It is getting really difficult to avoid seeing advertisements these days. They’re on YouTube, social media, billboards, TV, subtle product placements in movies. You just can’t escape ads.

Which means that you also can’t escape their message. Which is almost always dialed in to our core desires for “the good life.” Pleasure, wealth, joy, popularity, safety, abundance, peace… This is what most ads promise us.

In fact, let’s do a little exercise. I want you to open up phones and look at your go-to social media platform, then scroll until you come across your first ad.

What value of ”the good life” is the ad is trying to sell you?

Now, our world today may be uniquely saturated with ads like these, but the pursuit of the good life is nothing new. People have been striving after wealth, power, fame, pleasure, etc. since the beginning of time.

Which is why, when Jesus began his Sermon on the Mount in the way he did, he blew people’s minds. Because his vision of “the good life” looked nothing like anyone else’s. And that’s what we’re exploring today.

SERIES RECAP

This is week 6 of our series, “Follow Me,” our deep-dive look at the gospel of Matthew. And week 2 of our 3-week exploration of the Sermon on the Mount.

I want to remind you all that we have on our website some great Series Resources: gracechurch.us/matthew

Again, my ultimate desire is to equip you to study the Bible on your own, and this is a part of it.

So, the Sermon on the Mount. Last week we saw how Jesus is fulfilling the Old Testament law - the Torah - by expanding its commands to the nth degree.

“The law says don’t murder… but I say don’t even hate somebody!” Right?

This is the way, according to Jesus, that our broken world can actually change: When we show people there’s another way to live. So, bottom line,

The Sermon on the Mount is an invitation for us to join Jesus in his mission to heal the world.

Now, I also challenged you to read or listen to the Sermon on the Mount this past week, and I said I’d ask you to raise your hands. So how many of you read it?

Alright, well let’s keep our exploration of this provocative sermon going. Turn with me to Matthew 5

THE BEATITUDES

Today we’re going to look at how Jesus opens his sermon on the mount, with something often referred to as the “Beatitudes.” If you want to know why it’s called that, check out my fun facts in the Grace app notes.

But essentially, Jesus starts this sermon by describing eight kinds of people that he considers “blessed.” Although that may not be the best way to translate the Greek word that Matthew uses here. The word is makarios - happy, blessed, favored

But the word “blessed” can be a bit misleading because of how we use it today. It can have kind of cheesy religious overtones.

What Jesus really means here is that these are the people he considers fortunate. These are the ones who have it all. Or even, “You want to know what the good life looks like? Take a look at these people.”

Now, this wasn’t an entirely original thing to do. Wise men would often pontificate about what made up “the good life.”

“That man with a happy wife and all those children? He’s makarios.”

“That woman is makarios. She’s going to market with a fantastic harvest. How fortunate.”

“Ah, man. That guy’s got money, power… he’s even healthy in his old age. He is makarios. That’s the good life.”

It’s the same basic stuff we see promised in all the ads that bombard us today: health, wealth, a rippling six pack without ever going to the gym…

But as I said before, Jesus approaches “the good life” in a very different way… We call the gospel of Matthew a “kingdom manifesto,” and this passage is a big part of why. Let’s take a look at what Jesus has to say.

THE GOOD LIFE

Matthew 5:3

“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.”

Literally, Jesus says, “makarios are those who are poor in spirit.” In other words, the good life belongs to them.

Um, I’m sorry, Jesus, but what? The poor in spirit are blessed? Fortunate? Isn’t that obviously false? The good life can’t include poverty, can it?

Well, it’s important to pay attention to the second half of each verse. Why are the poor in spirit makarios? Because according to Jesus, “the kingdom of heaven is theirs.”

What does that mean? Well, quick note. In the other gospels Jesus uses the phrase “the kingdom of God” to describe God’s rule and reign breaking into our reality. But Matthew uses “kingdom of heaven.”

They mean the exact same thing. I just think Matthew is trying to contrast the values and principles of our realm (the earth) with the values and principles of God’s realm (the heavens or the skies).

In the kingdoms of the Earth it isn’t good to be poor. Or dependent. Or downtrodden. It’s better to be wealthy and successful so you can depend on yourself.

But in the realm of God’s rule and reign, according to Jesus, it’s way better to be poor in Spirit - dependent on God.

Why? Because those are the people God is working to deliver. That’s what we see all through the Bible. God hears the groans of the poor and acts to bring them justice.

