Please turn in your Bible to Matthew chapter 5. Matthew 5, we begin in verse 1 as we begin this series on the Sermon on the Mount. You will follow along with me in your Bible. 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, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is a kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Would you join me in prayer? Heavenly Father, I thank you for the teaching of Jesus. And I pray, Lord, as we are taught, how we can be blessed of you. that we will give heed to these words, apply these principles to our lives, and may we enjoy your blessing in our life. And I pray and ask this in Jesus' name, amen. This chapter begins what is commonly known as the Sermon on the Mount. This is considered by many to be the greatest sermon that has ever been preached. It is called the Sermon on the Mount because of the setting of the sermon. You see, Jesus was on the North shore of the Sea of Galilee up the grassy slope above the shore. And from that vantage point, you can look out and see the Sea of Galilee for miles. Well, Jesus found an appropriate spot to be seated and he gathered his disciples close around and the multitude could gather below and on both sides as he taught. He sat down because that was the teaching position of a rabbi. Christians have debated the meaning and message of this sermon to a great extent. I believe that the principles given in this sermon are applicable to both believers and unbelievers in this present age. If you are not yet a Christian, this sermon will show you that you truly fall far short of the righteousness of God. Your only hope to enter into the kingdom of God is to call upon God, plead his mercy, and trust in Jesus to enter the kingdom. Sermon on the Mount also gives principles whereby Christians should live by these principles. Now, once you become a Christian, you have the Holy Spirit indwelling you and you have the capacity to live by the Sermon on the Mount, even though before you could not. So obey these principles of righteousness in the strength of the Lord and out of gratitude to the Lord for saving your soul. Now in this sermon, Jesus chose a theme. In the present case, that theme is obviously the good news of the kingdom. In fact, the word kingdom is found six times in this sermon. And an outline of this sermon could be as follows. He talks about the citizens of the kingdom in the first part of chapter five. Then he talks about the righteousness of the kingdom in chapters five to seven. And then he concludes by giving an appeal to enter into the kingdom of God. Now I want to introduce the famous part of the Sermon on the Mount known as the Beatitudes. They are called the Beatitudes based on the Latin word for blessed, which is how each of these Beatitudes begins. Jesus is here describing the people who are blessed by God. You know, one element of a good sermon is that at the beginning you grab people's attention. Well, when Jesus talked about being blessed of God and how to be blessed by God, of course, people are interested in that. They want to be blessed by God. They want to have a happy, fulfilling life. And so Jesus shares how you can have such a life. You know, even the Declaration of Independence talks about the pursuit of happiness. And yes, we can have true happiness and joy as we experience the truths that are found in the Beatitudes. So what does Jesus mean when he talks about being blessed? That word blessed describes those who enjoy a wonderful level of happiness and joy and well-being that God gives to an individual. It's an inner joy that's independent of the circumstances of life. You know, that would have to be the case because the last beatitude talks about blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake. Oh, listen, if you're persecuted, that's a bad circumstance, but yet Jesus says that in the midst of persecution, you can be blessed of God. But you know, so many people have a life that has some happiness, but as soon as bad things happen, their happiness is taken away from them. But the kind of blessedness and happiness that Jesus offers is indeed independent of the circumstances of life. Jesus said in John 10, 10, I am come that you may have life and have it more abundantly. Do you already enjoy this blessedness that we're talking about today? The world is looking for happiness in all the wrong places. It is clear from how this sermon begins that God wants to bless your life. So let's find out how to have the kind of life that is blessed by God. But before we begin, I want to lay two foundational principles. And the first is this, that in order to be blessed by God, you must have a right relationship with God. for blessedness comes from God. The more you seek happiness from the selfish pursuit of sin, the more you will lose it. But if you turn from the selfish pursuit of happiness and turn to God, you will find that God can do a much better job of blessing your life. Secondly, blessedness comes by becoming and being the type person that Jesus describes here. About half of these Beatitudes refer to character. Instead of focusing on changing the outward actions of a man, Christ first seeks to change the character of a person. You see, character determines conduct. We do what we do because of who we are. Instead of trying to purify the screen, Christ goes to the source of