Faith Baptist Church
12/10/2025 Wednesday Night Service

      • Titus 2:11–14ESV

  • The Cleansing Wave
  • Turn in your Bibles to Matthew 5. As you’re turning there, I’d like to ask you a question: What is it in life that you most enjoy? What makes you happiest? Maybe you’re in a really rewarding dating relationship (I am) or you really enjoy one or more of your hobbies. Maybe you have a trip coming up to somewhere really far south of here, somewhere warm that will let you escape this frozen wasteland we call home here in Wisconsin. Whatever it is that makes you happy, think of a time that you were engaged in that activity or enjoying that person or whatever, and you were just completely enraptured and absorbed in that wonderful experience. Hold onto that thought. (Make a joke that half of them don’t look very happy or something)
    Tonight we’ll be examining the opening section of the most famous sermon ever preached: the Sermon on the Mount. In this text, Jesus teaches his disciples about the nature of his messianic kingdom and what life is like for the people who live under his rule. My goal tonight is to give you just a glimpse of that coming Kingdom, with all its benefits and joys. I will attempt to prove that the future reign of Jesus on earth will produce infinitely greater joy, deeper and more lasting pleasures, and more untainted happiness than anything on earth we can enjoy today. My hope is that our study through this text will leave us longing and hoping for that coming Kingdom as we anticipate its benefits even now.

    I. The Occasion v1-2

    Matthew 5:1–2 ESV
    Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
    A. Gathering gaggle - because Jesus had just finished a preaching/healing tour around Galilee/the Decapolis
    B. Significant site - “the mountain” = possibly Horeb, though Jesus likely preached this message and parts of it on more than one occasion
    C. Prepared preacher - Jesus sat down, common teaching posture for a rabbi in that day.
    D. Punctual pupils - Jesus’ disciples are following him everywhere. Likely has all 12 by this point in his ministry.
    E. Special seminar - primarily teaching for Jesus’ true followers, not just the crowds; but they are “listening in”

    II. The Oration v3-12

    Matthew 5:3 ESV
    “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

    “Blessed”

    The Beatitudes are so called from the Latin beatus
    What do you think Jesus means by the word “blessed”?
    makarion = happy, fortunate, life’s good. A key idea, keep in mind as we look at who Jesus says is fortunate/happy.

    A. The poor in spirit

    to be poor in spirit = recognize one’s own spiritual bankruptcy.
    Who are those who have recognized their own spiritual bankruptcy?
    / the kingdom of heaven belongs to them, and them to it
    most important interpretive question in the Gospels, and one of the most important in the whole Bible. What is the kingdom of heaven? Answer: it refers to the kingdom of which Jesus is the king — David’s kingdom — the messianic kingdom — the future millennial and eternal kingdom that Jesus will inaugurate. Jesus was offering this kingdom to Israel by coming to earth the first time, and as we know, Israel rejected their King and crucified him. So in what sense do Jesus’ disciples, those who believe and receive their King, receive the kingdom of heaven? Well, some have proposed that Jesus is ruling and reigning in our hearts, and thus the kingdom of heaven became a spiritual kingdom the moment Israel rejected the so-called physical kingdom Jesus offered them. The problem with this interpretation is that it does away with the whole of Old Testament prophecies—that Jesus would be the literal King who would rule on David’s throne, setting everything in the universe aright. If the kingdom is now, in the church, then that kingdom is woefully underqualified to fulfill the promises of the Old Testament, like Isaiah 2:2-4
    Isaiah 2:2–4 ESV
    It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, and many peoples shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.
    You can hardly take prophecies like this and apply them to the church. God names Jerusalem specifically and promises that Jesus will be king over all the nations; that obviously isn’t happening today in any material sense.
    So we have to conclude that this Kingdom is not merely a spiritual community entered into by those who recognize their spiritual bankruptcy and repent; instead, Jesus is saying that repentance and faith are requirements to be part of the Kingdom he will one day establish in Israel over the whole world—an event which, even for us, 2000 years after this sermon, is still a future event. Friends—what that means for us is that repentance and faith, gifts God makes available to everyone everywhere, grant us access into that future Kingdom that Jesus has yet to establish.
    In other words, what Jesus is saying is that the gates of his castle are always open to those who would submit themselves to his righteous rule, even though that castle hasn’t been built yet. He’s declaring himself King, and he’s looking for willing subjects. His followers fit that bill. And you and I, if we’ve repented of our sins and trusted Christ to deliver us, have awaiting us in heaven a passport into that Kingdom as its citizens. Philippians 3:20
    Philippians 3:20 ESV
    But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
    Jesus is our Lord, our King. Therefore his Kingdom is our kingdom. So, what will happen to us in this kingdom?
    Matthew 5:4 ESV
    Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

