March 5, 2023
Matthew 5:1-16
“Blessed to Bless”
Service Overview:
The way of Jesus is in growing to trust and walk in the upside-down nature of his kingdom.
Memory Verse for the Week:
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16 (NIV)
Background Insights:
- The first block of teaching in Matthew is the Sermon on the Mount (cc. 5-7). No piece of ethical literature has been more influential in the course of history. (William E. McCumber, Beacon Bible Expositions, Volume 1: Matthew, 33)
- Having summarized Jesus’ message as repentance in view of the coming kingdom (Mat. 4:17), Matthew now collects Jesus’ teachings that explain how a repentant person ready for God’s rule should live. Only those submitted to God’s reign now are truly prepared for the time when he will judge the world and reign there unchallenged. This sermon provides examples of the self-sacrificial ethics of the kingdom, which its citizens must learn to exemplify even in the present world before the rest of the world recognizes that kingdom (Matthew 6:10). (Craig Keener, IVP New Testament Commentaries, Matthew, 92)
- The Pharisees taught that righteousness was an external thing, a matter of obeying rules and regulations. Righteousness could be measured by praying, giving, fasting, etc. In the Beatitudes and the pictures of the Matthew 4—5 believer, Jesus described Christian character that flowed from within. (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, 18)
- The sanctuary for the greatest sermon ever preached was the mountain. As far as we know, this mountain—really a large hill—had no name until Jesus preached there. Until then it had been but one of many hills that slope up gently from the north shore of the Sea of Galilee. What had been simply a mountain among many other mountains now became the mountain, sanctified and set apart by the presence of the Lord. For many centuries the traditional site has been called the Mount of Beatitudes. (Jon MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Matthew 1-28, 170)
- A significant new note in comparison with v. 10 is that the cause of persecution is not simply “righteousness,” the distinctive lifestyle of the disciples, but more specifically “because of me,” a phrase which makes it clear that this discourse is not just a call to moral conduct but is grounded in the unique authority and radical demands of Jesus himself. (R. T. France, The New International Commentary on the New Testament: Matthew, 210)
What concepts are worth probing in order to understand what Jesus is saying here?
- What it means to be truly blessed.
(Gen. 1:22; Ps. 32:1–2; Jer. 17:7; Mat. 5:3-12; Luke 6:20–23; 11:28; Rom. 5:1–2; Eph. 1:3; James 1:12, 25)
To be blessed is not a superficial feeling of wellbeing based on circumstance, but a deep supernatural experience of contentedness based on the fact that one’s life is right with God. Blessedness is based on objective reality, realized in the miracle of transformation to a new and divine nature (MacArthur, Matthew 1-28, 175)
- The paradoxical nature of God’s kingdom.
(Dan. 2:44; Luke 17:20-21; John 18:36-37; Rom. 14:17-18; Col. 1:13-14; Heb. 12:28)
We should understand “kingdom” as meaning “rule” rather than “realm”; that is to say, the expression is dynamic: It points us to God as doing something, as actively ruling, rather than to an area or group of people over whom He is sovereign. The kingdom is something that happens rather than something that exists. (Leon Morris, Matthew, 53)
It is a kingdom which is to come, yes. But it is also a kingdom which has come. “The kingdom of God is among you” and “within you.” The kingdom of God is in every true Christian. He reigns in the Church when she acknowledges Him truly. The kingdom has come, the kingdom is coming, the kingdom is yet to come. Now we must always bear that in mind. Whenever Christ is enthroned as King, the kingdom of God is come, so that, while we cannot say that He is ruling over all in the world at the present time, He is certainly ruling in that way in the hearts and lives of all His people. (Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, 16)
- The function Jesus’ disciples serve in the world: to flavor, preserve, and reflect.
(Mat. 5:13-16; Mark 9:50; Luke 8:16; John 8:12; Ephesians 5:8; Colossians 4:6; 1 Peter 2:9)
It was God’s intention all along not just to give commandments to His people, but to create a new people with new hearts, new affections, and new attitudes. (David Platt, Exalting Jesus in Matthew, 107)
The Lord Jesus tells us that true Christians are to be in the world “Ye are the salt of the earth.” Now salt has a peculiar taste of its own, utterly unlike anything else. When mingled with other substances it preserves them from corruption; it imparts a portion of its taste to everything it is mixed with. It is useful so long as it preserves its savor, but no longer. (J.C. Ryle, Matthew, 26)
Christians are supposed to be conspicuously holy, not for our own reputation but for God’s. We are to be the light of the world, so that when people see our good deeds they will glorify God (Matt. 5:16). (Mark Dever, Nine Marks of a Healthy Church, 176)
Conclusion… What is the way of Jesus in light of this?
A. To embrace what results in true blessing.
(Ps. 34:17-19; 106:3; Mat. 5:9; Luke 6:36; Rom. 8:28; 8:35-39; 12:18; Phil. 4:8; Col. 3:12; 2 Tim. 3:12; 1 Thes. 4:13; James 1:2-4; 1 John 2:29; Rev. 21:4)
For those who, as God’s people, find their current situation intolerable and incomprehensible, there are better times ahead. (R.T. France, Matthew, 205)
What disciples are is covered in the Beatitudes. They are people in poverty, the poor in spirit. The phrase describes those who are conscious of deserving nothing and needing everything from God. They accept with gratitude what He bestows, and without bitterness what He withholds. Their trust is not in human resources, but in divine faithfulness. (McCumber, Matthew, 34)
Jesus summons those who would be his followers to radical devotion and radical dependence on God. His followers must be meek, must not retaliate, must go beyond the letter’s law to its spirit, must do what is right when only God is looking, must depend on God for their needs and pursue his interests rather than their own, and must leave spiritual measurements of others’ hearts to God. In short, true people of the kingdom live for God, not for themselves. (Keener, Matthew, 92)
