“Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walking In God’s Blessings”
June 10, 2007
Part 1 of series on Sermon On The Mount
Having no children of my own, I enjoy watching other’s children grow and develop. I really enjoy watching parents teaching their children how to walk. The children and the parents are usually very proud of the accomplishment!
I couldn’t help but smile as I watched Marion and Mason last Sunday. Marion was holding Mason’s hand – Mason was walking down the hallway – and even maneuvering the steps. He was smiling and seemed to be so proud of himself as he learned to walk. I think Marion was a little proud of him, also!
As I watched Marion with Mason I began to think about how we all need to learn to walk. Maybe we don’t need to learn to walk like Mason is learning – most of us know how to physically walk – but I believe we need to learn how to walk spiritually – how to walk in God’s ways – how to walk as God wants us to walk.
The truth is that – just as parents teach their children to walk – Jesus can teach us how to walk in His ways. Just as a parent holds the hand of a child and smiles proudly as the child learns to walk – Jesus can take us by the hand and teach us how to walk in His ways – and smiles as we do His will. Like children learning to physically walk we aren’t going to walk in Jesus’ ways perfectly – we’ll stumble and fall – but just as a parent will pick up a child and help the child try again – Jesus picks us up and helps us try again to walk in His ways.
Jesus has taught us how to walk in His ways.
We need to look at His words – His teachings – so we can walk as He taught us how to walk.
We need to learn to walk like Jesus taught.
We need to learn to walk like Jesus taught.
This summer we’re going to look at one of the places where Jesus taught us how to walk in His ways. We’re going to be looking at what is called The Sermon On The Mount – Matthew chapters 5-7. As we look at these chapters we’ll see how Jesus taught us to walk – so we can learn how to
Walk Like Jesus Taught
Walk Like Jesus Taught
Walk Like Jesus Taught – that’s going to be our theme for the summer.
The Sermon On The Mount is an important piece of scripture. It’s the longest segment of scripture with just the teachings of Jesus – and it’s a piece of scripture where Jesus gives the guidelines for how His followers should live. If you think about it, the Sermon On The Mount occurs at an important point in Jesus’ ministry. As Matthew records the story of Jesus, Jesus has been born – raised in Nazareth – has been baptized by John – has been tempted by Satan in the wilderness – and has now began His ministry of teaching and healing. He has begun to attract crowds of people — and has even called some to be disciples.
But – the crowds – and especially the disciples – must have wondered how they were supposed to live – how they were supposed to act – what they were supposed to do. The disciples had given up their old lifestyles to follow Jesus – and they were probably wondering how they were supposed to live now that they were following Jesus.
Well – they were about to find out.
As Jesus climbed that mountainside – He began to teach His disciples how He wanted them to live.
And the disciples began their attempt to walk like Jesus taught.
Walk Like Jesus Taught
Walk Like Jesus Taught
Today we’re going to begin our look at how we can walk like Jesus taught. Listen to how Jesus began teaching the disciples – and teaching us – in Matthew 5:1-12 as He taught them how to walk in God’s blessings.
Walk Like Jesus Taught — Walk In God’s Blessings
Walk Like Jesus Taught — Walk In God’s Blessings
Jesus begins the Sermon on the Mount by telling us that we can live a life of victory…a life of fulfillment…a life of significance – a life of blessings. That’s the kind of existence God has designed for us,. More specifically, that’s the kind of existence God has designed for you. It’s not God’s will that His children live defeated, miserable lives. When many of us came to Him we were living miserable, defeated lives. Maybe when you came to Jesus you were living a miserable, defeated life — but we don’t have to stay that way – you don’t have to stay that way. You can live a victorious life – a joyful life.
The fact is, thought, that many Christians miss out on the abundant life that God promises simply because they settle for less than He is willing to give. They cheat themselves out of God’s promises by settling for something less. Don’t cheat yourself out of God’s promises for you by settling for something less. Here’s one way people cheat themselves out of what God has promised them: When trouble comes their way, they say, “Oh woe is me! ” instead of, saying “How blessed I am!” (which, as we’ll see in a few minutes, is the proper response). When troubles come up in your life – how do you respond?
Maybe we all need to learn how to:
Walk Like Jesus Taught – and Walk In God’s Blessings
Walk Like Jesus Taught – and Walk In God’s Blessings
The truth is that — no matter what your situation is — you can experience the abundance…the blessings – God wants you to have. You can be poor or rich, educated or not, married or single, young or old, hip or square—no matter what your situation is in life, the abundant blessings Jesus wills for all His followers apply to you.
