THE BEATTITUDES: The Lifestyle Jesus Shapes in His Followers

THE BEATTITUDES

The Lifestyle Jesus Shapes in His Followers

Today, unlike any other time in the history of the world, followers of Jesus have access to an almost innumerable number of ways to hear good Bible teaching. Where in the past people could primarily only listen to Bible teaching at their local church, or wait for popular evangelists to come through their hometown, this is far from the case in most of the world at the time of this writing in the year 2010. A few examples of tools which are used to distribute biblical messages in culture today in addition to the local church are DVDs, books, radio, television, concerts, conferences, internet blogs, streaming audio and video online, podcasts, and other forms of digital media.

Even as different forms of communication are born through the continual advancement of modern technology, one method of experiencing good Bible teaching that always remains popular is the attendance of Christian conferences. Conferences abound of all types and sizes for people to go to and enjoy. Within the Calvary Chapel Movement, of which this author is a part, there are probably close to a hundred conferences a year all over the world for people to utilize.

It's awesome to get together at conferences in a movement like Calvary Chapel. Often times the attendee is able to listen to some of the best Bible teaching available. Yet, in spite of how wonderful conferences and all the cool and innovative ways Christians can listen to Bible teaching today, there probably isn't a Christian in the world who wouldn't trade in their iPod, and every conference experience they've been able to enjoy to be able to sit in on a teaching session which took place on a little hill in the country-side of Israel about two-thousand years ago. In approximately A.D. 33 a group that might be considered some of the most privileged people on the planet got to listen to the greatest Bible teacher who has ever lived just outside of Jerusalem. They had the blessing of listening to Jesus Christ, God in human flesh, preach a sermon! The content they heard Him teach was what is commonly known by Christians all over the world today as, "the Sermon on the Mount."

The awesome thing is that, while a person cannot go back in time and sit on that hill, they can listen to the words which Jesus spoke as they read the pages of the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus is that good! He made sure that His people through the ages would be able to partake of all the wisdom He shared that day with His disciples by inspiring the Apostle Matthew to record it in great detail in the written word of God, the Bible.

One of the most impacting sections in the Sermon on the Mount is recorded in the first twelve verses of Matthew chapter five. This passage is home to what are called, "the Beatitudes." The Beatitudes are eight short statements of spiritual truth that are either convicting or comforting to the person who hears them, depending on where they are at in their life with Jesus when they hear them. There is a ton of truth in these words of Jesus to unpack, which is what will be attempted at this point.

As Matthew began his record of the Beatitudes he wrote, "And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them…" The first thing to note about the Beatitudes is that they encompass teaching that is only meant to be applied to people who have already committed their lives to following Jesus. Matthew states that the audience who was sitting under the teaching of Jesus on that day was comprised only of His "disciples." Disciples were people who had believed in Jesus and chosen to follow His teaching. George Peters described the concept of a disciple as a person Jesus has called, "to a decisive and radical separation from former relationships, positions and ways of life; to concrete association with Christ in daily living; to humble submission to Christ in a life of instruction; to ready obedience to the command of the Master in all matters of life; to conscious imitation of the Master in His life and teaching." It is to a group of this type of people that Jesus taught the Beatitudes.

This is important to point out because if it isn't understood that Jesus is speaking to Christian disciples a person might think He is teaching works salvation. Jesus isn't teaching how to become a Christian in the Beatitudes; He's describing the marks of a true disciple! The way a person becomes a Christian is faith in Jesus Christ alone. If a person receives Jesus as Savior, their life will begin to display the principles that are described in the Beatitudes.

The late J.C. Ryle questioned, "Do we want to know what kind of people Christians ought to be? Do we want to know what type of character at which Christians ought to aim? Do we want to know the outer way of life and inner habit of mind which suit a follower of Christ? Then let us often study the Sermon on the Mount." On the one hand Ryle is correct. Christians should seek to live out the principles in the Beatitudes. On the other hand, if Ryle and others who take his approach to teaching the Beatitudes aren't careful, they could lead people to think that the Beatitudes describe the character people need to somehow come up with on their own to please Jesus. This is why this author has the opinion that it is best to study the Beatitudes as general principles that naturally are growing progressively in the life of disciples of Jesus who have been born again by the Holy Spirit.