    B. Those who mourn

    Interestingly, Jesus begins by declaring that happiness is in store for those who right now are grieving/weeping. And why are they mourning? The most immediate indication is found in verse 3—they are weeping over their sin. Perhaps more is in view here—weeping at the injustice and oppression of the world as it is now, at the many wrongs of flawed human government. We think of our own nation and the estimated 1.14 million abortions committed in 2024 alone; the sheer number of innocent, precious babies murdered this way is certainly something to mourn. But the primary emphasis of this word is on one’s own sin—the atrocities of our own heart. As David wrote in Psalm 51:3-5,
    Psalm 51:3–5 ESV
    For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.
    So what does Jesus promise for people who treat their sin this seriously? What does he, as King, promise to do for those who hate their sin as much as he does?
    / comfort
    Matthew 5:4 ESV
    Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
    What a rich idea, comfort! We talk a lot about God’s forgiveness—if you’re a Christian, you don’t even need this explained. The deep and wonderful comfort you feel knowing that God has forgiven you—nothing is quite like it. And that’s a guarantee for every one of us in Jesus’ coming Kingdom—everything wrong we’ve ever done will be forgiven, and we’ll be given a chance to enjoy the comfort of real, lasting peace with God forever.
    We’re just getting started and I’m already longing for this day; I don’t know about you!
    Matthew 5:5 ESV
    Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

    C. The meek

    Here Jesus begins to describe the character of his followers. What are they like? Beyond just the entry requirements of saving faith, what are the real followers of Jesus like? Remember, there’s a huge crowd listening in as Jesus teaches his disciples. So he has to be clear what kind of kingdom he’s going to build.
    Meekness has been described as “power under control.” It means to be humble, gentle, and not aggressive. This is hardly a characteristic Jesus’ followers would be familiar with under Roman rule, or even us today. Yet Jesus promises that they will “inherit the earth.”
    / inheriting the earth
    Jesus’ followers will rule and reign with him one day in his kingdom. Their power will come not from coercion or the use of overwhelming force. No, for Jesus’ kingdom, might does not make right—his righteous followers will rule all over the world in love and peace as they follow the “Prince of Peace.” Doesn’t that just make all your ambitions about a promotion at work or a bigger house or more influence with someone you care about seem insignificant in comparison? Doesn’t it put it in perspective that all the joys of being in charge here and now are nothing compared to the rightly-ordered reign Jesus will entrust to each of us who believe in him?
    Matthew 5:6 ESV
    Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

    D. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness

    Jesus’ followers also deeply desire to live rightly before God.
    I played soccer in high school. If you’re not a huge fan of soccer you might not know that soccer is essentially two forty or forty-five minute periods of just constant running, and there happens to be a ball and two large nets involved. But it’s mostly just running. And during those intense games during the season, I would often run upwards of 8 to 10 miles over the course of a game—I played around midfield, so I was tasked with defending and moving the ball up the field. And I can remember many times coming off the field for halftime or at the end of a game with my tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth, I was so thirsty. I’d have my hands out, supplicating, as I came to the bench and one of the freshmen (bless their hearts) would usually toss me a water bottle, filled with ice-cold water, and I’d spray some on my head to cool off and take a long, satisfying swig from the bottle to quench my thirst. Have you ever been thirsty like that? Do you thirst for God’s way of living like that?
    / satisfaction of their hunger and thirst
    Jesus promises that those who hunger and thirst for a right life will find it. In Jesus’ Kingdom, those who earnestly desire to live rightly will have every opportunity and ability to do so. This corruptible will put on incorruptible (1 Corinthians 15:53). We will finally be able to obey God in every way. We will be completely free from sin’s influence in our hearts. We won’t have to mourn over our sin because we will no longer have any sin to mourn. We will fully enjoy and be satisfied by the blessings of right living. Are you looking forward to that?
    Matthew 5:7 ESV
    Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

