Run the Race: Running with Heart, pt 2

2020-06-14

Pastor Jonathan Falwell

Key verse: Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.

 

Today, let’s continue to walk through the Beatitudes as delivered by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. Last week, we covered the first four and today we will cover the next four. All of these statements are timely messages from the heart of God for such a time as this.

 

Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy. 8Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God. 9Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God. 10Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 

1. Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy

Kingdom servants must reflect in their own hearts the heart of the king(Stuart Weber) [1]

  • We have all been shown mercy in abundance. As a result, we must show mercy in abudance.
  • We don’t have the luxury of selective or situational mercy
  • Mercy embraces both forgiveness for the guilty and compassion for the suffering and needy. (D.A. Carson) [2]

 

2. Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.

  • Purity and holiness are not nice things to have, they are critical elements of the Christian life
  • Another beatitude:

Psalm 1:1-3 Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. 3 He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.

  • Any distracting or corrupting influence a kingdom servant allows into his or her heart makes that person less effective as a servant. (Stuart Weber) [3]

 

3. Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.

  • As Christ-followers, not only do we have a duty to live “IN PEACE” but we have a duty to “BRING ABOUT PEACE”
  • “There is no more godlike work to be done in this world than peacemaking” (Broadus quoted by D.A. Carson).[4]
  • God is the supreme peacemaker and this quality marks disciples out as his sons, for the son shares the characteristics of the father. (R.T. France) [5]

Ephesians 2:14-15 For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. 15 He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups.

 

4. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

  • This is not simply the idea of trying to be a good person, it means a completely changed life
  • The success of the race we run is largely dependent on the change in our heart, not the actions of our hands
  • It indicates a whole orientation of life towards God and his will. Such a life is conspicuous and so attracts persecution (T. France) [6]
  • Kingdom honor is not granted as compensation for the unfairness of life, but as a blessing on those who have actively pursued true kingdom righteousness and have been persecuted for it(Stuart Weber)[7]

[1]Stuart K. Weber, Matthew, vol. 1, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000), 59.

[2]D. A. Carson, “Matthew,”in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 8 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984), 134.

[3]Stuart K. Weber, Matthew, vol. 1, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000), 60.

[4]D. A. Carson, “Matthew,”in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 8 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984), 135.

[5]R. T. France, Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 1, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1985), 116.

[6]R. T. France, Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 1, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1985), 116.

[7]Stuart K. Weber, Matthew, vol. 1, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000), 60.

/by