[Slide]
Introduction:
Last week we began a series on the Beatitudes… a series which we will still be looking at for another two weeks.
What we call the beatitudes are most famously known as Matthew 5:1-12, the passage that we read this morning.
I introduced this passage by quoting Gandhi – a man who challenged Christians to be a little more faithful to their beliefs. He is said to have said to Lord Irwin, the viceroy of India:
"When your country and mine shall get together on the teachings laid down by Christ in this Sermon on the Mount we shall have solved the problems not only of our countries but those of the whole world."
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As we observe the situation in the world today, in Africa, South Africa, in the middle East – I think those with their eyes open could not agree more… if we adopted these values from the sermon on the mount, if the values of God – outlined in Matthew 5:1-12 – were our values and were more than just ideals. We would begin to see a world fundamentally changed.
As we watch the news I think many of us are starting to say that we might just become the physically poor that Jesus is speaking about in the beatitudes.
I spoke also of how these beatitudes are not just some 'spiritual ideology' a how to get to heaven formula. They are practical words – Jesus practices what he preaches.
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This is possible
My argument was that, making these values our own – and living by them, is not impossible, because - when we reach out to Christ, to God, in faith, God begins to transform us.
And that transformation is not from something we are into something we are not. But rather the other way around – it is a transformation from something we are not… money, power, obsessed, sinful people into something that we are… caring and compassionate – pure in heart… people with God's heart at the centre.
God transforms us into the people we were created to be.
Like it is written in Genesis – we were created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), and that's certainly not about the way we look. Paul says in Romans that we've sinned – fallen short of that glory – but because of Christ we can be restored to that glory (Romans 3:21-31).
The beatitudes are not just about the present, they are about the future:
Matthew brackets the beatitudes with two verses in the present tense, what we call an inclusio… the phrase 'for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.' The first beatitude:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
And the eighth:
"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
This way of writing lets us know that that's what all the beatitudes are about – they are about the Kingdom of God. The kind of world we would see (as the theologian Marcus Borg puts it) if God was King, and the rulers of this world were not.
Although these two beatitudes are in the present tense, indicating as Jesus said that the Kingdom of God is here. The other 6 are written in the future tense:
Mourners will be comforted.
The meek will inherit.
The 'hungry for justice / righteousness' will be filled.
The merciful will receive mercy.
The pure in heart will see God.
Peacemakers will be called children of God.
These are all promises of a future hope.
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In Theology we call the study of what's popularly called 'the end times', 'eschatology' – that exciting end to which we believe the world is moving. Put simply, using a common phrase from scripture: "The day of the Lord", or as another good theologian puts it: The day on which God will put the world to rights.
We see good creation at the beginning of the story and at the end of the story of the Bible – a good rebeginning. A new heavens and a new earth.
* * *
Unfortunately there are many people who masquerade around pretending to know more about the end of the world than anyone else, often even Jesus himself. There's no time for them now, but when you see them coming, my advice is that you run and run quickly! They twist the scriptures, deceive people and take their money – and lots of it.
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Although the beatitudes speak practically, their bulk speaks of a future hope for those who suffer now.
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This hopeful language is not unique to Jesus, or to Matthew's gospel. It is the language of Isaiah (Isaiah 61:1-4) and many of the prophets – the language of the belief that ultimately, God's way will win out, even when it seems less than likely.
These verses echo the belief that a day of justice is coming, and on that day the mourners, the meek, those hungry for justice, the merciful, the pure and the peacemakers will be vindicated.
And those who are the opposite of all this will also be brought to justice.
The promise is that the experiences of this life, especially when they are for the sake of the Kingdom of God are not for nothing… we will be comforted, rewarded, consoled.
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In Philippians 3 Paul echoes this hope: He speaks of how his greatest aim – his goal in life is to imitate Jesus – to follow the Way of Christ. Paul aspires to being crucified with Christ, putting to death all of the desires of the flesh… living completely for the life after this one.
He did this, he said, because for him our citizenship is in heaven (we are citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven). Because we are citizens of the Kingdom of heaven we have a different currency. What is counted as valuable in this reality – is nothing in that reality. In the Kingdom of heaven the poor are blessed, the mourners are comforted, the cross is something towards which to aspire.
Jesus teaching overturns our conventional wisdom.
But Paul reminds us, the treasures of the Kingdom of heaven, in contrast to the treasures of this world are 'eternal.'
Paul warns his readers in Philippians 3:18, that many live as enemies of the cross… Their god is their belly – their bodily desires.
Paul warns that that desire leads only to destruction. (The Good News Bible says they will end up in hell… unfortunately for the GNB that's not even close to the Greek - In the Greek the words are telos (meaning ultimately) and apooleia (meaning destroyed or wasted)).
In contrast, Paul says that the citizens of heaven wait for Jesus the deliverer, the rescuer to restore us to the glory for which were intended. And to put all things under his authority – putting the world to rights.
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The Beatitudes speak of a future hope. A hope that those who suffer for the sake of the good in this life will be eternally rewarded by God, a belief that God will bring the world to justice, and those who have been done down will eventually be vindicated.
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In the adaptation of the Nicene Creed which we say at Baptisms we say about Jesus: "He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead." As Christians we firmly believe that there will be a day of justice – but do we live our confession?
What to do:
Every Sunday I am grateful for those words from 2 Corinthians 13:13 which we say to each other… The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, the fellowship of the Holy Spirit…
They remind me – after I have been challenged by the scriptures, by our prayers, and the presence of God as we worship together that we are not alone in trying to live into the reality which God sets up for us.
We are citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven, called to have a very different set of values to those around us.
To help us to live with these values – Jesus gives us community. Each other, people who remind each other, who pray with each other – who see the world differently together.
Next term we hope to get our fellowship groups going again – will you make discipleship a priority for you and get involved?
Another way to make these values a part of your reality is to pray – to take a minute or two – or half an hour… maybe a minute every hour. And remind yourself that God is God and God is working out a story in this world.
Finally – study the scriptures. Learn what these values which Jesus sets up for us mean. Let your reality be defined by God's story.
Getting in on God's dream…
The field we are playing on slopes towards God's goal posts, we are created in the image of God (all of us) and God is on our team.
Desmond Tutu says in his book God has a dream that when he was at the front of a small crowd, intimidated by a powerful army, himself quite small in stature and unarmed – he would shout to the soldiers with their weapons and heavy trucks: "Come and join the winning side."
Because Tutu believed firmly that God is on the side of justice.
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