Walk Like Jesus Taught — Walk In God’s Blessings
Walk Like Jesus Taught — Walk In God’s Blessings
In Matthew 5:1-12 there are three truths about blessed living that I want you to notice. Here they are:
1. God promises you true happiness (and then some). Jesus begins the Sermon on the Mount by saying:
(v. 3-5) Blessed are the poor in spirit…blessed are those who mourn…blessed are the meek…
…and so on. Before we look at each of these blessings, we need to look at the word blessed. In the English language, it is the ultimate religious word, isn’t it? You never hear this word in a non-religious context, do you? In fact, when most people say this word, they don’t pronounced it as it should be pronounced according to the rules of the English language. They don’t say “Blest”. They make it even more religious sounding by saying (in a stained-glass voice) “Bless-ed”. We don’t do that with any other word. We don’t say “My hair is mess-ed up today because I didn’t have enough time to get dress-ed.” But we do say “Bless-ed.”
In English it is a religious sounding word, but remember, Jesus didn’t speak English, and Matthew didn’t write his Gospel in English. The word that is used in Matthew is not a religious term at all. It was a normal part of their everyday vocabulary. The Greek word we translate “blessed” is makarios. There really isn’t a word in the English language that is equivalent to this word – but “blessed” probably comes closer than any other, which is why we use it. The word makarios is also translated “happy” in many versions of the Bible. “Happy” comes close to capturing the meaning—but makarios means much more than happiness. There is also a sense in which this word implies “Congratulations!” or “Way to Go!” or “Good for you!”, as if Jesus were saying:
“Congratulations, poor in spirit! Way to go, you who mourn! Good for you, people who are meek!”
In the Greek language, makarios communicates the idea of contentment, fulfillment, satisfaction, completion. The word was used to describe the island of Cyprus—it was called He Makaria — which sounds suspiciously close to the name of that dance song, but there’s no connection. He Makaria means “The Happy Island”, and it was called that because Cyprus was so rich, so beautiful, so fertile, that one didn’t have to go beyond it’s coastline to find perfect and complete happiness—Cyprus contained within itself all of the elements of a fulfilling life. So, when Jesus said:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit…Blessed are those who mourn,”
and so on, He was saying:
“Here are the ingredients that result in absolute contentment, fulfillment and happiness in life.”
He was saying:
“You can be happy in this life, you can be content, you can be fulfilled, you can blessed.”
This is the kind of life He wants for you. As a follower of Jesus Christ, it is possible for you to wake up every day and say:
“Wow! Isn’t life great? Can it possibly get any better than this?”
That’s the kind of life He promises you: contentment, and then some; fulfillment, and then some; happiness and then some. It is a blessed life. So, when we use the word “blessed”, we keep in mind that it is a powerful word that promises a life of God’s goodness. He promises us more than happiness.
Walk Like Jesus Taught — Walk In God’s Blessings
Walk Like Jesus Taught — Walk In God’s Blessings
The second thing I want you to notice is that:
2. True happiness comes in unexpected ways.
Jesus’ method of happiness is different than what is taught by popular culture. Our culture would teach these principles this way:
Blessed are the self-made men, for they are their master of their destinies.
Blessed are those who never mourn, for their life will be a bed of roses.
Blessed are the aggressive, for they’ll get whatever they want.
Blessed are those who make up their own rules, for they’ll answer to no one but themselves.
Blessed are those who show no mercy, for their enemies will fear them.
Blessed are those with hearts of stone, for they’ll never be hurt.
Blessed are those who win the battle, for their enemies will become their slaves.
Blessed are those who compromise their convictions, for they’ll never offend anyone.
Blessed are those who are recognized for their greatness and elevated to the status of celebrity, for they will be worshipped by many.
That is our society’s prescription for happiness.
Jesus’ method is the exact opposite. Let’s take a look at it.
Jesus says:
(v. 3) Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God.
What does “poor in spirit” mean? Jesus is not talking about financial poverty here. Jesus did have much to say throughout His ministry about materialism—and he was very much against it—but that doesn’t mean he was for poverty. In fact, later in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus tells us that you are to help the poor financially, and the only way you can do that is if you’re not poor yourself. “Poor in spirit” doesn’t refer to your pocketbook, it refers to your heart. The word translated “poor” means absolute, abject poverty—the poverty of a beggar on the street. And just as a beggar is dependant on the generosity of others, we are to be dependant on God. “Poor in spirit” describes the attitude with which we approach God. It is not an attitude that says, “I’m better than most people and God is lucky to have me on his team.” It’s an attitude that says, “God, without you I am absolutely nothing!” Jesus says that if that is your attitude, you are blessed, and the kingdom of heaven is yours.