    E. The merciful

    Those who follow Jesus understand that their own righteous standing before God is a gift to be enjoyed and embraced—and by receiving God’s mercy they are enabled to extend that mercy toward others as well. Jesus would later tell the parable of the unforgiving servant, after Peter asked him, Matthew 18:21
    Matthew 18:21 ESV
    Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?”
    Jesus explained to Peter that the Christian’s forgiveness of others should never run out—because God has forgiven us so much more than we could ever forgive someone else. We’ve wronged God far more than anyone else could ever wrong us; so what right do we have to withhold forgiveness from someone when we’ve been forgiven of much more? Jesus says, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”
    / reception of mercy
    The ultimate expression of God’s mercy to us as believers is the resurrection: though our lives apart from Christ should have led us into death and destruction, judgment and punishment, God in his mercy and grace has given us the opportunity to receive mercy in his Kingdom someday—by becoming part of what he is doing as King. We don’t have to live full of regret and carry the burden of our sins forever—no, God has graciously given us something to look forward to. All the pain others have caused us and we’ve caused ourselves, all the hurts and wounds, all of it will be healed in God’s mercy.
    Matthew 5:8 ESV
    Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

    F. The pure in heart

    Purity of heart refers to moral uprightness, not just outward, ritual purity. In Jesus’ day, the Pharisees were obsessed with keeping the letter of the Law without any real commitment of the heart. Of course, Jesus is not saying total moral perfection is possible in this life; what he is saying, however, is that total perfection, which is required to see God (God is holy; he is a consuming fire), will be given to those whose singlehearted devotion now is to please their heavenly Father. In other words, Psalm 37:5-6
    Psalm 37:5–6 ESV
    Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.
    / seeing God
    The apostle John, one of the ones sitting under this very sermon, would later write these words: 1 John 3:2-3
    1 John 3:2–3 ESV
    Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
    Friend, does the prospect of seeing God make you want to clean up your life? Are you doing so because you want God to accept you based on your own righteousness or Christ’s? You can’t get into the Kingdom unless you first recognize your own spiritual bankruptcy and ask Jesus to intervene, to suffuse his own righteousness into you. The only real purity of heart you can have comes from Jesus. And Christian, the result of this righteousness from Christ is that it will one day make you perfectly resemble him. You will look so much like Jesus that God can rightly welcome you into his presence, face-to-face, for a chat between Father and son/daughter. Are you looking forward to having that perfect relationship with your heavenly Father?
    Matthew 5:9 ESV
    “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

    G. The peacemakers

    Jesus returns to our interpersonal relationships here, following on being merciful and meek. Now his focus is on those who work for peace (shalom) with all those around them. Such people are not contentious, full of strife or envious; instead, they are kind, patient, able to bear with the difficulties of life with broken people. Peacemakers know how to have a difficult conversation graciously and truthfully in love. And they shall be called sons of God.
    / called sons of God
    In the Bible, being someone’s son means bearing similarities to them. So a “son of belial” or “son of worthlessness” is just a worthless person. When Jesus says the Pharisees are like their father the devil, the father of lies, he is calling them liars. So those who will inherit God’s Kingdom, by seeking to promote wellbeing and peace among everyone, will themselves be recognized as being like God their Father.
    Friend, if someone could watch a movie of your whole life in two hours or less, what would emerge as the major themes? Who would you remind them of? In the first century, as persecution arose against the church, and as believers responded in Christ-like fashion, their enemies started making fun of them, calling them “little Christs” or “Christians.” If someone looked at the way you make for peace with others in the workplace or at home, would they be able to say, “That’s just like God?” As we strive for this, let us remember that the promise of Jesus to every one of us who believe is that we will one day be perfect peacemakers with Jesus—we will be in every sense God’s children—just like him. Are you excited for that?
    Matthew 5:10 ESV
    “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

