Kingdom Living
Matthew 5:7-16
Last message we looked at understanding the character traits of the Kingdom of God.
1). Poor in spirit
Have nothing to give and nothing to add; Are spiritually bankrupt with no spiritual assets; Are spiritually broken.
2). Mourning over our sin
Broken over our sin; We have broken God’s heart, so our hearts are broken; We have caused God to cry, so we mourn.
3). The power of meekness in our lives
Submission one to another; Submission to God’s Word; An easily entreated posture that proves the wisdom of God is at work in your life.
4). The essential need of a hunger and thirst for righteousness
That we have a balanced spiritual diet that enables us to live right before God and man by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Last week we concentrated on the inner man, now we move to real-life opportunities, to put to practice the new “Be” attitudes (Beatitudes) and put on display to the world what it looks like to be a disciple of Jesus.
Opportunity number one in our text is MERCY.
Matthew 5:7 (NLT)
7 God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Remember, this word “blessed” is we are happy because we are showing mercy, so God is happy with us, therefore we are blessed.
Has anyone ever shown you mercy? My hat goes off to you moms. I must have broken my mom’s heart a dozen times. Other than Jesus himself, my mom was the best person that walked the face of the earth. She was the most merciful person I have ever known. Once she was saved (and that was the change that we all need to experience), I have never seen anyone like her. She was a single mom and she raised me the best way she knew how. I had seen a lot in that environment, but the mercy God poured on her leaked out on everyone and everywhere she went.
Verse 7a, those who are merciful
Merciful is not getting what we deserve. Merciful is compassion for people in need. (Luke 10:25-37 NLT) Mercy is the chief attribute of God. Where do we receive the pure source of compassion and mercy for others?
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NLT)
3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort.
4 He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.
To have mercy on the miserable and the wretched. Mercy is compassion that turns into action.
Take a moment and consider the mercy that God has shown you. What has God overlooked in your life by being nailed to the cross for your forgiveness of sins?
The Roman soldiers thought the nails in his hands and feet held him to the cross, but it was his love. It was love that held Jesus on the cross. The cross is God’s number one act of mercy toward us.
1 John 3:17 (NLT)
17 If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion--how can God's love be in that person?
God’s love inside of us empowers us to have mercy on others. Mercy is “kind in my judgments” toward others. Let’s look at what “kind in my judgments” is not.
Critical spirit
Fault finding
Judgmental attitude
Being prejudiced
Again, mercy is “kind in my judgments” toward others.
Mercy is forgiveness toward others. Do you have a shattered relationship with some you love right now that needs to be restored and unforgiveness is keeping you from moving forward? Being willing to forgive that person and not harbor unforgiveness is a response that you understand the forgiveness God has shown you.
Harboring unforgiveness toward another person locks you in your own prison. The prison walls are built with critical, judgmental, fault-finding blocks of solid concrete. But you hold the key to the prison cell. Forgive the offender. Offer them the mercy God has shown you. Release yourself from the chains of unforgiveness.
When we are being merciful, we are being most like God.
Micah 7:18 (NKJV)
18 Who [is] a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights [in] mercy.
When you do show mercy, there is a promise waiting for you.
Verse 7b, for they will be shown mercy
Opportunity number two in our text is PURITY OF HEART
Matthew 5:8 (NLT)
8 God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.
Verse 8a, those whose hearts are pure
They say it’s what is on the inside that counts. If you just listen to someone talk for ten minutes, you can know what is in their heart. Jesus said out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A pure heart is not a sinless heart – it’s when your mind, your will, and your emotion are all centered on pleasing God.
James broke it down into three steps:
James 4:8 (NLT)
8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.
1). Draw close to God/he will draw close to you.
2). Wash your hands/confess your sin to God
3). Purify your heart. Re-align your heart with God’s heart by complete surrender of your mind, your will, and your emotion.
Our heart will dictate what our hands will do and what our mouth speaks.