Walk Like Jesus Taught — Walk In God’s Blessings
Walk Like Jesus Taught — Walk In God’s Blessings
Jesus also said…
(v. 4) Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Jesus is saying, “Happy are the sad.” It sounds like a contradiction, doesn’t it? The kind of mourning Jesus is referring to is the mourning that results from being poor in spirit. Those who recognize that they are completely helpless without God, and that they have no good in themselves, cannot help but feel sorrow for their own sinfulness. That kind of sorrow is good, because it leads us to repentance.
This is exactly what Paul taught…
For God can use sorrow in our lives to help us turn away from sin and seek salvation. We will never regret that kind of sorrow. (2 Corinthians 7:10)
It’s also a fact of life that surviving sadness gives us a greater appreciation for happiness. Overcoming a few defeats in life makes winning that much sweeter. Ask John Elway. He lost three Super Bowls early in his career, but he ended his career with two consecutive Super Bowl wins. He would quickly tell you that those early losses helped him savor the later wins that much more.
Walk Like Jesus Taught — Walk In God’s Blessings
Walk Like Jesus Taught — Walk In God’s Blessings
Jesus says, “Blessed are those who mourn,” because he knows mourning leads to spiritual growth.
Robert Browning Hamilton wrote a poem that goes:
I walked with a mile with pleasure — She chattered all the way — But left me none the wiser For all she had to say – I walked a mile with sorrow – And never a word said she — But, oh, the things I learned from her, — When sorrow walked with me.
Events that cause sorrow and mourning can be a blessed event in your life, because when you surrender it to Jesus, they lead to joy.
Walk Like Jesus Taught — Walk In God’s Blessings
Walk Like Jesus Taught — Walk In God’s Blessings
Jesus also said,
(v. 5) Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
I have a friend in North Carolina who raises horses. He shared with me about the job of cleaning out the stables. The older horses were used to having someone come in and out of the stall, and they would ignore him. However, he remembered one young colt who became frightened as he crashed the buckets and shovels. He ignored the horse while he went about his business, but the horse didn’t ignore him. While he was stooped over, scooping things up with his shovel, the horse kicked him in the shoulder. He was able to get out of the stall quickly, but was thankful the horse didn’t kick him in the head. He couldn’t believe such a gentle looking creature was capable of such power. Within two years this colt became a champion show horse. He was bigger and far more powerful than he was when he kicked my nephew, and yet, the colt’s rider—a 16-year-old girl—would gently tug the reins, and he would do whatever she guided him to do. This horse was a powerful animal, but the power was under control. Well, the Greek word for “meek” is the same word that the Greeks used to describe a horse who had been trained by his master. Meekness doesn’t mean weakness; it means “power under control.” Someone who is meek is strong enough to be gentle, strong enough to be tender, and yet, strong enough to be forceful when necessary.
Aristotle described meekness as the balance between two extremes — a person who is angry at the right time, but never angry at the wrong time; a person who pushes forward when he needs to push forward, and who pulls back when he needs to pull back. But like the trained horse, that person doesn’t do this on his own—he does it as he is guided by his master. Moses, Joshua, David, Deborah, Ruth, Mary, Jesus, and Paul: these characters had strong personalities—but their strength was used for God’s glory because it was under His control. There are three kinds of people: victims, victimizers, and the meek. The meek are too strong to become victims, and they’re too compassionate to be victimizers. Instead, they become heroes, defenders, protectors. They stand up for the weak and the oppressed. They’re able to do this because they have surrendered their strength to the Lordship of Christ, and He uses it for His glory. Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek.” It means, “Blessed are those who don’t let their power go to their head, but who instead surrender it to God, for God to use as He sees fit.” Those who do that, he said, will inherit the earth.
Walk Like Jesus Taught — Walk In God’s Blessings
Walk Like Jesus Taught — Walk In God’s Blessings
Jesus also said…
(v. 6) Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Jesus is saying;
“If you really want to be good, you’ll become good. If you crave holiness and righteousness like a starving man craves food, you’ll be filled.”
The Greek word for “hunger” refers to the hunger a starving man experiences, the Greek word for “filled” is translated elsewhere as “gorged”. [Revelation 19:21] When it comes to righteousness and holiness, Jesus says the more you want, the more you’ll get.
Walk Like Jesus Taught — Walk In God’s Blessings
Walk Like Jesus Taught — Walk In God’s Blessings
Jesus also said,
(v. 7) Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Do you want to be more than happy? Be willing to give others a break. You may be right and they may be wrong, but keep this in mind: When you show mercy to others, you heap mercy upon yourself.
