, they are very common.
(1) Millions if not billions of people enjoy many if
not most of these standards of life.
(2) I am appreciative, but I say plainly, I want to
be an even more blessed person that the status
quo.
2. The Saved Level of Blessings
a. There are two verses in this text that speak of
this level of blessings.
(1) Both \\#3\\ and \\#10\\ offer "the kingdom of
heaven" to some.
(2) In this context, I can see no other definition
for that phrase than salvation.
(a) \\#3\\ offers the kingdom of heaven for the
poor in spirit.
(b) \\#10\\ offers the kingdom of heaven for
those who will suffer persecution for
righteousness’ sake.
(3) Let me say upfront that I do not believe Jesus
was teaching that we can somehow earn salvation
by our works.
(a) Why am I so certain?
(b) Because that would contradict other Bible
passages.
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith;
and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of
God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we
have done, but according to his mercy he saved
us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing
of the Holy Ghost;
(4) Salvation is a gift freely paid for by Jesus’
death on the cross and given to any person who
will repent of their sins and believe on the
payment Jesus made on the cross for their souls.
(5) \\#3\\ However, no one will ever call upon the
name of the Lord for salvation who does not
first recognize themselves as poor in sprit.
(a) A person who does not see himself as broke,
busted, and bankrupt before God will never
call upon the mercy that saves sinners from
hell.
(b) So a person who is poor in spirit can most
certainly be blessed with the kingdom of
heaven.
(6) \\#10\\ And anyone who has the kingdom of
heaven to their possession will endure at least
some persecution for righteousness sake.
(a) I do not say and the Bible does not say that
every Christian would die for Jesus Christ.
(b) I would hope that we would. I would hope
that I would, but I do not know how much
this cowering flesh would endure for any
one or anything.
(c) However, the Bible does say that we would
endure at least some persecution for
righteousness’ sake, and I hope that if you
have named the name of Jesus for any length
of time, you have put yourself far enough
out on the limb of service to endure at
least some persecution yourself.
b. Both of these are speaking of the Saved Level of
Blessings.
(1) And what a blessing salvation is!
(2) It provides forgiveness of sin, a mansion in
heaven, adoption into God’s family, filling with
God’s Holy Ghost, a purpose, a peace, and a
power are just a few of the things that come
with this level of blessing.
(3) Why just to escape hell itself is worth any price
God might require, but all He requires is that
we believe and repent.
c. Again, I will say it plainly and boldly. I want this
level of blessedness, and by the blood of Jesus
Christ, I have attained it.
3. The Serving Level of Blessings
a. There are many ways to serve the Lord, but in this
text, I only see one mentioned.
Matt 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they
shall be called the children of God.
b. Anyone who does not appreciate a peacemaker is taking
for granted a peace already made.
c. An illustration of this can be seen in the contempt
so many Americans have for this country’s history.
(1) Isn’t it amazing how those who are enjoying a
lifetime of peace do nothing but sit on the
sidelines and criticize those who defeated the
enemies who attacked us?
(2) They trample our flag, disrespect our heritage,
insult our servicemen, and now attack and even
murder our police officers.
(3) Why? They have no appreciation for the
peacemakers because they take for granted the
peace that the peacemakers have made.
(4) I suppose it will be all right; however for when
they get what they want—which is to get rid of
the peacemakers—they will find out just how
valuable the peacemakers were to peace.
(5) Of course by that time, they will be cowering in
some dark hole some place fearing for their
last minutes of life and safety.
d. God, on the other hand, holds peacemakers in high
esteem.
(1) One does not have to be a Christian to be a
peacemaker. In fact, one does not even have to
know God to be a peacemaker.
(2) However, since this text is recorded in the
Bible, I am going to suppose that this blessing
is for the Christian peacemakers.
(3) To those peacemakers, God will share not only His
approval but His name.
Matt 5:9 … they shall be called the children
of God.
(4) Why would God share His name with an earthly
peacemaker? For two reasons:
(a) Because God is the greatest Peacemaker of
all. God sent His Son, Jesus, to die on a
cross so that sinners might be at peace
with the Holy God.
(b) That is exactly what God has called—
commanded—every Christian to do.
Proverbs 11:30 The fruit of the righteous is a
tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.
Matthew 4:19 And he saith unto them, Follow me,
and I will make you fishers of men.
1 Corinthians 9:22 To the weak became I as weak,
that I might gain the weak: I am made all things
to all men, that I might by all means save some.
(5) The beauty about being a peacemaker is it does
not matter whether you bring peace to warring
nations or to warring individuals, the approval
of God will be the same.
e. I will plainly say again, I want this blessing.
(1) I want to be called "a child of God."
(2) I could settle for the Status Quo Level of
Blessing or even the Saved Level of Blessings,
but I want more of God’s approval, more of God’s
favor.
4. The Surrendered Level of Blessing
a. Of all the levels of blessings, I believe this is the
hardest level to attain.
b. I also see that it is the level of blessing that Jesus
spoke most about.
c. Notice the type of surrender to God that is required
to receive it:
(1) \\#4\\ We must mourn. That means that whether we
have anything to sorrow over or not, we will see
the things that God desires and mourn with Him
until those things are a reality.
(2) \\#5\\ We must be meek. That means that even
when we have been wronged and hurt, although we
have the power and ability to do so, we will not
use it to set things back in our favor.
(3) \\#6\\ We will hunger and thirst after
righteousness. That means we will desire and
crave to be right with God more than the food or
drink necessary for life itself.
(4) \\#7\\ We will be merciful. We forgive others of
the wrongs done against us.
(5) \\#8\\ We will be pure in heart. That means we
will hate and abstain from sin.
(6) \\#11\\ We will endure persecution and insults
for Jesus’ sake. That means no amount of insult
or injury will stop us from doing and being what
God wants us to do and to be.
d. That is some high surrender, but it also earns us some
high blessing.
(1) \\#4\\ Along with God’s approval, God Himself
will comfort us. The word means to draw close,
to console, to relieve grief.
(2) \\#5\\ Along with God’s approval, God will one
day give us the earth.
(3) \\#6\\ Along with God’s approval, God is going to
fill us with His righteousness.
(4) \\#7\\ Along with God’s approval, God is going to
be merciful to us.
(5) \\#8\\ Along with God’s approval, we are going to
see God.
(6) \\#12\\ Along with God’s approval, we are going
to be rewarded greatly in heaven.
Friend, you and I are blessed. That is not a feeling. That is a
fact. But we can be even more blessed. I am selfish and want all
that God is offering. How about you?
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