Am I Blessed?

Am I Blessed?
Matthew 5:1-8

A man was being tailgated by a stressed-out woman on a busy boulevard.
Suddenly, the light turned yellow, just in front of him.
He did the right thing, stopping at the crosswalk, even though he could have beaten the red light by accelerating through the intersection.
The tailgating woman was furious and honked her horn, screaming in frustration as she missed her chance to get through the intersection, dropping her cell phone and makeup.
As she was still in mid-rant, she heard a tap on her window and looked up into the face of a very serious police officer. The officer ordered her to exit her car with her hands up.
He took her to the police station where she was searched, fingerprinted, photographed, and placed in a holding cell. After a couple of hours, a policeman approached the cell and opened the door.
She was escorted back to the booking desk where the arresting officer was waiting with her personal items.

He said, "I'm very sorry for this mistake. You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, making hand gestures to the guy in front of you, and cussing up a storm at him.
I noticed the 'What Would Jesus Do' and the 'Follow Me to Sunday-School' bumper stickers, and Naturally... I assumed you had stolen the car."

This morning, we start a study of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, which is recorded in Matthew 5-7.
--I’m calling it, “Am I Blessed?”
Jesus begins His Sermon on the Mount by redefining what it means to be blessed.
True blessing is not found in worldly success but in a transformed heart shaped by God’s grace.
Jesus begins not with commands but with blessings. Grace precedes instruction.
Before Jesus tells us what to do, He tells us who we are.
Each Beatitude builds on the previous one, forming a spiritual progression.

Matthew 5:1-2 – “Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them saying...”
--There’s one theme that runs consistently through this entire teaching segment:
Christ-followers are to think and act differently than the world around them.
We’re not supposed to be thermometers adjusting to the moral climate of our environment.
--We’re to be thermostats setting the standard for the culture.

The Bible reminds us that we’re in a battle between kingdoms:
the kingdom of the world and the Kingdom of God --AND… SPOILER ALERT … We’re told which kingdom ultimately wins the battle.
The important thing is who you chose to serve.
I want this church here in Chardon to not just grow in number but to grow in integrity and character.
I want us to grow in maturity and become more like Christ.
I want us to be people who, in such a positive way, live differently from the world.

Matthew 5:3 – “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
     • Poor in spirit means recognizing our spiritual bankruptcy.
     • The world says, “Be self-made.” Jesus says, “Be God-dependent.”
     • Promise: Theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Notice that Jesus didn’t say, “Blessed are the poor.”
Jesus loved the poor such as the widow who only had two mites and Lazarus, the beggar who ate crumbs from the rich man’s table.
Blessed are those who recognize that they are spiritually impoverished.
--This is an honest evaluation of ourselves realizing we’re not able to do much on our own.

Remember the parable of the Pharisee who worshipped next to a tax collector in the temple?
The Pharisee boasted of his spiritual riches: “I fast, I tithe, I keep the law. I’m good!  I’m better than that tax collector,” he said.
The tax collector just humbly prayed, ”God be merciful to me a sinner.”
--Jesus said the tax collector went away justified; the Pharisee did not.

As long as we’re proud of our goodness and feel self-sufficient we’re out of God’s favor.
When we see ourselves as spiritually bankrupt, we’re ready to turn to God for His help and receive His riches.
Without a doubt, one of the most popular hymns in America is Amazing Grace.
I know that we ALL know the first stanza: Amazing grace! How sweet the sound! That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see.

Matthew 5:4 – “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”
     • Mourning here is grief over sin, injustice, and suffering.
     • God meets honest sorrow with comfort.
     • Promise: They shall be comforted.

What type of mourning and grieving is Jesus referring to?
The word translated as “mourn” is a word that points to the heart-rending, soul-wracking, eyes-overflowing-with-tears kind of mourning.
It recognizes the loss of something important.
It understands that there is a hole in the heart that needs to be repaired.
We need to despise sin... so it follows that We should especially despise our own sins.
We’re told over and over in Scripture to repent of sin—to recognize how much it offends the heart of God and then grieve over it.

James 4:6-10 “⁶ Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
⁷ Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
⁸ Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.
Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
⁹ Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
¹⁰ Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.”

Do you experience a godly sorrow that leads to repentance?
2^nd Corinthians 7:10 – “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.”
Repentance has become a neglected word in the church.
We may sit in our pews Sunday after Sunday, thinking that God ought to be glad that we have agreed to bless Him with our presence.
One of the central events in our worship service is the partaking of the Lord’s Supper. The Bible tells us that when we do that, we proclaim the death of Christ.