Walk Like Jesus Taught — Walk In God’s Blessings
Walk Like Jesus Taught — Walk In God’s Blessings
Jesus also said,
(v. 8) Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
The Greek word for pure is kathoros, from which we get the English word “cathartic”. Both mean to cleanse or purge or purify. Kathoros was used in Greek to describe an army that had been “cleansed” of all its cowardly, disgruntled, inefficient soldiers; it was considered a “clean” or “pure” army.
So when Jesus says, “Blessed are the pure in heart,” He’s not referring to those whose hearts have always been pure and good; that would eliminate all of us. Instead, he’s referring to those who hearts have been cleansed. Your heart may have been filled with hatred and selfishness and greed at one time — it may even be that way now—but it can be cleansed. It can be made pure. You see – blessings don’t come from being a jaded, self-serving cynic; it comes having a clean heart. When your heart is pure, you will see God.
Walk Like Jesus Taught — Walk In God’s Blessings
Walk Like Jesus Taught — Walk In God’s Blessings
Jesus also said:
(v. 9) Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the sons of God.
Some people thrive on conflict. The common characteristic all of these people have is a visible lack of happiness. They aren’t happy and they do all that they can to make sure no one else is. But some people seem to have the capacity for bringing people together. They know how to nip conflict in the bud, and they can make the worst of enemies into the best of friends. The question is — which of these shoes fits your foot? If you are a peacemaker — if you dedicate your life to making things calm instead of stirring things up — you will be called one of the “sons of God.” When you play the part of peacemaker, you are being like your Heavenly Father. That’s why Solomon said,
It is to a man’s honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel. (Proverbs 20:3)
If you want to be more than blessed, learn to be a peacemaker.
Walk Like Jesus Taught — Walk In God’s Blessings
Walk Like Jesus Taught — Walk In God’s Blessings
Jesus also said,
(v. 10-12) “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.”
Jesus said there will be times when you are mistreated simply because you belong to him. This puts you in good company, because it happened to the prophets of God in the Old Testament, and after Jesus’ death and resurrection, it happened to the Apostles and many leaders of the Christian church, and it has continued to happen to God’s people throughout history. Some people have been jailed and tortured because of their allegiance to Christ, others have been mocked and ridiculed. Persecution against followers of Christ is taking place throughout the world today. It doesn’t happen very often in America, but it does happen. We think of the valedictorians of Oroville High School in California who were forbidden to make valedictory speeches because they contained references of gratitude to Jesus We think of those who have been passed up for a promotion or who have been excluded from the “inner circle” at work because they’re too “religious.” To whatever extent a follower of Christ experiences persecution, he or she can take joy in the fact that their persecution puts them in an elite group who have done far more to change the world for the better than their persecutors have. Jesus says if you want to be blessed, stay faithful to him even when you’re being mistreated.
Walk Like Jesus Taught — Walk In God’s Blessings
Walk Like Jesus Taught — Walk In God’s Blessings
Your life can be happy, fulfilling, meaningful, and blessed. God has promised to shower you with blessings. But here we see that happiness comes through surrendering yourself to God, giving Him control of your life, and serving others with a heart of compassion. If you try to find happiness in any other way, you are cheating yourself out of the blessings God has in store for you. The only way you can have blessings in your life is by alking in the way Jesus taught – the way of surrendering yourself to God, giving Him control of your life, and serving others with a heart of compassion.
Do you feel God’s blessings in your life?
If not, maybe you aren’t waling as Jesus taught.
Maybe your path of life is not the path of surrendering yourself to God, giving Him control of your life, and serving others with a heart of compassion.
Surrendering yourself to God — giving Him control of your life — serving others with a heart of compassion – these are the ways to true blessings.
As we go through the Sermon On The Mount this summer, we’ll discover other ways Jesus taught us to walk – but the first step is surrendering yourself to God, giving Him control of your life, and serving others with a heart of compassion – the step that leads to blessings.
I pray that you will learn how to better:
Walk Like Jesus Taught — Walk In God’s Blessings
Walk Like Jesus Taught — Walk In God’s Blessings
Let’s all learn how to:
Walk Like Jesus Taught — Walk In God’s Blessings
Walk Like Jesus Taught — Walk In God’s Blessings
Amen.
[...] the links to my sermons in the Sermon On The Mount series I’ve been preaching this summer: 1. Matthew 5:1-13 Walk In God’s Blessings 2. Matthew 5:13-16 Walk Like Jesus Walked 3. Matthew 5:17-32 Walk In Righteousness 4. Matthew [...]
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