Blessed Are The Poor In Spirit Part 2 (Radio Program for WVNE 760 AM Worcester / Boston)

Thank you for listening to this message from the ministry of Morse Corner Church in Leverett, Massachusetts. Morse Corner is a non-denominational church that is committed to the preaching and teaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Our church was founded in 1896 by two students of the famous evangelist D .L. Moody. We seek to encourage and edify the body of Christ through the proclamation of God's word through the ministries of the local church.

If you'd like more information, visit our website morsecornerchurch .com. We hope you enjoy the message. The way things are today, things are so polarized that people are all in on one side or the other.

The Need for Balance in Christian Life

It tends to be the way it goes, and it's easy to get too focused on one thing. For example, we could be so focused on sound doctrine that we forget mercy. And then there are people that are so concerned with mercy and good works, well, they don't care about doctrine.

So we need balance. The mature Christian life should be a life of balance. Jesus was a strong man. He gave hard sayings. He reproved people. He turned over the tables of the money changers and drove them out of the temple with a whip of cords.

That's true. But Jesus wasn't always like that, especially that last incident. Jesus was also gentle. He was kind. There was a balance. At times he was soft. At times he was very hard. So there is a balance.

Christ’s Tender Compassion Toward the Lowly

Jesus said in Matthew 12, verse 20, the scripture says about him, a bruised reed he will not break and smoking flax he will not quench. I'd like to read this comment by Dr. John MacArthur. He said these people, that is the bruised reed that he will not break and the smoking flax that he will not quench.

These people, these are the people that are deemed useless by the world. Christ's work was to restore and rekindle such people and not to break them or quench them. This speaks of his tender compassion toward the lowliest of the lost.

And he came not to gather the strong for a revolution, rather to show mercy to the weak. My friends, the teachings of Christ, they go against the grain. When Jesus appeared on the scene, that's what they wanted.

They wanted a king. They wanted a man who would lead a revolution. That's not what he came to do. Instead, he taught things that were counterintuitive. They went against the grain. Just a few examples of this.

Jesus said whoever finds his life will lose it and whoever loses his life will find it. Jesus taught that if you want to be exalted, you must first do what? You must humble yourself. We cannot be first unless we make ourselves last.

And then the Apostle Paul taught things like when we are weak, then are we strong. So before a person can be saved, they must first acknowledge they are lost and then be brought low by the conviction of God, the Holy Spirit.

The Beatitudes and Godly Sorrow

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. In Luke 6, he says, blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. And this weeping and this mourning is the mourning that a person faces when they are brought low.

When they have a godly sorrow over sin. The sorrow of the world is, hey, I'm sorry I got caught. But the sorrow of God is a genuine sorrow over sin that we have offended a holy and righteous God. Then and only then can a person be comforted by the grace of God in salvation.

And part of salvation is the future resurrection. When Christ returns, the dead will be raised and they will enter into the kingdom, which Revelation chapter 20 tells us lasts for 1000 years. And that is what I believe Jesus is referring to next here in verse 5, when he says, blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

And when God's people do inherit the earth during the millennial reign of Christ, that will be a time of exaltation and rejoicing, a golden age of righteousness. So those who hunger and thirst for it now, they will be filled.

But you need to hunger and thirst for it now. Verse 6, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. This is a word that Christians don't even use anymore, because when someone hears the word righteousness, what do they think?

They think self-righteousness. That's not what we're talking about. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. And isn't that what God's people are hungering and thirsting for now?

If not, there's something wrong. We should seek peace. We should seek calm. We want decency. We want order. We desire to see people from every nation, tribe, and tongue, hungering and thirsting for the things of God, instead of the lusts and desires of the world that keep people what?

Enslaved. Enslaved to sin. Yes, there is something called the pleasure of sin for a season. Sin is pleasurable. Otherwise, people wouldn't do it. But there are consequences. You think about the lusts of the world and what drives the world.

Two things basically drive the world. Money and sex. That's what drives the world. And sin never satisfies, does it? It only brings bondage, greed, the love of money, drugs. These things don't satisfy.