A heart that is:
Unmixed or undivided chasing after the heart of God
Without alternative motive
Sincere
Without wax
A heart that does not wear a mask
Free from falsehood with God and man
When we purify our heart…realign your heart with God’s heart by complete surrender of your mind, your will and your emotion…
Verse 8b, they will see God
1 John 3:2-3 (NLT)
2 Dear friends, we are already God's children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.
3 And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.
Opportunity number three in our text is PEACEMAKING
Matthew 5:9 (NLT)
9 God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.
Verse 9a, those who work for peace,
This person is searching for peace, which makes them a peacemaker. The initiator of the peace process. This person takes the chance of rejection and humiliation, but always has the greatest reward in the peace process.
Now, let’s look briefly at the PEACEKEEPER. This is a person who senses or sees a moment of peace. They supernaturally keep peace intact. They diffuse the bomb so there’s no further injury. They work to maintain the peace.
The marks of a PEACEMAKER are honesty, truthfulness, integrity, and a peacemaker will absorb the pain to reconcile. The promise for the peacemaker is they receive a peace from God, as Paul explained in Philippians.
Philippians 4:7 (NLT)
7 you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Verse 9b, they will be called the children of God.
Opportunity number four in our text is RESPONDING CORRECTLY TO PERSECUTION
Matthew 5:10-11 (NLT)
10 God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
11 "God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you
How does being blessed relate to being persecuted? Remember, we are not talking about blessings being monetary gifts from God, we are talking about applause from God – God cheering, saying that’s my boy, or that’s my girl.
The two reasons in verses 10 and 11 for persecution are:
Verse 10, for living right before God and man. And in verse 11, because you are my followers. Make jokes about you, persecute you for doing the right thing – your witness and courage to take a stand.
Matthew 5:12 (NLT)
12 Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.
There are two blessings about taking a stand in persecution found in verse 12.
1). Remember, a great reward awaits you in heaven.
2). Remember you are in great company – the ancient prophets were persecuted the same way.
How should we respond to it? No retaliation, no sulking, no complaining. Be happy – very glad – about it (real inner peace, not fake).
Remember Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They did not bow to the King’s edict. They did not bend (they didn’t compromise). They would not break (they wouldn’t buckle). And they did not burn either (when thrown in the fiery furnace). And – they were not alone.
Opportunity number five in our text is OUR IMPACT ON THE WORLD WE LIVE IN
It’s time to live out what God has done inside of us in a culture that is drastically changing.
Not being weird
Not being religious
Not being legalistic
Not being violent
Not protesting
Not storming the Capitol
Matthew 5:13 (NLT)
13 "You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.
Our country is decaying and falling apart and the best our government can come up with is a stimulus program.
We are here to serve God and the world can serve money.
Jesus said you are the salt of the earth. We are to live as a preserving agent to a morally and spiritually declining world. Have you ever wondered why you are still here on earth? Salt is a preservative. Salt is a seasoning agent (eggs, popcorn, French fries). Salt is a thirst agent to cause a thirst to those who see your life and how you live.
How can we be used by God as a preservative? In our government or community. In our family. In our church.
It has been said salt must make contact to make a difference, but cannot be contaminated by our culture to ruin the taste.
Jesus said in John 8:12, I am the light of the world.
But in verse 14 of our text today – Jesus says,
Matthew 5:14-16 (NLT)
14 "You are the light of the world--like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.
15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.
16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.
In closing, here are four truths to being a light to the world.
1). We need to shine openly. Not under a basket, not under compromise, not under fear. Instead, on a lampstand.
2). We need to shine obediently. Bring light to the dark corners at home. Is your workplace getting darker? Open up the shades, turn on the lights, stand for what is true and right.
3). We need to shine beautifully. Not on the outside, but the inside – oozing out wherever we go. Your personal sphere of influence. Paul said to work out your salvation… (to work out what God has put in you).
4). We need to shine to glorify God.
