Blessed are the Persecuted (Matthew 5:10-12)

Dear congregation, we come this morning to the final beatitude, and as we do, it's worth remembering what Jesus is doing here in the beatitudes.

He is describing for us the citizens of his kingdom.

He is, we might say, painting for us a picture of his people.

And of course, as he does, he is reminding us who confess his name of the life to which we are called.

What do Christ's people look like according to the Beatitudes? Well, they are poor in spirit.

That means that they are people who understand that before God, they are nothing more than beggars on account of their sin.

They are people who say with the tax collector in the temple, Lord, have mercy upon me, a sinner.

And they mourn over their wretched spiritual condition.

All right, Christ's people don't just recognize that they are sinners and then get on with life.

No, Christ's people hate that they are sinners.

And they weep over the fact that they are sinners.

And Christ's people are meek.

They are meek before God, and they are meek before others, and the reason this is so is because Christ's people have been humbled by the truth of their sin.

Truly, one cannot be proud in the shadow of the cross, and Christ's people living in the shadow of the cross are not proud.

No, they are meek.

And so also do Christ's people hunger and thirst for righteousness.

They know they lack righteousness, and yet they long for righteousness, and they seek for righteousness where it can be found, namely in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is our righteousness.

And so Christ's people continually hunger and thirst for Christ and desire to know more and more of Christ and do everything they can to gobble up the truth of Christ and the grace of Christ.

And Christ's people are merciful.

They treat others in the same way that God has treated them.

And Christ's people are pure in heart.

That means they are people who continually say with Joshua, you know what, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

And Christ's people are peacemakers.

even as their Father in heaven has shown himself to be the ultimate peacemaker at the cross.

Jesus here, he's painting for us a picture of his people, and he's reminding us who confess his name of the life to which we're called.

Dear congregation, we come this morning to the final beatitude, and as we do, it's worth remembering what Jesus is doing here in the beatitudes.

He is describing for us the citizens of his kingdom.

He is, we might say, painting for us a picture of his people.

And of course, as he does, he is reminding us who confess his name of the life to which we are called.

What do Christ's people look like according to the Beatitudes? Well, they are poor in spirit.

That means that they are people who understand that before God, they are nothing more than beggars on account of their sin.

They are people who say with the tax collector in the temple, Lord, have mercy upon me, a sinner.

And they mourn over their wretched spiritual condition.

All right, Christ's people don't just recognize that they are sinners and then get on with life.

No, Christ's people hate that they are sinners.

And they weep over the fact that they are sinners.

And Christ's people are meek.

They are meek before God, and they are meek before others, and the reason this is so is because Christ's people have been humbled by the truth of their sin.

Truly, one cannot be proud in the shadow of the cross, and Christ's people living in the shadow of the cross are not proud.

No, they are meek.

And so also do Christ's people hunger and thirst for righteousness.

They know they lack righteousness, and yet they long for righteousness, and they seek for righteousness where it can be found, namely in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is our righteousness.

And so Christ's people continually hunger and thirst for Christ and desire to know more and more of Christ and do everything they can to gobble up the truth of Christ and the grace of Christ.

And Christ's people are merciful.

They treat others in the same way that God has treated them.

And Christ's people are pure in heart.

That means they are people who continually say with Joshua, you know what, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

And Christ's people are peacemakers.

even as their Father in heaven has shown himself to be the ultimate peacemaker at the cross.

Jesus here, he's painting for us a picture of his people, and he's reminding us who confess his name of the life to which we're called.