Dr Paul Allen

The Sermon of the Beatitudes (1886-96) by James Tissot from the series The Life of Christ, Brooklyn Museum (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 5:10–12 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. …For your reward is great in heaven” (vv. 11–12). Our flesh may not like to hear it, but biblical Christianity does not promise to make our lives better, at least in the short term. Actually, Jesus tells us that following Him as Lord will bring us many trials and tribulations. This is His point in this passage. In concluding the Beatitudes , the Savior declares “blessed” those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake ( Matt.  5:10). Jesus does not say if you are persecuted. Attacks from unrighteous people are inevitable for the Christian , not mere possibilities. In fact, persecution is such a part and parcel of serving Jesus that we should question our allegiance to Christ ...

The New Testament is full of commands for us to obey. Full of them. The Sermon on the Mount is no exception. Something like sixty-six commands sound from Jesus’s mouth as he calls us as his people to live a life in step with the gospel. The Beatitudes, Jesus’s introduction to the Sermon on the Mount, are a different story. There you’ll not find a single imperative. Not one. 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 satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God . Blessed are the peacemakers , for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. No Commands Here Jesus never tells us to be poo...

English: Icon of Jesus Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) In a sense we are fortunate that we cannot see God. If for one second the veil were removed and we caught a brief glimpse of the face of God, we would perish instantly. His effulgence is so brilliant, His glory so dazzling, that in our present corrupted state we could not bear the sight of Him. He remains invisible both as a curse and as an act of protecting grace. As long as we remain infected by sin we are doomed to wander in His world sightless with respect to Him. We may be comforted by His Word and healed by the secret ministration of His Spirit , but we cannot see the supreme beauty of His face. But we have a dream; nay, more than a dream. We have the sure and certain promise that someday we will see Him face to face. The heart of every Christian longs for the face of Christ . We yearn to look directly at God Himself without fear of being consumed. That deep yearning will be fulfilled one day. The future vision of God...

John Calvin (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 5:1–3 “ Blessed are the poor in spirit , for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” ( v. 3 ). Some people try to separate the Sermon on the Mount from the person who preached it. They then try to apply it to all men — non-believers as much as believers. But it is not a treatise on social ethics. Certainly, the sermon has bearing on our relationship to society, but it cannot be divorced from allegiance to Christ ( Matt. 5:11 ). Above all, the sermon describes life in God’s kingdom , that place where God ’s people embrace His rule. It is given to Jesus ’ disciples ( v. 1 ), making it a guide for life in the believing community — the church. John Calvin alludes to this truth, commenting that the Sermon on the Mount collects “the leading points of the doctrine of Christ” relating “to a devout and holy life.” Jesus does not present the material in this sermon only on this one occasion, for as an itinerant preacher He repeats the same basic...

English: Icon of Jesus Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots (Isa 11:1). God promised the remnant of Judah a bright future in which the Messiah would reign throughout the earth in righteousness and truth. The war with Israel and Assyria would result in great devastation to Judah. But out of that devastation God would preserve the line of David, and out of that line a branch would come forth and blossom into a mighty kingdom. That kingdom would be ruled by the promised deliverer, Jesus Christ . Christ’s rule would be unlike any other kingship because it would be founded on righteousness and truth. He would rule by the Spirit of the Lord in wisdom, understanding, power, and knowledge. He would reign in the fear of the Lord , which means in obedience to His commands and in reverence for His honor and holiness. Christ’s kingdom would not be one of arms and weapons, of temporal power and ...

Image via Wikipedia Image via Wikipedia Image via Wikipedia Image via Wikipedia Image via Wikipedia Image via Wikipedia Image via Wikipedia The two Christian character traits taught most frequently in the New Testament are love and humility. The classic passage on love is, of course,  1 Corinthians 13 . The classic passage on humility, though it never uses the word, is  Matthew 5:2-12 , popularly known as the Beatitudes . And just as 1 Corinthians describes love, so the Beatitudes describe humility. Jesus began His teaching with, " Blessed are the poor in spirit " ( Matt. 5:3  ). The poor in spirit are those who have become convinced of their spiritual poverty. They see their continued sinfulness even as believers. In contrast to the self-righteous Pharisee who prayed, " God , I thank you that I am not like other men," they identify with the tax collector who cried out, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner!" ( Luke 18:9-13 ). This is where humility begin...

