The Beatitudes, spoken by Jesus, are the opening to the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus is speaking to His twelve disciples as they came to Him. (Mt.5:1-2) It is important to remember that Jesus is instructing His disciples with the multitude of people listening in. The target of the Beatitudes and the whole Sermon on the Mount were for the disciples and followers of Jesus in our day. The Beatitudes contrast the happiness and fulfillment of life one has as a follower of Christ or as a follower of the world.
Jesus lays out the inner qualities of those who believe in Him. If they allow Him to work his purpose in their lives they will be blessed (happy). Meekness or gentleness is one such inner quality. It is not associated with being weak, but just the opposite, it shows true strength. Some refer to it as “power under control.” It is the self-control the apostle Paul writes about. Humbling ourselves before God and before men by doing the right thing in a way that brings glory to God is true a sign of being meek; showing power under control.
Meekness or gentleness is a character of a true Christian in the world today, although we do not always let it show. Our one foot in the world at times makes it difficult to restrain ourselves and control our temper. This leads to frustration, unhappiness, and not a very good example of a follower of Jesus. Let us take Jesus’s words for what they are, the truth, and strive to be meek, gentle, and humble. Let us be in control with the help of the Holy Spirit leading to blessings and happiness.
“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.” Matthew 5:10-11 NIV
Jesus’s final Beatitude sayings deal with the persecution of His followers. The Beatitudes (Christian characteristics) end with the understanding that all who desire to follow Jesus will suffer persecution. Those who have realized their own spiritual poverty and mourned over their sin accepted Christ as their Savoir. They are meek with a hunger and thirst for righteousness. True Christians show mercy, are pure in heart, and are peacemakers in our world today. And due to these characteristics, they will be persecuted as Jesus says, “for my sake.”
John R. W. Stott points out in his book, The Message of the Sermon on the Mount, “Persecution is simply the clash between two irreconcilable value-systems.” We cannot deny in the world in which we live there are two value-systems, the Biblical worldview and the non-Biblical view. They are without a doubt at odds with each other and irreconcilable, for in order to be reconciled there needs to be compromise between them. Compromising the truth of scripture for the sake of getting along with the world is not an option for Christians.
Christians are to be peacemakers in our world today, but it does not include compromise. We are to adhere to our Lord’s value system. German theologian Helmut Thielicke is quoted as saying, “Anybody who enters into fellowship with Jesus must undergo a trans-valuation of values.” Our value system before we became a Christ follower cannot coincide with His. As Paul wrote, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Cor.5:17 nlt) And that includes our value system.
But let us not get discouraged, Jesus calls us “Blessed” when persecution comes our way. Blessed because “for ours is the kingdom of heaven……. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is our reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before us.” (Matthew 5:10, 12 kjv)
“Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.” Matthew 5:4 KJV
Finding comfort through mourning sounds like an oxymoron. They fit perfectly together as Jesus spoke in the second beatitude, “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.” How can mourning bring me comfort, you ask? It all depends on your relationship with Jesus Christ.
The late John R. W. Stott, theologian and evangelical Anglican preacher had written; “The truth is that there are such things as Christian tears, and too few of us ever weep them.” Weeping tears over the sins and conditions of the world, including our own before a Holy God brings about true mourning. It also brings about the reality of who God is and who we are before Him. It brings about true repentance as we see ourselves before God. Confessing our sins, turning away from them and living a life pleasing to Him result in great joy and comfort.
The question becomes how often have you been comforted by our Lord through mourning. I need to ask myself the same the question. Do we truly mourn and weep as the Old Testament prophets, the apostle Paul and even Jesus did over the sins of people? Do we shed tears over our sins? Coming clean before God, admitting our sin before Him through mourning will open the door to true comfort, the comfort of forgiveness, grace and mercy.
If you are a Christian, you need to be shedding Christian Tears. Jesus said, “Blessed are they that mourn: (that shed Christian Tears) for they shall be comforted.”
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9 KJV
Have you heard the question; can two things be true? You may have asked it yourself or even debated the subject. Two things can be true at the same time. In personal matters it is more of a perspective of one’s circumstances, balancing out and seeing both sides of the same coin. Certain events may cause you to have happy and sad feelings with both being true, but in substantive matters it is not so much perspective of the truth, but truth itself.