Ephesians 5:8 (NLT)
8 For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!
1). Poor in spirit
Have nothing to give and nothing to add; Are spiritually bankrupt with no spiritual assets; Are spiritually broken.
2). Mourning over our sin
Broken over our sin; We have broken God’s heart, so our hearts are broken; We have caused God to cry, so we mourn.
3). The power of meekness in our lives
Submission one to another; Submission to God’s Word; An easily entreated posture that proves the wisdom of God is at work in your life.
4). The essential need of a hunger and thirst for righteousness
That we have a balanced spiritual diet that enables us to live right before God and man by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Last week we concentrated on the inner man, now we move to real-life opportunities, to put to practice the new “Be” attitudes (Beatitudes) and put on display to the world what it looks like to be a disciple of Jesus.
Opportunity number one in our text is MERCY.
Matthew 5:7 (NLT)
7 God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Remember, this word “blessed” is we are happy because we are showing mercy, so God is happy with us, therefore we are blessed.
Has anyone ever shown you mercy? My hat goes off to you moms. I must have broken my mom’s heart a dozen times. Other than Jesus himself, my mom was the best person that walked the face of the earth. She was the most merciful person I have ever known. Once she was saved (and that was the change that we all need to experience), I have never seen anyone like her. She was a single mom and she raised me the best way she knew how. I had seen a lot in that environment, but the mercy God poured on her leaked out on everyone and everywhere she went.
Verse 7a, those who are merciful
Merciful is not getting what we deserve. Merciful is compassion for people in need. (Luke 10:25-37 NLT) Mercy is the chief attribute of God. Where do we receive the pure source of compassion and mercy for others?
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NLT)
3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort.
4 He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.
To have mercy on the miserable and the wretched. Mercy is compassion that turns into action.
Take a moment and consider the mercy that God has shown you. What has God overlooked in your life by being nailed to the cross for your forgiveness of sins?
The Roman soldiers thought the nails in his hands and feet held him to the cross, but it was his love. It was love that held Jesus on the cross. The cross is God’s number one act of mercy toward us.
1 John 3:17 (NLT)
17 If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion--how can God's love be in that person?
God’s love inside of us empowers us to have mercy on others. Mercy is “kind in my judgments” toward others. Let’s look at what “kind in my judgments” is not.
Critical spirit
Fault finding
Judgmental attitude
Being prejudiced
Again, mercy is “kind in my judgments” toward others.
Mercy is forgiveness toward others. Do you have a shattered relationship with some you love right now that needs to be restored and unforgiveness is keeping you from moving forward? Being willing to forgive that person and not harbor unforgiveness is a response that you understand the forgiveness God has shown you.
Harboring unforgiveness toward another person locks you in your own prison. The prison walls are built with critical, judgmental, fault-finding blocks of solid concrete. But you hold the key to the prison cell. Forgive the offender. Offer them the mercy God has shown you. Release yourself from the chains of unforgiveness.
When we are being merciful, we are being most like God.
Micah 7:18 (NKJV)
18 Who [is] a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights [in] mercy.
When you do show mercy, there is a promise waiting for you.
Verse 7b, for they will be shown mercy
Opportunity number two in our text is PURITY OF HEART
Matthew 5:8 (NLT)
8 God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.
Verse 8a, those whose hearts are pure
They say it’s what is on the inside that counts. If you just listen to someone talk for ten minutes, you can know what is in their heart. Jesus said out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A pure heart is not a sinless heart – it’s when your mind, your will, and your emotion are all centered on pleasing God.
James broke it down into three steps:
James 4:8 (NLT)
8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.
1). Draw close to God/he will draw close to you.
2). Wash your hands/confess your sin to God
3). Purify your heart. Re-align your heart with God’s heart by complete surrender of your mind, your will, and your emotion.
Our heart will dictate what our hands will do and what our mouth speaks.
