Redeemer Church
March 1

      • Psalm 36:5–6ESV

  • 10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord)

      • Psalm 121:1–2ESV

      • Psalm 121:7–8ESV

  • Great Is Thy Faithfulness

      • Matthew 6ESV

      • Hebrews 1:2ESV

      • Isaiah 66:2ESV

      • Psalm 51:4ESV

      • Psalm 37:11ESV

  • You Are My King (Amazing Love)

      • Jude 25NKJV

  • Introduction

    We arrive at Gospel of Matthew 5 after Matthew has presented Jesus as:
    The promised Son of David (Matt. 1)
    The true Son called out of Egypt (Matt. 2; cf. Hos. 11:1)
    The obedient Son who passes the wilderness testing (Matt. 4)
    The One proclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (4:17)
    Now in 5:1–12, Jesus ascends a mountain.
    Let me begin with a question—one that sounds simple, but actually exposes what we worship:
    What does it mean to be blessed?
    When you hear the word blessed, what picture comes into your mind?
    And if I asked our culture, “Who is blessed?” what would we hear?
    The person with financial security—enough money that nothing can touch them.
    The person with influence—people listen when they speak.
    The person with health—strong body, long life, no diagnoses.
    The person with comfort—no drama, no conflict, no stress.
    The person with freedom from suffering—smooth road, easy days.
    Let me press that just a little: If “blessed” means “my life is finally working out like I want,”
    then blessed is basically another word for control.
    So here’s a fair question for us—when you say, “I just want to be happy,” what do you mean by happy? (And if you want congregational participation: “Somebody give me a one-word definition our culture uses for happiness.”)
    Now, we come to Matthew 5, and Jesus opens His first great sermon—His manifesto of the Kingdom—not by congratulating the impressive, not by affirming the successful, not by telling people how to level up their life…
    But by saying:
    “Blessed are the poor in spirit… Blessed are those who mourn… Blessed are the meek…”
    Let’s be honest. That does not sound like “winning.” That does not sound like “living your best life now.” That doesn’t even sound like the kind of people we naturally envy.
    It sounds like the kind of people the world would either pity… or avoid…
    Does that sound like Instagram blessing? Or does it sound like something entirely different?
    And here’s where the tension lands:
    Why does Jesus describe as “blessed” the very people the world would call broken? Why would Jesus put happiness—real blessedness—on the lips of the poor, the grieving, the gentle?
    Either Jesus is speaking nonsense
    OR Jesus is redefining blessedness…
    And if Jesus is redefining it, then we have to admit something humbling:
    Maybe we’ve been chasing a version of “blessing” that actually keeps us farther from God.
    So before we rush to apply the Beatitudes—
    before we try to “be meek”
    and “be merciful”—
    we have to do something first:
    We have to listen carefully and let Jesus tell us what kind of people actually belong to His Kingdom.
    So let’s walk slowly through the text—
    not to make it say what we already think “blessed” means,
    but to let Jesus turn our definition upside down…