In the Beatitudes Jesus says, “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” The prophet Jeremiah wrote, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.” Considering both these statements are true, one will make you happy and the other quite sad, but it is not a matter of how you look at them. Jeremiah is stating the fact that man’s heart is sinful. Jesus concurs with Jeremiah’s assessment later in Matthew by saying, “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:” (Mt.15:19) A more important question than “how can these two statements both be true” is how can a sinful, wicked, deceitful heart become pure?
Sad, but true, is the fact that each of us were born with a sin nature alienating ourselves from God. Our hearts are very much as Jeremiah and Jesus describe it. But Jesus made it possible for a reconciliation between God and us by paying the penalty for our sin by dying on the cross. Our sinful hearts become pure when we accept Jesus Christ as our Savoir.
Can two things be true at the same time? Yes! In our earthly bodies we still have the sin nature, Jeremiah is right. And Jesus is right, “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.”
The most notable sermon of all time undoubtedly is Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount. It is where we find the Beatitudes recorded for us in the gospel of Matthew. Jesus begins by saying, ‘Blessed are the poor in Spirit’ which the first of the often recited Beatitudes by many followers of Jesus. But how many of you knew there are seven beatitudes mentioned in the book of Revelation. Full disclosure; I’m sure I read them many times, but never considered them as a collection of Beatitudes (blessings) ,after all they are in the apocalyptic book of Revelation. But then again, what could be more of a blessing than the Lord’s return.
The book of Revelation actually begins with a blessing. Beatitude #1 is; “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.” (Rev. 1:3 ESV) The apostle John was instructed to write to the seven churches in Asia Minor, which is modern day Turkey. This letter was to be read aloud. The one who reads it is blessed, and those who hear, pay attention, and obey it will also be blessed. Most likely, John wanted the book to read upon arrival for the time is near. It would serve as an encouragement for the church. The time is still very near, as the return of Jesus is the next great event to come. All other prophecy presented in Scripture before Christ’s coming has been fulfilled. Blessed are we when we heed with what is in this prophecy of the next event.
Beatitude #2 comes along in chapter 14; “And I heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ ‘Blessed indeed,’ says the Spirit, ‘that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!’” (Rev. 14:13 ESV) The believer in Christ has assurance of eternal life after this life is over in contrast to those who die rejecting Jesus Christ as Savior.
Revelation 16 is where we find Beatitude #3; “Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!” (Rev. 16:15 ESV) We are blessed when we are ready and expecting Christ’s return at any moment. A thief anticipating to break into your home is not going to announce ahead of time when to expect his arrival. Jesus encourages us to be ready as a watchful homeowner and a solider standing guard. A guard caught napping would be stripped of his clothes leaving him naked causing embarrassment. May this not be us, but let us be on guard in anticipation.
Beatitude #4; “And the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’” (Rev. 19:9a ESV) The invitees are all believers saved before Pentecost, all tribulation believers, and those believers alive during the Millennium. John MacArthur notes, ‘this is not the bride of Christ (the church), but the guests. The bride doesn’t get invited, she invites.’ All are glorified and will reign with Christ in His Kingdom.
A view of The Millennium Kingdom ushers in Beatitude #5, “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.” (Rev. 20:6 ESV) All who die in Christ will inherent eternal life. Their souls are in Heaven with Him. At the Lord’s return their bodies will be resurrected and they we reign with Him for a thousand years on the earth in their new glorified physical bodies. There will be no second spiritual death; eternal separation from God in the lake of fire.
Beatitude #6 and #1 are verily similar in this respect, to keep the words written in this book. “And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.” (Rev. 22:7 ESV) This blessing also includes another admonition of Jesus’s soon return. Yes, he is coming soon for the time is near.
It is only fitting the last chapter in the book of the Bible provides the last Beatitude. Beatitude #7 says, “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates.” (Rev. 22:14 ESV) Perhaps the best blessing saved for last. Those who have confessed and repented of their sin having trusted in Jesus Christ have been forgiven and had their sin stained robes washed and cleaned and now have access to the tree of life in the Heavenly city.
Now that we have reviewed the ‘Seven Beatitudes’ found in the book of Revelation, may we be able to say with John the Revelator, “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev. 22:20 ESV) What a Blessing!
Word for the Soul 