Do You?

Do You?

¹ When he saw the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. ² Then he began to teach them, saying: ³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. ⁴ Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. ⁵ Blessed are the humble, for they will inherit the earth. ⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. ⁷ Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. ⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. ⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. ¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. ¹¹ “You are blessed when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of me. ¹² Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you. 
^{Matthew 5:1–12}

If only…yes, if only we could…

If only. THEN we too would be blessed.

⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

I remember an art teacher telling me that at the start of his teaching career, he tried to get his students to understand perspective. You know—getting 2-dimentional pictures to look 3-D. He said he failed at first, until he figured out that they did not even know the need for presepective in their pictures. No one notices…not until they try.

So instead, at the start, he just lets them draw landscapes—just lets them go at it. And after a while, they did notice, that there was something wrong—that things just did not look right…

It was then, that they were ready to learn…now they were hungry—those were his words for it—hungry to understand…to make things right—to do it right.

God does the same thing—in all of Scripture as a matter of fact—from the very start…He shows what was (Eden) and what should be… Solomon says that God put eternity into the hearts of men…

“Yes, if only,” we say, when we do finally see—when we get a glimpse of what we know would be good—if only—what we should be…what should be done…how things ought to be…if only…

⁷ Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. ⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. ⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God..

IF only. Then WE WOULD BE BLESSED, Yes…

Hungry yet? We are found wanting, aren’ty we?

Are you hungry? If ever you have sighed and longed for these things…meekness, because you saw the ugliness of being haughty and overbearing…poor in spirit (this has nothing to do with money directly here) instead of proud and thinking yourself to be able to please God…

…but what is this about mourning…mourn over what?

Over the lack of these things in life, in the world…in us—don’t you mourn about the ungodliness in our nation? Don’t you mourn about the 100 million babies aborted since Roe vs. Wade? Don’t you mourn about the condition of your town? How about how few are in church—any church today?

How about death—the death that begins in us when we are born…that we see in each of us as we grow old, as we attend their funerals…yes, mourn…

If you ever do…if you hunger for something else…for godliness, love and mercy…and life…

If you are hungry for what is right. Hungry for what is good. For what should be.

But let us—we must—look at ourselves, now too. It begins right here—in the heart and mind and life of each of us.

⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness…

Let these words—let God’s Word paint the picture of His reality—of the way things should be—let Him help you to dream and to wonder…to yearn for something more…to want what is right and good—yes, what should be.

This is God at work in you—to will and to do (Philippians 2:13). He is making you hungry.

What….? So that we are disappointed? Again… with life, with our friends and family—with our government and the way the schools are, and with this town and how it does things?

To only be disappointed even with ourselves…again…as we don’t, won’t and can’t…

So true! Too true all TOO OFTEN!

And… with man it is impossible. But with God all things—even these things… are what?

What? In us? Am I saying…possible in us?

Yes! That is His promise. You will not be put to shame—trusting in His Words of Promise. No disapponitment.

What is the end of verse 6: “…for they shall be satisfied.” The older version… Ours says FILLED! Yes! They will… we will be FILLED!

We will be. It is His guarantee—signed in His Blood, put into effect by His death, and shown to be possible because of His resurrection.

Made to be possible in our baptism…which guarentees our resurrection.

Blessed, we are.

But wait… we cannot be those things…do those things…we fail—yes, how many have tired? How many have failed?

All of us! All of us…have….

If this were not the case—if in fact we could do and be this—blessed on our own—then why did Jesus have to come? Why did He have to be all of this—do all of this for us? Why did He have to die?

Yes, that is right. He did have to. He does have to. It is Jesus who makes us blessed. You and me, now…starting again—afresh—today even. Here and now even. He alone, it is, who changes us. We cannot. We cannot be blessed if it were up to us.

Yes—IN FACT—all those who were baptized into Christ Jesus are blessed. FACT! You are.

They asked Jesus what work needed to be done to be saved—to be blessed. I mean don’t you have to be pure to see God and meciful to get mercy and so on? We think that. Everyone thinks that. But it is immpossible for us.

Yes, but you are—yes, the impossible has been done—because Jesus was—for us. Because you are baptized into Him, you are this.

Really? Yes, true to FACT.

But, you say, so many times you are haughty, and unmerciful, and a trouble maker…and well, never any of these things that would make you ever counted as blessed!

Yes, true. Me too.

Then what must we do to be saved? Jesus answers this question.

The poor in Spirit asks this queston. See, you start with hunger and then see that you have nothing to offer God—nothing to show…nothing that would make God bestow His Blessing…

Blessed are the poor in Spirit. Blessed are the contrite—repentant—the poor in spirit.

But how does Jesus answer this question—what must the hungry and poor in spirit do to be saved?

¹ Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
^{Isaiah 55:1}

What tender to do have? None. Jesus earned it all for us. Faith will only do—what pleases God alone. And faith is a gift. Here take it.

Yes, Jesus answers them, when asked what must we do… He says to Believe. Believe in Jesus (John 6:29)—

believe that Jesus was sent here for you, because you are none of those things to ever be called blessed—that He is the only Blessed one ever to walk this earth after Adam and Eve sinned—that He came to be blessed for us, so that we who are in Him—baptized into Him—trust in this His Work to get us into Him—that water event…

Trust in His means to make you hungry…make you want to be blessed…make you start doing these things…knowing these things…being blessed…

By hearing these things.

Faith comes from hearing this message of Christ (Romans 10:17). It produces the hunger…the desire…and yes, even the action in us to…do…, more and more of these blessed things…a little each day…from faith to faith, glory to glory…

…by remaining in His Word. Sunday after Sunday, day after day. Jesus makes us blessed, ²⁶ ….having cleansed (us) by the washing of water with the word…” (Ephesians 5:26).

… “for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13)

He makes us blessed of His Father. Pure. Clean. Merciful. Meek. Mouring evil and sin. Peacemakers by establishing the peace that comes only from the truth of God’s Word. Just like Jesus. God’s child.

What does the Epistle lesson tell us?

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.

Like Jesus—and wouldn’t you call this most Blessed?

So being this, being like Jesus—being blessed…we can say with Him,

¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. ¹¹ “You are blessed when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of me. ¹² Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Even though…even if…we are persecuted and killed because of this…even if we lose out because of wanting what the world hates…doing the opposite…resisting evil…speaking the truth…we are still blessed.

For don’t you know …that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴ We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. ⁵ For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
^{Romans 6:3-5}

³ And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.” How? Same as if always is. Water and Word—the Word of the Water…the Water of the Word…returning to our Baptism…diving in head first into the Scritpures…meditating on His Word day and night…teaching them to your children…eating at this blessed meal, hungry and thirsty for what He gives us…needing…poor..dependent and trusting…

Blessed, are all of us who are His children by being baptized into His son.

All. Yes, all saints here on earth and all those who have gone before us in Christ…blessed of God. Saints all!

Rejoice!

Amen.

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