    I. The King Announces the Character of His Covenant People (vv. 1–2)

    A. The Setting

    Before we rush to the Beatitudes themselves, we must slow down and examine the scene.
    Matthew is not wasting ink.
    Every movement matters.
    “Seeing the crowds…”
    Jesus sees them. Not casually. Not indifferently.
    The verb implies perception — awareness.
    He sees the masses, the needy, the religious, the curious, the skeptical.
    But then something surprising happens.
    “He went up on the mountain.”
    Why a mountain?
    Matthew is deliberately echoing something.
    ??Where else in redemptive history did God go up on a mountain and deliver covenant instruction to His people?
    Sinai.
    Moses ascended. The Law was given. The covenant people were constituted.
    And as we have been learning in Hebrews
    here stands One greater than Moses.
    Not receiving the Law.
    But authoritatively declaring the life of the Kingdom.
    Congregational Question: Who ascends the mountain here — the people, or Christ?
    Christ ascends.
    He initiates.
    Authority begins with Him.
    Then we read:
    “He sat down…expand”
    To us, that may sound incidental.
    But in the ancient world, the rabbi sat to teach.
    Sitting was not casual — it was authoritative.
    When the king sits, he rules.
    When the rabbi sits, he interprets.
    And Jesus sits not to offer suggestions.
    He sits to declare reality.
    “He opened His mouth…”
    Matthew could have simply written, “He said.”
    But he slows the pace.
    He opened His mouth.
    This is solemn. Deliberate. Weighty.
    The King is speaking.
    And notice who comes near:
    “His disciples came to Him.”
    Yes, the crowds are present.
    But this is instruction aimed at disciples.
    DON’T Miss This!
    This is covenant instruction for covenant people.
    He is not giving a ladder to climb into the Kingdom.
    He is describing the citizens who already belong to it.
    Let me press that carefully.
    Jesus is not saying:
    “Become these things so that you can earn blessing.”
    He is saying:
    “These are the ones whom My Father calls blessed.”
    As Calvin said, “Christ does not here enjoin what we must do to merit blessing, but declares who they are whom God already counts blessed.”
    That distinction guards the gospel.
    If we get this wrong, the Beatitudes become moralism.
    If we get this right, the Beatitudes become assurance.
    Congregational Question: Who initiates this scene — the disciples or Jesus?
    He ascends. He sits. He speaks.
    Authority flows from the King.
    The disciples do not request a lecture.
    They respond to revelation.
    The Kingdom begins with divine initiative.
    Always.
    Just as at Sinai.
    Just as in the calling of Abraham.
    Just as in your salvation.
    You did not ascend first.
    He did.
    You did not speak first.
    He did.
    You did not initiate covenant with God.
    God initiated covenant with you.
    That is the architecture of grace.
    This mountain scene tells us something profound
    This is not Moses delivering God’s words.
    This is the Sod, delivering his own.
    Hebrews tells us:
    Hebrews 1:2 ESV
    but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
    His sermon doesn’t begin with commands
    But with declaration of blessing
    Because Grace always precedes obedience
    Why must we understand this??
    Because if we treat the beatitudes like a list of self-help guidelines
    We will either:
    Become proud when we think we are succeeding
    OR
    Crushed when we realize we are not.
    BUT if we understand that the King is describing his redeemed people
    The beatitudes become
    a mark of covenant identity
    Sproul once said, “The sermon on the Mount is not about how to get saved, but about what saved people look like.”
    -

    II. The Poverty That Possesses the Kingdom (v. 3)

    A. What is “poor in spirit”?
    Is it financial poverty? No...That doesn’t make any sense.
    It is spiritual bankruptcy.
    It is the confession: “I have nothing in myself to commend me to God.”
    This is covenant humility.
    Isaiah 66:2 — “This is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit.”
    Isaiah 66:2 ESV
    But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.
    Poor in Spirit is someone who has been brought low enough
    to be humble enough
    to be ready to receive the Grace of God!
    ??Can someone cling to their own righteousness and inherit the kingdom?
    No.
    B. Covenant Theology Insight
    Entrance into the kingdom has always been by grace alone through faith alone....expand!
    The Beatitudes are not a ladder to climb.
    They are a description of those who have been humbled by sovereign grace.
    Kids Question: Who gets the kingdom — the person who says, “I’m good enough,” or the person who says, “Jesus, I need You”?
    Already the upside-down nature of the kingdom is emerging.