the stream and purifies that. So let's see the character traits that will lead to a life that is truly blessed of God. I believe the first three Beatitudes tell us how we enter into the kingdom of God whereby we will indeed be blessed. First of all, become poor in spirit. Jesus says in verse 3, blessed are the poor in spirit. Folks, this is the starting point. If you don't get this right, you will not get to first base, so to speak, in your relationship with God. So what does Jesus mean when he says be poor in spirit? Well, first of all, There are two different Greek words translated poor. One refers to the working poor. The one who has a job, an income, has just enough to live by. But the word that's used here refers to abject poverty. One who struggles to eke out a living and often has to beg from others to get just enough food to live on. The same word was used of Lazarus the beggar at the gate of the rich man. And so it's someone who recognizes their deep poverty and looks to God to meet their impoverishment. But notice it is the poor in spirit that are blessed. We need to be careful not to think that physical poverty is a state of blessedness, but to be poor in spirit leads to blessedness. That's where we recognize our own spiritual poverty and lack of spiritual resources. It's where we recognize that we are a sinner before God and you can do nothing to earn God's forgiveness or favor. Instead, by faith, you beg God for forgiveness and for help to overcome the sin problem. Psalm 40, 17 reflects this proper attitude well. It says, I am poor and needy. You, God, are my help and my deliverer. The opposite of being poor in spirit is an attitude of self-righteousness, self-sufficiency, and pride. I believe the two contrasting attitudes are well illustrated in the story Jesus gave of the tax collector and the Pharisee that went to the temple to pray. The tax collector would not even look toward heaven. He beat upon his chest and he cried out, oh God, be merciful to me, the sinner. He recognized his own spiritual bankruptcy and all he could do was plead the mercy of God. But the Pharisee looked up to heaven and he thanked God that he was not like other men. He was self-righteous, proclaiming to God that he had kept the law and he had done good works like fasting and tithing And Jesus asked, who was it that went away from the temple justified that day? It wasn't the self-righteous Pharisee. It was the tax collector, the one who was poor in spirit. Why should you be poor in spirit? Well, Jesus tells us in the last of verse three, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Simply put, Jesus is saying that such belong to the kingdom of God. And notice he does not say shall be in the kingdom, but is part of the kingdom of God. It's a present reality to those who are saved by being poor in spirit as a first step. So recognize your spiritual bankruptcy. Only then Can you discover how that need can be supplied by God? You can't be right with God and thus blessed by God by relying upon your own good works and your own spiritual resources. The only way you can be right with God is to confess your sins and your own inability to be right with God and plead the blood of Jesus for your forgiveness. You have to view yourself as a sinner in need of God's mercy and grace. Now up to this point, have you been poor in spirit? Or have you considered yourself to be spiritually rich and self-sufficient in your ability to please God? Folks, you cannot enter into the kingdom of God until you are poor in spirit. Now the second step in becoming blessed by God is to mourn over sin. Jesus says in verse 4, blessed are those who mourn. Now that word mourn refers to those who, for example, mourn over the loss of a loved one. It refers to those who mourn over some great financial loss. It refers to a mourning that is deeply felt and brings tears to the eyes. And so we're talking about someone who mourns deeply. But I do not think in this context that mourning and grieving a loss is the primary meaning. Here, Jesus is talking about a particular kind of mourning that will lead to blessedness. We see in this beatitude that in order to attain true happiness, you must first experience sadness over your sin and rebellion against God. So one of the first steps to become right with God is to mourn over your own sin. And why should you mourn over sin? Well, the Bible encourages this several times in scripture. For example, the Apostle Paul wrote that godly sorrow produces repentance, leading to salvation, not to be regretted. Psalm 51, 17 says, a broken and contrite heart, these, O God, you will not despise. That's Psalm 51, where David was sorrowful over his sins against Bathsheba and her husband and God. James, after rebuking Christians for their sin, said in chapter four, verse nine, be afflicted and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy into heaviness. Mourning over sin leads to repentance and repentance leads to salvation and salvation leads to blessedness. Yet most people do not mourn over sin. Instead, they will deny their sin justify their sin and even celebrate their sin. They make jokes about sin. It is very rare to see such mourning over sin as in the past when sinners would mourn over sin during times of revival. In fact, churches would have what was called the mourning bench because they would