1 Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them saying: 3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Introduction : There are some who are blessed and others who are not. Some may be blessed with a greater amount while others with a lesser amount. Some people always seem to be well off-never short of money, while others struggle to survive-living from hand to mouth. The blessings Jesus referred to are not the various kinds of blessings we receive from birth. They are supreme blessings that Jesus mentioned, which all of us can receive if we believe and obey.
1. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
This blessing is to possess heaven. Being poor in spirit means emptying our mind.
1) Adam could not empty his mind. Rather, he filled his mind with greed and the desires
of the devil. As a result, he lost the Garden of Eden and fell into a cursed life.
2) Jesus had His mind empty of greed and evil desires. No matter how cleverly the devil
tried to tempt Jesus, He was unswerving and firm (1Jn 2:16).
① Empty the lust of the flesh-the desire for food (Mt 4:4).
② Empty the lust of the eyes-the desire for fame and honor (Mt 4:7).
③ Empty the pride of life-the desire for prosperity and power (Mt 4:10).
- Jesus´ mind was fully occupied by heaven.
3) Repentance means to empty greed and evil desires.
① After desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown,
gives birth to death (Eph 4:18-19).
② If we first empty greed and evil desires and then seek His kingdom and
righteousness, heaven will occupy our mind (Jas 1:14; Phil 2:7).
4) When we are afflicted by the wind and waves of life, we can lay aside greed and evil
desires (Ps 119:67; Eph 4:22-24).
2. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
1) Those who mourn for their weaknesses. Those who are proud of themselves never
mourn. Those who mourn are the ones with a hungry spirit, who are hungry
physically and spiritually (Ps 34:18).
① A young person who mourns will have success.
② A sportsperson who mourns will have victory.
③ A believer who mourns will receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit and will receive
answers to prayer (James 4:9-10).
2) When one stops mourning, no more solace will be found.
Self-satisfaction after Seoul Olympic Games in 1988 and the IMF crisis in 1997
(Pr 16:18; Joel 2:12-13).
3) Individuals or nations that mourn will find solace in the future (Isa 40:1-2).
3. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
1) According to our common sense, it seems like the fierce and cruel will take the land
by force (Ps 37:1-2).
2) Comparison to the animal world.
① Fierce animals are small in number and stay in rough places.
② Meek or weak animals are large in number and stay in safe places (Ps 23:1-2).
3) Lessons from history.
① Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome.
② The small and weak nation- Israel.
③ The Second World War and communism (Ps 76:9).
4) The meek will ultimately inherit the land (Ps 37:9-11; Mt 11:29; Col 3:12-13).
Conclusion : Today we explored three of the eight blessings. For the next two weeks, we will look at the other blessings. The blessings that God has promised to give come equally to those who believe in Jesus and obey Him. That is why we should learn about those blessings and receive them.
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Daily Bible