    III. The Grief That God Calls Blessed (v. 4)

    At first glance, this feels jarring.
    How can mourning and blessedness occupy the same sentence?
    Jesus is not speaking of a gloomy temperament.
    And He is certainly not romanticizing suffering for its own sake.
    So what kind of mourning is this?
    Mourn What?
    Primarily — sin.
    Not vague sadness.
    Not general disappointment with life.
    But covenant grief over rebellion against a holy God.
    This is the grief of a heart awakened to the weight of its own corruption.
    It is what we see in Psalm 51. After David’s sin with Bathsheba,
    he does not merely regret consequences.
    He does not mourn damaged reputation.
    He cries:
    Psalm 51:4 ESV
    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.
    “Against You, You only, have I sinned…”
    That is Beatitude mourning.
    It is the sorrow of realizing that our sin is not merely a mistake —
    it is treason against a gracious King.
    “We will never know the sweetness of grace until we know the bitterness of sin.”
    And that is exactly what Jesus is teaching.
    You cannot cherish pardon
    if sin feels trivial.
    You cannot treasure the cross
    if rebellion feels small.
    We must see the utter depravity of our hearts
    Think about this with me...
    God told the planets ...
    stars...
    oceans
    mountains
    valleys
    Then he looks to us and says come to me
    and we say, NO!
    O how wicked is our sin!
    Congregational Question: When was the last time your sin grieved your soul?
    We often grieve consequences. We grieve embarrassment.
    But do we grieve the offense against God?
    There is a world of difference between saying, “I hate what this sin cost me,” and saying, “I hate that I sinned against Him.”
    This mourning is not despair. It is not self-loathing
    It is Spirit-wrought conviction.
    And notice — Jesus does not say, “Blessed are those who once mourned.”
    The verb implies ongoing posture.
    The Christian life is marked by a growing sensitivity to sin.
    The closer we draw to the light, the more clearly we see the darkness.
    Then The Promise: “They shall be comforted.”
    Comforted by whom?
    By the God of covenant mercy.
    The same God whose holiness exposes our sin is the God whose mercy covers it.
    As Paul says elsewhere, “godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret.”
    So the one who mourns over sin is not cursed.
    He is blessed.

    IV. The Meek Who Inherit the Earth (v. 5)

    At first hearing, this sounds backward.
    In our world, who inherits the earth?
    The aggressive.
    The ambitious. The loud. The politically dominant. The culturally forceful.
    Yet Jesus says it is the meek who inherit.
    So we must define our terms carefully.
    Meekness Is Not Weakness
    Meekness is not being timid.
    It is not passiveness.
    It is definitely not the inability to act.
    It is strength under submission.
    It is power governed by trust.
    The Greek term was used of a strong animal brought under control —
    not broken in spirit,
    but disciplined in direction.
    A meek man is not a man incapable of force.
    He is a man capable of force who refuses to use it for selfish ends.
    There is a massive difference.
    A man who cannot defend his family is not virtuous —
    he is helpless.
    But a man who can defend,
    who has the capacity for strength,
    and yet governs that strength under the authority of Christ —
    that is meekness.
    Good men are not harmless men.
    They are dangerous men who have placed their strength under the lordship of Jesus.
    They do not erupt in selfish anger.
    They do not weaponize their authority.
    They do not dominate for ego.
    But when righteousness requires courage — they stand.
    When protection is needed — they act.
    When provision is required — they labor.
    And yet their confidence is not in their own strength.
    It is in God.
    That is meekness.
    Jesus is not inventing a new idea here.
    He is quoting a Psalm
    Psalm 37:11 ESV
    But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.
    In Psalm 37, the wicked appear to be winning.
    They prosper. They expand. They intimidate.
    And the righteous are tempted to envy.
    But David says: Do not fret. Do not envy. Trust the Lord.
    Why?
    Because the inheritance does not ultimately belong to the violent.
    It belongs to the meek.
    Under the Old Covenant, that promise was tied to land in Canaan.
    Faithful covenant life meant dwelling securely in the promised land.
    But under Christ, the promise expands.
    The inheritance is no longer a strip of geography in the Middle East.
    It is the renewed creation itself.
    As always, Christ is our greatest example of meekness
    we saw in his temptation
    he could summon legions of angels to rescue him or decimate his enemies
    Yet he submits to the authority of scripture
    And because of Christ’s submission
    He was given the nations as his inheritance
    The meek inherit the earth
    because of the one who was meek unto death on the cross.