Having said all that, it's time to actually get into the Beatitudes themselves. As already mentioned, Jesus taught eight straight forward marks of a Christian side by side with eight blessings that disciples of Jesus will experience growing in their life.

First of all Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." The Greek word which is translated blessed throughout the Beatitudes literally means happy. So, another way to say what Jesus has said here would be, "You're happy if you're poor in spirit, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to people who are poor in spirit." What could make a person happier than knowing that the kingdom of heaven in some sense belongs to them?

Well, what does it mean to be poor in spirit? A.W. Tozer has some helpful comments here:

"The blessed ones who possess the kingdom are they who have repudiated every external thing and have rooted from their hearts all sense of possessing. These are the 'poor in spirit.' They have reached an inward state paralleling the outward circumstances of the common beggar in the streets of Jerusalem. That is what the word poor as Christ used it actually means. These blessed poor are no longer slaves to the tyranny of things. They have broken the yoke of the oppressor; and this they have done not by fighting but by surrendering. Though free from all sense of possessing, they yet possess all things. 'Theirs is the kingdom of heaven.'"

That's an awesome description of what it means to be poor in spirit! People who are poor in spirit may technically own a lot of things, but the posture of their heart is that they own nothing. They recognize that as disciples of Jesus everything they own really belongs to Him. The only thing on the shrine of their heart is Jesus! The person who has such a heart owns the kingdom of heaven. Even if they were to lose all literal material blessings in this life, they have the kingdom of heaven spiritually right now, and they may look forward to enjoying for all eternity.

The second thing Jesus said to the disciples intently listening to Him that day was, "Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted." In other words, followers of Jesus who experience a lot of sorrow in this life can simultaneously experience a deep happiness. This is because they know they can experience the comfort of the Lord as His disciple, and they will ultimately be comforted for time unending in eternity. Their causes of mourning are ultimately temporary even if they are with them during their entire stay on earth!

Even followers of Jesus are not immune to intense suffering during their lives. This will be demonstrated later on in the text by Jesus, and it is demonstrated in the lives of real Christians every day. If you were to survey the average Christian congregation you would find every possible to type of hard situation and human affliction common to mankind. Christians experience disease, divorce, rejection, and abuse as much or sometimes more than non-Christians. So what's so great about being a Christian then?! Christians have eternity with Jesus to look forward to, during which all cause for mourning will cease to exist! The unbeliever has the opposite destiny. They will not be with Jesus, and suffering will never end. Followers of Jesus have His comforting presence in this life through the Holy Spirit who lives in them. Unbelievers are left to foster comfort from other temporal places.

The third thing that Jesus said is, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." Alright, before going any further it needs to be pointed out that meekness isn't the same thing as weakness. Jesus isn't saying that true Christians are a bunch of pushovers and cowards! Too many Christians think that being a faithful follower of Christ is equivalent to being an oversensitive human doormat. This is in large part due to the fact that many Christians view Jesus in that way.

Rest assured, Jesus was meek, but He was, and is, anything but a doormat! As Mark Driscoll so eloquently pointed out:

"Jesus was a dude. Like my drywaller dad, he was a construction worker who swung a hammer for a living. Because Jesus worked in a day when there were no power tools, he likely had calluses on his hands and muscles on his frame, and did not look like so many of the drag-queen Jesus images that portray him with long, flowing, feathered hair, perfect teeth, and soft skin, draped in a comfortable dress accessorized by matching open-toed sandals and a handbag. Jesus did not have Elton John or the Spice Girls on his iPod, The View on his TiVo, or a lemon-yellow Volkswagen Beetle in his garage. No, Jesus was not the kind of person who, if walking by you on the street, would require you to look for an Adam's apple to determine the gender."