That is who the kingdom of heaven is for. Jesus didn’t go to the princes and kings of the world. He went to the poor in Spirit. To impoverished nobodies in rural Galilee.

Because God rescues those crushed by this broken world. He dwells with them. It’s what he does.

And so Jesus makes it clear right out of the gate. Sure, the rich and powerful can fix their own problems. But the good life belongs to the poor in spirit because they need God and God will meet them in their need.

His kingdom and his compassion and his presence are for them. They’re blessed. The next beatitude is similar.

Matthew 5:4

“God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

Now, it’s obviously ridiculous to say that mourning people have it good. That they are “happy” or “fortunate.” That’s not how grief works.

But again, when we see the second part of the verse we can understand that the good life belongs to those who mourn because they are the ones God is working to comfort. That’s who his kingdom is for!

Remember, Jesus is fulfilling the promises of the Old Testament. Like the words of the prophet Isaiah.

Isaiah 61:1-3

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is upon me,

for the LORD has anointed me

to bring good news to the poor.

He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted

and to proclaim that captives will be released

and prisoners will be freed.

He has sent me to tell those who mourn

that the time of the LORD’s favor has come,

and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies.

To all who mourn in Israel,

he will give a crown of beauty for ashes,

a joyous blessing instead of mourning,

festive praise instead of despair.

This prophecy is fulfilled in Christ.

The point is, God is making all things right again through Jesus, and it is those most broken by this dark world who will have a front-row seat to its transformation.

Jesus goes on.

Matthew 5:5

“God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth.”

The word “humble” here can also be translated as “meek,” and it kind of has a double meaning. As with the first two, it does mean those who are disadvantaged and powerless - the meek.

But it also refers to those whose attitude is not arrogant or oppressive - the humble. And I think it’s clear who Jesus is contrasting these folks with: the Roman Empire.

At the time of Jesus’ ministry, the Romans had come to dominate the ancient world. The elite in Rome in the first century had access to spices from India, wild animals from sub-Saharan Africa, wool from Spain, and slaves from Germany.

They ruled the world with an iron fist. Absolute dominance.

And yet, Scripture is very clear: corrupt human empires are destined to fall.

And Jesus picks right up on that theme: The good life belongs to those who are humble and meek and surrendered to the desires of God, because they will be greatest in his kingdom.

The Galilean peasants listening to Jesus teach were absolute nobodies on the world stage, and yet according to him, they - not the Romans - would be the ones to inherit the earth.

Matthew 5:6

“God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied.”

Yet again, Jesus is building on an Old Testament concept. “Justice or righteousness.” Which essentially means God putting right what is wrong. Bringing his order back to the world.

Ending corruption. Overturning oppression. That’s what justice means in the Bible.

The good life belongs to those who are hungry and thirsty for that to be true. Both those who are suffering from a lack of God’s justice and those who are dedicated to embodying God’s justice.

Either way - if you are hungry and thirsty for God’s justice, you’re living the good life because God will make things right. When all is said and done, you will be satisfied.

Matthew 5:7

“God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”

In the New Testament, the word “mercy” (eleeō) means more than just forgiveness or being nice.

It means having a willingness to see things from another’s point of view. Mercy means not being quick to take offense or to gloat over others’ shortcomings.

To Jesus, the good life does not come from dominating others and being at the top of the heap. It comes from being merciful. Self-giving love. Those are the ones who will receive mercy as they align themselves with the character of God.

Matthew 5:8

“God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.”

Just a quick note about this word “purity.” There is plenty of baggage with that word in the Evangelical Church. But here the word “pure” is not about sex or heavy handed religious shame.

It’s actually more about avoiding idol worship. Being purely devoted to the purposes of God. For example,

Psalm 24:4

Who may climb the mountain of the LORD?

Who may stand in his holy place?

Only those whose hands and hearts are pure,

who do not worship idols

and never tell lies.

In other words, who can see God? Who can enter into the presence of the Creator? Only those whose hearts are pure and not corrupted by selfish desires. Those who don’t mix devotion to God with devotion to the things of this world. Idols.

Oh, and a reminder: if you feel like you’re not pure in heart, remember that Christ will make you pure. Put your trust in him, confess your sins to him, and he will wipe your past away. A clean slate.

The good life belongs to the pure in heart. Ok. Two more…

Matthew 5:9

“God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.”

