As we continue on this series on the Sermon On The Mount we discuss what it means to Mourn, be Meek and to Hunger and Thirst after Righteousness. We discover that God is a God of comfort who wants us to acknowledge our full experience and allow Him to comfort us in our journey. He also has a place for those who are meek and realized it is not our role to defend and push ourselves forward to get ahead. He also blesses those whose souls thirst for Him. They will be filled.
SHOW NOTES
2. Mourning
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Was Jesus quoting Isaiah 61:2 “to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favour, and the day of vengeance of our God; and to comfort all who mourn.”
Mourning does not mean we are sad, depressed or dismayed. It also does not mean we have to be happy all the time. Jesus validates times when we must mourn.
It does mean that we can mourn:
the suffering of others, our lack of compassion, the way we treated Jesus when he came to earth, our failure to understand the suffering of God, and or emotional our failure to hear the Holy Spirit.
Mourning can be a consequence of the physical or emotional death of friends and family. Those who have glimpsed God mourn their lost innocence and purity, their lost access to Eden and their lost sense of purpose. They are confronted with their own moral fallibility. One common, futile reaction to loss is anger and frustration.
How do we deal with our mourning? Christians are comforted by the Spirit as they are led to insights into the grace of God. Christians know there is a new earth coming in which mourning will cease even though not all loss will be redeemed. This mourning will continue until Jesus comes and wipes away these tears.
When we mourn for sin we are comforted in confession. When do we mourn? We mourn our badness as part of our worship. When we mourn for physical loss, we are comforted by God’s compassion. Beating oneself up is not mourning. We mourn for our loss of innocence and failure, but we must also celebrate the new heart that God has given us. James 5:16 calls for a decided confession of what is wrong in the fellowship of accepting friends.
God also mourns: “My joy is gone; grief is upon me; my heart is sick within me.... I mourn, and dismay has taken hold on me” (Jeremiah 8:18a, 21b).
Jesus mourns: “Jesus wept” (John 11:35). “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me” Matthew 23:37 NLT).
The Holy Spirit mourns or is grieved. “Ephesians 4:30 NLT And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live.
Remember, he has identified you as his own, [a] guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.”
3. Meekness
5 Blessed are the meek,for they will inherit the earth.
Jesus is quoting Psalm 37:11 “The meek shall inherit the earth, and delight themselves in the abundance of peace.”
Meekness does not mean weakness or fear or aggressiveness or assertiveness. Jesus us cha;;enging the “survival of the fittest” mentality.
Meekness does mean to be secure and strong enough to be teachable, that is willing to learn from others. Meekness is the ability to recognize one’s own limitations. When Jesus prays, “Not my will but thy will,” he displays his meekness. Meekness is not striking back when you have the power to do so.
Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered (Hebrews 5:8 NLT).
The word “meek” appears more often in the King James Version than in the New International Version. In the latter version the word “meek” is replaced with “gentle.” While meekness is often taken to be the opposite of arrogance, there is more to Jesus' announcement.Moses was a charismatic, forceful, gifted leader yet he was “meek” (KJV) or “gentle” (NIV) (Num 12:3). In the context of Aaron and Miriam accusing Moses he does not defend himself but depended on God for vindication of his leadership. Moses often had to face this challenge from the time he called the people to leave Egypt up to the time of his death (1 Corinthians 10:1-13).
This seems to be the best understanding of what Jesus had in mind with this statement. His fellow Jews greatly desired to defend themselves and wreak vengeance on the occupying Romans and on each other as the occasion arose.Jesus was rebuking the desire for self-defense in the light of God’s care for us (Matthew 6:25-34). Miriam’s leprosy could be taken as God striking back but Jesus will not allow this interpretation.. Christ also did not defend Himself (Isaiah 53:7), and the New Testament often calls attention to the meekness of Jesus and his followers (Matthew 11:29; 21:5; 1 Corinthians 4:21; 2 Corinthians 10:1; Galatians 5:23; 6:1; Ephesians 4:2; Colossians 3:12; 1 Timothy 6:11; 2 Timothy 2:25; Titus 3:2; James 1:21; 3:13; 1 Peter 3:4; 3:15).
Meekness is to refuse to defend ourselves because we know that God is our defense. The meek inherit the earth because they have learned to trust the gentle One who is the Creator of the earth and the Saviour of the world. Meek people do not take revenge (Romans 12:19-21; Hebrews 10:30).We need to make the distinction between defending oneself and defending others. Jesus defended the mothers who brought their children to him. He defended Mary who poured oil on his body and wiped it off with her hair. He defended the widow who gave her mite in the temple. He defended His disciples on the night of His arrest. In protecting others, he was being God. God is the protector of the weak and powerless.
4. Hunger for Righteousness
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Jesus was possibly quoting from Psalm 42:2: “My soul thirsts for God.”
Righteousness does not mean we are always right. It is much more than not making mistakes or living according to a written or spoken code. It does not mean that we will never have to admit we are wrong.
Righteousness does mean to think right, feel right and to do right. Righteousness is an attribute of God and His Christ. Thus, righteousness means to be filled with God’s compassion, care and respect for those we meet. It is to be prepared to die for the good of another (John 13:34-35). It is to stand innocent before the searching eye of the law (Ex 23:7; Ezra 9:15). It is to live by faith (Habakkuk 2:4). It is purity of thought (Mark 7:20-23). Who would not hunger and thirst for such a character on this dark planet? Those who search for this heart will be filled by God. It is His promise. He did it for Peter, James and John. He did it for Mary, Martha and Lazarus. He will do it for you.
We have no idea of being hungry or thirsty without hope of food or drink as it was in Jesus’ day. Think of the hunger of people who have experienced famine or death camps. Their physical hunger eclipses all other desires they once had. This hungering means we desire God’s character more than anything else we have ever desired. Hungering and thirsting for righteousness means just that. The implication is that one experiences this moral poverty within themselves.
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