Romans 5:8 – “But God demonstrates his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
It has been said: “Repentance precedes the blessing of God. A lack of repentance shuts off the power of God.
There will be no revival or renewal without repentance. And there will be no repentance without godly sorrow.
Until we come to the place where we truly mourn over our sin, we will never see the hand of God revealed.”
The great thing is that when we show that godly sorrow and repent, God comforts us.
Oh, what joy to know our sins are forgiven.
We’ve come humbly before God in a godly sorrow that produces repentance.
We want to change our life and God blesses our efforts.
Not because of what we’ve done, but because of Who He is!

Matthew 5:5 - “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”
     • Meekness is not weakness; it is controlled strength.
     • A meek person is teachable, gentle, and surrendered.
     • Promise: They shall inherit the earth.

What do you think of when you think of a meek person?
You probably wouldn’t consider it a compliment if someone said, “You are the meekest person I know.”
You probably think of someone who is insecure, unassertive, or timid. That’s not what the Bible means by meekness. Meekness is not timidity or indecisiveness.
The Biblical word ‘meekness’ means “strength under control.”

It was a word used to describe a horse that had been taught how to respond well to the bridle and bit.
When a powerful horse is under control of its rider, it’s a meek horse.
It’s under the authority of the one who guides it.
The meek animal surrenders himself and allows the rider to control him.
Meekness is an inner attitude that results in controlled reactions.

Consider these people whom the Bible describes as being meek:
Abraham
Moses
David
Jesus
They all did brave and courageous things
When Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek,” He was commending those who had surrendered their strong, self-will to the authority of God in their daily lives.

The meek surrender to God’s will.
“Meekness is allowing the One who is meek and lowly at heart to rule our lives, our motions, our behavior.”
Jesus promised the meek would “inherit the earth.”
Jesus was saying that the meek will share with Him as heirs of the Kingdom of God.
We think the assertive – the self-promoting – are the ones who will get ahead.
--But Jesus promised that in His kingdom, those who are submissive to Him will inherit the leadership of the earth.

Matthew 5:6 – “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”
     • This is the turning point of the Beatitudes.
     • Righteousness means God’s will lived out personally, relationally, and socially.
     • Promise: They shall be filled.

“What do we crave most? Comfort or Christ?”

Most of us in the United States have no real concept of real hunger or real thirst.
God has blessed us with an ample supply of food and abundant water supplies.
Isaiah 55:2 – “"Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what is does not satisfy?”
What are you hungry for?
What do you crave every day?
If I could read your mind what thoughts would you be most focused on?
Are you hungry for wealth, popularity, status, sports, pleasure, golf, fishing, shopping?
What are you passionate about?

Jesus said that we’re blessed when we hunger and thirst for righteousness.
We receive God’s favor if we hunger and thirst to be close to Him and live like Him when you mature spiritually, you hunger for the worship of God, the fellowship with Christian people, and the study of God’s Word.

Even though Moses had a close relationship to God, he asks God the following in Exodus 33:13 – “If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you.”

And, David says in Psalms 63:1 – “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”
Moses, David and Paul already knew God in a very deep sense.
But what they meant was that they wanted to know Him more intimately, personally, and powerfully.
They had a hunger and thirst for God. They had a passion for Him.

CONCLUSION: Do you see how different the Christian is in attitude and spirit?
The world says, “Blessed are the rich, the proud, the self confident, they will get ahead.”
Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in Spirit, theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
The world says, “Blessed are the funny, the light-hearted, the positive thinkers, they will be popular.”
Jesus says, “Blessed are those who are genuinely sorry for their sins; I will comfort them with grace and forgiveness.”
The world says, “Blessed are the independent thinkers, the assertive. They will gain respect from people and be powerful.”
Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek who humbly submit their strengths to my authority; they will inherit the earth.”
The world says, “Blessed are those who are hungry for success, the ‘Type A’ personalities who are ambitious enough to make their mark in the world.”
Jesus said, “Blessed are those who are hungry for a relationship with me; they will be filled.”
Everything the world has to offer you will leave you empty, guilty, but only Jesus forgives, saves, and satisfies.
Psalm 34:8 – “Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.”
Becoming a Community of Blessing
     • Cultivate dependence — daily prayer, confession, surrender.
     • Practice mercy — forgive quickly, serve generously.
     • Pursue purity — guard your heart, simplify your devotion.
     • Live counterculturally — embody Christlike character in a self-centered world.

The Potter and the Clay
     • Imagine clay in the hands of a potter. It does not strive, pretend, or perform. It simply yields.
     • The Beatitudes describe the clay God can shape into the likeness of Christ.

“Lord, make me poor in spirit, honest in mourning, meek in posture, hungry for righteousness, rich in mercy, and pure in heart.”