    V. The Righteous Hunger That God Satisfies (v. 6)

    This is a Spirit-produced ache to be conformed to the will of God.
    This hunger is not merely for better circumstances.
    It is not a craving for reputation.
    It is not even primarily a desire for blessing.
    It is a longing for holiness.
    It is the cry of the regenerate heart that says:
    “Make me like Christ.”
    Congregational Question: What do you crave more — comfort or holiness?
    When life squeezes you, what do you most want relieved — your discomfort or your sin?
    The natural man hungers for ease.
    The new man hungers for righteousness.
    He who hungers for righteousness won’t be hungry long.”
    Why?
    Because this hunger is not ignored by God.
    It is divinely satisfied.
    Ultimately, this promise is fulfilled in Christ’s imputed righteousness.
    The believer stands before God already declared righteous
    That satisfies the demands of justice completely.

    VI. The Overflow Toward Others (vv.7–9)

    Notice the shift here
    The first few were describing our posture before God
    The next three describe our posture toward others:
    Merciful
    Pure in heart
    Peacemakers
    Why?
    Because grace received becomes grace extended.
    A church that understands poverty of spirit becomes:
    Gentle with sinners
    Serious about holiness
    Committed to reconciliation
    Voddie Baucham often reminds us:
    “Orthodoxy without orthopraxy is hypocrisy.”
    Kingdom citizens reflect the character of their King.

    VII. The Inevitable Response of the World (vv.10–12)

    We might expect applause.
    Instead, Jesus promises persecution.
    Why?
    Because the Beatitudes confront every system of human pride.
    The world tolerates religion.
    It does not tolerate righteousness.
    Notice something profound:
    The first and last Beatitudes share the same promise:
    “For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
    This forms a bracket.
    Everything inside describes those who truly belong to the kingdom.
    Jesus is not giving:
    Tips for self-improvement.
    A political manifesto.
    A sentimental poem.
    He is describing the regenerate heart.
    These qualities are not natural — they are supernatural.
    They are the fruit of union with Christ.

    !!Why the Church Must Understand This

    To guard against moralism The Beatitudes are not a checklist for self-salvation.
    To safeguard assurance Do you see these evidences growing in you? That is grace.
    To correct cultural definitions of blessing Comfort is not the measure of covenant favor.
    To deepen worship Every Beatitude is perfectly embodied in Christ.
    Who was truly poor in spirit? Who mourned over sin? Who was perfectly meek? Who was persecuted for righteousness?
    Christ.
    He is the Blessed Man of Psalm 1.
    And by union with Him, we share His blessedness.

    Communion

    As we prepare ourselves to come to the Lord’s Table
    are you coming to this Table clinging to your own righteousness?
    Are you thinking to yourself, I couldn’t possibly come to this table...
    or are you resting in His righteousness?
    Because the bread and the cup preach the same message as the Beatitudes:
    Blessed are the bankrupt — for Christ became poor for them. Blessed are the mourners — for Christ bore their grief. Blessed are the meek — for Christ conquered through surrender. Blessed are the persecuted — for Christ was crushed in their place.
    This Table is for assurance.
    It reminds us that the Kingdom belongs to those united to the King.
    It reminds us that our blessedness is not fragile — because it is not rooted in our performance.
    It is not rooted in our faith
    It is rooted in His finished work.
    So if you are poor in spirit — come.
    If you mourn your sin — come.
    If you hunger for righteousness — come.
    If you belong to Christ by faith — this Table is for you.
    And as we eat and drink, we are not merely remembering.
    We are proclaiming.
    We are proclaiming that the Blessed Man of Psalm 1 was hung on a tree for us.
    We are proclaiming that the King who preached this sermon gave His body and shed His blood to secure this Kingdom.
    And we are proclaiming that one day, the meek really will inherit the earth — at the marriage supper of the Lamb.
    Until that day, we taste and see.
    Let us bow together in silence to prepare our hearts and I will close us in prayer before we come.
Redeemer Church
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