They only leave a person wanting more. Promiscuity doesn't fulfill. It only leaves a person feeling more empty and alone. Pride is only a facade because we're nothing more than dust here today and gone tomorrow.

My friend, nothing in this world is able to fill the void in the human heart. Nothing, that is, except the spirit of God. There is a quote that is attributed to St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo. He said, Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. And these are the desires that God puts in the hearts of his people. This is what the spirit of God brings. Comfort, righteousness, mercy.

Mercy, Purity of Heart, and Seeing God

He says in verse seven, blessed are the merciful for they shall attain mercy. And what is mercy? Mercy is the compassion and loving kindness of God given to people who are undeserving. And because God has been merciful to us when we don't deserve it, what should we do?

We should be merciful to others. Think of all the grace and mercy God has given you. You should give that to others. In verse eight is such a wonderful verse. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.

You know, in Revelation 22, verse four, it talks about how in the new heaven and the new earth we shall see God's face. And I don't know what that would look like. Obviously, I don't I can't even imagine it.

That's kind of the point. It's so amazing. So, so glorious. And this is what this is the ultimate reward of man. The first question in any catechism is what is the chief end of man? And what's the answer?

To glorify God and to enjoy him forever. I know we tend to think of eternal life as our reward. But really, eternal life is not the gift. It is not the reward. Eternal life with God is the gift. Eternal life with God.

God himself is our reward. What did the Lord tell Abraham in Genesis 15? One, he said, I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward. God himself is the gift. Verses 44 and 45 further expand on verse nine, which says, blessed are the peacemakers for they should be called sons of God.

Jesus says in verses 44 and 45, but I say to you, love your enemies. Bless those who curse you and do good to those who hate you. And pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you that you may be sons of your father in heaven.

For he makes his son rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. So because God loves all men, God, so love the world. We should love others also. And we should seek peace with all men.

The Cost of Discipleship and the Hope of Persecution

Now, the Beatitudes come to an end and maybe an unexpected way. Things are a little different. You know, they start out the first few statements of Christ showed some lack, right? The poor in spirit, those who are mourning meekness, hungering and thirsting.

And then we see some more positive statements about being merciful and blessed are the pure heart and blessed are the peacemakers. And Christians want to be filled. We want to receive mercy. Certainly we want to show mercy.

We desire peace. But what Jesus mentions next, not sure we want that. What does he say? What is he talking about? Persecution, being reviled, having people lie about you because of your faith in God and in his word.

None of us want that. And you know what? There's a real simple way to avoid it. Just don't do anything for God. Just don't do anything for God. Don't speak up. Don't evangelize. Don't preach. Don't stand for what is right.

Don't have any convictions or if you do compromise them or don't ever say anything about them. That's a way to avoid adversity. You'll never receive any persecution if you don't live godly in Christ Jesus.

But the Bible says all who live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. So if you don't want this, just keep silent. Don't tell anyone about your faith. Don't have any convictions. Don't stand up for anything.

Just do nothing for the Lord. But that's not an option, is it? Don't forget. Don't forget. In the scripture, when godly men and women stepped out in faith, there was a risk. There was always a risk. But was it worth it?

You think about it. The parents of Moses. Moses' mother and his sister Miriam. When they hid the baby Moses, they were facing the wrath of Pharaoh. But was it worth it? When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow to the golden image or else be thrown into the fiery furnace, they were taking a great risk.

But God protected them. When the apostles daily in the temple and in every house did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ, even with the threat of imprisonment, was it worth it? Yes, it was.

Persecution for Righteousness and Reward in Heaven

So we will close with these statements of Christ in Matthew chapter 5 verses 10 through 12. Jesus said to them, Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

And blessed are you when they revile and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely. For my sake rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. For so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Let's close in prayer. Our Father, we thank you for showing us a more excellent way. And Lord, give us the ability through your spirit that the Beatitudes would be our attitude as we seek to make the name of Christ known to all generations.

We thank you and praise you for what you have done. We thank you and praise you for what you are going to do. And we ask it all in the precious name of Christ our Lord. Amen.