Finding true happiness in today’s society, PART ONE

When you think of happiness, do you think of worldly treasures, or do you look at Jesus? We

have true happiness in Jesus; He gave us everlasting water and bread of life because He IS the

Living Water and the Bread of Life! Let’s first look at Matthew 5:1-11 and then we will explain

it further by looking at BBC.

Matthew 5:1-11 “v1 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was

set, his disciples came unto him: v2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, v3

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. v4 Blessed are they that

mourn: for they shall be comforted. v5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

v6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

v7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

v8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. v9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for

they shall be called the children of God.

v10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for

righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

v11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of

evil against you falsely, for my sake.”

Now Let’s look at what the Commentary says.

“Matthew 5:1-12- V1, 2 The sermon opens with the Beatitudes, or blessings. These set forth

the ideal citizen of Christ’s kingdom.

The qualities described and approved are the opposite of

those that the world values. A.W. Tozer describes them thus: “A fairly accurate description of

the human race might be furnished one unacquainted with it by taking the beatitudes, turning

them wrong side out, and saying, ‘Here is your human race.’” 5:3 This first blessing is

pronounced on the poor in spirit.

This does not refer to natural disposition, but to one’s

deliberate choice and discipline. The poor in spirit are those who acknowledge there own

helplessness and rely on God’s omnipotence.

They sense their spiritual need and find it

supplied in the Lord. The kingdom of heaven, where self – sufficiency is no virtue and

self-exaltation is a vice, belongs to such people 5:4 Those who mourn are blessed; a day of

comfort awaits them.

This does not refer to mourning because of the vicissitudes of life. It is

the sorrow one expreiences because of fellowship with the Lord Jesus. It is an active sharing of

the world’s hurt and sin with Jesus.

Therefore, it includes, not only sorrow for one’s own sin,

but also sorrow because of the world’s appalling condition, it’s rejection of the Saviors and the

doom of those who refuse His mercy.

These mourners shall b e comforted in the coming day

when “God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Rev 21:4). Believers do all their

mourning in this life; for unbelievers, today’s grief is only a foretaste of eternal sorrow.

5:5 A third blessing is pronounced on the meek: they shall inherit the earth. By nature these

people might be volatile, tempermental, and gruff. But by purposefully taking Christ’s spirit on

them, they become meek or gentle (compare Matthew 11:29).

Meekness implies acceptance of one’s lowly position. The meek person is gentle and mild in his

own cause, though he may be a lion in Gods cause or in defending others. The meek do not

now inherit the earth; rather they inherit abuse and dispossession. But they will literally inherit

the earth when Christ, the King, reigns for a thousand years in peace and prosperity.

5:6 Next, a blessing is pronounced

on those who hunger and thirst for righteousness: they are promised satisfaction. These

people have a passion for righteousness in their own lives; they long to see honesty, integrity,

and justice in society; they look for practical holiness in the church.

Like the people of whom

Gamaliel Bradford wrote, they have “a thirst no earthly stream can satisfy, a hunger that must

feed on Christ or die.” These people will be abundantly satisfied in Christ’s coming kingdom:

they shall be filled, for righteousness will reign and corruption will give way to the highest

moral standards.

5:7 In our Lord’s kingdom, the merciful are blessed... for they shall obtain

mercy. To be merciful means to be actively compassionate. In one sense it means to withhold

punishment from offenders who deserve it.

In a wider sense it means to help others in need

who cannot help themselves. God showed mercy in sparing us from the judgment which our

sins deserved and in demonstrating kindness to us through the saving work of Christ. We

imitate God when we have compassion.

The merciful shall obtain mercy. Here, Jesus is not

referring to the mercy of salvation which God gives to a believing sinner; that mercy is not

dependent on a person’s being merciful---it is a free unconditional gift.

Rather the Lord is speaking of the daily mercy needed for Christian living and of mercy in that

future day when one’s works will be reviewed (1 Corinthians 3: 12-15). If one has not been

merciful, that person will not receive mercy; that is, one’s reward will decrease accordingly.

5:8 The pure in heart are given the assurance that hey shall see God. A pure-hearted person is

one whose motives are unmixed, whose thoughts are holy, whose conscience is clean.

The expression they shall see God may be understood in several ways. First, the pure in heart

see God now through fellowship in the Word and the Spirit. Second, they sometimes have a

supernatural appearance, or vision, of the Lord presented to them.

Third, they shall see God in the Person

of Jesus when He comes again. Fourth, they shall see God in eternity. 5:9 A blessing is

pronounced on the peacemakers: they shall be called sons of God. Notice that the lord is not

speaking about people with a peaceful disposition or those who love peace.

He is referring to

those who actively intervene to make peace. The natural approach is to watch strife from the

sidelines. The divine approach is to take positive action toward creating peace even if it means

taking abuse and invective. Peacemakers are called sons of God.

This is not how they become sons of God-that can only happen by receiving Jesus Christ as

Savior (John 1:12). By making peace, believers manifest themselves as sons of God, and God

will one day acknowledge them as people who o bear the family likeness. 5:10 The next

beatitude deals with those who are persecuted, not for their own wrongdoings, but for

righteousness sake.

The kingdom of heaven is promised to those believers who suffer for doing right. Their

integrity condemns the ungodly world and brings out its hostility. People hate a righteous life

because it exposes their own unrighteousness.

5:11 The final beatitude seems to be a repetition if the proceeding one.

However, there is one difference. In the previous verse, the subject was persecution because

of righteousness sake; here it is persecution for Christ’s sake.

The Lord knew His disciples

would me maltreated because of their association with, and loyalty to, Him. History has

confirmed this: from the outset the world has persecuted, jailed, and killed followers of Jesus

. 5:12 To suffer for Christ’s sake is a privilege that should cause joy.

A great reward awaits

those who thus become companions of the prophets in tribulation. Those OT spokemen for

God stood true in spite of persecution. All who imitate their loyal courage will share their

present exhilaration and future exaltation.

The beatitudes present a portrait of the ideal citizen

in Christ’s kingdom. Notice the emphases on righteousness (v6), peace (v9), and joy (v12).

Paul probably had this passage in mind when he wrote, “For the kingdom of God is not eating

and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17).