    H. Those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake

    Again we are confronted with a head-scratcher: how is persecution for doing what’s right something to be happy about, Jesus? Isn’t suffering difficult and painful? Is Jesus cheapening our suffering for his sake?
    / the kingdom of heaven belongs to them, and them to it
    Well, if you pay any attention to the church app and see the testimonies coming from our brothers and sisters in certain overseas countries, you already know that they are earnestly looking forward to the day when Jesus returns and sets up his kingdom! They consider it a joy to suffer for the name of Christ. Why? Because Jesus here repeats the promise that those persecuted for their citizenship in his heavenly kingdom will indeed one day inherit it. It is a comfort and a joy. It’s a matter of perspective. Jesus isn’t cheapening our suffering; no, he’s giving it purpose and meaning. We read this in Romans 8:18, where Paul, who suffered great persecution for the Gospel, says,
    Romans 8:18 ESV
    For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
    Friend, are you comparing your present suffering to the glory God has promised you in Jesus’ kingdom? Are you tempted to weigh the eternal and glorious rewards of following Jesus against the temporary—perhaps severe, yes!—but fleeting and temporary suffering you may have to endure because of him? Do you count the derision of your coworkers as a small price to pay for the future glory God has promised in Jesus? Has it ever occurred to you in moments of difficulty that you will one day have the authority under Jesus to prevent such evil from ever occurring again as you rule alongside your heavenly King? Does that help you look forward instead of downward?
    Matthew 5:11–12 ESV
    “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

    I. You, when other mistreat you because of Jesus.

    Here we have an intensification of what our Lord just said. This time, however, Jesus intensifies the statement—blessed are you. For the first time, Jesus moves away from the third person characterization of his followers and pronounces a summary blessing on all those whose life of following him is rewarded with pain and suffering in this life.
    / great reward in heaven—just like the prophets were persecuted by men (but rewarded by God), so will you!
    No matter what lies, slander, and persecution befall us in this life, Jesus has promised us great rewards in heaven. And as we know, an all-powerful, all-gracious, all-good God is capable of giving truly wonderful rewards to those who diligently seek him from a repentant heart. Just like the world mistreated God’s messengers throughout history and they now enjoy the blessings of God’s presence and eagerly anticipate Jesus’ return to earth, so we too share in the anticipation of Jesus’ coming kingdom, when everything will be made right. Look at Revelation 20:1-6
    Revelation 20:1–6 ESV
    Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while. Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.
    I won’t put it up on the slides, but just listen to this glorious heavenly kingdom described in the very next chapter, Revelation 21. Read Revelation 21-22:7.
    What does hearing about this do for your perspective on your life right now? How does this change the way you look at that sin struggle in your life, where you’re having difficulty pursuing purity of heart before God? Does it help you to know that you will one day have perfect victory over sin as you are striving after righteousness now? Does it give you a confidence boost to have that difficult conversation at work so that everyone can enjoy peace as you recall to your mind the fact that you’ll one day have the stamp of approval from King Jesus himself to bring peace into every dark corner of the world? Does it put your suffering in perspective to know that God your Heavenly Father will HIMSELF wipe away every tear from your eyes? Are you longing for the Kingdom? Have you repented and trusted Christ to save you from your sins so that you can enter that Kingdom someday? Is there anything else that dares try to satisfy you more than the overwhelming worth of knowing Jesus?
    Is it not more blessed to know
    The Prince of Peace, the King of Kings,
    Whose light outshines all joys below
    Whose promises outlast all things?
    Let’s pray along those lines as we pray for one another tonight. What requests do you have tonight?

      • Matthew 5:1–2ESV

      • Matthew 5:3ESV

      • Isaiah 2:2–4ESV

      • Philippians 3:20ESV

      • Matthew 5:4ESV

      • Psalm 51:3–5ESV

      • Matthew 5:4ESV

      • Matthew 5:5ESV

      • Matthew 5:6ESV

      • Matthew 5:7ESV

      • Matthew 18:21ESV

      • Matthew 5:8ESV

      • Psalm 37:5–6ESV

      • 1 John 3:2–3ESV

      • Matthew 5:9ESV

      • Matthew 5:10ESV

      • Romans 8:18ESV

      • Matthew 5:11–12ESV

      • Revelation 20:1–6ESV

Faith Baptist Church
faith@fbcocon.org
262-567-0040
http://www.fbcocon.org
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