This phrase “Children of God,” literally “sons of God,” is a Jewish idiom that refers to shared characteristics. If you called someone a “son of Abraham” or a “son of the devil,” you’d be referring to their character.

So what is the shared characteristic with God? Working for peace. Being peacemakers.

Yet again, Jesus is contrasting the kingdom of God with the kingdoms of this world.

Here’s what I mean. Rome went on and on about how they brought peace to the world. They called it the Pax Romana - Roman Peace.

Except Rome kept that peace at the end of a sword. They ruled through fear of utter domination. After having his people massacred by Rome, a defeated rebel chieftain is quoted as saying this about Rome:

“They make a desert and call it peace.” -Calgacus, quoted by Tacitus

But to Jesus the Pax Romana isn’t the good life.

No. True peacemaking in the kingdom of God involves bringing joy, harmony, and abundance into the world; not just tamping down violence with the threat of more violence.

The good life belongs to the peacemakers willing to set themselves aside for the sake of a world transformed. Those are the true children of God, the ones who act just like their father in heaven - who brought peace not through violence, but through sacrifice.

Which brings us to the final beatitude.

Matthew 5:10

“God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.”

Here Jesus is acknowledging a truth about his kingdom. The truth that as we work to bring about God’s healing mission in this world, we’ll face pushback from the powers that want to keep the world as it is.

Rome doesn’t appreciate true peacemakers; they crucify them.

The powerful don’t like those who free slaves and care for the poor.

The corrupt don’t like those dedicated to God’s justice.

And yet, Jesus claims that the good life belongs to exactly them: those who suffer for his cause. Why are they blessed? Because, just like the first beatitude, the kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

Jesus expands on this last beatitude. He says,

Matthew 5:11-12

“God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.”

That’s right. Just like the Old Testament prophets, who spoke God’s truth but were beaten, hated, and laughed out of town because of it, we should expect pushback as we join in God’s mission to heal the world.

But yet again, therein lies the blessing. Because it is in that persecution that we join Jesus in his own self-sacrifice and we find ourselves squarely at the center of his kingdom.

—

So there you have it. Jesus’ perspective on the good life - his kingdom manifesto: The truly blessed ones are the poor, the mourning, the meek, the persecuted, and those who join God in his selfless mission to heal this broken world.

Somehow I feel like these ideas are never going to make great Instagram ads. But I believe they do tell us an awful lot about the heart of our Savior.

The “upside down” kingdom of God upends the values of our world, but it is exactly where the good life truly lies.

PART II - COMFORT

The beatitudes can offer a significant challenge. Am I living out the values of the kingdom of God? Am I living “the good life” according to Jesus, or am I pursuing the values of the world?

So they are a challenge. But the beatitudes can also be an incredible encouragement: They are a reminder that,

If you are crushed by the brokenness of this world, the kingdom of God is for you.

We want to close our time together giving you an opportunity to let the concepts from Jesus’ teachings wash over you. Not from a place of obligation, but from a place of comfort.

BARRY

Are you poor in spirit? Crushed by the weight of this world? Facing poverty, desperation, or dependence on others? Dependence on God? If so, hear the words of your Savior: “the kingdom of Heaven is yours.”

JEFF

Are you mourning right now? Mourning the loss of a loved one? The grief of broken dreams? Do you feel despair that this world will never get any better? If so, hear the words of your Savior: “you will be comforted.”

BARRY

Are you humble? Meek? A nobody? Do you feel powerless in a world beyond your control? If so, hear the words of your Savior: “you will inherit the earth.”

JEFF

Are you hungry and thirsty for justice? Are you outraged at the suffering around you? Are you a victim of it? Do you want nothing more than to see God making this unjust world right? If so, hear the words of your Savior: “you will be satisfied.”

BARRY

Are you merciful? Compassionate? Willing to set yourself aside and do you refuse to dominate others? If so, hear the words of your Savior: “you will be shown mercy.”

JEFF

Are you pure in heart? Devoted to the purposes of God? Have you put your trust in Jesus to make you spotless? If so, hear the words of your Savior: “you will see God.”

BARRY

Are you a peacemaker? Working to bring life, harmony, and abundance into our world? If so, hear the words of your Savior: “you will be called a child of God.”

JEFF

Are you persecuted for doing right? Are you suffering for your dedication to Jesus? Is this broken world pushing back on you as you seek to heal it? If so, hear the words of your Savior: “the kingdom of heaven is yours.”