Driscoll's point is unmistakable, and correct. Though Jesus was meek, He was certainly not week.

What does it really mean to be meek? To be meek is to be humble, plain and simple. Jesus displayed both humility and boldness during His earthly ministry. At one point Jesus made a whip of chords and thrashed people out of the temple because they were using it as a place of business instead of a place to worship God, and assist others to worship God. Yet, the very fact that Jesus was on earth to do that in the temple implies the greatest act of humility, or meekness, which has ever been undertaken. It implies that God Himself stepped off the throne of heaven, came into human history, took on human flesh, served, and ultimately died for the sins of those who hated Him! That is meekness! This is why Jesus is presented in the Bible as both a lion and lamb. He is absolutely humble, but absolutely, devastatingly powerful and glorious as well.

Meek people are not cowards. They possess the spiritual confidence in the Lord to bluntly, though lovingly, call sin exactly what it is. On the other hand, they model the humility of Jesus in their own life by not asserting and fighting for their personal rights. Instead, like Jesus, they are willing to step off of their proverbial throne as their Lord has done, and serve people with love even though they may be totally unworthy. That's what meek Christians do, and Jesus says of them that they will, "inherit the earth."

Regarding the idea that the meek will, "inherit the earth," one commentator said Jesus merely means that, "they will go to heaven." This author has to disagree. Now, certainly Jesus has in mind that though a person may meekly give up everything they have in this world in service to Him through service to others, they ultimately have heaven to which they may hopefully look forward. But there is something more that Jesus has in mind. Disciples, who are identified by a living a life of meek service and sacrifice, will inherit the present earth during the time of Jesus' thousand year reign over the earth which begins at the time of His Second Coming. At that time, Jesus returns to the earth with His previously raptured church to rule the world in righteousness for a millennium. The meek, His true disciples, will reign with Christ over the current earth during that time. That's awesome! What a glorious day!

The fourth thing Jesus said to His disciples, and by default the church today was, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall see God." There are a lot of things to which people can devote their time, energy, and resources to pursuing, but righteousness isn't naturally a pursuit for unregenerate people. This isn't true for the true disciple of Jesus. They hunger and thirst for righteousness. Jesus essentially tells them that, "the person who thirsts for righteousness will be happy because they will be satisfied."

Jesus wants His people to be righteous. When His disciples make righteousness the goal of their life because they want to please their Savior, there goals come into sink with the heart of Jesus. So of course He will grant their desire. He will produce in them the righteousness they desire. He will fill their life with His righteousness.

This should be encouraging for followers of Jesus. Christians are aware of the fact that God wants them to live exemplary Christ-like lives for the glory of God. What many are not aware of is how to actually live a more righteous life. Jesus says here that the disciple's job is to pursue righteousness. On the other hand, Jesus says the actual production of the righteousness will by implication be the work of Jesus! Here the unity between human responsibility and divine sovereignty may be observed. Disciples are responsible to pursue righteousness, but God is the one who will fill their lives with the righteousness for which they strive. That makes the life of a Christian much more encouraging when they realize Jesus is ultimately going to produce in them the righteousness He requires from them. All they have to do is get hungry!

The fifth thing that Jesus told His disciples was, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." The more followers of Jesus extend the mercy they have received from Christ to those around them, the more mercy they can expect to receive. Even if people never return them mercy for mercy, Jesus will definitely bring merciful blessings into their life. After all, you can't out-give Jesus, the ultimate giver!

The sixth Beatitude Jesus stated was, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." As Christ's people choose not to veil the eyes of their heart with pornographic material, or sexually sinful relationships, they will enjoy clear intimacy and connection with God as if they can see Him face to face! Habitual sin, specifically impurity, has a way of causing a person to lose an awareness of God's presence in their life. It can make a person almost feel that they are not saved. In that sense, it creates a spiritual veil over their spiritual eyes, and they find themselves searching for a clear glimpse of God working in their lives. They become like a blind man without a guide searching for a light switch.