A heart that is:
Unmixed or undivided chasing after the heart of God
Without alternative motive
Sincere
Without wax
A heart that does not wear a mask
Free from falsehood with God and man
When we purify our heart…realign your heart with God’s heart by complete surrender of your mind, your will and your emotion…
Verse 8b, they will see God
1 John 3:2-3 (NLT)
2 Dear friends, we are already God's children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.
3 And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.
Opportunity number three in our text is PEACEMAKING
Matthew 5:9 (NLT)
9 God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.
Verse 9a, those who work for peace,
This person is searching for peace, which makes them a peacemaker. The initiator of the peace process. This person takes the chance of rejection and humiliation, but always has the greatest reward in the peace process.
Now, let’s look briefly at the PEACEKEEPER. This is a person who senses or sees a moment of peace. They supernaturally keep peace intact. They diffuse the bomb so there’s no further injury. They work to maintain the peace.
The marks of a PEACEMAKER are honesty, truthfulness, integrity, and a peacemaker will absorb the pain to reconcile. The promise for the peacemaker is they receive a peace from God, as Paul explained in Philippians.
Philippians 4:7 (NLT)
7 you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Verse 9b, they will be called the children of God.
Opportunity number four in our text is RESPONDING CORRECTLY TO PERSECUTION
Matthew 5:10-11 (NLT)
10 God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
11 "God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you
How does being blessed relate to being persecuted? Remember, we are not talking about blessings being monetary gifts from God, we are talking about applause from God – God cheering, saying that’s my boy, or that’s my girl.
The two reasons in verses 10 and 11 for persecution are:
Verse 10, for living right before God and man. And in verse 11, because you are my followers. Make jokes about you, persecute you for doing the right thing – your witness and courage to take a stand.
Matthew 5:12 (NLT)
12 Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.
There are two blessings about taking a stand in persecution found in verse 12.
1). Remember, a great reward awaits you in heaven.
2). Remember you are in great company – the ancient prophets were persecuted the same way.
How should we respond to it? No retaliation, no sulking, no complaining. Be happy – very glad – about it (real inner peace, not fake).
Remember Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They did not bow to the King’s edict. They did not bend (they didn’t compromise). They would not break (they wouldn’t buckle). And they did not burn either (when thrown in the fiery furnace). And – they were not alone.
Opportunity number five in our text is OUR IMPACT ON THE WORLD WE LIVE IN
It’s time to live out what God has done inside of us in a culture that is drastically changing.
Not being weird
Not being religious
Not being legalistic
Not being violent
Not protesting
Not storming the Capitol
Matthew 5:13 (NLT)
13 "You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.
Our country is decaying and falling apart and the best our government can come up with is a stimulus program.
We are here to serve God and the world can serve money.
Jesus said you are the salt of the earth. We are to live as a preserving agent to a morally and spiritually declining world. Have you ever wondered why you are still here on earth? Salt is a preservative. Salt is a seasoning agent (eggs, popcorn, French fries). Salt is a thirst agent to cause a thirst to those who see your life and how you live.
How can we be used by God as a preservative? In our government or community. In our family. In our church.
It has been said salt must make contact to make a difference, but cannot be contaminated by our culture to ruin the taste.
Jesus said in John 8:12, I am the light of the world.
But in verse 14 of our text today – Jesus says,
Matthew 5:14-16 (NLT)
14 "You are the light of the world--like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.
15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.
16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.
In closing, here are four truths to being a light to the world.
1). We need to shine openly. Not under a basket, not under compromise, not under fear. Instead, on a lampstand.
2). We need to shine obediently. Bring light to the dark corners at home. Is your workplace getting darker? Open up the shades, turn on the lights, stand for what is true and right.
3). We need to shine beautifully. Not on the outside, but the inside – oozing out wherever we go. Your personal sphere of influence. Paul said to work out your salvation… (to work out what God has put in you).
4). We need to shine to glorify God.
Ephesians 5:8 (NLT)
8 For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!