B. To leave the world better than you found it.
(Mat. 25:40; Mark 9:35; Luke 6:38; Acts 20:35; Gal. 5:13; Eph. 2:8-10; Col. 3:23-24)
What disciples do is expressed under figures of salt and light. Salt does not exist for itself, but for the enhancement of soil and food. Light does not exist for itself, but for the illumination of human activity. Even so, the blessedness of disciples is not self-contained. The disciples are in the world to serve the world, even though they suffer at the hands of the world. (McCumber, Matthew, 35)
The two most significant uses of salt in the ancient world were for flavoring and for the preservation of food, and either or both of those uses would provide an appropriate sense here: the disciples are to provide flavor to the world they live in (perhaps with the thought of salt as wisdom, as in Col 4:6 and in some rabbinic sayings), and/or they are to help to prevent its corruption. The two ideas are not incompatible; disciples are to make the world a better place. (R. T. France, The New International Commentary on the New Testament: Matthew, 211)
C. To be a lighthouse, not a blow horn.
(Ps. 105:1; Mat. 5:16; John 15:8; Acts 13:47; 1 Cor. 9:22; 13:1-13; Eph. 5:8; 1 Pet. 2:9)
A holy life will make the deepest impression. Lighthouses blow no horns; they just shine. (D.L. Moody)
The outcome of distinctive discipleship is intended to be that other people will notice and, though sometimes they may respond with cynicism and persecution, ultimately the light will have its effect and they will recognize and acknowledge the goodness of the God who is its source. (R. T. France, Matthew, 210)
Gospel Application…
The way of Jesus begins by recognizing your need of Jesus; to forgive, provide new life, and reorient your thinking in light of his kingdom.
(Romans 3:23; Romans 8:5-6; Romans 12:1-2; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 John 1:8-10)
To be poor is spirit is to recognize one’s spiritual poverty apart from God. It is to see oneself as one really is: lost, hopeless, helpless. Apart from Jesus Christ every person is spiritually destitute, no matter what his education, wealth, social status, accomplishments, or religious knowledge. (MacArthur, 180)
Spiritual Challenge Questions…
Reflect on these questions in your time with the Lord this week, or discuss with a Christian family member or Life Group.
- In what ways do you see the light of Christ shining in our community? Through your church? Through other individuals? Through you?
- Does being meek mean you make yourself a doormat for others? If not, what does it mean?
- What do you think it might look like to be a peacemaker in the world of social media?
- In what ways have Christians been persecuted throughout the ages? What does the promise of blessing for those who are persecuted communicate? What perspective does the historic persecution of the church give you?
- In what ways can you be salt and light to those you encounter this week? How can you do so in a way that is sure to point them to God?
Quotes to note…
Your life is an argument that none can escape. There is a meaning about holiness which not even the most unlearned can help taking in. They may not understand justification, but they can understand charity. (J.C. Ryle, Holiness, 94)
The light of Christ in His children is made more manifest to the world through the dark colors of suffering, borne through patient endurance. (Michael Beates, Tabletalk, v. 28, n. 9, 55)
If any people anywhere are qualified and equipped to a ministry of positive and healthy encouragement in a desperately discouraging world, it is the Christian church. Christian disciples, Christ said, are the “salt of the earth.” They should make life tasty! They should be, above all else, encouragers. (Derick Bingham, Encouragement – Oxygen for the Soul, 9)
The Beatitudes thus call on those who would be God’s people to stand out as different from those around them, and promise them that those who do so will not ultimately be the losers. (R. T. France, Matthew, 199)
Where self is exalted, Christ cannot be. Where self is king, Christ cannot be. Until the proud in spirit become poor in spirit, they cannot receive the King or inherit His kingdom. (MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Matthew 1-28, 183)
Just as tasteless salt lacks value to the person who uses it, so does a professed disciple without genuine commitment prove valueless for the work of the kingdom. (Craig Keener, IVP New Testament Commentaries, Matthew, 99)
To be poor in spirit means to be humble, to have a correct estimate of oneself (Rom. 12:3). It does not mean to be “poor spirited” and have no backbone at all! (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, 19)
The road to the Kingdom is not so pleasant, and comfortable, and easy, and flowery, as many dream. It is not a bright sunny avenue of palms. It is not paved with triumph, though it is to end in victory. The termination is glory, honor, and immortality; but on the way, there is the thorn in the flesh, the sackcloth, and the cross. Recompense later; but labor here! Rest later; but weariness here! Joy and security later; but here endurance and watchfulness – the race, the battle, the burden, the stumbling block, and oftentimes the heavy heart. (Horatius Bonar, The Surety’s Cross, Family Sermons, Sermon 20, 1873)
Those who know their poverty and look to God’s bounty are not disappointed. They possess the kingdom of heaven, living under Messiah’s healing and saving reign. They are comforted, receiving the strength of God’s presence in their sufferings. They inherit the earth, receiving the Kingdom for their inheritance as Israel received the land of promise. They are satisfied, as God enables them to know and do His will for their lives. They receive mercy, both from God and from the beneficiaries of their own acts of mercy. They see God, live in His joyful fellowship, partially now and perfectly in the consummation of the Kingdom. They are sons of God, recognized by the discerning as those who reflect the Father’s reconciling love. (McCumber, Matthew, 35)