As long as a person persists in impurity they can expect to miss out on intimacy with God. This not true for those who repent of sexual sin, and turn their eyes to Jesus. They enjoy the blessing of a sense of God's presence in their lives. They have no veil of impurity on their heart. They can hear the Lord's direction more clearly. They see God.

The ninth thing Jesus told His disciples was, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." Committed disciples are peacemakers. They aren't looking for a battle, or argument. When other people begin to fight about with malice their hearts are grieved. They want to see reconciliation in fractured relationships. As they seek to make peace between warring parties, they immolate the character of their God and Savior Jesus Christ. He is the great Reconciler who came to make peace between sinful humans and a holy God. Therefore, when disciples do the same, they are called sons of God. This is a principle I've been in which I've been slow at growing. I cringe when I think of the attitude I had when I debated theology with other believers early in my life with Jesus! I was basically a jerk. But because God's Spirit is at work in me I'm slowly becoming more able to control self-righteousness and pride in my life. I don't get it perfect all the time, but I can definitely see the growth the Lord has caused in my life as His disciple. Jesus wants to transform all of His people this way.

Lastly, Jesus finished His Beatitudes with statements many find difficult to swallow:

"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My name's sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

Many today teach that true Christians who have enough faith won't suffer.

That is utter nonsense, and totally contrary to the teaching of Christ. Jesus suffered persecution and eventual martyrdom from a human perspective. He promised His followers a life marked by the same. But along with the suffering, He promised reward!

Throughout church history, and in the present age, Jesus' words here have been illustrated. Many thousands of disciples have been persecuted, beaten, and martyred, including eleven of the men who were there to hear Jesus verbally deliver these teachings. Yet, the world can rest in confidence that, though many Christians have been martyred for Christ, they also now enjoy their reward in heaven which He promised here! They are in the presence of Christ Himself century by century acting as the welcoming committee for the faithful departed. For all the world took from them, they lost nothing! The same will be true for us as we continue to focus on Jesus as the truest source of fulfillment in our lives.

Personal Application

It's been a blessing for me to do this study in the Beatitudes. I have read them many times, but never study them in depth as I had to for this. The first Beatitude is always particularly impacting to meditate on. I was challenged all over again with the concept of being poor in spirit. I have to confess that sometimes I don't exactly live the poor in spirit lifestyle. There are things which I enjoy, like a comfortable home that would be hard for me to lose and keep perspective. I pray that as I lose things that are important to me, which is bound to happen, I will remember that I own a sort of time-share in the kingdom of heaven, so I can live the poor in spirit life.

Along with my awareness of my fight to be poor in spirit comes encouragement though when I meditate on the fourth Beatitude. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled." I have realized that when I'm expressing a desire to be poor in spirit, I'm expressing a righteous hunger. Jesus' promise to me in this verse is that my hunger to be poor in spirit will be satisfied! I'm doing my part and hungering so I am sure that He will do His part and fill me! He is faithful to do what He has promised! This gives me hope in the struggle.

Another thing that impacted me from this study was thinking about the affect purity has on my ability to see God. If I allow my brain to be filled with idols of lust, I will not see God clearly in my life. This is a good fighter truth in the lust battle in which the enemy is constantly engaging God's people. I have to do a lot on the internet, and I am amazed at how much risqué advertising, and out and out filth there is flying in my face all the time. I know that only the Holy Spirit gives me the victory when the battles come, but Jesus' teaching here is even more incentive to stay strong in the fight. If I give in to temptation it will negatively affect my ability to see the Lord. This would be tragic for my relationship with Christ, my wife, and the church I serve. There is so much to lose over something so cheap and ultimately unsatisfying. I know the Lord will use this Beatitude about purity and it's blessing as another weapon to use in fighting off inevitable temptation.