Expressing the Father

One of my favorite passages in the Bible is the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapters 5,6,and 7. This passage opens with the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-12. To understand the beatitudes we must remember two important facts: Christians are called to be expressions of Father God to the world (as well as expressions of Jesus Christ) and as long as we are living in this world we are constantly going through a process of being changed. The beatitudes are eight parts of this process that we all experience. They describe the process of being changed from the inside out so that when people meet us they get a glimpse of who God is.

Matthew 5:3-12- "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great in your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

The word "Blessed" means "happy"- God's intention is for us to be happy. With everything that has been given to us, Christians should be the happiest people in the world regardless of our circumstances. Now let us take a closer look at each of these beatitudes and see what God would say to us through His word:

"poor in spirit"- This refers to those who see their need for the Lord and recognize that they would have nothing without Him.
Jesus said of the poor in spirit that "theirs is the kingdom of heaven." The word "kingdom" refers to God's realm of authority (wherever His authority extends and His will is being done). If we want to see God's will being done in our lives we must learn to toally depend on God rather than ourselves.

"those who mourn" Are those who "mourn" over their sin. This is the godly sorrow that leads to repentance. (2Corinthians 7:10 says, "For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.") Basically the "mourning" is a desire to change in the areas of our lives in which we have fallen short of the glory of God.
Jesus promised that those who mourn "shall be comforted"- We are comforted because after seeing our own lack we see that at the cross Jesus made the fullness of God available to all who believe.
I would like to point out that the promise of comfort for those who mourn is also available for those who mourn in the sense we normally think of mourning. In 2Corinthians 1:3 God is called "the God of all comfort."

Next Jesus speaks of "the meek." The word "meek" refers to someone who is humble and teachable. This person has seen who they are without God, they have seen that at the cross Jesus made available everything we need for life and godliness (2Peter 1:3) and they decide to let Him mold them and make them who He wants them to be- an expression of the divine nature to the world.
Jesus said that the meek "shall inherit the earth." The ones God promotes in this life are those who first humble themselves and let God prepare them for his abundance.

Next Jesus speaks of "the merciful" Since the previous beatitudes have all described someone who is allowing the Lord to change them, the mercy spoken of here is the mercy of God expressed by believers. Each of us are to be expressions of God's mercy. As we live this kind of life we find ourselves reaching out to others. The more like Jesus we become, the less self centered we become.
We are promised that when we are merciful we will receive mercy.

The "pure in heart" in verse 8 are those who are allowing God to bring emotional healing and change mindsets. As impurities (anything that's not God's will) are removed from inside of us we will "see God" that is, we will begin to realize who God truly is. Aren't there many people today who have twisted views about who God is because they have been hurt by others or have been under religous teaching? The change God works in our lives starts on the inside with our thoughts, will, emotions, and other inward things and works its way out to our actions. This is precisely what we see described in the beatitudes (and the rest of the Sermon on the Mount).

Next Jesus mentions "peacemakers." These are people who seek to live in peace with others. We find instructions for doing so in Romans 12:17-21: "Repay noone evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peacably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,' says the Lord. Therefore, 'If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Reading this passage challenges us to "turn the other cheek" and refuse to be overcome by evil by giving in to anger and getting revenge.
We are told that when we do this we will "be called sons of God." In other words, when we live as peacemakers, people will recognize that we truly are followers of Jesus Christ. Living this kind of lifestyle is a way to express the divine nature to those around us.

Verses 10-12 tell us that we are blessed when we are "persecuted for righteousness' sake." This persecution comes because we are reaching out to those around us and are making a difference. If you find the enemy coming against you, it may be because you are doing exactly what God wants you to do and are being effective, so if that's the case keep going!
Jesus said that we can rejoice in the midst of this persecution because:
(1) We are citizens of His kingdom
(2) We have an eternal reward
(3) We are following the footsteps of great men and women of God of the past (we're in good company).

After the beatitudes Jesus states that believers are salt and light. Do you want to live as salt and light, living a life that causes those around you to see and glorify the Father? Then allow God to work in your life and change you. Decide right now that whatever He wants to do in your life, you will let Him do it. God loves you and has your best interest in mind. I gaurantee that if you make an unconditional surrender to the Lord you won't regret it!