Image via Wikipedia Image via Wikipedia Image via Wikipedia Matthew 5:1-3 " Blessed are the poor in spirit , for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" ( v. 3 ). Throughout history, the church has treasured Matthew's gospel as a primary teaching tool, mainly due to his incorporation of large blocks of Jesus' instruction including the Sermon on the Mount . Today begins our study of this famous sermon. Some preachers try to separate the Sermon on the Mount from the person who preached it. They then try to apply it to all men - non-believers as much as believers. But it is not a treatise on social ethics. Certainly, the sermon has bearing on our relationship to society, but it cannot be divorced from allegiance to Christ ( Matt. 5:11 ). Above all, the sermon describes life in God's kingdom , that place where God 's people embrace His rule. It is given to Jesus' disciples ( v. 1 ), making it a guide for life in the believing community - the church. John Cal...

Image via Wikipedia Matthew 5:1-3   Elsewhere, Jesus speaks these same words to the poor ( Luke 6:20  ), because those who have nothing are often able to see their need for salvation most clearly.  Still, one does not need to lack possessions to see the kingdom of God. John Calvin writes that "he only who is reduced to nothing in himself, and relies on the mercy of God , is poor in spirit ." Rich or poor, if we fail to see our need for salvation, we will fail to enter the kingdom.  For further study:  Psalms 34 ;  68:20 Related articles Poor in spirit; great in reward (lifereference.wordpress.com) The Beatitudes Part One (80intheblue.wordpress.com) The Beatitudes of Jesus (#1) (theupwardcallofgod.wordpress.com) The Actions God Hates. (six11.wordpress.com) Back to the Mountain (plsmin.wordpress.com) Blessed: One Thousand Gifts #229-240 (graceformymess.com) Seeking the Kingdom of God (apmadriaga.wordpress.com) Matthew 5:1-26 (wiseasking.w...

Image via Wikipedia "But I say unto you, Love your enemies , bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you." ( Matthew 5:44 )   The Lord never promised that the Christian life would be easy! If we are commanded to love our enemies, the presumption is that we shall have enemies. We must expect persecution if we are expected to pray for our persecutors.   This sermon was to His disciples, not to the multitude (see  Matthew 5:1 ), and the Lord is assuming they would inevitably have enemies, just as He did. "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. . . . If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you" ( John 15:18, 20 ).   He had even called such persecution a blessing. "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness ' sake" ( Matthew 5:10 ). However, we need to be sure that any such persecution comes "for righteousness' sa...

Image via Wikipedia In a sense we are fortunate that we cannot see God. If for one second the veil were removed and we caught a brief glimpse of the face of God, we would perish instantly.  His effulgence is so brilliant, His glory so dazzling, that in our present corrupted state we could not bear the sight of Him. He remains invisible both as a curse and as an act of protecting grace.  As long as we remain infected by sin we are doomed to wander in His world sightless with respect to Him. We may be comforted by His Word and healed by the secret ministration of His Spirit , but we cannot see the supreme beauty of His face. But we have a dream; nay, more than a dream . We have the sure and certain promise that someday we will see Him face to face. The heart of every Christian longs for the face of Christ . We yearn to look directly at God Himself without fear of being consumed. That deep yearning will be fulfilled one day. The future vision of God is called the " Beatifi...

Image via Wikipedia "Seek ye the LORD all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD 's anger." ( Zephaniah 2:3 ) This phrase, "the meek of the earth," occurs three times in the Bible (see also  Psalm 76:9 , which promises their salvation; and  Isaiah 11:4 , which assures them justice). Our text promises deliverance from God 's wrath. "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth" ( Matthew 5:5 ), said Jesus, referring to the promise of  Psalm 37:11 : "But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace." There are many other similar promises: "The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way" ( Psalm 25:9 ). "He will beautify the meek with salvation" ( Psalm 149:4 ), so we need to put on "the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the...