mourn and repent over their sin. Have you ever truly mourned over your sin? You will not get right with God until you mourn over your sin and its effect on God and other people. If you have not mourned over your sin, you need to compare your life with God's righteous law. You need to get a vision of the holiness of God and how far short you fall of the glory of God. And this Sermon on the Mount will show you that you are not as righteous as you may have thought you were. I believe blessedness is also promised for those who mourn over the sins and lost condition of others. The psalmist wrote, rivers of water run down my eyes because men do not keep your law. Jesus wept over the lostness of Jerusalem and the destruction that He knew they would experience. In Acts 20, verse 31, Paul said, Remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears. He saw souls on their way to destruction if they did not repent and turn to Jesus for salvation. One who knew the great preacher George Whitfield well said he hardly knew him go through a sermon without weeping. His voice was often interrupted by his tears, which sometimes were so excessive as to stop him from proceeding for a few moments. Conscious of how people felt, he would say, you blame me for weeping, but how can I help it when you will not weep for yourself? though your immortal souls are on the verge of destruction. And for all you know, you are hearing your last sermon and may never more have an opportunity to have Christ offered to you. Why should we be willing to mourn over sin and mourn over lost sinners? After all, we want to laugh and have fun. Well, there's a time for that. But in the last of verse four, Jesus explains why those who mourn shall be blessed. It is because they shall be comforted. God promises his blessed comfort to those who mourn, repent, and receive God's forgiveness and assurances that everything is OK. The blessedness is not in the mourning itself, but in what the mourning leads to. When a soul mourns over sin and that mourning prompts him to turn his soul to God, God will pardon, comfort, and reassure that soul of forgiveness. And then being comforted by God, we can experience the highest and purest joy. Oh, what a blessing it is to be comforted by God that our sins have been forgiven and everything is okay. When I was a boy, I had a particularly bad memory at Christmas. We got up that Christmas morning Under the tree, my big brother got a weight set for Christmas. The weights were not yet put in place on the bar and secured. There was just a bar lying there. Well, little brother thought, well, I can at least pick up that metal bar. And so I reached down and picked it up. And you know, it had that metal sleeve around the bar. And I, without thinking, tilted the bar a little bit and that big heavy bar just slid right out of that metal sleeve and hit an antique chair there in the living room and broke part of it. When my dad realized what had happened, he began to fuss at me No doubt he was concerned about what it would cost to get that antique chair repaired, and I went back to my room and began to cry my heart out. My mother, just a little while later, came down to my room, lay on the bed with me and put her arm around me and assured me that I'm forgiven, It was just an accident and everything is okay. Oh, what a blessing it was to be comforted by my mother. And oh, what a blessing it is to be comforted by God. So are you willing to examine your life and mourn when God convicts you of sin? Will you so work that He will comfort you by removing the cause of your mourning? And even if you mourn over some loss in your life, the day is coming when God will comfort you by restoring what you have lost or giving you something better. Revelation 21 verse 4 says, God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crime. Finally, another requirement for a life that is blessed of God is to do this, become meek. Jesus said in verse five, blessed are the meek. Here we see that in order to have a life that God will bless, you must acquire the character quality of meekness. What is meekness? We often think of meekness in terms of weakness We think of a person being like a rug that people walk all over. Let me explain what meekness actually is. Great scholars Art and Gingrich says the word meek means to be gentle, humble, considerate, unassuming. A meek person does not selfishly make demands of others and is submissive to authority. A similar word is found in Philippians 4, 5, where Paul says, let your gentleness be known to all men. For example, the word was used of an animal who had been domesticated. That wild animal is now tame and under control. I had a dog that was very neat. Generally speaking, very meek, but there'd be spells where he would begun to run all over the house and be on the wild side. Well, what a difference between the wild, uncontrolled dog and the meek dog. Well, even so, a meek person submits first of all to the control and providence of God. and then to those who are in authority in his life. The word also speaks of one who is under control when provoked. Someone has described meekness as power under control. They have their emotions under control. You know what? Alexander the Great was a powerful, great military leader, but he certainly was not meek. One time he got in a rage, and he took his