It’s all about Jesus: The Sermon on the Mount (Pt.3)

(Part 3)

by Seth Burgan: Youth Pastor at Dayspring Community Church

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”-Matthew 5:4

Jesus continued his Sermon on the Mount by focusing on the significance of mourning. A lot of people narrowly define mourning as the expression of deep sorrow for someone who has died. This type of mourning is experienced by all of humanity; the saved and unsaved alike.

Jesus, however, is challenging us to a different kind of mourning; the kind that causes us to be broken over that which breaks the heart of God. So often, because of our selfish nature, we don’t mourn over sin and the devastation that is caused by it. Mourning is an emotional response to loss. Sin causes a loss of purity, holiness, and righteousness. When we face the sinfulness and wickedness in our lives; we ought to be saddened and broken by what we see. This overwhelming sorrow over sin leads us to repentance; which opens the door to reconciliation with our Creator.

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”-Matthew 5:5

If you were to search for the word meek online you would discover it’s synonyms include mild, timid, and weak; but the Greek word for meek is: “praus” and refers to the taming of a wild animal.  It is used to describe how a wild animal’s energies, once sporadic and misdirected, are focused and brought under control through the use of various disciplines. In the same way, a lot of the time, our energies and focus are going in all the wrong directions because we attempt to make everything about ourselves.

Biblical meekness, then, is not synonymous with weakness at all; but in reality it is a demonstration of constrained power. The key to meekness is in the discipline.

 Just like taming a wild horse, true discipleship takes us through a process of training and application that build disciplines in our lives; disciplines like denying the flesh, serving sacrificially, overcoming temptation, studying God’s Word, prayer, worship, fasting, and witnessing. These disciplines serve to remind us that life isn’t about us, our focus comes under God’s control as we learn to humble ourselves and strive to esteem and meet the needs of others.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”-Matthew 5:6

Every one of us understands what it means to be hungry and thirsty. It is a basic necessity of life that demands to be satisfied and must be met on a daily basis. Hunger and thirst provide a great illustration regarding our spiritual lives. Just as water and food provide essential nutrients to our physical body; righteousness is the essential component of our spiritual life.

 

Hungering and thirsting is, in large part, the pursuit of satisfaction. The search for satisfaction transcends food and drink and we often find ourselves searching for satisfaction in other areas of our lives; most of which leave us feeling disappointed and unfulfilled. That is because the things that satisfy our flesh are temporal, whereas the things of God are eternal.  Jesus instructed us to hunger and thirst for things that would remain: Godly character, integrity, and righteousness. These things Jesus declared would leave us filled and satisfied.

 

Pastor Seth Burgan

Youth Pastor

Dayspring Community Church