spear and thrust it through his best friend and killed him. Oh, so many people do not have their emotions under control. When provoked, they are like A dog that answers bark for bark. They pay evil for evil, insult for insult. The children of the kingdom are meek and overcome evil with good. So the meek are those who quietly submit themselves to God and are gentle toward all people. They never assert themselves except on behalf of God and others. Now, don't misunderstand. Meekness is power under control, but there are times when we should exert strength. Jesus was meek. Oh, how he could strongly rebuke the self-righteous religious leaders of his day. Oh, how he drove out those who desecrated the temple in great strength, but oh, he could be so meek and gentle, especially toward sinners. Have you come to that place where you are meek? That you have submitted to the lordship of Jesus in your life? If not, how do you become meek? Well, first, you have to have faith in God that He's in charge, not you. You know, the person who's not meek takes everything in their own hands. But the meek put faith in God that He can handle it. He can take charge. He can deal with the troubles and problems in your life. And furthermore, meekness is a fruit of the Spirit according to Galatians chapter 5. And so if you're a citizen of the kingdom. If you are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and especially filled by the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit will help you to become meek, who is truly blessed of God. So why should you go against the world's way of thinking? Why should you not be domineering, aggressive, harsh and tyrannical? Why should you be meek toward men and submissive toward God? Well, the last of verse 5, Jesus said something that startled many. He said, it is the meek that will inherit the land or the earth. Oh, that's so contrary to worldly opinion and worldly practice. I'm sure in his audience there were some Jewish zealots who were ready to take up arms against the Romans and to get their land back with armed resistance. But Jesus said, it is the meat that inherits the earth. The world thinks it's the bullies that will rule and control. But think about it. Alexander the Great, Napoleon, Adolf Hitler, They conquered, conquered, but none inherited or gained the whole world. And do you realize that not one of them reigned over other nations more than 13 years? That's it. Psalm 37 9 says, evildoers will be cut off So Jesus tells us how to gain the world someday. He says, the meek shall inherit the earth. You see, Jesus Christ is coming again someday, and I think it's getting closer and closer. And when He comes again, He's taking charge. He's taking this world from the devil and those who follow the devil, and He's going to give the earth to the meek. Christian followers of His. And when that happens, you will enjoy a paradise on earth. And you know, this is not just based on the promise of Jesus. Did you know that Psalm 37 11 says that the meek shall inherit the earth? In Zephaniah 3 12, the prophet foretold of the battle of Armageddon. And when Jesus wins that battle, it says, I will leave in your midst a meek and humble people. The Jews, 40 years after Jesus spoke these words, rose up in armed resistance against the Romans. And what happened? They were defeated and they utterly lost their land for the next 2,000 years. But meek Christians under the banner of the cross, after 300 years, overcame 10 waves of persecution and Rome became a Christian It is the meek that shall inherit. And by the way, it's not that the meek will grab up the earth, but they will inherit the earth. Who owns it? God. What is the basis of inheritance? Relationships. I have yet to inherit anything but from a family member. And if you are in the family of God, God said you will inherit the earth someday. And so how do you become a citizen of the kingdom? You must be poor in spirit. You recognize your own sin and spiritual poverty and you call out to God for his mercy and grace. That's the only way you'll be saved. Then you mourn. You must mourn over your sin and repent of your sin. And then, in meekness, submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and God's will for your life, trusting God to bless you and to handle the problems in your life, both with inner strength and by His providence and His work. in the lives of others as well. Yes, these are the ones who shall enter the kingdom and be blessed indeed. You want to be blessed? I tell you what, I've enjoyed the blessing of God. I've experienced my share of troubles like everybody else. But in the midst of the troubles, I have peace and I have joy and I have blessing. And that's the kind of life that Jesus want you to have. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank You for this wonderful Sermon on the Mount and the Beatitudes. And I pray that if there's anyone here that has not recognized their spiritual poverty and has mourned over sin and has meekly been willing to yield to the Lordship of King Jesus, I pray that today would be the day they enter the Kingdom and the blessings of the kingdom. Lord, those of us that are Christian, help us to live by these principles. And Lord, may your blessings be upon this church. And as we go forth in this place, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.